The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

After saying this, he followed the Crown Prince's steps, bowed slightly, entered the hall, and carefully sat down before explaining the general procedures of the sacrificial ceremony and the coming-of-age ceremony.

After a while, Zhao Quan used an excuse to send away some of the eunuchs and palace maids who were not his confidants, leaving only a few people standing respectfully with their heads bowed in the hall to serve him.

The Crown Prince suddenly turned to Xu Jie and said meaningfully, "I heard that you once wrote down a precept in your own hand and hung it up in the main hall of the government office, which attracted the attention of the court and the public and became a popular topic of conversation."

Xu Jie replied, "I entered officialdom at the age of twenty-one, ranking third in the first class. At forty-three, I entered the Ministry of Personnel to assist the Minister, rising to the rank of third grade, bringing honor to my ancestors. Therefore, I am grateful and have written this to remind myself of the following..."

"Alas! Your ranks... some will sell the law for bribes, some will betray the public good to curry favor, and some will cling to their positions for personal gain. The gods will punish them, and this will extend to their descendants. Alas! How terrifying!"

The Crown Prince nodded: "You had such ambition in the past, and you are indeed worthy of being a pillar of the country. No wonder you were recommended and promoted all the way up to this position."

"Rain falls from the sky, we can only bow down to the boundless grace of Heaven."

He was not satisfied with Zhu Zaiyi. He picked up his teacup, and although he did not speak, his meaning was clear.

Xu Jie pursed his lips, his jawline tightening slightly. After a moment of silence, his usually gentle face revealed a hint of coldness: "I have heard that forcing things that are of no use is futile. The key lies in carrying on the legacy of our predecessors so that we can trace back to the source and clarify the truth in the future."

The two locked eyes for a moment, and the prince's expression softened. He took his hand off the teacup. At this point, mere coaxing was meaningless; words had to be put into practice.

If you try to please everyone, you'll only end up with nothing.

"The nation faces difficulties, and we will have to trouble Minister Xu more in the future."

Xu Jie knew that the Crown Prince was not referring to the sacrificial rites and the coming-of-age ceremony, so he immediately replied, "By the grace of His Majesty, I will continue to concurrently manage the Hanlin Academy."

As the head of the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy, and having previously served as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Xu Jie's official career was not only illustrious but also extremely distinguished.

More importantly, he already has enough seniority and power, and it's only a matter of time before he enters the cabinet. As long as he has the support of the Crown Prince, he can withstand the pressure from Yan Song and more smoothly consolidate the political legacy left by Xia Yan.

With so many eyes and ears in the palace, it was not advisable for the two to talk for too long, so Xu Jie quickly got up to take his leave.

Xu Jie walked out of the palace gates with little expression on his face, but he was inwardly distressed. His Highness was too hasty, overestimating himself and even more so his power.

After Grand Secretary Xia left, Yan Song gained the Emperor's deep trust and had already gained immense power. At this point, the best course of action was to back down. Only when Yan Song had no rivals would he reveal his weaknesses.

The grievances will be settled in due time, but if we make things difficult for Yan Song now, we will not be facing Yan Song, for human power cannot contend with the might of Heaven.

If the Crown Prince can force him to make a statement today, he can force him to confront Yan Song directly tomorrow. The future situation is not optimistic.

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

The emperor's meals were not lavish, but most of them were delicious. Although they were vegetarian dishes, they were made to taste better than meat dishes, and were much tastier than the meals of the princes.

Zhu Zaizhen ate heartily without any politeness: "Big brother, give me another bowl of that tofu."

Huang Jin responded, "Your Highness, this dish is called Agate White Jade, also known as Stuffed Tofu. It is a delicacy from the hometown of our founding emperor."

Zhu Houcong couldn't stand it anymore: "Eat slowly, where have all the manners you learned gone?"

Zhu Zaizhen seemed unconcerned: "Rules are for outsiders to see."

Huang Jin immediately replied, "Your Highness is usually very proper. He only becomes lively in front of His Majesty. Between father and son, there is no need to be so formal."

"Stop helping him fool me. What, what benefits did you receive?"

Huang Jin also served the emperor a bowl of agate and white jade: "This servant did not accept any gifts from Prince Jing, but there is something I was unable to help Your Highness with."

Jiajing was somewhat surprised to hear this, but he did not press further. Given Huang Jin's personality, he felt that anything he hesitated to agree to was probably not a good thing.

Huang Jin gave Prince Jing a helpless look, but Zhu Zaizhen didn't take it to heart and continued to eat. The emperor looked disgusted, but his appetite improved, and he ate an extra bowl of rice than usual.

The emperor's meals also had a lot of metaphysical features. For example, there was a cabbage soup called "White Jade Nirvana Nectar," and some dishes were deliberately matched with the five elements. A black fish was paired with red beans, so the taste was just average.

After the meal, the maids brought in blue and white porcelain mouthwash cups. One maid in blue knelt down to present them, while another knelt beside her holding a rinsing bowl.

Zhu Zaizhen reached out and took the vessel to rinse his mouth. The warm liquid had a strong honeysuckle flavor. After rinsing, he spat it out and then took a soft towel from another palace maid to wipe the corners of his mouth.

The three women withdrew, and the other palace maids responsible for washing their hands immediately stepped forward, poured water from a silver pot into a golden basin, and washed their hands. The water also had the scent of sandalwood. They then took the silk handkerchiefs embroidered with dragon patterns and dried their hands.

He never resists enjoying life; to get things done, one doesn't necessarily have to deliberately suffer.

Thus, the father and son moved to another sleeping quarters and took their seats. Before they could say anything, Huang Jin came over to report that the Crown Prince had sent an attendant to inquire about the Emperor's well-being and that he intended to come and pay his respects in person the next day.

Zhu Zaizhen lowered his head to drink tea, but he also caught a glimpse of the emperor's displeasure out of the corner of his eye. Nevertheless, he still agreed to the crown prince's request for an audience.

Fortunately, this slight displeasure was quickly dispelled by Shuangmei, who barged in on her own. With just a few meows, Emperor Jiajing was all smiles.

For him, it was enough that his sons were alive; their character and talent were not that important, since he himself was destined to live forever.

With that thought in mind, there was nothing to criticize about the Crown Prince. He skillfully picked up the cat and held it in his arms, completely disregarding the sticky cat fur.

"You are still a bit thin. You need to take tonics according to the imperial physician's prescription, and you should also pay attention to the temperature on a daily basis."

This unexpected concern warmed Zhu Zaizhen's heart. With blood ties and memories, he couldn't help but feel a little affection for the person in front of him.

But he quickly dispelled this emotion. Filial piety between fathers and sons might be useful in ordinary relationships, but it might not be so in the relationship between fathers and sons and rulers and subjects.

A father's love for his son is natural, and a ruler's wariness of his subjects is also natural.

After Zhu Zaizhen agreed, he said, "I am currently unwell, and I am sorry to have troubled you, Father and Mother. I have also been thinking about strengthening my body. I have heard that practicing archery and horseback riding can improve one's health and strengthen one's physique. I would like to ask Father to recommend a teacher."

By the way, Father Emperor recently promised to bestow upon me a reddish-white horse, a tribute from the southwest, which is perfect for me to practice archery and horsemanship.

Zhu Houcong frowned slightly: "Who told you that? Archery and horsemanship are dangerous; it's not something you should be practicing!"

Originally, it was an ancestral rule for princes to diligently practice riding and archery, but in reality, it had long been a mere formality. In particular, officials of the current dynasty, fearing the emergence of another emperor like the late Emperor Zhu Houzhao who favored martial arts over literature, especially resisted the princes' involvement in military affairs.

They submitted several joint memorials, arguing that the emperor should govern the country simply by wearing his robes, and that spending time reading the books of sages and worthies was far better than knowing military affairs.

If they still refuse, they will bring up the old grievances of Emperor Yingzong's Tumu Fortress incident, using it as an example.

…………