Xu Jie saw the worry on Prince Yu’s face and, of course, thought of the ancient secrets of the imperial family. Moreover, this Emperor had always been superstitious about Taoist priests. It was quite common for a Taoist priest to say that a certain prince’s heir was difficult to raise and should be handed over to a Taoist temple. But there was one rumor, which was simply nonsense, that Zhu Mo was the Emperor’s illegitimate son. That was beyond reason. Since Xu Jie obtained his jinshi degree, he had never seen Jiajing’s lustfulness.
With this thought,
Xu Jie couldn’t help but let out a wry smile and said,
“Alas, forget it. Let’s not try to guess. In any case, rumors are always bad. Brother Shilu, and Zili, let’s discuss later who should go remind Grand Secretary Yan. I think it’s best to have Wu Peng go. It’s not convenient for me to appear, so can Brother Shilu mention it?
If this continues, what if the Emperor is furious? It’s not for anything else, but the Emperor is old, so let’s have fewer vexing matters.”
Mm-hmm,
The three nodded in unison, all feeling that these words were not light, and Yan Song would likely listen.
Li Chunfang said, “Shaohu, you don’t need to worry too much. A strong wind doesn’t last a morning, nor a heavy rain a whole day. I’ll go talk to Minister Wu right away.”
...
Yan Residence,
That night.
In the Liangjian Mountain House, a luxurious study, several ice containers emitted cold air, and the entire room was completely free of the summer night’s heat.
Everyone sat together, each holding an iced wine glass. Yan Song, uncharacteristically, sat aside and cautiously asked his son, “Feng Bao came again. What did he say?”
Reader ID – 563743675
Yan Shifan knew the gravity of the situation and said,
“Father, I’ve told you several times. Feng Bao brought a message from Prince Yu, asking us to investigate a Taoist priest named Pu Qing…”
“I’m asking you what the original words were!”
Old Yan Song suddenly glared at him.
Yan Shifan was impatient but still managed to be patient and said seriously,
“The original words were: Prince Yu said, asking if Junior Grand Secretary recognized a Taoist named Pu Qing, who came from Mount Wutai in Shanxi.”
Oh…
Yan Song was stunned for a moment and murmured, “So, there’s no record of this Taoist priest in the palace either… Then what’s going on?”
Zhao Wenhua, who had always been in charge of this matter, replied softly,
“Reporting to Grand Secretary, before, Yan Fu and the others investigated this. They said this Taoist priest stayed at Chaotian Temple for a few days, which was last year. Zhu Mo had not appeared then.”
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Mm,
Yan Song nodded and said,
“It doesn’t matter whether he is or not… The key is Prince Yu. Since he’s asking us, it means he admits to the rumor…”
Everyone sincerely admired him—
The old man was still the most formidable in the court. With this move, he had made it impossible for Prince Yu to extricate himself, and also prevented the Emperor and Zhu Mo from taking action against them for the time being. Otherwise, it would immediately turn into an internal struggle within the imperial family, and as court officials, they would be out of it. If the Zhu family persisted, all the officials and gentry in the realm would naturally be disheartened, and they wouldn’t be able to bear this burden.
Yan Song looked up at the stars for a while and said leisurely,
“We have finally crossed the Three Gorges… From now on, you all need to be more cautious. I heard that Zhu Mo has gathered a group of ruffians and scoundrels in Hangzhou, investigating something all over the world… You should all go find out. I always feel that Zhu Mo is about to make some big moves again… Alas… I stand by my word, the enfeoffed nobles, the princes, the eunuchs, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you must all maintain contact…”
Yan Shifan said,
“Father, your son has visited them all. Otherwise, how could this rumor have spread so quickly? Father, please rest assured…”
Yan Song still felt uneasy, but after all, he was eighty-two years old, and could only leave it to fate.
Discussion Group 563743675
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At this time, Zhu Mo had just passed through the Three Gorges, heading upstream. Fortunately, the boat was not large, only over three hundred people, divided into three boats. The trackers did not expend too much effort. Upon reaching Chaotianmen, Zhu Mo found some local horses good at climbing. The group did not linger but continued upstream along the official road by the river.
Along the way, with great talents like Xu Wei and Li Zhi accompanying him, he was not lonely. Especially Xu Wei, who had traveled extensively in his youth and later served in the retinues of many frontier generals, had broad knowledge. When they spoke of the Yu Tonghai and Yu Tongyuan family in Yuexi, Xu Wei told a story, saying,
“Zixuan, Zhuowu, everyone knows that the founding Emperor fought Chen Youliang’s navy at Lake Chaohu, which was trained by the Yu family. But how many people know that these warships were not actually from the Lake Chaohu pirates, but from the former Yuan navy? At that time, there were five to six thousand ships. Therefore, the founding Emperor, with his plans well-thought-out, sailed up the Yangtze River, and Chen Youliang was caught off guard.”
Oh?
The two were greatly surprised. Even though Zhu Mo had read many articles compiled by great scholars on Zhihu, he had never heard this. He immediately said,
“Of course, the former Yuan had a navy, but wasn’t it on the Yangtze River? How could it be in Lake Chaohu? Since the Yu family were naval commanders of the former Yuan, how did they defect to the founding Emperor?”
Xu Wei sighed and said,
“Many things cannot stand up to scrutiny. The more you know, the more shocking it becomes… For example, the Yu family, the Marquis of Yuexi, their ancestors were the Grand Preceptor of the former Yuan, Tuo Huotemur, and their descendants later changed their surnames. They were originally from the Qipchaq Guard of the former Yuan. Later, when Yuan Shizu wanted to attack Java, he trained naval warships and worried about the strong winds and waves, and that northerners would not adapt. Thus, he established a naval base in Lake Chaohu. Later, the Yu family was suspected by Bayan, and knowing that the former Yuan was bound to perish, they defected to the founding Emperor when he crossed the river.”
Li Zhi nodded and said, “This makes sense… Otherwise, where would the founding Emperor have gotten so many warships? Even if he used common people to train them, they could not become an army in a short time.”
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Zhu Mo suddenly woke up: So the Yu family had this background? The Dadu River was in Yuexi. If they were unaware, it was impossible. The Yin Chen wood, this source of wealth, was likely in the hands of the Yu family… Why did this Yu family collude with the Yan family?
Thinking of this,
He suddenly remembered something and asked,
“Brother Wenchang, then what about the Yu family during the Jingnan campaign?”
Xu Wei smiled and said,
“I was just about to mention it. During the Jingnan campaign, the Yu family supported the Imperial Grandson. Later, Emperor Chengzu did not do anything to their family, other than neglect them. Later, several generations of their family inherited the noble titles, often being shelved by the Emperor for several years. The current Emperor actually shelved the current Marquis of Yuexi for over ten years. He likely inherited the title six or seven years ago…”
Oh,
Zhu Mo and Li Zhi reacted simultaneously—
The Yu family had been marginalized, and even inheriting the title was so difficult, so they had to find other ways. It was likely that Yan Song helped them, and the current Marquis of Yuexi became a Marquis.
This was not surprising. Since the Jingnan campaign, the enfeoffed nobles of the Great Ming had turned over again. Only those who contributed to the Jingnan campaign were the most proud, such as the current Duke of Chengguo, Zhu Xizhong, who was a descendant of Zhu Neng. Several times, the Emperor summoned him to the palace for fasting and sacrifices. As for the supporters of the Imperial Grandson, they were naturally marginalized.