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

Chapter 22 Your son is unworthy
Yu Hualong's gaze also unconsciously turned towards Mingzhu's direction.

Because the chief examiner for that year's imperial examination was Mingzhu.

Therefore, in that imperial examination, anyone who passed the Jinshi examination had Mingzhu as their mentor.

It is precisely because of this relationship that they were able to rise so rapidly.

Just as he was hesitating, Mingzhu glared at him fiercely.

That glance was like a word of advice, or a warning.

"My mentor is... is the Prime Minister." Finally, under everyone's gaze, Yu Hualong said it with a trembling voice.

Compared to his previous impassioned speech, his current submissive demeanor is a world of difference.

Emperor Qianxi's gaze then turned towards Mingzhu.

Although he was aware of all this, saying it in front of so many people felt different.

Although Mingzhu felt a little uncomfortable, he still said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, although I am Yu Hualong's mentor, this report on the cheating in the imperial examination was submitted by Yu Hualong in the course of his duty."

"He has absolutely no connection with me."

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Shen Ye, his apprehension growing even stronger.

A shrewd and capable son both brought him heartfelt joy and made him feel deeply threatened.

After all, I am not old yet!
He said calmly, "Let the Crown Prince continue."

Shen Ye then said, "Prime Minister, you misunderstand. I did not say that Yu Hualong's impeachment of the imperial examination fraud was instigated by you."

Shen Ye's words seemed to be an attempt to comfort Mingzhu, but upon closer examination, they were actually a deadly blow to her spirit.

I don't think it's you, do you believe me?

Upon hearing this, Mingzhu's face darkened.

Fortunately, he was no ordinary person. At this moment, no matter how harsh Shen Ye's words were, he had to remain calm and composed.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

As someone who has spent many years in the imperial court, Mingzhu possesses abilities that others do not have.

That's like refusing to listen to insults!
Although Shen Ye's words were unpleasant, he still listened attentively without showing any emotion.

The eldest prince stepped forward slightly, intending to speak, but he was met with Mingzhu's stern gaze.

The eldest prince absolutely must not attack the crown prince at this critical juncture!
Otherwise, it would be a fight between brothers.

Emperor Qianxi, who valued brotherly harmony highly, would absolutely not allow it.

After all, if he is to be a sage ruler, his sons must be kind and respectful to each other.

He could not stand idly by and watch the Crown Prince, as a semi-ruler, allow others to attack him on the surface.

Let alone the eldest prince!
Shen Ye's gaze did not fall on the eldest prince.

Because his opponent today is not the Crown Prince!
He continued to look at Yu Hualong with a smile, and then said calmly, "Yu Hualong, do you send gifts to your mentor on every major holiday and birthday?"

Yu Hualong's face flushed bright red instantly.

He wanted to say that he would not give gifts, but if he did not give gifts to his teacher on major holidays and birthdays, how could he respect his teacher?

How will others view me as a student in the future? This is simply unacceptable!

He glanced at Mingzhu, but saw that his master was not looking at him.

His gaze turned toward the throne, where he saw two bright yellow figures, making his vision somewhat blurry.

Should we send it or not?

Just as he was feeling uneasy and torn between two options, Shen Ye spoke again: "Imperial Censor Yu, you haven't even forgotten whether or not to give gifts to your mentor during holidays, have you?"

Beads of sweat dripped continuously from Yu Hualong's forehead.

However, Yu Hualong was no ordinary person.

Having experienced the ups and downs of officialdom over the years, he had accumulated some experience, so he made a decision after careful consideration.

"Your Highness, it is our duty to respect our teachers and value the way of learning."

Yu Hualong did not say whether he would give a gift or not, but used the reason of respecting teachers and valuing the way.

Such a reasoning was entirely correct in the Zhou Dynasty, which governed the country with filial piety as its guiding principle.

A disciple who is disrespectful to his teacher is a serious problem. Yu Hualong's answer was a tactful and steady response, perfectly reasonable.

Right after Yu Hualong said those words, Shen Ye chuckled softly.

He then turned to Yu Hualong and said, "Yu Hualong, you talk about respecting teachers and valuing the Way, so let me ask you, what exactly did Mingxiang teach you?"

"You wouldn't happen to be wearing all those Four Books and Five Classics, would you? They're from the Ming Dynasty's sect, would they?"

Mingzhu felt a very bad feeling as Shen Ye kept referring to Mingxiang.

He vaguely realized that Shen Ye was using his and Yu Hualong's identities to his advantage.

At this moment, he deeply regretted letting Yu Hualong impeach him.

If other censors had intervened, things wouldn't be so difficult now.

He wanted to interrupt Shen Ye, but he didn't know where to start.

"Your Highness, although I did not study the Four Books and Five Classics with a teacher, I have learned a lot from Prime Minister Ming." Yu Hualong felt increasingly guilty.

He couldn't figure out what the Crown Prince was up to, but he felt guilty.

Right after Yu Hualong answered, Shen Ye suddenly cupped his hands towards Emperor Qianxi and said, "Father, the imperial examination is the grand ceremony for selecting talents in our Great Zhou Dynasty."

"The examiners were simply selecting talent for the court according to the law."

"But now, it has become the examiners' act of accepting students, while the imperial court is thrown aside."

"This is truly taking credit for Heaven's work!"

"Such behavior should be severely punished to prevent this talent selection ceremony from becoming a tool for some people to form cliques and pursue personal gain."

At this point, Shen Ye bowed and said, "Your humble servant is willing to thoroughly investigate this matter and restore integrity to the court."

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Emperor Qianxi was initially furious, but quickly calmed down.

He was naturally aware of his mentor's situation.

However, this rule has been passed down from the past, and he is powerless to change it.

This has become a rule that everyone knows and even occasionally brings up.

It even led to the formation of rules that students could not criticize their teachers or betray their teachers.

Anyone who challenges this rule is, in effect, challenging all the civil officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The resistance encountered will be overwhelming.

What is the Crown Prince trying to do?
Isn't he afraid of the backlash from the civil officials?

Now that he's done this, what should we say about him, since everyone used to say he was a brilliant and capable ruler?

That was really reckless!
Although Emperor Qianxi felt that the Crown Prince's actions were somewhat reckless, he also felt a vague sense of joy.

Because the crown prince lacked the support of civil officials, he seemed to pose less of a threat to him.

Even the crown prince asked him for protection.

The vast Hall of Supreme Harmony was utterly silent at this moment.

Many people were a bit confused!

Weren't we just talking about cheating in the provincial examinations in Shuntian Prefecture? How did we get onto the topics of titles like "mentor" and "examiner"?

The Crown Prince's demand for a thorough investigation of his tutors and advisors has left many feeling uneasy.

Because most of the people present had served as mentors, or at least as housekeepers.

Of course, he also served as a student to his mentors and faculties.

If the Crown Prince wants to investigate thoroughly, this...

All eyes turned to Emperor Qianxi, awaiting his decision.

After all, at this critical juncture, only the emperor who has ruled the world for over thirty years can make the decision!

Many people felt at this time that the cheating in the imperial examinations in Shuntian Prefecture was a minor matter, and that the real issue was to investigate the fact that the tutors and advisors were forming cliques for personal gain.

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(End of this chapter)