Hmph!
Wang Daren strode out two steps and said leisurely, "Lord You, is it really so?"
He glared at You Jujing, then turned to everyone, "To tell you the truth, everyone! I, your humble servant, have been inspecting Yunnan and Guizhou for two months, and everywhere I look, I see nothing but hardship for the people and frequent border troubles... Everyone, it's not that Wang is unreasonable. I have been in Yunnan and Guizhou for two months, and I have received dozens of secret reports impeaching You Jujing!
Today, I didn't want to say anything, I just wanted to send all the impeachments to the Censorate and let the ministers in the Cabinet handle it. Why? You must have heard, Wang has some other official duties... But hearing what the generals said today, if I condone this, it will lead to great trouble! Wang is not afraid to be perfunctory. This time, not only will all impeachments be sent to the imperial court, but if the Emperor asks, I will report truthfully."
With a swish, he flicked his long sleeves and sat down again in a relaxed manner. His face was full of disdain.
"You!"
You Jujing was instantly shocked and angry, and said loudly, "Lord Wang, you are making accusations based on rumors! I, You, am clean and upright, and I am not afraid of investigation!"
Heh heh,
Wang Daren smiled instead and said slowly, "In October of Jiajing's 39th year, why did you privately mobilize troops southward? What business is it of yours that the Tusi of Cheli Xuanweisi succeeded to the title? Why do you favor one over the other?"
With a swish, he stood up again and said loudly, "Everyone! Yunnan and Guizhou are important border territories. Mobilizing troops privately is the way to chaos! As a touring censor, I must investigate! You Jujing, if you still understand the rules, do not bark at this humble servant! Since you do not admit it, this humble servant will have to resort to extraordinary measures! Come, lock You Jujing up at home and suspend him pending investigation!"
Wow!
Hiss!
Rustle!
The entire hall was instantly in an uproar.
"Unacceptable!"
"Lord Wang is wrong!"
"Lord You is not wrong!"
"With the enemy at the gates, we cannot disrupt our own formations!"
"Please, Lord Wang, reconsider!"
"Pah!"
"You Jujing is plotting rebellion!"
"He received ten thousand taels of gold from the Cheli Tusi!"
"He is colluding with foreign enemies!"
"..."
Many people's words became more and more outrageous, and the two sides were about to quarrel.
At this moment, four soldiers came in and said, "Please, Lord You, come with us."
You Jujing, however, held his head high and said loudly, "Who dares to move?"
With a swish, the four soldiers actually dared not step forward. Everyone was astonished, and in their surprise, they all saw that amidst the commotion, Zhu Mo had already stood before Wang Daren, and Wang Daren, who was originally arrogant, was now dejected and frantic...
Mu Chaobi was greatly puzzled and glanced over quietly. He saw Zhu Mo holding a piece of white silk in his hand, spread out. It looked like he was wiping sweat, and it also looked like he was playing with it. And on the white silk was a strange rune, winding and dense, and no one knew what it was.
And Wang Daren, staring at the white silk, looked as if he had seen a ghost!
"This?"
"What the hell..."
Mu Chaobi coughed dryly and said, "Lord Wang? Lord Wang?"
Wang Daren acted as if he hadn't heard, his mouth wide open as he looked at the white silk, then glared venomously at Zhu Mo, his whole body trembling slightly.
Zhu Mo sighed gently, wiped his forehead with the white silk, and said, "They say Kunming Prefecture is a place to escape the summer heat, but why do I feel a bit hot here... Lord Wang, I see sweat on your forehead, are you unwell? Are you sick?"
Wang Daren's eyes were about to spew fire, but he stammered, "No, no, no... Thank you, Grand Scholar Zhu..."
Zhu Mo said "Oh" and then appeared to be suffering from the heat. He stretched his limbs, tucked the white silk into his chest, and sat back in his seat, saying, "Alas, it's really hot... Lord Wang, since you are not indisposed, please continue speaking!"
Wang Daren grunted, his head lowered, and countless vulgarities surged in his mind—
Good, alright~
Zhu Mo~
You devil!
I've had eight lifetimes of bad luck! How did I end up with a guy like you...
He was simultaneously angry and frightened, thinking: Liu Wenbin was probably abducted by him. Then will that brat say anything? If he does, won't that be deceiving the emperor? Oh no! Liu Wenbin, you bastard!
At this moment, Mu Chaobi urged again, "Lord Wang? Lord Wang, what's wrong?"
Wang Daren cast another venomous glance at Zhu Mo, his mind now clear—
He wants to protect You Jujing...
Since he is not making a fuss, there is still room for maneuver...
I'll find him personally tonight...
Thinking of this,
Wang Daren coughed dryly and said, "You! Disperse!"
Mu Chaobi was about to speak when Wang Daren added, "Everyone, Duke Mu is right! We cannot make hasty conclusions about Yunnan and Guizhou affairs... Uh, this humble servant has traveled throughout the counties and prefectures of the world and knows that there are many false accusations. Do not my colleagues also say that Lord You is diligent and fair, uh, this humble servant needs to verify further... Lord You, in my lack of vigilance in observing the situation, I hope you can forgive me!"
This?
What the hell did he just see?
Mu Chaobi and a group of commanders and censors were stunned.
How did he back down at the last minute?
What was on that white silk? Did Zhu Mo hold something over him? But how was that possible? Zhu Mo had only been in Kunming Prefecture for three days...
You Jujing knew the details last night and thought: Wang Daren, if you hadn't come to harm others, how would others deal with you? Since Zhu Mo isn't exposing you and is saving your face, I'll let you off the hook too...
He immediately cleared his throat and said loudly, "Lord Wang, it is only right for the officials and civilians to report wrongdoing... Although there are occasional false accusations, as long as one acts uprightly, there is nothing to fear from them!
Everyone! We were just talking about the enemy at the gates, and you cannot dredge up old grudges. First, resist the foreign invasion, and do not implicate the officials and civilians! As long as the foreign invasion is repelled, the officials and civilians will be at peace! Even if there are some old accounts, with Imperial Envoys Wang and Zhu here, they can be investigated and settled at that time! What do you all think?"
Phew~~
Mu Chaobi was suffering from a terrible headache. He really couldn't understand why Wang Daren would suddenly turn against himself? Wasn't this slapping himself in the face on the spot? Since You Jujing had said so, why was he still silent?
He sized up Zhu Mo. The young man had a blank expression, his eyes deep and unfathomable, and he couldn't discern any meaning from them at all...
He sighed inwardly and said, "The Governor is right! With the enemy at the gates, we must not dredge up old grudges! Everything will be dealt with after the fighting is over! I, the Duke, say this in advance: no one is allowed to slack off! Everyone must put in their best effort! Even if there are any grievances, no disputes are allowed during wartime! Otherwise, military law will be applied!"
With a rustle, everyone said in unison, "Your subordinate obeys!"
You Jujing immediately wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, looked at Zhu Mo gratefully, and then said loudly, "This expedition, with Grand Scholar Zhu present, he is the Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion, ranked among the highest officials, and he is also here to pursue the Portuguese this time! Moreover, you have all probably heard that Grand Scholar Zhu heavily defeated the Japanese pirates and understands the current situation, which has not been seen in a thousand years... Uh, please, Grand Scholar Zhu, tell everyone about the situation."
"Grand Scholar Zhu, please enlighten us!"
Zhu Mo nodded, stood up, clasped his hands to everyone, and said, "It's easy to say, it's easy to say!"