Jiajing had thought Prince Jing to be cunning and resourceful, but he hadn't anticipated him being so audacious. This, however, was not the most troubling aspect. The worst of it was that the capital was currently in a delicate standoff, teetering on the brink of losing control.
Yesterday,
News arrived that the Tumen Khan's camp at Zhuo Mountain had been raided. In his panic, Tumen Khan ordered a full retreat, and the capital erupted in cheers, with firecrackers audible even within the palace walls. But in the blink of an eye, Yan Shifan led thousands of his household retainers on a rampage, engaging in arson, looting, and torture, committing every conceivable atrocity. The people of the capital, who had just turned from joy to sorrow, were now experiencing a peculiar atmosphere, with rumors circulating like wildfire.
According to the source of this novel:
If Tumen Khan had truly withdrawn his troops, why was the capital in such chaos, with no one intervening even when people were setting fires and robbing? And if he hadn't withdrawn, why were the arsonists and robbers Yan Shifan's retainers, and not Tatar soldiers? This atmosphere, a mixture of confusion and fear, was particularly toxic, quickly instilling a sense of impending doom.
To recount the events of today for posterity, many would surely not believe it: that Jiajing, the Emperor, was utterly powerless in the face of such a situation. All he could do was protect the Forbidden City, relying on a meager force of soldiers, and more importantly, on the millennia-old mystique of imperial authority, to barely maintain order. Had Yan Shifan been even bolder, charging directly into the city with his retainers, the capital would have completely spiraled out of control.
The first to occur would be infighting within the Shenji Camp, followed by infighting within the Imperial Guards, then the Palace Guards, the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Eastern Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
This, however, was not the most terrifying prospect. The most terrifying was Prince Jing—
This young man had already seized control of the Capital Garrison, commanding at least a hundred thousand troops. He was arguably the most powerful faction in the current situation. If, if he were to bring these forces back to the capital, what would happen? Even forcing his own abdication would be a simple matter.
This, in itself, would not have been a major issue. Any competent ruler taking the throne would be acceptable. But who *was* this person? Could he be trusted? Observation was still needed. However, there was no more time. Since ascending the throne at the age of fourteen, Jiajing had never been this panicked.
Because, judging by all indications, this young man had gone mad.
He had slaughtered tens of thousands of cattle and sheep. He had seized the Capital Garrison but was in no hurry to enter the city, instead escorting Li Tingzhu to the Ministry of Justice. This indicated he was waiting for something. Waiting for what? Naturally, for the situation to deteriorate further, for the suffering of the people to intensify. He wanted to watch Yan Shifan commit all his wicked deeds and reach the apex of his iniquity before making his move. Simultaneously, he harbored a malicious intent for revenge, wanting Yan Shifan to clearly understand that Prince Jing had gained control, treating him like a cat playing with a mouse. The mouse knew it was doomed, but the prolonged anticipation would only heighten its torment and desperation.
Alas…
"It seems Yan Shifan intended to kill him back then…"
Jiajing muttered to himself, a pang of pain striking his heart.
While he pondered,
Lü Fang, already overjoyed, stepped forward and said,
"Your Majesty, Prince Jing is returning to the capital. He has seized Li Tingzhu's military authority. This is excellent… Yan Shifan's retainers should be brought under control now… Alas, such wickedness…"
Hmph,
Jiajing snorted through his nose and calmly replied,
"You think this is a good thing? You think he's returning to quell the rebellion?"
He slowly stood up, feeling utterly exhausted. A profound sense of emptiness and despair once again crushed his body and mind.
Pacing a few steps, he said slowly,
"When parents die, children remarry; everyone looks out for themselves…"
"Lü Fang, go and issue an imperial decree. Summon all the imperial relatives, honored ministers, and upright officials, both high and low, residing in the capital. Tell them to call out their household retainers as well… Then, release all the prisoners from the Ministry of Justice prison, the Shun天 Prefecture prison, and the Imperial Guards' secret prison. They are not to wear armor and are to drive back the rioting retainers in the streets…"
This?
How could this be?
Lü Fang, bewildered, suddenly understood—
Prince Jing was no simpleton.
He would likely wait for the situation to worsen before entering.
Forbidding them to wear armor meant this was not an open conflict between factions, but an effort to maintain order. After all, no one dared to move against the Shenji Camp, as no one was certain of their allegiance. How many obeyed orders, and whether internal strife would erupt, was something no one could gauge. This was the best scenario, as they were all household retainers…
However, despite having a plan, both men felt their spirits sink further. Unconsciously, both were reminded of Zhu Mo. Had Prince Jing been half as good as him, he would have returned long ago to restore order. That young man would not have held the entire city hostage.
"Your Majesty, Prince Jing, his disposition has changed…"
"Indeed… his disposition has changed… I should have met with him sooner…"
Lü Fang, however, had a thought spring to mind: "You heeded Tao Zhongwen's prophecy back then, saying 'kings do not meet kings.' It has now come true, without the slightest deviation…"
He thought of the city's inhabitants in peril and, without delay, hurried to his quarters to dispatch personnel.
Despite the imperial decree, this task was not easy. Firstly, those people lived scattered, requiring a large number of personnel to reach them. This was manageable, but these past two days, those affiliated with the Yan surname had been rampant. No one dared to open their doors in the grand residences. Every household required the intervention of the Imperial Guards or the Eastern Depot to even be accessible. Furthermore, upright officials often lacked funds and could not afford many retainers. Secondly, while the Yan faction was busy with murder and arson, the common thugs were certainly not idle. Thus, the entire city was in disarray, with even officials needing to take detours and seek out deserted alleyways.
After several hours of frantic activity, by the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) that night, three to four thousand people had gathered outside the Meridian Gate, most of them prisoners.
Lü Fang also personally issued an order: Prisoners who performed well could have their crimes commuted.
Led by Zhu Qi, Xu Jiu, and Huang Jin, the Palace Guard generals divided into teams and, armed with large clubs, rushed towards the areas in the city where fires were raging.
…
In the latter half of the night,
Dozens of li outside Andingmen Gate, in Prince Jing's main tent.
Prince Jing, who had been fast asleep, had intended to wait and see, ideally letting Yan Shifan cause more trouble for a few more days before making a sudden entry into the city. However, a scout had just reported that the Directorate of Ceremonial had also formed a household retainer team and was confronting Yan Mansion's retainers. The two sides had been fighting all night with no clear victor.
At this moment, Prince Jing paced outside his tent, contemplating the complex situation in the capital, unable to make up his mind.
It should be noted,
The Shenji Camp, comprising seventy thousand men, guarded the various gates of the capital, with the central command stationed at Deshengmen. However, within the Shenji Camp itself, General Wu Dui was in a standoff with Han Chong and Ying Chaozong from the Yan family. Both were deputy generals of the Capital Garrison, their ranks only slightly lower than Wu Dui's, but they had served in the Shenji Camp for years, commanding many trusted officers and loyalists of the Yan family.
Consequently, Wu Dui and the Yan faction were in a state of equilibrium, neither daring to make a move. Moreover, the imperial court had issued an edict stating that all troop movements required the approval of the Privy Council. The Yan father and son, knowing they could not deal with Wu Dui or Zhang Juzheng, and with the capital in widespread chaos making it impossible to convene ministers for discussion, thus, the Shenji Camp had remained static.
As the situation reached a stalemate, Wu Dui and Han Chong became increasingly suspicious of each other, closely monitoring every move of the other. Except for eating and sleeping, they did not exchange a single word.
Prince Jing could roughly guess all these circumstances. His worry was—
If the imperial household retainers won and pacified the chaos, he would have no merit for stabilizing the situation. The best outcome for him now would be to lead his troops into the city to quell the unrest, taking the opportunity to eradicate the Yan faction. But the problem was, with Wu Dui and Han Chong so opposed, neither would open the gates to let him in. If he waited a few more hours, the Emperor would learn of his return. What if he issued an imperial decree ordering him to encamp outside the city? That would mean failure.
In his anxiety,
Prince Jing felt considerable frustration. Hu Zhen was a rough fellow, and he couldn't understand why he was so agitated. He was certainly of no help. Seeing the eastern sky already dark, with dawn approaching, and time becoming increasingly urgent, Prince Jing gritted his teeth and said,
"Let's head to the city walls first!"
He thought that once daylight broke, the Emperor's imperial decree could arrive at any moment. If his army was already at the city walls, he could find an urgent excuse to storm in. After all, he was the Crown Prince acting as regent, and Wu Dui and Han Chong would not dare to stop him. However, the cost of doing so would be the exposure of his ambition. After entering the city, the Emperor would likely become suspicious, and many matters would not proceed as originally planned.
"As you command!"
Hu Zhen had been waiting impatiently and had been muttering to himself for years about how Prince Jing had become so indecisive. Seeing his decisiveness now, he was immensely invigorated.
At precisely this moment,
A scout galloped forward, shouting loudly,
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Assistant Minister of War, Wang Guoguang, has arrived…"
Wang Guoguang?
Prince Jing's heart leaped with joy, and he blurted out,
"Heaven is helping me!"