The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

When Zhu Zaizhen woke up, he felt tired, which was due to the nightmare he had during the night. After washing up briefly, he practiced sitting meditation for a while, then went to the window, opened the window, and slowly breathed in the gradually brightening sky. He felt that the turbid air in his chest was cleared up a bit. Then he sat down at the table and slowly ate his breakfast.

Ma Dezhao stood by his side, his hands at his sides, and quietly reported in great detail the whole story of the dispute in front of the Meridian Gate, including the expressions and words of the officials.

The wet nurse, Liu, listened quietly from the side, while Tao Ze and Zhang Xing were much more dejected, no longer displaying their former arrogance.

Without His Highness's support, Ma Dezhao naturally disciplined them severely, and as his close associates, they vaguely sensed something was amiss, so they didn't complain.

For those born into slavery, being bullied and scolded is a minor matter; the key is whether there is any hope of getting ahead. If there is, they can endure it. Now that there is a chance to rise above others, they even feel a kind of excitement about the ordeal.

After listening, Zhu Zaizhen exclaimed, "His character is upright and his words are sharp and incisive!"

After saying this, Zhu Zaizhen knew that officials like Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji were not people he could win over. These were upright officials in the court who valued the orthodox tradition and ancestral system, and relied on the Hanlin Academy's critical opinions and the Censorate's impeachment.

If they were to be implicated, it would ruin their reputation and alienate them from the literary world.

If they wanted to fight, they still had to rely on the Yan Party. Zhu Zaizhen didn't have any moral fastidiousness, and the so-called "pure stream" didn't mean that they were all good people.

To be honest, the Yan Party was a true royalist party. According to later generations, the Yan Party was the ruling party, while the Qingliu faction was the opposition party.

The Yan faction controls the power to draft cabinet proposals and the power to appoint officials in the Ministry of Personnel, and is currently very corrupt. The Qingliu faction controls the power of public opinion and impeachment in the Hanlin Academy and the Censorate, but is not yet very corrupt.

"The Grand Secretary's attitude is subtle, but the reason is unknown."

Zhu Zaizhen swallowed the last bite: "It doesn't matter. Just do as my husband said and behave yourself."

Today's memorial is merely from officials in the capital. In the coming days, regional officials and prefectural governors from all over the Ming Dynasty will also submit memorials suggesting the establishment of an heir apparent. Faced with such public opinion both inside and outside the capital, Zhu Zaizhen cannot reveal his ambition to vie for the throne.

When dealing with external parties, it's best to appear as if you're forced into a corner. This has been the principle since ancient times. Even when forcing an emperor to abdicate, there was always a process of declining three times.

Ma Dezhao was delighted that His Highness Prince Jing was not blindly confident because of Yan Song's attitude. He then revealed another piece of news: "A few days ago, His Majesty summoned Tao Zhongwen to discuss metaphysics and Taoism, and brought up the saying that the two dragons cannot meet again."

Zhu Zaizhen raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did Tao Zhongwen bring it up on his own initiative, or did Father Emperor?"

"It seems to be His Majesty."

Zhu Zaizhen nodded. If it was still Tao Zhongwen, then he really wanted to ask if he had no descendants.

This Taoist priest, who came from a minor official position in Huangmei County, is now enjoying immense prestige. Some time ago, he advised the emperor that there was a wrongful conviction in the capital and that the rain had not fallen. After the emperor ordered a thorough investigation, the rain indeed fell. For his merit in clearing up the wrongful conviction and praying for rain, he was granted the title of Earl of Gongcheng and an annual salary of 1,200 shi (a unit of grain).

One of his sons, Tao Shi'en, was appointed as Shangbao Cheng (a high-ranking official in charge of imperial seals), and another son, Tao Shi'chang, was appointed as a student of the Imperial Academy. His disciples and followers were promoted and made a fortune.

However, based on the saying that the two dragons cannot meet, neither he nor Prince Yu will let go of these sycophants who use magic to sow discord between the imperial family and their sons to gain wealth and power.

…………

Yan Shifan was ordered to escort his father back to his residence. The physician employed by the family was already waiting in the hall. After carefully examining his father's pulse, the physician bowed silently and quickly went to prepare the medicine.

Several capable servants quickly helped the old man remove his court robes, which still felt damp from the night, and changed him into a soft and warm home dress. They then practically carried him to his bed, which was draped with brocade curtains.

Yan Song lay down, let out a long sigh, and said with a bitter smile, "The storms of these past few days have shortened my lifespan by at least three years. I don't know how many years I have left to live."

"Father, why do you say such ominous things?" Yan Shifan hurriedly approached the bedside: "Before the New Year, I sent my capable disciples to famous mountains and rivers in the north and south, and to foreign lands overseas, specifically to search for rare medicines and elixirs for prolonging life."

Good news has recently arrived. You are blessed with good fortune and will surely live to be over a hundred years old.

Yan Song held his son's plump, white hand and closed his eyes to rest. After a moment, he perked up and said, "It seems you guessed right. His Majesty really has no intention of establishing an heir."

Yan Shifan looked at the sable fur coat hanging high to the side and said, "Following the will of Heaven and adapting to the times will ensure success in everything. This is what you taught your son."

Yan Song sighed: "You are smart, which makes you arrogant. You have been obedient since childhood, which has made you even more unruly and domineering. That's why you like to gamble. That's why I keep you by my side every day."

Yan Shifan's face showed impatience. Yan Song was also helpless with his only son, but could only earnestly advise him: "Do you think that His Majesty's decision to have us support Prince Jing means that he has decided to pass the throne to Prince Jing in the future?"

"You're wrong. His Majesty doesn't truly despise Prince Yu, nor does he truly favor Prince Jing. He despises whoever is most likely to become the Crown Prince, and he favors whoever is at a disadvantage."

You want to use Prince Jing to suppress Prince Yu in one fell swoop, but His Majesty will personally support Prince Yu. Until the very last moment, no one can say for sure which palace the Purple Star will fall upon. You and I don't know, and even His Majesty himself is probably still waiting and seeing, and may not be entirely clear.

At this point, Yan Song's face showed a somewhat unspeakable expression: "His Majesty truly yearns for immortality and firmly believes in the art of ascending to heaven. Deep down, he feels that he has no need for a crown prince to inherit the country."

Yan Shifan stood up somewhat irritably and paced around the room a few times: "This won't work, that won't work, what should we do?"

Yan Song remained silent for a long time before replying, "Whoever His Majesty commands us to support, we will support."

"Hmph." Yan Shifan stood still and sneered, "Today I support Prince Jing, tomorrow I support Prince Yu. In the end, whoever comes to power will settle scores with my Yan family. Since I have already offended Prince Yu this morning, I will go all the way down this dark path."

That day I glared at Prince Jing, and he showed no fear. He's got guts, and seems stronger than Prince Yu. If I had to choose, I'd bet on Prince Jing.

Yan Song calmly said, "Do you know that when you reach the end of darkness, it is mostly not a road, but a cliff, an abyss, a dead end where the entire Yan family will be executed and nine generations of relatives will be wiped out? Although wavering is a sin, it will not lead to complete extermination, and your children and grandchildren will still have hope of rising again."

Yan Shifan, no longer angry, sat back down on the bed, cradling his protruding belly: "Your son is gambling, but you're not gambling that people will be soft-hearted, that when that day comes, you'll have to kill them all as a warning to others, are you?"

Just then, the steward, who was outside inquiring, was summoned and entered, bowing his head to report: "A decree has been issued from the palace that His Majesty will spend seven days in quiet contemplation, studying the true meaning of the *Tao Te Ching*, starting today. All memorials from the outer court, except those concerning urgent military or national affairs, will be collected by the Directorate of Ceremonial, sent to the Grand Secretariat for drafting, and temporarily stored in the Wuyi Hall until His Majesty finishes his contemplation and reviews them. Guards will be increased at all gates of the Western Garden, and without a written order, no one is allowed to enter or leave to disturb His Majesty's quiet contemplation."

"I understand, you may leave now." Yan Shifan immediately understood; this was the emperor using an excuse to avoid addressing the ministers' suggestions regarding the selection of an heir.

"cough."

Just as the steward was about to leave, he heard Yan Song cough slightly deliberately, so he immediately stopped.

.........