The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 133 Filial Piety

"Master Gao, you must investigate this thoroughly! Confiscating property for disaster relief—I am also a prince in charge of disaster relief; how dare the Ministry of Justice disobey me!"

Gao Gong looked helplessly at Prince Yu in front of him. He had originally thought that Prince Jing would handle this matter, but Prince Yu insisted on doing it himself. Is it a good reputation for a prince to confiscate property?

"Your Highness, the issue is not about the extent of the culprits, but about punishing the ringleaders to stabilize the situation. The corrupt officials have already been detained and interrogated, and their assets will be confiscated. Why must Your Highness pursue this matter further?"

Prince Yu looked at him in disbelief: "Master Gao, how could you say that? How could a few officials of the eighth or ninth rank be able to orchestrate something like this, where fictitious households fraudulently claim relief grain? There must be at least a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue backing them up, otherwise, the investigation would have been much easier—"

"Your Highness!" Gao Gong interrupted him: "In matters of the court, it is never just about good and evil, right and wrong, but also about weighing the pros and cons. Now, all the noble families and civil officials have yielded and accepted punishment, all the embezzled silver has been recovered, the granaries have been replenished, and the disaster relief efforts have been successfully completed."

At this moment, Your Highness forcibly stirs up trouble again and insists on a thorough investigation, which would overturn the established situation!

At that time, people in the court and the public were filled with fear, civil officials were all in danger, and nobles harbored resentment, causing turmoil to break out again in the court and the public.

His Majesty is devoted to fasting and Taoist practices, and detests political turmoil. At that time, His Majesty will not remember your concern for the people, but will only resent your meddling, lack of judgment, and disruption of the overall situation!

The convictions and insistence that Prince Yu had cultivated over the past few days crumbled at this moment; his tense jawline relaxed, and the corners of his mouth turned down.

"Master Gao, someone told me you have many friends in the Ministry of Revenue. Could this matter be implicating them?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Gong's face darkened and his eyebrows furrowed as he was about to erupt in anger. However, seeing that Prince Yu was somewhat timid and shrinking back, he could only force himself to put on a kind expression.

He was already quite old and had no son yet. Upon meeting Prince Yu, he felt a sense of kinship. In addition, he had always aspired to become an imperial tutor, so he had long devoted all his energy to Prince Yu.

Gao Gong took a few deep breaths: "Your Highness, I have a bad temper and very few friends. Moreover, I have been in the Hanlin Academy for many years. Where did I get so many friends in the Ministry of Revenue? Who told you that?"

Prince Yu knew that betraying someone was wrong, so he shook his head and refused to say it. In fact, several people had spoken ill of Gao Gong, but he had forgotten who said it.

Gao Gong, with a solemn and dignified expression, bowed deeply to Prince Yu, displaying respect and composure.

"Since Your Highness refuses to name those who slander you, I will not pursue the matter further. However, I dare to swear by my ancestors and my lifelong reputation that in this case of fraudulent claims for relief grain in Zhili, I have not shown the slightest favoritism or protected a single person from beginning to end. If there is any falsehood, may the heavens strike me down with lightning!"

Prince Yu glanced at Gao Gong and lowered his voice, "Master Gao, there's no need for that. I still trust you the most. Zaizhen also told me to rely on you more, saying that you have real talent and learning."

The first part of his words pleased him, but the second part left him feeling uneasy. He was truly baffled by the relationship between the two princes, who should have been irreconcilable enemies.

Prince Jing was willing to leave the things that would make him stand out without offending anyone to Prince Yu, while he himself did the dirty and tiring work, the things that would offend people, and ended up with the infamous reputation of being a prince whose property was confiscated.

Prince Yu, on the other hand, listened to Prince Jing in everything, and his trust in him was clearly higher than that in Prince Jing and in Xu Jie, Yin Shidan, and others.

One can only think that since the two princes grew up together, and since the Crown Prince Zhuangjing has only been gone for a short time, once the two princes leave the palace and move into their own residences, the friction will increase and their affection will naturally fade.

Seeing that there was no one else around, Gao Gong patiently explained in a low voice again: "What Your Highness said is all true. This case could not have been done by a lowly official of the eighth or ninth rank alone. There were indeed high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Revenue who tacitly approved and condoned it behind the scenes."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward to ask, "Since Master also knows, why did you still obstruct a thorough investigation?"

He has been working tirelessly day and night these days, with a heart full of sincerity to relieve the people's suffering. In the end, he found that all his hard work was just covering up the corruption and embezzlement of a group of corrupt officials. How could he be willing to accept such a disparity?

"We can find the problem, but we can't remove it." Gao Gong looked at Prince Yu with a deep gaze: "Your Highness, how is the disaster situation now? Are the displaced people settled? Can spring planting resume smoothly? Are the people no longer in danger of starvation and freezing to death?"

"That's about right, isn't it? Didn't they say the snow was about to stop?"

"What if the snow doesn't stop? The New Year is coming soon, and spring plowing will soon follow. If these things are delayed, His Majesty will surely be furious."

Your Highness must remember that the foundation of disaster relief lies first in ensuring the well-being of the people, then in maintaining stability, and lastly in punishing corruption. Before the first two aspects are fully resolved, a major purge should not be easily initiated.

Prince Yu was not very opinionated, but when he saw Gao Gong speaking righteously, he felt that he made sense.

His tense shoulders slowly slumped, the light in his eyes completely faded, leaving only endless exhaustion and powerlessness. Prince Yu murmured to himself, "So the justice I wanted to uphold is so insignificant in the face of the grand scheme of things at court. What's the point of me coming out here? I might as well go back to the palace."

Seeing him so dejected and depressed, Gao Gong couldn't bear it. He took half a step forward and gently held his shoulder and arm to comfort him: "Your Highness is mistaken. Your Highness's sincerity and benevolence are the most precious things in this turbid court. However, being in the royal family, one can no longer act on impulse."

Thoroughly investigating every case and every abuse is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. Your Highness's true duty is to patiently bide your time, bide your time, and eventually cleanse the country of its corrupt officials, restoring order and justice to all.

Prince Yu did not respond, but simply reached out and caught a snowflake with a blank expression, watching it melt in his palm.

Lu Bing knelt before the study and reported the news of the past few days, which affected not only the two princes but also the entire court.

But the main issue was the confiscation of property by Prince Jing. Although the scope of the confiscation was not wide, most of the lucrative official positions in the capital were taken down. These people included members of the Yan faction, members of the Qingliu faction, and those recommended by the Xun Gui.

After a long while, Jiajing's voice finally came from inside the study: "The Imperial Astronomical Bureau has submitted a report saying that auspicious snow foretells a bumper harvest. Since some calamities have already passed peacefully before the new year, the new year will only bring favorable weather and abundant harvests."

-

"Your Majesty, I offer my congratulations."

At this moment, Jiajing walked out barefoot from inside, still wearing that thin, moon-white Taoist robe.

Lu Bing quickly pulled off his sable cloak, spread it out with the fur side facing up, then took a few steps back and knelt down again, letting Jiajing slowly step on it and stand properly.

"Stand up and answer."

"Yes." Lu Bing stood up and his gaze fell on the emperor's chin. A subject must never make eye contact with the emperor easily, otherwise it would be considered an act of insubordination.

"How is the old lady?"

Jiajing stood on the fluffy, warm sable fur, his body slender and upright, his long hair resembling that of the Zhenwu Emperor, cascading down his back.

"Your Majesty, my mother is in good health and her daily life is normal. Although the winter wind and cold are severe, thanks to Your Majesty's concern, her old illness has not recurred. She rests quietly with coarse tea and incense every day, but she is a little worried about Your Majesty."

Emperor Jiajing, thinking of his wet nurse, softened his expression: "The New Year is approaching, I would like to invite the old lady to the palace for a few days."

.

"Your Majesty and I express our deepest gratitude for Your Majesty's kindness. If my mother were to learn of this, she would be overjoyed and eagerly await the opportunity to enter the palace for an audience."

He bowed and kowtowed, showing no sign of arrogance or indulgence.

"The old lady is kind-hearted. She never fought or competed her whole life and only knew how to be content with her lot. I hope you can learn a thing or two from her."

Lu Bing's heart skipped a beat; this was a blatant warning.

"I have acted improperly and am guilty. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

It was mostly because his younger brother had gone to see Prince Jing. Lu Bing was helpless; he could monitor the officials and check the power of the nobility.

He spyed on the princes, but could not restrain his own younger brother.

He couldn't very well plant secret agents in his mansion to monitor his brothers day and night, only to end up being a laughingstock with suspicion among his own flesh and blood and unrest in his household.

That's why they couldn't stop him in time. In fact, Prince Jing was so smart that even if he didn't go, the matter would be forgotten out of respect for him. There was really no need for him to get involved with Xun Gui.

Jiajing did not speak again. Whether he was guilty or not was not important; what mattered was loyalty. Disloyalty was the greatest crime, but loyalty could make one innocent even if guilty. It was all a matter of a single thought.

Just then, Huang Jin quietly entered the hall. Seeing the emperor and his ministers talking, he silently stepped forward and closed all the open windows tightly to shut out the biting cold wind from outside.

"What do you think of Prince Jing's handling of the situation?"

Lu Bing really didn't want to answer, because he hadn't figured out what the emperor meant, and once he said it, he couldn't take it back.

But since his father had asked, he had no choice but to answer: "The lenient treatment did not affect the overall situation, and the sacrifice made an example of someone else replenished the national treasury. Your Highness handled the matter very well."

His answer was also very comprehensive; praising him even slightly would be considered forming cliques and currying favor, while criticizing him even slightly would be considered blind and clumsy.

"comprehensive?"

"Ha, that brat." Jiajing chuckled with his hands behind his back, but there was no joy in his laughter: "You see how considerate he is, but you don't see how he dares to act with discretion, or to do things between human relationships and the law for me."

Lu Bing's back stiffened, and he immediately became even more respectful: "Your subject is foolish and dull, please grant your decree."

The smile on Jiajing's face hadn't faded yet; it was a half-smile, his gaze fixed on Lu Bing's back: "I have no imperial decree; I'm just having a casual chat with you. Corrupt officials must be executed, the national treasury must be replenished, nobles must be kept in check, and the people's hearts must be at peace. It's not easy for him either."

"Yes, Your Highnesses have worked hard. We are ashamed that we have failed to share your burdens."

Lu Bing was completely bewildered; he had no idea what the emperor was trying to say.

But this was actually what Jiajing wanted; he didn't want anyone to figure him out.

"Go ahead, the New Year is almost here, have a peaceful holiday."

Lu Bing understood what was going on. He solemnly agreed and left without daring to take the cloak from Jiajing's feet.

After he left, Huang Jin took out the account book from his pocket and knelt in front of the emperor. Jiajing did not want to look at the account book, but simply said with his hands behind his back, "Just tell me directly."

"Your Majesty, in the past few days, the imperial treasury has received a total of 273,658 taels of silver, in addition to 1,300 taels of pure gold, 20 boxes of ginseng, poria cocos, placenta, he shou wu, and ling zhi, 40 boxes of cinnabar, vermilion, mica, and top-grade cinnabar, 12 black fox pelts, and 37 sable pelts—all of which are specially supplied for the repair of the Da Gao Xuan Hall, for alchemical rituals, and for daily use in the palace."

Jiajing's eyes lit up, and he unconsciously took a few steps forward. This was much more than he had imagined. This rascal was indeed thorough. Huang Jin, sensing the emperor's joy, also smiled and said, "Your Highness is very filial. We servants have led people to check the general accounts. Apart from the funds that went to the Ministry of Revenue, everything else is here."

>

-