The Secret Repository was located in the backyard of Chaotian Temple, a seven-story wooden building. The refined chamber was on the third floor. The four floors above were where Lan Daoxing stored talismans and treasures collected by Jiajing. Throughout the Great Ming, fewer than a handful of people could step inside.
At this moment,
Wang Daren moved cautiously, trying not to make a sound. The two young Taoist priests led him to the entrance and left without a word. Through the curtain, an old man could be vaguely seen. Wang Daren recognized him as Lü Fang.
"Your subject, Wang Daren, pays his respects to Eunuch Lü."
He lowered his voice as much as possible to avoid disturbing Jiajing in the inner chamber.
"Oh…"
Lü Fang, while organizing a scroll, said "oh" and then, in a gentle voice, asked,
"Did you find the item?"
Wang Daren immediately became nervous and stammered,
"Your subject… your subject is guilty…"
Oh…
Lü Fang said "oh" again, but without any sign of disappointment. Instead, he paused and continued,
"Is the matter in Yunnan and Guizhou so difficult to handle?"
Wang Daren immediately kowtowed, saying,
"Reporting to Eunuch Lü, your subject searched for immortal objects in Yunnan and Guizhou. Unexpectedly, Liu Wenbin, with his shallow understanding, mistook the cultivation items of a Tibetan monk for a demon immortal's treasure. For such a foolish mistake, your subject has already handed him over to the governor for punishment. As a巡方御史 (Imperial Censor on Circuit), I also happened upon someone reporting treason, so I investigated the details with Grand Scholar Zhu Mo. We have ascertained the facts and can present them to Eunuch Lü."
Saying that,
He took out Duan Kui's confession and a narrative of the scene he personally witnessed in Yongchang Prefecture from his robes. He raised them slightly above his head, his hands trembling. This was a gamble, and if he misjudged Jiajing's mood, he could be ruined.
Furthermore, he had been uneasy all along, feeling that Liu Wenbin was a hidden danger. He decided to ruin this person once and for all, ensuring he would never see the Emperor again. Then, it would depend on whether Liu Wenbin was sensible; if not, finding someone to eliminate him would truly eliminate all future troubles.
But he couldn't say Liu Wenbin had deceived the Emperor. He could only say he had shallow understanding. He also mentioned Zhu Mo, thinking this might offer some protection. At the very least, the detailed account of people paying homage to Emperor Jianwen should be considered a merit.
Unexpectedly,
Lü Fang did not reach out to take the documents for a long time. He ignored Wang Daren and focused on finishing the scroll he was holding. He then closed his eyes in thought for a moment before casually saying,
"You met Grand Scholar Zhu?"
Wang Daren felt he had gambled correctly and replied respectfully,
"Your subject met the Imperial Envoy in Kunming Prefecture."
Hmm,
Lü Fang was busy with his hands and took out another secret report to read. He asked along the way,
"What did you all discover?"
Wang Daren pondered for a moment and said,
"We discovered some people paying homage to the Imperial Grandson…"
Who?
Lü Fang's expression immediately sharpened, and he blurted out, "Bring it!"
He held the documents and read them carefully, then bowed his head in contemplation, and read them again. He had regained his composure and said, "Did you interrogate this, or did Zhu Mo interrogate this?"
Wang Daren replied,
"Grand Scholar Zhu Mo gave it to your subject. He said that as your subject is the 巡方御史, it is his duty to present it."
Hmm, hmm,
Lü Fang immediately turned and walked a few steps, then paused and said,
"Understood. You may withdraw."
Wang Daren was overjoyed, kowtowed, retreated, and fled the Secret Repository in a flash.
Meanwhile,
Lü Fang entered the back hall. Jiajing was not meditating but staring at a talisman on a stone tablet, murmuring, "Fake, all fake…"
Lü Fang didn't know how to report, so he lowered his head and presented the confession.
Jiajing felt something was amiss. He glanced over, snorted, and said, "This is it? I sent him to find the treasure of the demon immortal… and he brought back this? And Zhu Mo gave it to him? Hmph! Lü Fang, why did you let him leave?"
Lü Fang braced himself and said,
"Your slave felt this was a major matter, so…"
Hmph!
"What major matter is this? Is it not simply paying homage to the Imperial Grandson? It's been nearly two hundred years, what's new about that?"
Jiajing seemed indifferent and picked up the treasure talisman to examine it closely.
Lü Fang said hesitantly,
"Your Majesty is wise, but Zhu Mo sent it through him… and also, Wang Daren wrote a confession saying he personally saw and heard Zhu Mo discussing the Imperial Grandson with Mu Chaobi… and their discussions were quite in-depth…"
Heh,
Jiajing gently placed the stone tablet back on the wooden shelf and said sarcastically,
"Is that how you see it?"
Lü Fang knew he had angered Jiajing and immediately knelt down and said,
"Your slave has no insight. Your slave just feels this matter is quite strange…"
Jiajing paced a few steps in the refined chamber, looking at the leisurely white clouds outside, and sighed, "Lü Fang, what do you think Zhu Mo's intentions are?"
Lü Fang breathed a sigh of relief and said,
"Your slave speculates that Zhu Mo is asking for Your Majesty's opinion…"
Hmph,
Jiajing said leisurely,
"What is he asking me?"
Lü Fang replied,
"Your slave is only guessing… He should be asking: Your Majesty's reforms have reached this point, should they continue? He feels he has no other way and cannot proceed…"
Jiajing nodded but remained silent.
Since discovering the orphan Zhu Mo, his interest in cultivation had waned considerably. However, with more and more matters arising and deepening, and his own body gradually feeling strange, he had become irritable. He was often not in the palace but in this Secret Repository, perusing immortal objects.
At this moment,
He thought of Zhu Mo, who was thousands of miles away, and a sudden pang of sorrow struck him—
This child had done so much, and the reforms had already yielded considerable results, yet Prince Yu had stood up to oppose them. Many others followed Prince Yu in covert resistance, and a faction was already forming. If Zhu Mo continued, his life would be in danger, and perhaps even domestic strife would occur…
He recalled his vow not to mistreat this child, but now he was facing the torment of choosing between his palm and the back of his hand. Although Prince Yu was muddle-headed, he had won popular support. Although Zhu Mo was capable, few people supported him. All of Zhu Mo's efforts had benefited Prince Yu…
Thinking of this,
He sighed leisurely and said inexplicably,
"Lü Fang, perhaps I should also abdicate…"
This?
Lü Fang was stunned all over and blurted out,
"Your Majesty, this? Where did this come from? Your Majesty is only sixty, in the prime of life, and the world still awaits Your Majesty's governance! Why? Why like this?"
Jiajing smiled helplessly and sighed,
"If I don't let go, will they agree…?"
Your Majesty?
This?
Lü Fang sighed long and finally knelt on the ground, kowtowing, unable to speak further.
Dizzy and with ringing ears, after an unknown amount of time,
Jiajing's voice drifted to his ears,
"Lü Fang, where is Zhu Mo? Did he just give up and walk away?"
Lü Fang then recovered and replied,
"Your Majesty, the reports from those scoundrels in Sichuan and Huguang say that Zhu Mo and that Xu Wei have been roaming along the Yangtze River lately. Yes, from Baidi City to Kuimen, they haven't been doing anything serious… Uh, they said they've handed over everything to Zhang Juzheng for decision-making…"
Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Juzheng…
Jiajing murmured for a while, then suddenly smiled and said,
"Lü Fang, our young master Zhu is touring the scenic spots… After doing so much, with only a glimpse of success, he just throws it all away… He's quite carefree…"
Lü Fang then recovered and slowly understood Jiajing's thoughts—
Zhu Mo probably wanted to pause and observe. Since the matters could not be carried forward, it was a viable strategy to slow down. It was rare that he had such a good mindset to go sightseeing. As for Jiajing, his earlier mention of abdication was not genuine. Based on his understanding of Jiajing, it was likely a tactic of retreating to advance, wanting to see what those people would really stir up.
With this thought,
He also smiled and said,
"Your Majesty, young master Zhu was a Taoist priest after all, and Xu Wei is called the Painting Demon. Wherever they go, local literati and scholars come out to meet them, so they must be having a wonderful time…"
Jiajing immediately smiled and said,
"Very well, very well… Lü Fang, let us also learn to be discerning and make way…"
His inner knot now untangled, after a moment's thought, he said again,
"Draft an imperial decree to have Prince Yu act as regent, and recall Grand Secretary Yan… And Zhu Mo… you know how to phrase it!"
Lü Fang truly understood this time and smiled,
"Your slave understands."
Jiajing then picked up the two confessions, skimmed through them, tossed them aside, and picked up a secret book of spells from the display shelf to examine it carefully.