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

Chapter 12 I've already given up, and you still dare to rush in?

Shen Ye didn't expect that the Ninth Prince would suddenly appear when he came to the banquet.

The Ninth Prince, who is not yet seventeen, is still a thin and weak boy.

It is far from becoming the money bag for the Eighth Prince's Party in the parallel universe of the previous life.

However, this man's mouth is truly vicious. No wonder that after the Fourth Prince ascended to the throne, he immediately gave him even harsher treatment than the Eighth Prince without saying a word.

The way he spoke was like insulting a bald monk in front of a monk!
If it were the former crown prince himself, he might feel a little guilty and try to brush it off with a few perfunctory words.

But now, as a crown prince who has been laid down, he has little to fear, not only the cold-faced king, but also Emperor Qianxi.

After all, Emperor Qianxi's treatment of his son was at most confinement, nothing more.

Since he's going to be confined anyway, it doesn't matter if he's confined a day or two earlier.

“Ninth Brother, everyone says you’re not good at studying, but I think they’re wronging you and I want to say a few words in your defense.”

"Now that I hear your question, I realize that I overestimated you. There are indeed problems with your reading."

"You've read the 'Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty,' haven't you? Whether it was Emperor Shenzong or Emperor Chongzhen, which one of them wasn't targeted by those scholars?"

At this point, Shen Ye stepped to the Ninth Prince's side and said, "They keep talking about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, but what they really think are all their own selfish schemes."

“Go back and tell the tutors at the Southern Study to add a course on the Ming Dynasty Veritable Records for you.”

"In addition, write a reflection on reading the 'Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty' every five days, and I will personally correct it for you."

"Each reflection should be no less than three thousand words."

The Ninth Prince, as the first to speak, immediately brought up the imperial examination cheating case, actually preparing for the Crown Prince's wrath.

He had no intention of vying for the throne himself, and even if his father heard what he said and held it against him, he was not afraid.

Once the myna bird gets up there, his investment will pay off.

However, to his surprise, the crown prince, who was usually arrogant, easily angered, and treated them like servants, actually said such a thing.

He was alluding to those who cheated, while the prince went further and broadened his target audience to include all scholars.

He was also aware of the royal family's attitude towards scholars:
We need to use it, but we also need to suppress it!
That's not all. He was also asked to write 3,000 words of reflections on the "Ming Shilu" every five days. This was such a complicated task that even scratching his head might not be enough to meet the quota!

He never liked reading to begin with, this was practically the death of him!
He wanted to speak up in protest, but suddenly realized that if he objected now, the crown prince might have even more ways to deal with him.

After all, this is the crown prince, a half-ruler.

Even if the matter reached the Qianxi Emperor, it was still the Crown Prince who cared about his brother's studies and, despite his busy schedule, still made time to pay attention to his brother's learning.

Where can I go to reason with this?

Just then, the Eighth Prince, who had been standing aside watching the commotion, hurriedly said, "Ninth Prince, the Crown Prince is concerned about your studies, why don't you quickly express your gratitude!"

For the Eighth Prince, it was still very worthwhile to use the Ninth Prince's veiled provocations against the Crown Prince.

Even if the Crown Prince doesn't make a mistake in his actions, at least the atmosphere he created upon entering will become less relaxed.

He hadn't expected that instead of talking about cheating in the imperial examinations, the crown prince would discuss the power struggle between the emperor and his ministers in the Ming Dynasty.

This is something everyone has been covering up, so why make it so obvious?
His statement made it seem as if the imperial examination cheating scandal had nothing to do with him whatsoever.

Moreover, he subtly punished Lao Jiu!
The Eighth Prince knew that anyone who overstepped Emperor Qianxi's authority in disciplining him and his brothers would displease the emperor.

After all, a son is one's own flesh and blood.

However, there was one punishment that Emperor Qianxi was happy to see: forcing his son to study!
Although the Ninth Prince had always claimed that he was not good at studying, Emperor Qianxi still put a lot of effort into making demands of this son.

Now that the Crown Prince is required to study and write reading notes, even Emperor Qianxi would likely wholeheartedly agree and exclaim, "Well done!" But if the Ninth Prince misbehaves in the face of such punishment, he will be in deep trouble.

So he quickly stepped forward and reminded the Ninth Prince to behave himself.

The Ninth Prince was already timid, let alone after being reminded by his beloved Eighth Brother. He immediately said solemnly, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. I will definitely study hard."

Shen Ye felt quite pleased to see the Ninth Prince's sour face.

The former crown prince had to be extremely cautious in everything he did, but Shen Ye didn't have to be.

Since it's already the worst possible outcome, let's just go for it!
So he glared at the Ninth Prince and said, "Ninth Prince, it was your second brother who was concerned about your studies just now, you can't fool me."

"Otherwise, I, as your elder brother, will have to take on the responsibility of disciplining him on behalf of Father."

At this point, he turned to the tenth prince standing to the side and said, "Tenth prince, you should also read the 'Ming Shilu' with your ninth brother."

“We keep saying we’re reckless. Even if we are reckless, we should still know right from wrong.”

"Instead of just messing around as usual!"

"You've made Father worry about the two of you while he's already preoccupied with state affairs!"

The tenth prince didn't know what to say.

He stood aside, worried for Ninth Brother, but didn't step forward. How did he end up getting involved too?

The key issue is that although I feel aggrieved, I can't resist it.

Because this shows the deep care and concern of my good second brother.

But if one rebels, it seems like one is disloyal and unfilial!

Although he has always cultivated a reckless persona for himself, he is actually extremely intelligent and knows when to act recklessly and when to be honest.

Now the Crown Prince is using the fact that the two of them didn't study properly as an excuse, and he's punishing them by making them study harder. If this gets to the Emperor, then the two of them will be in the wrong.

The punishment might be even more severe.

So he could only suppress his resentment and say, "Your subject understands."

Shen Ye felt refreshed and invigorated. He stood up and went to the Tenth Prince's side, saying, "Your academic foundation is a little weak, so you don't need to write 3,000 words in five days."

"I'll halve the price for you, so it'll be 1,500."

"However, I want to see it for myself."

Seeing Shen Ye, who had dealt a slap and a beating to the Ninth and Tenth Princes in a grand and dignified manner, the Third Prince felt a sense of fear.

At this moment, he increasingly felt that his second brother, who was unassuming and low-key, seemed to be a bit not to be trifled with!

Just then, several eunuchs came in carrying trays with slices of watermelon on them.

As the host, Yunzhen hurriedly greeted everyone, "Your Highness, brothers, these are watermelons from Kaifeng. Please have a taste."

"Authentic sandy soil watermelon."

His call prompted Shen Ye and the others to pick up watermelons and start eating.

The tense atmosphere from just moments ago has suddenly become much calmer.

Just as Shen Ye finished eating a piece of melon, someone announced, "Prince Zhi has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince hesitated for a moment, then said to Shen Ye, "Your Highness, please have a seat. I will go and greet my elder brother!"

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(End of this chapter)