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

Chapter 253 Your Highness, This is Your Last Chance

Shen Ye felt conflicted about meeting with Suo'etu.

He knew that meeting with Songgotu would arouse suspicion in Emperor Qianxi.

But he also wanted to know what Suo'etu was trying to do.
The death of the former crown prince's uncle presents an excellent opportunity for the two to meet.

Looking at the white-haired Suo'etu, Shen Ye's first thought was, why wasn't it Suo'etu who died?

If it were Suo'etu who died, then even if Emperor Qianxi harbored some suspicions about Suo'etu's family, he would still have saved face for them.

After all, the Songgotu family not only held high positions throughout their history, but was also the family of the late empress.

But ironically, it was Suo'etu who was alive.

Shen Ye looked at Suo'etu, who was kneeling and bowing, and reached out to help him up, saying, "Prime Minister Suo, there's no need for such formalities."

"It's been many days since I last saw Prime Minister Suo. How is your health, Prime Minister Suo?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. This old minister is well," said Suo'etu as he stood up from the ground.

Looking at the gray-haired Suo'etu, Shen Ye's thoughts raced, but he still asked in a deep voice, "Prime Minister Suo, is there something you need from me today?"

Since Shen Ye's arrival, Suo'etu has been observing Shen Ye.

Songgotu has always been highly respected by the Crown Prince.

Because of Songgotu's support for the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince's position as heir apparent became even more secure.

More and more people flocked to the Crown Prince's side, making his prestige even greater.

However, this situation increasingly aroused Emperor Qianxi's suspicion.

Normally, the Crown Prince treats him with utmost intimacy.

But at this moment, Suo'etu felt that the Crown Prince was not only indifferent to him, but also distant.

He knew that the prince had seen the blank sheet of paper he had sent, but why didn't the prince say anything?
After a moment's hesitation, Suo'etu said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the people here are all my trusted confidants."

"No one will know about our conversation here today."

Soetu's words were full of confidence!

Although Songgotu was defeated by the Qianxi Emperor, he had served as a Grand Secretary for many years.

His methods are unmatched by ordinary people.

He said this place is very safe, so there must be absolutely no problem here.

Looking at the confident Suo'etu, Shen Ye knew that hiding things was no longer of any use, so it was better to speak frankly.

He said calmly, "Minister Suo, I saw the blank paper you left in my book."

Is it really time to start using blank paper?

Although Suo'etu's words were full of confidence, Shen Ye still chose to be cautious where possible.

After a moment's thought, Suo'etu said solemnly, "Your Highness, I think the situation is now even more serious."

"His Majesty already knows about our ginseng harvesting in Changbai Mountain."

Ginseng harvesting in Changbai Mountain!
Shen Ye was taken aback; he had no recollection of this matter.

Faced with Shen Ye's questioning gaze, Suo'etu said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, we spent too much money back then to win over those soldiers and generals."

"You said we should spare no expense to get more money."

As Shen Ye looked at the seemingly irrefutable portrait of Suo'etu, he silently sorted through the memories of the former crown prince.

In the former crown prince's memory, there seems to be such a situation.

However, the Crown Prince did not tell Suo'etu to go to Changbai Mountain to steal ginseng; he only said that they should try to make money.

Compared to Emperor Qianxi, the Crown Prince could not offer those military officers a promising future.

Therefore, the only option was to bribe them with silver.

Lingpu was also helping the Crown Prince with this matter back then!

However, Lingpu also embezzled a large portion of the money when he handled this matter.

In the end, he was even more enthusiastic than the crown prince.

As soon as Shen Ye had a thought, he realized that the Suo'etu family must have made a lot of money from this illegal harvesting of ginseng from Changbai Mountain.

"Stealing wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain is a serious crime for ordinary people, but for Prime Minister Suo, Father Emperor shouldn't blame him too much," Shen Ye thought to himself.

Soetu did not speak immediately, but poured Shen Ye a cup of tea and said, "Your Highness should know that my family has never been short of money."

If anyone else said that, they would definitely be laughed at.

However, when Suo'etu said this, it sounded perfectly normal.

After all, starting with Songgotu's father, he was the chief Grand Secretary of the court, not to mention that Songgotu's niece was the Empress of Emperor Qianxi.

It can be said that the Songgotu family was extremely wealthy.

Having served as a Grand Secretary for so many years, he has plenty of ways to make money.

There was really no need for Suo'etu to take the risk of collecting wild ginseng.

Shen Ye picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said calmly, "Isn't it normal to be greedy?"

“I understand Your Majesty as well as Your Majesty understands me.”

Soetu slowly said, "After all, we have been ruler and subject for so many years. He knows that I would never do anything dangerous unless I am forced to.

"For Your Majesty, it is not a big deal for us old ministers to embezzle some money."

"However, there are certain royal taboos that cannot be violated."

“Once these things are committed, His Majesty will not be lenient.”

"So, once he finds out that I had people harvesting ginseng, he'll know that I desperately need money."

"Your Highness, you've gone to such lengths for me, what do I need so much money for?"

Shen Ye pondered silently for a moment, then couldn't help but exclaim, "What a wonderful example of mutual understanding between ruler and subject!"

Suo'etu did not refute Shen Ye's sarcastic remarks. He said calmly, "Your Highness, just as His Majesty knows me, I also know His Majesty."

"His Majesty will absolutely not forgive such a thing."

"So at this point, we have no choice but to fight with all our might."

"With His Majesty out of the capital and the Crown Prince overseeing the country, as long as we seize the opportunity, everything will be under our control."

Looking at Suo'etu, who seemed to have everything under control, Shen Ye thought to himself that although things seemed to have changed somewhat from the parallel world, the changes were not significant.

In his previous life, Emperor Qianxi, a master of political maneuvering, did not relinquish his power until his death.

This time, he will not be easily defeated by Suo'etu either.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Shen Ye said, "Prime Minister Suo, our chances of success are not very high."

"You should understand what kind of person His Majesty is."

"His safety is what he values ​​most."

"Besides, we're not unwatched."

"Therefore, I advise Prime Minister Suo to think twice before acting!"

In order to persuade Shen Ye, Suo'etu had actually thought a lot about it.

He wasn't surprised by Shen Ye's words.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and said, "Your Highness, what you said makes perfect sense, but given the current situation, the die is cast."

"Your Majesty possesses extraordinary talent and ambition, rarely seen in the world."

"But now, we are the ones who are prepared to attack the unprepared!"

"Even the wisest person can make a mistake!"

"You are also someone who is well-versed in history, so you should know that many great figures in history have been caught off guard and ultimately vanished into thin air."

"His Majesty is also a human being!"

Shen Ye stood up from his seat, his mind racing through the words of the thirteenth prince.

Emperor Qianxi had long planned to go to the Rehe Palace, not for the sake of the so-called Supreme Khan, which shows that he had already laid a trap for him!
By doing this, Songgotu was essentially walking into a trap.

He calmly replied, "Minister Suo, the chances of success are too small. I will not participate."

Soetu was not angry; in fact, he remained calm and composed.

He calmly said, "Your Highness, this old minister is too deeply bound to you. Whenever this old minister starts a rebellion, regardless of whether Your Highness participates or not, people will assume it was Your Highness who did it."

Even His Majesty thinks so.

Shen Ye smiled wryly, realizing that Suo'etu's words were not entirely unfounded.

Although he has been distancing himself from Suo'etu since his rebirth.

But some things can't be cleared off just because you want to.

For example, even now, everyone in the court still considers Songgotu to be one of his men.

"What Suo Xiang said makes sense."

Shen Ye shrugged and said, "But I won't do something that I know I'll fail at, especially something so treasonous."

“Your Highness, with your current performance, as long as you maintain this steady progress, it seems that none of the princes can compete with you.”

"You think that even if you've made a mistake, as long as you apologize to His Majesty, and since you're father and son, there's a high chance His Majesty will forgive you."

"The life and death of this old minister are not so important to you."

"But have you ever thought about this!"

"Historically, there has never been a crown prince who has served for thirty years, let alone one who is likely to serve as crown prince for forty years, or even fifty years!"

"His Majesty is in good health and pays great attention to health preservation."

"This old minister believes that Your Majesty will live to be seventy years old without any problem."

"Even longer!"

"At that time, Your Highness, how will you conduct yourself?"

"Every emperor, in the end, becomes more and more suspicious."

“And you, Crown Prince, are the object of suspicion. If this old minister were to speculate, no matter how capable you are, you have no chance of succeeding to the throne.”

"This could even be considered your last chance!"

"Your Highness, you are exceptionally capable. Are you really willing to spend your entire life without ever ascending the throne and living under His Majesty's oppression?"

"Your Highness, do you really think you can be the crown prince for fifty years?"

Soetu's last words were still spoken in a low voice.

After all, they were still having a private meeting.

However, with Suo'etu's words and the mournful music of Changtai's funeral, a sense of desolation rose in Shen Ye's heart.

Why not just let him transmigrate directly into the emperor? Transmigrating into the crown prince is too painful; he's stuck in a limbo, neither here nor there.

He knew the fate of the original crown prince in the parallel world. The originally outstanding crown prince became paranoid under the suppression of Emperor Qianxi and the attacks of his brothers.

Ultimately, the crown prince was reinstated and then deposed, becoming the last crown prince.

Although Emperor Qianxi was prepared, taking a gamble was not without hope.

Although this hope is pitifully small.

But if you take a gamble, you'll most likely make your life even more miserable.

For a moment, Shen Ye's expression became uncertain.

　The second update for today is here, everyone! It's almost the end of the month, please support me with your votes!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)