Fifteenth Year of the Zhengde Era of the Great Ming Dynasty, Anlu, Hubei Province, Prince Xian’s Estate.

Fourteen-year-old Prince Xian Zhu Houcong stared blankly at the thick account ledgers. The previous year, his father had passed away, and at merely thirteen years old, Zhu Houcong had inherited the princely title. He lived in Prince Xian’s estate with his widowed mother and a young sister, his tender shoulders bearing the heavy burden of life far too early.

“Your Highness, my mother just made scallion pancakes! Eat them while they’re hot!”

A handsome young man burst through the door with great fanfare, holding up a plate stacked with scallion pancakes. The aroma of crispy golden crust, scallions, and oil was utterly captivating.

The young man had long, slender legs and walked like a crane – this was Zhu Houcong’s milk brother Lu Bing.

Here in Anlu, rice was the staple food, and few households made scallion pancakes. Lu Bing’s mother Fan Shi was Prince Xian Zhu Houcong’s wet nurse. Lu Bing’s father Lu Song was a hereditary Embroidered Uniform Guard standard bearer. The Lu family were originally from Beijing, but when Lu Song followed the previous generation Prince Xian to establish his fief in Anlu, the entire family migrated here. His wife Fan Shi was also from North Zhili and excelled at making wheat-based foods.

Zhu Houcong picked up his chopsticks to eat the scallion pancakes. His milk brother Lu Bing was far less particular – he grabbed the pancakes with both hands and ate them, getting his fingers covered in oil. He joked, “Your Highness, when you put our two names together, they make ‘scallion pancake’ (Cong combining the ‘flame’ radicals from both Houcong and Bing).”

Though Zhu Houcong was younger than Lu Bing, he was more composed. Hearing this, he merely smiled. Following the principle of not talking while eating, he stopped after finishing one pancake.

Lu Bing glanced at the account ledgers on the desk. “Your Highness is in a bad mood – is the Imperial Clan Court delaying the estate’s stipend again? Those bastards just know how to bully orphans and widows!”

Zhu Houcong nodded. “Don’t tell the Dowager Consort about this. I’ll handle it myself. They haven’t paid last year’s amount, and this year’s looks like it will be delayed again. If this continues, the estate won’t even be able to maintain basic appearances. I won’t count on the Imperial Clan Court anymore – I’ll petition the Emperor directly. If we can’t even maintain proper appearances, the estate’s lost face won’t be mine alone.”

Emperor Zhengde was Zhu Houcong’s cousin – they shared the same grandfather, Emperor Chenghua.

Hearing this, Lu Bing put down his beloved scallion pancakes and patted his chest, declaring, “Give the memorial to me! I’ll personally deliver it to the Emperor. My father knows Zhang Yong, the Director of Ceremonies, so I can go through his connections. I’ll definitely get it to the imperial presence without the Imperial Clan Court intercepting it halfway.”

Zhu Houcong looked at the five finger-shaped oil stains on his milk brother’s chest… he didn’t seem very reliable.

But as a vassal prince, he couldn’t leave his fief even half a step without imperial summons, or it would be considered treason. Apart from trusting his milk brother, he had no other choice.

Zhu Houcong wrote the memorial and had the tailor alter several fine garments he hadn’t yet worn to fit Lu Bing, hoping that dressing more respectably would help him avoid contemptuous looks.

Emperor Zhengde wasn’t in Beijing – he was in Nanjing. This year, when Prince Ning rebelled, the Emperor had led a personal expedition. While he was still en route, the famous minister Wang Shouren had already suppressed the rebellion and captured Prince Ning alive.

By rights, Emperor Zhengde should have been returning to the capital, but he was an emperor notorious for his absurd love of pleasure. This so-called “personal expedition” was really just an excuse to tour the Jiangnan region. Upon learning that Wang Shouren had already captured the rebellious Prince Ning, Emperor Zhengde ordered Wang Shouren to release the prince – he wanted to capture him personally.

Or rather, he wanted permission to play in Jiangnan for several months without interference.

Choosing the lesser of two evils, the court officials had no choice but to tacitly allow the Emperor to treat his personal expedition as a pleasure trip.

Fortunately, precisely because Emperor Zhengde was so absurd, Lu Bing was able to travel from Anlu in Hubei all the way to Nanjing to deliver Prince Xian Zhu Houcong’s memorial to the imperial presence.

Despite Lu Bing’s carefree, thoughtless appearance, before departing he had nearly emptied the Lu family’s entire savings, converting everything into a thousand taels of silver to bribe Director of Ceremonies Zhang Yong and beg for his introduction.

Lu Bing understood that when people leave, relationships cool. Their Lu family had followed Prince Xian’s household to establish the fief in Anlu, Hubei for over thirty years – who would still remember them? His claim that “my father knows Director of Ceremonies Zhang Yong” was really just meant to comfort Zhu Houcong. They might have known each other once, but now Zhang Yong certainly wouldn’t remember who his father was. Only money could open these connections.

Having received the bribe, Zhang Yong not only delivered the memorial to the imperial presence – Emperor Zhengde actually ordered an audience with him!

This was Lu Bing’s first imperial audience, and he was extremely nervous. Upon entering the room, he immediately smelled a strong medicinal odor. Emperor Zhengde had fallen into water while fishing and seemed seriously ill this time. Lying on the dragon couch, he asked about Prince Xian Zhu Houcong’s health and what books he had been reading.

Lu Bing naturally praised his milk brother to the skies: “…Every morning at dawn, he practices martial arts with your humble subject. His health is excellent – he doesn’t even cough once all year. After martial practice, he pays his respects to the Dowager Consort, showing great filial piety. Then he goes to his study to read. He has finished the Four Books, and all the lecturers in the estate praise Prince Xian for his diligence and love of learning. He is truly a fine young man.”

Emperor Zhengde had Zhang Yong give Lu Bing a sealed letter: “You must deliver this personally to my cousin Prince Xian. He must open and read it with no one else present.”

Lu Bing was baffled, but this was an imperial edict that he had to obey. He hurriedly traveled from Nanjing back to Anlu and delivered Emperor Zhengde’s sealed letter to Prince Xian Zhu Houcong.

Following the edict, Lu Bing turned to leave, but Zhu Houcong called him back: “Milk brother, you are the person I trust most. You’re not an outsider. Let’s read this letter you’ve brought together.”

Only after Lu Bing left did Zhu Houcong learn about his secret sale of family property, finally understanding his milk brother’s desperate efforts to help Prince Xian’s estate escape its difficulties.

Zhu Houcong broke the seal and unfolded the letter. He was immediately stunned – this was a succession edict that read:

“As We lie gravely ill, no heir has been established. Our imperial father’s younger brother, Prince Xingxian’s eldest son Houcong has reached maturity and is wise, benevolent, and filial. By succession order, he should be established. Following the Ancestral Instructions’ text of ‘when elder brother dies, younger brother succeeds’… shall inherit the imperial throne.”

I… His Majesty is about to die? I’m going to become Emperor? Zhu Houcong felt his heart nearly stop beating. He read the succession edict over and over again, finally asking Lu Bing to read it aloud softly: “…Milk brother, I’m afraid I’ve misread it. I’m just a poor little vassal prince who doesn’t dare step half a pace beyond his fief boundaries. How could I possibly hold steady the Great Ming empire? Is the Emperor joking? He’s always been like this – capable of any kind of prank.”

An imperial throne had fallen from heaven, stunning the little vassal prince Zhu Houcong, who was still struggling with basic livelihood.

“The edict says the Emperor is saying he’s about to pass away. He has no heir, so according to ancestral rules, Your Highness is the successor to the throne.” Being three years older than Zhu Houcong, Lu Bing comforted him like an older brother, patting his shoulder: “Your Highness needn’t worry. No matter how difficult the road ahead, I will accompany Your Highness through it all.”

From that day forward, Lu Bing completely changed from his previous lazy, aimless demeanor and suddenly became diligent. He rose at cockcrow, led the estate guards in drills, and studied military texts whenever he had time, constantly preparing for the journey to the capital.

In less than five months, news indeed came from the capital – Emperor Zhengde had died!

Thirty-eight days later, Zhu Houcong hurriedly arrived at the capital. At Tongzhou Port, as the large boat docked, the Ministry of Rites brought the succession ceremony protocols for Zhu Houcong to review and practice.

The succession protocols stated that Zhu Houcong should follow the ceremony for a crown prince’s succession: after arriving at the Forbidden City, he should enter through the Eastern Peace Gate and hold the succession ceremony at Wenhua Hall.

After reading through once, Zhu Houcong set the protocols aside and had Lu Bing bring out Emperor Zhengde’s succession edict, saying: “The late Emperor’s edict summoned me to inherit the imperial throne, not to become crown prince. According to protocol, when the Emperor travels, he must enter and exit through the Great Ming Gate of the Forbidden City.”

Initially, no one took this fifteen-year-old little vassal prince from the backwaters seriously, thinking he was an easily controlled youth.

Especially Empress Dowager Zhang – she wanted to force Zhu Houcong to become an adopted son, having him adopted into her name as her child, then ascending the throne as crown prince. This way, she and Zhu Houcong would have a mother-son relationship rather than aunt and nephew, allowing her to firmly control the young emperor through filial obligations.

The Grand Secretariat felt that if the young emperor compromised and yielded on the first matter, he would be easier to manipulate later, so they all wanted to give Zhu Houcong a show of strength.

A Ministry of Rites official said: “This is the decision of Empress Dowager Zhang, the Grand Secretariat, and the Directorate of Ceremonies. We hope Your Highness will see the bigger picture and quickly learn the enthronement ceremony with your humble servants.”

They were trying to force Zhu Houcong to compromise.

Concerned about face, Zhu Houcong held back his anger. Lu Bing stepped forward and furiously berated the Ministry of Rites officials: “How dare you! The succession edict is here – how dare you tamper with the imperial decree!”

The Ministry official grew anxious: “This truly is the decision of the Empress Dowager and Grand Secretariat. Your humble servants dare not act independently!”

Lu Bing declared: “We will only act according to what the succession edict states. Imperial commands are supreme – the Empress Dowager and Grand Secretariat must have made an error. Have them change it.”

The Ministry officials refused, insisting that Zhu Houcong learn the crown prince succession ceremony. Lu Bing pushed the officials aside one by one.

At the height of this standoff, the previously silent Zhu Houcong slowly stood up. The assembled officials thought he was about to compromise, when Lu Bing urgently called out: “Your Highness! Prince Xingxian has only Your Highness as a surviving son – all the others died young. Consort Dowager Xingxian also has only Your Highness as her son. If Your Highness is adopted into Empress Dowager Zhang’s name, Prince Xingxian’s bloodline will be severed!”

“If Your Highness inherits the throne as crown prince, people will ridicule you for the rest of your life, saying Your Highness abandoned your own father and mother for the throne! This is unfilial – a lifelong weakness others can exploit.”

“I know.” Zhu Houcong said calmly: “I came to be Emperor, not crown prince. Since Empress Dowager Zhang and the Grand Secretariat don’t recognize the late Emperor’s edict, a small vassal prince like me has no recourse. Lu Bing, let’s return to where we came from.”

With that, Zhu Houcong actually began to leave!

The assembled officials were dumbstruck – who would refuse an imperial throne placed before them! This throne required no struggle to obtain, could be gained simply by lying down, yet this youth was discarding it like worn shoes!

Officials crowded around trying to dissuade him. Using his long legs and martial arts skills, Lu Bing grasped the still-slender Zhu Houcong’s hand and forced a path through the crowd, then commandeered a horse. The two shared the mount and charged out of the camp!

They rode to Tongzhou Port dock, where their arrival boat had just begun unloading luggage. Lu Bing said: “No need to unload – we’re returning to Anlu immediately.”

They boarded the boat and set sail. Lu Bing asked: “Does Your Highness regret this?”

Zhu Houcong shook his head, instead feeling a sense of relief with youthful spirit: “I either won’t become Emperor at all, or I’ll be a mighty, universally-submitted-to Emperor. I won’t be a puppet, useless Emperor controlled by the Empress Dowager and officials. Not even daring to acknowledge my own parents – worse than beasts.”

The large boat was traveling on the canal when Ministry of Rites fast boats intercepted them midway, again presenting enthronement ceremonies – this time finally changed to entering the Forbidden City through the Great Ming Gate and ascending the throne at Fengtian Hall.

Holding the new succession ceremony protocols, Zhu Houcong felt deeply moved: “Fortunately I had my milk brother’s assistance, teaching me how to be an Emperor – that is, never compromise, never be weak.”

After the enthronement ceremony, the enthronement edict was to be read. Zhu Houcong saw that on the edict, the Grand Secretariat had chosen the reign name “Shaozhi” for him. He disliked it and directly crossed it out with the vermillion brush, changing it to “Jiajing.”

Zhu Houcong didn’t think “Shaozhi” sounded bad – he was simply returning the favor, showing that though he was young and born to an imperial branch line, he wasn’t a soft persimmon for others to squeeze. He would learn to control court politics, starting with controlling his own reign name.

On his first night as Emperor, Zhu Houcong was too excited to sleep. He sat on the dragon throne with Lu Bing standing beside him in attendance.

“You are the only person I trust. You must always stay with me.” Zhu Houcong swept his dragon robe dramatically and declared: “I share this empire with you. Tell me, what do you want? I can give you anything.”

Lu Bing rubbed his belly: “Your Majesty, your humble subject has been busy all day. Fearing Your Majesty might have orders with no trusted person available, I haven’t even had a sip of water. Now I’m both thirsty and hungry – right now, your humble subject only wants a plate of scallion pancakes.”