The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

"You must study hard." Consort Kang finally spoke, her tone familiar to him, carrying a hint of urgency and concern.

But beneath this urgency today, there was something else weighing on him, something he couldn't discern.

"But you must take good care of your health. If you feel unwell, call the imperial physician as soon as possible. Don't delay. You were like that when you were a child. You would never say anything if you had a headache or fever, and you would only let people know when you had a high fever..."

After rambling on for a while, Zhu Zaiji nodded repeatedly, while the palace servants had already been busy silently. Plates of sweet soup and snacks were laid out on half the table, and fresh fruit was cut up and mixed with honey.

They were overjoyed; it had been so long since they had seen the Empress and the Prince so close. With harmony above, they felt relieved; otherwise, they would have been filled with anxiety.

Consort Kang personally handed him a bowl of sweet soup and watched him drink it. He drank it slowly; the soup was very sweet, and the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms melted on his tongue, the sweetness spreading all the way down to his throat.

He didn't actually like sweets, but his mother always thought he did, and he never argued against it.

After he put down his bowl, Consort Kang dismissed the others and asked, "Have you met that Gao Gong?"

Zhu Zaiji thought for a moment and said, "Three years ago, Mr. Gao gave me and Zaizhen two lectures on the chapter on rectifying the mind in the Great Learning."

"Where is Zhao Zhenji?"

"Zhao Jishi did not serve as a lecturer, and my son has never met him."

Consort Kang nodded, removed her hand from her son's wrist, and placed it on her knee, where they intertwined. The hall was quiet for a moment.

"Son, you must remember these two men; they are loyal ministers."

Zhu Zaiji raised his head and looked at his mother's profile. The setting sun shone on her from the side, illuminating the fine lines at the corners of her eyes clearly. Those lines hadn't been there before; he didn't know when they had appeared.

"Mother will send people to take care of them." Consort Kang lowered her voice even further. "When the opportunity comes, we will transfer them back to the capital. They will be your helpers."

"You can reveal a little about this to your husbands." She paused. "You don't need to say too much. Just let them know that Prince Yu remembers his loyal subjects and will not let them suffer in vain. He will definitely plan for them. That way, they can rest assured."

Zhu Zaiji's Adam's apple bobbed. He understood; his mother was teaching him.

Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji were transferred to Nanjing, while Prince Jing was rewarded. His supporters were bound to waver.

If someone speaks up for Prince Yu, they will be punished. If Prince Yu says nothing and does nothing, his supporters will lose heart.

When hearts grow cold, people scatter. Even if there are still people supporting him, there is no cohesion, and he is not capable of achieving great things.

Therefore, his mother wanted to send someone to take care of them, and that's why she wanted him to reveal this matter.

It's not for the two people who have already gone to Nanjing, but for those who are still in Beijing.

Let them know. Prince Yu remembers, remembers who took the knife for him, remembers who blocked the arrow for him.

As long as they remember, there is still hope. As long as there is hope, they will continue to take the blows for him, shield him from the arrows, and charge into battle for him.

"Son understands." His voice was soft, but much deeper than when he came in.

Consort Kang stroked her son's hair: "I am not a clever mother. This is all I can do to help you. In the future, you will need truly capable people to assist you in achieving your goals."

You must treat your tutors and attendants well. They are all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who emerged from thousands of scholars; none of them are stupid. You must select your own core group from among them.

Zhu Zaiji pursed his lips. He had a lot to say, but he didn't know where to begin.

The lecturers were indeed all willing to be close to him. The scholars from the Hanlin Academy and the officials of the Censorate all treated him with utmost respect, bowing as they spoke, their eyes filled with eagerness.

But he couldn't tell whether the eagerness was for him personally or just because he was the eldest son. What troubled him even more was that these people were also vying for power.

Today, this gentleman privately says that another gentleman is not very knowledgeable; tomorrow, that gentleman will subtly imply that this gentleman is morally flawed. Whom does he listen to and whom does he believe?

He didn't want to offend anyone, so as a result, everyone felt that he wasn't close enough to or trust them.

He swallowed some of his words, only revealing the most superficial level.

"The scholars from the Hanlin Academy all want to be close to me." His voice was low, with a hint of grievance. "But they are also competing fiercely with each other. I don't know who to be close to, for fear of unintentionally neglecting a certain gentleman. I've been in a bit of a dilemma lately."

Consort Kang frowned upon hearing this, and opened her mouth as if to curse, but she tried her best to suppress her temper and began to think.

After thinking for a long time, he finally understood that it wasn't that the fierce competition among the Hanlin scholars was putting his son in a difficult position, but rather that his son couldn't control them. A truly dignified crown prince would have his ministers vying to show off in front of him, not competing to undermine him.

Because they know that the Crown Prince can see things clearly and can distinguish right from wrong. He will not favor anyone based on who has the loudest voice, nor will he pity anyone who pretends to be wronged.

But her son was not the crown prince; he was just a prince. He had no power to reward or punish, no power to promote, and he didn't even have complete control over who stayed by his side to teach him.

All he could offer was a vague sense of closeness, which was his only bargaining chip, and he certainly dared not give it away easily.

"Mother will send people to inquire." Her voice lowered. "But there is a difference between insiders and outsiders. What Mother can find out is only superficial information, such as who is from the same hometown, who is the same age as whom, and who has old grudges against whom."

But ultimately, you have to see for yourself whether a person has good character, magnanimity, and is capable of being entrusted with important matters.

She paused for a moment, "Besides, the reader is on a rotating shift."

These words were like a needle, gently pricking Zhu Zaiji's heart. The duty roster was shifting; today it was this gentleman, tomorrow it would be that gentleman. And the day after? The day after that, it might be someone else.

"It would be great if your subordinates could be officially put to use." Consort Kang's voice pulled him back to reality.

Zhu Zaiji's eyelashes twitched slightly. According to regulations, after a prince is conferred a title, a Chief Secretary's Office should be established, with a complete set of officials including Left and Right Chief Secretaries, Chief Judge, Deputy Chief Judge, Recorder, Steward, Temple Attendant, Treasurer, Physician, and Worker.

These officials were the prince's own people; the chief clerk was the prince's right-hand man, the judge was the prince's eyes and ears, and the clerk was the prince's advisor.

Their salaries came from the prince's annual stipend; their future depended on the prince. When the prince prospered, they prospered; when the prince fell, they fell with him.

However, according to regulations, for princes of this dynasty who have not yet married or established their own residences, this set of officials is merely a formality written in the official documents.

The Ministry of Personnel would draft a list, submit it for approval, and affix the imperial seal; then it was considered complete.

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