The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

"Now that we know, we can't just turn a blind eye. Give Da Ban three hundred taels and Zhang Xing one hundred taels, and send them to Gao Ban."

Zhu Zaizhen pondered for a moment and said, "There's no need to mention joining the association or not. Just say that repairing the ancestral hall is a good thing, and we're willing to contribute."

"promise."

Ma Dezhao seemed to understand something, while Zhang Xing didn't quite get it, but that didn't stop them from agreeing first.

The two of them together had four hundred taels, only less than the two great palm prints, which was already quite respectable. Otherwise, it would be a bad thing for them to overshadow the main guests.

Zhu Zaizhen put down the Xuande incense burner, his brows and eyes relaxing in a stark contrast to his composure during the discussion of the Black Mountain Meeting. He smiled and said, "I'm thinking of getting a cat. Shuangmei is a male cat, right? Does it have any kittens?"

Ma Dezhao nodded and said, "Yes, but they are all kept by His Majesty in the cat house in the West Garden. Except for the two favored concubines, His Majesty is unwilling to give them to others."

"Those are other people." Zhu Zaizhen leaned back in his chair, his tone resolute. "I can't control all that. Judging by the time, Father should be drinking that iced dew by now. A filial heart shouldn't be enough to earn a kitten in return, right?"

The price paid for the last time the emperor and his ministers stormed out of the West Garden was paid, but it wouldn't make sense for the father not to see the son. Zhu Zaizhen was very confident that he could get a kitten to raise.

"Let's go tomorrow!"

Ma Dezhao naturally wouldn't object. He had noticed these past few days that His Majesty was more tolerant of His Highness than he was of Prince Yu or even the former Crown Prince. Besides the reasons in the court, perhaps His Highness's unpretentious nature was also an important factor.

However, he had another matter to remind you: "Your Highness, the tenth of next month is the Emperor's birthday, and you should prepare gifts in advance."

This is a big deal. Zhu Zaizhen shook his wrist and reluctantly ordered, "Go and fetch the Tao Te Ching and the Jade Emperor Scripture. I'll make a copy."

Zhang Xing accepted the order and was about to go fetch it when Ma Dezhao instructed him, "Also go to the storeroom and get gold-flecked paper, pine soot ink, and Xuan paper with a dragon pattern. Don't be careless with the items presented."

"Yes."

"Daban, have Yan Shifan send over a few rare copies of the Daoist Canon from previous generations in a while. If there are any Xuan Turtle or Immortal Crane, Heavenly Book or Jade Talisman, Purple Qi Lingzhi or anything like that, prepare them as well."

"Yes." Ma Dezhao hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Should I send someone to the capital to try and bribe them first?"

He didn't trust Yan Shifan from the bottom of his heart, so naturally he didn't want to rely on Yan Shifan for everything.

Zhu Zaizhen shook his head: "Everyone knows that the Emperor's birthday is coming soon, and they're probably all rushing to buy things. Let alone whether they can actually buy anything, even if they do get a few, the quality probably won't be good."

Why spend so much money on inferior goods? The Yan family has prepared enough for at least ten or twenty years' worth of allowances; giving them a little away is nothing to him.

…………

As the night deepened, darkness enveloped the imperial city.

Inside the North Gate, northeast of Jingshan Hill, and south of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, lies the office of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. The green-tiled eaves are hidden in the deep night, and the ancient pines and locust trees in the courtyard have gnarled branches.

The hall was spacious with red pillars and vermilion doors, and the candlelight illuminated the entire room. The Grand Master of Ceremonies, Mai Fu, wore a bright red bull-sleeved robe, and on one side of the jade belt around his waist hung a ivory plaque bearing his seal, while on the other side hung a silver mark inscribed with the four characters "respectful, diligent, upright, and cautious," signifying the Emperor's favor.

He sat in the center of the hall, sipping his cool tea. To his left sat a group of people all dressed in red gauze round-necked robes. With the exception of a few, almost all the powerful eunuchs in the entire palace were present.

"How much silver have you raised?"

Gao Zhong stood up and replied, "Reporting to the Sect Master, there are currently over 11,300 taels of silver."

The Grand Eunuch, also known as the Chief Minister of Ceremonial Affairs, was also called the Grand Master of Ceremonies, the Grand Eunuch, the Inner Minister, or the Grand Eunuch.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in satisfaction and whispered among themselves. Clearly, they were quite pleased with the figure; it was enough to buy incense fields, repair shrines and temples, support monks, and build some houses.

Mai Fu laughed and said, "Great, it seems we're all united after all..."

At this moment, the eunuch in blue robes guarding the gate came in, knelt down, and reported: "Reporting to the Lord and all the officials in charge, Eunuch Ma, the chief attendant of Prince Jing, has arrived."

Mai Fu and Gao Zhong exchanged a glance, then Gao Zhong ordered, "Please come in. Someone, get another seat!"

Two of the supervisors standing solemnly around immediately stepped forward, brought out a round-backed chair from a side room, but hesitated, unsure where to put it.

In terms of rank, Ma Dezhao was the same as them. If the former crown prince were still alive, he would not only be unable to sit here, but he would also have to stand in the lowest position.

As everyone remained silent, Chen Sui, the head of the Imperial Palace Administration, raised his eyes and casually pointed to the far corner of the hall. The other eunuchs in charge of the administration had different expressions; some nodded slightly, while others frowned, clearly indicating that they disagreed.

Mai Fu remained seated without moving, and Gao Zhong did not object. In the end, the round-backed chair was placed at the very end of the hall.

Soon, Ma Dezhao led Zhang Xing in, who was carrying two elmwood boxes filled with heavy silver ingots.

Mai Fu did not get up, but Gao Zhong stood up and even took a few steps forward. Seeing this, most of the seal masters also stood up. However, the seal masters of the Divine Palace Administration and the Imperial Household Administration did not move. They even picked up their teacups, lightly skimmed off the tea foam, and had indifferent expressions, showing no intention of getting up.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Grandpa Ma."

"Eunuch Ma is busy serving His Highness Prince Jing and has no time to drink tea with us!"

"It's all my fault. I'd like to pay my respects to the Sect Master and everyone else."

Ma Dezhao, dressed in a thin blue gauze robe, was respectful and composed. He first smiled and cupped his hands, looked around, and finally bowed slightly to Mai Fu and Gao Zhong.

He spoke humbly, but he didn't bow too deeply. He believed that as long as the proper etiquette was observed, anything more would only embarrass his prince.

As for Zhang Xing, he's just someone who can carry boxes; nobody pays attention to him or cares whether he's well-behaved or not.

Gao Zhong stepped forward and offered a helping hand, smiling, "Eunuch Ma, what are you saying? It's so late at night, why bother you to make this trip? Does His Highness Prince Jing have any instructions?"

"No, no, His Highness has already retired for the night."

Ma Dezhao waved his hand, and Zhang Xing bowed and opened the two boxes. One box contained six large silver ingots, and the other contained two, totaling exactly four hundred taels. The official silver ingots were of excellent quality and gleamed with a deep, lustrous light under the candlelight.

Gao Zhong's gaze didn't fall on the silver at all; he simply pointed to the chair and said, "Eunuch Ma, please sit down first."

Ma Dezhao glanced in the direction he was pointing and then smiled, "With my rank, how could I be qualified to sit with the eunuchs in charge of seals? I'm content to be able to stand here and exchange a few words with you."

"Isn't Eunuch Ma being a bit too modest?"

Sun An, the Director of the Imperial Household Department, put down his teacup, glanced sideways at Ma Dezhao, and said sarcastically, "Back then, the old Director was determined to promote you, but you insisted on giving it up and going to Jingren Palace. If you had stayed, wouldn't you have a chair in this hall now?"

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