The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot are powers that the emperor must hold onto. He doesn't have that much ambition yet, but he still needs a few useful ones. These two were sent to guard him, which means they are marked with his name, so naturally he must capture them.

As the saying goes, even ants cherish life. They dare to monitor a prince, but would they really dare to offend a prince whose chances of succeeding to the throne are growing ever stronger?

When that day comes, whether it will be surveillance or protection, who can say for sure?

Seeing that everything was arranged, Ma Dezhao asked, "Your Highness, where are we going?"

Zhu Zaizhen glanced at the sun; it was still early, so he decided to give Yan Shifan some time to prepare.

He knew that Yan Shifan would definitely get the news of his departure from the palace, because Lu Bing and Yan Song, father and son, were staunch allies of the royalist party and had recently killed Xia Yan together.

The emperor is now inclined to elevate Jing and suppress Yu, so Lu Bing naturally has to cooperate, which is why Lu Bing personally came forward today.

Zhu Zaizhen thought about it and realized that it would be a real pity not to meet Zhang Juzheng in this era.

So he ordered, "Go to the Hanlin Academy first. I want to see what the scholars of my Great Ming are doing every day."

No one had any objections, especially the people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot. Some even felt relieved, as they were in the intelligence business and knew best what kind of people a prince of such high rank were.

Their behavioral logic and moral principles are too limited to be summarized as human; they can only be described as humanoid.

There were those who forcibly abducted young boys from the common people and castrated them to use as a medicinal ingredient; those who hung officials upside down into wells and forced palace servants to eat feces pellets; those who released tigers to fight soldiers hand-to-hand for amusement; and those who murdered their stepmothers and forced their fathers' concubines to have sex with them.

There were cruel tortures such as branding, dismemberment, and gouging out eyes; there were those who forcibly occupied thousands of houses in the city; and there were those who dragged people to their deaths on horseback in the city.

In some places, a children's rhyme goes: "Better to encounter tigers and wolves than to encounter a feudal lord; tigers and wolves can be avoided, but a feudal lord cannot be stopped."

As it stands, the fact that King Jing didn't suggest going into the city to hunt people or riding a horse to run over a few fools is already quite touching.

Zhu Zaizhen was unaware of their thoughts. He simply left the palace gate and boarded the carriage. If he were to walk, he would not reach many places even by nightfall.

The moment you step out of the city gate, you have left the inner palace, but you are still in the imperial city.

There are no ornate palaces or bustling streets here; all you see are endless walls surrounding government offices and yamens.

Zhu Zaizhen arrived near the Hanlin Academy soon, filled with anticipation.

"Your Highness, we are almost at the Hanlin Academy. Should we inform them to come out and greet Your Majesty?"

"There's no need for a big fuss."

"promise."

Zhu Zaizhen stepped out of the carriage and was amazed by everything he saw: the red walls and forbidden gardens, the ancient cypress and weeping willows, the Jade River flowing gently, all extremely serene and beautiful, exuding a scholarly atmosphere.

The officials who passed by all tacitly avoided them, none of them daring to come and ask questions, and all hurried past.

This group of people has the air of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot; it's best to keep your distance.

It must be said that civil officials were indeed very sensitive in their ability to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.

Over the years, there have been no instances of princes leaving the palace, so no one has recognized Zhu Zaizhen yet.

He walked smoothly to the entrance of the Hanlin Academy, looked up at the gate, saw vermilion gate with black nails, the plaque of Hanlin Academy hanging above, and a dismounting stele standing beside it.

"Who...who are you, and what brings you to the Hanlin Academy?" A junior official carrying books frowned and stepped forward to ask when he saw them blocking the gate.

Before Zhu Zaizhen and the others could respond, the Hanlin Academy lecturer next to him squinted and finally recognized the person who had come. He had been in charge of lecturing to Prince Yu recently, so he had naturally met Prince Jing before.

"Prince Jing... Prince Jing, why are you out here?" As he spoke, he squinted and looked up to make sure he was in the Hanlin Academy, not in the palace.

Seeing their behavior, Zhang Xing sternly rebuked them: "How dare you! You don't even bow before His Highness Prince Jing!"

The two hurriedly bowed. In the palace, as teachers, they still had some dignity and could simply bow. But outside the palace, they were subjects of the emperor. Not to mention a sixth-rank Hanlin lecturer, if the rules were strictly followed, even the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet would have to perform four bows when meeting a prince, and the prince would sit upright to receive the bow.

Zhu Zaizhen waved his hand, ignoring them, and went straight inside. After passing through the ceremonial gate, he arrived at the main hall. Looking around, the corridors were filled with the fragrance of ink and paper, and the blue brick floor was spotless. The corridors on both sides were divided into the library and the teaching rooms for the students.

But soon, the accompanying Imperial Guards and the Imperial Eunuchs stood on either side, their chilling aura eclipsing the refined atmosphere of the courtyard. It seemed that countless impeachment memorials would be sent to the West Garden tomorrow.

However, Zhu Zaizhen didn't care. He dared to trespass into the West Garden, so what was the Hanlin Academy? He didn't even bother to hang a few scholars for fun. It was just a child coming to take a look out of curiosity.

As for whether they are happy or not, it doesn't matter. The vast majority of the people here are not his help, and no amount of trying to win them over will work. After all, in the eyes of this group of people, Shilin Qingwang is much more important than temporary power and position.

Otherwise, this place would not have become a stronghold for resisting the Yan Party.

As for Zhang Juzheng, he is an exception. Let's mark him first!

At this moment, Chen Zhao, Gao Zhen, and the others were somewhat excited. It was true that they were afraid of ghosts, but they were not so arrogant as to dare to force their way into the Hanlin Academy. Today, they had shown off their power alongside Prince Jing.

At this moment, a group of people came out of the main hall. The leader was Liu Mo, the academician in charge of the specific affairs of the Hanlin Academy. Xu Jie usually sat in the Ministry of Rites.

Liu Mo, with his white hair and beard, was a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Hongzhi reign. His disciples were spread throughout the court and the country, and he enjoyed a very high reputation among scholars.

He was a staunch supporter of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate heirs and the order of seniority. When Crown Prince Zhuangjing was alive, he submitted memorials to the emperor every day, urging him to allow the crown prince to leave the palace as soon as possible and to appoint talented people from the Hanlin Academy to assist him through the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

After the Crown Prince's death, he submitted another memorial urging the emperor to appoint Prince Yu as the Crown Prince as soon as possible.

"Liu Mo, the Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy, pays his respects to His Highness Prince Jing."

"Scholar, please excuse the formalities. I have long heard of the splendor of the Hanlin Academy. It is a rare privilege that my father has granted me permission to leave the palace today, so I have come to take a stroll. I hope you will not take offense."

Upon hearing this, Liu Mo's expression turned ugly. He had heard that His Majesty favored Prince Jing more, but he did not expect that the favor would be to this extent. Even when the former Crown Prince was alive, he was never allowed to leave the palace to travel.

However, he personally didn't dislike Prince Jing, after all, he was still a child, and it was only said that he was a little mischievous.

Moreover, the fact that Prince Jing was able to refuse Yan Shifan's overtures and actively hoped to take up his fiefdom shows that Prince Jing had no intention of seizing the throne.

"How dare I? Your Highness's presence is a great honor to me. I would never dare to blame you."

After Liu Mo stood up, he instructed, "Immediately go to the General Affairs Office, the Library, and the Compilation Office, and summon all the people there to pay their respects to His Highness."

Zhu Zaizhen laughed and said, "What's the point of all this? Besides, it's such a hassle. Scholar Liu, go back and have some tea and read. I'll just take a stroll and leave."

After saying this, Ma Dezhao, who had already asked someone for directions, gave a subtle hint. Zhu Zaizhen then wandered around for a while in front of everyone before heading towards the Shuchang Hall where Zhang Juzheng was located.

………………