The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

The emperor led the entourage to the deer park, where a white deer that had just given birth lay on its side on a haystack in the deepest part of the park, the alfalfa beneath it soaked in blood in varying shades of crimson.

Its entire body is pure white, so white that it doesn't seem like flesh and blood, but rather like it was carved from the chalcedony of the Kunlun Mountains. Its eyes are lively and gentle, making it a true auspicious creature. It was treasured and cherished by the emperor and kept here.

The fawn curled up beside its mother's belly, its fur still damp and clinging to its body. Its fur was grayish-brown with a few tufts of dull brownish-yellow.

The most glaring thing was the white patch on his forehead. It should have grown into a plum blossom-shaped auspicious pattern, but it was crooked and crooked, as if someone had casually scribbled a stroke of light ink on it. Huang Jin looked at that spot with regret.

The white deer ignored the newcomers; it was already used to these strange people. Its tongue slowly extended and began to lick the fawn, the movements very slow.

Each lick was followed by a long pause, and as the tip of her tongue brushed against the brownish-yellow birthmark on the fawn's back, the mother fawn let out a very soft whimper, like the wind blowing through the hollow of an ocarina.

The fawn trembled slightly as it was licked, its four slender legs flailing weakly in the air, its hooves still soft and pink, leaving faint mud imprints on its mother's snow-white fur.

Jiajing's expression was solemn as he looked at the mother and son, seemingly lost in thought. Huang Jin dared not say anything flattering at this moment and simply waited in silence.

"How is the Crown Prince doing lately? What is the condition of Prince Jing?"

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is as diligent as ever, and the scholars all praise him highly. I have heard that His Highness Prince Jing is well and is studying in the warm pavilion of Wenhua Hall as usual with his two elder brothers."

Another silence fell, and Huang Jin's expression remained unchanged, as if time had stood still.

"Go and see, I..."

Jiajing didn't say those words aloud, but Huang Jin vaguely understood. She lowered her head, moistened her lips, and whispered, "This servant has something else to report. A few days ago, when His Highness Prince Jing saw me, he specifically instructed me that he missed His Majesty and earnestly requested to come and pay his respects."

Jiajing was quite surprised, but he still had concerns. Seeing this, Huang Jin gestured to Tao Zhongwen, who had been standing to the side, to speak.

The old Taoist priest didn't want to talk about it, because years ago he had said that the two dragons could not meet, which was originally intended to keep the emperor away from his offspring, make him more intimate and dependent on him, and allow him to focus on the pursuit of immortality.

In the past, the princes died one after another, five out of eight princes died young, but now the three princes have all grown up. They have visited the emperor several times during festivals and ancestral worship ceremonies, and there has been no conflict between them.

He was getting old, and if he continued to obstruct the father-son relationship, he feared that when a new emperor ascended the throne, he, his children, grandchildren, and disciples would all face imprisonment.

He is now promoted to Grand Master of the Palace and Pillar of the State, concurrently holding the titles of Junior Tutor, Junior Guardian, and Junior Preceptor. His ancestors for three generations have been posthumously honored, and his two sons have been granted hereditary privileges.

In terms of sectarianism, he was conferred the title of Shenxiao Zifu Chanfan Baoguo Honglie Xuanjiao Zhenfa Tongzhen Zhongxiao Bingyi Zhenren, bringing glory to his ancestors and making his sect illustrious. What more could he ask for?

So he nodded and lowered his head, saying, "Your Majesty has achieved some success in cultivation and possesses the physique of a half-immortal..."

"Go."

Huang Jin readily agreed and hurriedly rushed out, a sight that pleased the emperor greatly.

.........

Inside the west warm pavilion of Wenhua Hall, in the gilded lion-shaped incense burner, ambergris mingled with newly offered sandalwood incense, wisps of smoke rising and intertwining, creating a warm fragrance that counteracted the chill of spring outside the window.

Outside the window, the sparse shadow of an old plum tree lies quietly on the rosewood bookshelf, adding a touch of elegance to this solemn reading space, and also seeming like a silent gaze.

Thirteen-year-old Prince Jing, Zhu Zaizhen, sat upright at his desk, listening attentively as Academician Yin of the Hanlin Academy lectured on the "Great Learning," the "Zizhi Tongjian," and the "Huangming Zuxun" personally established by Emperor Taizu.

Sitting not far to his side was Prince Yu, Zhu Zaiji. The two brothers were born in the same year and studied together from the beginning of their education, but they were not born of the same mother.

From the east wing not far away, the clear voice of Crown Prince Zhu Zai could be faintly heard reciting: "Great unification is the constant principle of heaven and earth..."

Although the Crown Prince was only one year older, his learning and instruction were already different from theirs. The lecturers of the Hanlin Academy often gave him extra tutoring, and the workload was much heavier than theirs. If you calculate it, he studied for at least two more hours than them every day. Over the years, he was indeed much better than them.

There were certainly some people who made special arrangements, but more importantly, the Crown Prince was indeed diligent. If he really didn't want to, who could force him?

As noon approached, the half-day course came to an end. Scholar Yin put down his duster, rose, and began the routine examination, waiting for the two Wangs to finish their answers.

The white-haired, aged scholar stroked his silver beard and, as was customary, began with a few words of admonition about diligently studying and understanding the Emperor's will. His gaze, however, lingered on Zhu Zaizhen for a rare moment, revealing a genuine hint of approval:

"Your Highness Prince Jing's explanation of the problem today was very clear, and he was particularly able to grasp the essence of the duties and responsibilities of a vassal king. What is even more commendable is that Your Highness has recently become more focused and made remarkable progress. Very good, very good."

He had been teaching the two princes for nearly five years. Prince Yu was steady but too reserved, almost dull-witted. Prince Jing was intelligent but restless and sometimes mischievous. He had long since given up hope that the two could undergo a complete transformation.

Unexpectedly, after a serious illness in winter, the once unruly Prince Jing gradually lost his impetuousness and became calm in his words and deeds, which was quite surprising.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zaizhen rose and bowed respectfully in the manner of a disciple, saying, "This student is dull-witted and relies entirely on your meticulous teaching."

Scholar Yin was secretly pleased, but he still returned the greeting with utmost seriousness and said slowly, "I hope Your Highness can maintain this sentiment for a long time."

"Then today's lecture by my staff shall conclude here."

"Thank you, sir. Please take care." The two kings rose from their seats to see him off, their manners impeccable.

After the old gentleman left, Zhu Zaizhen couldn't help but cough a few times. Prince Yu frowned and said, "Zaizhen, why are you still coughing? Summon the imperial physician to take a look."

Zhu Zaizhen shook his head and stopped coughing, saying, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. Physician Liu came to check my pulse this morning, and I'm much better now."

The two brothers stood facing each other, their eyes reflecting each other. They looked alike, but upon closer inspection, Prince Jing's face was more refined. More importantly, the lively spirit between his brows outshone Prince Yu, who usually kept his head down and had a somber expression.

When the concubines in the harem gossiped in private, they often said that they would rather look at the mischievous yet clever one than at the dull and boring saw-mouthed gourd.

However, those who said this were probably also targeting Prince Yu's birth mother, since Consort Kang had offended many people by giving birth to the second prince.

Several servants dressed in vests brought in outer robes that had been warmed by the incense burner. They quickly dressed the two kings and put on lotus-shaped robes and hoods. Although winter had passed and the ice and snow had melted, there was still a bit of spring chill, so they could not be careless.

"Let's go."

The two princes came out together, and lunch should have been prepared by this time, but they still needed to wait for the crown prince to have lunch with them, so they went to wait outside the east wing.

Although both are princes, the crown prince is not only older but also the heir apparent, thus establishing the distinction between ruler and subject.

The Crown Prince's personal attendant stepped forward: "This servant greets Your Highnesses. His Majesty instructed this morning that you two should go and have your meal after class, and there is no need to wait here."

The Crown Prince was mostly an easygoing person and rarely put on airs with his younger brothers; such considerate arrangements were common for him.

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu habitually turned his gaze to his younger brother beside him. No matter what the matter was, he had never wanted to take the lead.

"Since Your Majesty is so considerate, we, your humble servants, will certainly comply." Zhu Zaizhen nodded. "However, it is almost noon now. Perhaps Liu Banban could go in and remind Your Majesty that you ate little breakfast and must be hungry by now. While learning is important, it cannot be done in a short time."

……