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

Chapter 289 Deceiving the heavens is not as effective as a thunderous strike.

As soon as Shen Ye and the Thirteenth Prince entered Emperor Qianxi's tent, they sensed that something was wrong—Emperor Qianxi was sitting there with a cold face, clearly suppressing his anger.

He was pondering how to resolve this matter.

Should the thirteenth prince be severely punished? Of course, he couldn't bear to!

A beloved daughter was married off to the grasslands and has already died. Now, because of that bastard Keerzang, who deserves to be torn to pieces, the thirteenth prince is also implicated?
Emperor Qianxi was somewhat unwilling.

However, the promising situation he had worked so hard to build was about to fall apart because of the Kezang incident, and he was really unwilling to give up.

Just as he was getting annoyed, he looked up and saw the two of them come in. He ignored Shen Ye and stared straight at the Thirteenth Prince, asking bluntly:

"Thirteenth Prince, tell me, what did you do today?"

Emperor Qianxi's voice was frighteningly cold. Although the thirteenth prince was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help but shudder.

However, he quickly regained his composure, straightened his back, and replied, "Father, one must take responsibility for one's actions!"

“Kerzang deserved to die, but I couldn’t help myself and killed him.”

"I will accept whatever punishment you give me!"

These words were spoken crisply and bluntly, even a bit harshly. Upon hearing them, Emperor Qianxi's expression darkened further.

He was already seething with anger, and the thirteenth prince's attitude of "do whatever you want with me" only added fuel to the fire.

"You unfilial son! What nonsense are you spouting?! You know nothing!" Emperor Qianxi glared at him, almost roaring.

Seeing that things were not going well, Shen Ye quickly stopped the thirteenth prince, who was about to speak: "Thirteenth Prince, don't say anything!"

He then turned and bowed to Emperor Qianxi, his tone calm: "Father, the thirteenth prince was young and impetuous, and Kerzang's words were too harsh, so he couldn't help but take action."

"But this rebellious Kerzang... truly deserves to die!"

"He actually told his thirteenth brother that in his eyes, the Fifth Princess was not even as good as a female slave!"

Shen Ye's voice deepened as he continued, "Your subject believes that this bastard Ke'erzang deserved to die!"

"Killing him was too lenient for the thirteenth prince—if he had fallen into my hands, I would have made him wish he were dead!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi's anger, which he had just suppressed, flared up again.

His eyes blazed with fury as he stared intently at Shen Ye and pressed, "Did Ke'erzang really say that?"

The thirteenth prince had recovered by this time and quickly replied, "Yes, Father, Kerzang showed no remorse and said some very hurtful things, all of which were insults to Fifth Sister."

"I couldn't control myself for a moment..."

"Kerzang deserves to be torn to pieces!"

Emperor Qianxi slammed his hand on the table so hard that it drew blood.

Although he had many daughters, he married them off to the grasslands one by one for the sake of the greater good, but that doesn't mean he didn't feel sorry for them.

On the contrary, he always kept in mind his daughters who had left him for the greater good of the country.

Now, having heard that Kerzang not only kicked his daughter to death but also uttered wild words, he feels it wouldn't be an exaggeration for him to tear Kerzang apart, skin him alive, and grind his bones to dust.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the murderous intent in Emperor Qianxi's eyes grew stronger. But he was, after all, the ruler of a country, and he gradually calmed down.

His gaze shifted from the thirteenth prince to Shen Ye, and he asked in a deep voice, "The thirteenth prince's actions are understandable. However, if those people from the grasslands use this as an excuse to cause trouble and make trouble, what do you think we should do?"

Just as Shen Ye was about to reply, a commotion suddenly came from outside the tent—Ma Qi, the First Prince, and others walked in one after another.

It turned out that Emperor Qianxi had ordered them to come earlier. With such a big incident, he needed to hear the opinions of his important ministers.

Ma Qi's expression darkened upon seeing the Crown Prince, but he still respectfully bowed before the Emperor.

Emperor Qianxi did not press Shen Ye further, but instead said to everyone, "Rise, all of you."

"Kerzang spoke disrespectfully to the thirteenth prince and was killed by Yunxiang."

"Tell me, how should this be handled to stabilize the situation and prevent some people from taking this opportunity to cause trouble?"

Before they arrived, Ma Qi and his men were kept in the dark, unaware of why Emperor Qianxi had summoned them so hastily. Upon hearing this, their expressions all became solemn.

Many people glanced at the thirteenth prince with surprise in their eyes—they never expected that this thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy would have the audacity to kill someone.

Kezang deserved to die; the emperor had already sentenced him to be executed in seven days.

However, this guy was, after all, a nobleman of the grasslands. Killing him like this would give those with ulterior motives an excuse to cause trouble.

If not handled properly, the current favorable situation could be completely reversed.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of utmost importance. What do you think... we could temporarily suppress the news of Kerzang's death?"

"Seven days later, we'll use the same substitution tactic again and execute 'Kerzang' just the same way!"

After a moment's thought, Ma Qi made this suggestion.

This method is actually not bad—since Kerzang is going to die anyway, it's better to conceal his death and then execute him publicly later. It will catch those who want to cause trouble off guard.

Emperor Qianxi thought for a moment, then shook his head: "This method won't work. When Yunxiang killed him, there were servants of Keerzang present, so it couldn't be kept secret."

Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Ma Qi had no choice but to shut up.

Li Guangdi then spoke up, "Your Majesty, since we cannot deceive the heavens, we should divide and conquer them one by one."

“The various tribes on the grasslands are not united to begin with. We can negotiate with them one by one, win over those who need to be won over, and put pressure on those who need to be put on pressure.”

"Give more benefits to the tribes you are close to; use both soft and hard tactics to deal with those who have ulterior motives."

Emperor Qianxi nodded. Defeating them one by one was indeed a good idea, but no one could be sure what the actual effect of implementing this idea would be.

Moreover, implementing a strategy of defeating the enemy one by one requires offering substantial benefits.

This was also something Emperor Qianxi did not want to see.

His gaze then fell on the eldest prince: "Yunshi, what are your thoughts?"

The eldest prince has been keeping a very low profile these past few days, after all, the incident with Bai Lu has made him lose face big time.

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's question, he pondered for a moment and said, "Father, I agree with Minister Li's method."

“The tribes on the grasslands are not united. They will not stand up for a dying Kerzang for any benefit they may receive.”

Just as Emperor Qianxi was about to speak, Liang Jiugong suddenly bowed and entered, reporting in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Lord Ma Wu has urgent news to report."

The meeting was suddenly interrupted, and Emperor Qianxi frowned, feeling somewhat displeased. However, he knew Liang Jiugong all too well—he would never have barged in at this critical juncture unless something truly serious had occurred.

Suppressing his anger, he lowered his voice and said, "Bring him in."

A short while later, Ma Wu rushed in, not even bothering with proper etiquette, and said breathlessly, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! I have received reports that the leaders of the tribes on the right wing of the grasslands are all in an uproar upon hearing that Kerzang has been killed!"

He took a breath, his face growing increasingly grim: "They claim to be descendants of the Golden Khan, and according to past agreements with the court, even if they are guilty, they should not be executed. This is a slap in the face to the entire grassland!"

"They demanded an explanation from the court, otherwise they were not worthy of being descendants of the Golden Khan."

Ma Wu continued, his face grim, "A leader on the left wing tried to mediate, but instead got beaten up."

"Right-wing groups are now recruiting everywhere and contacting more tribes. Judging from this, I'm afraid... a major upheaval is about to occur!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi's face darkened completely.

The Golden Khan was a powerful ruler of the grasslands, and many grassland leaders were proud to be his descendants, using his name to unite the people.

Now they're bringing up the Golden Khanate, clearly trying to use this as an excuse to escalate the situation and force the court to back down.

"Continue to monitor them, and report to me immediately if there is any movement," Emperor Qianxi coldly ordered.

Ma Wu bowed and then hurriedly withdrew.

The atmosphere inside the tent suddenly became oppressive.

What the imperial court least wanted to see was a united uprising by the grassland tribes.

This year's birthday celebration, thanks to the Russian Kingdom's pleas for peace and years of efforts, managed to suppress those with ulterior motives.

Now that Kerzang is dead, they've simply brought out the "Golden Khan"—a move that has forced many small and medium-sized tribes to express their opinions even if they don't want to.

If things really escalate, even if the imperial court wins, it will inevitably get bogged down in a quagmire of war, wasting money and manpower, and ultimately suffering more losses than gains.

Seeing that everyone was silent, the thirteenth prince walked straight out and knelt down with a thud: "Father, this time I acted impulsively and caused a great disaster. I am willing to take full responsibility!"

"Please punish me severely, the more severe the better, so that those people will have no reason to harass the court anymore!"

A surge of anger rose in Emperor Qianxi's heart. "Thirteenth Prince, oh Thirteenth Prince, are you trying to incite others to have bad intentions by putting me in such a public position?"
If all the ministers believe that this matter arose because of you, how can your father protect you?
Just as he was about to erupt, Shen Ye spoke up first: "Thirteenth brother, Father is discussing matters of national importance, not family matters. Don't interrupt."

Then, Shen Ye turned to Emperor Qianxi and said calmly, "Father, I think this matter may not be entirely a bad thing."

"The grassland tribes have always feared power but not gratitude. This time, the Rakshasa Kingdom bowed down, and they appeared to be compliant, but some of them were still unconvinced and felt that they might still be able to fight back!"

To put it bluntly, they won't shed a tear until they see the coffin!

Shen Ye's voice was steady and powerful as he continued, "I believe that only when these people see their own coffins will they truly understand that the power of the imperial court is beyond their reach."

"Why not take this opportunity to let them see clearly that going against the imperial court is like throwing an egg against a rock?"

Shen Ye took a step forward, his eyes bright and his tone resolute: "Some time ago, didn't Father ask me to come up with a way to demonstrate our court's cavalry and archery capabilities to the grassland leaders?"

"Your subject has just come up with an idea that can both demonstrate military prowess and intimidate people."

"It will make it clear to them that a gap is a gap. If they want to cause trouble, they are just courting death and will definitely not have a good ending!"

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone! Please vote!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)