The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

As for Prince Yu's side, he was already too late to start that hot stove. Xu Jie, the Minister of Rites, was already doing it, as was Liu Mo, a leader of the literati with disciples all over the world, and even people like Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji, who had already pledged their loyalty, were doing it.

Zhang Juzheng was merely a junior official; how could Prince Yu possibly know who he was?

All heroes have an urgent urge to change the world and accomplish great things. Zhang Juzheng is not in a hurry now because he has not yet encountered any obstacles. Once he has, he will be anxious.

Zhu Zaizhen looked at the others, but didn't say anything more. Casting a wide net was pointless, and besides, he didn't really know any of these people.

Zhu Zaizhen got up and walked to Zhang Juzheng's side. This guy is really tall. His body has not yet fully grown. Standing next to the tall and upright Zhang Juzheng, he only reached the other's chest.

But Zhu Zaizhen did not lower his head; he simply looked straight ahead and, after a moment, saw Zhang Juzheng's forehead and temples.

Zhu Zaizhen leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Articles can be hidden, ambitions can be concealed, but the deep-seated problems of the Ming Dynasty will not disappear on their own. The court is riddled with corruption, the bureaucracy is decaying, the imperial family is decadent, the border defenses are weak, the national treasury is depleted, and perhaps there is one more thing you dare not say."

Are you really going to rely on my brother to solve these problems? He has neither the courage nor the ambition, and he certainly doesn't trust you.

Zhang Juzheng did not move. Zhu Zaizhen gently patted his shoulder and patted his head, hoping to absorb some of Zhang's intelligence.

Zhang Juzheng's originally calm expression darkened.

From childhood, whenever he encountered an elder, he would be patted on the head, which made the precocious boy very dissatisfied. He thought that after passing the imperial examination, he would no longer be treated like this.

Unexpectedly, Prince Jing launched a sneak attack and succeeded.

"I have courage, boldness, and trust; now it's up to you whether you have all three."

After speaking, he did not wait for Zhang Juzheng's reply, but turned and walked out of the main hall.

Ma Dezhao followed closely behind and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, are we leaving already?"

"Let's wander around there for a bit, then go to my aunt's house."

Zhu Zaizhen didn't turn his head, his clothes swaying at his ankles, his steps as light as a breeze.

Inside the main hall, Zhang Juzheng remained standing in the same spot, his face still somewhat dark, but hidden beneath his eyes was a complex emotion.

Yin Shidan cautiously leaned closer: "Uncle, what did King Jing say to you?"

Zhang Juzheng did not answer; he simply raised his hand and touched the top of his head.

Zhu Zaizhen was pressed for time, so after browsing through the library of the Hanlin Academy, he left the academy and headed straight for his aunt's house.

My uncle-in-law, Lü Fu, was the head of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War. Although his rank was not high, he still had considerable power. The Military Selection Department was the most powerful department in the Ministry of War, and it was in charge of the promotion, demotion, and succession of the vast majority of military officers.

All personnel holding hereditary military positions, including centurions, chiliarchs, garrison commanders, border battalion commanders, and sentry officers, must undergo preliminary review, file establishment, and draft opinions from the head of the Military Selection Office for succession, promotion, filling vacancies, pardoning, and reinstatement.

The physicians and assistant physicians only conduct the final review; the daily screening, suppression of impeachments, process obstruction, and erasure of blemishes are all decided by the person in charge.

The fact that the Lü family could sit in this position shows that they are no ordinary family. Their ancestors were meritorious officials in the Jingnan Campaign, but the first two generations were stripped of their hereditary command positions for committing crimes.

But with the family business passed down for so many years, there were still some familial ties between uncles and elders, so Lü Fu was able to hold onto the lucrative position of Military Selection Officer without any trouble.

With a lucrative post in hand, his lodgings would naturally be quite nice. My companion told me that the Lü residence was located in the Mingshifang area, in the southeast of the inner city and inside Chongwen Gate, only two or three streets away from the Ministry of War…

Once outside the imperial city, the roads were generally less impressive. As soon as a carriage passed, dust rose up to waist height, obscuring faces and blinding the eyes. The road surface was uneven and bumpy as horses' hooves and wheels rolled over it, causing the carriage to jolt along Chongwenmen Inner Street.

Fortunately, it wasn't raining yet, otherwise the situation would have been even worse. But the people were obviously used to it. On both sides of the street, porters carrying loads of grain were shirtless, with worn-out towels draped over their shoulders, hurrying towards the grain shops.

Rough, hoarse shouts mingled with panting breaths, echoing against the blue brick walls facing the street. Women carrying bamboo baskets, filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, needles and thread, walked along, quietly haggling over rice and salt prices. Occasionally, they would stop at a general store to pick through their wares, bargaining with the vendors, their tone sharp yet revealing the everyday life of the marketplace.

"Walk slowly."

"Yes, sir." Chen Zhao, the commander of the thousand-household, immediately responded, and the carriage slowed down. Ma Dezhao lifted the curtain to let Zhu Zaizhen look outside, and many people outside also glanced at Zhu Zaizhen, but they were quickly glared at fiercely by the Imperial Guards riding beside the carriage.

Those people all hung their heads in shame, and the more timid ones were so angry that they immediately knelt down.

Because not just anyone could ride a horse on Chongwenmen Inner Street; only members of the imperial family, nobles, officials of the third rank or above, and officers and clerks of the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Five City Garrison were allowed to ride horses.

If someone dares to ride a horse recklessly in the street if they don't have any of the above identities, then it can only mean that their father has one of those identities.

Zhu Zaizhen looked at everything in front of him with curiosity. The tea vendor set up a copper pot, the boiling water was steaming, and he scooped up a spoonful of sweet tea soup and sang a loud sales pitch, which attracted passers-by to stop.

There were also shoe repairmen, poor scholars who wrote letters for others, merchants selling silk from Jiangnan, and doctors who roamed around with their medicine chests, each doing their own job, filling the entire street to the brim.

As for the arrogant and domineering playboys, we didn't encounter a single one, which suggests that news of their departure from the palace has already spread.

It's a pity, Zhu Zaizhen was quite disappointed. Did he not have the chance to reveal his identity and summon the Prince's Armor?

I really envy you, Aisin Gioro Kangxi.

…………

Wearing a sixth-rank official's green robe, Lü Fu hurriedly ran home. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there were no Imperial Guards at the door. Exhausted, he sat down on the ground, panting heavily.

"Someone come here!" Lü Fu called out to his gatekeeper in a hoarse voice.

"Who is it? Daring to howl like a ghost at our doorstep, do you have a death wish..." A gatekeeper dressed in a gray cloth robe shouted as he pushed open the east side gate.

"Ah, sir, why are you back so early today? Oh dear, I didn't recognize you."

The gatekeeper rushed over, and Lü Fu slapped him hard on the head: "So what if it wasn't me? Who in the capital do you think you can offend? If there's a next time, you'll be back on the farm farming and serving your brother's household!"

"Yes, yes, I know I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again."

Lu Fu, who had been helped up, snorted and made up his mind to get rid of this fool before today.

He pointed to the black lacquered wooden door with its cast iron door knocker: "Distinguished guests may arrive soon. Be prepared; make sure to open the main door wide and greet them respectfully. If anything goes wrong today, your life will be in grave danger!"

The doorman was frightened by his master's cold gaze, and quickly nodded in agreement, swearing an oath.

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