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

Chapter 329 The Crown Prince is Full of Talented Men (Please vote with double monthly tickets!)

Although Tong Guowei usually disliked his son Longkodo, he had to admit that among all his sons, Longkodo was the most capable and one of the few who could shoulder great responsibilities.

Aside from being easily carried away by success, this kid doesn't have any major flaws.

Compared to Ye Keshu, who rushes forward recklessly at the slightest provocation without even knowing his own limitations, he is far superior.

Upon hearing that Tong San had been sent to Longkodo, Tong Guowei felt a sudden toothache.

He felt that as long as Tong San lived, he, Tong Guowei, would be disgraced.

But he knew even better that the Crown Prince had given the man to Longkodo not so that he could dispose of him as he pleased.

This was clearly a trap set by the Crown Prince for him and his son, Longkodo.

The Crown Prince is after me.

At this moment, Tong Guowei no longer cared about how unpleasant Longkodo's words were. He asked in a deep voice, "What do you think should be done about this?"

"I didn't know, that's why I came to ask you!" Longkodo said innocently.

Upon hearing Longkodo's words, Tong Guowei's lips curled into a sneer: "You don't know? You, Commander Tong, wouldn't know how to handle this?"

The commander of the Infantry Commander's Office was the Nine Gates Admiral, a figure of great military rank in the eyes of his subordinates.

Of course, this kind of address is mostly used in private.

In the imperial court, they would not dare to address each other that way.

Tong Guowei wasn't helpless against Longkodo; it's just that he was, after all, his own son.

Of course, there was another reason: Longkodo was a favorite minister of the Qianxi Emperor.

Many times, he, as the father, could only watch helplessly.

Moreover, the more Longkodo opposed and went against him, the more he gained the Qianxi Emperor's favor.

Longkodo ignored the barbs in his father's words.

He wholeheartedly pledged allegiance to Emperor Qianxi, and at home, he consistently feigned ignorance.

But, after all, this was his father, and moreover, Emperor Qianxi's maternal uncle.

Most importantly, Emperor Qianxi always respected this uncle.

Seeing that Longkodo remained silent, Tong Guowei pondered for a moment and said, "The Crown Prince wants to catch our family in the act; he's got a good idea."

"Just follow the laws and regulations of the imperial court and handle it according to the proper procedures."

At this point, he turned to Longkodo and said, "You must make sure that the Crown Prince doesn't find any fault with you, or you'll be in trouble."

"Also, as for the Crown Prince, you should avoid provoking him in the future."

"I can handle him by myself, don't get involved."

These words reveal Tong Guowei's protectiveness towards his son!
Today's confrontation with the Crown Prince made him realize even more deeply that this Crown Prince was not easy to deal with.

It won't be easy to pull him off the throne.

But now that things have come to this, there's no turning back.

Having chosen the Eighth Prince and paid a heavy price for it, he had no way out.

The Crown Prince will not show him mercy just because he backs down.

If he were to withdraw, he would offend the Eighth Prince.

It's fair to say that he has no way out now.

All he can do now is grit his teeth and keep going.

However, his son Longkodo was different; Longkodo never sided with the Eighth Prince.

He had always been a loyal minister of the Qianxi Emperor. If he had been able to make a choice regarding the crown prince at the last moment, perhaps...

Longkodo was a smart man; he understood the unspoken meaning behind his father's words.

So he solemnly said, "Father, don't worry, why would I go and provoke the Crown Prince?"

"However, you should also be careful. In my opinion, His Majesty is still very satisfied with the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing Longkodo's words, Tong Guowei's expression hardened.

He then whispered, "The Crown Prince's talent is evident to all."

"If His Majesty were ten years older, I would definitely support the Crown Prince no matter what."

"But His Majesty is only forty-five years old, he has a long life ahead of him!"

At this point, Tong Guowei continued, "He wouldn't want to see two suns in the sky. Besides, once two suns are in the sky, all that everyone cares about is the sunrise that represents the future."

Longkodo nodded, understanding his father's meaning.

But is His Majesty really willing to depose such a talented crown prince?
“Father, the Crown Prince is so outstanding. If His Majesty deposes him without a legitimate reason, I’m afraid it will be difficult to silence public opinion.”

"Moreover, the Crown Prince doesn't seem to be prone to making mistakes."

Tong Guowei said calmly, "No one can be perfect and never make mistakes."

"His Majesty is concerned about public opinion now, so he will not depose the Crown Prince without a reason."

"But what about later?"

"The future emperor may not care about these things anymore."

"Like me, I feel uncomfortable whenever I see you now."

Upon hearing his father bring up himself again, Longkodo quickly waved his hand and said, "Father, let's stick to our previous agreement."

"You continue to be my Grand Secretary, and I will continue to be my Commander of the Nine Gates."

"Oh, by the way, I'll give you something nice to play with!"

As he spoke, Longkodo took out two silver dollars, placed them on the table, and turned to leave Tong Guowei's room.

Although his home was in the Duke's mansion, he spent most of his time living in the outer residence. Since he wasn't well-liked in this house, he didn't stay long.

Tong Guowei sighed helplessly as he looked at his son's behavior.

Although they are father and son, they have made different choices.

However, this choice was an arrangement that large families like theirs had no choice but to make.

If all the bets are placed on one person, and only one person is supported, His Majesty will not be able to sleep at night.

Take Songgotu for example. He was a bit foolish. Although the crown prince was important, how could his whole family be so foolish as to support him?

Now that they've been exiled to Shengjing to suffer in the snow, I wonder if the Suo'etu family will still be as smug as before.

He casually picked up the silver coin that Longkodo had placed on the table.

When he picked up the silver coin, he felt a sense of weight in it.

This silver coin should weigh about one tael (approximately 30 grams), and judging by its luster, it should be made of silver.

Looking at the amount written on it, along with the words "Yuqing Bank" on the back, Tong Guowei immediately understood what the Crown Prince wanted to do.

The Crown Prince intends to use these silver coins to replace the current somewhat disorganized silver taels.

However, this substitution is not an easy thing to do. Once it is successful, it will cut off the source of income for many people.

For example, the loss of firepower!
If there are too many of these silver coins, and the court insists that each silver coin is a standard one-tael silver coin, where will the fire loss come from?

Without firewood, what will everyone eat?
Without any profit from the fire, how can anyone skim off the profits?

No fire loss...

Tong Guowei's mind raced, and he ordered outside, "Tong San, have Shun An Yan come to me."

Upon hearing Tong Guowei's order, a man wearing a blue robe and a small hat approached Tong Guowei somewhat timidly, saying in a tearful voice, "Master, this servant Tong Wu will obey your orders."

Upon hearing this, Tong Guowei suddenly realized that Tong San was still being held in the Infantry Commander's Office.

How could I have forgotten about this!

I'm really getting old; my brain isn't working properly anymore.

He waved his hand and said, "Go and call Shun'an Yan here!"

Shun'an Yan was his grandson, and he had always placed high hopes on him.

This child is truly remarkable; he excels in both academics and sports, and his intelligence and emotional intelligence are both top-notch.

At his command, in less than three minutes, Shun'an Yan, dressed in the uniform of a third-class imperial guard, appeared before him.

"Go and check how well these silver coins circulated."

"Has anyone refused to accept it?"

Shun An Yan looked at the silver coin in her grandfather's hand, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Grandpa, there's no need to check this. I went out with some friends today and saw someone using this kind of silver coin."

"Many shops are very fond of this Yuqing silver coin."

"Moreover, by exchanging Yuqing silver coins for copper coins, one silver coin can now be exchanged for one thousand copper coins."

Tong Guowei nodded, falling into deep thought.

Just as Shun An Yan was about to take his leave, his father, Ye Ke Shu, tiptoed in.

"I met my father."

Tong Guowei really didn't like Ye Keshu, that idiot, but with his grandson there, he had to give him some face, so he asked indifferently, "What is it?"

"Father, Young Master Fura from Lord Maqi's residence just arrived."

Of Ma Qi's nephews and nieces, only Fu Heng was worthy of Tong Guowei's attention.

As for Fu Liang, in Tong Guowei's eyes, he was just as incompetent as his son Ye Keshu, a good-for-nothing fool.

So he asked indifferently, "What's he doing here?"

"Father, this is a letter from Lord Ma Qi to you." As he spoke, Ye Keshu handed a letter to Tong Guowei.

Tong Guowei took the letter and looked at it, his expression immediately becoming suspicious.

In this letter, Ma Qi didn't mention anything serious other than the usual greetings to Tong Guowei.

To anyone who looks at it, it's just an ordinary letter.

But Tong Guowei knew that Ma Qi would never send such a letter without a reason.

He pondered for a moment and then said, "Go and bring Fura in."

In fact, Fu Liang was already waiting outside the door. In just two minutes, Fu Liang arrived in front of Tong Guowei.

After asking a few questions about Ma Qi's health, Fu Liang finally relayed Ma Qi's original message to him.

"The Crown Prince's palace is full of talented men, and talented men should hold high positions!"

These two lines are not poems, but their meaning is more important to Tong Guowei than elegant verses.

He carefully considered the two sentences and already understood about 70-80% of them.

Suddenly, he felt a growing sense of apprehension towards Ma Qi.

This Ma Qi, don't let his honest and kind appearance fool you, he's ruthless when it comes to dirty tricks! He's a cunning and wicked man, evil to the core!

This talented young man in the Eastern Palace did not intend to suppress those who were attached to the Crown Prince. On the contrary, he wanted to ensure that these people could not only pass the imperial examination smoothly, but also receive excellent evaluations.

Even a promotion!
But if talented people are demoted and incompetent people are promoted, then the Crown Prince's crimes of forming cliques and undermining the capital's inspection system will be confirmed.

By then, even if the crown prince had a mouth full of words, he probably wouldn't be able to explain himself.

Tong Guowei sneered inwardly, but his face remained unchanged as he said to Fu Liang, "Go back and tell your father that I know."

(End of this chapter)