The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 108 Keenness

Tao Zhongwen was struck dumb. That day, only he and Prince Yu were in Qingfu Palace. He was certain that Huang Jin had left, and he was certain that the palace doors were closed. He hadn't even left behind his own disciples.

How could His Majesty know? How much does he actually know? Did Prince Yu tell him himself?

Tao Zhongwen froze on the spot, his heart pounding like a drum, his limbs and bones feeling ice-cold. When he thought that it might be what Prince Yu had said, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his blood surged to the top of his head.

Before he could even utter a single word in defense, he stumbled and fell, collapsing heavily beneath the gate of the temple.

"Tao Zhong—what's wrong with Master Tao? Quick, someone help him up."

Huang Jin, who had just returned, ran into Tao Zhongwen, who was convulsing and fainting on the ground as if he had seen a ghost.

The eunuchs hurriedly helped the limp old Taoist priest to his feet, but after shaking him a few times, he showed no signs of waking up.

Upon seeing this, Huang Jin entered the hall to seek the emperor's permission.

But before he could speak, he heard a voice coming from behind the curtain.

Jiajing's tone was flat and emotionless, revealing no trace of pity, only a chilling coldness: "What's the panic?"

When a person's heart is filled with evil, their inner demons will backfire, causing their vital energy to collapse. If this continues, let their disciples and grand-disciples take care of them.

"promise.

Originally, given his temperament, this person shouldn't have been allowed to live, but the remarkable efficacy of his alchemy skills made him somewhat unable to resist.

Soon, Huang Jin arranged for someone to send Tao Zhongwen back. As for whether he could wake up or not, he didn't care. Didn't they have elixirs? He could just feed him more.

"That brat's gone?"

"Your Majesty, His Highness has returned."

"Hmph, now you know how to behave." Jiajing's tone carried a faint smile.

Huang Jin understood, so he quickly laughed and said, "Your Highness is young and has never experienced anything like this before. You must be frightened."

It's never uncommon for Taoist priests to exploit celestial phenomena for personal gain; Tao Zhongwen was no exception.

That's why Huang Jin was so certain that Tao Zhongwen was courting death; it was a place he shouldn't have touched at all.

The emperor's pursuit of immortality was not merely about prolonging his life; it was also about firmly grasping power in his hands, possessing it exclusively for eternity, and never relinquishing it.

Tao Zhongwen, in his old age and senility, actually dared to touch upon this point.

His Majesty may have an obsessive belief in cultivating immortality, but he is also an extremely perceptive person. Even if someone has been using him for ten years, he will not completely believe in him or let him control him.

Of course, the fact that the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was willing to risk their lives to guarantee that there would be no conflict, and that there would even be benefits, was also a key factor.

"What did he send? My painting?"

Huang Jingang hurriedly ordered his men to present everything: "It is Your Highness's filial piety. The painting has also been returned."

Huang Jin held the Tao Te Ching and the Jade Emperor Scripture, copied by King Jing himself on gold-flecked paper. Next to him, someone held a Hetian yellow jade ruyi, with the words "Long Live the Emperor" and "Eternal Prosperity of the Tao" on the handle attracting attention. Another person held the "Springtime Play in the Tang Garden" painting.

Jiajing slowly emerged from behind the curtain. His face was still somewhat pale, but it was much better than the blood-red complexion he had shown that day.

He glanced at the jade ruyi, then reached for the two scriptures, slowly flipped through them, and sighed softly, "With this handwriting, how dare you waste such good paper and ink?"

Huang Jin glanced at it cautiously. To be fair, for His Highness to have such maturity at his age was already quite impressive.

But His Majesty is used to reading the memorials of the Hanlin Academy scholars; in comparison, His Highness's calligraphy certainly seems rather ordinary.

Jiajing put the two scriptures down, but then picked them up again, and finally ordered in a slightly disdainful tone, "Change them."

"promise."

Huang Jin was overjoyed. His Majesty intended to use the two books by His Highness to replace the old books on his desk as his regular scriptures. You must know that the two books on his desk were not ordinary.

Jiajing then picked up the rather heavy Ruyi scepter. He loosely gripped it with his five fingers, and his fingertips slowly traced the arc of the cloud pattern on the scepter. The incense smoke in the hall made the jade appear even more lustrous.

"Taoism teaches that one should follow one's heart and desires. Only when one's heart is at peace and abides by the Tao can one truly achieve contentment."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slightly turned his wrist, and the Ruyi gently tapped the wooden table in the hall with a soft, resounding sound.

Jiajing smiled and knocked again, as if just to hear the sound.

Huang Jin watched with a smile. Within the deep palace, being able to see the emperor enjoying his leisure time was the greatest comfort for everyone in the hall.

Jiajing turned around and pointed at the painting with his ruyi scepter: "Open it."

Huang Jin hurried over and, together with the palace maid, slowly unfurled the scroll. What came into view was five raccoon dogs frolicking in the spring scenery of the Tang Garden, accompanied by bamboo, wolfberry, hollyhock, and lake rocks, creating a scene of spring vitality in the palace garden.

Meow~

Frosty Eyebrows also spotted this long-unseen creature, came out, stretched its paws, slumped over, and stretched out its back in a big, lazy yawn. It then licked the fluffy fur on its chest before wobbling over.

After examining the painting for a moment, Jiajing frowned slightly before relaxing and sneering, "How audacious! They sent back a copy while keeping the original for themselves!"

"what?"

Huang Jin peered over and found that although the painting was almost identical, the richness of the ink and the texture of the paper and silk were ultimately lacking the profound depth that Emperor Xuanzong's brushwork had accumulated over decades.

Just as he was about to kneel down to beg for forgiveness, he suddenly noticed that the seal that should have been Emperor Xuanzong's imperial seal in the lower left corner of the scroll was instead stamped with another small seal.

The seal was carved crookedly, clearly not the work of a famous artist. He squinted and leaned closer to take a look; the inscription was four small characters: "Be cautious in speech and conduct."

Emperor Jiajing naturally saw it too: "Another fine painting has been ruined for nothing."

Although it was a fake, Jiajing was still quite satisfied and thought he could observe it for two days before sending someone to exchange it for the genuine article.

But this seal was clearly carved by that kid himself, and stamping it on such a painting is truly—

"Be careful with your words and actions?" Jiajing raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery.

"It's impressive that he even knows how to write those four characters."

Huang Jin almost couldn't help but laugh: "As far as this servant knows, the two orange cats Your Highness took back are named Jinyan and Shenxing."

"You brat!" he cursed again. "Send someone to retrieve the original immediately."

It's one thing to stamp a fake, but it would be heartbreaking if such a tattered seal were stamped on an authentic work by Emperor Xuanzong.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will send someone to fetch the painting right away."

"Keep him. That Xu Wei has some skill. Reward him with one hundred taels of silver."

Huang Jin agreed and left. He took one hundred taels of silver from the imperial treasury, carried it on a red silk sash, and found a steady young eunuch, instructing him: "Walk slowly."

Having risen through the ranks to become a junior official in the Directorate of Ceremonial, he naturally grasped the meaning behind it quickly.

This was said to be a reward for Xu Wei, but it was more of a signal to the outside world that the so-called mutual restraint was completely unfounded.

Otherwise, given Xu Wei's status, what would be the point of a mere copy of a painting that would attract the attention of the emperor? It was only because he was a close associate of King Jing that he was specially rewarded.

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