Yu Zhen, seeing the exceptional caliber of the Right Guard soldiers, was also filled with emotion. He said,
“Scholar Zhu, the Grand Secretariat also has an imperial dispatch, for Yang Xuan and Wu Ying, ordering them to strictly restrain the volunteers and do their best to mend… well, I, the Directorate of Ceremonial also have instructions, but I won’t tell you too much… In short, the overall situation is paramount. His Majesty and the court want Xuan Da to be as stable as a mountain. I don’t think there will be any major incidents for now, you should just return to the city, otherwise, it will cause suspicion among the people…”
Mm-hmm,
“I understand, I understand…”
Zhu Mo nodded, a wave of disappointment washing over him again.
“Just praised you, and you’re confused again! Where is it that there are no major events? It’s that major events have just begun… Have Yang Xuan and the others flattered you into arrogance? Why don’t you think about it, just a few days ago it was tense and confrontational? Was it all a misunderstanding?”
Consider this,
How could he, Zhu Mo, believe that Yang Xuan and the others would just accept defeat? Just a few days ago they were shouting for war, and now it’s all resolved without a trace?
But he didn’t want to get bogged down in these issues with someone like Yu Zhen. He simply smiled and said,
“Old Yu, I won’t say much more. I have only one request, I can return to the city, but I also want to use my status as an imperial envoy to transfer a portion of the Right Guard into the city for rotation. What do you think?”
Yu Zhen paused, thinking, “You always think all the officials in the world are part of the Yan family faction, and you say others want to harm you… If there were so many bad people in the Great Ming, wouldn’t it have collapsed long ago? It’s just worrying about nothing…”
But in his official capacity, he couldn’t inquire into these matters, so he immediately agreed.
Zhu Mo couldn’t help but shake his head, thinking to himself, “You people, that’s all you think about! If the world were truly good, how could so many things happen? It’s clear you only care about yourselves. As long as you are stable, you say the world is also stable… But this will oppress those who are not stable!”
…
The next day,
Zhu Mo, escorted by a hundred-man squad and a thousand men of the Right Guard, entered Datong City once more.
This time entering the city, Yang Xuan, Wu Ying, Li Chong, and others still welcomed him in the same positions. The common people also watched from both sides, but the atmosphere and feelings were completely different.
Yang Xuan and the others still had kind faces, as if Zhu Mo was visiting Datong for the first time, as if they had never met before. Zhu Mo also greeted them with a smile, as if it were their first meeting, appearing extremely cordial. Li Chong, enduring the grief of losing his son, put on a great performance in front of his enemy, showing no sign of emotion.
Zhu Mo thought to himself, “Your son was a scourge. If you didn’t discipline him, he brought his own death. If you truly understood the ways of the world, you should reflect and learn from this. Why pretend like this? And by pretending like this, aren’t you revealing that you still hold a grudge?”
This time,
To appease everyone’s emotions, Zhu Mo agreed to a welcoming banquet. At the banquet, Yang Xuan also readily agreed to reinstate Ma Lu to his position as assistant general. Zhu Mo then had Ouyang An and the other eight men return to the city.
Everything was thus resolved without a trace.
Zhu Mo stayed at Huayan Temple as usual and finally slept soundly for one night.
…
The next day after waking up,
Zhu Mo conducted an inspection and stationed the Right Guard in the north city. He also met with the assistant generals and deputy generals of the other twelve guards at the Governor’s yamen, as proposed to Yang Xuan.
Overall, he felt that these people had no major issues. They were all swept up by the Yan family faction, like Yang Shun, Yang Bo, and Yang Xuan. In the end, most of them were neutral, leaning towards whoever was stronger and suppressing whoever was weaker, all for the sake of their wives and children.
At this moment, the court’s attitude was very clear. Naturally, they dared not object. After all, if the Datong Guard Army was praised by the Emperor, everyone would benefit.
As for Yang Xuan and the others, despite their deep hatred, they were helpless in the face of these subtle shifts in attitude. After all, they had no influence anymore. The Young Grand Secretary had already sent a letter admitting defeat, telling everyone to put their efforts together for the final blow to succeed. With the Young Grand Secretary saying so, what could they do? After all, even if they failed and were defeated in the end, it would be the Yan family who would lose their heads first. For them, it would be nothing more than dismissal from office…
Zhu Mo assessed the situation and believed he had a sixty to seventy percent chance of success. In the meantime, the Ministry of War’s logistics team had already transported iron pots and other items into the city.
It seemed that everything was in order, awaiting news from Ma Fang, Li Wenjin, and Wang Chonggu. Ma Lu and the others had also learned that a cavalry of three to four thousand men had appeared a few days ago in the area of Xiao Shi Mountain, four to five hundred li north of Desheng Fort…
Regarding this, Zhu Mo was confident that it must be Ma Fang and Li Wenjin. They might have already obtained more important military intelligence and were doing their best to delay and disrupt Ananda’s deployment. However, thinking of this, he also worried about their safety…
…
At the same time,
At the Prince of Dai’s residence, the atmosphere was surprisingly cold and quiet.
This place seemed like an otherworldly realm. Although in the same city, they appeared indifferent to all matters. The servants, maids, and personal guards chatted about trivial household matters, never discussing the important affairs of the city.
This was strictly ordered by the Prince of Dai: all those in the princely residence were forbidden to inquire into Xuan Da’s affairs.
This was actually the norm for Ming Dynasty princely residences, and only by doing so could endless troubles be avoided. After all, the entire world was watching! The imperial family, the Zhu clan, resided above the common people and enjoyed great prosperity, but without corresponding achievements to support it, they had long been cursed behind their backs by the world. Since the reign of Hongzhi, the Zhu imperial family had often been pressured by officials, and some had even died tragically.
It was unclear why. Perhaps they had heard too many storybooks and grand tales, with episodes like “General Yue Wumu spears the Young Prince Liang” imprinted in their minds. Ming Dynasty officials particularly enjoyed confronting the imperial family. As long as someone was an official, they liked to keep an eye on the local princely residences. Once they found a handle, they would incite scholars and commoners to attack them in every way possible.
If the factions in the court and the Grand Secretariat echoed each other, it often escalated into attacks on the imperial family. And every emperor, in order to protect himself, would often sacrifice several feudal princes or county princes.
Naturally, after each incident, the officials who attacked the imperial family became heroes in the eyes of the world and were soon promoted. As for the imperial family, they were naturally bad people, and all princely residences were seen as lawless places…
Zhu Tingqi, now over fifty, strolled through his gardens, feeling quite content with his current life and everything he had experienced. He was not someone who had never done anything. In his youth, he had stepped forward to collect overdue silver for several minor feudal princes and had even personally gone to the battlefield, leading his guards to confront Ananda… But all of that was long past. Now, he only wished for a peaceful passing, allowing his son, Nai Xuan, to inherit the throne.
He had not been unaware of the rumors in Datong City and was naturally aware of the unfolding events. But no matter how fierce the outside commotion was, it hadn’t affected his Prince of Dai residence, had it?
He felt this was his own brilliance –
He had handed over his two-hundred-man personal guard team early on. With no troops in his hands, he could not threaten anyone, nor could anyone catch him by the ear… Unlike that Prince of Raoyang, a mere county prince, who had caused a stir throughout the land and had a greater retinue than he, a feudal prince! And now he had gotten into trouble? Li Chong’s son was executed on the spot, and could the Prince of Raoyang escape all responsibility?
Zhu Tingqi had naturally also heard of Zhu Mo. In his eyes, this Zhu Mo was quite interesting. He was different from all the other officials. This person wanted to enact reforms, using methods different from those of past powerful ministers, and pursuing goals that were even more unimaginable…
That’s right, this person did not attack the imperial family, but for some reason, Zhu Tingqi felt that this person was more dangerous than all the other officials! He even had a feeling: this person would eventually be the gravedigger for all the imperial feudal princes in the realm. Perhaps the descendants of the Zhu family would no longer enjoy the leisurely wealth they had today…