The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 99 Response

Just as Zhang Juzheng had predicted, Prince Yu was hurrying on his way to the Western Garden, accompanied by Yin Shidan. However, they were stopped halfway by Xu Jie's men.

"Minister Xu instructed me to bring this to you."

Prince Yu took the paper and opened it. There were only two words on it: "Do not move."

He looked at Yin Shidan with some confusion. Someone had just sent him a message, telling him to get to the Emperor's court before Prince Jing. Now, Minister Xu was telling him not to move. What should he do?

He handed the note to Yin Shidan beside him, his voice tinged with a hint of bewilderment: "Sir, look at this—"

Yin Shidan took the note and glanced at it. His expression became more serious. After a moment's thought, he said in a low voice, "Your Highness, since Grand Secretary Xu specifically sent people to block the road, he must have his reasons."

Although I am unaware of the details, Grand Secretary Xu never speaks without reason. Perhaps we should wait and see. After all, the person who first sent the message did not reveal their identity; Minister Xu is more trustworthy.

Zhu Zai pursed his lips, his gaze constantly drifting towards the West Garden. He was by nature gentle and easily indecisive, and the current tug-of-war between these two directions only added to his unease.

Moreover, he had a vague suspicion that the earlier messages were mostly sent by the immortal master.

"But Father is ill. If I don't go, wouldn't I seem unfilial? If Father wakes up and finds out that neither Prince Jing nor I went, that would be fine."

But if Prince Jing goes and I don't, then—"

Yin Shidan immediately said, "Then send someone to see what His Highness Prince Jing is doing. If he is also heading to the West Garden, then we will go ahead. If Prince Jing doesn't move, then we won't either."

"Alright, Daban, go and take a look as the master said."

"promise."

Not long after Zhang Juzheng stepped out of the palace gate, a servant immediately came up to him and led the way without saying a word, and Zhang Juzheng didn't ask any questions either.

Soon, a luxurious carriage was parked steadily in an alley, with guards at the entrance. Zhang Juzheng stepped onto the carriage using a stool, and inside sat Yan Song, Yan Shifan, and Zhao Wenhua.

"Please sit down, Juzheng," Yan Song said kindly.

"Uncle," Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua greeted each other politely.

"Grand Secretary, Junior Grand Secretary, Brother Yuanzhi."

Zhao Wenhua laughed and said, "As expected of the Grand Secretary, my eldest brother has indeed come out."

-

Yan Shifan was getting impatient: "Alright, time is short, let's get to the point."

"No rush, no rush." ​​Yan Song shook his head: "I was just looking for a moment of peace and quiet. I was writing a poem with my students for His Majesty's birthday celebration in the mansion when this happened."

Has His Highness made any moves?

Zhang Juzheng replied, "Replying to the Grand Secretary, nothing has been done. His Highness is currently writing a memorial requesting to assume his fiefdom. After finishing, he will continue copying Taoist scriptures to pray for His Majesty's well-being."

"Good! I knew that with you by His Highness's side, nothing would go wrong."

Yan Song looked at Zhang Juzheng with admiration in his eyes. He had been optimistic about this young man's future for several years, but their relationship had always been a little lacking. He never expected that Prince Jing would recruit him, so they could be considered family now.

Zhang Juzheng didn't stand on ceremony. He was a disciple of Prince Jing, and naturally represented Prince Jing: "Please tell me the specific circumstances at the time, as the information circulating in the palace is somewhat vague."

Zhao Wenhua immediately recounted the story, concluding with a sense of relief: "Fortunately, Huang Bingbi was there and refused to draft the edict; otherwise, even if the decree were eventually dropped, it would still be bad for Your Highness's reputation."

Yan Shifan snorted coldly, his tone filled with murderous intent: "Tao Zhongwen, that old Taoist priest who pretends to be a charlatan, he's got some nerve! I'll kill him sooner or later!"

Originally, the two families kept to themselves and even occasionally cooperated, since they both made a living in front of the emperor and had different statuses, so there was no need for them to compete for power. But now they are complete enemies.

Yan Song asked with some doubt, "Tao Zhongwen has always been reluctant to get involved in such disputes. Why did he rashly intervene this time?"

Zhang Juzheng did not hide anything and directly told him that His Highness had made a few sarcastic remarks about Tao Zhongwen because of an old matter, and that His Highness had told him about it after returning.

Zhao Wenhua was somewhat incredulous: "Who is Tao Zhongwen? What is His Highness Prince Jing's status? He dares to be so resentful just because Tao Zhongwen was negligent and he gave him a few words of reprimand?"

Yan Song simply nodded upon hearing this: "I see. Tao Zhongwen is old and easily frightened. He fears that if he dies suddenly, his descendants will suffer retaliation from Prince Jing. Therefore, he wants to take advantage of his last breath to gain merit for his children and grandchildren in supporting the emperor."

He had no complaints about making enemies of King Jing. As a subject, his job was not to control, but to obey and help solve problems. It was that simple.

After understanding the situation, Yan Song's tone became calmer: "Tao Zhongwen's move seemed sharp, but in fact he was a step too hasty. He dared to say those things in front of the sand table because he was betting that the emperor would be flustered and panicked, and issue an edict to let Prince Jing go to his fief. Once the edict was issued, it would be too late to take it back."

But he didn't expect the emperor to faint halfway through his sentence, and he also didn't expect Huang Jin to use the excuse of not obeying the decree. As a result, things took a turn for the worse. When the emperor woke up, he might not have recognized what he said in his delirium when he was in a daze.

The mind of an emperor is most unpredictable, especially when it comes to matters of utmost importance.

Zhang Juzheng listened quietly, inwardly marveling at Yan Song's long tenure as Grand Secretary. Yan Song was adept at understanding the emperor's mind and discerning changes in the political landscape. His grasp of the emperor's temperament and the political situation in the court was far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Juzheng, since His Highness has summoned you, does he have any instructions?"

Zhang Juzheng immediately revealed the plan they had discussed. The three of them were also surprised to hear this. They had not expected that in such a short time, and even when the situation was not very clear, Prince Jing and his men could come up with such a brilliant strategy.

Yan Song nodded and sighed, "The younger generation is truly formidable. With you and Xu Wei here, I no longer need to worry about His Highness."

.

Yan Shifan immediately lifted the carriage curtain and ordered people to inquire about Prince Yu's movements, and also arranged for someone to go to the Imperial Observatory.

In addition, he arranged for officials to immediately write memorials to impeach Tao Zhongwen, and to find some random reason to impeach Xu Jie and Ouyang De.

"I must go to the palace. The three of you stay here."

The three of them got off the carriage and escorted Yan Song into the palace. Yan Shifan thought for a moment and said to Zhao Wenhua, "Go find Taoist priests immediately, the kind of old Taoist priests that His Majesty has always liked. Don't hesitate to spend a lot of money to find a few."

Since Tao Zhongwen is on Prince Yu's side, we must bring him down.

"Yes." Zhao Wenhua left in a hurry.

After everyone left, Yan Shifan's face was still full of irritation, while Zhang Juzheng's expression was calm and almost indifferent.

After a while, Yan Shifan calmed down and said to Zhang Juzheng, "This really makes me look at you in a new light. I thought you only had the talent of compiling books and writing poems, but I didn't expect you to be so outstanding in strategy as well."

"Young Grand Secretary, you flatter me. Most of this is thanks to Xu Wei. I was just running errands."

"Alright, we're all on the same side, no need to be modest. We should get closer to each other in the future."

"That's natural." Zhang Juzheng smiled and praised Yan Shifan a few more times, which pleased him greatly.