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

Chapter 263 A White Deer Descends from Heaven, Auspicious Sign Protecting the Holy Ruler

As Emperor Qianxi's maternal uncle, Tong Guowei may not be as capable as Suo'etu, but in terms of loyalty, he is beyond question and far superior to Suo'etu!

When Emperor Qianxi asked him, he had a vague feeling that His Majesty was trying to use him to deny the matter.
However, after squeezing the memorial in his hand, Tong Guowei remembered the promise the Ninth Prince had made:

As long as Tianjin opens to foreign trade and this expressway is built, no matter how much money the expressway makes, the Tong family will receive 10%.

Ten percent may not sound like much, but Tong Guowei had it calculated that even using the fast route from Tongzhou to the capital, it would still earn 200,000 taels of silver a year.

Not to mention the opening of the port!

Sigh, even though he's a Grand Secretary, his family still has many expenses.

Putting everything else aside, he has eight sons. When each of them divides the family property in the future, they will have to give him some money.
The family's meager savings aren't enough to go around!

Besides, His Majesty only glanced at me and didn't explicitly express any objection.

Moreover, even if I, Tong Guowei, disagree, there will be others who support me.

Who in this world would willingly turn down money?

Thinking of this, Tong Guowei steeled his heart and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I believe that Shen Guotai is exaggerating and is no longer suitable to serve as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner."

"A capable minister should be selected to take over and properly curb the arrogance of certain people!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Guotai's face turned green.

Not only was he dismissed from his post, but he was also labeled as "unfit for important positions." Doesn't this effectively end Shen Guotai's future career path?

If someone else had said those words, Shen Guotai wouldn't have been afraid.

However, since these words came from the chief scholar, His Majesty is very likely to take them to heart.

Tong Guowei's tirade brought a smile to Emperor Qianxi's face.

Emperor Qianxi had long been dissatisfied with Shen Guotai!
This guy actually used a million canal workers to blackmail the imperial court. If others follow suit, what will become of his authority as emperor?
Therefore, taking down Shen Guotai is now imperative.

He must be dismissed! He must be dismissed!
My uncle knows me so well!
Emperor Qianxi gave Tong Guowei an encouraging look.

Upon seeing this, Tong Guowei became even more enthusiastic and quickly pressed his advantage, saying, "Your Majesty, it is true that the Grand Canal is important to the capital, but as the Crown Prince said, the court cannot be held hostage by the Grand Canal."

"I have recently heard that Westerners have brought giant ships across the sea and sailed tens of thousands of miles."

"Under such circumstances, if we don't even dare to transport grain from Jiangnan to Tianjin, how will Westerners view the imperial court? How will they view the high-ranking officials in the court!"

"Therefore, I believe that a fast passage from Tianjin to the capital must be built!"

"More importantly, the forts in Dagu need to be built as soon as possible."

Emperor Qianxi listened to Tong Guowei's words and fell into deep thought.

The uncle didn't seem to fully grasp his implication, but what he said didn't seem wrong either.

If we don't find another route from the south to the north, we'll be held hostage by the canal transport system and be at their mercy at any time!
In addition, the Crown Prince's earlier proposal to increase grain production in the north is also very important.

Emperor Qianxi remained silent and looked at Zhang Ying, who was standing next to Tong Guowei.

Zhang Ying understood and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I agree with what Lord Tong said."

“The imperial court should not rely solely on the Grand Canal for transportation.”

"Otherwise, if there is a flood, the grain from Jiangnan will not be able to reach the capital, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Emperor Qianxi questioned several officials from the Six Ministries, most of whom supported the opening of Tianjin as a treaty port.

After listening to these opinions, Emperor Qianxi pondered for a moment and said, "I will reconsider this matter."

As an emperor, when he is unsure of what to do, he can indeed take some time to consider it.

Moreover, no one can use this matter to pressure him.

After making this decision, Emperor Qianxi said to Shen Guotai, "Effective immediately, you are relieved of your post as Governor-General of the Grand Canal. Go home and rest."

Upon hearing this, Shen Guotai was struck dumb, and his face changed drastically.

He had come to court expecting to be blamed, but he never imagined it would turn out like this.

He was dismissed from his post immediately and will not be reassigned.

What does this mean? It means that Emperor Qianxi had grown tired of him!
Fortunately, Emperor Qianxi did not kill him.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!" Although Shen Guotai was disappointed, he knew that he could not show any resentment at this time, otherwise, he would face certain death.

After Shen Guotai left, Emperor Qianxi arranged some other government affairs, and then said to Tong Guowei, "I plan to escort the Empress Dowager to the Rehe Palace in five days."

"I'll have to trouble you with the affairs of state, Uncle."

Tong Guowei bowed and said, "Your subject will certainly do his utmost to live up to Your Majesty's grace."

"Which prince does Your Majesty intend to keep in the capital?"

This is a question that Tong Guowei, as a Grand Secretary, should ask. Even when the emperor is away, adult princes must remain in the capital.

Although the probability of an unforeseen event is small, it is not impossible.

Therefore, when the emperor leaves the capital, he must leave a prince to oversee the country.

This is also an ancestral custom!
When Emperor Qianxi heard this question, his gaze fell on Shen Ye.

With the death of Songgotu, he felt the pressure on his shoulders lessen considerably.

Looking at the Crown Prince again, he seemed much more pleasing to the eye.

Without Songgotu as the crown prince, his supporters were significantly weakened, making a rebellion unlikely...

"Your Highness, who do you think would be the best regent?"

Normally, this kind of matter should have been decided by Emperor Qianxi with his absolute certainty.

However, just when everyone thought he was about to reveal the name of the regent, Emperor Qianxi actually asked the crown prince for his opinion.

In the past, when Emperor Qianxi was away, the Crown Prince would oversee the state affairs. This time, the Crown Prince was asked by the Emperor himself. What was the reason for this...?

Shen Ye, because Suo'etu wanted to rebel and even drag him into the rebellion, made the feigning-ill Suo'etu appear dead in everyone's minds. Suo'etu should still be alive!

But without the name "Song'etu," he was just a rat that couldn't see the light of day, and basically couldn't cause any big trouble.

Rebellion is something that sounds very easy.

But if you want to lead people into a rebellion, then you must make sure they see a glimmer of hope for success.

If there's no hope left, who would be willing to die with you?
Shen Ye still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it, and has no desire to seize power at all.

Therefore, it didn't matter to him who was in charge of the country; he simply didn't want to be in charge.

He immediately said solemnly, "Father's birthday is a grand occasion for all to celebrate."

"Moreover, the tribes on the grasslands also want to bestow upon Father the title of Supreme Heavenly Khan."

"Your subject feels that you must accompany me on such a grand occasion."

"As for the important task of overseeing the country, I believe that both the eldest brother and the younger brothers are capable of fulfilling it."

Shen Ye only said that he would not oversee the country, and that he would not object to whoever he appointed as overseeer.

This time, the ball was firmly kicked back to Emperor Qianxi.

When Emperor Qianxi asked Shen Ye who should oversee the country, it was also a small test.

Although the major threat of Songgotu had been eliminated, he still dared not leave the crown prince alone in the capital until he figured out who the people he had bribed were. After all, the remaining forces had not been eliminated.

He was quite satisfied with the crown prince's answer.

"Your third son, Yunzhi, and your seventh son, Yunyou, will remain in the capital and govern in the Southern Study." As Emperor Qianxi spoke, his gaze fell on the third and seventh princes, and he said, "During your stay in the capital, you should listen to the opinions of Lord Tong Guowei and the other Grand Secretaries."

"Important matters can be sent to the imperial court by express courier."

Upon hearing that he was to stay behind, Yunzhi couldn't suppress a smile.

Although he always appeared very humble, he actually harbored ambitions for the throne.

However, he never revealed this thought to himself.

Now that Songgotu is dead, the Crown Prince is no longer as powerful as he used to be.

The Emperor ordered him and the seventh prince to stay in the capital. Although he did not say that they would oversee the country, it was clear that they would be in charge.

This is the time for me to show my best!
So he respectfully said, "Please rest assured, Father, your son will stay here with my seventh brother and do his best to guard the area, so that you will never have any worries."

Emperor Qianxi glanced at the Third Prince who was bowing, then smiled and said, "Do a good job!"

"I believe you can do it!"

These words made the Third Prince even more excited.

As soon as Emperor Qianxi said this, people began to look in Shen Ye's direction.

Shen Ye didn't care at all about this situation.

Go ahead and argue all you want, let's see how long you keep arguing.

Anyway, it has little to do with me.

After discussing a few more matters concerning the imperial court, this session of the imperial audience was considered over.

However, Shen Ye did not leave immediately after the officials departed, but instead followed Emperor Qianxi back to the Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Qianxi, having wiped his face with a hot towel, glanced at Shen Ye and said, "What, do you want to stay in the capital again?"

"Your Majesty, I do not wish to. I have come here today to discuss with you the matter of the fast passage to Tianjin."

Emperor Qianxi pondered for a moment and said, "The threat from the sea is immense; we must take precautions!"

“Father, because the sea threat is so great, I even feel that our future threats will come from the sea, so we need to strengthen our coastal defenses.”

"With this fast passage, we can strengthen the defenses of Tianjin."

"Furthermore, this expressway was built under the leadership of Ninth Brother. He is willing to give you half of the shares, just like he did with the expressway in Tongzhou."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi glared at Shen Ye and said, "Am I such a greedy person!"

Shen Ye simply looked down at the ground and remained silent.

Half a minute later, Emperor Qianxi said, "My only concern is the threat from the sea, but what you said makes sense. Strengthening the defenses of Tianjin is imperative."

"And this expressway should also be built!"

"You may play as you wish!"

Shen Ye clasped his hands in a fist salute to Emperor Qianxi, then smiled and said, "Your subject obeys."

Just as Shen Ye was about to take his leave, a commotion broke out outside.

Emperor Qianxi's expression changed.

He is a man who values ​​his reputation above all else, and this kind of noise is really making him lose face.

Just as he was about to call Liang Jiugong over, he saw Liang Jiugong running over with great joy.

"Your Majesty, I am so happy!"

"The birthday gift from the First Prince has just arrived in the capital!"

"They are two white deer!"

"This is truly an auspicious omen from heaven. It is Heaven's gratitude for Your Majesty's virtuous rule that has sent down this auspicious beast."

"May His Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

Hearing these joyous words, Emperor Qianxi couldn't help but laugh heartily. Clearly, he was very pleased with this birthday gift.

Looking at the laughing Emperor Qianxi, Shen Ye suddenly realized that it seemed he should also prepare his own birthday gift!

　The second update for today is here! It's almost the end of the month, everyone, please give me a vote if you have one, it would be a waste not to.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)