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

Chapter 268 You may lack talent, but you cannot be ignorant of the rules.

Even though the fourth prince was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to go and see the first prince.

There was nothing they could do; the eldest prince was their elder brother, and now he had come in person!
As soon as Yunzhen stepped out of his office courtyard, he bumped into the eldest prince, who was beaming with pride.

"Greetings, Prince Zhi!"

The fourth prince was also a stubborn man, and when he bowed to the eldest prince, he could address him in two different ways.

Both of these are correct.

One way is to say you've met the elder brother; the other is to address him by his official title.

Generally speaking, when princes greet each other, they must address each other as brothers. After all, even if they have a falling out in private, there should still be some brotherly affection between them.

Even if it's just an act for their father, Emperor Qianxi, they still need to be respectful and loving towards each other.

Now, the Fourth Prince has just uttered the term "Prince Zhi," and his dissatisfaction is written all over his face.

The eldest prince feigned friendliness and laughed, saying, "Fourth brother, calling me that is too formal."

After saying that, he turned around and cursed at Narch: "You little brat, you really can't even handle the smallest things!"

"Who is Fourth Brother? How dare a lackey like you offend him!"

"Fourth brother, I just gave him a good scolding."

"Tell him to be more discreet in his actions!"

Narch stood to the side, head bowed and silent. Although the Crown Prince's words were somewhat harsh, he knew they weren't meant for him.

The fourth prince interrupted coldly, "Brother, you came here for more than just this, didn't you?"

"Fourth brother, as the eldest brother, there are times when there are things I don't want to get involved in, but I can't ignore them."

"After all, an older brother can't just stand by and watch his brother run into a ditch!"

"That Wu Sidao caused a scene during the provincial examination, and when the court tried to arrest him, he simply ran away, which only made his crime more serious."

"How could Fourth Brother be so close to such a thief?"

"If Father finds out what you're doing, what will he think?"

The eldest prince became increasingly distressed as he spoke: "As the eldest brother, I absolutely cannot let you jump into the pit!"

After saying that, he suddenly yelled at Narch, "You dog slave, go and seize the prisoner!"

Narch had been waiting for a long time and was getting impatient. The eldest prince's act was never-ending. Upon hearing the order, he didn't hesitate and led his men into the courtyard.

The fourth prince's expression changed upon seeing this.

He was about to stop him when he saw Wu Sidao walk out.

"Fourth Master, you don't need to make things difficult for me. I'll go to the Infantry Commander's Office right away."

Wu Sidao maintained his composure: "What I did was simply to speak out against injustice."

Narch's temper flared up the moment he saw Wu Sidao!

Before the eldest prince arrived, he had already been severely scolded by the fourth prince.

Now that the eldest prince has arrived, he is being scolded again. Although being scolded is commonplace for him, after all, he is facing two princes and grandsons of the emperor.

But who do you think you are, Wu Sidao? You dare to act all high and mighty in front of me!

I'm getting scolded all because your surname is Wu!

This time, I'm going to make you pay!
Narch, who was holding back his anger, stopped pretending and rushed up to Wu Sidao, giving him a resounding slap.

Then he kicked him to the ground!
"That damned fugitive dares to be so arrogant! Let's see where you run to!"

Wu Sidao was intelligent all his life, but he never expected that he would encounter such a thing.

A brute's friend is still a brute.

The eldest prince, being a famous prince of the first rank, had friends with similar temperaments.

So with the Crown Prince's backing, Wu Sidao was directly reduced to an ordinary criminal!

Wu Sidao, lying on the ground, looked extremely disheveled. Before he could react, Narch had already stomped him to the ground.

"Tied!"

Several soldiers rushed forward and handcuffed Mr. Wu with iron shackles.

This situation didn't give Wu Sidao a chance to speak at all.

Even the fourth prince was somewhat dumbfounded.

In his eyes, Mr. Wu, who was usually so refined and elegant, was now like a dead dog, pinned down and looking utterly pathetic.

The fourth prince's eyes turned red with rage. He roared, "Narch, you dog slave, how dare you treat Mr. Wu like this! I'll kill you!"

As he spoke, he reached for a guard's sword.

Unfortunately, his action was blocked by the eldest prince.

The eldest prince grabbed the fourth prince's hand and said coldly, "Fourth prince, are you crazy? What are you trying to do!"

"Narch's methods are a bit crude, but isn't that how criminals are caught all along?"

At this point, he looked coldly at Wu Sidao and said, "What's so special about him? He's just a fugitive!"

"Narch, what are you waiting for? Take your men and get out of here right now!"

"Stop making a fool of yourself here!"

Although the eldest prince roared at Narch and called him a disgrace, it was clear to everyone that the eldest prince's words were a veiled insult, directed at the fourth prince.

The fourth prince had calmed down from his rage. He glanced coldly at the eldest prince and then said, "Take care, elder brother."

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, turned around, and left.

The eldest prince chuckled and said, "Fourth brother, he's just a fugitive, is it really that big of a deal? Look how anxious you are!" "If you're going to see Father, you'd better hurry. Father is a man who values ​​rules the most."

"If he knew how much you valued a fugitive, I wonder what he would think."

In response to the First Prince's threat, the Fourth Prince only paused briefly but did not turn around, walking straight towards the Ministry of Revenue.

Regardless, Mr. Wu was someone he valued.

Even if Emperor Qianxi blames him, he still has to rescue Wu Sidao.

Without Wu Sidao, he felt like he had lost an arm.

The Ministry of Revenue was a sensitive place, and the fact that it was being dealt with by two princes meant that the news was quickly delivered to Emperor Qianxi.

When Emperor Qianxi heard the report, Shen Ye was paying his respects at the Qianqing Palace.

Paying respects to one's parents morning and evening is one aspect of filial piety!

As a junior clerk in my previous life, although I knew I had no hope of inheriting the position, I still did everything I was supposed to do.

As for the purpose, besides gaining the reputation of being a "filial son," another reason is that it is a manifestation of "following the rules."

Rules may seem like a constraint, but in reality, they are also a form of protection.

While rules may restrict people, they also protect those who follow them.

For example, the current crown prince!
Emperor Qianxi's imperial power seemed to be above all rules, but sometimes he still had to follow the rules.

Otherwise, the backlash will be significant.

"You worthless wretch!" Emperor Qianxi slammed his fist on the table, furious.

Although Shen Ye didn't know why, according to the rules, a son should share his father's burdens.

"Father, what happened?"

"The fourth and eldest sons got into a fight at the Ministry of Revenue. What good sons of mine! The brothers almost came to blows." Emperor Qianxi said through gritted teeth.

Shen Ye's heart stirred.

As the one who initiated this matter, Shen Ye did not expect that the fourth brother would actually turn against the eldest brother.

Is Wu Sidao really that important to Lao Si?

It seems that the saying is true: this person cannot be kept alive!

"Father, please calm down. Don't upset yourself. My eldest brother and fourth brother probably just had a little argument out of spite. They'll be fine in a while!"

Shen Ye didn't comment on who was right or wrong, and simply tried to smooth things over.

At this point, the chances of Wu Sidao staying by Lao Si's side are slim.

Even if the fourth prince pleaded for mercy, Emperor Qianxi would not allow such a fugitive to follow a prince.

It's not like the imperial court is without talent.

Emperor Qianxi rubbed his forehead and said, "Fourth Prince is also muddle-headed! Doesn't he know to investigate the background of the people he appoints? He actually hired a fugitive!"

"They've been discovered but they won't let us arrest them? That's ridiculous!"

At this point, he glanced at Shen Ye again: "Crown Prince, I don't want to see these two rebellious sons. Go and deal with them!"

"Remember, be impartial!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye smiled bitterly to himself.

The highest level of using someone else to do the dirty work is to kill without leaving a trace.

I only secretly revealed this matter to the eldest prince, and I didn't care what he did about it.

It's fair to say that this matter has nothing to do with me right now.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Emperor Qianxi once again passed the matter on to him.

It seems this is yet another test!
Shen Ye didn't take these tests too seriously. As Emperor Qianxi grew older, his desire to groom a crown prince would diminish.

However, the desire to guard against the crown prince will only increase.

Ultimately, this naturally forced the crown prince to rebel, and he himself became paranoid.

However, since the matter had been assigned, Shen Ye could only reply, "Your subject obeys."

"What do you think of Wu Sidao?" Just when Shen Ye thought he could go down to greet the First Prince and the Fourth Prince, Emperor Qianxi suddenly asked this question.

Shen Ye was startled and almost blurted out his memory of Wu Sidao's evaluation.

But he quickly regained his senses and corrected himself, saying, "I am not very familiar with Wu Sidao, so I dare not make any rash comments."

"Wu Sidao was a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) from Jiangnan. Five years ago, in the Jiangnan imperial examinations..." Emperor Qianxi picked up a memorial and solemnly recounted Wu Sidao's background.

With each word Emperor Qianxi spoke, Shen Ye grew increasingly wary of his father.

Because the information about Wu Sidao is so clear, it is definitely not something that can be collected in a short period of time.

It seems that Emperor Qianxi had noticed Wu Sidao long ago.

I just didn't think he posed any fatal threat, so I didn't pay any attention to him.

After listening to Emperor Qianxi's words, Shen Ye pondered for a moment before cautiously speaking, "Father, this Mr. Wu is quite talented."

"However, he doesn't seem to follow the rules very well."

Talented but doesn't follow the rules!
These are Shen Ye's two evaluations of Wu Sidao.

Talented people who break the rules are more destructive than those who lack talent. Such people are also the most dangerous.

Upon hearing Shen Ye's assessment, Emperor Qianxi's face revealed a chilling murderous intent.

He said calmly, "Fourth Brother has always been diligent; we can't let people like him lead him astray!"

(End of this chapter)