The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

"Huang Ban, I don't mean anything by it, it's just that Father Emperor doesn't keep his word. I'm here to reason with you."

"How can one reason with one's sovereign and father?" Huang Jin couldn't say this aloud, so he could only whisper, "Is that really how it must be?"

"Um."

Huang Jin sighed. He couldn't say anything more, as what he had said earlier was already beyond what he should say.

This is the Prince Jing. If it were Prince Yu, he would be even more respectful and attentive, but he would never say these things that shouldn't be said.

"Then please give me the token first, so that I can have an explanation to His Majesty, otherwise..."

"Then thank you very much, Huang Ban." Zhu Zaizhen handed over the token and walked to the side to begin practicing standing meditation.

In fact, he did not want to provoke his father so hastily, but next year would be the Gengxu year. Should he just sit and watch the Gengxu Incident happen?

He had been hesitating for a while, but then he thought about those records in the historical books, "The reports from various prefectures and counties stated that two million people and livestock had been plundered."

The villages around the capital were almost deserted; women and children were carried in carts, and their cries echoed across the fields.

The Tongzhou granary was burned down, destroying millions of bushels of grain, and the poor people of the capital starved to death everywhere.

Tens of thousands of houses, government residences, and manors were burned down, with flames reaching the sky.

Countless amounts of gold, silver, cloth, grain, and livestock were looted.

So Zhu Zaizhen decided to take a gamble and try his hand at mending the crack in the sky!

Seeing that the Prince of Jing had made up his mind, Huang Jin had no choice but to go back and report. Even he, a eunuch who had served the emperor for many years, felt his legs go weak at the thought of what might happen in a little while.

Soon, Huang Jin returned to Yongshou Palace. Shuangmei was exhausted and was sleeping on a futon, while the emperor stood to the side reading a scroll of the Tao Te Ching.

Just as Huang Jin was about to speak, Jiajing said, "After being delayed for so long, it seems he hasn't left."

"Your Majesty is wise beyond reproach; Prince Jing has indeed not left." Huang Jin bowed and stepped forward, presenting the token to the emperor for his perusal.

Jiajing glanced at it briefly before turning his gaze back to the scriptures.

After a long while, Huang Jin heard the emperor sigh and say, "This brat doesn't know his place and has learned the manners of a street ruffian."

Huang Jin cautiously said, "Your Highness is young..."

He really couldn't say any more; saying more would only harm himself and others.

"I'm not young anymore. At my age, I've long been in charge of the household." The emperor casually placed the scriptures on the table, sat down in his armchair, and closed his eyes slightly. "Speak, what did that brat say this time?"

Huang Jin truthfully reported the matter, and as he uttered the last sentence, the hall fell into an eerie silence.

Jiajing's eyes had been open for some time now, his lips were slightly upturned, and his breathing was a little heavier.

If his initial disdain for a child's cheating had turned into anger after being provoked, then this was now his true anger.

He hadn't felt this way for several years, making it somewhat unfamiliar to him, so unfamiliar that he almost wanted to laugh.

"Excellent! My son wants to challenge me to a duel! How wonderful!"

Huang Jin did not respond. He lowered his head even further, his whole body like a clay sculpture, completely still.

Having served the emperor for most of his life, he knew that anything he said at this moment would be wrong; he could only wait. Wait for His Majesty to summon him, and then he would respond.

Jiajing leaned back in his armchair, his gaze fixed on a point in the void. The first thought that popped into his mind was to summon Lu Bing.

But the thought only lasted for a moment before he suppressed it.

What is Lu Binglai doing?

Should Prince Jing be imprisoned in the Northern Garrison Command's prison?

To send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to interrogate a prince?

What are they investigating?

Why was he standing at the palace gate?

Why did he want to see his father?

absurd!

Jiajing tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.

A beating in court? He only has these two sons. What will happen after that? What will the court officials think? What will the people of the world think? What will the history books say?

Confinement?

According to ancestral rules, the most serious crime committed by a prince is imprisonment within high walls. However, there must be a reason for confinement. What crime did Prince Jing commit?

If this matter were to reach the imperial court, someone would submit a memorial arguing that His Majesty's separation of father and son violated human ethics.

Ordered to take up a fiefdom?

That's one way to do it; send him back to his fiefdom, out of sight, out of mind. But then what?

If Prince Yu were left alone in the capital, wouldn't those upright officials rush to his aid like madmen?

With Prince Jing no longer in the way, Prince Yu is the only option. Once the power struggle between the two princes is broken, the position of heir apparent will become a definite one, nominal but real. At that time, what will he use to check and balance the position?

Should we just leave it as is?

What kind of punishment is this? Letting him stand there, letting all the ministers and high-ranking officials coming and going in the West Garden watch, watching this nobleman blocking the palace gate.

It's one thing to watch for a day or two, but if it's like this every day, what will people in the court and the public say? How will the upright officials on Prince Yu's side use this as an excuse to make a fuss?

Jiajing tapped his fingers on the armrest again. He suddenly realized that he had no way to deal with this brat.

This discovery added a layer to his anger; it didn't make him angrier, but rather colder.

It was as cold as the ice on the Xiyuan Lake in December, with a smooth, mirror-like surface but bottomless water.

"Huang Jin".

"Yes...this servant is here."

"You say—" His voice was slow, as if he were carefully choosing each word, "Is my son too clever, or too foolish?"

Huang Jin's back was already soaked with sweat; no matter how he answered that question, it would be wrong.

To say that King Jing is clever is to admit on behalf of His Majesty that he has been manipulated by his son; to say that King Jing is stupid is to criticize someone else's son in front of his father, probably because he wants to try out the tortures of the Zhaoyu prison.

He could only bow even lower: "This servant is foolish and dares not speak presumptuously."

Jiajing did not press the matter, but he had already figured out how to deal with Prince Jing. This kid seemed invincible, but if that were really the case, why would he bother coming here to cause trouble?

Making a fuss means there's something to gain, and where there's something to gain, there's a flaw. The question is, what exactly does he want?

Moreover, he also had a mother, Consort Jing, but Jiajing had not yet made up his mind to do so, since Consort Jing was his woman.

It's not that it's impossible, it's just a bit too undignified.

Just then, another eunuch came to report, carrying only one sentence from King Jing.

"If Father Emperor does not wish to see me for the time being, would you grant me permission to leave the palace?"

"Ha, ha ha." Jiajing clapped his hands and laughed. This was truly amusing.

Sweat was already streaming down Huang Jin's forehead. He had served the emperor for most of his life and knew all too well what that kind of laughter meant.

But at this point, he couldn't remain silent, because if His Majesty went too far in his anger and he failed to offer adequate reminders, it would be a grave offense for him once His Majesty came to his senses.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; that's all there is to it.

He grinned and forced himself to speak, "I knew it! Your Highness isn't that stubborn. You must have been cooped up in the palace for too long and wanted to go out and have some fun."

Jiajing laughed for a while before saying, "Stop trying to cover for him. This brat's true colors are showing."

Wanting to see his father was a lie; wanting to leave the palace to play was the real reason. Jiajing remembered what that boy had once said: "I fear the days of being alone will be long, while the days of serving my father will be short." Humph.

Lao Tzu once said, "If you want to take something, you must first give it." He has no flaws, so let's give him what he wants first.

Jiajing suddenly became interested and wanted to see what Zhu Zaizhen was up to. Moreover, letting him leave the palace would also allow him to see how many people were truly interested in currying favor with those who were not interested.

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