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

Chapter 222 This child most resembles His Majesty

After the Fourth Prince and Wu Sidao reached an agreement, they headed straight for Yuqing Palace.

As soon as someone announced the news, Crown Princess Shi Jingrong came out to greet her personally.

Shi Jingrong was always close to the brothers who came to visit Shen Ye, and sometimes they would chat about everyday things when they met.

This time, since the Crown Prince was in trouble, she came out to greet him.

"Greetings, Crown Princess." The Fourth Prince quickly bowed and greeted her.

Shi Jingrong smiled and waved her hand: "Fourth brother, we're family, being too polite would make us seem distant!"

"The Crown Prince is currently meeting with Orondai. Let's go to the side hall for a cup of tea first."

Upon hearing that Orondai was inside, the Fourth Prince's heart skipped a beat.

Orondai was like a rock in a latrine—stinky and stubborn. Relying on his relationship with Emperor Qianxi, he was arrogant and domineering, and even when he saw the princes, he didn't give them a friendly look.

Orondai's failure to repay the Crown Prince's debts has caused the Crown Prince to complain to everyone he meets, making it a hot topic in the capital recently.

Some people even secretly started a gambling game because of this, betting on whether Orondai would pay back the money.

At this critical juncture, Orondai came to see the Crown Prince. What was he planning to do?
"What is Orondai doing here?" Yunzhen stroked his chin, looking indignant. "Sister-in-law, if Orondai dares to cause trouble, let me do it. I'll beat him up for my brother, the Crown Prince!"

Seeing his words, Shi Jingrong smiled and said, "Fourth brother, Orondai has come over, saying he's here to repay the money."

Shi Jingrong said in a relaxed tone, "Actually, I think it's better if he doesn't pay back the money!"

"We still owe him 60,000 taels of silver!"

The fourth prince was somewhat disappointed when he heard that Orondai had come to repay the debt.

The Tong family has never been on his side, even though he has always tried to win them over.

Now that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Tong family has soured, he sees it as a great thing.

"That guy Orondai really deserves a good lesson!"

Just as the Fourth Prince was angrily criticizing Orondai, Shen Ye was leisurely drinking tea in his guest room.

He had absolutely no interest in talking to Orondai.

The reason they invited him into the guest room was to leave him hanging.

Regardless, Orondai was Emperor Qianxi's cousin, so he was given all the proper courtesy, but he just wouldn't say a word.

The main theme is to maintain a respectful but distant relationship between host and guest!
When Orondai first heard that the Crown Prince wanted to see him, he was a little nervous.

He wondered what the Crown Prince wanted to see him about.

Seeing the Crown Prince's nonchalant attitude, as if he were invisible, he couldn't hold back any longer: "Your Highness, please feel free to give your orders."

"I'll let you know if I need anything." Shen Ye slowly took a sip of tea.

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Orondai's face turned green.

He came here already with a lot of pent-up anger.

This time, he didn't gain anything by defaulting on his debt; instead, he became the laughingstock of the entire capital, with countless people waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Now that he had arrived at the Crown Prince's place, he had been left waiting for a full quarter of an hour, which only fueled his anger!
"Since the Crown Prince has no orders, why make his subjects sit here doing nothing?" Orondai's voice carried a hint of hostility.

Shen Ye took a sip of tea and said, "There are rumors circulating outside that you, Orondai, are renege on my debts and have shown me no respect whatsoever."

"And you also said that you acted recklessly and had no respect for the emperor."

"I'm letting you sit here a little longer so that outsiders can see that all these rumors about you are just gossip."

Shen Ye slowly drank another cup of tea before saying, "But I'm also quite annoyed by you, and I'm too lazy to waste my breath talking nonsense with you."

Orondai jumped up, but after thinking for a moment, he forced himself to sit down again.

After all, the person in front of him wasn't his biological father.

No matter how much his father clamored for Emperor Qianxi to kill him, Emperor Qianxi would never actually do it.

Moreover, his father might not have genuinely wanted to kill him.

But the crown prince in front of him wouldn't indulge him like that.

"You don't need to thank me. I just didn't want to put my father in a difficult position," Shen Ye said calmly, looking at Orondai, who was in a fit of anger.

Seeing the Crown Prince's leisurely demeanor, Orondai felt that the reason the Crown Prince did this was to deliberately make him sit on the sidelines!

The fact that the Crown Prince can talk about this so openly and honestly shows just how ruthless he is!

Orondai hesitated for a moment, then clasped his hands in thanks to Shen Ye and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

After saying this, Orondai sat down in the chair again.

After sitting for another quarter of an hour, Shen Ye, who was holding a book, said, "Alright, you can go and get back to work."

Looking at the unwavering Crown Prince, Orondai thought to himself, "Don't try anything funny. Your time to fall is coming!"
He had a lot of confidence in his second uncle, Tong Guowei, and he felt that his second uncle would definitely not lie to him about this matter.

After seeing Orondai off, Shen Ye met the Fourth Prince, who looked worried about him.

"Your Highness, you should quickly explain the meaning of the lottery to your father. Just say that you were just speaking unintentionally, and that it was misinterpreted by that villain Aling'a."

"I believe that as long as you explain it clearly, Father will not hold this matter against you."

The Fourth Prince's acting was superb; he spoke with such sincerity, appearing completely unaware of anything.

Looking at the Fourth Prince, who seemed to be thinking of everything for you, Shen Ye wondered if he had misunderstood his fourth brother.
Is he truly committed to me now? However, this thought had barely crossed his mind when Shen Ye immediately dismissed it.

How could he, who had always been the most secretive, be so devoted to following him?
He came here to have himself explain himself to Emperor Qianxi, probably not only to gain favor with the emperor but also to leave a good impression of being selfless and dedicated to public service.

Also, did he see through the purpose of his so-called lottery?
Although he had his doubts, Shen Ye remained outwardly calm and said, "Thank you for your concern, Fourth Brother. I have already met with Father."

"What did Father Emperor say?" the Fourth Prince asked anxiously.

However, the fourth prince quickly seemed to realize that he had been too hasty and hurriedly covered it up, saying, "Your Majesty, I was just too concerned about you!"

Shen Ye smiled and said, "I naturally understand your kindness, Fourth Brother."

"Father Emperor has a keen eye and can see things clearly. He will not be blinded by a few words of impeachment."

"Fourth brother, don't worry."

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, the Fourth Prince immediately put on a relieved expression and said, "That's good, then I can rest assured."

"Your Highness, there are some things I feel are inappropriate to say, but they are stuck in my throat and I have no choice but to speak them."

Shen Ye was most wary of his fourth brother, after all, he was the one who had the last laugh in the parallel universe.

So beneath the facade of brotherly affection, he was most afraid that this good younger brother might suddenly dig a hole for him somewhere.

That would be uncomfortable.

He smiled and said, "Fourth brother, I've always considered you a confidant. What's the point if we keep things to ourselves? Just say what you have to say, don't beat around the bush."

The fourth prince immediately said in an extremely solemn voice, "Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince, and countless people are watching you!"

"Therefore, Your Highness, I urge you to be careful when speaking with certain people in the future, and never let those with ulterior motives take advantage of you."

Shen Ye patted the Fourth Prince on the shoulder and said, "Fourth Brother, I will remember your heartfelt words!"

"Zhou Bao, tell the Crown Princess to prepare two good dishes so that my fourth brother and I can have a good drink together."

Hearing Shen Ye's arrangements, the Fourth Prince's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was immediately put at ease. He felt that his trip had not been in vain.

……

The residence of Songgotu. Although this old prime minister was busy growing vegetables every day, he still heard all the happenings in the court.

When he heard that the Crown Prince had given the answer of drawing lots when he asked the Court of Colonial Affairs about the matter of Tibet, Soetu was stunned for a moment. His hoe tilted and he accidentally knocked over a few vegetables.

"Father, although His Majesty arranged for Chen Tingjing to explain to those censors and officials and put the matter to rest, our people have heard that some censors and officials are still planning to impeach the Crown Prince during tomorrow's morning court session."

Algishan said, "Should we leak this news to the Crown Prince?"

Soetu remained silent.

Seeing his father remain silent, Algishan hesitated for a moment, then raised his voice and repeated himself.

Soetu then said, "Since Your Majesty intends to protect the Crown Prince, there won't be any major storms."

"The Crown Prince should also learn a lesson."

"He should understand the importance of being careful with his words and actions."

At this point, Suo'etu slowly stood up, put down the hoe in his hand, picked up a pot of tea that was not far away, and drank it.

At this moment, Suo'etu's expression carried a hint of confidence.

This is a kind of confidence that comes from having everything under control.

As Songgotu resigned from his position as Grand Secretary, his influence began to weaken. If this continued, he would truly become just an old farmer growing vegetables.

Where does his confidence come from?

A memorial from the Court of Colonial Affairs stirred the hearts of countless people.

As another grand ancestral worship ceremony approached, the atmosphere outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony was somewhat strange.

Some people who were unaware of the situation continued to chat and laugh, but those who had received the news looked tense.

Some people looked around nervously.

Under these circumstances, many people's eyes quietly turned to Tong Guowei and the others who were at the forefront of the group.

They were Grand Secretaries, pillars of the court, and also the most important protagonists of this court assembly.

Everyone was looking at Tong Guowei, and Tong Guowei was also sizing people up; he was sizing up the princes.

In Tong Guowei's eyes, although the eldest prince suppressed his joy, his eyes still held a smile and anticipation.

The third prince seemed to know nothing, appearing honest and kind.

As for the Fourth Prince, he remained as expressionless and aloof as ever, with no one able to guess what he was thinking!
……

As for the Eighth Prince, he was the one Tong Guowei was most satisfied with. He was humble and cautious, with a bright smile, and had the demeanor of a gentleman!
This child looks exactly like His Majesty!

As for the Crown Prince—the Crown Prince has not arrived yet.

Just then, the whip cracked, and with that sound, all the ministers rushed toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The morning court session is about to begin!

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(End of this chapter)