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

Chapter 272 Crown Prince, stop acting! Give your brothers a way out!
"Quickly replace the Crown Prince!" Emperor Qianxi shouted to the guards beside him.

Emperor Qianxi was a seasoned performer, but at this moment, watching the Crown Prince and a group of sedan chair bearers struggling to carry the Empress Dowager's sedan chair up the mountain road, he still felt a little sorry for the Crown Prince.

The dormant maternal love in my heart was completely awakened at this moment. What bad thoughts could such a filial, loyal, and kind-hearted child possibly have at this moment?

Of course, we need to send someone to replace him as soon as possible.

However, the guards soon ran back and reported: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince said that this mountain road is difficult to walk on, and only if he carries it himself can he be at ease about the Empress Dowager's safety."

He also said that only when he personally took charge could these sedan chair carriers be fully focused.

"Therefore, the Crown Prince asks Your Majesty not to worry about him. He practices riding and archery every day, so carrying a sedan chair for his elders is no problem for him."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi nodded slightly.

Seeing this situation, the eldest prince hesitated for a moment and said, "Father, if you are worried about the Crown Prince, why don't you let me go and relieve him?"

“My son is willing to personally carry my grandmother across this mountain road.”

When he said those words, the eldest prince actually felt quite aggrieved.

We're both your sons, so why should I have to take his place just because he's the crown prince? Is he more noble than me or something?

Emperor Qianxi glanced at the eldest prince and saw a hint of reluctance in his expression.

To be honest, at this time, Prince Zhi had not yet cultivated the ability to keep his emotions hidden.

At this moment, although he was pleading, Emperor Qianxi could still tell that his son was not happy.

Twisted melons are not sweet.

Moreover, now that the Crown Prince has done this, it will be a good opportunity to establish his image as a model of filial piety, and as his father, I should give him a push.

After all, a filial crown prince would put his father at ease.

So he waved his hand and said, "Fine, since the Crown Prince is so determined, let him see it through to the end!"

After hearing this, the eldest prince fell silent.

Emperor Qianxi then flicked his riding whip and said in a deep voice, "Go up the mountain!"

As news spread that the Crown Prince was personally carrying the Empress Dowager's sedan chair, more and more people gathered around.

Although they dared not replace it, they still wanted to see if it was real.

The fourth prince, who had just finished dealing with various affairs at the palace, also arrived.

The various accounts were making him dizzy and confused.

Some things that were clearly explained yesterday, the servants of the Imperial Household Department still haven't prepared.

The fourth prince was so angry that he felt an urge to kill someone.

However, he knew that as a prince, he absolutely could not kill people at the drop of a hat, otherwise his reputation for being "bitter and ungrateful" would only be further enhanced.

After suppressing his anger and finally getting everything arranged, the Fourth Prince looked up and saw the Crown Prince struggling to lift one side of the Empress Dowager's sedan chair.

Upon seeing this scene, the Fourth Prince's first reaction was that the Crown Prince had been punished by Emperor Qianxi.

Otherwise, why would the Crown Prince do this?

But then I thought about it again and realized it was impossible. Even if the Crown Prince was punished by Emperor Qianxi, at most he would be made to stand as punishment or be ordered to study.

Why would he be punished to the point of carrying the Empress Dowager's sedan chair?
It turned out that one of the sedan bearers had slipped, causing the sedan to tilt and startling the Empress Dowager, so the Crown Prince personally went up to lift it.

Upon hearing this answer, the fourth prince felt a sense of powerlessness.

This second brother is such a good actor!
You're already the crown prince, why bother with such petty tricks!

Don't you know that if you go too far with these little tricks, you'll run into trouble?

Although he harbored some resentment, he felt more admiration for the prince, because he knew that this would only solidify the prince's position.

Once the crown prince's position is secure, it often means...

For a fleeting moment, the fourth prince even had the urge to "why don't I go and carry it too?"

But just as he was about to ride over, he suddenly reined in his horse.

The road up the mountain was almost over. If I went to carry the Empress Dowager's sedan chair now, people would say that I had just finished dealing with the affairs of the military camp.

Those who don't know might gossip about him...

After much deliberation, the fourth prince silently stopped.

Just then, a figure rushed forward.

When the fourth prince finally saw the person clearly, he discovered that the person had switched places with a sedan chair bearer and was now wearing a prince's robes, carrying the Empress Dowager's sedan chair up the mountain.

The fourth prince looked closely and realized that the person was the fifth prince.

The Fifth Prince was in charge of the vanguard's protection, so it was perfectly normal for him to come over at this time. Moreover, the Fifth Prince was raised by the Empress Dowager, so it was only reasonable for him to carry the Empress Dowager up the mountain when he saw this situation.

But I...

As the fourth prince sighed inwardly, someone leaned over and said sourly, "The Crown Prince is benevolent and filial; he's a role model for all of us brothers to learn from."

The fourth prince turned his head and saw the eighth prince looking solemnly at the sedan chair in front of him.

Normally, the relationship between the fourth prince and the eighth prince was fairly acceptable.

However, he also knew that it was precisely at times like these that he should not let others know his thoughts, so he also sighed and said, "Eighth Brother is right, we should learn from the Crown Prince."

"If something like this happens again in the future, we must stand up for it."

Although he had garnered a lot of jealousy, Shen Ye, who was carrying the sedan chair, felt that he had been a bit reckless.

Many things are easier said than done! For example, carrying the sedan chair up the mountain, Shen Ye originally thought that all thirty-two people should share the burden, and besides, these sedan chair carriers did not dare to let themselves carry too much weight.

I should be able to do it easily.

However, after walking for a while, he felt not only pain in his shoulders, but also that his legs felt like they were filled with lead.

I acted impulsively!

If I had known it would be this tiring, I should have thought about it more carefully.

However, wouldn't it be a joke to step down at this time?
So no matter what, we have to grit our teeth and persevere!
As Shen Ye pondered this, he mustered all his strength and continued carrying the Empress Dowager's sedan chair up the mountain.

At first, Shen Ye kept track of the time, but later he became somewhat numb to it.

It wasn't until he crossed the mountain and saw the vast grassland below that Shen Ye felt his vision suddenly broaden.

"Your Highness! It's time to change the person!"

The Imperial Household Department personnel who had been waiting around breathed a long sigh of relief when they saw the mountaintop, and they quickly came forward to greet them.

Following these words, the other sedan chair bearers, at their superior's signal, gave up their positions.

Looking at the situation and then at the distant mountains, Shen Ye said in a deep voice, "Although the path down the mountain is easier, we can't go too fast."

"Don't disturb the Empress Dowager!"

"This servant obeys the decree." The person in charge of the Imperial Household Department was also feeling very uneasy.

The fact that the Crown Prince personally carried the Empress Dowager up the mountain is certainly a wonderful story, but if it gets out, it would be a dereliction of duty on his part as the head of the Imperial Household Department.

Otherwise, why would the Crown Prince personally carry the Empress Dowager's sedan chair?

Just then, the Empress Dowager, seated in the imperial carriage, lifted the curtain and, seeing the disheveled Crown Prince, asked in surprise, "What happened to the Crown Prince?"

The Fifth Prince carried the sedan chair for a shorter distance, and his clothes were still relatively neat. When he heard the Empress Dowager ask, he quickly replied, "Grandmother, when my brother the Crown Prince went up the mountain, he saw that you were frightened, so he personally carried your sedan chair up the mountain."

"The journey has been smooth, thanks to my brother, the Crown Prince."

When the Empress Dowager went up the mountain, she was a little dizzy and did not look out. The thick sedan curtain also blocked out the sounds from outside.

Hearing that the Crown Prince was personally carrying the sedan chair, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him and said, "Yunye, why don't you take care of your health?"

"I'm a little dizzy, but I'll be fine if I just hang in there."

What if you get hurt!

Hearing the Empress Dowager's concerned words, Shen Ye quickly said, "Grandmother, I just felt that the mountain road was difficult to walk on, and I wanted the sedan chair to be carried more steadily."

"Only after traveling this far did my grandson realize how hard these sedan chair carriers worked."

At this point, he turned to the Empress Dowager and said, "If you feel sorry for your grandsons, please give them some rewards."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "That's easy to agree to, whatever you say."

"Go back and change your clothes, and get some rest."

"Come to my house for dinner tonight."

Shen Ye bowed respectfully in agreement, chatted with the Empress Dowager for a few more minutes, and then returned to his imperial carriage.

Inside Shen Ye's imperial carriage, Nian Xinyue was serving him personally.

Crown Princess Shi Jingrong is pregnant and cannot come, and Cao Min has also been feeling unwell recently. In addition, she grew up in Jiangnan and is not used to the climate in the north, so she asked Nian Xinyue to accompany her to take care of her.

Before Shen Ye returned, Nian Xinyue had already heard about him carrying the Empress Dowager's sedan chair, and she felt extremely distressed.

"Your Highness, please...please rest and have some water."

"This matter of carrying the sedan chair can be handled by the servants below. Why do you have to do it yourself?"

Shen Ye lay lazily on the chair and smiled, saying, "Grandmother is old and can't stand being frightened. When I saw the sedan chair tilting, I couldn't help but rush up."

"The experience of carrying a sedan chair is truly unpleasant!"

"It seems that life is indeed not easy for ordinary people."

These words were Shen Ye's heartfelt reflection. Although he had always complained about being transmigrated into the body of an unlucky crown prince, after carrying his sedan chair all the way, he realized that the life of a crown prince was actually not so bad.

Putting aside everything else, just take the sedan chair bearers who carried the Empress Dowager's sedan chair.

They are living a pretty good life.

After all, they were from the Imperial Household Department, and their daily needs for food, clothing, and shelter were guaranteed.

Even so, carrying the imperial carriage every day was no easy task.

Moreover, there are many people in this world who are worse off than them.

If I were to transmigrate into the body of a tenant farmer, life would probably be even more miserable!
Thinking of this, he sighed, "I have to live a good life from now on. People should be content."

"We can't always be looking at the grass that's greener on the other side!"

Just then, Liang Jiugong's voice came from outside: "His Majesty requests that the Crown Prince come out to meet him."

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye was taken aback, only then realizing that his imperial carriage had already stopped.

He quickly stepped out of the imperial carriage and saw Emperor Qianxi standing on horseback not far away.

The curtains of his imperial carriage were open.

Could it be that Emperor Qianxi overheard what I just said?
　Hey everyone, I need your support at the beginning of the month! If you have any votes, please give me one!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)