The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Ma Dezhao then brought up the last matter: "The other thing is those people His Highness ordered Chief Lu to investigate last time. He sent back a letter today, saying that they have all been located."

However, there are still a few people with the same name; how to investigate further will depend on His Highness's decision.

Zhu Zaizhen took a deep breath, took the list, and flipped through it. Lü Fu's handwriting was neat, with densely packed tiny characters, clearly noting the place of origin, resume, and current position of each person on the list.

He flipped through the pages, his gaze lingering on one name after another. He quickly identified the person he was looking for from several people with the same name and then succinctly summarized the information.

Yu Dayou, aged forty-six, is currently the commander of the anti-Japanese pirate forces and is fighting against Fan Ziyi, a rebel leader in Annam.

Qi Jiguang, aged twenty-one, is currently the Vice Commander of Dengzhou Guard. He is preparing for the military examination. If he passes, he will go to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination next year. If he fails, he will have to return to Jizhou to guard the border.

Tang Shunzhi, aged forty-two, is currently retired from officialdom and living in seclusion in Changzhou Prefecture, where he is writing books behind closed doors.

Tan Lun, aged twenty-nine, is the current prefect of Taizhou. Although he is a civil official, he is fond of discussing military affairs and is currently recruiting and training local militia on his own. His colleagues ridicule him as a scholar who talks about military affairs.

Hu Zongxian, aged thirty-seven, is currently the Imperial Inspector of Xuanda and is inspecting the border defenses.

Wang Chonggu, aged thirty-four, is currently a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice. It is said that he is at odds with the vice minister of his department.

Liu Xian, aged thirty-four, is currently the commander of the Ganzhou Garrison in Jiangxi Province. He is said to possess unparalleled strength.

As for Li Chengliang and Ma Fang, the ones reported were either too old or too young, so they obviously didn't match up.

Zhu Zaizhen's attention was first drawn to the hometowns and resumes of Qi Jiguang and Liu Xian, who were young and promising but had yet to be recognized.

Qi Jiguang will most likely come to the capital next year, so it won't be too late to meet him then. As for Liu Xian, we can show him favor now.

Whether it's Lü Fu or Yan Shifan, they can handle the small position of commander.

However, since they are part of the core group, it's best to keep Yan Shifan at a distance.

The young Grand Secretary may not be good at much else, but he's quite adept at corrupting people's hearts.

He lightly touched the name Liu Xian with his fingertip: "This Liu Xian is currently the commander of the Ganzhou Guard. He came from the ranks and fought his way up with his sword and spear. Such a person knows best what it means to be recognized and appreciated."

Have your maternal grandparents send someone to see Liu Xian. There's no need to bring heavy gifts; just say that the Lu family of Nanjing has heard that Commander Liu is exceptionally brave and has come to pay them a visit.

Then have Lü Fu find a pretext in the Ministry of War to arrange for him to be promoted several times. It doesn't have to be too fast, but each time he needs to know who is working hard for him.

Military generals are generally pragmatic, and he didn't think that someone like Liu Xian, who came from an ordinary background, would resist. Besides, he had no right to resist the prince's gaze.

As for the others, they are either in sensitive positions, stubborn as mules, or have smooth careers. It would be best to find an opportunity to help them in their time of need.

Seeing that his lord had no further instructions, Ma Dezhao went out to make arrangements. Although the operation was still small, it was gradually being set up.

After the servant left, Zhang Xing came in to serve, standing respectfully with his head bowed to the side. He had become remarkably sensible lately, and even Ma Dezhao had praised him several times.

There was no other way; his own prince had changed, so he could only change along with him. If his prince wanted to play, he would learn how to play; if his prince wanted to do things, he would also have to have a plan for doing things.

We can't end up being inferior to that bastard Tao Ze, can we? Besides, in the past few months, everyone who has seen him in the palace has greeted him politely, including the junior supervisors and female officials of various departments.

They used to treat him like dirt. No, people would even cover their noses and frown when they smell a fart. In their eyes, he was less than a fart, about the same as a grain of sand on the roadside.

But now everything is different. Even two palace maids who previously looked down on him have come to him, saying they want to keep him company...

It's a pity that he no longer finds the palace maids attractive; he needs to find a female official to do justice to himself.

Zhu Zaizhen had no idea how many ideas Zhang Xing had been plotting despite his seemingly insignificant skill. When he sat down to practice his stance training and saw Zhang Xing there, he casually asked, "What's been happening in the palace lately?"

Zhang Xing quickly composed himself and bowed, replying, "Your Highness, I heard yesterday that Master Mai of the Directorate of Ceremonial and Eunuch Gao of the Directorate of Palace Attendants, together with the eunuchs of the Black Mountain Society, donated their salaries and rewards to purchase seventy acres of incense-producing land."

Preparations are underway to rebuild the Baozhong Gangtie Shrine, construct the halls, corridors, walls, and spirit path of the Huguo Temple, and renovate the Heishan Eunuch Cemetery.

Gangtie Temple and Black Mountain Society? What are their origins? Zhu Zaizhen raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled, as he was unfamiliar with these two names.

The sudden appearance of an unfamiliar organization in the palace surprised him greatly.

"This... I don't know if I should say this."

Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment and said, "It's not a secret, but I'm afraid it might offend Your Highness's ears. The older people in the palace all know about this."

"explain."

Zhang Xing immediately bowed and replied, "Your Highness, it is said that Gang Tie was a loyal eunuch who followed Emperor Chengzu during the Jingnan Campaign. He was loyal and brave throughout his life, and his ancestral tablet is worshipped by us eunuchs for generations."

As for the Black Mountain Society, it was organized by the eunuchs of the Twenty-Four Supervisors of past dynasties. They would donate their salaries and rewards to purchase incense and land for worship.

When a eunuch who had joined the guild died, the others would give him a dignified burial so that he could enjoy offerings of incense and be cared for by monks.

When he said this, Zhang Xing's tone contained envy and admiration, clearly indicating that he was not a member of the Black Mountain Society.

That means there's a threshold, and it's not low.

Zhu Zaizhen asked casually, "What are the requirements for joining the Black Mountain Society?"

Zhang Xing nodded hurriedly: "Your Highness is wise. There are indeed strict rules. Ordinary newcomers to the palace, such as low-ranking servants or odd-job guards, are not even qualified to submit their name cards. They are of low rank and have no connections."

Only mid-level eunuchs with official titles and seniority from the twenty-four government offices could accumulate enough money to contribute to the charity, and only then could they be recommended and guaranteed by a senior eunuch.

Who usually holds a leadership position in the association?

Zhang Xing wanted to say that it must be the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, but he wasn't really sure and was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Just then, Ma Dezhao walked in and said, "Generally, the seal is held by the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, but there are also examples of it being held by eunuchs from the Eastern Depot, the Directorate of Palace Attendants, and the Directorate of Imperial Horses."

Zhu Zaizhen looked at his attendant without speaking, while Ma Dezhao knelt down and bowed: "This servant did not speak to Your Highness before, because I thought that the affairs of these filthy people were not worth Your Highness's attention."

When I heard the news yesterday, I thought I would inquire about the details before informing Your Highness. This was all done on my own initiative; please punish me, Your Highness.

Seeing Ma Dezhao's reaction, Zhang Xing was almost scared to kneel down, but he forced himself to stay still. Kneeling down now would be like giving his master a hard time.

Ma Dezhao also regretted it in his heart. He should have mentioned it first, but there was still a corner in his heart that regarded His Highness as a child. He did not want such servants who formed cliques, set up barriers, and formed factions to taint His Highness's heart.

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