The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Ma Dezhao went straight into Jingren Palace. Along the way, he saw that most of the palace people were sad and anxious, especially the older ones, because they knew better how great the storm was.

"Your Excellency has arrived." The head eunuch of Jingren Palace personally came out to greet him. His name was Ma Fu, and he had once been Ma Fu's apprentice.

In their early years, they even addressed each other as father and son. Although they were only about ten years apart in age, this was a common situation in the palace. The strong were the fathers, and the weak were the sons. One sought to cultivate confidants, while the other sought protection.

However, when he decided to leave Jingren Palace to take care of King Jing, he agreed to be his equal. However, the man was grateful and always treated him with respect.

"Yes, I need to pay my respects to Her Majesty. You must keep a close eye on everything at this crucial moment, and make sure you don't bring any trouble upon Her Majesty and His Highness!"

"Don't worry, Father-in-law, I've given all the instructions. Moreover, Her Majesty treats us servants with kindness and leniency, for which we are deeply grateful and would never dare to cause any trouble."

Ma Fu said in a low voice, "Her Majesty is kind and gentle. She dislikes change and cunning people. Those who want to climb the ranks have all asked to be transferred to other palaces. The rest are all obedient old people."

Ma Dezhao felt slightly relieved upon hearing this. He knew Jingren Palace all too well. The eunuchs and female officials in charge had hardly changed over the past ten years. Most of these people were people who had received favors from the Empress.

But he still gave a word of advice: "People's hearts are fickle, so you can't be completely trusting of kindness. If you suspect anything, you must not be soft-hearted or soft-hearted."

"promise."

Upon entering the hall, a female official led her inside. Lady Lu, dressed in plain clothes, with slightly red eyes and a sorrowful expression, said, "My master has arrived. Please sit down. I had something I wanted to ask him to come over."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Ma Dezhao sat down, Ma Fu ordered the palace servants to leave temporarily, leaving only the steward of Jingren Palace and Consort Jing's personal maid.

Seeing Consort Jing's state, Ma Dezhao knew why, so he comforted her, saying, "Life and death are predestined, Your Highness, please do not grieve too much."

"I watched the Crown Prince grow up, how could I not feel sorry for him? Alas, I wonder what kind of suffering the Imperial Concubine is going through."

Lady Lu knew that her comfortable life in the palace was largely due to the care of Consort Wang, so she naturally felt deeply saddened by the young death of the Crown Prince.

"My lord, should I go and keep the Imperial Concubine company at this time?"

"These next few days might not be appropriate, and besides, Her Highness the Imperial Concubine..."

After calming Consort Jing down, Ma Dezhao briefly recounted some of the recent trivial matters concerning Prince Jing, thus diverting Consort Jing's attention back to him.

"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with Zaizhen. I don't ask for anything else, I just hope he's safe and sound."

"Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will protect His Highness completely." Seeing that there were no outsiders present, Ma Dezhao spoke frankly: "This servant is more worried about your side now. Consort Kang has been suppressing her resentment for a long time, and now that she has gained power, we don't know how she will act."

Consort Kang is known throughout the palace for her jealousy and meanness. Originally, it was alright with Consort Wang keeping her in check, but now that the Crown Prince has left, Consort Wang may not even be able to protect herself.

With so many sycophants and opportunists in the palace, they will all leave Lady Wang and flock to Lady Du's side. With the emperor residing far away in the Western Garden, the real power in the harem will fall into Lady Du's hands. At that time, it will be easy for Lady Du to make things difficult for anyone she wants.

"I don't care. It's just a matter of hearing her belittle me a few times. She can also dictate my food, clothing, and lodging." Lady Lu sighed with tears in her eyes, "But I'm afraid the Imperial Concubine will suffer. I've been favored by her for so many years. Am I just supposed to stand by and do nothing?"

When Lady Lu first entered the palace, she had also experienced palace intrigue. So many princes and princesses died young, partly due to congenital deficiencies, and partly due to the underhanded tactics they used against each other. She knew very well what Consort Kang would do if she really wanted to take revenge on Consort Gui.

"I will not allow her to bully the Imperial Concubine!" A rare determination appeared in Lady Lu's usually gentle eyes: "I'm afraid it will implicate you all. My Jingren Palace has always been a place where people come and go freely. I have not restricted you before, and I will not now."

Everyone present, except for Ma Dezhao, knelt on the ground: "We servants would never dare to betray Your Highness, and we swear to never leave Jingren Palace!"

These words were somewhat sincere. Those present had been in Jingren Palace for at least seven or eight years and had lived quite comfortably. Consort Jing was very kind and easy to serve, often rewarding them and treating the servants like human beings.

Their basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were met. Even those who were seriously ill were not abandoned; imperial physicians were privately invited to treat them and they were given special meals to nourish their bodies. All these small acts of care have contributed to the Jingren Palace we see today.

Looking at the scene before him, Ma Dezhao felt both gratified and somewhat helpless. He had come here to warn everyone in Jingren Palace to be careful and avoid gossip, and to temporarily retreat from Consort Kang's sharp edge.

How come it's suddenly become a united effort to fight against Consort Kang?

Jinxiu, the head maid of Consort Jing, raised her head and said, "Your Highness, please do not worry too much. There is His Majesty above and His Highness below. Consort Kang will not be able to bully our Jingren Palace so easily."

"Yes, Consort Kang is not yet the Empress, and Prince Yu is not yet the Crown Prince. His Majesty has always been more biased..."

"Shut up." Ma Dezhao interrupted her, knowing that if she continued, things might get out of hand. He reassured Consort Jing, "Things haven't gotten to that point yet, and the Imperial Consort isn't so easily bullied."

Consort Jing shook her head. The Imperial Concubine was able to raise the Crown Prince, so she was naturally not someone to be bullied. But without her son, what could even the most powerful person do?

Meanwhile, Zhongcui Palace was filled with an irrepressible joy, especially Consort Kang. If she weren't afraid of the emperor's wrath, she would have loved to decorate the palace with lanterns and decorations and celebrate properly.

She thought she would never be able to turn her life around, but unexpectedly, good news came her way: her son became the eldest prince, the future crown prince, and the future emperor.

But she became wiser at this point, ordering everyone to change into mourning clothes, fearing that she might ruin things. She only dared to show a smile when she had only her trusted confidants by her side.

"Your Majesty, several stewards from Kunning Palace have sent people over."

"Hmph, at least they know what's good for them." Consort Kang could be considered a beautiful woman if she didn't speak, but once she opened her mouth, her mean expression reduced her beauty to only half or six-tenths.

"Your Highness, don't forget how those people have bullied our Zhongcui Palace all these years," Consort Kang's personal maid couldn't help but remind her, actually fearing that her position would be replaced.

Consort Kang also knew that she could not be fickle at this time, especially since she was wary of the people around Lady Wang.

"Don't worry, we'll deal with them slowly later. You've served us, mother and son, for many years; you'll have your share of wealth and honor in the future."

"We servants knew that Your Highness and His Highness Prince Yu were very fortunate and noble people."

Consort Kang suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "Has anyone gone to Jingren Palace?"

The people in the hall looked at each other and slowly shook their heads. The head eunuch, Kang Hai, replied, "We don't know. We don't dare to inquire around, but we guess there aren't many. In our Great Ming Dynasty, there is always an order of seniority. It's not easy to have a cold stove in Jingren Palace."

.........