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

Chapter 305 A Death-Defying Remonstrance, Sword Pointed at the Crown Prince

It's a bit cold inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

Although the candles were burning brightly, there was still a chill in the air in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the early morning.

Emperor Qianxi sat on the Sumeru throne with a cold face, and his expression made several courtiers who were close to him feel uneasy.

So much so that after the shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" were heard, the Grand Secretaries stood obediently in their positions, not daring to even look up and make eye contact with the Qianxi Emperor.

Emperor Qianxi was in a very bad mood at the moment.

He felt that the situation had gotten out of his control. He had only wanted to give the Crown Prince a warning and dampen his arrogance, but he did not expect that someone would hold onto the matter of Yuqing Bank so tightly and refuse to let it go.

Ultimately, he spent all the money in Yuqing Bank.

But now, this matter is escalating and getting bigger and bigger.

Before the morning court session, he had already heard rumors that several censors planned to expose the matter again during this regular court session.

Their purpose in doing this was, of course, to force themselves to make a statement.

He really disliked the feeling of being carried around.

He is now increasingly understanding why the emperors of the previous dynasties loved to use the court rod so much.

There are always some people who keep testing his limits.

There are always some people who try to seize power from him in various ways.

This struggle is silent, yet it never stops.

Han Feizi once said that there are hundreds of battles between rulers and their ministers every day!
It's either the ministers who overpower the emperor, or the emperor who overpowers the ministers!
Amidst a chorus of shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", Emperor Qianxi's gaze fell upon Liang Jiugong.

Liang Jiugong raised his voice and said, "His Majesty has decreed that those with matters to report should do so, and those without should leave the court."

This is just going through the motions. Usually, a Grand Secretary will present a few pre-arranged matters, and then the morning court session will end.

After all, such a grand court session would seem unnecessary if it were merely a matter of paying respects to Emperor Qianxi before adjourning.

Therefore, Emperor Qianxi also had to find a few "major events" that had already been decided to make everyone feel that the regular court was very important.

Grand Secretary Zhang Ying glanced at Chief Grand Secretary Tong Guowei, then stepped forward.

This matter should have been reported to the Grand Secretary, but Tong Guowei was unwilling to offend anyone.

So Tong Guowei pretended to be sick, using the excuse that his throat was uncomfortable, and pushed the matter onto Zhang Ying.

Zhang Ying didn't want to take on this hot potato, but he knew very well that he couldn't fight city hall.

He didn't want to do it, but he had to.

Unlike Tong Guowei, he was Emperor Qianxi's maternal uncle.

Sometimes, when he acted out of character, even if Emperor Qianxi was unhappy, he could only grit his teeth and accept it.

Zhang Ying, however, was merely a subject of the Qianxi Emperor.

If you anger the Qianxi Emperor, there will be no good outcome.

"Your subject Zhang Ying has a memorial to present!"

As soon as Zhang Ying spoke, all eyes in the Taihe Hall turned to him.

Even some people standing at the entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony pricked up their ears.

The matter reported by the Grand Secretary must be of great importance.

"Please speak, Minister Zhang." Emperor Qianxi already knew what Zhang Ying was going to say, so his smile was particularly bright at this moment.

"Your Majesty, according to the custom of our dynasty, we conduct a capital inspection every three years and a major assessment every five years!"

"Some time ago, due to the great battle with Galdan, the Jingcha and the Grand Plan had been suspended for a full seven years."

"Now that Galdan has surrendered, the northern grasslands are gradually becoming peaceful. At this time, the ministers of the Southern Study earnestly request Your Majesty to restart the capital inspection plan."

"Those who make contributions should be rewarded, and those who make mistakes should be punished!"

Tong Guowei, who had been smiling, immediately turned pale when he heard Zhang Ying mention "the ministers of the Southern Study".

Although the imperial court's inspections and grand assessments were customary, they were also particularly prone to offending people.

After all, the capital inspection and the grand assessment evaluate all officials.

Whoever proposes this is likely to be resented.

Although everyone knows that the emperor was closely involved in the implementation of this matter, who would dare to hold a grudge against the emperor? So they only resented the person who proposed the matter.

Tong Guowei pushed the matter onto Zhang Ying, intending for her to take the blame.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Ying was also a slippery old mudfish, who dragged the entire Southern Study into the mess.

This clearly indicates that the proposal was not his personal opinion, but rather a collective one put forward by all the Grand Secretaries of the Southern Study.

Tong Guowei was displeased, but he dared not cause any trouble at this moment, otherwise, Emperor Qianxi would certainly not let him off easily.

Zhang Ying's report attracted everyone's attention, and everyone was waiting to see how the emperor would respond.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Zhang Ying twice, then said in a deep voice, "The capital inspection and the grand plan are not only the ancestral rules of the court, but also major events of the court."

"The suspension in previous years was due to the circumstances."

"Now that the time has come, let's proceed as planned."

"The Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate were put in charge of the Beijing Censorate's inspection of officials of the fourth rank and below."

"Officials of the fourth rank and above shall be personally assessed by me!"

Emperor Qianxi made the decision without even consulting anyone.

Clearly, Emperor Qianxi had made up his mind about the matter of the capital inspection.

No one objected, so it was settled.

The already gloomy atmosphere of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was now even more chilling.

After all, every time the capital inspection is held, many high-ranking officials are dismissed. This time, with a seven-year hiatus, the punishment will likely be even more severe. The Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate are probably already sharpening their knives!
Some people with average abilities and no powerful connections were already breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Your subject, Censor Zhao Youzhi, has a memorial to present!" Just as everyone was somewhat distracted by the capital inspection, a censor in his thirties stepped forward.

Although Zhao Youzhi's rank was not high, as an imperial censor, he had the right to enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony for discussions.

As soon as he stepped forward, all eyes were on him again.

Everyone knows that Zhao Youzhi has been writing letters to Feng Xiucai to plead his case and seek justice!

The entire Censorate knew that he was the leader in this operation against Yuqing Bank.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Zhao Youzhi, a chill rising in his heart.

Although he hoped someone would give the Crown Prince a few pointers, he didn't want anyone to keep harping on the Yuqing Bank issue.

However, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he could not use his imperial authority to directly silence the other party.

So he coldly asked, "What is it that you wish to report?"

"If this is related to the Imperial Examination, then you may leave!"

In essence, Emperor Qianxi was giving Zhao Youzhi a way out.

In other words, no matter what you petition, I'm giving you a chance. You can step down now, and I can pretend nothing happened.

Those standing in the imperial court were all intelligent people.

Therefore, everyone could understand the implied meaning in Emperor Qianxi's words.

Zhao Youzhi knew it too!

His lips twitched slightly, but he finally said loudly, "Your Majesty, what I am reporting is not the matter of the capital inspection."

"The capital inspection is a major event for the court, and I have no objection whatsoever."

"What I want to talk about is the matter of Yuqing Bank driving people to their deaths!"

"There was once a scholar named Feng Lichuan who deposited fifty taels of silver in the Yuqing Bank, but because he was unable to withdraw the silver, in the end..."

"...Your Majesty, how can we not withdraw our own money? Where is justice?"

"If Feng Lichuan, a scholar, was forced into a corner, what about the other ordinary people?"

"I urge Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate Yuqing Bank and restore justice to the nation."

"I know that this memorial will offend the powerful figures behind Yuqing Bank, but for the sake of justice and the people, I am not afraid of death!"

At this point, Zhao Youzhi raised the memorial in his hand and said, "Since ancient times, who has ever escaped death? Let my loyal heart shine in history!"

"Though I am no match for sages and saints, I am not afraid of death!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the imperial court.

Because this is a deathbed remonstrance!
Such a thing as dying for someone's cause had never happened during the reign of Emperor Qianxi.

And now, Zhao Youzhi is actually remonstrating with his life!
This immediately put many people on edge.

Because the person Zhao Youzhi remonstrated with to the death was none other than the Crown Prince of the current dynasty!

Although he did not name names, the name "Yuqing Bank" was enough for everyone to know that it was run by the Crown Prince.

In an instant, all eyes turned to Emperor Qianxi, and then to Shen Ye, who stood below him.

Yu Chenglong, who was close to Shen Ye, also changed his expression.

He knew someone was going to impeach Yuqing Bank, and he knew this matter wouldn't end well, but he didn't expect it to be so intense right from the start.

He died remonstrating with the Crown Prince!

These people are really...

Yu Chenglong wanted to say something to Shen Ye, but for a moment he didn't know where to start.

The eldest prince and the other princes who were allowed to attend court looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although they were all prepared for the impeachment of Yuqing Bank, they all wanted to see a good show.

Unexpectedly, the show became a huge hit as soon as it started.

The Eighth Prince kept a straight face, not letting anyone see the smile on his face.

Although he had discussed this matter with Ren Bo'an, Ren Bo'an did not reveal too many details to him, only telling him to keep a close eye on it.

Zhao Youzhi's performance at this moment was truly unexpected and a pleasant surprise to him.

But it was precisely in times like these that he had to pretend that it was none of his business.

He stood there obediently, as if it had nothing to do with me.

The fourth prince stared at Zhao Youzhi with a gloomy expression. Although he also hoped to remove the crown prince from power, he had a feeling that someone was behind Zhao Youzhi.

Otherwise, he would never dare to do that.

The Crown Prince is probably in big trouble this time.

Will the Emperor protect the Crown Prince?
The fourth prince felt that Emperor Qianxi was quite likely to do this, after all, the crown prince had not made any major mistakes.

But will the Crown Prince protect Yuqing Bank?
Just as the fourth prince was pondering these thoughts, Emperor Qianxi spoke up, coldly saying, "Zhao Youzhi, you have committed insubordination, a crime punishable by double the severity. Do you understand?"

"Your humble servant is not afraid of death!" Zhao Youzhi said with his head held high and chest out, his words righteous and firm: "I simply do not wish for anyone to die unjustly!"

"I refuse to extinguish my conscience!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request a thorough investigation of Yuqing Bank!"

At this point, Zhao Youzhi's gaze fell on Shen Ye, and then he continued, "Your Highness, you don't want the name Yuqing to be scorned, do you?"

"After all, the lives of ordinary people matter too!"

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)