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

Chapter 343 Carrying a Coffin to Remonstrate Frankly: The Cover-Up Cannot Be Covered Up

When this memorial was presented to Emperor Qianxi, he was completely stunned!
He thought to himself, this "number one memorial in the world" must have been written by someone like the Jiajing Emperor, who was obsessed with Taoist practices and incurred the wrath of both heaven and man.
Who would have thought that Emperor Qianxi would have the "honor" of receiving such a gift!
In an instant, a surge of anger rushed to his head, and he wished he could immediately order someone to arrest Zhen Yan.

However, the last shred of reason in his heart told him: I must not act impulsively, absolutely not!
Because if he were to actually arrest people, his reputation in historical records might not even be as good as that of the Jiajing Emperor, whom he looked down upon the most!

Emperor Qianxi could never lose to Emperor Jiajing!

So he took a deep breath and carefully read the memorial from beginning to end.

The vast Sizhi Study was completely silent!

Both Tong Guowei and Yang Yun knew that at this time, they absolutely could not disturb the Emperor.

As for eunuchs like Liang Jiugong, who were very familiar with Emperor Qianxi, they wished they could stay far away and didn't dare to breathe too loudly.

Upon seeing that the memorial specifically affirmed his martial arts skills, Emperor Qianxi's expression softened slightly.

But as he read further, he saw a list of his own indulgences towards his son, including accusations that his son was involved in banking, privately minting coins, and competing with the people for profit. Emperor Qianxi's lips curled into a cold smile.

"The views of a pedantic scholar!"

The Crown Prince's bank has clearly solved many problems for the imperial court.

Moreover, the reason why the imperial court has been able to pay these people's wages recently is largely thanks to the Crown Prince's bank.

This Zhen Yan is truly a case of "eating from the bowl and then cursing the cook after putting down the chopsticks!"

Emperor Qianxi's opinion of Zhen Yan diminished even further.

Comparing this person to Hai Rui? Hmph, he's far inferior!

However, when Emperor Qianxi saw the sentence, "If Your Majesty does not discipline your son, the world will not be worthy of you," he was thoroughly enraged!
What does it mean to "not value oneself"? Isn't that a threat?
To put it bluntly, the reason he wants to discipline his son is simply to get the crown prince to hand over all the benefits he has and then obediently do nothing.

As for the other sons, they all had to obey him.

However, on the other hand, the Crown Prince has indeed been caught red-handed this time—the death of Shen Zhumo cannot be said to be entirely unrelated to the Crown Prince's subordinates.

After much deliberation, Emperor Qianxi finally finished reading this "number one memorial in the world".

He did not immediately express his opinion, but after a moment of contemplation, he said, "Tong Guowei, have you read the contents of this memorial?"

As the Grand Secretary, Tong Guowei did show some sense of responsibility at this time.

He bowed to Emperor Qianxi and replied, "Your Majesty, I have read this memorial."

"In my opinion, most of what Zhen Yan said is far-fetched. His purpose is to use Shen Zhumo's death to gain a reputation for speaking frankly and daring to remonstrate."

Having spent so many years navigating the officialdom, Tong Guowei understood one principle: no matter what he thought in his heart, he had to put the Qianxi Emperor's interests first when speaking.

Only in this way would Emperor Qianxi value his maternal uncle more.

Only someone as the chief scholar can be considered to have the authority to speak with authority.

Upon hearing Tong Guowei's words, Emperor Qianxi's expression immediately improved considerably.

He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Some people have spent their whole lives studying the classics, but it's all gone to waste!"

"They would talk at length about anything that was in their favor, putting on an air of concern for the country and its people."

"But when it comes to actually getting things done, they just shrug and say they can't do anything."

"What's the use of keeping people like that around!"

Yang Yun, who was standing to the side, felt his heart pounding.

Even though he knew that Emperor Qianxi wasn't talking about him, he still felt a pang of guilt as every word he heard was piercing.

Surely His Majesty wouldn't actually lay a hand on Zhen Yan?
"No one is more wise than His Majesty."

Tong Guowei solemnly replied, "However... most officials are easily deceived by these people who seek fame and fortune."

“If we directly and severely punish them, and forcibly deal with all these people, I fear it will cause some unnecessary trouble.”

"In my opinion, for such matters, it would be better to strengthen the guidance of the court officials and gradually improve their understanding."

"So that they won't be led astray by these people again!"

Emperor Qianxi nodded, not dwelling on the matter any further, and instead asked Tong Guowei, "Tong Guowei, what do you think should be done with Zhen Yan?"

Upon hearing about the punishment for Zhen Yan, Tong Guowei said without hesitation, "Your Majesty, Zhen Yan deserves to die!"

"I suggest that the Infantry Commander's Office should directly imprison Zhen Yan."

"Then, the Ministry of Justice will be ordered to block the news. Anyone who dares to leak this information will be punished the same as Zhen Yan."

Tong Guowei spoke with murderous intent, and his meaning was very clear: that there would be no way to prove anything once and for all!
Yang Yun listened from the side and secretly admired him.

He had thought of this idea before, but he didn't have the courage to say it.

Tong Guowei was able to openly and honestly raise this opinion in front of Emperor Qianxi, which was something I couldn't compare to.

I am still far inferior to Tong Guowei, the emperor's uncle and a Grand Secretary!
Emperor Qianxi did not speak.

This made the atmosphere in the room even more somber.

Almost everyone understood that Emperor Qianxi was weighing the pros and cons—considering whether he should do this.

While doing so could have many benefits, a misstep could have led Emperor Qianxi to be perceived as stifling free speech.

This was not something Emperor Qianxi wanted to see either.

After a moment's hesitation, his gaze fell on Yang Yun. "Yang Yun, what do you think?"

In the past, Emperor Qianxi often addressed Yang Yun with the affectionate title of "Yang Aiqing".

Now that the Qianxi Emperor was addressing him by his given name, a sense of pressure rose in Yang Yun's heart.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I agree with Chancellor Tong's opinion."

"I believe that Zhen Yan is a fame-seeking opportunist. If Your Majesty pays too much attention to such a person, you will only fall into his trap."

"Throwing this person into prison is the best option."

When Emperor Qianxi heard Yang Yun say this, a smile appeared on his lips.

He said in a deep voice, "This Zhen Yan dared to speak recklessly and slander me. His crime is unforgivable."

"Indeed, all officials should criticize Zhen Yan's behavior, but in order to avoid causing turmoil in the court, we will follow the advice of our two ministers and have the Infantry Commander's Office..."

Before Emperor Qianxi could finish speaking, Liang Jiugong hurriedly walked over.

In the past, Liang Jiugong was very particular about the rules.

When Emperor Qianxi had important matters to discuss, he would absolutely not dare to show himself without permission.

But now, his sudden and abrupt entrance caused Emperor Qianxi's expression to change.

Emperor Qianxi immediately asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"

Liang Jiugong said respectfully, "Longkodo, the commander of the Infantry Commandery, said he has important business to discuss and must see His Majesty now."

"Your Majesty has important business to attend to, but Longkodo says it is extremely urgent and he must see Your Majesty."

Longkodo requests an audience!
The three people, including Emperor Qianxi, who were discussing matters, all changed their expressions.

Longkodo's official position wasn't very high, but he possessed a power that many people envied.

That is, he could report events that occurred in the capital to Emperor Qianxi directly, without going through the Office of Transmission or the Southern Study.

The fact that Longkodo was in such a hurry must mean that something big had happened in the capital.

With the recent freezing weather, what major event could possibly happen in Beijing?

Thinking of the Zhen Yan that the three of them had just discussed, a cold glint appeared on Emperor Qianxi's face.

He said to Liang Jiugong, "Summon Longkodo to an audience."

Both Tong Guowei and Yang Yun were very intelligent, so at this moment, they obediently kept their mouths shut, fearing that they might say something wrong and anger Emperor Qianxi.

In just one minute, Longkodo arrived at the Sizhi Bookstore.

After he finished bowing to Emperor Qianxi, he was about to speak when he saw his father and Yang Yun, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, standing to one side.

He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, I request to speak privately."

Playing solo means that some things are not suitable for others to hear.

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "Those here are all my trusted ministers. Speak freely."

Hearing Emperor Qianxi's words warmed Yang Yun's heart.

His Majesty's trust in him made him feel that he would do anything, even risk his life.

Longkodo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, Zhen Yan, the Assistant Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, has bought a coffin and placed it in his home. He has also shown the draft of his memorial to the throne to many of his colleagues who came to visit him!"

He paused here, waiting to see Emperor Qianxi's reaction.

Since he had already made the matter very serious, if Emperor Qianxi felt that things could not be discussed further, then he should have let his father and Yang Yun leave at this point.

However, what he received in return was a cold snort from Emperor Qianxi.

"They're determined to compare me to Jiajing!"

These words were so piercing that Tong Guowei immediately knelt down and said, "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty's civil and military achievements are praised throughout the land!"

"Compared to you, the Jiajing Emperor is like a star compared to the sun."

Although Yang Yun knew it wasn't the time for him to speak, he still knelt down on the ground along with Tong Guowei.

Through Emperor Qianxi's words, Longkodo had confirmed one thing: Emperor Qianxi already knew about today's events.

His father and the others are here now to discuss countermeasures.

Although he felt a little regretful at this moment, on the surface he still stood obediently to the side, waiting for Emperor Qianxi's instructions.

"Tong Guowei, this is definitely going to be the number one memorial in the world!" Emperor Qianxi said with a hint of emotion, "He really has a lot of guts."

Tong Guowei said softly, "Your Majesty, this matter is no longer suitable for leniency."

Tong Guowei's words literally meant that Zhen Yan should not be let off easily, but in reality, he was telling Emperor Qianxi that it was no longer appropriate to cover up the matter.

Emperor Qianxi naturally knew this. He picked up the memorial, glanced at it, and then said in a deep voice, "Liang Jiugong, invite the Crown Prince over."

“Since they mentioned him, he should naturally know what happened.”

　The second update for today is here! The eight-day holiday is over, please support me, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)