After an hour's walk, the officials followed Xu Jie to Prince Yu's mansion. The main gate was shut tight, and the surroundings were quiet, with not a soul in sight.
"Your Highness, Minister Xu Jie seeks an audience..." Xu Jie shouted.
Only echoes replied, the courtyard seeming to be empty.
Three to four hundred officials had arrived, while others waited outside the Grand Secretariat. Upon hearing no response, an uproar of curses erupted. Strangely, Prince Yu's mansion appeared deserted. A few climbed the walls and found not even a servant.
Wu Shi raged, "Prince Yu has also gone into hiding! What has happened to the Great Ming? Let's go see the Emperor! Come on!"
Go! Go!
Let's go see the Emperor!
Xu Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief and, feigning magnanimity, said, "This old man has been in the Grand Secretariat all along. You can come find me anytime!"
Hmph!
The officials could do nothing to him for the moment and swarmed to the plaza outside the West Garden.
At this time,
The area outside the West Garden was thronged with people, a sea of black. Sometime earlier, the Yan faction had unfurled a banner that read:
"Kill Zhu Mo, Save the Great Ming!"
As the banner was raised high, the officials exploded!
"Good!"
"Well said!"
"Kill Zhu Mo, Save the Great Ming!"
"It is Zhu Mo who has ruined the Great Ming!"
"If reforms continue, the Great Ming will surely perish!"
"Zhu Mo dies, the Great Ming lives!"
"..."
But it was equally strange that no one seemed to be inside the West Garden. Not a single eunuch was seen at the entrance of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the direction of the Yuxi Palace was also devoid of any figures.
This time,
Even the bravest dared not climb the walls recklessly, only daring to peer at the entrance.
Seeing the officials’ persistent fear, someone from the Yan faction immediately shouted, "We are all sitting here, waiting for the Directorate of Ceremonial to receive our memorials! Even if we sit for three months, we will save the Great Ming!"
"Yes! Sit!"
"Who told the Grand Secretariat not to manage it!"
"Has the Great Ming become paralyzed? Is there not a single living soul left!"
"Let's make our voices louder! Kill Zhu Mo, Save the Great Ming!"
"Kill Zhu Mo, Save the Great Ming!"
"Kill Zhu Mo, Save the Great Ming!"
"Kill Zhu Mo, Save the Great Ming!"
"..."
In an instant, over a thousand people shouted in unison, their voices immediately spreading throughout the Forbidden City. Never since the founding of the Great Ming had court officials caused such a commotion.
...
At the same time,
In the back courtyard of Prince Yu's mansion.
Princess Li was wiping sweat from Prince Yu's brow, complaining, "Your Highness, the common people and all the court officials are in uproar. If that Zhu Mo doesn't die, the Great Ming will surely be overturned sooner or later..."
Prince Yu, already agitated, said, "You are a woman, what do you understand? The reforms have the Emperor's support. Their making such a fuss is to show the Emperor!"
Li Shi added, "Xu Jie is also an old schemer, leading those officials to the mansion. He himself wants to slip away! Humph! Fortunately, Your Highness is wise and had the servants leave long ago... Otherwise, who knows what would have happened!"
Prince Yu was also displeased and spat, "Does Xu Jie want to push this onto me too? How preposterous!"
Li Shi thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "Your Highness, they are forcing the issue like this, and the entire populace supports them, and even the neighboring friendly countries are dissatisfied. What do you think, should the reforms be stopped?"
Prince Yu, having been the crown prince for decades, had weathered many storms. This time, he vaguely sensed the strangeness of the situation—
Was Yan Song attempting to force the Emperor's hand? Perhaps even trying to force the Emperor to abdicate...
This would have been an unthinkable ambition in the past, but now, over ten thousand Japanese pirates could land at any moment. Zheng Jian of the Li Dynasty and Mang Yinglong of Burma were also formidable figures, acting ruthlessly. Mang Yinglong had already occupied the land of Jin and Teng in Yunnan. Zheng Jian appeared close to conquering the Mor Dynasty, with his vanguard already advancing from Guangxi, seemingly surrounding the area. The situation strongly suggested the Mor Dynasty was on the verge of collapse. As for the Joseon Dynasty of Li, they were once the most loyal but no longer paid tribute.
Internally, merchants and commoners in the four southern provinces of Jiangnan had all risen up in protest. Zhu Mo and Zhang Juzheng were seemingly at their wit's end, indicating the reforms had indeed failed. Xu Jie and his ilk, occupying positions without fulfilling their duties, were utterly helpless when faced with a storm. How could this pressure be stopped?
If the pressure could not be stopped, would the Emperor not be forced to suppress it forcefully? Under forceful suppression, the officials and the populace would become even more estranged, making the situation unmanageable.
As he thought, a strange restlessness overtook him, and he murmured, "Reforms have never succeeded, and Zhu Mo is no exception..."
Li Shi, sensing his thoughts, suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "Your Highness, do you think the Emperor will abdicate?"
With a bang!
Prince Yu, startled and angry, instinctively slapped the tea table and roared, "What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Li Shi gave him a side-eye and complained, "Why can't I say it? I think Yan's faction, bringing all the officials to force the issue, is giving the Emperor an ultimatum: either abdicate, or kill Zhu Mo and stop the reforms... We mustn't be foolish. Don't just focus on your reputation and forget about your wife and child!"
Alas!
Prince Yu's heart softened. "I understand these matters... but we cannot act rashly, do you understand? We must wait until everything is certain before we make a decision..."
Li Shi pondered and then asked, "Are you saying there are further plans?"
Prince Yu nodded and whispered, "Li Tingzhu sent someone to tell me that the Chahar Mongols are also stirring. The capital's garrisons will also be in trouble... And the Japanese pirates, over ten thousand of them, who knows when they will land? Yan Song has many more moves... Don't gossip about this anywhere. If the Emperor finds out, we'll be finished!"
Li Shi, being a woman, was frightened by the talk of war and nodded heavily, "Your concubine understands. I won't say anything..."
...
At this time, in the Yuxi Palace,
The palace doors were tightly shut.
Jiajing sat on the Bagua platform, having not spoken for over an hour.
Lü Fang had long ago ordered the eunuchs to hide. All the palaces and halls in the capital had their doors shut, even the Directorate of Ceremonial was empty, with people working in the distant Shengji Hall. Thus, the entire Forbidden City suddenly felt like an empty city haunted by ghosts. The court officials were temporarily disoriented, only able to curse loudly in the plaza.
He himself held the seal of the Grand Superintendent of the Nine Gates and had dispatched Lü Jin and a few other trusted confidants to the Imperial Guards, to jointly manage them with Lu Bing. Wu Dui had also arrived at the capital's garrisons, and the hundreds of thousands of troops there were temporarily secure. As a precaution, he had also instructed Zhu Qi to select a thousand strong eunuchs to form a temporary guard, hidden near the West Garden, ready to deal with anyone who dared to intrude with rattan sticks.
After carefully reviewing both sides and feeling completely secure, he then said to Jiajing,
"Your Majesty, this humble servant met Wu Dui and found him to be quite capable..."