The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

He held a small handful of beans in his hand. These were soybeans soaked by the imperial kitchen for grinding into soy milk, and he had someone grab a handful of raw ones to feed the carp in the pond.

"Otomo, when do you think I'll be able to leave the palace?"

Ma Dezhao replied, "According to ancestral rules, princes may only reside in the capital residence when they reach marriageable age."

"That's still two or three years away. Is there any way to make it happen sooner?"

"That depends on the Emperor's will."

At present, the Emperor's attitude determines everything; this is an authority that no amount of intelligence or talent can withstand.

Only time can bury him. No matter how wise and brilliant an emperor is, when he gets old, his authority will gradually shift.

However, being confined to this deep palace is too restrictive. The question is whether this time can bring about a change. If it doesn't work out next time, we must find a way to leave the palace as soon as possible and establish our own team.

At this moment, Tao Ze rushed over, and Zhu Zaizhen threw the last bean in his hand into the pond. A red carp accurately leaped out of the water and swallowed it.

"Your Highness, Yan Shifan has been fined three years' salary and is to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion. Grand Secretary Yan has been stripped of his title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, but will still be allowed to serve in the cabinet. Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji have each been fined six months' salary and transferred to Nanjing to take charge of affairs."

Yan Shifan's punishment was lighter than he had expected, while the punishment of Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji was heavier than he had anticipated, which shows the emperor's bias.

"Furthermore, this servant also wishes to congratulate Your Highness." Tao Ze's face showed a fawning smile: "His Majesty has issued an imperial edict, promoting Old Master Lu to Commander of the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard, a hereditary position, and Your Highness's annual salary will be increased by three thousand shi of rice."

Sure enough, as long as he didn't accept Yan Shifan's support, then in order to maintain the balance, the emperor would have no choice but to personally intervene and add fuel to the fire.

Unfortunately, it was the maternal grandfather who was promoted. The fire was burning in the capital, but the firewood was piled up in Nanjing. How brightly the fire burned depended on how much firewood the emperor ordered to be transported over.

If the supplies cannot be transported here, they will still face hunger and cold. Zhu Zaizhen's mind was filled with these thoughts.

Reason told him that no matter how stifling the palace was, it couldn't contain someone with a will. He was waiting for the wind to come, for the water to move, and for the scales of power in his father's hands to tip a little more in his favor.

But he could wait. Some things couldn't wait. After this test, he seemed to have a slight understanding of the emperor's bottom line and tolerance. So many things were no longer absolutely forbidden.

Perhaps... it's time to take the initiative!

A moment later, a eunuch came to deliver the imperial edict. Unlike the imperial edict, the imperial edict did not need to be drafted and approved by the Grand Secretariat. It simply represented the emperor's will, so the process of delivering the edict was also simple.

After King Jing expressed his gratitude, the eunuch hurriedly took his leave, before Ma Dezhao could even slip him some silver.

Seeing Tao Ze's eager expression, Zhu Zaizhen gestured to Ma Dezhao to give him the silver. After Tao Ze left with a beaming smile, Ma Dezhao hesitated and said, "It seems that Your Highness has been appeased from both sides and seems to have benefited?"

"Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. An increase of three thousand shi in annual salary is certainly good, but it's not all that great."

He was a prince, and was entitled to an annual stipend of 10,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), although he actually received only half of that in rice, with the other half being worthless paper money.

But over the years, he lived in the palace and didn't have many expenses. His annual salary was used by his mother to buy some properties in the capital, and he accumulated a considerable income each year.

It's not a lot, but it's definitely enough for now.

"Your Highness, you should go and offer your congratulations to the Empress."

Zhu Zaizhen nodded. His maternal grandfather had not made any contributions, yet he had become the hereditary commander. This was naturally an honor bestowed upon him and his mother by the emperor, and they should celebrate this great favor together.

…………

"Why! Why!"

Consort Kang gritted her teeth and rubbed the handkerchief in her hand: "Your Majesty, could it be that..."

"Your Majesty!"

She was startled and stopped rubbing, but she knew she had almost said the wrong thing. She just glared angrily at the palace servant next to her.

The handkerchief in her hand was embroidered with a phoenix in gold thread, its neck held high and wings spread, as if it were about to fly away at any moment. It was a gift from His Majesty himself after she gave birth to the prince.

She usually couldn't bear to use it and kept it at the very bottom of her dressing case, only taking it out to use today.

She had originally thought there would be an imperial decree today; with the court and the public in such a state of turmoil, there should at least be an explanation.

Prince Yu is now the eldest son, and everyone in the court and the public says he is benevolent and kind. They all say that the foundation of the country should be established, and even if His Majesty is biased, he cannot keep dragging this on.

She thought that after this incident, His Majesty would have to give Prince Yu an explanation. She was Prince Yu's birth mother, and both morally and logically, she should be promoted in rank.

Even if she isn't promoted directly to Empress, she should at least be Imperial Noble Consort, which would be worthy of the dignity of the Crown Prince's birth mother, thus surpassing Consort Jing and making it legitimate for her to manage palace affairs.

But now?

The imperial decree was issued, and those who wanted to collude with Prince Jing were not punished, but were only lightly fined. However, those who supported Prince Yu were demoted to the south. This was clearly biased!

"Ah, this is outrageous! Not only are they not punished, but they're being rewarded! That vile woman, Lu, has gained both face and satisfaction!"

"Your Majesty!" a palace maid beside her exclaimed.

Consort Kang looked down and realized that she had torn a hole in her handkerchief. The phoenix's wing was broken, and the golden threads were exposed, sticking up messily, like a bird with its neck twisted.

She stared at the crack for a long time, and suddenly felt that the phoenix with broken wings was more like herself.

"Your Highness, His Highness has arrived." The palace maid who came in to report bowed her head low.

Consort Kang tossed the handkerchief aside expressionlessly: "Let him in."

Prince Yu's posture was very similar to that of the palace maid. He vaguely heard his mother's sharp scream outside and regretted coming over.

"Your son Zaiji greets Your Majesty."

To his surprise, his mother was unusually gentle this time. He expected her to ask him if he was feeling better, how his studies were going, and whether he had performed well in front of the scholars.

As she always did every time she saw him, she asked him one question after another until he couldn't answer and he just wanted to run away.

But today, his mother didn't ask any of these questions. She looked up at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, then reached out and took his wrist.

"My son." Her voice wasn't as shrill or urgent as usual. Her fingers gently squeezed his wrist and then his forearm, her brows furrowing slightly.

"You've lost weight."

Zhu Zaiji froze. He instinctively wanted to pull his hand back, not out of disgust, but because he was not used to it. When was the last time his mother held his hand like this?

He didn't remember. What he remembered was his mother pushing him to pay his respects to his father, even though they never actually met, and pushing him to socialize with the lecturers, even though he didn't like it at all.

His mother's hand was always behind him, pushing him forward, forward, forward. But today, his mother's hand was in front of him, holding his wrist, and she said he had lost weight.

His nose suddenly felt a little sore.

"My son is fine," he said softly. "He just caught a chill a few days ago, but he's all better now."

Consort Kang did not let go. She pulled him to sit down beside her and looked at his face carefully again.

She looked at him very slowly, from his forehead to his brow bone, from his brow bone to his eye sockets, and from his eye sockets to his cheekbones, as if she wanted to memorize his face inch by inch. Zhu Zaiji was at a loss as she looked at him, not knowing where to look.

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