The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

With such elaborate preparations, it's clear that the Imperial Concubine is not cultivating an ordinary princess consort, but a woman who will stand by the Crown Prince's side, share his burdens, devise strategies for him, safeguard the Eastern Palace for him, and may even one day become the Empress.

Now that the crown prince has passed away, that girl is still alive.

Zhu Zaizhen lowered his eyes and did not speak immediately. In the struggle for the throne, the importance of a good teammate is self-evident.

He hadn't expected his wife to be a good helper. The ancestral rules were there, and the range of women he could choose from was so narrow. Most of the women chosen were daughters from humble families. They knew the rules, but lacked experience. As long as they could manage the household well, they would be considered competent.

But now things have taken a turn for the better. A girl who has been trained for six years, a woman who was originally going to become the Crown Princess, a person who has been trained by seven or eight female officials of the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau and is impeccable.

He bowed respectfully, a gesture far more important than the list of letters he had just received.

He could win over those people himself, but a good wife, a wife with insight, magnanimity, ability, and wisdom, is truly something that can only be found by chance.

What used to be a matter of luck has now become a guaranteed success, which is cause for celebration.

It seems that if he hadn't agreed to adopt a son for the Crown Prince to continue the family line, the Consort would never have given him this girl who originally belonged to the Crown Prince. She would most likely have taken the girl with her to see her son before she died.

Seeing his reaction, Consort Wang knew he had agreed, but she felt no joy. She simply said in a husky voice, "Her maiden name is Shuning, Zhao Shuning. Her father is a scholar, from a family of scholars and gentlemen, which is in accordance with ancestral customs."

"Your subject has remembered."

Shuning is a beautiful name, signifying virtuous character and a peaceful life.

I just don't know when I'll be able to meet my teammates and see what kind of people they are.

However, Zhu Zaizhen thought about it and decided to give up. After all, this matter was against the rules. Although he did not know how the Consort had arranged it, it would be troublesome if others found out that they had met beforehand.

Consort Wang, unaware of Zhu Zaizhen's thoughts, continued, "I haven't seen her in person for many years, and I only remember that she was originally thin and small."

The ladies-in-waiting taught her manners, how to read, how to write, how to keep accounts, how to manage people, how to judge people, and how to interact with people.

She learned everything very quickly, so quickly that the ladies-in-waiting were somewhat afraid of her—not because she was clever, but because she was clever too early. Fortunately, she also learned to conceal her talents.

Zhu Zaizhen raised her eyebrows slightly, concealing her naivety. A clever girl, she had learned to be foolish when she should be, understanding that the world did not want to see a woman who was too clever.

This isn't cleverness, it's wisdom. Cleverness is learning quickly, wisdom is knowing when not to learn too quickly.

The seven or eight people on the list are the knives he can use, but this girl is not a knife, but perhaps she can become his hand, wielding many good knives for him, keeping them hidden and concealing their sharpness, revealing their edge at the crucial moment to strike a fatal blow.

"Go ahead, I'll take care of everything. I've already prepared for it."

The Imperial Concubine was so exhausted that she could barely speak. As soon as she relaxed, tears streamed down her face. She seemed to feel nothing at all: "Your mother must be getting impatient. Go back and tell her that I didn't make things difficult for you."

Zhu Zaizhen bowed deeply before leaving. Upon exiting, he saw that the palace maid Zhao Jingxian bowed to him and then led the maids inside to serve him.

Zhu Zaizhen walked to Consort Jing's side and whispered, "Mother."

"What did Her Majesty say?"

"Two things." Zhu Zaizhen was about to speak when he was interrupted by Consort Jing.

"You've agreed to everything? I've known Her Majesty for over ten years, and I know what she's been thinking about."

Zhu Zaizhen nodded, and Consort Jing breathed a sigh of relief: "What you promised her is also what I want you to do for your imperial brother."

"But Mother can't say." She paused for a moment. "She's not your mother, she can say."

…………

"Uncle, you absolutely can't skip this time!"

Zhang Juzheng looked at his classmate with some helplessness. The classmate was Wang Shizhen, courtesy name Yuanmei, and was the principal of the Guangdong Department of the Ministry of Justice.

"Yuanmei, I really have things to do and don't have the leisure to go drinking with you."

Wang Shizhen frowned and looked at him, saying, "Is something really wrong? Uncle, Li Panlong, Li Kongyang, Xie Zhen and other famous scholars have gathered together. We want to form a society together to discuss literature and poetry. This is a rare opportunity."

Zhang Juzheng remained steadfast in his resolve, and even upon hearing the names of these individuals who had recently stirred up the intellectual scene with their poetry and prose, he was not swayed in the slightest.

Those people who advocated that prose must be from the Qin and Han dynasties and poetry must be from the Tang dynasty were all arrogant and unconventional, and in his view, they were hardly good teachers or helpful friends.

Moreover, poetry and literature are minor arts; how can they cure the ills of a nation?

Seeing that Zhang Juzheng was determined not to go, Wang Shizhen's face darkened and he was about to leave, but Zhang Juzheng grabbed his sleeve.

Wang Shizhen assumed he was feeling remorseful and immediately raised his head arrogantly, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance: "Ha, Uncle, if it weren't for our shared status as fellow graduates of the imperial examinations, even if you wanted to join this poetry club, you might not be qualified."

"I won't be attending the poetry club. But Yuanmei, how are things at the Ministry of Justice lately?"

"Oh well, it's all the same old stuff anyway. If you're not going, then just let go and don't mess things up for me."

"Oh dear, tell me about it."

Wang Shizhen regretted coming to him. Looking around, she couldn't see anyone who could help her escape. She struggled for a while but found that she was no match for Zhang Juzheng's strength. Moreover, if she struggled any longer, her newly made gorgeous clothes would be torn.

"Let go, it's going to break!"

Zhang Juzheng did not let go. He gripped Wang Shizhen's sleeve, his knuckles turning slightly white, but he had a smile on his face. The smile was neither too deep nor too shallow, just right, so that Wang Shizhen would not feel offended, nor would he feel that he could get away easily.

This was a skill he had learned during his three years in the Hanlin Academy. Although the position of Shujishi was prestigious, it was a tough place, not for academic learning, but for tempering one's character.

No matter how knowledgeable you are, if you can't endure hardship, you're like a piece of steel that's been quenched but not tempered enough—it looks hard, but it breaks easily. Fortunately, he persevered.

"Yuanmei," his voice was low, carrying a kind of intimacy unique to those of the same age, as if he mentioned it casually, "I heard that the Ministry of Justice recently took on a case."

Wang Shizhen frowned even more. He had come to see Zhang Juzheng to drink and discuss poetry, not to talk about official business.

But Zhang Juzheng hadn't let go yet. This was the trouble they had in the same year. They had gone through the imperial examinations together, and their relationship wasn't particularly deep or shallow. If they really fell out, it wouldn't sound good.

He patiently asked, "What case?"

"Li Weixing's case."

Wang Shizhen's expression changed, not in a way that showed shock, but in a way that made her smile fade, her brows furrow and become furrowed, and her lips tighten and become pursed.

The change was subtle, but Zhang Juzheng noticed it, and he tightened his grip on Wang Shizhen's sleeve.

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