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

Chapter 303 Once you become the Crown Prince, don't expect a good life.

The residence of Songgotu.

This place was bustling with traffic and people just six months ago, but now it's deserted and eerily quiet.

The row of hitching posts in front of the gate was now empty, and not a single horse could be seen.

The once arrogant and haughty gatekeeper can now only huddle in his little room, sighing and lamenting.

In the past, putting everything else aside, the income from door-to-door sales alone would have been enough for him to live comfortably.

But now, after a month, I haven't even seen half a tael of silver.

Why? Because Songgotu is dead!

Several young masters were also convicted and were all to be exiled to Shengjing.

Although no one dares to make a move on the house right now because it belongs to the Crown Prince's maternal family, the atmosphere of "when the wall is down, everyone pushes it down" is already quite obvious.

Ugh!
If only the master could return it.
Just as the gatekeeper was feeling uneasy, Algishan, who had been ordered to go to Shengjing to observe mourning for his parents, slowly walked into the ancestral hall of the Hesheli family.

The ancestral hall enshrines the ancestors of the Hesheli family. As Algishan looked at the rows of memorial tablets, his expression kept changing.

He picked up three incense sticks, lit them on the candle, and then respectfully placed them in the incense burner, solemnly kowtowing in respect.

This ancestral hall was the quietest place in the Hesheli family's home. Apart from an old, deaf and mute servant who cleaned it, there was no one else there.

However, just as Algishan was kowtowing, the old servant, who was no different from a mute in the eyes of many people, suddenly spoke up and teased, "In all these years, this is the most proper way I've seen you perform ancestral rites."

Argishan did not respond to these words.

Only after kowtowing the last time did he say in a deep voice, "Someone has reported that I drank alcohol during the mourning period."

The old servant sneered, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext!"

Whether you've been drinking or not is completely irrelevant.

"The important thing is that he has a knife in his hand, while you are just a fish on the chopping board!"

"Does he need your permission to cut it however he wants?"

These words sent a chill down Algishan's spine, and he immediately whispered, "It's not just me, but also Roger and the others."

"They are all going to Shengjing to observe a ten-year mourning period!"

"It was the Crown Prince who helped us secure it."

Upon hearing this, the old servant fell silent.

He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Retreating to Shengjing might actually save your lives."

"However, from now on, I'm afraid I'll have to live in constant fear."

He paused, then turned to Algishan and asked, "How's the capital lately?"

"The capital is not peaceful. The Crown Prince's Yuqing Bank is being deliberately run on. While the Crown Prince is trying to figure out how to deal with it, a depositor who couldn't withdraw his money committed suicide. The man was a scholar, and a group of his classmates carried his coffin to the Confucius Temple and caused a scene."

"The whole capital is talking about this now."

As Algishan said this, his fingers trembled slightly: "The Crown Prince's life is not easy either."

The old servant said calmly, "Now that you've become the crown prince, don't expect to have a good life."

"Unless he remains a 'little prince' forever and never grows up."

At this point, the old servant hesitated for a moment and said, "Could you arrange an appointment with the Crown Prince for me? I would like to see him one more time."

Upon hearing this request, Algishan became somewhat anxious: "Didn't the Crown Prince say before that he didn't want to see you?"

"Given my current situation, if I were to plead with the Crown Prince, would he agree?"

"If you ask me, you'd be better off settling down and coming to Shengjing with us. It may not be as bustling as the capital, but at least it's safe and secure."

The old servant chuckled and said, "Going to Shengjing will allow you to live a few peaceful days."

"But from then on, in other people's eyes, the Hesheli family was just a bunch of unlucky bastards who had been exiled to a remote and impoverished area!"

"Besides, if you want to back out, do you think they'll let you?"

At this point, the old servant said in a calm but firm tone, "You can pass on a message to the Crown Prince and tell him that if he doesn't want to continue living such a stifled life, he should come here."

“I’ve been thinking about some things these past few days, and I’d like to talk to him about them.”

As Algishan listened to the old servant's words, various expressions flashed rapidly, but in the end, they turned into a trace of helplessness.

Although the person in front of him had already lost power, his mind was still sharp after calming down from the blow.

The Crown Prince might actually listen to him.

It might be better if he stays that way!
After thinking about it, Algishan said in a deep voice, "I'll give it a try, but I can't guarantee whether the Crown Prince will see you."

After saying this, Algishan turned and left.

Watching his departing figure, the old servant sighed softly.

He picked up three incense sticks from beside the offering table, lit them on the candles like Algishan had done, and then gently placed them in the incense burner.

The cigarette smoke flickered in the breeze, and as the old servant gazed at the wisps of smoke, he said slowly, "How can you possibly have peace once you become the crown prince!"

Just as Algishan was trying to contact the Crown Prince, a flood of memorials impeaching the Yuqing Bank poured into the Ministry of Justice.

Most of these memorials were submitted to the Yuqing Bank.

However, after the Ministry of Justice sent these memorials to the Southern Study, they all disappeared without a trace, receiving no response whatsoever.

It was as if Emperor Qianxi hadn't seen it at all. However, those who had pushed this forward were not in a hurry; they had long anticipated this outcome, so they remained unusually calm in the face of the unanswered memorials.

Inside the Ministry of Justice's duty room, the Eighth Prince and Ren Bo'an were playing chess.

Although Ren Bo'an's official position is not high, everyone in the Ministry of Justice knows that Ren Bo'an has now gained the favor of the Eighth Prince and his status is different!

Many people who wanted to curry favor with the Eighth Prince began to actively interact with Ren Bo'an.

“Brother Bo’an, it’s a real pity that His Majesty sent the Algishan family to Shengjing to guard the imperial tombs!” The Eighth Prince said with a smile, holding a white chess piece.

It's unclear when exactly, but the Eighth Prince has started addressing Ren Bo'an as "Brother Bo'an".

Of course, this form of address is only used when the two people meet alone.

If Emperor Qianxi finds out, Ren Bo'an will be in big trouble!

Ren Bo'an initially declined this title several times, but eventually accepted it because the Eighth Prince insisted.

He placed a black chess piece on the board and then said calmly, "It's a bit unexpected that the Crown Prince didn't plead for Algishan."

"However, the Hesheli family went to Shengjing. Their departure can be seen as cutting off one of the Crown Prince's arms."

"After all, their family has been noble for generations, and their roots are deep!"

The Eighth Prince did not think there was anything wrong with this statement.

He nodded and said, "Brother Bo'an is right. I was a bit too hasty."

“Eighth Prince is indeed in a bit of a hurry. You are still young, and it is not the time to establish a crown prince yet. Why don’t you wait a little longer?”

"Although the Crown Prince has weaknesses, it is not yet time for him to be defeated."

"You might as well use this time to both clip his wings and, while His Majesty is opening the door wide, quietly expand your power and strengthen yourself."

Ren Bo'an said with a hint of smugness, "The day the Crown Prince falls from power, you will also grow up without His Majesty not even realizing it."

If Emperor Qianxi had heard Ren Bo'an's words, he would have sent him straight to hell.

However, the Eighth Prince listened with a calm expression.

From the experiences of the Crown Prince and the First Prince, he had come to a profound realization: he needed to have his own staunch supporters.

Otherwise, they would only be puppets in their father's hands.

“Brother Bo’an is right, I was too hasty.” The Eighth Prince put down the chess piece in his hand and said seriously, “The Crown Prince still hasn’t defended himself regarding the matter of Yuqing Bank forcing Scholar Feng to his death.”

"Yuqing Bank is also operating as usual."

"They still negotiated with the depositors according to their numbers, as if Feng Xiucai's incident had never happened at all."

"Should we have the Feng family cause another scene at Yuqing Bank?"

Ren Bo'an waved his hand and said, "Eighth Master, as the saying goes, too much of a good thing is bad."

"Things have come to this point, there's no point in doing anything more!"

"Didn't His Majesty say he was keeping the matter secret? Then let His Majesty make the decision in public."

"The regular court session is in two days. Although it's usually just a formality, with thousands of ministers from the capital attending, His Majesty can't delay it any longer, even if he wanted to!"

The Eighth Prince hesitated for a moment: "Brother Bo'an, can those young censors in the Censorate be trusted?"

"Don't worry, Eighth Master. Although Zhao Youzhi is quite capable, I have leverage over him. If he dares to betray me, I will ruin his reputation."

At this point, Ren Bo'an smiled with a touch of emotion and said, "Having accomplished his task, he left without a trace, concealing his identity and name."

"If the Crown Prince is to hold a grudge in the future, he will probably only remember Zhao Youzhi and his group."

The Eighth Prince raised an eyebrow, clearly disliking such words.

What are you doing? Are you forcing me to make a statement or some kind of grateful promise?
Although he was unhappy inside, he still forced a smile and said to Ren Bo'an, "Brother Bo'an, gold will always shine."

“I believe that one day, Brother Bo’an will be known to everyone and be famous throughout the world.”

Shen Ye was unaware that someone was lamenting that he "didn't know what was good for him." In fact, Shen Ye understood Ren Bo'an very well.

However, Shen Ye, who had just returned from the Rehe Imperial Palace, did not have time to deal with Ren Bo'an yet.

At that moment, he was listening to the weekly report on the situation of the deceased scholar Feng.

"You're saying that half a year ago, Feng Xiucai's family still owned hundreds of acres of land?" Shen Ye looked at Zhou Bao and asked with a hint of disbelief on his face.

Zhou Bao nodded and said, "Your Highness, this was all investigated by Nian Dongliang, so it shouldn't be wrong."

According to Nian Dongliang, his family's land deed had only been transferred a month ago.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye's face turned cold, and he said indifferently, "Tell Nian Dongliang that he worked hard this time."

"I will remember his contributions."

Zhou Bao said, "Your Highness, those guys caused a ruckus at the Confucius Temple, I'm afraid they won't let it go so easily."

"They wrote a memorial to His Majesty to complain, but His Majesty ignored them. They will find other ways to do it, so you must be careful!"

Shen Ye waved his hand and said calmly, "Now that we have figured out their background, there is no need to be afraid of them complaining."

"I'm afraid they won't sue!"

　The second update for today is here! Dear readers, please support me, please vote for me, please do everything you can!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)