More than a hundred Jinyi guards did not dare to confront the people of the city. Although they successfully escaped from Donglin Academy with Gu Xiancheng and Gu Yuncheng by relying on brute force, they were unable to leave the city at all. They were surrounded by the people and could not get out of the inn. Several of them were even beaten in public and almost died. !
Even Luo Sigong had a bruised nose and swollen face!
They shouted, demanding the release of the two Mr. Gu, otherwise they would not be let out of the city. It was like a riot.
This is a big deal. Besieging the imperial envoys is nothing short of treason! The magistrate of Wuxi County was frightened and immediately sent people to the capital to report.
The news rushed to the capital at a speed of eight hundred miles. All of a sudden, the capital knew about the Wuxi Civil War.
Many people were laughing secretly, waiting to see the joke.
Wanli, on the other hand, felt that his authority had been challenged, and he expressed his anger in the imperial study:
"Even the Jin Yiwei dared to stop these unruly people, these unruly people! Whose Jiangnan is this Jiangnan! How could Gu Xiancheng be a loyal and righteous man? How could he do these things!"
"Send an order to mobilize soldiers from nearby guards to enter Wuxi and put down the rebellion!"
Emperor Wanli was really angered and actually wanted to mobilize an army to put down the rebellion!
"Your Majesty, please calm down. The civil uprising in Wuxi has only caused the people to be deceived. If we send troops into the city, we will inevitably hurt innocent people and damage your Majesty's reputation."
Yan Chenhao on the side tried to persuade him that he was just chatting with the emperor, but he happened to happen upon this incident.
When the army enters the city to put down the rebellion, who can they put down? Is it equal to those aristocratic families? Definitely not. In the end, it is just these people who are unlucky.
"I do have an idea that may be able to solve the situation in Wuxi."
"speak!"
Wanli exhaled heavily and said. He has always trusted Yan Chenhao, and as he said, this is not good for his reputation.
"Your Majesty, the reason why the people defend Gu Xiancheng is because they feel that he is a loyal minister and should not be harmed by the 'treacherous ministers' in the court. Then as long as we make them realize that Gu Xiancheng is not the good person they imagined, they will naturally disperse. went."
"Oh, you mean?" Wanli's eyes lit up, and he understood what Yan Chenhao meant:
"Public the truth of the matter to the public? But I am afraid that the people will still support Gu Xiancheng's so-called establishment of a crown prince..."
"Gu Xiancheng's incident has caused such a big fuss because the gentry and officials in the south of the Yangtze River are behind it." Yan Chenhao smiled and pointed to the letter on Wanli's desk. It was the letter Gu Xiancheng sent to Gu Boyang. :
"But if the gentry officials in Jiangnan knew that Gu Xiancheng was among them so critical of the court officials, would they still support it?"
The direction of Yan Chenhao's finger was Gu Xiancheng's "evaluation" of several cabinet ministers.
When Wan Li heard this, his face was also happy, it was true.
He immediately decided:
"Okay! I will send someone to Wuxi overnight to publicize this matter... Also, someone is here!"
A eunuch came over and respectfully accepted the promise.
"After copying the contents of this letter, release it!"
Wanli threw the letter in his hand to him:
"Let these guys see what kind of character the author of this demonic book has!"
Yan Chenhao smiled slightly and watched this scene.
Everything is developing according to plan...
…
The capital is indeed the headquarters of the Jin Yiwei, but overnight, news about Gu Xiancheng's letter appeared in many places in the capital.
Even "copies" of this letter appeared inexplicably in the homes of some officials.
Coupled with Yinlong's secret push, within a few days, almost everyone in the capital knew the contents of Gu Xiancheng's letter.
This is stirring up a hornet's nest.
First of all, the four cabinet ministers immediately became furious - Who are you, Gu Xiancheng, and you dare to look down on us!
They jointly submitted a letter demanding severe punishment for this "wild and rebellious person", saying that "slandering a minister of the imperial court is punishable by punishment." Wang Xijue and Shen Guanyi even submitted their resignations, saying in tears that they had always been loyal to the imperial court and dedicated their lives to the emperor, and they would never be allowed to do so. Put up with this insult.
Then, even the officials gathered to impeach him.
This is really too arrogant. Even if Shen Shixing and the others do have some aspects in establishing the crown prince that are contrary to the overall direction of the civil servants, after all, the chief minister and cabinet ministers are also the nominal leaders of the civil service group, and they are the dreams of all officials. Position, you, a mountain villager, dare to describe the people in the highest position among civil servants as puppets and babies, then our lifelong struggle is nothing, is it a joke?
Although Gu Xiancheng only looked down on the four ministers on the surface, in fact, he scolded almost the entire court.
As for She Ji's first meritorious service... his ambition is plainly written on his face.
Of course, there is no problem if we talk about this in private. It can even make the members of the group more united and create a feeling of "we are doing something groundbreaking" and "the leader is so courageous", but once it is exposed, , it is natural for others to see ambition and cause suspicion.
Under this situation, even Gu Xiancheng's friends Ye Xianggao and Li Sancai did not dare to say anything.
On the Wuxi side, the situation has also reversed.
The newly dispatched Jinyi guards were very alert and did not go directly to support Luo Sigong and the others. Instead, they hid in the dark and spread relevant news. Before long, Wuxi had become the second city after the capital to have Gu Xiancheng's "famous quotes" circulated.
As expected by Yan Chenhao, the officials in Wuxi, except for those who had defected to Donglin, all felt dissatisfied with being despised after hearing the news - Gu Xiancheng even looked down on him, Then in normal times, you might not know what to think of these petty officials!
But you are just a commoner under my rule, why do you deserve it? ! !
Moreover, the words "Sheji's First Merit" and the like also made them dare not continue to protect Gu Xiancheng.
If this thing goes too far and must be pursued to the end, it is not impossible to label it as treason. This is treason!
Who dares to join hands with this!
Only on the third day after the news began to spread, there was no one outside the inn where the Jinyi guards refused to defend, leaving only rotten eggs and watermelon rinds on the ground.
After Luo Sigong heard the report, he also breathed a sigh of relief. These days, he was worried that the people outside would rush in and beat them to death. Now he was finally relieved.
Turning his head and looking at Gu Xiancheng, he said with a ferocious smile:
"Let's go, Mr. Gu...Thank you for your hospitality these days. I will definitely repay you well when I get to the prison..."
Gu Xiancheng and Gu Yuncheng looked at each other, their eyes filled with despair.
(End of chapter)
