The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 106 Promise

Yan Shifan thought that Zhang Juzheng would be very satisfied with these words, but he did not expect that the other party would only nod slightly.

Yan Song raised his hand to stop Yan Shifan from asking a question, and asked with a smile, "Does Your Highness have any other instructions?"

Zhang Juzheng remained calm and composed, showing no remorse for the lavish hospitality he had received from the Yan family, nor did he believe he could rely on Yan Song simply because of his amiable demeanor.

"With the help of the Grand Secretary and Brother Donglou, the matter of the officials under the Prince's Palace can be handled smoothly. However, among the four important positions, His Highness has already chosen candidates for the Chief Attendant, the Chief of Ceremonial Guard, and the Chief Judge. Only the Chief Secretary still needs the Grand Secretary's help."

Yan Shifan thought for a moment and said, "I suppose the one who should be serving is Eunuch Ma. As for the person in charge of the ceremonial guard, that position is crucial, we can't let him—"

"Yan Shifan!"

"father?"

"Now that Your Highness has found a suitable candidate, there's no need for you to say anything more! Uncle, please excuse my presumption."

Zhang Juzheng smoothed things over, saying, "What Brother Donglou said is certainly reasonable, but I don't think either of you would have any objections to this person."

"Who is it?"

"Chen Zhao, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who escorted His Highness out of the palace last time."

Yan Song didn't know Chen Zhao, but he knew about the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the person in charge of it.

Yan Shifan had a vague impression of him, as if they had met before, but he didn't care about such a nobody at the time.

Of course, I don't care now.

"Good, these two are well chosen. Your Highness resembles His Majesty." Yan Song sighed, looking at his son with a hint of melancholy in his eyes. Serving a powerful emperor is difficult, difficult, difficult—

Ma Dezhao, the chief attendant of the prince, is the prince's chief attendant. His loyalty is beyond doubt, and he firmly grasps the power in the inner court of the prince's residence.

The Imperial Guard is taking over the command of a thousand-household officer under Lu Bing, binding the Embroidered Uniform Guard with the Emperor's Heart, and blocking any outsiders from interfering with the security of the Prince's Palace.

Yan Shifan had no objections. With his intelligence, he guessed Prince Jing's meaning as soon as he heard the words "Jinyiwei" (Imperial Guard). It was indeed a good move, and it could also deepen their connection with Lu Bing.

Since Xia Yan's death, with their common enemy gone, Lu Bing has become somewhat distant from them.

It's a bit unclear whether this was all Prince Jing's idea, or whether Zhang Juzheng and Xu Wei were involved in the planning, but it's certainly not to be underestimated, showing that they can't handle everything on their own.

Prince Jing has grown up too fast—

"Is the trial in progress?"

Zhang Juzheng smiled slightly: "Then we'll have to ask Brother Donglou for people?"

"Oh?" Yan Shifan became interested. He had all sorts of people around him, but none of them knew anything about criminal law, because he didn't need to.

"Luo Longwen".

"Luo Longwen? He's just a merchant who started out making ink; he only knows how to pursue profit and scheme. He's never handled legal or administrative matters before. How could he possibly be a judge in the Prince's Palace?"

"His Highness recognized his strengths."

Yan Shifan laughed and said, "If it's just this, why would I need anything else? I certainly won't let Your Highness lack gold or silver."

However, since His Highness has taken a liking to him and is willing to promote him, this is his good fortune.

"In that case, only the Chief Secretary needs the Grand Secretary to appoint one."

Yan Song looked at Zhang Juzheng and said, "What do you think, Uncle? Although your rank is a bit low, it's not unacceptable if you're just temporarily serving as the Chief Secretary."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Your Excellency, but as Your Highness instructed, please take the trouble to find a mature and prudent person."

Even if His Highness hadn't told him about his future job arrangements, he would never have accepted Yan Song's arrangements. He served His Highness for the sake of the future revival of the dynasty, not for personal gain.

"Mature and prudent," Yan Song stroked his beard and thought for a moment before saying, "Then allow this old man to think about it carefully."

He thought of one person, Zhao Bichang, the prefectural magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture. Zhao was a second-class Jinshi in the fourteenth year of the Jiajing reign and was his protégé when he served as Minister of Rites and concurrently in charge of the Hanlin Academy. Over the years, Zhao had been respectful and obedient in everything he did.

He originally planned to send him to Jiangsu and Zhejiang next year, first as a councilor of the provincial administration, and then promote him to provincial governor in two or three years, so that their teacher-student relationship would not have been in vain.

But now it seems that being the Chief Secretary of the Prince's Palace is more promising. If Prince Jing ascends the throne smoothly, the Chief Secretary of the Prince's Palace will become a governor-general or a high-ranking official in the provinces, and will also enter the cabinet to assist in governing the country.

It wasn't that he didn't have other students and former officials, but Zhao Bichang was a mature and prudent man who also knew how to repay kindness, so he couldn't really rely solely on Zhang Juzheng.

Afterwards, the three of them discussed poetry for an hour. Yan Song and Zhang Juzheng were both Hanlin scholars and Jinshi, so their talent was beyond question. Yan Shifan was a little less accomplished in this area, but he could still keep up.

Finally, Yan Shifan tried to persuade Zhang Juzheng to stay at his residence late at night, but Zhang firmly declined.

"Your Highness, this servant wishes to go to your residence in the capital with you."

Zhu Zaizhen was soaking his feet, holding a piece of green jade dragon pendant in his hand. It was a birthday gift that Crown Prince Zhuangjing had given him years ago.

However, the previous King Jing couldn't sit still and had no time to play with it.

Kneeling before Zhu Zaizhen at this moment was Hong Yuan, the head of the Imperial Kitchen. He looked even rounder, with a big head and a thick neck, and spoke very sincerely: "This servant's skills are not bad, but it won't do without someone familiar with Your Highness's tastes in the kitchen behind the residence."

The desire for food is secondary; the safety of food is of paramount importance.

"Even the Chief Steward of the Prince's Palace is only an eighth-rank official, while you're only a sixth-rank official. Are you really willing to give that up?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Yuan prostrated herself on the ground and kowtowed: "This servant is willing to follow Your Highness, even if it's just as a kitchen helper!"

Sometimes, officials inside the palace are more resolute and less willing to put aside empty formalities than officials outside.

After hearing such words, how could Zhu Zaizhen possibly let him only be a cook? If he were to return to the palace in the future, how could he not give him the position of Director of the Imperial Kitchen?

Zhu Zaizhen said gently, "I'll put the Imperial Kitchen under your management. Also, select a few honest and reliable people from the Imperial Kitchen these days, compile a list, and submit it to me."

"promise."

Zhu Zaizhen ordered someone to reward him with twenty taels of silver, which was no small sum; according to his salary, he might not even receive that much in a year.

"This servant thanks you for your reward, sir."

The change in address signified that he now considered himself a member of the Prince's Mansion. After saying a few more words, Hong Yuan took his leave. Zhu Zaizhen placed the jade dragon pendant on his lap, his fingers gently stroking the warm jade surface, his expression shifting from gentle to calm.

After wiping the basin, Zhang Xing took it away, leaving only him and his attendant in the hall.

"Has the matter been clarified?"

Even if Hong Yuan hadn't come, he still planned to find out the truth and then bring the other party to the residence. How could the cook be done without his own people?

Ma Dezhao said, "The position of the Director of the Imperial Kitchen is somewhat unstable, as the Left Vice Director of the Imperial Kitchen has become acquainted with Gao Zhong."

Zhu Zaizhen smiled slightly: "No wonder you were in such a hurry, but it's fine too."

As the old saying goes, it's better to make mistakes than to achieve success; pressure is what motivates you.

If one could steadily wait to take over the position, who would want to be demoted to the Prince's mansion?

"My lord, we only need one female official in Mother Consort's palace. Don't touch the others. Even with Zhao Jingxian there, we must be careful."

He himself was not afraid of anything, but he was slightly worried about his mother.

"promise."