The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

He did not refuse, nor did he even thank him on behalf of his sick son, because he understood that this was not a discussion, but a divine decree, a grace, and a special blessing bestowed upon him by the emperor.

He had no choice but to express his gratitude; there was absolutely no room for refusal.

Jiajing looked at his most important arm and sword, who was kneeling on the ground, with a deep gaze.

"Sit," he said casually, as if he had merely offered a plate of snacks, rather than the unattainable position that countless scholars who had studied diligently since childhood and veterans who had fought on the battlefield dreamed of.

"How is Yan Shifan doing lately?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, two days ago Yan Shifan summoned Zhao Wenhua, Yan Maoqing, and others to his residence for a long private discussion. He then sent someone to deliver a sandalwood box to the palace, and at night transported a batch of treasures from the outskirts of the capital to a residence in the west of the city."

Yesterday, after news of Prince Jing's return from the West Garden spread, Yan Shifan flogged his newly acquired concubine and had a heated argument with Yan Song in the study. Yan Song threw his inkstone to the ground, and Yan Shifan stormed out. He then summoned Zhao Wenhua, Luo Longwen, and others for another secret meeting.

At noon, Zhao Zhenji and Gao Gong led more than ten censors and students of the Imperial Academy to gather in front of the Yan residence and loudly denounced him for communicating with the prince's residence and spying on the imperial regalia.

Yan Shifan was furious and personally led dozens of his servants out to disperse the crowd. A fierce struggle ensued, Zhao Zhenji's official robe was torn, and Gao Gong narrowly escaped being struck with a stick. The incident had become common knowledge throughout the capital.

Everyone knows that Jiajing pursed his lips slightly, his face showing a half-smile: "So what are the people in the capital saying?"

"Your Majesty, rumors are circulating in the streets and alleys that the Yan family father and son are ambitious and want to seize the throne by holding Prince Jing hostage. Many people in the city praise Prince Yu for his benevolence and virtue, and say that the upright officials speak out for justice. There are also voices mentioning Prince Jing."

"speak."

Some say that since Prince Jing has no ambition to become the heir apparent, he should leave the capital and take up his fief as soon as possible. In this way, Your Majesty can determine the heir apparent sooner and put the people's hearts at ease.

"Oh?" Jiajing slowly uttered a single word, the last syllable rising slightly in a mocking tone: "So, my Prince Jing is being portrayed as a pitiful worm being roasted over a fire by the Yan family?"

Lu Bing simply stated firmly, "His Highness Prince Jing is a descendant of the dragon and the phoenix."

Jiajing looked at Lu Bing thoughtfully: "You rarely mention my princes. What, are you also feeling sorry for Prince Jing, or do you also want to give a cold shoulder?"

Lu Bing remained calm: "I am merely stating the facts and reporting the public opinion outside to Your Majesty."

"Public opinion? Zhao Zhenji and Gao Gong, along with officials from the Censorate and Imperial Academy students, blocked the Yan family's gate, cursing, tearing off official robes, and wielding sticks. Is this the public opinion your Embroidered Uniform Guard reported?"

Lu Bing did not answer, but simply lay prostrate on the ground.

Emperor Jiajing stood up, his bare feet treading on the gleaming gold bricks, and paced slowly. His voice was soft, yet each word was clear: "Yan Shifan's beating of his concubine, throwing his inkstone, and summoning for a secret meeting—was this a fit of rage, or was it for show? Zhao Zhenji's official robes being torn, and Gao Gong narrowly escaping being struck with a stick—was this the 'pure officials' seeking fame and fortune, or do they truly believe my court is a marketplace where they run wild?"

He stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Lu Bing, and a sharp glint finally appeared in his eyes: "Which inkstone did Yan Song smash?"

Lu Bing was taken aback, then replied, "According to reports, it is that Song Dynasty Longwei She inkstone, formerly owned by Mi Fu."

"Oh?" Jiajing seemed intrigued. "It broke?"

"A piece is broken."

Jiajing nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions. He simply continued pacing, his footsteps echoing on the gold bricks, cold and hollow.

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

Zhu Zaizhen slowly got up and practiced his stance training for a while before having breakfast. The steamed buns were quite good today, with three or five items laid out on a small rosewood table.

A plate of bright green lettuce leaves, a bowl of neatly diced fatty pork mixed with minced ginger and garlic, a small dish of sauce, a large bowl of steaming white rice, and a pot of hot milk.

Zhu Zaizhen washed his hands, picked up a lettuce leaf and spread it in his palm, scooped a spoonful of rice on it, added two pieces of diced meat with his chopsticks, dipped it in some sauce, carefully wrapped it up, and stuffed the whole thing into his mouth.

It was wrapped a bit too big, making my cheeks bulge. I chewed for a while before swallowing it. The large lettuce leaf wrapped around the lean and fatty meat, ginger, garlic, and rice. The taste was very satisfying.

"The diced meat is cooked well today," he mumbled, then started wrapping the second one.

Whether it was because of his practice or not, his appetite increased significantly, and he could clearly feel that his physique had become much stronger, with fewer instances of feeling weak or insecure.

The wet nurse was serving him food, and seeing him eating with relish, a smile appeared at the corner of her eye, but she kept saying, "Your Highness, eat slowly, be careful not to choke."

After wrapping the second one, Zhu Zaizhen didn't rush to eat it. Instead, he placed it on a plate, picked up the milk and took a sip. The warm milky aroma spread in his mouth, and he comfortably squinted his eyes.

"Master, when Mother Consort first entered the palace, did she find the food here agreeable?"

Standing to the side, Ma Dezhao thought for a moment and said, "Consort Jing is from the south. When she first entered the palace, she was indeed not used to the northern cuisine. I remember that Consort Jing lost a lot of weight in the first year. Later, when the Empress Dowager found out, she specially transferred a cook from the south to cook for Consort Jing. She gradually recovered."

Later, after the Empress gave birth to His Highness, everything she ate during her postpartum period tasted delicious, and she stopped being picky about food after that.

Zhu Zaizhen nodded: "Daban, I'd like to have wontons for breakfast tomorrow, with chicken broth and lots of pepper."

"promise."

Zhu Zaizhen was quite content, but the court and the public were in an uproar, especially since the emperor had not made any response.

But all of this is just for show; it doesn't really affect anything.

The Ming Dynasty belongs to the emperor alone, at least for now. Everything will depend on the emperor's attitude after he leaves the capital in a few days.

After he finished eating, he went straight to the Wenhua Hall and buried himself in studying the classics. When he met Prince Yu, he did the same thing as usual, but there were always people secretly observing him. However, no one dared to look him in the eye. As soon as their eyes met, they would hurriedly look away, which was quite interesting.

.........

When the seven-day period was up, the emperor left the pass as promised, but only summoned the Grand Secretary Yan Song and the ministers of the six ministries.

The emperor sat relaxed on the round-backed chair. The hall was as silent as an abyss. The officials knelt down, with Yan Song kneeling at the front, his white head bowed, his expression unseen. Behind him were Wen Yuan, Minister of Personnel; Zhao Tingrui, Minister of War; Xu Jie, Minister of Rites; Xia Bangmo, Minister of Revenue; Liu Ren, Minister of Justice; and Wen Ming, Minister of Works.

Meanwhile, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was gently waving a banana leaf fan in front of the alchemy furnace not far away. Lu Bing was dressed in a python robe with a jade belt around his waist, and on his head he wore a fragrant leaf crown. The crown was in the style of a Taoist headdress, with green vines as the frame and sandalwood leaves as decoration.

The combination of the python robe, representing secular power and wealth, and the Taoist crown, representing those beyond worldly concerns, seems incongruous, yet it is precisely the most dignified appearance for a court official in this dynasty, something many people envy but cannot attain.

After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"Grand Secretary Yan."

The emperor's voice was not loud, and even carried a hint of weariness, but when it fell between the empty walls of the hall, it was like the clash of metal against metal, each syllable striking the golden bricks and the spines of the kneeling ministers.

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