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

Chapter 281 Calling a deer a horse, the Dharma King will defend me.

"Father, from a young age you taught me that the stability of the empire depends on a strong nation, the support of the people, and the resolute suppression of those who disobey..."

Shen Ye's voice was not loud, but every word was clear.

He declared emphatically, "Now, our dynasty is able to suppress the Rakshasa and defeat Galdan not because of the blessings of gods and Buddhas, but because of my father's tireless efforts and painstaking governance of the country, and because of my father's fearless and personal expeditions to the grasslands..."

Although Shen Ye was spouting the same old clichés, Emperor Qianxi's expression visibly relaxed as he listened.

After all, this is his real achievement over the years.

The grassland leaders who followed Emperor Qianxi all looked solemn.

Their submission to Emperor Qianxi was certainly not because he had acquired two white deer.

Rather, it was Galdan's defeat, the Russian Kingdom's pleas for peace, and the Qianxi Emperor's powerful army that instilled fear in them.

Therefore, the matter of the white deer was ultimately a joke and could not shake their respect for Emperor Qianxi at all.

"As for these two white deer, I believe they were originally ordinary deer in this world, but because they sensed the current peaceful and prosperous era, they were imbued with spiritual energy and became auspicious white deer."

"Their purpose in transforming into white deer is to present this auspicious omen to Your Majesty."

"Now that they have met the Emperor and their mission is accomplished, the spiritual energy will naturally dissipate from them."

"Therefore, I believe it would be better to release them back into the mountains and forests and give them their freedom."

After saying this, Shen Ye glanced at Dharma King Jin Yue and asked, "Dharma King, does the Buddhist scripture say that the white deer was formed from the spiritual energy of an ordinary deer?"

Upon hearing this question, the Golden Moon Dharma King's face twitched slightly.

He had never heard of such a thing before, but facing Shen Ye's aggressive gaze, he knew in his heart that if he dared to disobey the Crown Prince, then this Crown Prince, who was already at odds with him, would definitely not let him off so easily.

Moreover, he had made an agreement with the eldest prince.

Just now I said that a white deer fell from the sky and was given to the holy ruler; that person must be the chosen one.

These words haven't even finished yet!
On the surface, the Crown Prince's words seemed to be meant to comfort Emperor Qianxi, but in reality, every word was a threat: the strength of the court does not lie in gods or Buddhas.

Emperor Qianxi heard this, and so did the tribal leaders.

If the Crown Prince causes trouble for me at this time, how many people can protect me?
There was once a Dharma King in the Snow Region who died and perished because he disobeyed the king's orders!

I must not follow in their footsteps.

After much deliberation, the Golden Moon Dharma King made up his mind.

"After the prince said that, this old monk realized that there are indeed such records about white deer in Buddhist scriptures."

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and all things in the world that see Your Majesty will be suppressed by Your Majesty's dragon aura."

"The white deer's spiritual energy, although..."

When it comes to professional matters, it's best to leave them to the professionals.

Although the Golden Moon Dharma King was forcibly taken over by Shen Ye, when you follow Shen Ye's line of thought, you get the feeling that he is not on the same level.

His explanation immediately gained a sense of profoundness and sacredness.

Emperor Qianxi knew perfectly well that the Golden Moon Dharma King was talking nonsense, but he was still in a good mood and happily arranged, "In that case, please trouble the Dharma King to send these two white deer back to the mountains."

"They have brought good fortune and have rendered meritorious service; they should not be treated lightly."

Standing aside, listening to the conversation between Emperor Qianxi and Dharma King Jinyue, a sentence immediately came to mind: "Great Confucian scholars will debate the classics for me!"

When Emperor Qianxi reached the position, whatever he said, the Golden Moon Dharma King had to make it sound plausible for him.

If it is not round, then it is a great disrespect to Emperor Qianxi.

What awaits him may be the wrath of the Qianxi Emperor.

After resolving everything, Emperor Qianxi acted as if nothing had happened, leading his officials to participate in the long-prepared horseback archery competition.

During the competition, Emperor Qianxi personally drew his bow and shot arrows. Although he did not hit the bullseye every time like those master archers, he still managed to hit the target every time.

After a full day of celebration, Shen Ye returned to his tent feeling quite exhausted.

With Nian Xinyue's help, he soaked his feet and drank two cups of tea, which helped him recover a little.

"Your Highness, I've heard about the white deer this time..."

Shen Ye waved his hand at Nian Xinyue and said, "Alright, let's not mention this anymore."

As he spoke, Shen Ye glanced outside.

Walls have ears!
Moreover, Shen Ye knew that Emperor Qianxi's spies were everywhere around him.

Although he managed to explain away the white deer incident, it was undoubtedly a source of eternal pain for Emperor Qianxi.

Originally intending to display imperial power, he unexpectedly embarrassed himself in public and exposed his buttocks.

Moreover, this was happening in front of a group of grassland tribal leaders.

Although none of these people dared to cause trouble, Emperor Qianxi himself felt uneasy.

Because of this incident, the eldest prince and the throne are practically no longer a possibility.

Nian Xinyue quietly came up behind Shen Ye, gently rubbing his forehead as she whispered, "I heard that if it weren't for you pleading for the master this time, he would have been in trouble."

Why are you pleading for the old man?

If you were to ask who the women of Yuqing Palace found most annoying, the First Prince would undoubtedly be the top choice.

They have been making their moves very public, openly displaying their ambition to seize the position of crown prince.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "My brother was also deceived. He's already suffered enough. I have to help him out."

"Besides, we can't let those people hiding in the shadows get too smug."

Shen Ye didn't explicitly say who was hiding in the shadows, but Nian Xinyue understood that the Crown Prince was referring to his brothers.

The eldest prince was plunged from heaven to hell in the blink of an eye.

This situation instilled a sense of fear in Nian Xinyue's heart. At the same time, she also deeply realized that the struggle for the throne was more painful and dangerous than she had imagined.

As the crown prince, this man before me will face countless open and hidden attacks.

For a moment, the force in her hands became much gentler.

While Shen Ye was leisurely enjoying himself, Emperor Qianxi was also lying on a chair covered with tiger skin, looking somewhat tired.

After a day of celebrations, Emperor Qianxi was exhausted.

After all, these celebrations were prepared for him.

As the protagonist of this birthday celebration, he personally participated in almost every aspect.

After a long day, he was so tired that he didn't want to move.

In the past, even if I was very tired, I would never feel this exhausted. Am I really getting old?
The thought that crossed his mind made Emperor Qianxi feel somewhat anxious and uneasy.

He doesn't want to admit he's getting old!
He doesn't want to get old!
He still has many grand ambitions to realize!
He even hoped to borrow another five hundred years from heaven!

Unfortunately, God did not hear his request, otherwise his physical functions would not have declined so rapidly and irreversibly.

Are you old?
The thought of the word "old" made Emperor Qianxi's heart clench.

However, what bothers him more than his age is today's farce.

Yun is so stupid, she's being played like a fool without even realizing it.

They even spent a large sum of money to bribe the Golden Moon Dharma King.

He doesn't even use his brain. If I just listen to whatever the Golden Moon Dharma King says, then I might as well just hand over the throne to the Golden Moon Dharma King!

Even though he was unhappy, the eldest prince was still his son.

He couldn't bring himself to kill his stupid son.

"Liang Jiugong, who do you think did this?"

Emperor Qianxi's words seemed cryptic, but Liang Jiugong, having served Emperor Qianxi for many years, knew exactly what the emperor was thinking.

Liang Jiugong really didn't want to answer the question about the Qianxi Emperor.

However, he also knew that if he pretended to be stupid in this situation, he would have to face the emperor's anger.

They might even lose the trust of Emperor Qianxi.

This is something he absolutely cannot agree to.

So after a moment's hesitation, Liang Jiugong said with utmost seriousness, "Your Majesty, this servant believes that there are quite a few suspects in this matter."

"But for the time being, I really don't know who did it."

"After all, there are quite a few people who have motives."

Liang Jiugong's answer did not satisfy Emperor Qianxi.

However, he also knew that Liang Jiugong was telling the truth. In fact, at this moment, he was also caught in the same confusion as Liang Jiugong.

Do you think it's the crown prince?

Although Shen Ye pleaded for the eldest prince, Emperor Qianxi still included him in his list of suspects.

After all, the one who benefits the most from the fall of the eldest prince is undoubtedly the crown prince.

The crown prince has lost his greatest enemy.

When Liang Jiugong saw that Emperor Qianxi mentioned the Crown Prince first, he sighed inwardly.

Although the Crown Prince did well, he was still considered by Emperor Qianxi to be the biggest potential rival.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have suspected him first in everything.

"Your Majesty, I think it's unlikely that the Crown Prince will do this, because it would require capable people to handle it."

After pretending to ponder for a moment, Liang Jiugong said softly, "It seems that Your Highness does not have such a person now."

Upon hearing Liang Jiugong's words, a hint of coldness flashed in Emperor Qianxi's eyes.

The death of Songgotu has thrown those who had pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince into chaos, and even if Songgotu were alive, he would now be facing an identity crisis.

Therefore, the crown prince was completely unable to do this at this time.

If it's not the crown prince, then who could it be?

Third son?
Fourth brother?

Or is it the eighth brother?

The faces of his sons surged in Emperor Qianxi's mind, making his expression grow increasingly grim.

He felt that any of his sons had potential.

Before he knew it, he thought of the fourteenth prince, who was the first to raise this issue.

The fourteenth child, who was only eleven or twelve years old, made an accidental discovery and blurted out the answer.

Or was he instructed by someone to deliberately expose him?

If it's the latter, then...

The more Emperor Qianxi thought about it, the more his anger burned.

A bunch of traitors!

They won't even let me, their father, have a few days of peace!

"Investigate! We must get to the bottom of this."

"Tell Zhao Chang that no matter what methods he uses, he must find out the truth for me!"

"I want to see who orchestrated this whole spectacle!" Emperor Qianxi's voice grew increasingly sinister.
　The second update for today is here! Please continue to support me, everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)