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

Chapter 344 Do you really think there are that many Hai Ruis in the world?

When Tong Guowei heard Emperor Qianxi instruct Liang Jiugong to go find the Crown Prince, his heart skipped a beat.

Has the current Emperor Qianxi placed so much trust in the Crown Prince?
When did the father and son get so close?
Tong Guowei, being a veteran official, understood perfectly well that the fact that the Crown Prince enjoyed such trust from the Emperor meant that his position was very secure.

However, this is only temporary!

As the emperor gets older, his trust in the crown prince will likely diminish.

In the end, it might turn into...

In just about ten minutes, Shen Ye arrived at Sizhi Bookstore.

When Liang Jiugong came to find him, Shen Ye was playing cards with the Empress Dowager.

He really didn't expect that the Qianxi Emperor would summon him at this time.

In the past, Liang Jiugong would sometimes give a hint about why Emperor Qianxi sought him out, but this time, he only mentioned a few names, such as Tong Guowei and Longkodo.

It seems that even Liang Jiugong was unaware of the inside story.

Even someone like Liang Jiugong, who frequently served Emperor Qianxi, didn't know about this, so it must be a very serious matter.

Shen Ye had a vague feeling that this was not a good thing, but since the emperor had summoned him, he had no choice but to come.

After the formalities were completed, Emperor Qianxi got straight to the point: "Your Highness, I have a memorial here. Please take a look."

Seeing Emperor Qianxi's gloomy face, Shen Ye's first reaction was that Emperor Qianxi had found out about the letter of loyalty he had obtained from Suo'etu.

Otherwise, Emperor Qianxi wouldn't have been so cold and hostile towards him.

However, when Liang Jiugong handed the memorial to Shen Ye, Shen Ye realized that he had guessed wrong.

This is not a memorial impeaching himself, but rather the "greatest memorial in the world".

This memorial ostensibly impeached Emperor Qianxi, but most of its content was actually directed at him.

What kind of bank operates by competing with the people for profit!

Hoarding and profiteering!

What about protecting subordinates and interfering with the imperial examinations...?

Shen Ye slowly calmed down from his surprise and put the memorial in his hand on the ground: "Father, I think this so-called 'Number One Memorial in the World' is just a publicity stunt."

"This person wants to learn from Hai Rui, but he doesn't have Hai Rui's integrity."

"What's even more tragic is that the person he encountered was not the Jiajing Emperor, but Your Majesty, so his ambitions were destined to be in vain."

"I think that the more you pay attention to this kind of person, the more energetic he becomes."

Emperor Qianxi was quite satisfied with Shen Ye's evaluation, but his tone was still indifferent: "He does not have Hai Rui's integrity, but he has learned from Hai Rui's methods."

"He had already prepared a coffin and even showed the draft of his petition to many of his colleagues and fellow graduates."

"According to the report from the Infantry Commander's Office, quite a few people are now aware of this memorial!"

Emperor Qianxi appeared to be merely stating the facts without expressing any opinion.

But Shen Ye knew that Emperor Qianxi was telling him: if he wanted to turn a big problem into a small one, and a small problem into nothing, simply covering it up wouldn't work.

We have to find a way to solve this.

Shen Ye quickly thought of a solution and asked Emperor Qianxi, "Father, what is Grand Secretary Tong's opinion?"

Since I don't want to say anything, I'll ask for other people's opinions first.

For example, Tong Guowei is a good shield.

Tong Guowei was surprised that the Crown Prince called his name first. He paused and said, "Your Highness, I originally thought of suppressing the matter first."

"But Longkodo reported that this Zhenyan not only prepared a coffin for himself at home, but also spread the news far and wide, which is really despicable."

"That Zhen Yan, he really deserves to die."

Tong Guowei listened and heard a lot, but upon closer examination, he realized that nothing of substance had been said.

Shen Ye cursed Tong Guowei as a cunning old fox in his heart, but there was nothing he could do about it.

His gaze then fell on Longkodo, and he asked with a smile, "Father, since Prime Minister Tong's suggestion won't work, does Longkodo have any good ideas?"

Longkodo remained calm and respectfully replied, "Your Highness, I have already sent men to surround Zhen Yan's house."

"I have also sent people to follow those who have seen Zhen's memorial, and we are ready to take action at any time."

Longkodo truly lived up to his reputation as Tong Guowei's good son; his words were equally impeccable.

It sounds like they've done a lot, but they haven't said anything about the specifics of how they did it.

There isn't a single fool in the imperial court.

They fight tooth and nail over interests, but shirk responsibility and pass the buck. These bastards have truly taken the essence of this saying to the extreme.

While pondering the contents of Zhen Yan's memorial, Shen Ye also recalled how the Jiajing Emperor dealt with Hai Rui—

Make Hai Rui admit his mistake!
Summon the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers and Hai Rui for a debate!
Ultimately, unable to refute Hai Rui's arguments, he had no choice but to imprison Hai Rui until after his own death, at which point Hai Rui was released.

What did Emperor Qianxi want to do?
He considered himself a sage ruler, believing himself to be far superior to the Jiajing Emperor.

If Zhen Yan had been killed with a single blow, it would have been recorded in history, and some might even have said that he was not as good as the Jiajing Emperor!

He certainly didn't want to personally debate with this person named Zhen Yan, lest he end up like the Jiajing Emperor, driven to despair.

That's why he called him over—he wanted him to deal with Zhen Yan. Shen Ye couldn't refuse this move.

Because most of the content in Zhen's performance was directed at him.

If he had acted like Tong Guowei and his son, shirking all responsibility, Emperor Qianxi might very well have overturned all the achievements he had worked so hard to build.

Then, I put myself under house arrest.

That would be troublesome!

Shen Ye felt that dealing with someone like Zhen Yan wouldn't be too difficult.

After pondering for a moment, he said to Emperor Qianxi, "Father, I think that no matter whether Zhen Yan is truly confused or has been misled, he should not be killed."

Emperor Qianxi had already considered the consequences of killing Zhen Yan, so when he heard Shen Ye say that Zhen Yan should not be killed, he nodded slightly.

Shen Ye continued, "Zhen Yan's memorial mostly said that you were not strict enough in disciplining us princes, which led to some of us acting recklessly."

"Since he said so, and the memorial has been sent out."

"For the sake of Father Emperor's reputation, and to give an explanation to the people of the land, why don't I lead my brothers to debate with this Zhen Yan who wants to be Hai Rui?"

"Truth becomes clearer through debate!"

"Your subject believes that I have done a lot of practical things for the court."

"His few words cannot erase my achievements!"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Emperor Qianxi finally showed a slight smile.

This "number one memorial in the world" made Emperor Qianxi feel as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

He boasted that he was a sage ruler who would surpass Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han!
However, just as he was secretly pleased with himself, someone actually produced for him the "Number One Memorial in the World".

Although no phrase like "Jiajing, Jiajing, every household is clean" appeared in the memorial, the minister's report made him feel that his reputation was tainted and tarnished.

If nobody knows, then killing them is fine!
But now, Zhen Yan has prepared a coffin and spread the draft of his memorial everywhere. If he were to strike him with a knife at this critical moment, history would definitely record a severe mark against him!
He cannot accept this.

However, he couldn't do it if asked to personally preside over the debates between the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, just like the Jiajing Emperor.

To sit idly by? That's even worse.

It's like a fishbone stuck in your throat; you can't swallow it or spit it out, and it's very uncomfortable.

Now, the Crown Prince has accepted the challenge; he will lead his sons in a debate with Zhen Yan.

This gave him the opportunity to transcend worldly concerns.

Emperor Qianxi suddenly went from being a participant in the matter to becoming a referee.

He already knew how to handle the situation, and he was fully capable of moving forward or backward at will.

If the Crown Prince and his group lose the debate, you can just blame the Crown Prince and his sons; as for Zhen Yan losing the debate, there's no need to say anything more.

So he immediately made a decision: "Since the Crown Prince thinks so, then let's do it your way."

Tong Guowei and Longkodo exchanged a glance, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, the father and son, one a Grand Secretary and the other the Commander of the Infantry Commandery, were both inextricably linked to this matter.

If Emperor Qianxi ordered the arrests, then Longkodo would have to act immediately and without hesitation to arrest everyone related to Zhen Yan.

If Emperor Qianxi ordered his ministers to discuss Zhen Yan's crimes, Tong Guowei, as the chief Grand Secretary, would have to carry out Emperor Qianxi's intentions to the end without fail.

Sometimes, things that Emperor Qianxi refused to do, they had to do.

Now that the Crown Prince has taken on this hot potato, they have escaped a disaster.

"Your Majesty, should we immediately imprison Zhen Yan and the others?" Longkodo asked after a moment's thought.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Longkodo, then his gaze fell on Shen Ye.

"Your Highness, tell Longkodo whether you want to arrest more people."

Shen Ye watched Emperor Qianxi pick up his teacup and drink tea, and his inner resentment grew even stronger. He turned to Longkodo and said, "Lord Longkodo, since we are going to debate Zhen Yan's memorial with him, what's the point of arresting him?"

"Have your men keep a close watch on Zhen Yan's house."

"While it's unlikely that someone will kill him to silence him, we should still be wary of someone resorting to desperate measures."

Longkodo hurriedly replied, "Your subject obeys!"

After finishing their business, Tong Guowei, Longkodo, and Yang Yun bid farewell and left the Sizhi Study. Yang Yun had something on his mind, so he walked quickly, while Longkodo and his son walked out of the palace slowly.

Blown by the cold air outside, Longkodo remarked, "When it gets cold again, I'll come here to spend the winter too."

"You shouldn't just think about winter; you should think about Zhen Yan's situation instead."

Tong Guowei said to Longkodo without any politeness, "Let me tell you, if Zhen Yan has any problems, you'll be in big trouble! Don't be so upset that you won't even know where to turn."

Seeing Tong Guowei about to leave, Longkodo lowered his voice and asked, "Father, do you think someone...someone is behind this?"

Tong Guowei sneered, "Hmph! It would be strange if no one was up to something!"

Do you really think there are that many Hai Ruis in this world?

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(End of this chapter)