Fuzhou Prefecture Yamen.
Fan Yingqi, Ma Sen, Pan Sheng, Shen Chun, Censor Lin Run, and others were all present, along with the Prefect of Fuzhou and several civil officials. On the military side, in addition to Fuzhou’s Commander Fu, Jiangxi Commander Lu Wen also arrived.
Fan Yingqi, originally from a wealthy family, had donated to become a Shu Jishi (a junior scholar in the Hanlin Academy) and later studied diligently, actually passing the imperial examination to become a Jinshi. This had been a widely circulated story among the common folk for years. Now, as the Left Vice Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs, he was in Jiangxi to handle a major rebellion case. His status was exceptionally honored and unparalleled. Everyone knew that the Yan family and the Crown Prince had joined forces, so no one dared to disobey.
It was morning at this time.
Fan Yingqi had been in Fuzhou for two days. After reviewing the case files and inspecting the usurping porcelain, he had local subordinates accompanying him and had engaged in quite a bit of communication. He then summoned everyone and said:
“Jiangxi has encountered a shocking case of rebellion, and the imperial court is extremely angered. I have been sent to handle it. As some of you may know, I am not a malicious person; I only strive for what is acceptable. Today is the same! Let us work together to clarify the matter. Rewards will be given for merit, and punishment for offenses!”
Whoosh!
Upon hearing his words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They all thought that if the situation could be resolved with minimal impact, it would be best. Otherwise, they would be passively drawn into the struggle between Zhu Mo, the Yan family, and the Crown Prince, which would not be a pleasant affair.
Pan Sheng, the Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangxi and a protégé of Zhang Juzheng, wished only to remain uninvolved in this affair. Hearing the Crown Prince’s special envoy speak thus, he immediately said:
“Lord Fan is wise and farsighted! Your humble subordinate and others greatly admire you! Since that is the case, shall we discuss a plan? We can each carry out our duties by tomorrow at the latest and conclude this case as quickly as possible! What do you all think?”
Mhm, mhm,
Yes, yes!
Everyone present, even Shen Chun and Lin Run from the Yan family, who had reached this point, only wished to conclude the case quickly and voiced their agreement.
Unexpectedly,
Governor Ma Sen stated resolutely:
“Lord Fan, a major case of rebellion, how can it be treated carelessly? If we conclude the case hastily today, and the imperial court investigates later, who will bear the responsibility? Lord Fan, this humble subordinate believes we must thoroughly investigate!”
Hmph,
Fan Yingqi was instantly angered. He glared at Ma Sen and said casually:
“I have already reviewed the case files. Most of it is conjecture… That’s right, the usurping porcelain is real, and the prophecy is also circulating. But are all the more than ten thousand new households involved in rebellion? I believe that after clarifying the facts and arresting the main culprits, the matter can be concluded. Where are all these responsibilities to be borne?”
Ma Sen was only considered an outer associate of the Yan family. However, when Luo Longwen personally arrived, the first person he met was Ma Sen. Under coercion and temptation, Ma Sen had no choice but to go all out.
“Lord Fan, I am the Governor of this province. How can I be muddled when a major case of rebellion occurs in my jurisdiction? If even one culprit is let go, I and all my subordinates will face beheading. We naturally must investigate thoroughly. I hope Lord Fan will understand…”
You!
Fan Yingqi suddenly felt a surge of anger and was about to lash out. Unexpectedly, Commander Lu Wen suddenly stepped forward and said loudly:
“Lord Fan, this is a major case of rebellion. The new households have already formed armies. The situation is critical, and how can it be handled carelessly? What if they capture prefectures and counties and raise their banners? This humble subordinate implores Lord Fan to reconsider!”
You!
Fan Yingqi had curses on the tip of his tongue but forcefully suppressed them. He then thought: This person is so resolute, could it be that he has already received a secret letter from the Yan family?
It should be known that when he came, the Crown Prince had personally instructed that the primary objective was to frame Zhu Mo for rebellion. Upon arriving in Jiangxi, his first stop was the Prince of Yi’s mansion in Nanchang. After a discussion among several trusted confidantes of the Crown Prince, they publicly came to Fuzhou. They planned to arrest some mountain bandits and Qinu, force them to confess, claim to be the Grand Marshal, and support Zhu Mo as the King of Wu. With Zhu Mo reluctantly agreeing, they would then burn imperial artifacts, create prophecies, and forcefully push Zhu Mo into power.
For the past few days,
Fan Yingqi, Lin Run, and the Prince of Yi had made considerable progress. Once the strategy was decided here, he would personally lead the people from the Surveillance Commission to apprehend the individuals. Then, after several days of interrogation, a confession would be obtained, and the case could essentially be concluded. But at this moment, trouble had indeed arisen. The Yan family actually intended to escalate the matter… and this was inconsistent with the tacit understanding between the Crown Prince and the Yan family, which meant—
The Yan family had once again gone back on their word,
And intended to involve the Crown Prince again, tarnishing his reputation!
With this thought,
He sighed inwardly, feeling that the Crown Prince and Grand Secretary Chen were too careless. If they wanted things to proceed according to their plan, they should have assigned more people… Currently, he only had Lin Run as his own person. Pan Sheng and those minor officials only sought self-preservation. The rest were all from the Yan family…
Hmph!
He instinctively snorted, thinking: Since there is such opposition, why not send a secret envoy today to meet Tan Lun and have him come to suppress Governor Ma Sen and Commander Lu Wen?
With this thought,
He suddenly laughed mockingly and said:
“Everyone, I originally had good intentions… Since everyone has opinions, then so be it. Let’s discuss it further! Well, I think we should postpone it for two days! Everyone go back and consider it, and we will discuss it again here in three days!”
Whoosh!
He flicked his sleeves and strode out of the hall. Lin Run, as a Censor and not a local, immediately followed him out.
Pan Sheng did not wish to be involved, but as the Surveillance Commissioner, it was his duty, so he could only stand there.
Ma Sen cupped his hands and said:
“Lord Pan, the Imperial Envoy said we would discuss it again in three days and asked us to come up with a plan… But a plan cannot be conjured out of thin air, can it? I think we also need to work quickly!”
He took a couple of steps closer and said to Lu Wen and Shen Chun:
“Gentlemen, the new households have already formed into companies, and their rebellious intent is evident. Many people are pushing responsibilities back and forth, and in the end, the responsibility falls on us. Do you agree?”
Mhm, mhm,
Everyone nodded in unison.
Ma Sen continued:
“Lord Pan, Commander Lu and Lord Shen and I have discussed and agreed. I hope Lord Pan will lead your men to work with us? Otherwise, if the imperial court blames us, no one will be able to bear it. What do you think, Lord Pan?”
Pan Sheng shook his head, sighing inwardly: They didn’t even inform me of their plans and now they want me to work with you? I might as well feign illness…
However, at this time, Zhang Juzheng was still in the capital. Nominally, he was a powerful minister, but in reality, he was only the Minister of War. And this position was actually just for handling affairs, a far cry from its past grandeur. In such circumstances, how could they afford to offend the Yan family?
He immediately gave a bitter smile and said:
“Alright, I also have some matters to attend to. If Lord Ma has a plan, just let me know.”
Haha,
A few forced laughs were exchanged as they saw Pan Sheng out.
…
After Pan Sheng left,
Ma Sen immediately took Lu Wen and Shen Chun to a secluded residence. As soon as they entered, Luo Longwen came out to greet them and led them into the main hall.
Ma Sen sat down and said:
“Lord Luo, as expected, Fan Yingqi only wants to resolve the matter with minimal impact, arrest a few scapegoats, and conclude the case… Lord Luo’s foresight is incredible. It seems that these few people have long colluded, and they are probably just waiting to arrest and interrogate them! He said to conclude the case as soon as he arrived today. When we disagreed, he then claimed to postpone the discussion for three days… I wonder what his intentions are?”
Luo Longwen, not having come from a formal bureaucratic background, said courteously:
“Lord Ma flatters me. Well, he most likely wants to find Governor Tan Lun to suppress us… Therefore, we must act quickly…”
Mhm, mhm,
The three had long heard that Luo Longwen was a strategist. After meeting him today, they indeed found him composed and his thoughts clear, and they admired him wholeheartedly.
Luo Longwen continued:
“Lord Ma, Commander Lu, Brother Shen, I will not hide it from you that when I left the capital, the Junior Grand Secretary personally instructed me to handle matters thoroughly… Uh, ‘handling matters thoroughly’ has its nuances, which I believe you can all understand, right?”
How could the three not understand?
This was the Yan family’s most common tactic—
Under the guise of Fan Yingqi’s name, they would make the situation bloody, making the world and the Emperor clearly see that Prince Yu, in order to exclude Zhu Mo and protect the throne, had become red-eyed with killing… In this way, Gui Jianchou would surely have another move, which outsiders would not know…
Ma Sen did not want to be involved, but having served in Jiangxi for many years, he had already been caught by the Yan family with countless handles. Now that he was forced to act, he had no choice but to brace himself. In any case, Fan Yingqi would be the scapegoat, Lu Wen would do the work, and he would be thunderous in name but light in substance. By then, he would slip away, and there would be no significant crime.
He immediately nodded heavily and said:
“We understand.”