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

Chapter 300 Once the thorn of doubt is planted, it will always sprout.

The autumn wind is bleak, and each day grows colder than the last.

In the early morning, Shen Ye woke up from his warm bed and saw Cao Min looking at him with affection as soon as he opened his eyes.

He pulled Cao Min into his arms and asked softly, "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

"Your Majesty, I must help you rise so you can attend the court hearing at Qianqing Gate," Cao Min said gently, as if coaxing you, but her eyes and brows betrayed a hint of undisguised joy.

Shen Ye knew what Cao Min was happy about.

As one of the few intelligent people in the Cao family, she knew better than anyone else that although the Cao family seemed to be doing well now, it was actually just a case of overheating and burning.

If a fire were to break out accidentally, the fact that the government owes a large sum of money would come to light.

Although most of this money was spent by the emperor.

But none of them dared to say such a thing.

And once the Ministry of Revenue continues to pursue the debt, that's when their family will run into trouble!
That huge debt seemed hopeless to pay off before.

But now, things have taken a turn for the better!

Cao Yin made a profit of over 500,000 taels of silver in one go by exchanging gold with Xiao Rizi.

If things continue like this, we can earn even more in the future.

Suddenly, the debt owed by the Ministry of Revenue didn't seem so suffocating anymore!
When Shen Ye met Cao Yin yesterday, she felt that the usually somewhat sullen man exuded a triumphant air in both his speech and demeanor.

"The government is in a relatively good position now, but once winter comes, it will really be a nightmare!"

As Cao Min helped him get dressed, Shen Ye complained repeatedly, "It would have been better to just ignore everything and sleep until dawn!"

Cao Min just smiled but didn't reply.

Having lived with the Crown Prince for so long, she had already figured out his personality and knew that he was speaking from the heart.

After a moment's hesitation, she softly reminded him, "Your Highness, when it's just the two of us, you can say whatever you want."

"But you must be careful what you say in front of outsiders. After all, the Emperor has always insisted on holding court at the Qianqing Gate. Don't give others cause for criticism."

Seeing Cao Min's serious expression, Shen Ye knew it was for his own good, so he rested his head on Cao Min's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

After chatting for a few more minutes and quickly washing up, Shen Ye led Zhou Bao towards the Qianqing Gate.

Those qualified to participate in Emperor Qianxi's audience with the emperor were basically high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, as well as princes and ministers with real power.

Among the princes, only those who had begun to observe politics were qualified to participate in the imperial audience.

When Shen Ye arrived, Emperor Qianxi had not yet arrived, but the officials who were attending the hearing had already divided into two sides, each standing neatly according to their rank.

Standing at the very front was the Third Prince, Yunzhi, also known as Prince Cheng, while standing opposite him was Prince Lian, Yunsi!

Originally, the first seat on the left should have been held by Prince Zhi, the eldest prince Yunshi, but because of the Bailu incident, he was demoted to Duke and naturally lost that position.

Yun Shi was standing below Yun Zhi at this moment. Although her face showed no expression, she was not smiling at all.

After all, being stripped of the title of Prince of the County is not a glorious thing.

Although the Eighth Prince, Yunsi, was standing in the front row, he still appeared calm and indifferent, showing no concern for anything.

However, the fourth prince, Yunzhen, who was standing below him, did not look too good.

Although his position has not changed much, he used to stand below the eldest prince, but now he stands below the eighth prince.

But this change was particularly jarring to him, a man with a strong personality.

Because this is tantamount to telling everyone that he was being overshadowed by his younger brother.

He felt a tightness in his chest and was in a very bad mood.

Shen Ye had barely stood in his position for half a minute when Emperor Qianxi, accompanied by Liang Jiugong, sat on the dragon throne to listen to the emperor's proclamation.

After everyone paid their respects, Emperor Qianxi began to hold court.

The vast imperial court had many matters to attend to every day, but Shen Ye was neither the one to report nor the one to make decisions.

Therefore, for him, the scene of holding court at the gate was rather boring.

As he listened to Emperor Qianxi's instructions while his mind wandered, the Minister of Justice, Fu Lun, stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, this is a list of heinous criminals reported from various places. Please review it."

Upon hearing what Floren said, Shen Ye immediately came to his senses.

He knew perfectly well that the list of heinous criminals published in the Florence Daily was actually a list of those to be executed in the autumn.

According to the rules, the autumn executions required Emperor Qianxi to personally sign the document!

Emperor Qianxi took the list, glanced at it, and then said in a deep voice, "Has the Ministry of Justice carefully reviewed the cases of these people?"

"Your Majesty, the autumn executions are a matter of life and death, and we dare not be negligent. The crimes of all those involved have been thoroughly investigated, and their identities have been verified one by one." As a veteran Minister of Justice, Fu Lun answered calmly and steadily.

Emperor Qianxi nodded and said, "This matter concerns human lives, so we must be extremely careful."

Floren nodded and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will be extra careful."

Just as Fu Lun stepped down and Shen Ye thought the imperial audience was finally coming to an end, Emperor Qianxi suddenly spoke up: "Yesterday, I received a memorial." "It impeaches Algishan—accusing him of drinking alcohol while I was at the Rehe Imperial Palace. What do you, my esteemed ministers, think should be done about this matter?"

Algishan's official rank was not high, only the third rank. If he were impeached, Emperor Qianxi would deal with him directly.

However, Algishan also had another identity: he was the son of Soltu.

Now that Songgotu is nominally dead, after some time, Arjishan will be Songgotu's successor to the title.

Drinking alcohol is not a serious crime!
Drinking alcohol while Emperor Qianxi was away from Beijing to his temporary palace was not a big deal.

The problem is that Songgotu had only been dead for a few days, and Arjishan was still in mourning. Drinking alcohol at this time would be considered unfilial.

If Emperor Qianxi did not wish to pursue such accusations, he could simply leave them unresolved.

But now, Emperor Qianxi brought it up in his court with righteous indignation, and the meaning was all too clear: Emperor Qianxi wanted to deal with Algishan.

With Songgotu's death, his power collapsed and his forces scattered.

But Songgotu was, after all, the chief Grand Secretary and the Crown Prince's maternal great-uncle, while Arjishan was the Crown Prince's uncle.

Therefore, when Emperor Qianxi asked this question, there was complete silence below, and no one immediately stood up to answer.

Everyone knew that whoever spoke first was likely to offend the Crown Prince.

Therefore, the best option is to keep quiet.

Seeing that no one responded, Emperor Qianxi frowned slightly and looked at Tong Guowei, saying, "Grand Secretary Tong, what do you think should be done?"

Although Tong Guowei did not speak first, after being called upon by Emperor Qianxi, he walked out unsteadily and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I believe that an unfilial person cannot be a loyal minister. I beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully!"

On the surface, Tong Guowei's words did not directly state his opinion on how to handle the situation, but in reality, they were tantamount to a complete rejection of Algishan's future development.

Unfilial person!

Once the label of "unfilial piety" is firmly attached to him, Algishan's life is over.

Emperor Qianxi neither agreed nor disagreed with Tong Guowei's words, and then turned to Chen Tingjing and asked, "Chen Tingjing, as the Left Censor-in-Chief, what is your opinion?"

At this moment, Chen Tingjing was quickly calculating in his mind who could be submitting such a memorial at this time.
The emperor had just died when he turned his attention to Songgotu's most beloved son. Was this an attack on Songgotu or on the crown prince?
Although there are many suspicious points and the death of Songgotu is very strange, Songgotu's family is, after all, the maternal family of the crown prince.

If the crown prince cannot even protect his own maternal clan, what prestige will he have left?

While pondering the matter, Chen Tingjing respectfully said, "Drinking alcohol during the mourning period is punishable by an additional degree of severity according to the law."

"In my opinion, such an unfilial person as Argishan should be severely punished!"

A cold smile flickered across Emperor Qianxi's lips as he held a memorial in his hand.

It was that memorial impeaching Algishan for drinking alcohol during the mourning period for Songgotu.

The content above was somewhat vague, and the evidence was not solid, but Emperor Qianxi still brought out this memorial when he held court at the palace gates.

When Wu Youjing died, the visiting card from Algishan, which was half burned, was found in his study. It was like a thorn stuck in the heart of Emperor Qianxi.

Is there any connection between Wu Youjing and Algishan?
Did the Crown Prince know anything about the white deer incident, or...?

Therefore, he decided to take down Algiersan!
However, Songgotu had just died, and he had just bestowed many favors upon the Song family. If he were to be taken down during the mourning period for Algishan, Emperor Qianxi would have reservations.

After all, he has to consider his reputation.

Now, this memorial has solved a major problem for him.

The label of "unfilial piety" is indeed most fitting.

Once this label is firmly established, no punishment for Algiersan is too harsh.

He was satisfied with Chen Tingjing and Tong Guowei's statements, but he still did not make a decision immediately. Instead, he glanced at Fu Lun and said, "Fu Lun, you are the Minister of Justice. What do you think should be done with Algishan?"

At this moment, Shen Ye's mind was also racing.

Algishan drinking is a very, very small thing!

However, Shen Ye felt it was a bit unusual that Emperor Qianxi specifically brought up this matter.

Once Arjishan is imprisoned, the fact that Songgotu is actually still alive will likely become impossible to hide.

Given Emperor Qianxi's current attitude towards me, he probably won't do anything to me.

However, once Songgotu's family is raided and exterminated, then...

Shen Ye didn't want any more trouble regarding Suo'etu's matter, but the situation was gradually slipping out of his control.

Just then, Floren spoke up: "Your Majesty, Algishan's matter may seem minor, but it must be severely punished."

"I believe that Argishan should be imprisoned and interrogated thoroughly to find out who else was drinking with him at the time."

Emperor Qianxi nodded, waved for Fulun to leave, and then turned his gaze to Shen Ye, saying, "Crown Prince, what do you think should be done about the matter of Algishan?"

As early as when Emperor Qianxi mentioned drinking alcohol during Argishan's mourning period, many people secretly glanced at Shen Ye.

At this moment, seeing that the Emperor had directly called on him, he looked at the Crown Prince even more intently!
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(End of this chapter)