The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

However, his choice was still the right one. Having already offended Prince Yu, there was no reason for him to turn back easily.

More importantly, judging from the outcome of this matter, the Emperor was pleased with their decision to sideline Prince Jing.

Therefore, there is naturally no need to disobey the emperor's will. Even if one wants to outwardly comply but inwardly defy him, it must be done on the premise that one is absolutely certain that he will not be discovered.

Obviously not yet. The position of the chief minister is not yet secure, and it will take time to promote trusted confidants to fill positions both inside and outside the government.

The position of Minister of Personnel, which will soon be vacant, is one that must be firmly grasped!

"Who do you think is suitable to be the Minister of Personnel?"

Yan Shifan wanted to say something to me, but he also knew it was impossible. The Grand Secretary and the Minister of Personnel were father and son, one sitting in the cabinet and the other controlling the Ministry of Personnel. No matter how you looked at it, this situation could not possibly happen.

He narrowed his one eye, pondered for a moment, and then said, "In the local areas, there are no suitable candidates for the time being. In the capital, the most qualified and respected person is probably Xu Jie. He was originally the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, so it is not easy to find someone who can compete with him."

Xu Jie appeared to be an honest man, willing to humble himself and never openly made things difficult for the father and son.

For some reason, Yan Song always felt that this person was not on the same path as him. The feeling was hard to explain, like a bowl of lukewarm water that was not too hot to drink, but no one knew what was hidden underneath.

"What about the two vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel? Not one of them is of any use?"

"They've only been promoted recently, and haven't even completed their three-year evaluation period yet. They're lacking in qualifications, so pushing them into the position might not be convincing."

Yan Shifan frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly raised his eyelids: "Speaking of which, Minister of Revenue Xia Bangmo will have completed his examinations next month."

Xia Bangmo was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the third year of the Zhengde reign. His official career was very solid. He served as Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and Provincial Administration Commissioner in various localities, and in the capital, he worked in several important government offices, including the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue. He also left his resume at the Censorate.

Three years ago, I was transferred back to Beijing from Nanjing and became the Minister of Revenue. In terms of seniority and rank, I was qualified to enter the Ministry of Personnel.

But when has the imperial court ever lacked people with sufficient qualifications and rank?

What we've always lacked is our own people.

The coincidence is that Xia Bangmo was exactly that.

"Father, let's choose him."

When Yan Shifan said this, his tone was light and cheerful, a kind of cheerfulness that he only showed when facing his father, a kind of self-satisfaction.

He wasn't recommending a person to his father; he was showing off a chess piece.

Yan Song didn't speak, his eyelids drooping, as if he were asleep, or as if he were weighing the chess piece over and over.

The candlelight in the room flickered, casting an unpredictable shadow on his face. After a long while, he nodded very slightly.

Yan Shifan smiled smugly. He was already calculating in his mind how much benefit he would have to accept from the Xia family to secure a position as a high-ranking official.

Things need to be done, but you can't use my money and my connections to do your thing!

…………

"What is it?" Jiajing had just met Tao Zhongwen and Lu Bing that morning and had lunch. At this moment, he was teasing Shuangmei with a thin bamboo stick.

The cat lay lazily on the imperial desk, its paws idly reaching for the tips of bamboo branches, while Jiajing also idly swayed back and forth.

He had noticed Huang Jin standing there for a long time, fidgeting and looking hesitant, as if he had a piece of scalding hot tofu in his mouth, unable to swallow it or spit it out.

Jiajing originally intended to leave him hanging to see how long he could hold out, but Huang Jin wandered around for a long time and actually didn't utter a sound.

"I don't know if I should say this," Huang Jin said with a somewhat embarrassed tone, "His Highness Prince Jing has come again, and he's currently demanding to see His Majesty with his imperial travel pass."

Jiajing paused in his bamboo twig. Taking advantage of the moment, Shuangmei snatched the tip of the twig in its mouth and swished its tail triumphantly.

"Oh, what's this? Yan Shifan or whoever it is, sent him something again?"

"No, His Highness didn't bring anything this time, he just said he missed His Majesty."

Jiajing's face darkened: "Go, take back his token, and tell him that I will summon him whenever I wish to see him."

"This..." Huang Jin was about to say a few words of comfort when she saw that His Majesty was about to glare at her, so she quickly bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will go right away."

When Huang Jin arrived at the palace gate, he saw Prince Jing practicing some kind of stance training in a very serious manner. His knees were slightly bent, his back was straight, and his arms were slowly extended and then slowly retracted. Each move was quite methodical.

A thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead, glistening in the sunlight, a testament to the effort he had put in.

Upon seeing Huang Jin's figure in the distance, Zhu Zaizhen stopped his stance and straightened up. He patted non-existent dust off his clothes and gave the newcomer a smile.

"Yellow Companion".

The call was so natural, as if someone who had been waiting for a long time had finally arrived, yet refused to show any eagerness.

"Yes, Your Highness." Huang Jin hurriedly ran a few steps, smiling as she bowed to Prince Jing. "Your Highness, may Your Highness be well."

No need for formalities.

Zhu Zaizhen's gaze passed over Huang Jin's shoulder and glanced at the empty palace path behind him.

That glance was incredibly fast, almost unintentional, but Huang Jin was no ordinary person; how could he fail to capture that fleeting moment of disappointment?

He withdrew his gaze, his tone carrying a hint of a son's complaint to his father: "Huang Ban, don't you think Father is being unreasonable? He allowed me free passage through the West Garden before, but why is he not allowed to now?"

If these words were spoken in private, they would be seen as resentment towards the emperor and father. However, when spoken in front of the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, whom Jiajing trusted most, they were merely a son expressing his minor emotions towards his father.

Upon hearing this, Huang Jin could only sigh: "There have been many things to do lately, and there has been little rain. His Majesty is quite worried. He summoned Master Tao and Commander Lu this morning, and they were just about to rest now."

"Furthermore..." Huang Jin was also a little embarrassed: "His Majesty's intention is for Your Highness to hand over the token and return to await His Majesty's summons."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zaizhen casually took out the small, exquisite token and waved it: "If it can't even pass through the palace gate, it's obviously useless. But since it was bestowed by Father Emperor, it's best to return it in person."

"Your Highness, why must you make things difficult for this servant?"

Huang Jin was somewhat embarrassed, but Zhu Zaizhen winked at him and said with a smile, "Huang Ban, I'm not making things difficult for you. Just report back. At worst, Father Emperor will order me to be flogged a few times."

"Oh dear, how could that be? Your Highness is joking."

Huang Jin dared not agree. What a joke! Now that the three seedlings of the vast land have become two, who would dare to touch a hair on these two young masters?

He felt that even hearing these words would shorten his lifespan.

Zhu Zaizhen was well aware of this, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to cause trouble.

After the last test, he had roughly figured out his father's bottom line. Now he would try again to see if the bottom line could be lowered further, so that his father could stretch his legs a bit.

…………