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

Chapter 240 Ah Ling, how did I suddenly become a joke?

For Emperor Qianxi, attending the morning court was not a daily routine, so listening to government affairs at the Qianqing Gate was an essential part of his routine when he was not attending court.

In many people's eyes, being able to participate in this hearing is a sign of status.

Even high-ranking officials of the first or second rank, if they are not qualified to participate in the Qianqing Gate hearing of state affairs, cannot be considered to have entered the central government of the empire.

Since the emperor was to hold court at the Qianqing Gate, he couldn't be kept waiting. So, those who were qualified to participate in the hearing would arrive at the Qianqing Gate early to wait for the emperor's arrival.

Most of the court officials who came to listen to the emperor's pronouncements waited patiently, and very few of them chatted.

Even if there were, they would only talk about romance and nature.

After all, this place was where Emperor Qianxi's eyes and ears gathered, and even the slightest disturbance could not escape his notice.

However, among the crowd's expressions, some were calm, while others carried a hint of excitement.

However, Jin Wushan, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, did not look too good at this moment, whether it was the envoy from the Russian Kingdom who had killed the soldiers at the post station without authorization.

Even if the crown prince himself went and killed all those Cossack soldiers, it wouldn't be a good thing for him.
Being a high-ranking official is no easy task!
It seemed unlikely that Emperor Qianxi would punish the crown prince, so the only option was to punish his subordinate.

He felt quite upset that he hadn't done anything wrong but had been punished.

Just as he was feeling down, a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

Upon seeing this figure, Jin Wushan couldn't help but rub his eyes.

He thought he was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was the person he knew.

Why is he here?

Wasn't he already removed from his position as Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs?

Why are you here again?
Just as Jin Wushan was hesitating, he saw Aling'a already greeting the people who had arrived first.

"Greetings, esteemed lords!"

"Haha, it's a pleasure to see you all!"

"Grand Scholar Tong, I pay my respects to you!"

……

Looking at the spirited Aling'a, Jin Wushan hesitated for a moment before quickly bowing to Aling'a and saying, "Greetings, Minister."

"Lord Jin, you're too kind. I'm no longer a Minister. Please just call me Aling'a." Aling'a said with a forced smile, "If you address me like that, it'll be easy for me to be impeached by the censor!"

Jin Wushan thought to himself, "Do you think I would be willing to address you like that?"
But if I don't address myself that way, I'll be more likely to be impeached.

He said with a smile, "Minister, I have always admired you. No matter what, you will always be Minister in my eyes."

Hearing this, Aling's expression softened.

He glared at Jin Wushan and said, "Old Jin, I'm not trying to criticize you, but although you're a good person, you're not very capable!"

“Look at the Court of Colonial Affairs. I’ve only been gone a short time, and this has already happened.”

"You, you..."

Aling'a looked heartbroken, as if she were furious at Jin Wushan for being so disappointing.

However, while Jin Wushan was angry, he also knew that Aling'a's words to him were not directed at him, but at the Crown Prince.

Aling'a was ousted from the throne by the Crown Prince, so naturally he had no goodwill towards the Crown Prince.

His behavior at this moment was not only for Jin Wushan's benefit, but also for the benefit of others.

Jin Wushan remained silent. He knew that if he admitted that there were problems with the Court of Colonial Affairs, it would be tantamount to admitting that the Crown Prince's administration was flawed.

He was unwilling to do something that would offend the Crown Prince.

So he simply shut up and said nothing.

However, some people spoke up, such as the eldest prince, who said with a smile, "Lord Aling'a is right. When you were in the Court of Colonial Affairs, you were quite peaceful, if nothing else."

The Crown Prince's words made Aling'a's smile widen even more.

Although he did not support the eldest prince, they shared a common enemy, making them comrades in effect.

He smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."

Minister of Revenue Ma Qi looked at the two people talking and frowned slightly.

However, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Just as Jin Wushan was feeling unwell, Shen Ye walked over.

Shen Ye did not want to participate in this hearing at the Qianqing Gate.

Because Qianqingmen is exposed to wind and sun every day, and the weather changes from hot to cold, and he is not allowed to make decisions here, but only listens, it is really boring.

Just as Shen Ye was walking towards his seat, he saw Aling!
Shen Ye, who had no liking for Aling'a, was genuinely taken aback when he saw her.

What's this guy doing here?!
Although he was puzzled, Shen Ye ignored it. He would rather get some rest than pay attention to Aling'a.

After all, I got up a bit early today.

Shen Ye glanced at the people who had come to listen to the proceedings. Most of them met his gaze and quickly lowered their heads.

This is naturally a manifestation of submission.

Judging from everyone's expressions, they all seemed calm and collected, but Shen Ye believed that most of them already knew what had happened at the post station.

With three cracks of the whip, Emperor Qianxi, surrounded by Liang Jiugong and others, slowly walked to the throne at the Qianqing Gate. Emperor Qianxi was extremely familiar with holding court at the Qianqing Gate, so he quickly dealt with several government affairs amidst the reports from his ministers.

Hearing Emperor Qianxi's knowledgeable words, Shen Ye felt a sense of admiration for him.

After all, Emperor Qianxi was not only very familiar with many things that sounded very unfamiliar to him, but he also arranged them with ease and without any hesitation.

In this respect, he was quite different from Emperor Qianxi.

"Your subject Jin Wushan reports: Yesterday, the entourage of the Russian envoy was disrespectful, disobeyed the arrangements of the Court of Colonial Affairs, and even killed the soldiers on duty without authorization. Their crimes are truly heinous."

Although Jin Wushan knew he might be criticized by Emperor Qianxi this time, he still had to submit a report.

After all, he is now the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs; failing to report this would be tantamount to deceiving the emperor.

"After reporting to the Crown Prince, we executed the entourage of the Russian envoy who were causing trouble, in accordance with the law. Viscount Nicholas, the Russian envoy, said that we were breaking the agreement between the two sides."

"I believe that Viscount Nicholas is spouting nonsense."

Jin Wushan's words were short, but they kept him pondering them for a whole night.

What he was thinking about was how to shirk his responsibilities as much as possible, and how to say a word for the Crown Prince so that the Crown Prince would not hold a grudge against him.

After all, it was the crown prince who personally took action.

But it was he himself who reported this matter to the Crown Prince.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Emperor Qianxi's gaze fell upon Shen Ye.

However, he did not immediately let Shen Ye speak, but instead said calmly, "What do you think about the matter of the Rakshasa Kingdom?"

“Your Majesty, I have something to say,” Aling’a was the first to step forward.

He had previously met with Emperor Qianxi under the pretense of sharing his burdens, and now that Emperor Qianxi was asking him questions, he was the first to step forward.

Upon seeing Aling'a, Emperor Qianxi paused for a moment, then casually asked, "What are you doing here?"

These words made Alinga feel terrible. Didn't you tell me to wait for you here? Why are you asking me this?

Just as Aling'a was wondering how to answer, Emperor Qianxi slapped his forehead and said, "I sent you."

"I know what you're thinking, you don't need to say anything more."

Aling'a was unaware that Emperor Qianxi's disrespect towards him was actually a form of protection.

The Emperor Qianxi pondered the bluffing plan mentioned by the Crown Prince for an entire night.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was a good way to strike at his old rival.

Over the years, he has increasingly felt that the Rakshasa Kingdom in the north is a huge threat, but he has not been able to find a good way to deal with it for the time being.

In this situation, he hoped to reach an agreement with the Rakshasa Kingdom to protect the security of the border.

However, this time, the Crown Prince's bluffing plan gave Emperor Qianxi another idea.

If an alliance can be formed to deal with the Rakshasa Kingdom, even if the Rakshasa Kingdom cannot be destroyed, it can still keep the Rakshasa Kingdom busy in the following situation.

In that case, the Rakshasa Kingdom would be no threat.

He had already made up his mind on this matter. If he let Alinga repeat his old ideas, wouldn't that be utterly embarrassing?
By doing this, he was actually protecting Alinga.

Aling'a had no idea what Emperor Qianxi was thinking. The moment he heard these words, his head buzzed.

What's going on with Your Majesty? Are you playing a trick on yourself?

They let me come, but they won't let me speak.

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Alinga obediently retreated.

Although he had some courage, he dared not provoke Emperor Qianxi at this time.

However, he felt that everyone was looking at him with a hint of a smile, as if he had suddenly become a joke.

"Your Majesty, I fully understand His Highness the Crown Prince's actions, and from the bottom of my heart, I am also very encouraged. Those Rakshasa soldiers dared to act recklessly in our capital, and killing them is not too much of a crime."

Minister of Revenue Ma Qi stepped forward, his voice filled with solemnity, and said, "However, from my position as Minister of Revenue, I feel there is something inappropriate."

"Currently, the Ministry of Revenue's granaries are empty, making it difficult to support a major war."

"If we go to war with the Rakshasa Kingdom, it will definitely be a major war. Not only will countless soldiers be killed or wounded, but we may also be drawn into a protracted war."

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue's treasury simply cannot produce that much money."

"Furthermore, it is very easy to cause instability in all directions."

"In my opinion, we should prioritize appeasement towards the Rakshasa Kingdom."

Listening to Ma Qi's impassioned and loyal words, Shen Ye inexplicably thought of something: that Ma Qi was actually a treacherous minister.

He definitely has various connections with the Rakshasa Kingdom.

However, this connection is very secretive.

In court, Ma Qi always spoke with an air of absolute authority, as if his word was law.

Even the most learned scholars treated him with considerable respect.

Upon hearing Ma Qi's words, many people turned their gaze to Shen Ye.

After all, it was the Crown Prince who took a hard line against the Rakshasa envoy, and Ma Qi's views contradicted those of the Crown Prince. So how should the Crown Prince deal with the issues raised by Ma Qi?
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(End of this chapter)