The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 103 Together

Xu Jie took a deep breath and asked, "May I ask, does Your Majesty intend to order Prince Jing to leave the palace, or do both princes wish to leave the palace?"

This matter cannot be ambiguous. If the Emperor's intention is only for Prince Jing to move out, without explicitly stating that Prince Yu should also leave the palace, then we must insist on this and not hesitate to take it to the Emperor's side.

Because once Prince Jing leaves the palace while Prince Yu remains inside, he will effectively become the Crown Prince without a formal title.

Upon hearing this, the duty room fell silent. All eyes were fixed on Yan Song's face, and the people who had been whispering just moments before fell silent. This was too crucial.

Everyone has heard about what happened at the West Garden yesterday. They know how much His Majesty trusts Tao Zhongwen.

Will they become estranged from King Jing from now on?

Seeing that Yan Song remained aloof and refused to answer, Xu Jie immediately added, "This matter concerns the foundation of the nation and cannot be ambiguous. Please enlighten me, Grand Secretary."

Yan Song then replied with a smile, "Naturally, both Your Highnesses will be leaving the palace."

These words shattered the illusions of many, while the Yan faction was elated. It seems that His Highness Prince Jing holds a significant place in His Majesty's heart.

After all, people are quite aware of how harsh and ungrateful emperors can be.

If even the theory of mutual restraint cannot defeat King Jing, then this prince's chances of winning will be much higher.

Xu Jie did not sit down; he was still trying to salvage the situation: "According to seniority, His Highness Prince Yu should be allowed to leave the palace and return to his residence first, followed by His Highness Prince Jing."

Yan Song couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Xu Jie, but he still shattered his struggle: "No, His Majesty ordered that the two princes move out at the same time, without any distinction between them."

This blow made Xu Jie's face turn somewhat ugly. He clenched his hands in his sleeves and sat down to maintain his composure.

The official in charge of rites stood up and said, "Prime Minister, it is probably inappropriate according to etiquette for the two princes to leave the palace together and return to their residences."

Yan Shifan snorted coldly, his one eye sweeping over, his tone much more arrogant than his father's.

"What's inappropriate about it? It's not against the rules of etiquette. The ancestral laws only stipulate that princes must leave the palace and go to their residences before their wedding. They have never stipulated that they must leave their residences according to seniority. If you can find any precedents, you may refer to them."

The man's face flushed red: "This—this is a matter of course and a matter of course, why do we need any regulations?"

Yan Shifan didn't hold back his sarcasm: "Since there are no regulations, then naturally there's nothing inappropriate about it!"

Yan Song waved his hand, signaling his son to shut up. He didn't want to get entangled with the Qingliu faction over such trivial matters. He turned directly to Wenming, the Minister of Works, and his tone returned to the composure and pragmatism of the Grand Secretary.

"Before the palace relocation, arrangements must be made for the residences of the two princes in the capital. How long will the Ministry of Works need?"

Wenming quickly stood up, cupped his hands and replied, "Your Excellency, according to regulations, when a prince resides in the capital, he should live in the Ten Princes' Mansion, which was built during the reign of Emperor Chengzu."

However, the mansion had been uninhabited for many years, and all the halls needed repair and painting. Many of the eaves tiles were damaged, and the flowers and trees in the courtyard also needed to be renovated. The furnishings, ceremonial guards, and servants' residences also needed to be added.

"We will do our utmost, but it will likely take about six months before we can move in."

Yan Song frowned: "It's been too long. The Tenth Prince's Mansion is already a ready-made residence. Within two months, the Ministry of Works must complete the renovation of both mansions, ensuring that the furnishings, ceremonial guards, and servants' quarters are all complete, without the slightest oversight, and without any discrepancies in scale or quality!"

"Yes, Your Excellency obeys."

Repairing two princely mansions within two months was an extremely tight schedule, requiring the allocation of materials and manpower overnight, which was almost impossible.

Forget about whether there's any slush fund involved in this job; I'm afraid I'd have to throw some of my savings into it just to get it done.

But he dared not argue. Everyone could see clearly that this was not a request from the cabinet, but the will of the emperor. Any refusal would be considered disobedience, and no one would dare to be a disloyal and unfilial subject.

First, the two princes left the palace on the same day, without regard to seniority. Then, they entered the Ten Princes' Palace together, with equal status. His Majesty is determined to solidify the status quo of the two princes being equally respected, and to completely eliminate the natural advantage of Prince Yu as the eldest son.

"We must report to His Majesty that it is against etiquette for two princes to travel together."

"Yes, Prince Yu doesn't need to leave the palace; he can move to the Eastern Palace—"

In the afternoon, Zhu Zaizhen, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with narrow sleeves, stood in the hall slowly practicing the body-strengthening stance while listening to Zhang Juzheng's lecture. Xu Wei, with his hair loose, was painting not far away.

Scholars lectured and famous figures painted, creating an elegant and almost idyllic scene. If only Qi Jiguang were here to perform a sword dance to add to the merriment, it would be a complete picture of a scholar and a warrior living in leisure.

At this moment, Ma Dezhao walked in and calmly recounted the general content of the court's recommendation. Although the Qingliu and censor officials disagreed with the subsequent joint residence proposal, it had no real impact.

"That saves us trouble; we don't need to submit the memorial requesting to leave the palace and reside in our own residence."

Zhang Juzheng, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, put down the Book of Documents: "Your Highness, I am giving a lecture!"

"Haha, how can classical texts compare to the ever-changing and interesting political landscape of the imperial court?"

Xu Wei did not turn around, but said, "Yesterday I told Your Highness that fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and I still hold that same view today."

Zhu Zaizhen slowly stopped: "What you mean is that leaving the palace together to live in a residence seems like a good thing, but once we leave the palace, we will completely lose the protection of the palace."

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From now on, all eyes will be on me and my brother Prince Yu, the scholars and officials of the court, the officials of the north and south, and the Yan faction and the reformers. Every move we make and every word we say will be under public scrutiny. If we make a mistake, we will give others a handle to use against us, which is no small matter.

"Absolutely."

Xu Wei concluded with the final line: "Moreover, once the residence is moved to the outer palace, all the officials, guards, ceremonial staff, and assistants of the Prince's Palace will be put to use. At that time, countless profit-seekers will flock to serve him, making it difficult to distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous."

Flatterers thronged the gates, while gamblers and those seeking to profit from the good fortune of the gamblers flocked in, their words a mask for their wicked intentions.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng nodded and reminded him: "In the past, Your Highness lived in the inner palace. As a prince, he lived by the emperor's side. Right and wrong were decided solely by the emperor's heart. The court and the public only dared to speculate, but dared not speak recklessly or attack lightly."

From the moment the two princes moved from the palace to the capital, Your Highness and Prince Yu were no longer princes in the palace, but rather two powerful vassals in the capital. The court and the literati could all judge the wisdom and folly of the two princes, and discuss their virtues.

Zhu Zaizhen sat down, picked up his teacup, and laughed, "If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. These are just trivial matters."

Zhang and Xu both smiled upon hearing this. No matter how smart they were, they couldn't make decisions for His Highness at all times. If His Highness couldn't stand on his own two feet, lacked his own opinions, and was easily swayed by others, then everything would be for naught.

Fortunately, His Highness is extremely decisive, and once he has made up his mind, it is very difficult for even the two of them to change it.

Zhu Zaizhen beckoned Zhang Juzheng, Xu Wei, and Ma Dezhao to gather around: "That may be true, but I have suddenly gone from having dozens of people around me to hundreds, and the only people I can trust are you. With my departure from the palace imminent, we still need to discuss the personnel arrangements in my residence."