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

Chapter 13: Brotherly Love is Always a Pitiful Thing
As the host, it was perfectly reasonable for the Fourth Prince to greet the First Prince upon his arrival.

So when faced with the Fourth Prince's request, Shen Ye generously waved his hand and said, "Fourth Brother, go ahead and get busy."

Just as the Fourth Prince was about to leave, the Eighth Prince, who was sitting to the side, stood up and said, "Your Highness, my elder brother has arrived. I'll go and greet him."

Shen Ye was speechless when he saw the Eighth Prince, Yun Si, stepping forward.

He felt that the Eighth Prince's methods seemed a little clumsy.

Even if you want to sow discord between me and Prince Zhi, there's no need to be so blatant, is there? Anyone with eyes can see your intentions!

If it were the Crown Prince Yunye of the past, he might not have been able to remain calm in this situation, and might have said some inappropriate things. He didn't want to keep his anger bottled up inside.

But the current Shen Ye is different; this guy's main strategy is to just lie down and relax.

I don't care whether I become emperor or not. Do you think I care if you fawn over me and belittle me?

So he waved his hand and said, "Eighth brother, go ahead. Besides, everyone else is free to do as you please, except for the fourth brother, who is the landlord!"

"We're here to celebrate the fourth son becoming a father, not to attend a court assembly, so there's no need to be too reserved!"

At this point, Shen Ye beckoned to the chubby-faced thirteenth brother and said, "Thirteenth brother, come here, tell me how your studies are going lately?"

The thirteenth and fourteenth princes, as the youngest sons of Emperor Qianxi, are currently very favored.

However, the two have different personalities. For example, the thirteenth son is more honest and kind, while the fourteenth son is now a complete brat.

Facing the Crown Prince, who was far superior to him in both age and status, he was somewhat reluctant to get involved, but still obediently walked over and said, "Your Highness, I recently finished reading the Book of Rites, and my teacher is currently lecturing on the Doctrine of the Mean..."

"Those books, you only need to read them briefly."

"After all, we're not planning to take the imperial examination to become a scholar. You should spend your free time reading more practical things, like..."

Seeing the Crown Prince getting along so well with the Thirteenth Prince, the Eighth Prince felt a little embarrassed and embarrassed.

His attempt to sow discord had backfired; not only had it failed to achieve its purpose, but it had also made him appear petty. He felt a slight sense of defeat and developed a greater degree of apprehension towards the Crown Prince.

The young master before him was not as easy to deal with as he had imagined.

I underestimated him!
In a flash, he regained his composure, gestured to the Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince who were about to act with him, and then walked out of the living room alone.

In just a minute, the tall and imposing Prince Zhi, Yunshi, entered, accompanied by the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince.

The arrival of this eldest prince caused all the princes present to stand up to greet him, and their imposing manner was no less than that of Shen Ye when he first arrived.

This alone gives one the feeling that there are two suns in the sky.

Although Shen Ye only inherited the memories of the original crown prince, he still felt a sense of disgust when he saw this Prince Zhi.

This resentment is truly extraordinary!

Moreover, it's not the kind of deep brotherly affection we're talking about.

Thinking about this, Shen Ye thought of the fate of this Prince Zhi, who seemed to have lived until the tenth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, dying in his sixties.

Moreover, after being placed under house arrest, she desperately had children, demonstrating through her actions what it means to have an endless cycle of life.

They are all pitiful people who couldn't win the throne!
Just as Shen Ye was feeling sentimental, Yun Shi bowed to Shen Ye and said, "Your subject Yun Shi greets Your Highness!"

Although Yun is the eldest brother, Shen Ye is the crown prince, so their relationship is that of ruler and subject.

Faced with Yunshi's bow, Shen Ye didn't have much intention of being polite or hypocritical. They were both losers, both imprisoned, so there was no need for anyone to make things difficult for the other.

So he casually said, "Brother, there's no need for such formalities. Today is a joyous occasion for Fourth Brother's family, let's have a good time."

"If we're too restrained, it'll feel awkward, and the brothers will feel uncomfortable!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Shi's heart skipped a beat. He knew very well that the Crown Prince was wary of him at every turn.

On ordinary days, the Crown Prince would do almost anything that could give him the upper hand.

He also yearned for the position of crown prince, so on the surface the two were quite harmonious, but in reality, they were vying for it and were on the verge of conflict.

He was quite surprised to come here to celebrate the birth of his fourth son.

First, the Crown Prince, who usually doesn't participate in such events, actually came!
Another point is that when the Crown Prince spoke to him, he was not as aggressive as he usually was.

This……

Could it be that his father severely punished several of his close attendants, allowing him to grow up so quickly?
An idea popped into his head, and he smiled and said, "Your Highness is right."

With the arrival of the First Prince Yunshi, all the guests invited to the Fourth Prince's banquet have now arrived.

The eunuchs and maids in charge of the banquet quickly placed the dishes that had been prepared in advance on two large octagonal tables in the living room.

The Fourth Prince, Yunzhen, put a lot of thought into hosting this banquet.

Not only are there chicken and pork commonly found in the palace, but also venison and seafood, which are rarely seen on ordinary days.

As the person of the highest status, Shen Ye should naturally be given the first place.

Normally, he would have had to decline the offer from Prince Zhi, but now that he was already in a relaxed state, he didn't bother to waste his emotions.

We're all losers, aren't we tired of putting on airs?

After having a few drinks together, the atmosphere among everyone immediately improved.

Then the third prince said, "Your Highness, elder brother, I heard that Father has ordered the Ministry of Works to start building a mansion for us. I think we brothers will have to move out of this palace by next spring at the latest."

"I just don't know how far our brothers' houses will be built."

This matter concerned most of the princes present, so everyone was very interested in discussing it.

Prince Zhi said, "I heard Father mention this once. Third Prince, our residences are probably not far apart, both near Shenwu Gate."

"As for the fourth brother and the others, it seems they'll be located east of Andingmen."

At this point, he added with a hint of regret, "It won't be easy for us brothers to get together in the palace like this again in the future."

As the saying goes, "when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves," and the eldest prince's words made the other princes, who were about to move out of the palace, feel a sense of unease.

Although moving away from the palace would give them greater freedom.

However, everything has two sides. This also means that they will gradually transform from princes into members of the imperial family, and the Forbidden City, which symbolizes unlimited imperial power, will become increasingly distant from them.

Looking at the group of people who seemed to share the same feelings, Shen Ye casually said, "It's not hard for everyone to get together like today. From now on, we brothers can get together for a meal on this day every month."

"We can all take turns hosting!"

His suggestion immediately caused an awkward silence.

Because no one expected that Shen Ye would make such a suggestion.

However, in a moment of surprise, the Third Prince smiled and said, "Your Highness's suggestion is excellent. Next time, I'll treat you."

As soon as he said that, the others chimed in, "Then we'll have a meal with Third Brother next month."

Just as the atmosphere in the living room was becoming more harmonious, someone said, "You all get together once a month, are you going to invite me or not?"

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(End of this chapter)