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

Chapter 326 No Backing Down on the Spot, No Mercy from the Opponent (Seeking Double Monthly Tickets)
When Tong Guowei arrived, everyone assumed he would go directly to Yuqing Bank and then report to the Crown Prince alone!
After all, he was the Grand Secretary and a First-Class Duke, a man of high rank and great power from any perspective.

Therefore, he is fully qualified.

However, to everyone's surprise, when Tong Guowei arrived at the entrance of Yuqing Bank, he did not rush inside to pay his respects. Instead, he knelt down at the entrance of Yuqing Bank and loudly begged for forgiveness.

That posture is impeccable; no one can find fault with it.

This is not just admitting a mistake, but this attitude practically shows that you can punish me or beat me as you please!
Many of the court officials present felt a pang of sorrow as they watched the white-haired old prime minister kneeling at the bank entrance.

Isn't the Crown Prince too strict?
If it was a servant of the Grand Secretary who made a mistake, you can punish the servant. Why slap the Grand Secretary in the face in public like this?!
Your Highness, you must be kind and compassionate!
In fact, this was exactly the effect Tong Guowei wanted.

Are you trying to embarrass me, Your Highness?
Fine, fine, then I'll just make you look ridiculous—when I, the Grand Secretary, kneel on the ground and confess my sins, let's see how you, the Crown Prince, will handle it!

When Tong Guowei knelt down, the surroundings were first deathly silent, and then chaos ensued!
The sounds of discussion, sighs, and whispers filled the air.

But no one dared to speak loudly; all eyes were fixed on the door of Yuqing Bank.

Just when everyone thought the Crown Prince would rush out to help the Grand Secretary up, a calm voice rang out: "Tong Guowei, you should apologize, but not to me, but to the laws of the court."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Ye, dressed in a prince's robe, walked out.

He glanced expressionlessly at Tong Guowei kneeling on the ground, and sneered inwardly.

On the surface, this old man is kneeling to him, but in reality, he is kneeling to people's hearts—look at me, I'm so old, and you, the Crown Prince, are still forcing me to kneel. You are heartless and cruel!
If the crown prince is not kind and compassionate, how will he inherit the throne in the future!

If the Crown Prince is not kind and compassionate, then we, his subjects, will have a hard time.

How can a benevolent ruler be one whose crown prince is not lenient and compassionate?

This is Tong Guowei's silent accusation and counterattack!
If Shen Ye helps Tong Guowei up, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat and giving in!
So even if Tong San is severely punished, Tong Guowei can still escape unscathed and even gain some sympathy.

How could Shen Ye possibly let this old fox's wicked scheme succeed!
He raised his voice, his words ringing with conviction: "What is the purpose of Yuqing Bank paying salaries?"

"This is so that when the country is in trouble and the granary is in short supply, we can ensure that all of you have enough to eat and warm clothes!"

"So that all of you officials can live with dignity, without having to borrow money from all sides just to survive!"

"This is so that all officials can focus on handling state affairs without being distracted by trivial matters."

These words warmed the hearts of many officials!
Especially those ordinary government officials who often relied on loans to make ends meet, they had no other income and their lives were exceptionally difficult.

The Crown Prince's words brought tears to their eyes.

Some even secretly wondered if the Crown Prince had ever borrowed money before!

Just as everyone was lost in thought, Shen Ye continued, "As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning. Yuqing Bank's business has just started, and your confidant Tong San has come to cause trouble."

“Grand Secretary Tong, the one you should truly apologize to is not me, the Crown Prince, but all the civil and military officials in the country who rely on Yuqing Bank for their salaries.”

"And I am merely speaking out for you gentlemen what you dare not or cannot say."

At this point, Shen Ye pushed open the door of Yuqing Bank and slowly walked out.

He looked at Tong Guowei kneeling on the ground and said, "Lord Tong, do you think I'm right?"

Tong Guowei felt incredibly frustrated!
His kneeling was originally intended to force the crown prince to back down, making everyone feel that the crown prince was bullying him, an old minister, and not giving him face.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince did not take the bait at all, but instead brought out the civil and military officials.

The one who should correct him and apologize is not the crown prince, but all the officials of the realm!
The phrase "You should apologize to all the officials" put him in a very difficult position.

The Crown Prince already far surpassed him in status, not to mention that the Crown Prince always spoke of the well-being of the officials.

According to Tong Guowei's feeling, shouldn't he be the one to say these things?

He, Tong Guowei, is the true head of all officials!

A thought flashed through his mind. He slowly stood up from the ground, then cupped his hands towards Shen Ye and said, "Your Highness is right to reprimand me."

"This matter is indeed due to the old minister's failure to properly discipline his family."

"This old minister apologizes to all my colleagues."

At this point, Tong Guowei's gaze shifted and landed on Tong San, who was tied to the hitching post. His tone turned icy: "Tong San, you are incredibly audacious. Not only did you come to collect your salary without my permission, but you also..."

"They even dared to cause such a ruckus at Yuqing Bank! This is utterly outrageous!"

"Guards, drag this lackey away and beat him to death!"

Tong Guowei's statement, "I'll kill him," was made with absolute certainty and without the slightest exaggeration.

Tong San had humiliated him so badly that he was seething with hatred and wished he could kill this lackey with his own hands!
In his view, killing him outright was a way to save face.

Similarly, by beating Tong San to death, he was also letting everyone know that Tong Guowei remembered this incident!
The hitching post that Tong San tied was not far from where Tong Guowei was speaking.

Upon hearing that his master was going to beat him to death, Tong San was terrified.

He knew Tong Guowei's temper all too well. Although the master couldn't be said to have absolute power, if he said he would kill him, he would absolutely not leave him any way out.

For a moment, Tong San was filled with fear. He struggled desperately, crying out, "Master, spare me! I was just confused for a moment, please spare me!"

Although he was sent by Ye Keshu, he knew very well that he absolutely could not say these things.

If he were to implicate Ye Keshu, his fate would be even worse than it is now.

Therefore, at this moment, his best option is to beg for mercy; he has no other way out.

Tong Guowei's face was as cold as ice; he didn't even glance at Tong San.

Meanwhile, several of Tong Guowei's close followers quickly walked towards Tong San.

They were colleagues with Tong San, but also competitors.

Now that Tong Guowei has killed Tong San, although they feel a sense of shared sorrow, they are more than anything else happy to have lost an opponent.

By killing Tong San, I'll have a better chance of rising to power. Maybe I can even take Tong San's place in the future!
None of the surrounding officials uttered a sound.

After all, this is a contest between the Crown Prince and Tong Guowei. Anyone who interrupts will be in trouble; only someone with a screw loose would get involved.

They knew exactly who Tong Guowei was.

If I were to speak up at this moment, I might end up pleasing neither side.

Shen Ye looked at the swarming Tong Guowei's family and waved his hand calmly, saying, "Stop!"

Although the Tong family members were used to being arrogant, they were very clear that they were facing the Crown Prince.

If even their own master suffered a loss in front of the Crown Prince, then these people are even less likely to suffer.

So upon hearing Shen Ye's words, they all obediently froze in place, not daring to move.

Tong Guowei was already seething with anger, and when he saw that the Crown Prince was even stopping him from disciplining his servants, he became even more furious!
At this moment, he killed Tong San for two reasons: first, to establish his authority; and second, to create an image of himself as someone who strictly disciplines his servants.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince obstructed him.

"Your Highness, this servant has committed heinous crimes. If he is not severely punished, he will likely become even more lawless in the future!"

Tong Guowei said in a deep voice, "I am punishing him severely in order to prevent our family's reputation from being tarnished by such a scoundrel."

Tong Guowei's words were filled with righteous indignation.

Shen Ye calmly replied, "Grand Scholar Tong, I'm not stopping you from disciplining your family, but a country has its laws, and a family has its rules!"

"The severity of Tong San's crime and how he should be dealt with are naturally determined by the laws of the imperial court."

"Grand Secretary, I believe that everyone, whether commoner or ordinary citizen, must abide by the laws of the court."

"Only in this way can we prevent people from acting recklessly!"

Tong Guowei was furious when he heard the Crown Prince say these words in such a sanctimonious manner.

You're now saying that there are laws and regulations governing how to deal with Tong San, so why did you insist on having me come here in person before?

Why don't you use the laws of the imperial court to deal with Tong San!
However, although he harbored such resentment, he dared not voice it.

He knew that he was at a disadvantage here today.

If you continue to argue, you'll only embarrass yourself.

The Crown Prince's status as a half-emperor was not something he could shake, so he was pragmatic and gritted his teeth and admitted: "Since the Crown Prince says that the court's laws will handle this, then this humble subject will naturally comply."

"Your Highness, I shall take my leave."

As he spoke, Tong Guowei still managed to give Shen Ye a perfunctory bow.

In fact, he didn't want to make this gesture, but the thought of the Crown Prince constantly mentioning court laws and regulations made him afraid that if he walked away, the Crown Prince would accuse him of disrespect.

Shen Ye said calmly, "Since the Grand Scholar has something to attend to, then please go ahead and take care of it."

Having lost face, Tong Guowei naturally didn't want to stay any longer, so he immediately headed towards his sedan chair.

He lost face and suffered a lot of anger on this trip. If he hadn't been in relatively good health, he would have definitely gotten sick from the anger!
With Tong Guowei gone, the business at Yuqing Bank became increasingly well-organized.

"Your Highness, what should we do with Tong San?" Erlengtai asked, glancing at the hitching post after Tong Guowei had left.

"Go to the Infantry Commander's Office and tell them to handle this matter according to the rules, and to sentence them accordingly!"

"Just report this result to me."

Erlengtai paused for a moment, then realized who the head of the Infantry Commander's Office was.

He watched as the Crown Prince turned and walked into Yuqing Bank, and sighed inwardly, thinking, "This Crown Prince is really ruthless."

This is truly not going to let the Tong family off the hook; they're not going to settle scores with them after this!

I wonder how Longkodo will respond next!
(End of this chapter)