Pah, pah, pah…
Hahahaha,
A brilliant plan!
Everyone present couldn't help but clap and laugh, cheering continuously.
Yang Xuan pondered for a moment and couldn't help but point at Zhao Zi, grinning wickedly:
“You little scamp! Hahaha…”
The people present were all big shots in the city, and everyone immediately understood the brilliance of the plan—
The genius of this scheme was that it pushed the Zhu family forward again. The Yan family, however, remained in the background. This perfectly aligned with the tune personally set by Yan Song: let others act in the open, while you only push from behind…
Moreover, for decades, or even since the Hongzhi reign, as soon as officials had a prime minister, they began to undermine the Zhu family. Especially since Yan Song took office, officials gradually formed a tacit understanding: they would commit all sorts of misdeeds themselves and pin the blame on the Zhu family!
In fact, this was a common practice since the formation of political factions in the Han Dynasty. When doing anything, one had to first find a scapegoat. Only then could one achieve both fame and fortune while also destroying the opponent. In the end, it was the Zhu family that the common people hated, not the officials…
Just imagine,
Wouldn't this whole affair of a husband confronting a lover be full of drama? In the eyes of the common people, those from the Twelve Guards would immediately be seen as household guards, and even lowly guards helping their master to force the chaste princess. Wouldn't the entire situation turn into a melodramatic farce? And those present wanted a farce, and in this farce, what they wanted to see was blood…
Yang Xuan and Wu Ying had always known that Zhao Zi was a sharp thinker, while others had rarely experienced it personally. This discourse immediately won the admiration of the generals of the Twelve Guards.
Zhao Zi himself had always prided himself on being a strategist, and now he smiled and said:
“Lord Yang, everyone. The immediate priority is for us to inform the Prince of Dai right away, and to exaggerate the situation. It would be best to have his personal guards deliver the news… Think about it, His Highness has always been a person who avoids trouble, and this time, Zhu Mo has given him a huge cuckold’s hat. Any man, how could he not be enraged?
Lord Yang, at this time, show the military report to His Highness, and ask him to come forward to stabilize the hearts of the army and the people. At that time, when these two friends from the White Lotus Sect go to assassinate Zhu Mo, what will people who don't know the situation think? Won't they think that the Prince of Dai instructed them? Once the imperial family is involved, this matter will never be clarified! Since the two friends from the White Lotus Sect are reasonable, we can't let you guys be wronged…”
Hiss~
Everyone was both impressed and fearful.
This poisonous plan was indeed conceived from the mother’s womb!
…
A little earlier,
On the North Gate Tower.
Zhu Mo and Ma Fang finally met Li Wenjin and Wang Chonggu.
Li Wenjin and Wang Chonggu had wanted to meet Ma Fang at Desheng Fort that day but found no one inside the fort. Upon returning to the Right Guard, they learned that Ma Lu and the others had also obtained military intelligence and had evacuated all the population. In the city of the Right Guard, the two learned that Ma Lu and Zhang Yue had taken over the defense of the North Gate of Datong, and thus entered the city with joy.
Seeing Li Wenjin again, Zhu Mo felt a pang of sorrow in his chest. He then looked at the tired faces of the two, their armor damaged in many places, indicating how fierce the sniper battle north of Desheng Fort had been. To gain a few hours, or even a day or two, they had fought with all their might. Now, with the legitimate Commander-in-Chief of Xuanda present, the scales of victory had tilted significantly in his favor…
And just now,
Ma Lu had informed Li Wenjin and Wang Chonggu of the current situation, including Zhu Mo's encounter with the Princess at Huayan Temple. Seeing Ma Fang with Zhu Mo, they finally understood that the porter was indeed Master Ma, and they couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.
This misunderstanding was so peculiar, yet it had unintentionally saved Zhu Mo's life!
If Ma Fang hadn't been so hot-tempered, and if the other party hadn't been so vicious and vulgar, things wouldn't have escalated to this point…
After a period of warm laughter,
Ma Lu said worriedly, “Young Master Zhu, Commander Li, Brother Ma, Brother Wang… the current situation is very tricky. The soldiers of the Right Guard naturally do not believe the rumors, but it is difficult to say the same for the brothers of the Twelve Guards… I always feel that something will go wrong?”
Ma Fang said angrily, “What could possibly go wrong? Aren't they just groundless rumors? I was there at the time, and there was nothing between Brother Zhu and that woman! She was the one constantly seducing him! Can they really twist black into white?”
Wang Chonggu, however, said with a bitter smile:
“Fourth Brother, have there been few instances of twisting black into white over the years? Brother Ma is right, most of the people in the Twelve Guards are half-believing. Think about it, those参将 (canton commanders), 副参将 (deputy canton commanders), and all the officials in the city claim it's true, or imply it's true. What can the soldiers think? Even if a few don't believe it, they must have been suppressed by Yang Xuan and the others…”
Li Wenjin was the most composed of everyone. He said solemnly:
“This kind of thing is indeed very tricky. Either we ignore it completely, or if we choose to deal with it, we must have absolute certainty and cut it off decisively! Otherwise, the more we explain, the darker it will get…”
Mm, mm.
Zhu Mo and Ma Lu nodded heavily.
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.
It should be known that,
The few people present were all famous generals of the Jiajing reign. They had experienced countless storms in their lives, yet they were helpless in such a sensitive and dangerous situation. If they wanted to act, where would they direct their efforts?
These people were also very clear-minded—
Strength is paramount!
In fact, even if Yang Xuan, Wu Ying, or Li Chong used any pretext, they could achieve their goals. After all, the Twelve Guards were in their hands, and the twenty years of pressure from the Yan family were evident. People are realistic; it is clear who is stronger. Even if a few individuals had a sense of justice, that sense of justice did not change the balance of power.
Therefore, this was not simply a rumor, but a force compelling everyone to take sides. It was like Zhou Bo in the early Han Dynasty: those who supported the Liu family would lift their left sleeves; those who did not would be considered supporters of the Empress Lü, and they would be summarily executed without prior notice…
In other words—
Those who supported the Yan family must believe that Zhu Mo had forced the Princess to be chaste; only those who opposed would insist that Zhu Mo was innocent! This pressure was extremely overbearing and shameless. As long as one was an adult, who would want to get involved in this muddy water?
Ma Fang, who was most impatient with the devious maneuvers of these cunning civil officials, said angrily:
“Damn it! They are always up to these tricks! They've made it impossible to move! I think we should stop worrying about so much and just do what needs to be done! I don’t believe that the soldiers of the other Twelve Guards are all fools!”
Everyone shook their heads, thinking: If the world were this simple, if things were so straightforward, the world would have been peaceful long ago… These civil officials thrive on this! No wonder the military commanders of the Great Ming were always at a disadvantage…
Ma Lu pondered for a moment and said, “Young Master Zhu, you mentioned ‘assassination’ when your people spoke earlier? Was there such a thing?”
Zhu Mo sighed, “I had already anticipated this predicament, so I deliberately shouted ‘assassination,’ thinking that if they spread rumors, we would firmly claim it was an assassination. If that didn't work, we would directly take action and arrest the four household guards at the Prince's mansion. This way, the doubts of the common people and the soldiers of the Twelve Guards would disappear, or at least be resolved by more than half…”
Mm,
“This is also a last resort… Fortunately, Young Master Zhu was very vigilant, otherwise, we would have been completely at a loss…”
Li Wenjin patted Zhu Mo on the shoulder to show comfort and continued:
“I think this way: I will issue a strict order to all the garrison troops as the Commander-in-Chief of Xuanda, stating that Imperial Envoy Zhu Mo was attacked at Huayan Temple, suspected to be the work of the White Lotus Sect… We might as well take this opportunity to arrest the White Lotus cultists in the city, so that when the Anda army arrives, they won't be able to collaborate from within. What do you think?”
Good!
Excellent!
Everyone unanimously agreed.
But Zhu Mo felt that something was still not right: The other male lead in this grand play, the Prince of Taiping, the infatuated Prince of Dai, Zhu Tingqi, had not yet appeared! And what about that male supporting character, the Prince of Raoyang, Zhu Chongju, who remained in a fog, his appearance as rare as a dragon’s head without its body?
It should be known that,
How could these Ming people's present-day experience of rumors causing social death compare to what Zhu Mo had witnessed? He had thought a lot along the way, and everything flashed through his mind. He felt that Li Wenjin's method was indeed good, but not sufficient.
The reason is simple—
That Prince of Raoyang and the Princess of Dai were most likely the illicit couple. If they could be caught in the act, the matter would be completely resolved. Moreover, if the Prince of Raoyang was not brought to light, the dire situation in Datong would still not be cured. This trip to Datong was also for the reforms that were to follow, and he wanted to turn everything upside down completely.
After a moment of thought,
He also came up with a brilliant plan and said:
“I think it’s like this, Brother Li should still issue a strict notice in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief, but do not mention assassination. Instead, say that White Lotus cult spies have been discovered, planning to collaborate from within to help Anda breach the city… Hmm, I think Yang Xuan and the others will exaggerate the military situation, so we need to clarify the military situation… Then, I need to find someone! Once I find him, everything will be easier.”