The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Not to mention those in their eighties or nineties, who are already centenarians. The imperial court would bestow upon them rice, wine, and meat, along with honorary titles, official hats, and robes. They would not kneel before county officials but would perform the same rites. Even if they were sentenced to death, they would not be prosecuted. They might even exempt one of their descendants from corvée labor or military service...

The more people of this age there are, the more it proves that the court has governed effectively, bringing peace and prosperity to the country.

Therefore, Yan Shifan's concerns were not without reason.

Zhu Zaizhen naturally wouldn't remind him that Yan Shifan, who desperately needed to protect his own life, was the good Yan Shifan.

Otherwise, the title of Prince Jing alone would not be enough to control a powerful figure who was acting as the Grand Secretary.

"Elder, please offer a seat to the young Grand Secretary."

Yan Shifan smiled, knowing that Prince Jing understood his meaning.

Ma Dezhao personally brought a seat for Yan Shifan, who thanked him politely. He was well aware of what the position of Grand Tutor to the Prince meant.

"Thank you, Eunuch Ma."

Arrogance depends on the person. He may not be afraid of anyone, but he's not a mad dog that will bite anyone he sees.

Ma Dezhao didn't have any particular opinion about Yan Shifan. He was just corrupt and lawless. Throughout history, how many officials in the imperial court were not corrupt?

How many powerful and wealthy people don't oppress the good and kind? How many are truly fair and selfless, not excluding those who are different from them but promoting their own?

It's just an ordinary thing; the Yan family is simply more shameless and does it openly and honestly.

Moreover, how could he not know while he was in the palace that at least half of the money embezzled by the Yan family was sent to the Western Garden for His Majesty to build palaces and practice Taoism and alchemy?

"You're too kind, Young Grand Secretary." Ma Dezhao bowed slightly and then stepped behind Zhu Zaizhen.

Yan Shifan lifted his robe and sat down, his large buttocks instantly covering the chair surface. Fortunately, the chair was made of excellent materials and craftsmanship; otherwise, it would have been quite unseemly to make a sound.

"I wonder if Your Highness has anything you need me to do?"

Zhu Zaizhen was not in a hurry to state his needs, but said, "There are two things, but I would like to hear the young Grand Secretary's opinion first, since we don't know when we will meet again."

Yan Shifan first said politely, "Your Highness calls me 'Young Grand Secretary,' but I am truly unworthy of such a title. There is a proper order of rank; Your Highness may simply call me by my given name."

As for suggestions, I humbly believe that Your Highness should continue in this manner; I will handle the rest.

"That's interesting," Zhu Zaizhen asked with a smile. "What do you mean by 'continue to be myself'?"

Yan Shifan replied encouragingly, "Continue to strive for anything that Prince Yu dares not strive for, dare to speak out, dare to make a scene, dare to challenge His Majesty, do not be afraid, do not be intimidated by His Majesty's punishment, that is enough."

"This is no simple matter."

"It's not simple at all. His Majesty's power over the world is immense. Only Prince Yu and you have the right to cause trouble, but Prince Yu clearly doesn't have the guts."

Yan Shifan was very confident. He had been trying to figure out the emperor's thoughts for ten years and rarely made a mistake. Otherwise, how could the people below truly be convinced just because his father supported him?

The emperor was arrogant and extremely confident. He truly believed that he was the only one in the world who was qualified and endowed with the talent to become an immortal. Such a proud person might not like sons who resembled him, but he would definitely hate sons who did not resemble him even more.

This is why he was so determined to bet on Prince Jing, because during this period, Prince Jing showed that potential.

During this period, Prince Yu showed even less assertiveness than before, and he couldn't even subdue a few mere fifth or sixth-rank Hanlin scholars.

They lead us by the nose, making us befriend this person today and believe that person tomorrow.

Even he couldn't stand it; it was hard to imagine that this was the current emperor's offspring.

"From now on..." Yan Shifan lowered his voice, "Those memorials that should not be presented to His Majesty and might disturb His Majesty's hearing, I will ensure that they never reach His Majesty."

"Those things that should be shown to His Majesty, things that are beneficial to His Highness, or things that could frame or hinder Prince Yu, I will ensure they are presented to His Majesty smoothly."

Zhu Zaizhen nodded. In the struggle for the throne, how could one succeed without resorting to dirty tricks? It was perfect that someone was willing to do these things for him.

Seeing that King Jing was quite satisfied, Yan Shifan swallowed his subsequent schemes.

In fact, he could do far more than he said, but he didn't want to say or do too much, lest he offend King Jing.

Moreover, if the Prince Yu were to be defeated in one fell swoop, firstly His Majesty would not agree, and secondly, without the threat, how could Yan Shifan's indispensability be demonstrated?

"Then I am now fully prepared to hear Your Highness's orders?"

"Since the young Grand Secretary is so clever, why don't you take a guess?"

"Your Highness is foolish and can only guess one thing: does Your Highness wish to leave the palace and return to your residence as soon as possible?"

"Indeed clever."

"I can have the Nine Ministers and the Six Ministries submit a memorial requesting that Prince Yu be selected as soon as possible, and also bribe the spirit mediums in the Western Garden with a large sum of money so that they can divine that there is an imbalance of yin and yang, and that there has been a long-standing lack of male offspring."

This way, the selection of a concubine can be brought forward, and His Highness can leave the palace and take up his residence as soon as possible.

"Alright, let's do it this way." Zhu Zaizhen was very satisfied with Yan Shifan and began to understand why his father couldn't do without Yan Song. It was true that this father and son had a million faults and deserved to be killed a thousand times, but they really did things according to your wishes.

"As for the second matter, please give your instructions, Your Highness, and I will do my utmost to accomplish it."

Zhu Zaizhen looked north: "I heard that Anda has sent envoys again to request the reopening of the market?"

Yan Shifan was somewhat surprised. He had guessed that Prince Jing had taken a liking to Zhang Juzheng of the Hanlin Academy and wanted him to be a lecturer in the Prince's Palace. He never expected that the conversation would turn to the Northern Barbarians.

"Yes, but His Majesty will not agree. Anda is already powerful. If he obtains grain, salt, iron, sulfur, and cloth, he may unify the grasslands and cause the collapse of the country again."

"Ida will invade again next year," Zhu Zaizhen said softly, but his tone left no room for doubt.

Yan Shifan didn't understand why King Jing was so certain, but it wasn't hard to guess; it would be unusual if Anda hadn't invaded for a whole year.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Does Your Highness intend to advocate for the opening of the market?"

Zhu Zaizhen shook his head: "If the imperial court could take the lead, opening the market would be fine, but with the enemy strong and us weak, fairness cannot be guaranteed, at least not now."

This is no longer the time when the Ming Dynasty was first established. With markets open on both sides and doors wide open, the Ming Dynasty had no bargaining power, so other countries would use lean horses and sick sheep to force us to exchange for grain and ironware.

If you don't buy, I'll rob you! Even if we reluctantly agree to a deal, the various tribes under Anda can still sell you the horses in the morning, rob them back that night and kidnap some people along the way, and then sell them back to you the next day...

It wasn't that there weren't tribes that traded properly, but there were always a few arrogant tribes that did so. In addition, Altan Khan himself wasn't actually that strong over the various tribes, so it was impossible for him to severely punish his own tribe over such a small matter.

Especially when these tribal leaders are his relatives or most trusted subordinates, he might scold them a few times, but he would never spit out the meat he had eaten. There is no such rule on the grasslands.

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