Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 295 The Emperor and the Crown Prince, the Closest Enemies

"Son..."

The agarwood in Ciren Palace has been replaced three times, but it still can't suppress the bitter medicinal smell.

Empress Dowager Jiang leaned against her pillow, her withered fingers gently stroking Zhu Houcong's shoulder, her voice like a wisp of smoke dissipating: "I'm afraid I won't make it through this winter..."

Zhu Houcong's eyes reddened, and he suddenly gripped his mother's hand tightly: "Mother! Don't... please don't say such things... I have already ordered the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain to set up an altar to pray for blessings..."

"Silly child! That won't do!"

Empress Dowager Jiang chuckled and shook her head, her eyes filled with reluctance, but even more so with peace: "You now have many children, which is of great benefit to the country and the people, so I have no more worries, but..."

After a pause, she still spoke: "The position of crown prince is vacant, which is not a blessing for the country. I only hope that before I die, I can see you decide on the crown prince... cough cough cough!"

Before he could finish speaking, he coughed violently again.

Zhu Houcong hurriedly pulled his mother into his arms, gently patted her back, and helped her catch her breath.

"Huh...huh..."

Empress Dowager Jiang had already dismissed the servants, so she spoke without restraint: "My son, tell me, why are you so reluctant to establish a crown prince?"

Zhu Houcong was somewhat embarrassed, but among all the methods he used against his ministers, he would not hide anything from this mother: "Your son is still young, in the prime of his life, and truly does not wish to establish an heir apparent too early..."

Back when he had no sons, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, fearing that he too would die without an heir, following in the footsteps of the Zhengde Emperor, and that the throne of the Ming Dynasty would be handed over to another collateral branch of the Zhu family.

But when he had sons, and more than one son, the situation changed.

Throughout history, the competition between the emperor and the crown prince has been a conflict between the exclusivity of imperial power and the necessity of succession.

The relationship between the two exhibits the characteristics of "the closest enemies".

The power dynamics are inherently antagonistic, leading to preventative measures, suppression, and even killings.

On an emotional level, there is still some father-son affection, which is gradually distorted by power.

Since ancient times, there has been no kinship within the imperial family.

Even the greatest emperors of all time could not avoid it.

In fact, the more capable an emperor was, the more wary he was of his crown prince.

Because there are no other challenges.

The emperor held absolute power, and his ministers could hardly overstep their authority; only the crown prince could pose a threat.

Zhu Houcong shared the same idea.

With more children, the risk of Emperor Wuzong dying out was no longer a concern, and he immediately felt resistant to establishing a crown prince.

He remembered every minister who petitioned for the establishment of an heir.

The reasons given for making excuses were initially quite simple.

All the children born now are illegitimate, and the Empress has no legitimate sons. Why are you so eager to request the establishment of an heir? What are your intentions?
In reality, Empress Zhang had not conceived since her miscarriage years ago, and it is likely that she was unable to have a child.

Zhu Houcong was well aware of this, and since he rarely stayed overnight in Empress Zhang's palace, how could he possibly have a legitimate son?
At first, the ministers were intimidated, but gradually they realized something was wrong, and some senior ministers even submitted a memorial requesting an order.

Still no response.

Tao Zhongwen's suggestion of "two dragons not meeting" may not have been intended to sow discord between father and son, but rather to understand Jiajing's thoughts and intentionally cater to him.

No one knows a son better than his mother. Empress Dowager Jiang was well aware of her son's thoughts, but she was worried: "My son's actions will inevitably arouse the imaginations of many princes, causing them to fight among themselves!"

Zhu Houcong remained silent.

It's not necessarily a bad thing to compete; it's better than being united against him...

Empress Dowager Jiang, however, could not accept it: "Those are all my beloved grandsons! With them gathered around me, I have to call them Empress Dowager, how can I bear to see them turn against each other and kill one another in the future? Cough cough cough! Cough cough cough!"

After saying that, he coughed violently again.

"Mother, don't worry! Don't worry! Your son will issue the decree immediately! He will..."

Zhu Houcong's expression changed drastically, and he quickly helped his mother up, saying repeatedly.

The Empress Dowager shook her head, her fingers trembling as she pointed to the shrine.

Zhu Houcong understood, first helping her lie down, then personally bringing over the white jade Guanyin statue that had been worshipped for thirty years.

"I don't want you to make a hasty decision..."

Empress Dowager Jiang gently touched the Guanyin statue and placed it in her son's palm: "As long as my son promises to take good care of these children after I am gone, and not to do anything that would harm their own siblings, then I can die in peace!"

"Good! Good!"

Zhu Houcong readily agreed.

Empress Dowager Jiang slowly closed her eyes: "I'm tired, you may go now!"

"Yes! I take my leave!"

Zhu Houcong personally covered his mother with the quilt, then quietly slipped out.

Once the palace was empty, Empress Dowager Jiang reopened her eyes.

The golden phoenix on the canopy flickered in the candlelight. Her fingers clenched the bedding as she gazed out the window at the nearly full moon.

A soft sigh.

While he was alive, with a little coercion, Zhu Houcong could have been made to obediently establish a crown prince.

The reason we didn't do that was because if we did, the Crown Prince's fate would definitely not be good.

"There's not much I can do..."

She murmured to the air, "Only from the afterlife can I pray for these children's safety!"

The water clock dripped, drowning out a barely audible sob.

……

at the same time.

As Zhu Houcong walked out of Ciren Palace, his eyes instantly turned sharp.

He knew perfectly well that Empress Dowager Jiang's words were motivated by a grandmother's love for her grandson.

He did not want to see a group of imperial grandsons killing each other in the future as they fought for the throne.

But my paranoia still kicked in.

There's a persistent feeling that someone is stirring things up, fanning the flames, and eager to establish a crown prince as soon as possible so as to support the heir apparent and counterbalance him.

"Wenfu..."

Zhu Houcong called out instinctively.

He then frowned again.

Lu Song, the former commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has passed away.

After Lu Bing finished his mourning period, he volunteered to go to the border. He is now in the Hetao region, making final preparations for war.

Zhu Houcong was actually not happy to see this.

He was at ease entrusting the Embroidered Uniform Guard to this younger brother, even though he was currently not senior enough and ranked behind Sun Weixian, he could still promote him to the position of Commander-in-Chief to keep him in check.

However, after conquering Annam, Lu Bing seemed to have become obsessed with military affairs, and repeatedly petitioned to guard the border. In addition, since the defense of the Hetao region also needed to be monitored by his own people, Zhu Houcong finally agreed.

Lu Bing is not the only option.

Back in the Qianqing Palace.

A palace maid appeared silently, bowing her head to receive the order.

Zhu Houcong narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face.

This group is unlike any other.

No matter how loyal they appear, they can't be trusted at heart.

The arrangements made previously were all shady and clandestine things.

If one were to participate in the struggle for the crown prince...

Whether it will bring good fortune or misfortune is hard to predict.

However, the impact on imperial power brought about by the position of crown prince still made Zhu Houcong uneasy. He said in a deep voice, "Go and investigate who is spreading rumors in front of the Empress Dowager and making unwarranted comments about establishing a crown prince!"

"Yes!"

The palace maids prostrated themselves on the ground, their faces as submissive as clay or wooden sculptures.

After retreating a hundred paces from the Qianqing Palace, his dull eyes suddenly opened like ice breaking in a cold pool, and his pace quickened abruptly.

Three days later.

A secret scroll quietly appeared on the emperor's desk.

Zhu Houcong opened it.

As I watched, I felt both satisfied and shocked.

What's satisfying is that the records are very detailed.

Not to mention the eunuchs and maids in the palace who were gossiping and conspiring, even the noblewomen of the outer court had their stories clearly recorded.

This was probably the extent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's power at its peak.

Of course, it cannot be determined whether this is entirely true.

After all, private words cannot be verified.

However, one can glean some insight from their individual personalities.

Zhu Houcong looked at each item one by one, his eyes gradually darkening.

Surprisingly, many noblewomen participated in the discussion.

It was precisely because the Empress had no sons that the ages of the princes born out of wedlock were so close.

Although the principle of establishing the eldest son as heir is followed, the emperor has been slow to appoint a crown prince, leading some to speculate that the eldest prince may not be favored.

After all, the eldest prince, Zhu Zaiji, is already eight years old, but he is not healthy and can barely recite the Three Character Classic. He does not look intelligent at all.

As a result, some officials turned their attention to the second prince.

The second prince is now seven years old. He can't be called precocious, but at least he can recite the Three Character Classic fluently.

As for the third prince, he was a bit young, but he was strong and healthy from a young age, as robust as a calf, which attracted the attention of many officials.

"I am in the prime of my life, and you are already in such a hurry to find a new master?"

This is precisely what angered Zhu Houcong.

Although he has been on the throne for nearly twenty years, he is only thirty-four years old now.

Now we're betting on the prince.

Isn't that wishing for his early death?
Taking a deep breath, Zhu Houcong's attention returned to the crucial name.

Like Xia Yan's wife, Su.

This woman was originally a concubine, but was made the wife after her death.

Compared to the thrifty and hardworking first wife, she seemed much more flamboyant.

Yan Song's wife, Lady Ouyang, kept a low profile.

It is only natural for the Grand Secretary to instruct the princes.

However, Yan Song was always busy with political affairs and did not pay much attention to the princes.

Therefore, even impeachment did not change anything.

This pleased Zhu Houcong greatly.

He nodded at Xia Yan's wife, then looked down at a familiar name.

Zhu, wife of Hai Yue, a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy.

Zhu Yuying.

Zhu Houcong originally had a good impression of this goddaughter of Empress Dowager Jiang.

This woman frequently visited the palace, bringing comfort to her mother; she was also a filial daughter.

But at this moment, looking at Zhu Yuying's long speech, full of concern for Haiyue's career, she even claimed that no one was more suitable than Haiyue to teach the prince.

Do you want to secure a better future for your husband?

"good very good!"

Zhu Houcong's eyes were icy cold, but he did not rashly make a move. Instead, he went to the Wenhua Hall.

Haiyue was standing outside the hall.

He is now a lecturer, responsible for explaining the classics to the emperor and helping him review and learn new things.

That is, Xia Yan's former position.

Zhu Houcong liked Xia Yan's handsome and dashing face, and he loved to hear his clear and melodious voice, like jade striking jade.

Haiyue is young and naturally more beautiful than Xia Yan, who is older. Her voice is slightly inferior, but she can still speak clearly and calmly.

The thought of how much trust he had placed in this man made Zhu Houcong feel increasingly betrayed, but he remained expressionless: "What scripture does Haiqing intend to lecture on today?"

As usual, Hai Yue walked steadily to the specially set-up lecture seat on the left side of the imperial desk, her robes fluttering lightly: "Today, I will lecture on the Spring and Autumn Annals, on the way of being a subject!"

(End of this chapter)