The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 144 Return to the Palace

After leaving Wan Quan's residence, Zhang Juzheng, having come all this way, naturally decided to visit Xu Wei. Since Zhang Juzheng was busy with disaster relief and post-disaster recovery efforts, only his wife, Gu, should be at home at this time.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Zaizhen ran into Shen Lian again at Xu Wei's house, and the two were even drinking together.

Xu Wei's hair was loosely tied to one side, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, he held a wine bowl in one hand and a brush in the other, and was scribbling something on the paper. He was obviously happy and expressing his literary talent.

Xu Wei was somewhat surprised to see Zhu Zaizhen stride in. He quickly put down the wine and pen in his hand and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

'

"I came to see you."

Shen Lian wasn't too surprised. He had known about Xu Wei's relationship with Prince Jing for some time, but he was busy with disaster relief at the time and didn't take the initiative to contact him.

Having some free time today, I bought two jars of wine from a street vendor and went straight to your door. I didn't expect Prince Jing to come as well. This shows that he values ​​scholars from humble backgrounds and doesn't judge people by their social status. It is fortunate for Xu Wei to have such a discerning patron, and Your Highness's appreciation of talent is also a blessing for the world.

Shen Lian then bowed respectfully: "Your Highness, I pay my respects. I did not expect to meet you here again."

Zhu Zaizhen laughed and said, "You really have a good capacity for alcohol."

"I am ashamed."

"People's temperaments and preferences are naturally different, this is nothing to worry about." Zhu Zaizhen waved his hand: "It will come in handy in the future."

Xu Wei knew that Shen Lian had already met His Highness, but His Highness probably didn't know about their relationship.

Then, with delight, he introduced, "Your Highness, Brother Chunfu is my cousin's husband. We even formed a literary society together when we were young, known as the Ten Talents of Yuezhong. Later, we went our separate ways and wandered for many years, only to meet again in the capital."

When recalling the past, Xu Wei's brows furrowed with nostalgia. The Ten Scholars of Yuezhong were all like-minded people who discussed poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and encouraged each other with their integrity. Those days are still unforgettable.

Hearing the commotion, Xu Wei's mother hurried out to pay her respects; she was busy in the kitchen.

She was happy that her son had only a few close friends, and she was even more surprised and apprehensive when the prince came. After exchanging greetings, she went back to her work.

Now Xu's mother has two more helpers, a boy and a girl, both around fourteen or fifteen years old. They are refugees who are about to freeze to death. Xu's mother thought that she was going to hire them anyway, and after observing their character, she kept them.

The girl helped her tidy up her house, and the boy served as Xu Wei's page.

As for why there were only two, Xu Wei did earn a lot from his calligraphy and paintings, but he was just not good at keeping his wealth. When he saw the plight of the refugees during disaster relief, he wanted to use all his money to buy food for relief.

Fortunately, Zhang Juzheng forced him to leave some money for household expenses; otherwise, Shen Lian might not have been able to get meat and vegetables when he came to visit.

After Zhu Zaizhen took his seat, he said, "You all eat and drink. It's getting late, and I need to return to the palace."

That's what they say, but if they really wanted to leave, they wouldn't have sat down.

The two men naturally tried to persuade him to stay, but Zhu Zaizhen was indeed full.

So he first asked Xu Wei, "Where is Yuan Jing?"

"He's still practicing the questions Uncle Da gave him. The exam is coming up in the spring, so I didn't call him over."

Zhu Zaizhen nodded and then asked Shen Lian, "Where is Commander Lu?"

"Your Highness, the Commander-in-Chief has returned to his office. Seeing that I had drunk too much, he told me to go home and rest."

Then you come here to drink, good job.

At this moment, Shen Lian took the initiative to ask, "The Commander-in-Chief said that His Highness has something to instruct me to do?"

"Yes, but I don't know if you dare?"

Shen Lian smiled: "There are many things I dare not do. I dare not embezzle or break the law, I dare not oppress the good, and I dare not disregard human life. But there are also many things I have no fear of. I only need to see what Your Highness wants me to do."

Xu Wei chimed in, "Your Highness is still worried about the northern barbarians' southward advance, isn't he? Last time, Yuan Jing told you that the border defenses of Jizhou were extremely poor, with many city walls collapsing, and you seemed quite concerned about that—"

With Xu Wei pointing it out, Zhu Zaizhen was spared the trouble of explaining the cause and effect. He looked at Shen Lian, who smelled of alcohol, but still stood up straight.

"Yes, I thought that since the disaster relief efforts didn't use much of the Ministry's money and supplies, we could use some for repairs. But after discussing with Grand Secretary Yan, I found that firstly, the money and supplies were really insufficient, and secondly, the border generals were arrogant and greedy, so even if there was money, they might not use it to repair the border defenses."

In a few days, the cabinet will order the Ministry of War to send troops from the Beijing Military Training Corps and young men from the displaced people gathered by Shuntian Prefecture to repair the most dilapidated Gubeikou Pass. Gubeikou is the gateway to the capital; currently, the walls are collapsed, the watchtowers are destroyed, the garrison is less than half full, and the equipment is rotten and worn. Once Anda's iron cavalry breaks through here, they can reach the outskirts of the capital in a single day.

Shen Lian put down his drink and then pinched his thigh hard twice to make sure he was sober.

He never expected that King Jing would not only provide disaster relief and help the people, but also have the energy to prevent the northern barbarians, which filled him with emotion.

Zhu Zaizhen looked at Shen Lian and said, "The Beijing Military Training Corps is complacent, lax, and undisciplined. The young and strong are only trying to make a living. It is already difficult for them to build up their troops."

More importantly, the Jizhou border troops were deeply entrenched in corruption, and the general was focused on maintaining the status quo. It was common for them to embezzle grain and supplies, and the background of the Gubeikou military commander was unclear.

Thus, if the grain, materials, and wages painstakingly collected and allocated by the imperial court are left unsupervised and allowed to be exploited at every level, the same mistakes will likely be repeated, with tens of thousands of taels of silver exchanged for a few worthless heads.

Shen Lian stood up: "If this is the matter, I will devote myself to it to the utmost, even unto death. However, this matter cannot be resolved simply by my best efforts; we also need someone of high status and position!"

"In your opinion, who is more suitable?"

Shen Lian thought for a moment and said, "The Duke of Cheng is the most suitable, but I'm afraid he would be difficult to command."

Zhu Zaizhen shook his head: "He has been accompanying the Emperor in the Western Garden for many years, and the Emperor relies on him greatly. He would even refuse ordinary tasks, let alone the arduous task of supervising construction. Moreover, even if a Duke were involved in such a matter, the Emperor would not agree."

Xu Wei said, "What about the eldest son of the Duke of Cheng? Isn't it said that Zhu Shitai is completely obedient to His Highness?"

Zhu Zaizhen was somewhat surprised to hear this, but did not immediately refute it. Of course, he could not blindly obey orders, but there were indeed signs of him moving closer to Zhu Zaizhen.

Xu Wei drank a bowl of wine: "The border generals have always been unwilling to get involved in court affairs, but they are military generals after all. In their early years in the capital garrison, most of them had served under dukes and marquises, and thus obtained recommendations to serve as generals in various places."

If the Duke of Cheng's mansion intervenes, and it's just Gubeikou with a relatively small amount of money involved, they should be able to give them this much face, at least they won't embezzle it all.

Zhu Zaizhen thought about it and realized that it was indeed feasible, especially since he had heard Zhu Shitai say that he wanted to do something recently, otherwise he wouldn't be following Zhu Shitai around every day to help pacify the people.

After all, his father was in his prime, and waiting to inherit the title would be rather tedious. Moreover, a title is just a title; without real power, it has no prestige and is merely wealth and status.

Zhu Shitai was an ambitious man who wanted to be as powerful and influential as his father, rather than like the Duke of England and his ilk.

A young nobleman, the eldest son of a duke, he considered himself extraordinary, yet had no opportunity to display his talents, trapped in the empty formalities of the capital.

This matter would be either a burden or a hot potato for others, but for Zhu Shitai it seems to be an opportunity.

If things go smoothly, not only will Gubeikou be repaired, but Zhu Shitai will also be rewarded for his merits and will be more closely aligned with him.

Zhu Zaizhen subconsciously tapped the table: "We still need to ask Father Emperor for permission. If it is feasible, arrange for Zhu Shitai to be in charge of the construction and coordinate the troops, and for Shen Lian to be stationed at Gubeikou as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, specifically to investigate the embezzlement of grain and salary accounts by the officers and soldiers."

Shen Lian solemnly agreed.

"It's getting late, you two continue drinking, I'm going back to the palace."

Zhu Zaizhen hurriedly got into the carriage. After they escorted him back to the house, Shen Lian said, "When I was in the countryside, after hearing the news from the capital, I thought that it must be bad for Prince Jing to be involved with the Yan family. I never expected that Your Highness would be such a person."

Xu Wei laughed heartily, but he did not discuss the prince's affairs with Shen Lian again, after all, his brother-in-law was now a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Shen Lian didn't ask any further questions, but advised Xu Wei, "You should get married soon. And now that you've established yourself in the capital, why not ask for your eldest son back to raise?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Wei's expression gradually softened. He thought of his wife and son, took a big gulp of wine, and said, "A few months ago, I sent someone to deliver a letter and some silver back home, but I haven't received a reply. After all, I'm an adopted son-in-law, and if the Pan family doesn't want it, it's really difficult to ask for my child back."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lian said, "I know Pan Gong's character. He would never stand by and watch you be separated from your family. It's probably because the letter was late, and the journey was difficult in winter. The child is too young to be sent over. We will surely hear from him in the spring."

Xu Wei smiled again upon hearing this: "Indeed, if I have time after spring, I should go back to pay my respects to my father-in-law and sweep my wife's grave."

Shen Lian was also happy for him: "Wealth and honor should not be taken for granted, for it is like wearing fine clothes at night. Your calligraphy and paintings are now worth a fortune, you should go back."

.

After returning to the palace, Zhu Zaizhen went straight to the West Garden and entered Yongshou Palace without any trouble. His father was soaking his feet in a pine wood basin, and the hot water filled the room with the scent of pine.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Jiajing sat comfortably in his chair, his feet soaking in a basin, holding the Tao Te Ching in his hand, which looked like the copy he had personally copied.

"You've had a busy day, haven't you? You've probably traveled all over the capital."

Zhu Zaizhen did not rise, but respectfully replied, "This is my first time serving in office, and I always hope to see it through to the end."

Jiajing said in a calm tone: "It's good to have a good beginning and a good end, but it's wrong to try to interfere too much."

"Your subject knows his crime."

"Yan Song has submitted your idea to the emperor."

"This is my humble opinion."

"Yan Shifan's banquets were better than those in the palace?"

"Your subject is guilty."

"You're going to use Lu Bing's men too?"

"Please punish me, Father Emperor."

"How will they punish you? By confiscating your property?"

Only then did Zhu Zaizhen raise his head and look pitifully at his father.

"Hmph." Seeing that he didn't respond at all, Jiajing's tone softened: "Get up."

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

Zhu Zaizhen stood up briskly, looked left and right and saw that no one was there, not even Huang Jin. He then thought of enduring the humiliation and helping his father wash his feet to show his filial piety.

But the Emperor, with his keen foresight, had already noticed and fixed him in place with his gaze.

At this moment, Huang Jincai walked in carrying a wooden basin made of new pine wood, while the eunuchs behind him carried a low stool, a copper kettle, and a cotton towel.

Zhu Zaizhen was shocked. Could two or three hundred thousand taels of silver really have such a big effect?

Even the emperor wants to invite me to soak my feet together; money really can make the devil turn the millstone.

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