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

Chapter 231 Even the strongest emperor has moments of weakness.

Shen Ye listened to Emperor Qianxi's arrangements with a heavy heart.

The Fifth Princess died just like that, and Emperor Qianxi was naturally grieved, but he still chose to prioritize the overall situation.

This is so typical of Emperor Qianxi!
The reason why Emperor Qianxi insisted that the Court of Colonial Affairs insist that the Fifth Princess died of illness was, frankly speaking, to preserve his dignity and reputation as the emperor.

Otherwise, if his own daughter were beaten to death and he didn't dare to utter a single word, where would Emperor Qianxi put his face if such a thing got out!
The problem is, if the Court of Colonial Affairs really lies like this with its eyes closed, and I happen to be observing the proceedings there, wouldn't I be the one to take the blame? Shen Ye cursed inwardly.

Looking at Emperor Qianxi's ashen face, Shen Ye knew that stubbornness now would be tactless. He had no choice but to swallow his anger and ask in a low voice, "Father, what's wrong with my thirteenth brother?"

"That bastard!" Emperor Qianxi's anger flared up instantly. "I don't know where this rebellious son heard about Jingyi, but he insists on leading troops to kill Kezang! Doesn't he even consider what time it is now!"

“I told him to wait a moment, and I will definitely deal with Kezang later.”

"The time is not right yet, but this kid is determined to force me to abdicate!"

"If it weren't for Jingyi's sake, I would have locked him up to study!"

The Qianxi Emperor's voice was filled with both anger and heartache.

Shen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

The thirteenth prince is still studying in the Imperial Study; he has absolutely no involvement in matters of the court.

Now, even the thirteenth prince knows. What does this mean? It means that everyone inside and outside the palace probably already knows how the Fifth Princess died, and the news has spread far and wide!
Emperor Qianxi chose this critical juncture to have the Court of Colonial Affairs submit a memorial; wasn't this clearly an invitation for the Court of Colonial Affairs to be criticized?

But would the Court of Colonial Affairs dare not submit this memorial?

The emperor issued an order to make the Court of Colonial Affairs take the blame, so isn't that a matter of course?
Shen Ye quickly changed her mind and said to Emperor Qianxi, "Father, the thirteenth prince is still young. He has always been closest to the fifth sister. It is understandable that he couldn't think straight for a while. In two more years, when he grows up and understands his studies, he will naturally understand your good intentions."

Emperor Qianxi snorted: "If it weren't for Fifth Miss's sake, would I have tolerated his nonsense! Go and make him get out of Qianqing Palace later! What kind of behavior is it to kneel there like that, so stiff and stupid!"

Shen Ye cursed his bad luck inwardly! Why did he have to run into such a mess? But there was nothing he could do about it, so he could only bite the bullet and accept it.

The two exchanged a few more words about the thirteenth prince. Just as Shen Ye was wondering if he should take his leave, Emperor Qianxi suddenly asked him, "Did you come here for something?"

Shen Ye hurriedly said, "Didn't Father Emperor ask me to deal with the matter of Ninth Prince seizing the shop? I've finished it and came to report to you."

"How was it handled?" Emperor Qianxi's expression grew even more grim.

One son wasn't enough of a headache, now another one has appeared!
The thirteenth prince was heartbroken over the death of his elder sister, so he had to suppress his anger no matter how furious he was.

But that bastard Lao Jiu is just making things difficult for his father and embarrassing him!

Although the censors dared not say a single word against him, Emperor Qianxi was definitely going to be labeled as "failing to properly educate his son"!
It was only because Lao Jiu was lucky that he was impeached today. If it had happened today, Emperor Qianxi would not have let Shen Ye handle it; he would have just brought him over as a punching bag.

Shen Ye didn't hide anything and explained his method of treatment in detail.

Upon hearing that Shen Ye had forcibly bought Yuntang's gold shop for two hundred taels of silver, Emperor Qianxi cursed "nonsense" but his expression softened considerably.

Shen Ye then revealed to Emperor Qianxi his idea of ​​persuading the Ninth Prince to build the expressway: "Father, since the Ninth Prince wants to make money, and right now, the construction of the expressway is lacking a leader to break the deadlock, I might as well tell him about the idea of ​​building the road to Tianjin."

"If Ninth Prince is willing to take the lead, this matter will surely make him a fortune. Moreover, the money will be earned legitimately, saving him from causing any trouble in the future because of his desire to make money, and preventing Father from having to worry about him!"

Upon hearing about the expressway to Tianjin, Emperor Qianxi frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "What are we transporting via the road built from Tianjin?"

“Father, the canal transport is reliable, but it’s too slow. Most importantly, it’s restricted by the waterways, and there are too many variables.” Shen Ye knew the canal transport like the back of his hand and was well aware of its current problems.

“Right now, one-third of the imperial court’s tax revenue comes from Jiangnan! If the canal transport is disrupted or the millions of canal workers riot, the imperial court must plan ahead and leave itself a way out, right?”

"Therefore, I've been thinking about this lately. Navigation technology is becoming more and more reliable, and ships sailing near the coast are much safer. What do you think about opening a port in Tianjin to supplement the canal?"

Emperor Qianxi was a studious man who had a wide range of knowledge in various fields, and he was not completely ignorant about navigation.

He maintained a maritime ban, partly due to the past rebellion of the Zheng family during the previous dynasty, and also because he had various concerns about Western goods.

Upon hearing Shen Ye say that they couldn't rely solely on the canal transport system, he hesitated for a moment before cautiously saying, "This matter... let's discuss it later. I'm tired; take the thirteenth prince back." With that, he sat back down in his chair.

For a fleeting moment, Shen Ye suddenly noticed a hint of dejection on Emperor Qianxi's face.

Shen Ye could roughly guess why the emperor was in this state.

The usually aloof and unapproachable Emperor Qianxi was, in the end, just a person, a middle-aged man.

His own daughter was kicked to death. Not only could he not seek revenge, but he also had to pretend to be ignorant and helplessly accept the situation. How could he feel good about it?
Add to that a bunch of troublesome sons… how could he not be tired? However, he always kept this exhaustion buried deep inside, never showing it. At that moment, Shen Ye felt a surge of sympathy for Emperor Qianxi, and words of comfort slipped out: “Father, everything will be alright.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, even Shen Ye himself was stunned—how did I end up comforting the emperor?
Emperor Qianxi was also taken aback!
For so many years, no one has said a word of comfort or consideration to him.

When he was a child, the Empress Dowager comforted him.

After the Empress Dowager passed away, the Empress Dowager would occasionally offer words of comfort when she saw that he was in a bad mood. However, as he grew older, the Empress Dowager offered these words of comfort less and less.

Since they weren't mother and son, the Empress Dowager would hold back when speaking to him.

It was precisely at this time, when she was in the worst mood, that she heard the Crown Prince's words of comfort.

As an emperor, one who had reigned for over thirty years, he habitually felt that he was already invulnerable to swords and spears and immune to all poisons, and needed no comfort whatsoever.

But now, hearing the Crown Prince's thoughtful words of comfort, a warm feeling welled up in my heart. My emotions were complicated, but more than anything, I felt gratified.

Looking at the Crown Prince in his black princely robes, Emperor Qianxi suddenly felt a little uneasy—had he been too harsh on the Crown Prince before?

Being strict with him is certainly for his own good, but my own paranoia stems from...

The conflict between paternal love and the struggle for the throne swirled in his mind. Emperor Qianxi felt a pang of sadness and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, you may go!"

Shen Ye didn't say anything more, bowed, and turned to leave Qianqing Palace.

Watching the Crown Prince's departing figure, Emperor Qianxi felt that same dejected mood return.

He felt that he had been too harsh on the Crown Prince just now. Otherwise, as father and son, why would they speak so formally to each other?
The Crown Prince… he sighed and closed his eyes. He needed to rest.

Shen Ye walked out of Qianqing Palace with a hint of self-deprecation. He had actually comforted Emperor Qianxi just now, really... sigh! However, Emperor Qianxi's demeanor just now did make him feel a little vulnerable.

Outside the Qianqing Palace, the thirteenth prince was still kneeling stubbornly, his neck stiff, as if he would not give up until he achieved his goal.

According to his memories from the parallel universe, Shen Ye still had some goodwill towards this thirteenth brother.

After all, he had helped the former crown prince after he was deposed.

Shen Ye walked up to him, glanced at him, and gently advised, "Thirteenth Brother, let's go back to Yuqing Palace with me."

"Your Majesty, I beg you not to go with the Crown Prince. I hope the Crown Prince will understand!" The Thirteenth Prince's voice was hoarse, but resolute.

Shen Ye reached out and pulled him: "Come on! If you really want to avenge your fifth sister, then come with me. Otherwise, you can keep kneeling here!"

As he spoke, he tightened his grip and forcefully pulled the thirteenth prince!
The thirteenth prince, who had been stubborn, stood up when he heard the words "revenge".

Perhaps because she had been kneeling for too long, her legs went weak, and she stumbled, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, Shen Ye caught her.

"Let's go. We can talk about it when we get back to Yuqing Palace."

Yuqing Palace is now Shen Ye's territory.

He gestured for the thirteenth prince to sit down, poured him a cup of cool tea, and then asked, "How did you find out about your fifth sister's death?"

Upon hearing this, the thirteenth prince jumped to his feet and said excitedly:
"Your Highness! Many people in the palace are talking about this! They all say that my sister was kicked to death by Ke'erzang!"
I asked my father, and he didn't deny it! I want revenge for my sister! But... but my father won't allow it!

Looking at the angry and sad thirteenth prince, Shen Ye felt even colder.

Now that the news has spread throughout the palace, what about the ministers outside?

Shen Ye knew all too well that although the palace appeared to be an impenetrable wall on the surface, it was actually leaky in every way!

Whenever there was any movement on Emperor Qianxi's side, outsiders would often find out faster than he, the crown prince, did.

Now that the news has spread throughout the palace, can it still be kept secret outside the palace?

If the Court of Colonial Affairs, where I reside, were to submit a memorial now, stating that an investigation had confirmed that the Fifth Princess indeed died of a heart ailment… then what would happen then…

"Your Highness! We must avenge this!" the Thirteenth Prince cried out, his voice trembling with grief.

　The second update for today is here, everyone! It's mid-month, please support me with your votes!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)