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

Chapter 258: Either Don't Do It, or Do It Thoroughly

After Shen Ye finished discussing with Emperor Qianxi, he immediately led Erlengtai and the others to the Infantry Commander's Office.

The newly appointed commander of the infantry, Qi Hetai, was originally a confidant of Emperor Qianxi.

After all, the Infantry Commander's Office held 30,000 troops in the capital. Although these troops were not as battle-hardened as the border troops, their role should not be underestimated.

If Shen Ye really manages to take control of this team, it will be enough to make Emperor Qianxi restless and unable to eat or sleep.

However, Qihetai always obeyed Emperor Qianxi, and without the emperor's decree, no one could move him—not even the crown prince could do anything about it.

With Emperor Qianxi's order and the Crown Prince's personal presence, it wasn't long before all those in charge of the prayer ceremony arrived!
Shen Ye did not announce Emperor Qianxi's order immediately. Instead, he waited until the eldest prince and the others arrived before leading his men directly to Suo'etu's residence.

"Your Highness, where are we going?" The First Prince Yunshi asked with a smile as he approached Shen Ye, who looked murderous.

Shen Ye smiled and replied only, "I have something important to do. You'll find out when we get there."

Seeing his serious expression, the eldest prince had some doubts, but dared not ask any more questions.

Compared to the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince was much more astute. Both of them guessed that the matter was serious, and despite their many doubts, they kept their mouths shut the whole way, refusing to say a word.

In about fifteen minutes, Shen Ye and his party burst into Suo'etu's mansion and went straight to his bedside.

Algishan and the others had no idea what was going on—wasn't the Crown Prince just sent away? How come he's back so soon?
However, no matter what happened, they still had to be extremely respectful to Crown Prince Shen Ye and bow to him, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Shen Ye said in a deep voice: "His Majesty has decreed that Prime Minister Suo has rendered meritorious service to the court and the country. His Majesty could not bear to see Prime Minister Suo confined to his sickbed like this, so he specially invited eminent monks such as the Dragon Elephant Dharma King of Esoteric Buddhism to hold a blessing ceremony for Prime Minister Suo!"

"All officials in office in the capital shall fast for ten days!"

"The entire Songgotu family should stay at home and quietly pray for Songgotu's well-being!"

"So be it—"

In an era when the vast majority of people believed in ghosts and gods, praying for blessings was a very important matter, and ordinary people were simply not qualified to do it. So when they heard about the emperor's favor, most of the people in Suo'etu's family showed joy on their faces.

Only Algishan's expression changed drastically in an instant.

He knew perfectly well that the person lying in bed was not his biological father, but a substitute.

If this prayer goes wrong and offends the gods, then one will be condemned to death!

But at this moment, not only was the Crown Prince present, but the First Prince and the others were also there. Even if he had a hundred times the courage, he would never dare to say, "This person is not my father."

Algishan's face turned extremely ugly in an instant.

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, Shen Ye gave another order: "Guards, take Suo Xiang to Dajue Temple for now!"

Several imperial guards stepped forward in response. Although they weren't very good at fighting, they were certainly capable of carrying a person.

Prince Zhi looked at the "Song'etu" who was being carried away, his eyes dark. He had always believed in ghosts and gods, and he had been somewhat smug, thinking that Song'etu's stroke was the will of heaven—that even the heavens were punishing this guy who dared to oppose him.

This stroke caused the cunning old man to die of old age in his bed.

However, to his utter surprise, the Crown Prince actually managed to persuade Emperor Qianxi to hold a blessing ceremony for him. This left him feeling somewhat resentful and particularly uneasy.

He felt that his father was far too biased and doting on the crown prince!
However, what frustrated him even more was the task the Crown Prince had just assigned him—to lead troops to guard the perimeter of the prayer ceremony and ensure its security, so that the ceremony would not be disrupted.

This job sounds incredibly frustrating: after all, if anything goes wrong with the ceremony, Emperor Qianxi will be the first to hold him accountable, which would be a huge problem, and he would be left with no choice but to suffer the consequences.

Therefore, he could only suppress his little urge to find a fault with the blessing ceremony.

So, "Suo'etu" was carried directly to Dajue Temple by Shen Ye and his group, and the men of the Hesheli family followed along the way.

Although the ceremony stated that they did not need to attend in person, now that even the imperial court was offering blessings to Songgotu, there was no reason for their own family members not to show up. Of course, they could not remain indifferent.

Argishan was extremely anxious. He was the only one who knew that Zhen Suo'etu was still hiding in the secret room, and he needed to quickly send the message over so his father could come up with a feasible solution.

However, as Songgotu's most favored son and the future heir in everyone's eyes, Arjishan simply couldn't spare the time.

So much so that it wasn't until "Song'etu" was carried into the fasting room of Dajue Temple and his relatives were asked to leave by the monks that Algishan finally found a chance to sneak home.

By the time he finally arrived at the secret room, it was already completely dark.

Soetu was leisurely reading in the secret room when he saw Algishan sweating profusely and looking flustered, which made him even more unhappy.

My son is so reckless and has never shown any maturity or composure. He is clearly not the kind of person who will achieve great things!
He immediately asked angrily, "Why are you so late?"

With a pained expression, Algishan quickly explained, "Father, the Crown Prince and His Majesty have been so good to you... His Majesty has decreed that the Elephant Dharma King of Tantric Buddhism will hold a prayer ceremony for you at Dajue Temple, hoping for your recovery. The Crown Prince, the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince have all come!"

"Before I could even react, the stand-in was carried into Dajue Temple. It wasn't until the monks cleared out all the bystanders that I finally managed to run back and tell you!"

Upon hearing this, Songgotu was greatly alarmed, and the book in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud." He never expected that Emperor Qianxi would pull this stunt on him!
Generally speaking, only princes are qualified to receive blessings from the esoteric Buddhist sect. What merit does Songgotu possess?
The key point is, he has absolutely no intention of doing it now!
He knew very well that eating was forbidden during the prayer process in order to show respect to the gods.

The stunt double who had suffered a stroke didn't have many days left to live, and after all this turmoil, the outcome was probably the same: he would die.

With his double dead, he could finally hide away completely... but Suo'etu had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

"Who led this blessing ceremony?" he asked, still clinging to a sliver of hope.

Algishan replied in a low voice, "His Majesty attaches great importance to this. The Crown Prince is in overall charge, the First Prince is in charge of the outer guards, and the Third and Fourth Princes are guarding inside... Father."

Soetu broke out in a sweat upon hearing this.

The fact that a crown prince and three adult princes were dispatched at once made Suo'etu feel that he probably couldn't take any small actions at this time.

As soon as the blessing ceremony ended, "Song'etu" died.

Well, this way he can completely disappear into the shadows and then act according to circumstances. This was the only way Songgotu could console himself.

He thought for a moment and then instructed Algishan: "Since the Emperor and the Crown Prince want to 'pray for me,' you should do as the Emperor says. Remember, unless it's something serious, don't come looking for me. Be careful and don't let anyone spot you or discover your whereabouts."

Algishan readily agreed and hurriedly left.

Even after he left, Songgotu still felt uneasy. He had a general sense of unease, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Anyway, it was just a substitute who died, so what did he have to worry about? As long as he himself was still alive, everything could be taken back. As long as the green hills remain, there's always firewood to burn.

Emperor Qianxi held a grand ceremony to pray for Suo'etu's well-being, and the news of this massive event quickly spread throughout the court and the country.

Many people who were unaware of the truth were envious, since this was usually a privilege reserved for princes.

However, some discerning people, such as Mingzhu, sensed something unusual about it.

He was also ordered by Emperor Qianxi to come and help at the ceremony. Of course, the official reason was not to help, but to be a protector of Suo'etu's blessing ceremony.

Upon receiving this imperial decree, Mingzhu was initially stunned.

Praying for Songgotu's well-being was a way for Emperor Qianxi to show his respect for his veteran minister.

But why would I need to come and protect the Dharma in such a situation?

However, when he arrived at the scene and saw the heavily guarded Dajue Temple, he vaguely understood what was going on.

"Uncle, what's going on?" The eldest prince seemed to have found his pillar of support as soon as he saw Mingzhu.

As he pulled Mingzhu to his side, he complained in a deep voice, "Just let the Crown Prince handle the matter of Suo'etu!"

"Father is something else. Not only did he send all of us brothers out, but he also went to great lengths to bring you here as well."

"Those who know the story understand that they are praying for Songgotu's well-being, but those who don't might think they are praying for some kind of Iron-Cap Prince!"

Mingzhu looked at the indignant eldest prince and sighed inwardly.

The eldest prince is brave but lacks intelligence. There is really no need for such a dull and foolish person to contend for the position of crown prince.

If I had no other choice, why would I support such a candidate?

To want to vie for the position of crown prince, yet be so insensitive and lacking in attention to detail, shows a complete lack of even the most basic understanding.

"Your Highness, this matter is very important."

"Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't have sent so many princes over at once."

"You must remember one thing: His Majesty is personally overseeing this matter. If any mistake is made, it will cause you to lose face in His Majesty's eyes."

"So, do your own job well, and don't let any unexpected things happen on the outside!"

At this point, Mingzhu looked at the indignant Crown Prince and whispered a reminder: "Song'etu is doomed this time!"

"You absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this!"

The eldest prince was stunned by these words, his mouth agape for a moment.

He was just afraid that the blessing ceremony would restore Suo'etu's health.

I never expected my uncle to say that this person he hated was doomed!

is this real?
(End of this chapter)