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

Chapter 242 To love is to wish for life; to hate is to wish for death.

The Crown Prince's Robes!

For an ordinary crown prince, this thing is absolutely solid proof of his secure position.

But Shen Ye knew perfectly well that this tattered robe was utterly useless and would only make the increasingly elderly Emperor Qianxi more suspicious.

Think about that Crown Prince Yinreng in a parallel universe. What he used wasn't a gift from Emperor Qianxi? And what happened? Hmph, it all became evidence of his crimes!
He's saying he wants a share of his power, haha, if you don't give it to him, how can he share it?

Looking at Emperor Qianxi, who was dressed like a kind father, Shen Ye thought to himself, "Even if you're sincere in giving me this crown prince's robe now, you'll definitely regret it later."

When you regret it, you won't remember this "kindness" you showed today. In the end, you might even blame it on me.

I finally managed to get rid of this hot potato, how could I possibly take it back?

"Thank you for your high regard, Father! But I think this prince's robe I'm wearing is quite nice and comfortable." Shen Ye quickly said, "If you really want to reward me, why don't you let me move to the new garden? I feel so cramped here in Yuqing Palace!"

These words infuriated Emperor Qianxi, who really wanted to punch someone.

He was seething with anger: Think Yuqing Palace is too stuffy? Fine, plenty of people want to live there! All your brothers, who wouldn't want to move in? Take the eldest prince, for example, if you let him stay, he could sleep on the floor tonight!
"I was going to reward you with something nice, but you're being picky!" Emperor Qianxi said irritably. "Go back to your Yuqing Palace, I'm annoyed just looking at you!"

Seeing her father's fuming expression, Shen Ye couldn't help but add fuel to the fire: "Father, I can't go back right now. I've already made an appointment with my grandmother to play mahjong with her today, and they're one player short."

The fact that they played mahjong is true. At first, Shen Ye played mahjong with the Empress Dowager purely to leave himself a way out.

With the Empress Dowager protecting him, it was like having an extra layer of protection against interfering with Emperor Qianxi. Although the Empress Dowager was not Emperor Qianxi's biological mother, he treated her with utmost respect, and he would generally give her face on anything she asked.

However, as the fight went on, it became a source of amusement for Shen Ye.

Why? Because those who played cards with the Empress Dowager were all of high status, so no one had to deliberately let her win; they had to make sure she won. That's what made the game more exciting!
The Empress Dowager had the same idea. She saw through the ulterior motives of her subordinates and wanted to find a few card players who could truly play with her and wouldn't deliberately let her win.

Shen Ye was the Crown Prince, and although his card skills were inferior to hers, he didn't go to great lengths to let her win. For this reason alone, the Empress Dowager was particularly happy to have him play cards with her.

However, Shen Ye was, after all, the Crown Prince. If the Empress Dowager wanted to play cards with him, she had to send someone to make an appointment in advance so as not to delay his important business.

Upon hearing that he was going to play mahjong with the Empress Dowager, Emperor Qianxi could only wave his hand and say, "Then hurry up and go!"

He paused, then snorted, "Oh right, I haven't congratulated you yet, Your Highness. I heard that the mahjong you created is incredibly popular now, even surpassing mahjong, and has become the most fashionable thing!"

"Many ministers, after finishing their duties, are busy finding places to play a few rounds of games; they're really quite idle!"

Upon hearing that the voice didn't sound like a compliment, Shen Ye didn't dare to say anything more and quickly slipped away.

After Shen Ye left, Emperor Qianxi picked up the memorials, but found himself unable to concentrate. The Crown Prince's suggestion to play mahjong actually made him... a little envious? If it weren't for this pile of troublesome matters weighing him down, he'd like to play a couple of rounds too!

Thinking about it, I also thought of the Crown Prince who had just left.

The Crown Prince absolutely refused the robe, apparently because of him… Did he think the robe looked too much like his own dragon robe? That's why…

However, regarding the matter of having the Crown Prince move out... Emperor Qianxi shook his head.

The other princes haven't moved yet, so the Crown Prince should stay in Yuqing Palace for now.

After regaining his composure, Emperor Qianxi picked up the memorial again and found that it was a memorial from Shen Guotai, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, requesting an audience with the Emperor.

It seems this guy has already arrived in the capital.

Upon seeing the name "Shen Guotai," Emperor Qianxi immediately recalled the "million canal workers" he had mentioned in his previous memorial, and a surge of anger rose within him: This guy has only been the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner for a few days? And he's already so audacious!

I just want to ask you, do you still have the court in your heart? Do you still have me in your heart?!

He immediately wanted to call Shen Guotai over and give him a good scolding. But then he thought, he's a high-ranking official, after all, and he should give him some face... So let him reflect on his actions first!
Thinking of this, Emperor Qianxi simply tossed the memorial aside.

Emperor Qianxi was busy, and the Crown Prince was playing, but the court's decisions were carried out by those below without any hesitation.

Viscount Nicholas, who was eagerly awaiting good news, was soon given a severe scolding.

He was about to express his dissatisfaction with the reprimand when his subordinate, Gleev, was slapped across the face ten times!

Although it was only ten slaps, after those ten slaps, Glev's face immediately swelled up like a steamed bun.

Beating Glev was to give face to Viscount Nikolai, or rather, to the emperor that Viscount Nikolai represented.

To attack Glev is to make an example of him!
Seeing Glev's swollen face, Viscount Nicholas didn't dare utter a sound. To him, it was an utter disgrace!
To make matters worse, Viscount Nicholas learned that his partner, who had initially reassured him about the lack of desire to fight, had changed his attitude!
Emperor Qianxi wanted to do as the Crown Prince suggested and form an alliance with the Ottoman Empire and the Anning Empire to deal with them! Moreover, Emperor Qianxi also planned to send an army to plunder the Anning Empire while it was attacking!

This news was a complete shock to Viscount Nicholas!

He knew all too well that if such an outcome occurred, his mission would be a complete disaster, and he would certainly face dire consequences upon his return.

Even worse, his act of provoking Emperor Qianxi on his own initiative also needs to be investigated! At that point, who will still say his plan was brilliant? They'll be lucky if they don't kick him when he's down!
"Glev, I'm sorry you've suffered."

Back at his heavily guarded quarters, Viscount Nicholas apologized to his companion. Glev had taken the beating entirely on his behalf, so an apology was necessary.

“Your Excellency,” Glev said, his face swollen and painful, barely able to speak, “sometimes, please be realistic! This time it was just a slap, but next time, I’m afraid my head will be gone!”

"Please, please keep your mouth shut!"

Viscount Nicholas was annoyed by his subordinate's sarcastic remarks, but he could only swallow his anger. After all, the subordinate had just been beaten, and his face was still swollen.
He then said in a deep voice, "Mr. Glev, I promise this is the last time!"

"I did that to test their resolve... I'm sorry you suffered, but I'll definitely report your achievements when we get back, and I'll make sure you don't suffer any losses!"

Glev was not pleased to hear such empty promises.

He said coldly, "Viscount, let's think of a way to stop the Great Zhou from forming that anti-us alliance! If that alliance succeeds, we'll be in real trouble! Then, we might end up being blamed for everything!"

Viscount Nicholas spoke to Glev about this very matter, and immediately asked, "Glev, what do you think we can do to dissuade the Great Zhou court from this plan?"

After a moment's hesitation, Glev said, "Viscount, I don't think it will be easy to dissuade the Great Zhou court from this plan."

Glev thought for a moment, then sighed: "Viscount, it's difficult to get them to give up! This is a sure thing for the Great Zhou. But if they really want to attack us, it won't be that easy."

"So our best approach is to let them feel our 'sincerity' and make them feel that we can be friends. Once they realize they can benefit without having to fight, they might stop causing trouble!"

Viscount Nicholas actually thought the same thing, but he didn't show it on his face. Thinking about it was one thing, doing it was another.

He asked Glev, "So how exactly do we make Da Zhou believe in our 'sincerity'?"

Looking at Viscount Nikolai, who seemed to be humbly seeking advice, Glev inwardly cursed him as an "old fox." This viscount was shrewd; how could he not know what to do?
The reason they ask this is simply to get me to reveal my idea so that if things go wrong, they can take the blame with me!
Despite his disdain, Glev understood that he and Viscount Nicholas were now in the same boat; neither could escape the other. Instead of wasting time scheming and plotting against each other, he should quickly find a way to get past this immediate hurdle.

"My lord, I think you should see Emperor Qianxi as soon as possible and present him with a letter of reconciliation between the two sides."

"It would be best to sign a non-aggression pact."

"As for those areas where there were conflicts in the past due to different requirements, we can appropriately give them up."

"Anyway, those places aren't that important to us."

"At most, it's just a place of exile."

Upon hearing Gleev's words, Viscount Nikolai's face darkened.

Although this was similar to his idea, ceding rights and begging for mercy was never a pleasant thing. What made it even more unpleasant was that he was the one who took the lead in doing this.

Although the emperor had given him clear authorization before he came to the Great Zhou in order to deal with the Anning Empire.

However, the emperor also made it very clear that such methods should never be used unless absolutely necessary.

Has the situation truly reached a point of no return?
Although he was unwilling, he knew that at this time, it was important to prioritize the overall situation.

After a moment's hesitation, he couldn't help but say, "Mr. Glev, I will give your proposal a good consideration."

"At times like these, it is even more necessary for the two of us to stand together against a common enemy. So I ask Mr. Glev to offer more advice, work together with me, and help me as much as possible."

"Let's discuss our ideas as soon as possible."

Glev felt utter contempt for Viscount Nikolai. What talk of working together? He was just trying to drag Glev into this mess.

He knew this in his heart, but nodded on the surface. He knew that the reason why Viscount Nicholas had not yet made up his mind was because he was still waiting for someone to pass on a message to him.

I just don't know if we'll ever hear from that person again.

　The first update of the day is here! Thank you all for your support, everyone. Please vote for me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)