Jiajing had roughly guessed last time that Prince Jing must have been severely mistreated by Yan Shifan back then, feigning madness to escape, and seeking survival amidst peril, thus managing to endure. But now, it seemed the situation was even more secretive… Although the exact details remained unknown, one thing was certain:
Yan Shifan had truly wanted to kill him then…
Therefore, when the news of Yan Shifan's severe beating spread, the common people saw it not as a public affair, but as a private vendetta. For ordinary folk, this was understandable. After all, settling scores for grievances, as long as it didn't affect the majority, would earn a thumbs-up.
But Jiajing felt deeply pained and vaguely sensed something was amiss, though he couldn't pinpoint it. He sighed and said,
"Yan Song and his son wielded immense power… To vent his anger like this, does he truly not want to be emperor? Lu Fang, what do you think?"
Lu Fang also felt the situation had taken a sharp turn. Now, Yuxi Palace had become a prison. Where was any father-son affection from Prince Jing? The Capital Commander's Office controlled everything, and they claimed they would only oversee state affairs after Jianji Hall was repaired. Until then, the court had been at Zhijian Temple, entirely under Prince Jing's command. As for Jianji Hall, only three to five people were lazily working on repairs daily. Who knew how long it would take?
He felt the palace had never been so empty. Even the guards had been replaced. Han Chong's Divine Machine Battalion troops patrolled daily. Although they hadn't dared to act recklessly in Yuxi Palace, the two old men were now prisoners in all but name.
With this thought, he couldn't help but complain,
"He might be satisfied, but what about the empire? What about the court? Does he care about none of it? Isn't he just thinking of ascending the throne? Your Majesty, it would be better if Prince Jing simply came in and deposed us! It would save us from this constant worry…"
Jiajing shook his head and smiled wryly, mocking himself,
"It wouldn't be that easy. Do you think he'd let you off just like that? Humph…"
"Then what else could happen? Isn't it about ascending the throne?"
Jiajing snorted through his nose, not wanting to argue, and sighed,
"He still has a plan. Yan Song and his son are indeed no match for him…"
This?
Isn't that an exaggeration?
Lu Fang felt it was truly going too far. How could this young man have gotten this far? Wasn't he just a tyrannical prince in distress? Such figures were common throughout history. A cruel disposition often led to great turmoil in the empire within three to five years; wasn't that the typical narrative?
He murmured, but seeing Jiajing's face utterly devoid of jest, he suddenly felt something was indeed wrong. The young man hadn't done anything yet. Although he had tortured Yan Shifan, only a few people knew about it, and the common folk were still unaware. If he were truly a tyrant, wouldn't he have summoned everyone in the capital to Wumen and flayed them alive?
With this thought,
He suddenly felt that the young man might indeed have profound plans. If that were the case, it might be worth testing him. So he said,
"Your Majesty, why don't we urge him to ascend the throne? Let's see what he says. This stalemate is not a solution…"
He felt,
This was bound to be a good move.
His Majesty would issue an imperial decree to abdicate, demonstrating utmost fairness to the world, which would force Prince Jing into a corner. If he accepted, he would be accused of coercing his father; if he refused, ascending the throne would create many more complications… In this way, wouldn't his true intentions be revealed?
He fully expected Jiajing to agree, but instead, he was met with a bucket of cold water:
"Humph, look at your cleverness… Do you know why he's been holding back? Do you know what he's thinking? With your understanding, you think you can deal with him? Just watch, before you can urge him to ascend, he'll first force me to abdicate…"
This?
What could a young man possibly think?
Forcing abdication?
How could that be?
Why such an expression?
Ah?
Lu Fang snatched it over. He had only glanced at it before covering his eyes, murmuring, "How could this be? How could this be…"
Jiajing glanced at it and found it was much as he had expected, only more heartless. The document read:
"The High Emperor established the empire, believing it to be Heaven's will. Only those who matched his virtue were so recognized, hence he always admonished for filial piety and loyalty between father and son. In this time of chaos and unrest, with repeated startling events across the land and the capital shaken on several occasions, I, your humble son, reflect and believe it is all due to the lack of virtue in rulers and subjects, fathers and sons. Disorder is therefore deserved. I, your humble son, daringly presume to act according to circumstances, but with communication between superiors and inferiors disrupted, I am like a man on pins and needles, filled with anxiety day and night. Recently, I happened to read the Book of Zhou and heard the saying, 'Heaven observes through the people,' and I can no longer find peace.
Alas, what virtue and ability do I, your humble son, possess to be appointed as regent? If it is Heaven's observation through the people, then Your Majesty observing and the multitude observing is fitting. I, your humble son, possess little virtue; how dare I speak of observing? Therefore, I kneel and implore Your Majesty to observe through Heaven for three years, while I, your humble son, receive instruction at your knees, studying day and night, so that perhaps the virtues of ruler and subject, father and son, can be perfected, and the empire can transition from danger to peace."
After chuckling several times, Jiajing finally stood up. Looking out at the desolate forbidden palace, he said leisurely,
"Lu Fang, you have read the memorial of the imperial dynasty. Tell me…"
Heh heh,
Lu Fang also let out a哑然失笑 (a wry smile, unable to do anything but laugh). After laughing, he suddenly felt a profound sense of sorrow. Why? Nothing more than this: Zhu Mo, openly and with a clear conscience, wrote not of virtue but radiated virtue throughout his paper; Prince Jing, however, spoke of virtue everywhere but harbored hidden intentions, possessing no virtue whatsoever. What could be said of this?
"Your Majesty, this old servant did not know Prince Jing also possessed such fine literary talent…"
"Fine talent, fine talent indeed…"
Jiajing sighed and continued, "Confucius said, Duke Huan of Qi was upright but not cunning, Duke Wen of Jin was cunning but not upright… This is what is meant…"
Lu Fang nodded repeatedly, murmuring,
"Who can say otherwise…"
Both of them were seasoned veterans of forty years. How could they not see? This Prince Jing had directly attacked the heart, only stopping short of demanding Jiajing issue an edict of self-reproach. It was widely known that Jiajing believed in the prophecy of "When kings meet, they fall." By doing this, Prince Jing was clinging to his identity as a Taoist. By saying he wanted the Emperor to observe through Heaven, he was effectively reversing it, making the whole world watch the Emperor's performance. If the Emperor performed well and cultivated paternal and filial virtues, then Prince Jing would be willing to take over; otherwise, it was uncertain… Perhaps the Emperor would be labeled a foolish ruler, and an edict of self-reproach would be issued…
But at the same time, this meaning was hidden. On the surface, he was a trembling, filial son, fearfully pressured by a stern father, claiming he wanted to receive instruction at his knees and daring not to oversee state affairs. To call him honey-tongued and treacherous would not be wrong. How could such a young man possess such venom?
What else could Lu Fang do but sigh?