Cannot campaign in the north?
Then what?
By rights, he should have crowned himself King of Wu and gone ahead. According to his reasoning, wouldn't that cause a schism?
Zhu Mo pondered for a while, feeling it made some sense. After all, the Prince of Jing currently had no justifiable reason to launch a campaign. Firstly, while his execution of Yan was brutal, Emperor Taizu had once torn Hu Weiyong apart by chariots, so it couldn't be said to be an unforgivable offense. Secondly, the entire empire's pivot was indeed in Youzhou. Although Jiangnan had reformed first, the nation was a single entity, an undeniable fact. If this region fell into chaos, how could the Nine Garrisons remain quiet? Jiliao even less so. Furthermore, there were foreign relations, and friendly nations would be at a loss. And then there was that Tumen Khan, who was definitely not to be underestimated…
After a moment of contemplation, Zhu Mo said again:
“I refuse to believe everyone believes his fabricated Peach Blossom Spring, his real ghost stories… I think people still yearn for change. If he proceeds like this, isn't that just closing his eyes and pretending not to see? It should be change first, then people responding to change… He has reversed it all, making it seem as if you and I are the ones disrupting the world! I believe this charade won't last long; it's bound to be exposed…”
“That is only natural…”
One month later,
In the capital, at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The Prince of Jing had attended court more than ten times. Although Jiajing sat in the center, he had never spoken. All matters were decided by the Prince of Jing, who sat to the lower left of the dragon throne. Each time the Prince of Jing made a decision, he would feign asking, “Is Father Emperor in agreement?” and Jiajing would always nod with a smile.
But today, the situation was somewhat different.
This was because Xu Jie and a group of newly promoted court officials had received the memorials of repentance from Zhang Juzheng and Zhu Mo. There was only one memorial, but it bore the signatures of both men, stating:
“Your subjects Zhang Juzheng and Zhu Mo submit:
Your subjects, with shallow understanding and limited ability, misjudged the overall situation, believing that a thousand-year transformation, with internal and external repercussions, required fundamental countermeasures to guard against unforeseen changes. However, the matters planned for Jiangnan by your subjects deviated from ancestral systems and yielded minimal results. This is truly what is called misleading the country and its people. Their lack of learning and impetuous actions are sufficient to caution future generations. Therefore, your subjects request punishment for offenses punishable by death.”
While this was labeled a crime, everyone understood in their hearts…
Jiangnan was not like this. Not to mention Jiangnan, later the two capitals and thirteen provinces all implemented it, and most areas were quite effective. The only dissatisfaction was that Zhu Mo’s stringent laws did not allow anyone to profit or seize control, making them meaningless.
Consequently, most people were happy to mock them. On the way to court, they were ridiculing Zhang Juzheng and Zhu Mo, naturally praising the Prince of Jing's exceptional abilities and dismissing Zhu Mo as a clown.
Xu Jie, however, felt a sense of melancholy. With the two of them submitting memorials of repentance like this, the Prince of Jing had effectively secured his position. Would he then launch another wave of purges? Would he create another faction of Zhang and Zhu party members to be executed?
…
Soon, the appointed time arrived.
The officials stood in two solemn lines.
The Prince of Jing was clearly a little flustered because this memorial of repentance, overnight, had somehow spread throughout the capital. Not to mention the capital, it had actually reached various regions. In his view, this was a disguised ultimatum disguised as an apology… After all, everyone knew that the reforms had been successful. Their self-discrediting maneuver actually put the Prince of Jing in a rather passive position.
He planned to suspend the court session after its adjournment today and find a group of Confucian scholars to refute this memorial of repentance, word for word, from beginning to end, making an argument that struck at the heart of their intentions, and then refuse to accept it.
At this moment,
His cold gaze swept across the entire hall. Seeing that most people were behaving themselves, he felt a slight sense of relief. He then entered the side hall, as usual, to welcome Jiajing before the court session could begin.
But strangely—
There seemed to be no one in the side hall?
The Prince of Jing suddenly jolted awake and gave Han Chong a meaningful glance.
Han Chong strode in, and indeed, it was empty! In previous court sessions, Jiajing would have already been seated on the prayer mat in the north. But at this moment, not even a shadow was visible!
The Prince of Jing let out a snort and cast another sharp, venomous glance around the hall. He said,
“Father Emperor is suffering from a slight indisposition today… The court session shall be suspended… Esteemed Elder Xu, this memorial of repentance is rather peculiar. This Prince believes it might be a forgery… We shall investigate thoroughly in three days before making a decision! Court adjourned!”
He felt that the situation was unfavorable and was eager to end the passive state.
But just then,
A palace attendant ran in hastily, entered the hall, and knelt to shout:
“His Majesty has issued an edict…”
A clamor!
A hiss!
The ministers immediately lowered their heads, not even daring to glance at the Prince of Jing. All the ministers knew that the Prince of Jing most disliked others referring to the Emperor, and besides himself, no one else was permitted to utter the word "Emperor." But today, was this eunuch seeking death?
The Prince of Jing was furious inwardly, but he calmly cursed:
“What’s the rush? Father Emperor merely has a slight indisposition! Bring it here…”
He snatched the silk scroll from the palace attendant’s hand. It read:
“朕顷获奸臣张居正、朱墨请罪之表，览之不胜痛心。朕思御宇凡四十年，亦屡变祖制，致使天下阴阳失调、四维不张。朕自忏三清，皆内修不明、外用不当所致。书曰，万方有罪，罪在一人。著明诰天下，朕即日不食，以待奸臣授首。果天意怜之，则羽化正所愿耳。钦此。”