The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

After Zhu Zaizhen fell asleep, the court lady Zhao Jingxian arrived. She had been coming frequently lately. Seeing that the Prince Jing was asleep, she went to the side hall with Ma Dezhao and the wet nurse to speak quietly and offer him fruits.

The three of them weren't very close originally, but now that they were all under the same roof, they had to get along well. Besides, they were all smart people, so they naturally got along quite well.

When Zhu Zaizhen woke up, it was more than an hour later. He had an unspeakable dream. He got up in a daze and felt uncomfortable under his clothes. He soon realized what had happened.

He felt no embarrassment, only delight. The medicinal diet and standing meditation he had been practicing during this period had not been in vain. His body was finally starting to show results.

"Someone, prepare your clothes and a bath."

Upon hearing the call, Zhang Xing and two older palace maids immediately entered and nimbly began to help Prince Jing change his clothes, naturally discovering the unexpected situation.

But the palace maids all lowered their heads and looked straight ahead. After wiping themselves clean and changing into new clothes, they carried their old clothes and retreated outside the hall without making a sound.

Zhang Xing immediately went to arrange the bathing, and only after the Prince of Jing had bathed did he go to the side hall to find the wet nurse and the chief attendant.

I gave instructions about this a couple of years ago, and that we must report it as soon as we discover it.

Seeing Zhao Shanggong there, he hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should speak.

Seeing this, Ma Dezhao got up and went outside the hall. He knew that anything concerning His Highness required caution and that he must not compromise in order to win over Zhao Jingxian.

Zhang Xing breathed a sigh of relief, then went outside the hall and whispered what had happened. Ma Dezhao couldn't help but smile when he heard this, then turned around and sat back down. Zhang Xing followed him into the hall.

The wet nurse, Liu, then asked Zhang Xing, "What's the rush? Has Your Highness woken up?"

Zhang Xing bowed and replied, "Your Highness has awakened and is taking a bath. This servant noticed that Your Highness shows signs of virility and has been sleeping in the dewy night, so I have come to report this."

Liu suddenly stood up, paused for a moment, then smiled broadly, the fine lines around her eyes smoothing out.

She clasped her hands together and bowed towards the outside of the hall, then whispered, "Where are the clothes and bedding? I'll collect them myself. This matter must not be told to anyone. Go and tell everyone who knows to keep their mouths shut!"

This is a good thing, but it's not something worth publicizing, especially before His Majesty and the Empress have spoken.

"Yes, sir." Zhang Xing accepted the order and left.

After he left, Zhao Jingxian smiled and congratulated Liu, saying, "You have worked hard for many years, and His Highness has finally grown up. This is a very happy occasion."

Liu's eyes were slightly red. She said repeatedly, "I dare not take credit. It is all thanks to His Majesty and Her Highness's kindness. We servants are just doing our duty."

"If Her Majesty knew, she would surely reward you."

Zhao Jingxian glanced at Ma Dezhao and said, "Since His Highness is bathing, and I don't have anything urgent to report, I might as well head back first. But I wonder if you two would like to personally inform Consort Jing about this matter?"

Ma Dezhao said, "Since the Palace Attendant is going back, please inform Her Majesty."

Lady Liu also smiled and said, "The Lady is someone the Empress trusts. If you go to deliver the good news, the Empress will surely be pleased."

Zhao Jingxian did not refuse. She stood up, straightened her sleeves, nodded slightly to the two of them, and then left.

She walked slowly, her face remaining calm and composed, but in her heart she had already weighed the matter over and over again.

The first stirrings of primordial yang signify that His Highness Prince Jing's body is truly beginning to mature. This matter is neither a major nor a minor one.

To put it simply, His Highness has grown up; it's just a normal situation.

On a grander scale, it's quite remarkable; she can't even remember how many years it's been since a child was born in this palace.

The continuation of the imperial lineage has always been a matter of national importance, especially now that the position of crown prince is still vacant.

At a corner, a young eunuch following behind her walked silently toward the West Garden. Everyone along the way acted as if they hadn't seen him, letting him pass through the many palace gates until he kowtowed to Huang Jin.

After Liu put away the clothes and sheets, Ma Dezhao entered the bathhouse. Zhu Zaizhen had already come out of the bath tub, changed into a plain gauze undershirt, and was being combed by a young eunuch.

Tao Ze was sent to the Imperial Horse Administration under the pretext of learning to judge horses, and thus his servant was replaced, whose hair-combing skills were still lacking.

His wet, black hair cascaded over his shoulders, making his still somewhat youthful face appear even whiter. In the misty air, Zhu Zaizhen saw his companion enter through the bronze mirror, then waved his hand, signaling the others to leave.

"I heard that Lady Zhao has arrived?"

Ma Dezhao walked behind the prince, picked up a long ebony comb, and combed the prince's hair from root to tip dozens of times.

"She's already gone. I told her to go back and report to Your Highness."

"It seems Father will find out soon."

Zhu Zaizhen was a little curious. Did his father really not care about his descendants? If he were to try to sneak into the West Garden with his child in his arms, he wondered if he would be able to get in. Hmm, he could try it sometime.

He's figured it out now. He can't just play mind games with his father, but he also has to throw tantrums occasionally. His father is a respectable man.

What do respectable people fear? An undignified son!

Especially when you don't have many sons, and each one of them is useful...

After everything was tidied up, Zhu Zaizhen returned to his bedchamber. Most of the bedding had been replaced with new, clean and tidy items.

"Your Highness, I have three things to report, all of which I just received."

"Otomo, you speak."

"Your Highness once mentioned a man named Feng Bao to me. I found him without alerting anyone."

He was about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old and worked in the ceremonial office of the Directorate of Ceremonial, doing tasks such as writing, copying, and document work. It was said that he had beautiful handwriting, a gentle temperament, and was well-liked.

However, his luck has been average. He has been working in the clerk's office for ten years without being promoted or given any important position. He doesn't know why.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zaizhen tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice, then shook his head: "Since this person is in the Directorate of Ceremonial, it's best not to touch him. Let's just forget about it."

"promise."

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was too close to the emperor. If a prince went out of his way to win over a lowly eunuch in the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, it would be seen by those with ulterior motives as spying on the emperor and his father.

It was certainly not worth taking the risk for Feng Bao, but he didn't feel sorry for him. Others might not be able to see its value, but he knew that he should keep it, as it would come in handy someday.

"The other two matters were instructed by His Highness when he left the palace last time. Xu Wei is already on his way to the capital, but he insists on bringing his elderly mother with him. His mother was originally a maid who was later taken as a concubine, and after his father's death, she was sold by his stepmother..."

Zhu Zaizhen waved his hand: "He was able to disregard worldly prejudices and bring his birth mother back to care for her. That is filial piety. A filial son can't have made any major mistakes. So what if he brought her back?"

"Daban went to the treasury to withdraw some money. It didn't need to be extravagant. He bought a small courtyard in a quiet alley in the southern part of the city—a peaceful place with distant neighbors—to settle the mother and child down first."

"promise."

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