The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 104 The Crown Prince is Not the Emperor
Watching the Crown Prince leave the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Qianxi touched his forehead.

What the Crown Prince just said was downright treasonous.

But it seems like this kid is telling the truth!
Once the crown prince is deposed, the struggle for the throne will intensify, and who knows what might happen.

Perhaps one of her sons would come to Xuanwu Gate, and even if failure was inevitable, she would be criticized like Li Erfeng.

How could he then become a great emperor throughout history?

Moreover, if these rascals were to engage in a chaotic power struggle, the person who ultimately ascends to the throne might have to step on the blood of their brothers to consolidate their power.

These grown-up sons may not be as cute as they were when they were little, but they are still my sons after all!
The Crown Prince, that audacious brat, said something quite right: having too many sons is a burden.

How could I have so many sons?
Oh dear, Lady Wang is pregnant again. Should it be a son or a daughter?
Just as Emperor Qianxi was struggling with his thoughts, Shen Ye had already started on his way back to Yuqing Palace.

At this moment, besides feeling relieved, he also felt a lingering fear.

The former crown prince took a sum of money from the river works, but Emperor Qianxi didn't seem as angry as he had imagined.

Why is this so?

Is it the deep bond between father and son, or... or are there just too many people reaching into the river works for personal gain? So Emperor Qianxi has become numb to these things.

However, he soon remembered what he had just said.

I got a little cocky!

How could I have said those things without realizing it?

Is it because you've been keeping it bottled up inside for too long?

Or perhaps it was because his path to becoming crown prince was already fraught with difficulties and hardships, so he simply gave up.

Whatever the reason, I should be more low-key in the future!

Emperor Qianxi ordered him to save Jin Fu, but he refused to do so.

It seems that being an emperor doesn't mean you can do whatever you want or act on your whims.

He also needs to compromise, make concessions, and...

A series of thoughts surged in Shen Ye's mind. Since Emperor Qianxi had agreed to protect Zhao Yongyan, it meant that he was confident.

What should he do?

Shen Ye couldn't figure out what Emperor Qianxi was doing, but gradually, he figured out what Emperor Qianxi wanted him to do.

To protect Jin Fu, some court officials need to step in.

Unfortunately, Jin Fu has offended too many people, so those who attack him come uninvited, and there will probably be very few people pleading for him.

Under these circumstances, it was not an easy task for Emperor Qianxi to allow him to continue serving as the Governor-General of the Yellow River.

However, one can influence a group of people.

For example, people like Suo'etu!

Could it be that Emperor Qianxi's plan was to have Suo'etu intervene and bail out Jin Fu?

If he were to forcefully pressure Suo'etu, Suo'etu would be unlikely to resist.

However, Suo'etu's silence did not mean that those behind him would support Jin Fu's exoneration.

Although he and Suo'etu had fallen out, Suo'etu's family's wealth still depended on him. If he said a word, Suo'etu would probably do it.

However, this requires one to submit to Suo'etu.

How to do it?

He had finally shown signs of separating from Suo'etu, and if they were to get entangled again, there would be even bigger trouble in the future.

But what other methods can I use besides influencing Suo'etu?

For a moment, Shen Ye was completely clueless.

Unable to come up with a solution, Shen Ye decided to first learn about the river works. Only by fully understanding the situation of the river works could he truly know himself and his enemy.

So Shen Ye went directly to the Wenyuan Pavilion in the palace and had someone bring out information about river works!

As this information was unearthed, Shen Ye felt a headache coming on.

But I have to read everything I find myself!
While Shen Ye was reading in the Wenyuan Pavilion, in the residence of the Duke of Feng'en, located in Tongjia Alley, Tong Guowei, the Minister of War, was looking at Emperor Qianxi's edict. The edict was brought by Longkodo, who, as a first-class imperial bodyguard and ceremonial envoy, could be considered Emperor Qianxi's confidant.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been appointed as the Imperial Envoy.

This represents the face of Emperor Qianxi.

Now, although Suo'etu and Mingzhu are two powerful figures standing side by side in the court, the Tong family is by no means someone to be trifled with.

Not only were Tong Guowei and Orondai both first-class dukes, but many members of the Tong family were also highly valued.

Even Songgotu had to show great respect to Tong Guowei, because he was Emperor Qianxi's maternal uncle.

It is no exaggeration to say that Tong Guowei was an important right-hand man of Emperor Qianxi.

“Father, His Majesty wants us to protect Jin Fu. Do you think this is an easy task?” Longkodo asked respectfully.

Tong Guowei did not give Longkodo a friendly look.

This guy has completely disgraced himself. Instead of learning anything good, he's set his sights on his father-in-law's favorite concubine.

It would be one thing if he took a fancy to her, but this guy was also a bold and decisive man. Taking advantage of his father-in-law's absence, he simply led his men and robbed him!
In no time, this farce became a well-known joke in Beijing.

You say the wheels of history keep turning, shouldn't your selection of people also keep up with the times and offer something fresh? What a mess!
However, no matter how much he disliked him, he was still Tong Guowei's son.

He immediately said calmly, "Even if it's difficult, we still have to get it done!"

"After all, this is His Majesty's decree."

“Even if he is protected, at most he will be dismissed and investigated,” Tong Guowei said. “Jin Fu has offended too many court officials, not to mention the huge trouble caused by the Yellow River flood.”

"The impact has spread to five provinces, leaving countless people displaced."

Longkodo looked troubled, because the decree given to him by Emperor Qianxi was to protect Jin Fu's position.

"But His Majesty's meaning is..."

Before Longkodo could finish speaking, Tong Guowei coldly said, "If you think it's not feasible, then do it yourself. Aren't you very capable?"

Seeing his father's cold expression, Longkodo could only smile awkwardly and say, "Your son wouldn't dare."

"We'll handle Jin Fu's matter."

"But there's one thing you need to pay attention to," Tong Guowei said solemnly.

Seeing Tong Guowei's solemn expression, Longkodo quickly said, "Please give your instructions, Father."

"The audit of the river works accounts this time revealed that Zhao Yongyan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, had given 100,000 taels of silver for river works to the Crown Prince without authorization. Mingzhu and the others will definitely not let this matter go."

Tong Guowei's expression turned serious as he said this: "We should also give this matter a push."

If Longkodo was surprised that Tong Guowei had only done half of what Emperor Qianxi had entrusted to him, then now he was truly astonished.

Because his father was going to face off against the Crown Prince.

This……

“Father, that’s the Crown Prince!” Longkodo’s words were few, but the implication was clear and unmistakable:
We must not offend the Crown Prince!

Offending the crown prince is tantamount to offending the future emperor!

Tong Guowei naturally understood his son's meaning, and he said calmly, "Yes, that is the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince is not the Emperor!"

“Our family has already produced two Feng'en Gong (a high-ranking official), do you think we can go even further?”

Longkodo's expression changed, and he was about to say something when Tong Guowei said, "His Majesty is in the prime of life, while the Crown Prince is already grown up."

"His Majesty will like it if our family keeps its distance from the Crown Prince."

"Moreover, the crown prince is not necessarily the emperor."

"Our Tong family must also support one of our own!"

　The first update of the day is here! The end of the month is almost here, so please give me a vote if you have any!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)