This day, snow filled the sky over the capital.
Within the Yu Xi Palace.
Lu Fang read it over several times, then rubbed his eyes and reread it carefully before quietly entering the main hall with a secret report and a secret memorial.
Jiajing preferred to have his doors and windows open during heavy snow or rain.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Lu Fang couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. His calm mind was stirred once more—
Zhu Mo had executed Li Lai, the deputy commander of the Datong Garrison Volunteers, on the spot for assaulting government troops. The secret report came from a newly dispatched Jin Yi Wei secret agent and did clarify the matter.
Li Lai was the son of an official. He habitually bullied soldiers and civilians, committing all sorts of evil. The common people had certainly vented their anger, but the mess was left to the court. Li Lai's father, Li Chong, was recommended by Yang Bo, who was currently the Governor of Ji and Liao. Though not in league with the Yan family, they were of the same mind. Moreover, if the Jin Yi Wei hadn't been present, Zhu Mo wouldn't have been able to kill him...
With this connection, Yan Song and Yan Shifan would certainly not agree. If this matter were to escalate, it would become a big issue. One could criticize the volunteers, the Ministry of War's miscalculations, Zhu Mo's brutality, and finally, the Jin Yi Wei acting on someone else's orders, and so on. There was plenty to argue about.
He was not worried about this, but about what would follow—
Why did Zhu Mo kill him? Was he forced to? If so, wouldn't that mean the situation had reached a critical point? When the Anda army reached the city, would Zhu Mo lose his head? If so, wasn't the Emperor taking too big a risk?
For forty years, he had known Jiajing to be exceptionally wise and believed he must have considered this. He immediately decided to say nothing, just to submit the documents. Based on his judgment, the Emperor would surely ask for Huang Zhong's secret memorial first.
As expected,
Seeing Lu Fang say nothing and present the two items with his head bowed, Jiajing felt a hint of strangeness. His character was usually the opposite, so he asked,
"Why is there another secret memorial?"
"Old Huang Zhong entrusted Jin'er to present it..."
"Hmph! What business is it of his?"
Lu Fang said cautiously, "Your servant inquired. The Jin Yi Wei sent to Datong this time is Yu Zhen, who is an old friend of Huang Zhong's family."
Hmph,
Jiajing impatiently picked up the secret memorial, scanned it casually, and then tossed it aside. He then asked, "What does it say?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Huang Zhong said that the Jin Yi Wei Yu Zhen clarified everything for him. It was that volunteer deputy commander Li Lai who first insulted an old garrison soldier, and the old garrison soldier was so desperate he wanted to slit his own throat... Zhu Mo and he were present at the time and intervened. Li Lai refused to comply and ordered his subordinates to forcibly act. Zhu Mo then executed him on the spot..."
Oh?
"He insulted a garrison soldier, and no one died. Why was he killed? What law did he break?"
Jiajing asked indifferently, but his mind was sharp—
Zhu Mo was likely trapped by the Yan family's people in Datong. He wanted to break free and used Li Lai as an opportunity. The old garrison soldiers would naturally support him... But if he did this, how could Yan Song agree? Wouldn't there be a commotion? If Yan Song made a move, wouldn't I have to block it? But if I block too much, what about the future? This grand play hasn't even begun, and I have to go on stage first?
Thinking of this, his expression instantly became as calm as water.
Lu Fang knew he was already displeased and replied,
"Your servant pondered the same. Li Lai was, after all, a volunteer commander. He should have informed the Ministry of War, or at the very least, the Governor-General, shouldn't he? But Ge Jin and Liang Menglong said nothing... Instead, Huang Zhong, who hasn't appeared for decades, suddenly spoke up..."
Jiajing slowly stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the vast snow. After a long while, he suddenly said,
"That Yu Zhen is quite clever..."
At this point,
Lu Fang understood—
The Emperor did not want to block this blow. Yu Zhen was also very astute to involve Old Huang Zhong, who was the most suitable person to block it.
Others might not know, but Lu Fang knew best—
Huang Zhong was loyal and viewed Yu Zhen as one of his own. By stepping forward to take the blow, he protected his subordinate and also served the greater good. If the Yan family retaliated, it would be Huang Zhong who privately instructed the Jin Yi Wei Yu Zhen, and the Directorate of Ceremonial would have no involvement...
Thinking of this,
He smiled and said, "On this point, Your servant is not as good as Old Huang Zhong..."
Jiajing couldn't help but smile and said, "Naturally... Huang Zhong has loyalty, while Lu Fang lacks strategy..."
Heh heh,
The Emperor and his minister burst into laughter, and the atmosphere instantly thawed.
Lu Fang continued, "Those brats from the Eastern Depot have also found out. Upon arriving in Datong, Yu Zhen sent Huang Zhong a basket of astragalus and daylilies... Old Huang Zhong, having no children, naturally treated him as his own son..."
Mmm, mmm,
Seeing that Jiajing still had worries, Lu Fang added, "Your Majesty, your servant also has some concerns... Zhu Mo, could he have been forced? Then, then..."
He hesitated several times, not because he didn't understand the potential conspiracy between Anda and Yan Song, but because his status prevented him from speaking clearly. Imagine, if the court knew of such a significant matter, wouldn't a great purge be initiated? And is this the right time?
Jiajing snorted and said, "Does that even need to be said? Datong is perilous..."
Seeing that he was unwilling to clarify, Lu Fang reminded him:
"Your Majesty, your servant has been pondering in the outer hall. Why did Old Huang Zhong get involved in this murky water? Could it be related to those old garrison soldiers?"
Jiajing nodded, paced back and forth in the great hall, and sighed with melancholy for a long time before exclaiming, "Ten years. The garrison soldiers in Datong have indeed suffered great injustice... Huang Zhong is truly loyal..."
Though he didn't explicitly state it, he had alluded to it—
During the Gengxu Incident, the Grand General of Xuanda, Qiu Luan, privately bribed Anda to lift the siege. Years later, Huang Zhong instructed Jin Yi Wei Lu Bing to overturn the case, and Xu Jie subsequently submitted a memorial. Jiajing had Qiu Luan's coffin exhumed and his corpse desecrated. Although the case was clarified, the military merits of the soldiers of the Datong Right Garrison who had resisted Anda earlier were not brought up again by anyone.
The Governor-General, Governor, and Grand General sent by the Yan family suppressed the garrison soldiers on this pretext, and there were even rumors that those garrison soldiers had cooperated with Qiu Luan in a performance. Therefore, the tragic fate of those veteran soldiers of the Right Garrison, who were forced to slit their own throats in the street, was, although instigated by the Yan family, also significantly due to Jiajing's failure to handle the matter properly in his anger years ago.
As soon as Lu Fang received the secret memorial, he knew that Huang Zhong wanted to resolve this knot in his heart before his death and had hinted to Jiajing that it was time to finalize the case.
Hearing Jiajing say this, he knew that the injustice suffered by the old soldiers of the Datong Right Garrison had been redressed, and the Emperor's attitude towards this matter was already very clear.
Jiajing indeed said, "There will be an imperial audience tomorrow. Have Huang Zhong come, and accompany me to reminisce..."
"Your servant understands."