The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 153 Reprimand

"Oh dear, that's just the kind of person Xu Wei is. Don't cry, I'll teach him a lesson later!"

Zhu Zaizhen comforted Liang Youyu, who had rushed out of the palace with his disaster relief pass to see the excitement, but he had only gone halfway when he heard that the battle was over and was about to return, feeling disheartened.

As a result, Zhang Juzheng discovered the newly appointed scholar squatting by the roadside crying. This man looked better when he cried than when he was normal. His eyelashes were wet with wet tears, and his fair and jade-like cheeks were flushed. A group of young women and wives surrounded him to watch him cry.

Zhu Zaizhen was really afraid that if he cried and became famous, he would attract Yan Shifan's attention, so he asked Zhang Juzheng to invite him into the carriage.

"Your Highness, Prince Jing, I have been rude."

The man was crying so hard he could barely breathe. Zhang Juzheng sighed, took out a handkerchief, and handed it to him.

"Thank you, uncle."

In fact, Liang Youyu was a few years older than Zhang Juzheng, but the rule in officialdom has always been that the order of passing the imperial examinations is the first consideration for those who passed the examinations. Those who passed the examinations one year earlier are considered seniors, regardless of their actual age.

Liang Youyu didn't know how he got into Prince Jing's carriage. He only remembered someone calling his name, so he followed them and thought it was one of his elder brothers.

Once inside the carriage, they realized it was Zhang Juzheng and Prince Jing, and dared not ask to get off.

As they were talking, the car stopped, and two more people got in. Liang Youyu quickly covered himself and wiped away his tears.

One of them looked at him and shouted, "Still crying? Actually, what you wrote is pretty good compared to theirs. I'm too lazy to read their poems, afraid of getting my mouth dirty."

Liang Youyu looked over in horror and was startled to see a man with bruises around his eyes, a cracked mouth, and cheeks swollen like freshly steamed buns. He also seemed to have applied ointment and smelled strongly of alcohol.

I didn't recognize him, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was Xu Wei!

"You've gone too far! I'll chase you down and come after you to hurl insults at you."

Xu Wei grinned and bowed to His Highness before sitting down: "No way, you're the one who got into His Highness's carriage, looking for a scolding?"

Liang Youyu subconsciously shrank back, his tall and slender body taut, his brows furrowed with a mixture of cowardice and anger.

"Alright." Zhu Zaizhen asked Liang Jinshi, "Where is your home? I'll take you back first."

"I reside in Xixie Street, inside Xuanwu Gate."

Xu Wei clicked his tongue twice and was about to speak when Zhang Juzheng glared at him. Xu Wei then touched his nose and turned away, hissing in cold air. He had been in the capital for so long and knew that the people living there were either rich or noble. Liang Youyu was just a minor official, so he certainly couldn't be considered noble, but his family was very wealthy.

That's true. I heard that his father was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the Zhengde era and served as the Supervising Censor of Huguang. It's hard for him to be poor.

The carriage wheels turned slowly, and the carriage with its green curtains hanging down isolated the noise and traffic on the street. Liang Youyu leaned against one side of the carriage, his body slightly hunched inward.

These are all Prince Jing's men. He traveled with them all the way home. If others see this, where will his reputation be?

"Your Highness, I will return by myself in my carriage."

Zhu Zaizhen immediately understood his concerns and laughed, "Don't worry, just go home and write two articles about the blessings of a long-lived ruler for the country and the nation, and no one will have any wild ideas."

Liang Youyu felt a little embarrassed. No matter what, His Highness Prince Jing had allowed him to get in the carriage, offered some words of comfort, and even sent him home. This was all a great favor, and a gentleman should not do such a petty thing.

But he was too embarrassed to say anything in front of so many people, so he could only lower his head and remain silent. Fortunately, they arrived at their destination quickly.

But when he got out of the car, he saw that Li Panlong, Wang Shizhen and others were all crowding in front of his house.

"Gongshi, why are you only just getting back?"

"Thank goodness, if they hadn't come back, we would have had to report them to the Shuntian Prefecture."

"We rushed out to look for you after we stood up for you, but we didn't see you along the way. We thought you had gone home first."

"Brother, didn't you see? We gave Xu Wei a good beating. I doubt he'll ever dare to speak rudely to you again!"

"Whose car is this?"

Liang Youyu's limbs stiffened slightly. He hastily composed himself, cupped his hands to the crowd, and said in a slightly hesitant voice, "Thank you for your concern, brothers. This—this is His Highness Prince Jing's carriage."

My mind was in turmoil just now, and I was lost in thought as I walked to the roadside when His Highness Prince Jing's carriage passed by. Seeing my disarray, His Highness kindly invited me to rest in his carriage and offered to give me a ride home. Xu—Xu Wenchang was also inside.

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, and their jubilant expressions after the victory vanished instantly.

I suddenly felt a little uneasy, like I had hit someone and now their elders were coming after me.

Upon hearing this, they hurriedly straightened their robes and bowed, saying, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Highness Prince Jing. We were unaware that it was Your Highness's carriage. We apologize for our rudeness."

The carriage curtain was gently lifted, and Zhu Zaizhen stepped down first. His black casual clothes were embroidered with dark cloud and crane patterns. Suddenly, a group of people surged into the alley entrance. What was most frightening was that several people had also appeared behind them at some unknown time.

Zhang Juzheng, Xu Wei, and Qi Jiguang also came down one after another. After time, the swelling made Xu Wei's wound look even more frightening.

Zhu Zaizhen's gaze swept over the crowd, especially over Wang Shizhen and a few others whose faces were also bruised.

"Kneel down."

The crowd looked grim, but they had no choice but to kneel. According to the rules, it was not a formal occasion and they could bow to each other, but the prince demanded that even the chief minister kneel, let alone a group of newly appointed scholars and minor officials.

"Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Highness Prince Jing."

Liang Youyu also knelt down beside him, but he was a little confused. Prince Jing was clearly not like this just now, so why did he suddenly become so stern?

Xu Wei chuckled to himself; it felt so good to have someone backing him up.

"Disputes over literature have always been the norm since ancient times." Zhu Zaizhen said in a somewhat cold tone, "Some people admire the past, some value the present, some emphasize rules and regulations, and some prioritize personal feelings. Everyone holds their own opinion, but it is rare to see them fight so fiercely."

Just now, some people were smugly pleased with themselves. What, is it glorious to bully the weak with numbers?

Since you enjoy hands-on activities so much, why don't you all go and guard the frontier? You could experience the spirit of frontier poetry.

Li Panlong gritted his teeth, kowtowed, and replied: "Your Highness, please understand. It was not that we were outnumbered and bullying the few; it was simply that Xu Wei was arrogant and unruly, publicly slandering poetry and humiliating his fellow student. That is why we acted."

Zhu Zaizhen snorted coldly: "Xu Wei is also at fault, otherwise it wouldn't be me coming to see you, but the Censorate of Shuntian Prefecture coming to interrogate you."

These words left them speechless. After all, they were the ones who started the fight, and if word got out that a group of scholars had ganged up on a commoner, everyone would think they were the ones bullying him.

Moreover, with Prince Jing present, their rebuttal would be considered highly disrespectful, especially with the group of Imperial Guards watching them intently.

Although everyone felt deeply aggrieved, they could only suppress their anger and say, "We know our guilt."

Li Panlong knelt on the ground, his back ramrod straight, his face ashen. He had never suffered such humiliation before, but the person standing in front of him was a prince, so he could only swallow his anger.

Wang Shizhen knelt behind him, her head bowed, her expression unreadable, only her clenched fists resting on her knees.

Xu Zhongxing, Zong Chen, Wu Guolun, and the others dared not utter a sound. Only then did they realize that if Prince Jing intended to order the Censorate to punish them for gathering a crowd to cause trouble and disgracing their official positions, the punishment would range from a salary deduction and reprimand to dismissal and expulsion.

Decades of hard study would be in vain; the thought filled them with lingering fear.

As for Xu Wei, he was just a commoner without any official rank. At most, his scholar's degree would be revoked. What impact could that have?

Liang Youyu was at a loss. Didn't His Highness just say he was going to teach Xu Wei a lesson? Why did he only scold them? Thinking of this, he couldn't stop his tears again.

But he still gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, it is all because of this humble servant that my fellow students have committed such a grave mistake. I am willing to take full responsibility and accept punishment. Please have mercy, Your Highness."

Wang Shizhen immediately said, "No, Chief Liang had already left when we took action. It is my fault, Your Highness, please punish me."

Xu Wei had been watching the spectacle, but due to Zhang Juzheng's repeated prompting, he had no choice but to step forward: "We are making friends through literature, and occasionally..."

"Fists and kicks are commonplace; I implore Your Highness not to pursue this matter further."

These words astonished everyone; human words had come from a dog's mouth!

Zhu Zaizhen's gaze swept across their faces, and his tone softened slightly: "Get up, all of you."

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and stood up, but still stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to raise their heads.

"Let's leave it at that. I will also send someone to speak to the Censorate of Shuntian Prefecture. You are all newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), with bright futures ahead of you. You should not ruin your careers for a moment of anger."

"Yes, Your Highness, we thank you and will certainly follow your teachings."

They were given a good talking-to, to let them know that no matter how high their literary standing or reputation in the academic world, it can never compare to power or having a powerful backer.

Push them towards Prince Yu's side, at least to make the prince look more impressive.

Zhu Zaizhen led Xu Wei and the others away, leaving everyone with their own thoughts.

They soon arrived at Xu Wei's house. Seeing that he was alright, Xu's mother ignored him and instead diligently prepared and entertained him.

Zhu Zaizhen asked Zhang Juzheng to grind the ink and Xu Wei to stand still, while he began to paint.

Xu Wei was in so much pain he just wanted to lie down, grimacing as he asked, "What is Your Highness doing?"

"I came out without going through the Directorate of Ceremonial to watch the spectacle, so I naturally have to give my father an explanation. Words are not enough, so let me draw a picture as proof."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng became even more enthusiastic about grinding ink, even though he had brought Xu Wei to the literary gathering in the first place precisely to make him offend people.

According to his thinking, even though Xu Wei had offended a lot of people, he should still be able to win over some people with his talent. Who knew that this guy had no friends at all because of his foul mouth.

Zhu Zaizhen used a graffiti technique, and his drawing was quite comical, especially highlighting the tragic situation.

After finishing the painting, Xu Wei couldn't stand it. He felt it was shameful to present his image to the emperor and his father in this way, so he tried to snatch it away, but Qi Jiguang suppressed him with one hand.

Zhu Zaizhen smiled and stamped his seal, the bright red seal of Ruixue Chengtian neatly placed in the corner.

Zhang Juzheng was ordered to write vertically: "In the winter of the twenty-eighth year of Jiajing, Xu Wei was discussing poetry in a tavern when he got into a fight with other scholars. He was surrounded and beaten, and his face was injured. His nose was bruised and his eyes were swollen. His cheeks were split and his lips were broken, and he was almost unrecognizable."

Xu Wei craned his neck to look, and the more he looked, the angrier he became: "Uncle, it was clearly me fighting against many people, fighting valiantly and refusing to retreat, how can you say I was ganged up on?"

Zhu Zaizhen laughed, took the pen, and added a sentence below Zhang Juzheng's line: "However, Xu Wei insulted others first, and he brought it upon himself. He should also be warned."

"Your Highness!"

"Alright, you've done well, here's three jars of fine wine for you."

Upon hearing this, Xu Wei said, "Your Highness, is my reputation in the eyes of the Emperor and Father only worth three jars of wine?"

Zhu Zaizhen replied earnestly, "Actually, one jar isn't worth much."

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