The crowd did not immediately understand, but they realized that the matter was not trivial. After all, for many years, this was the first time they had seen the father and son so panicked.
Zhang Jing immediately strode out and said, "I will go investigate!"
Yan Song, seeing that everyone was still stunned, said sternly,
"All of you go and do your tasks! If it's too late, it will be too late! Hurry up!"
With a swish,
everyone scrambled away.
Yan Shifan said in a low voice,
"Father, has something really gone wrong?"
"Perhaps... If that person were Zhu Xue, how could he have seized the army? How would he know which people were friendly with King Jing? Shifan, I think it's too late... They went to do their tasks, most likely it's already too late... The Emperor is so formidable, he has probably made all the arrangements, and we can only leave it to fate now..."
With that,
Yan Song looked truly dejected.
Yan Shifan also sighed, feeling that his father and son could never escape the Emperor's grasp. A move made seven or eight years ago had also been seen through by the Emperor?
He slumped onto the chair and meticulously reviewed the sequence of events, but found no significant loopholes. How could the Emperor have noticed? Or was he thinking too much? The truth of the matter, he supposed, would only be known when that person returned.
However, he was, after all, a seasoned figure. He knew that such matters could not afford any mistakes, nor could they wait for the outcome. If they didn't act, they would be passive...
With his temper flaring, he suddenly gritted his teeth and said,
"Father, our survival hangs by a thread! Your son believes the key is still about influence! As long as we have influence, even if the Emperor knows everything, we won't fear him!"
Yan Song knew his son was very intelligent. He glared at him and retorted,
Yan Song suddenly felt that throughout his life under Jiajing, he had fought hundreds of battles, and the reason he always lost by a step was truly due to his timidity. After all, having read the classics his whole life, he truly couldn't cross that threshold...
In this moment of grave crisis, he thought of the danger to his life, and then of his three grandsons who were still in their hands. The person Zhu Xue who had finally been found to replace the throne had also been discovered by Jiajing. At this final moment of life and death, all his reservations were suddenly broken through.
"Shifan, others cannot handle this matter. You must personally go and find Lu Bing... Also, tell Yan Fu and Yan Shou to gather everyone. Let's get this done today..."
Mm,
Yan Shifan perked up, thought for a while longer, and then strode out.
At this time,
the sky was nearly dark.
The atmosphere in the entire capital grew increasingly tense.
The news that Tumen Khan was about to attack Beijing spread more and more wildly in the streets and alleys. In the eyes of ordinary people, the reason for such a great crisis must be due to internal traitors; otherwise, how could such a thing happen to the powerful Great Ming Dynasty? Not only were people hurrying about, but even groups of three to five people dared not gather. Even the soldiers felt that a great calamity was imminent.
Yan Shifan had already sent people to lure Li Tingzhu, and had also brought Li Tingzhu's entire family of more than thirty people to the Yan residence. At this point, Lu Bing had also arrived, and everything was ready.
He looked at the five to six hundred people gathered in the backyard, exuding a murderous aura. He emboldened himself and said loudly,
"Let's go!"
Lu Bing beckoned, and the five to six hundred people immediately followed Yan Shifan, running towards Mu Chaobi's residence in the capital.
Among these people, three hundred were Yan residence guards, and the rest were eunuchs arrested by Lu Bing from the Eastern Depot, who were now disguised as guards. The people of the capital had long been accustomed to such scenes, knowing that whenever a major event occurred, these strange sights were unavoidable.
Soon,
With a bang!
The door of the secret mansion was broken open by the guards. Yan Shifan rushed in with a knife, only to find it empty. The entire mansion was devoid of any people.
He cursed internally, exclaiming,
"Lao Liu, this?"
Lu Bing had not wanted to do this, but at this point, even if his own mother was Jiajing's wet nurse, he had no choice but to go all out. After all, he had been supporting the Yan family for the past twenty years. Even if Jiajing didn't kill him, if the Yan family fell, their prosperity and wealth would surely be gone. Moreover, since Jiajing had officially moved against the Yan family, even if he could save his life, it would be no different from being dead.
At this moment,
Seeing that the mansion was empty, he realized that the Emperor must have acted first. A tremor of fear surged from the bottom of his heart, and he stammered,
"Donglou, I'm afraid, I'm afraid it's too late... W-what should we do?"
He thought of Jiajing's unfathomable nature and became even more panicked.
Yan Shifan's body was also trembling. Thinking of his three sons who had been captured and whose whereabouts were still unknown, his anger surged.
"Damn it! Then let's break the net and fight! Go, let's kill Xu Jie and Li Chunfang!"
What?
Lu Bing thought he misheard?
What did Xu Jie have to do with this?
Yan Shifan's face was now gloomy, covered with unprecedented ferocity. He said word by word,
"Since we are to sow chaos, it is correct to kill Xu Jie and Li Chunfang..."
Lu Bing greatly admired him, knowing that this man was indeed a genius, his mind often working better than others. At this moment, he suddenly understood—
That's right!
Since chaos is to be sown, killing Xu Jie and Li Chunfang is correct!
These two are the backbone of the officials. If they suddenly die, the officials will be in a panic and shrouded in rumors, and then they will only listen to the Yan family... Moreover, the capital will surely fall into great chaos, and even if the Emperor wants to arrest the Yan family or himself, it will be difficult to act...
"Right!"
He thought of his own imminent danger and said decisively,
"Let's go! Let's do it!"
The two of them immediately led their guards and rushed towards Li Chunfang's residence again. This was because Xu Jie did not live in this area, while Li Chunfang happened to be not far away.
...
A short while later,
On the Deshengmen city tower.
As dusk faded and night fell.
Zhang Juzheng and Wu Duó gazed at the distant mountains. The bonfires in the outer camps not far ahead naturally stirred their emotions.
Wu Duó had recently received the news of the fall of Liaoyang and immediately dispatched the Shenji Battalion, moving it more than a hundred li from Juyong Pass towards the capital. As expected, Li Tingzhu personally arrived later, asking him to immediately transfer the Shenji Battalion to the vicinity of Xifengkou, claiming it was to intercept Tumen Khan. He pretended to obey, but later personally led the Shenji Battalion back to the capital.
At that time, Zhang Juzheng thought all was lost and was about to return to the city to persuade the Emperor to flee to Nanjing, when he saw Wu Duó return with seventy thousand men from the Shenji Battalion. It was truly a joyous surprise, and only then did they have the opportunity to calmly arrange the capital's defenses. By this afternoon, the arrangements were largely completed, and it was estimated that even if Tumen Khan reached the city walls, they could hold on for one or two months. If Tumen Khan's numbers were small, they could even counterattack.
What concerned them most was the court situation.
In the afternoon,
When the news of Yan Song re-assuming his duties came, Zhang Juzheng was deeply worried. With his wisdom and foresight, he knew that the situation was becoming increasingly perilous, and it was possible that internal strife might occur... And all of this happened by a twist of fate.
"Old Premier Zhang, can Anya Khan be persuaded?"
Wu Duó knew that the only variable to resolve the situation was probably this.