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

Chapter 341 The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish.

Ma Qi also planned to secretly make some moves at the residence of the Minister of Revenue.

Although he has been "recovering from illness" at home these past few days, he has actually been busy for a long time.

Like a duck swimming, it appears calm on the surface, but is actually thrashing about wildly.

Of course, he was also very well-informed and didn't miss anything.

Shen Zhumo's death was orchestrated by him and Tong Guowei.

He was also fully aware of the memorials submitted by the censors and young officials.

However, he knew better than anyone else that it was virtually impossible to bring down the Crown Prince with just these memorials—it was simply too difficult!

To shake the crown prince's position, they had to find an opportunity to drop a bombshell.

"Have you found the person I asked you to find?" In the study, which was warmed by the electric heater, Ma Qi looked at his younger brother Ma Wu and asked.

Ma Wu's face was solemn as he asked, puzzled, "Brother, we've found the person, but why did you insist on finding someone like him? Do you want him to follow in Shen Zhumo's footsteps?"

Ma Qi shook his head and said, "Shen Zhumo is dead. This life is enough!"

"However, this alone is far from enough to bring down the Crown Prince."

At this point, he handed over a manuscript and said, "Take a look at this."

Ma Wu had served as the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department; what kind of storms hadn't he seen?

But upon seeing this memorial, his face instantly turned ugly.

Because the first line of this memorial reads: The Greatest Memorial Under Heaven!

These six characters appeared in the previous dynasty—back then, Hai Rui used this very title when he impeached the emperor.

From then on, memorials impeaching the emperor gradually came to be known as "the greatest memorials in the world".

As Emperor Qianxi's confidant, Ma Wu knew the emperor's temperament all too well.

Despite his seemingly kind and lenient nature, Emperor Qianxi was a tough nut to crack at heart.

To present him with the "Number One Memorial Under Heaven"? That would be tantamount to suicide!

"Brother, once this memorial is submitted, then... then there will be endless troubles!" As he spoke, Ma Wu grabbed the memorial and walked towards the direction of the lamp.

He absolutely cannot let this memorial remain in this world!

Ma Qi reached out and stopped him, saying, "Look at it first, then burn it!"

Ma Wu hesitated for a moment, but still listened to his brother and read the memorial from beginning to end!
After reading it, Ma Wu's expression worsened.

Because this memorial, on the surface, impeached Emperor Qianxi, saying that he had not properly disciplined his son, but in fact every sentence was aimed at the Crown Prince.

It doesn't explicitly describe the Crown Prince's character, but instead talks at length about his forming cliques for personal gain and competing with the people for profit.

Finally, he wrote directly: "To love one's son is to harm one's son; for ordinary families, loving their son is a misfortune for the family."

"When Your Majesty loves your son, the entire empire trembles!"

Ma Wu mentally reviewed the contents of the memorial and solemnly advised, "Brother, once this memorial is submitted, our family will likely face a great calamity!"

"What if His Majesty finds out that we ordered this?"

Ma Qi said calmly, "That's precisely why I asked you to find a suitable person."

"Besides, I only wrote a rough draft; the specific details will have to be written by the person you find."

"If you can find someone like Shen Zhumo who has no chance of survival, then I believe there must be many others who want to be like Hai Rui."

Ma Wu's expression changed, but he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, have you thought about it? His Majesty is not the Jiajing Emperor!"

"He has so many informants. If... if this matter escalates, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Our family has already reached the pinnacle of wealth, why take this risk?"

"It could very well result in the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire family!"

"So I absolutely cannot stand by and watch you take such a risk, brother."

"If you refuse to listen to me and insist on doing it, then don't blame me, your younger brother. I'd like to ask all the elders in the clan to judge this matter!"

Ma Qi's expression darkened.

However, he could understand his brother's worries.

The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish—that's true.

But the bigger the storm, the greater the risk of capsizing. This is the kind of risk that people with titles fear most.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Of course, we can't handle this ourselves."

"Doesn't the Eighth Prince want to ascend to the throne? Go see him and tell him about this idea."

"If he wants to do it, then let him find someone to do it."

"If he doesn't want to do it, then we'll just wash our hands of it."

Ma Wu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Ma Qi had finally relented.

He was genuinely afraid that Ma Qi would be stubborn and insist on going all the way. In that case, no matter how much Ma Wu cared about brotherhood, he would have to break ties with Ma Qi this time.

This is a really big deal!
It wasn't easy for Ma Wu to see the Eighth Prince, since princes weren't allowed to leave the palace without permission.

Fortunately, the Eighth Prince is currently observing state affairs at the Ministry of Justice, so Ma Wu still has a chance to meet him.

To avoid leaking information, Ma Wu made up an excuse and personally went to the Ministry of Justice.

Upon arriving at the Ministry of Justice, Ma Wu immediately sensed that the Eighth Prince's expression was off.

Although the Eighth Prince had a smile on his face when he greeted him, the smile looked very forced.

Ma Wu's heart skipped a beat: Could it be that the Eighth Prince has a problem with our family?

"Eighth Prince, what's wrong...?"

The Eighth Prince forced a smile and explained, "It's nothing, just that an old friend passed away, and I'm not in a good mood." Ma Wu pondered for a moment; he hadn't heard of any high-ranking officials or nobles passing away recently.

He hesitated whether to ask who it was, but the Eighth Prince whispered, "It's Lord Ren Bo'an."

"What a pity, he died young!"

Ren Bo'an? Ma Wu's mind raced, recalling the rumors about the "Records of Officials' Conduct".

Although the matter was never brought to the forefront, and Emperor Qianxi did not seem to personally intervene, Ma Wu knew that Emperor Qianxi had still taken action—Ren Bo'an was directly exiled to the frontier.

This was Emperor Qianxi's attitude towards this matter.

He originally thought that Emperor Qianxi's handling of the matter would put an end to it, but he never expected that Ren Bo'an would still die.

"How did he die?" Ma Wu regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth. Wasn't he asking a question he already knew the answer to?
The Eighth Prince sighed and said, "I heard he died of a sudden illness."

"such a pity!"

Ma Wu wisely stopped the conversation.

The Eighth Prince quickly composed himself, immediately arranging for a cup of tea to be poured for Ma Wu before asking, "Lord Ma, what brings you here?"

Ma Wu naturally wouldn't say it directly, but instead laughed it off: "Eighth Prince, I came to the Ministry of Justice on business and realized that it had been a while since I had paid my respects to you, so I came to visit you."

The Eighth Prince's lips curled slightly, a hint of disdain in his heart. He didn't believe that Ma Wu had come to see him on a whim.

You're all old foxes, what kind of ghost story are you trying to tell me?

However, the Eighth Prince did not directly expose Ma Wu's little trick of deliberately beating around the bush. Instead, he calmly chatted with Ma Wu about everyday matters: "How is Minister Ma Qi's health?"

"I've heard that in addition to taking medicine, it's best to soak in a hot spring if you catch a cold."

“A friend of mine recently bought a villa in Xiaotangshan. Although the hot springs there can’t compare to those at the Emperor’s Palace, they’re still quite nice to soak in.”

"I went for a soak a few days ago, and it was pretty good."

Upon hearing this, Ma Wu's expression turned serious, and he said, "Thank you for your concern, Eighth Master."

“My elder brother is much better now. After resting for a few more days, he will be able to return to the Ministry of Revenue to continue his work.”

At this point, he changed the subject, saying, "My brother has been recuperating at home these days. He hasn't done anything else but reread Lord Hai Rui's 'Number One Memorial Under Heaven' several times."

“He was still reminiscing when we discussed it some time ago.”

"It is said that this memorial, the greatest in the land, was like a morning bell and evening drum, not only awakening the Jiajing Emperor, but also waking up the entire court of civil and military officials!"

The Eighth Prince's expression changed.

He had certainly read the most important memorial in the world!

And he read it more than once.

This is Hai Rui's memorial impeaching the emperor. Ma Wu came to see him and suddenly brought this up, which must have a deeper meaning.

Has Ma Qi lost his mind and decided to impeach his own father?
He was a little skeptical of this!
Although Ma Qi always considered himself a national hero, he knew very well that someone as adept at seeking advantage and avoiding harm as Ma Qi would not dare to impeach his own father.

That's practically suicide!

For Mazi, who is driven by self-interest, this is unlikely.

But what exactly did Ma Wu mean by that?

"Lord Hai's memorial is indeed thought-provoking and awakening." The Eighth Prince couldn't guess Ma Wu's intentions, so he had no choice but to go along with it.

Seeing that the Eighth Prince didn't understand, Ma Wu simply stated his meaning plainly: "Eighth Prince, don't you think His Majesty is spoiling the Crown Prince too much?"

"Whether it's opening a bank or taking control of the fast track, the Crown Prince is essentially competing with the people for profit."

"If it weren't for His Majesty's backing, the Crown Prince wouldn't be so reckless!"

After saying this, Ma Wu shut his mouth.

He has said everything he could.

Why strike a loud drum with a heavy hammer?
Whether the Eighth Prince understands or not is no longer his concern.

The Eighth Prince was a clever man who understood things quickly. After hearing Ma Wu's words, his mind immediately cleared.

Ma Qi wanted to submit the "Number One Memorial in the World"!
By impeaching Emperor Qianxi, they aimed to impeach the Crown Prince.

Did Ma Qi want to get his opinion by having Ma Wu deliver a message to him?

He naturally wholeheartedly agreed to this plan, which could strike at the Crown Prince.

Therefore, he solemnly exclaimed: "When the nation is in peril, good generals are needed; when times are turbulent, loyal ministers are revealed!"

"Lord Ma Qi is loyal and courageous; I admire him to the fullest!"

"I believe that loyal ministers will be given important positions, will be rewarded, will..."

Upon hearing the Eighth Prince's words, Ma Wu's face immediately darkened.

It seems I haven't explained things clearly enough, and the Eighth Prince has misunderstood.

He coughed and said, "Your Highness, my elder brother is still ill. Even if he wanted to rid the country of this scourge, he would be powerless to do so."

He needs to rest!

At this point, Ma Wu deliberately slapped his forehead and said, "Eighth Master, I suddenly remembered that there's an urgent matter at home that I need to go back and take care of."

"I shall take my leave now."

Watching Ma Wu's hurried departure, the Eighth Prince's expression changed rapidly.

He finally understood Ma Qi's true intention: "You son of a bitch, you're trying to get me to take the bullet!"

The Eighth Prince was furious, but his eyes gradually hardened.

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(End of this chapter)