The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

"This servant, Gao Zhong, greets Your Highness Prince Jing." Gao Zhong bowed respectfully, his voice clear and melodious.

"No need for formalities." Zhu Zaizhen offered a helping hand: "It's been a long time since I've seen my companion, Gao Da."

Gao Zhong entered the palace in the second year of the Zhengde reign. Now over fifty years old, with some gray hair at his temples, he can still be said to be the most handsome among the tens of thousands of eunuchs in the palace.

Unlike Huang Jin, Gao Zhong was a very busy man, and Zhu Zaizhen did not have much contact with him.

He was not only the head of the Directorate of Palace Attendants, but also the commander of the Twelve Battalions, concurrently in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration and the Four Guards of the Warriors. Last month, he was ordered to oversee the training at the Inner West Training Ground and to be the Director of the Palace Attendants with swords.

Not only did he hold the seals of two major supervisory commissions, but he also controlled three imperial guards, from the regimental battalion protecting the capital to the three imperial brigades guarding the imperial city, palace, and the imperial carriage. He was a powerful figure in the inner court.

"This is my fault for not paying my respects for so long." Gao Zhong bowed even lower: "Please punish me, Your Highness."

"Oh, it was just a casual chat, no need for such formalities," Zhu Zaizhen waved his hand and laughed. "Why did you rush over here so hastily, Your Majesty? What are your orders?"

Gao Zhong presented a small, red-gold token with both hands. "This is a pass for traveling to and from the West Garden. In addition, His Majesty was worried about the long journey back to the palace, so he specially ordered me to bring a palanquin and escort Your Highness."

Zhu Zaizhen accepted the palm-sized token, which had "Xiyuan Pass" engraved on the front and a dragon soaring in auspicious clouds on the back, its shape vaguely forming the character "longevity".

Zhu Zaizhen bowed towards Renshou Palace, then waved his hand to refuse Gao Zhong, who was about to help him into the palanquin: "Although it is a special permission granted by the Emperor, according to the regulations, the Crown Prince's palanquin is a prince's carriage. How can I, for my own convenience, cause the Emperor to be bothered by officials who offer advice?"

The palanquin symbolizes traveling through the air. Generally, apart from the emperor and the crown prince, only the empress and imperial concubines could ride in it. Princes mainly used carriages or horses.

Violating the rules would result in impeachment by censors. At the very least, it would be considered an overstepping of etiquette and a reduction in the amount of money owed to guards. At worst, it would be considered coveting the throne.

Gao Zhong was clearly somewhat surprised. Although he had little contact with Prince Jing, he had heard of his unruly reputation. He never expected him to be so sensible now.

"Your Highness need not worry. There have been instances in the past where princes rode in imperial carriages. It is only a matter of His Majesty's permission."

"Those are all elderly and ailing princes who have shown mercy. I am young and nimble-footed, and should follow the imperial physician's advice to move around more to strengthen my body. Besides..."

Moreover, Father Emperor has recently been preoccupied with religious ceremonies and state affairs. As his son, I cannot do my utmost to relieve his worries, but I should at least try to minimize the burden on him.

Seeing that Prince Jing was adamant, Gao Zhong could no longer insist and could only say, "Then let this servant escort Your Highness back to the palace."

"Thank you for your help, Gao." Zhu Zaizhen nodded with a smile and continued walking forward, surrounded by a lively crowd.

…………

Inside Zhongcui Palace, the swirls of agarwood incense from the gilded incense burner rose gently, yet could not dispel the stagnant atmosphere within the hall.

Consort Kang, née Du, glared fiercely at her son, her voice filled with exasperation and disappointment: "Why didn't you go and pay your respects to your father? Now look what's happened, all your brothers have gotten benefits, but you've gotten nothing!"

The more Madam Du thought about it, the angrier she became. She stood up, ignoring the attempts of her personal maid to stop her, and walked up to her son, poking his forehead with her slender finger: "How could I have given birth to such a good-for-nothing? It's bad enough that you're not as good as the Crown Prince, but now you're not even as good as that mischievous Prince Jing?"

Prince Yu, Zhu Zaiji, was flushed red, but he remained silent with his fists clenched, which angered Consort Kang to the point that she almost fainted.

Even arguing with her a few times would be fine. What can't a mother and son say to each other in private? But she's just so sullen, it's enough to drive her crazy.

Feeling stifled, Madam Du's words became increasingly venomous: "Do you think you're the Crown Prince, just sitting around waiting for benefits to fall into your lap? How many times have I told you…"

Zhu Zaiji couldn't hold back any longer when he heard this, but he didn't know what to say for a moment, and he was so frustrated that he was about to collapse.

"Your Majesty, please stop talking." The female official and Prince Yu's wet nurse quickly helped Zhu Zaiji sit down to prevent him from falling and hitting his head.

Madam Du then came to her senses. After all, he was her own flesh and blood; how could she not feel sorry for him? She quickly stopped talking and personally brought him a teacup.

After he drank a few sips of water and his complexion improved, she reached out and stroked his thin back, soothing him as she choked back tears, saying, "Alright, alright, Mother won't say anymore."

The palace maids and wet nurses standing nearby exchanged a helpless glance. The Empress was always like this, making His Highness more and more taciturn.

Sigh, he comes from a humble family after all. Your Highness is a prince, a member of the imperial family, and has the Crown Prince above you, whose position is secure. Being mediocre is a blessing. Why bother competing for anything?

After a long while, when Prince Yu's complexion improved somewhat, Lady Du sighed softly, "Your father has probably forgotten about us, son and me!"

.........

Since the death of Empress Xiaolie two years ago, the position of empress has been vacant. The most likely candidate to ascend to the position and enter Kunning Palace is the Crown Prince's birth mother, Imperial Noble Consort Wang, who resides in Chengqian Palace.

At this moment, the dignified and elegant Consort Gui had just seen off dozens of concubines who had come to offer their congratulations. The fact that the Crown Prince was about to formally begin his studies and had such a grand coming-of-age ceremony foreshadowed that Consort Gui would soon be promoted to Empress, the mother of the nation.

After the others left, Lady Wang took Consort Lu's hand and said, "Today is also an auspicious day for Zaizhen, so why don't you join me for a few drinks, sister?"

Madam Lu stared blankly at the small, oval face in front of her, with fair and radiant skin, and slightly upturned phoenix eyes with a touch of rouge at the corners. She was truly breathtaking.

"Sister Lu?" Upon seeing this, Madam Wang couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, "We've known each other for so many years, haven't you gotten tired of seeing her yet?"

After regaining her senses, Madam Lu smiled and said, "Sister, you are so beautiful that even if we were together every day, you would still be as stunning as ever."

Wang smiled, but a hint of resentment crept into her eyes. She gently stroked her face and sighed, "What's the use of beauty? We're all old-fashioned now. We hardly ever go to the West Garden more than a few times a year."

"How can beauty be useless? If I were the older sister, I could be happy all day just by looking in the mirror every morning. If I were accompanied by delicious food and beautiful scenery, I would be like an angel."

Mrs. Lu's tone and expression were extremely sincere; she genuinely felt that her current life was very good.

"I am not as carefree as my sister, and I still always think of His Majesty..." Wang Shi dispelled her resentment: "Alright, let's not talk about this."

Madam Lu nodded. What was there to think about that person? He was acting strangely and mysteriously, and he always had a sandalwood scent mixed with the smell of medicine on him. It was better not to see him.

Wang was somewhat envious of her: "I might not be happy when I look in the mirror, but if my sister came to keep me company every day, I would be happy every day."

Lady Lu hesitated, "I am willing to accompany you, sister, but I have to stroll in the Imperial Garden every day, make my own pastries, pick flowers to make rouge, take care of the cats, feed the fish, and so on..."

…………