The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Putting aside everything else, the prince has a sixth-rank eunuch under his command. When His Highness goes to his fief, he will be the chief eunuch of the prince's mansion, in charge of the affairs of the mansion and respectfully addressed as the Duke of the mansion. He will enjoy endless wealth and honor.

Zhu Zaizhen ignored the infighting between his two eunuchs. Some competition was beneficial, but these two seemed to have ordinary talents and might not be of much use in the future.

The only good thing is that we've been together for eight or nine years, and I can trust you.

As dusk approached, we arrived at a palace gate. The vermilion palace gate facing south was solemn and dignified. Inside the gate stood a stone screen wall from the Yuan Dynasty, and above the gate was a gilded plaque with the inscription "Jingren". On both sides, the glazed tile eaves were carved with cranes and auspicious clouds.

"We, your humble servants, pay our respects to Your Highness Prince Jing. May Your Highness live a thousand years."

A large group of people were already waiting in front of the palace gate. When they saw Zhu Zaizhen arrive, they immediately bowed in unison.

Leading the procession was the head lady-in-chief of Jingren Palace, followed closely by Zhu Zaizhen's wet nurse and attendant.

According to the rules, a prince's wet nurse could only stay in the palace to accompany the prince until he was six years old. Then, she would be rewarded with thirty acres of fertile land and fifty taels of silver, plus a reward for the prince's mother, and sent back to her hometown.

However, the situation in this dynasty was special. Not only Zhu Zaizhen's wet nurse, but also the wet nurses of the Crown Prince and Prince Yu each had one who was not sent back. They were all promoted to sixth-rank female officials and kept in the palace to continue taking care of the princes.

However, in the twenty-first year of the Jiajing reign, the emperor issued an edict that the wet nurses of the princes were not allowed to have contact with court officials, and those who violated this rule would be executed. Furthermore, they were not allowed to approach the princes' study unless summoned, and those who violated this rule would be punished with caning.

"Your Highness must be tired. Please come in and rest. I have prepared your favorite snacks." The female official had watched him grow up and felt heartbroken when she saw the exhaustion between his brows. The wet nurse, Liu, behind him had tears in her eyes.

"It's nothing, I just walked a bit too much. I'll soak my feet tonight and I'll be fine."

"Absolutely, absolutely. We'll have Zhang Xing give him a good massage then, otherwise his legs will definitely feel sore and heavy tomorrow." The crowd escorted Zhu Zaizhen into the palace gate, while his chief attendant quietly pulled Tao Ze aside to ask him questions.

"Greetings, Your Highness." At this moment, a palace maid stepped forward somewhat awkwardly and reported, "Her Highness is tired and has fallen asleep."

Zhu Zaizhen had no choice but to stop. A female official explained, "Your Highness just drank some wine at the Imperial Noble Consort's place and is therefore feeling sleepy."

"Please take good care of Mother Consort, Aunt. I will come to pay my respects another day." Zhu Zaizhen sighed inwardly. He had hoped to rest for a while in his mother's palace, but now he felt as heavy as if his legs were filled with lead.

The chief attendant, Ma Dezhao, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness has walked longer than usual today, which is exhausting and harmful to your health. I dare to ask if I can carry you back."

He was nearly fifty years old, with a gaunt face, but his eyes held a great sense of authority.

"Let me carry it," Zhang Xingtao hurriedly knelt down, knowing in his heart that he would be punished when he got back, and might even get a few lashes.

The female official and wet nurse Liu advised, "Eunuch Ma, you are getting old. Let Tao Ze carry you. He is sturdy and can carry you steadily."

At this point, no one asked Zhu Zaizhen for his opinion, because the Grand Chamberlain had spoken, and unlike the wet nurse, he was not allowed to interfere in anything other than taking care of the prince's food and clothing.

Although the Ōtomo (officials) did not hold official ranks, they were all people deeply trusted by the Emperor and the mothers of the princes. They were responsible for disciplining and educating the princes, supervising their studies and teaching them manners; they were their teachers in life.

Ma Dezhao, nearing fifty, was an extremely disciplined man. Zhu Zaizhen, though mischievous since childhood, had never caused any major trouble, all thanks to Ma's guidance and discipline.

Because of their rank, they cannot directly discipline the princes, but they will complain. If Consort Jing doesn't care, they will dare to complain to the Imperial Noble Consort. Now that the Crown Prince is older, they always go to the Crown Prince to discipline Prince Jing.

Zhu Zaizhen didn't understand before, and always said that when he grew up, he would teach this old man a lesson and not take him with him when he went to the fiefdom.

Zhu Zaizhen now understands that this is the person who truly plans for the long term for the original owner of this body, and Wang Shi and the Crown Prince gradually take him to heart as they manage things.

Once you take it to heart, you'll develop feelings for it. For a prince, having a deep bond with the future empress dowager and emperor will inevitably lead to a life of wealth and happiness.

So he walked up behind Tao Ze and leaned over, saying, "Daban, let's go back."

"promise."

Tao Ze was tall and stout, and his back was indeed much more comfortable than Zhang Xing's thin and bony back.

Zhang Xing gritted his teeth, determined to devour a few more meat buns tonight!

.........

The crowd escorted Prince Jing through the many palaces and back to his residence, the Xiefang Palace, located on the eastern side of the Forbidden City, between the Donghua Gate and the Wenhua Gate.

Xiefang Hall consists of three independent courtyards, each with three sections arranged in a triangular pattern. Zhu Zaizhen lived in the middle courtyard, while Prince Yu lived in the west courtyard.

This was arranged by the emperor himself. It was the residence of Zhu Zaizhen. The main hall had five rooms, the east and west side halls each had three rooms, and there was also a well pavilion.

Although Prince Yu's residence also consisted of a main hall with five rooms, it did not have any additional side halls.

At that time, the two princes were still young and their temperaments had not yet been revealed. It is evident that the emperor favored Consort Jing more because of her status as a son.

As for the Crown Prince, he lived alone in the Cining Palace in the north. To enter, one had to pass through three palace gates: Huiyin, Linzhi, and Cining. Inside, there were four palaces: Fengchen, Xuqin, Chenghua, and Zhaojian, as well as more than a hundred rooms including the kitchen, tea room, and storeroom. The scale of the palaces was vastly different from those in the palaces ...

Back at their residence, Ma Dezhao directed everyone to hurry up and prepare for Prince Jing's bath.

"I'm tired today too. A quick wash and a foot bath will do."

Zhu Zaizhen's eyes were almost closed, and he really didn't want to go through all that trouble. He knew that the Ming Dynasty had been established for 180 years, and there were many rules in the inner court. Even the princes had strict procedures for bathing.

"Your Highness has traveled a long way today and has sweated. You need to take a good bath to cleanse your body, remove impurities, and nourish your vital energy."

Ma Dezhao's tone was gentle but left no room for argument. He then lowered his voice and added, "You just need to close your eyes and rest. The servants will take care of the rest."

Zhu Zaizhen gave a muffled reply, and before the words were finished, he sat down and fell asleep. He didn't know how much time had passed when he was gently awakened. He found himself in a warm and humid room, filled with steam and a faint scent of herbs.

In the center of the room was a cypress bathtub, surrounded by mica screens for insulation, and the floor was covered with pine wood gratings soaked in tung oil for drainage. Charcoal braziers preheated the room to a level that caused slight sweating.

Prince Jing was carefully helped to his feet. The eunuch Zhang Xing, who was in charge of ceremonial robes, knelt down to remove his everyday clothes.

Tao Ze then gently combed his hair with a rhinoceros horn comb and tied it on top of his head with a silk ribbon.

Several fire-bringers carried in buckets of steaming hot soup and carefully poured them into the bath. The soup was made by boiling the Jade Spring Mountain water with the finest silver bone charcoal, and it was clear and slightly hot.

Ma Dezhao dipped his hand into the water, carefully tested the temperature, and found it to be just right. Only then did he accept the medicinal bath pack respectfully handed to him by the eunuch beside him. This was a prescription specially prepared by the Imperial Medical Academy based on Prince Jing's constitution.

Zhu Zaizhen entered the bathtub naked. The hot water made him feel refreshed all over, especially his tired feet, which felt as if countless tiny ants were gently crawling on them, bringing a tingling and comfortable sensation. He sighed comfortably, closed his eyes, and leaned against the tub.

...............