The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

However, neither of these two gentlemen is particularly good at winning people over.

Gao Gong sat on the floor in the Minglun Hall of the Nanjing branch of the Imperial College, shouting so loudly that dust fell from the beams.

His beard rose and fell with the cursing, giving the overly obsequious officials a thorough dressing-down.

Once, a certain vice minister of the Ministry of War, who had been overly attentive, sent a few more visiting cards and brought several cartloads of local specialties, was met with a furious glare and a barrage of angry words.

What kind of officials does the imperial court support? They support upright and honorable ministers, not sycophants...

What kind of people are you who don't think about serving their country, but instead spend all their time scheming and plotting? Do you have even a shred of the integrity of a scholar?

It was extremely unpleasant, but she was still quite shrewd and, by going along with Gao Gong's temperament, gradually gained his acceptance.

However, this is only a small number of people. Gao Gong has too high a standard and is too demanding of others.

Zhao Zhenji, on the other hand, simply refused to see any guests, displaying considerable aloofness. The gatekeeper would only respond with a single word to anyone who sent a visiting card.

If you have official business, please send your documents to the government office. If you have no personal matters, there is no need to come again.

Now, many people are completely disheartened. They've all been in officialdom for a long time. Even if you're successful and have a bright future, you don't have to look down on people like this.

If one were no longer involved in officialdom, wouldn't everyone be a gentry or gentleman at home? When they met with local officials like the provincial governors and provincial judges, they would treat each other as equals and exchange pleasantries.

You, with your tall beard, are a compiler at the Nanjing Hanlin Academy, while Zhao, an old man, is a supervising secretary at the Nanjing Ministry of Rites. One is a seventh-rank official, and the other is a seventh-rank official. They are just minor officials. Why are you so rude?

We can tolerate licking Prince Yu's ass, he's a member of the imperial family.

And you two, if we really talk about it, who isn't of a higher rank than you two? What are you!

So, those who had been rebuffed by Gao and Zhao started to rethink their plans.

Since Prince Yu's side is tightly shut, why not take a closer look at Prince Jing's side?

The Lu family seemed much more approachable than Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji. The young masters stood in front of the door under the sun to greet and see off guests, showing impeccable manners and never putting on airs. Even when they saw the lowest-ranking official, they would politely address him as "Master."

Some people in Nanjing privately lamented that Prince Jing was unruly and domineering, far inferior to Prince Yu.

But now it seems that Prince Yu's officials are arrogant and unapproachable, while Prince Jing's maternal family is well-mannered. Indeed, rumors cannot be entirely believed.

.........

At night, Lu Yan, the newly appointed commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, sat in the hall. He was almost sixty years old this year, and his children and grandchildren sat to his left and right.

Of his five sons, the eldest and second eldest are almost ready to have grandchildren.

Among the grandchildren, the older ones are already married, while the younger ones are still huddled in their mothers' arms, listening to the adults talk in a daze. This big family fills the main hall to the brim, and even a few half-grown boys are standing by the threshold.

The Lu family ancestors were merely hereditary commanders of a thousand households. They had worked hard for generations without achieving anything significant. When Lu Yan was young, he struggled to support his children alone. In winter, when there wasn't enough charcoal, the children had to huddle together under one quilt for warmth.

Later, when their youngest daughter entered the palace, the Lu family finally turned their fortunes around. They rose in rank and received a higher salary because of their daughter, and with their sons also getting married and starting their own families, they no longer had to struggle financially.

Lu Yan, however, dared not move an inch. Let alone embezzlement and corruption, even accepting a couple of jars of wine during festivals would require careful consideration, for fear that he might do something wrong and implicate his daughter in the deep palace.

So the mansion has never been changed. It is the old house built by his grandfather when he was a commander of a thousand households. The walls are mottled and the beams and pillars are old. When the main hall is full of people, it feels cramped.

This time, because of his grandson, he was promoted to Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Although it was not a position with real power, it was a hereditary title.

Hereditary succession without replacement—who in the Lu family, going back five generations, could have imagined these four words?

The lintel was much higher than before, but Lu Yan sat in the hall, looking at the sea of ​​children and grandchildren below, and felt no sense of pride or satisfaction, only a deep sense of fear.

The Lu family benefited from the situation but couldn't offer any real help. It was the Empress and His Highness who bore the brunt of all the hardships.

Your Majesty… His youngest daughter, born late in life, is the apple of his eye. But she was chosen to enter the palace, and for many years they have been separated and have never seen each other again.

Your Highness... Your Highness is already a teenager, and he has never even glanced at him.

Lu Yan remained silent for a long time. No one in the hall spoke. Even his youngest grandson sensed that something was wrong and huddled in his mother's arms without crying or making a fuss.

Lu Yan finally spoke, his voice not loud, but enough to silence the entire main hall: "I called you here today to give you some instructions, which you must keep in mind."

Our Lu family has been military households for generations. I am not very literate, so there is not much I can teach you. The only rule I have set for you since you were young is to be kind and dutiful.

After the Empress entered the palace, I repeatedly reminded you not to bully others, not to cause trouble, and not to cause any trouble for the Empress.

Now, it has to be this way. Anyone who bullies men and women and ruins the family's reputation will be punished according to family rules, given back their surname, and sent out to fend for themselves.

I, Lu Yan, may not have much else, but I have plenty of children and grandchildren. No one should think I'm stingy with anyone!

These words landed on the ground with a resounding force, and the older children and grandchildren all stood up and bowed in agreement.

"Father (Grandfather), rest assured, we will certainly follow your teachings!"

Lu Yan's gaze fell on his eldest son: "Eldest son, I used to think you were like me, probably like your father, destined for mediocrity."

But now, thankfully you're like me. Over the years, you've set a good example and painstakingly enforced the rules in our family.

In a large forest, you'll find all sorts of birds; with many children and grandchildren, how could there not be any good-for-nothings? But with his eldest son around, he kept them all under his watchful eye. If they could be reformed, he let them go; if not, they stayed right under his nose.

Even the most unruly one only followed for two years; now he's very obedient and well-behaved.

Lu Sheng's lips trembled slightly. He was a grandfather himself, but his father's words almost brought tears to his eyes. He stood up and paused for a moment before saying, "This is what a son should do."

Lu Yan nodded without saying anything more. He looked at his eldest son's temples, which were already streaked with white, and suddenly remembered many years ago.

When his son was only thirteen or fourteen, he was suddenly assigned an urgent mission. He didn't even have time to give instructions before leaving the whole family to his eldest son.

When he returned after half a year, he found that his other sons had not fallen behind in their studies, the family had not run out of money, and even the old tree in the yard had been watered on time.

He knew then that his son might not amount to much, but he was reliable.

"Sit down," Lu Yan said. "From now on, I'll sit down, you don't need to stand."

Lu Sheng's eyes were slightly red, but he did not refuse. He simply bowed deeply and then sat down to the left of his father.

With this seat, Lu Yan formally handed over the responsibility of managing the household to him in front of all his children and grandchildren.

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