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

Chapter 345 With me here, no one can touch you.
Tong Guowei didn't believe there could be so many Hai Ruis in the world, and Emperor Qianxi certainly didn't either.

So as soon as Tong Guowei and the others left, Emperor Qianxi looked at Shen Ye and asked, "Crown Prince, what do you think of the events of the past few days?"

Only the father and son remained in the hall. When Emperor Qianxi asked this question, Shen Ye understood that Emperor Qianxi was intentionally giving him some pointers.

From this perspective alone, Emperor Qianxi, as a father, seems to have been quite good.

Shen Ye pondered for a moment, then his expression turned serious.

She looked up at Emperor Qianxi and asked, "Father, are you saying... that Shen Zhumo's death and Zhen Yan's memorial were orchestrated by someone behind the scenes?"

Emperor Qianxi said calmly, "Something unusual must be going on!"

"Shen Zhumo's death is shrouded in mystery!"

"He was a sixth-rank official, a Jinshi graduate. Even if he was dismissed from office during the capital inspection, he could still live comfortably back in his hometown and have a very good life."

"Even if someone comes from a humble background, they can still become a local gentry as long as they return to their hometown!"

"Who knows, one day the imperial court might issue a transfer order, and I could be reinstated!"

"He shouldn't risk his life to remonstrate with the court."

"And then there's Zhen Yan, although he didn't die!"

"But, is it really that simple for someone to become Hai Rui?"

"Although he doesn't hold a high official position, he's willing to risk his life and fortune, humph..."

Although Emperor Qianxi didn't say a single word in his final snort, the sarcasm was palpable.

Shen Ye listened to Emperor Qianxi's laughter, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

He immediately asked in a deep voice, "Father, who do you think is pulling the strings behind this?"

Emperor Qianxi paused for a moment before slowly saying, "I haven't found out who it is yet. But I have a feeling that it's aimed at you."

"Yunye, from now on, you'd better... be more careful."

Emperor Qianxi originally wanted to say "act carefully," but when the words were about to come out, he changed them to "be careful."

Because if he directly told the crown prince to be careful, wouldn't it make it seem like he, as the emperor, couldn't protect his son?

If people get that kind of impression, where will he put his face as emperor?
Shen Ye glanced at Emperor Qianxi twice and said respectfully, "Father, rest assured, I will be careful."

"Your subject believes even more that with Father Emperor's protection, no demons or monsters can get close to me!"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Emperor Qianxi was slightly taken aback.

He hadn't expected the Crown Prince to say that, and a sense of pride as a father welled up inside him.

Then, his tone became a bit more serious: "You are my son. As long as you don't commit any heinous crime, I will naturally protect you!"

"With me here, no one can touch you."

Emperor Qianxi was right; no one but him could touch the Crown Prince.

Because only the emperor can truly depose the crown prince!
Although Shen Ye had some doubts about Emperor Qianxi's words, he could only express his gratitude since the emperor had said so.

"Thank you, Father Emperor. I am relieved to hear your words."

Emperor Qianxi picked up Zhen Yan's memorial and handed it to him, saying, "If you want to debate with Zhen Yan, then what Zhen Yan has to say is basically all in this memorial."

"Take it back and study it carefully."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi hesitated for a moment, then added, "Don't underestimate the enemy!"

"Leaving aside the fact that Zhen Yan has powerful backers, the fact that he dared to submit this 'Number One Memorial in the World' means that someone must have been advising him."

“If you lose the debate, even if I protect you, you won’t look good.”

After thanking Emperor Qianxi for his kindness, Shen Ye took the memorial and turned to leave.

As Emperor Qianxi watched the Crown Prince's retreating figure, his mind raced with calculations.

He conducted a considerable investigation into the situation of the capital inspection, and if his investigation was accurate, there was an 80% chance that the Crown Prince was not lying.

In other words, the crown prince did not plead for his subordinates.

The reason why the Ministry of Personnel showed leniency towards these people was probably because it was done intentionally by certain individuals.

Perhaps it was to curry favor with the Crown Prince, or perhaps...

The attacks on the Crown Prince became increasingly ruthless, which made Emperor Qianxi feel both pleasantly surprised and uneasy.

To his delight, the Crown Prince, having been subjected to such a fierce attack, would be too preoccupied to worry about vying for his power as emperor.

But these people have put the Crown Prince in such a chaotic situation; if the Crown Prince were gone, wouldn't he himself...?

While Emperor Qianxi was still deep in thought, Shen Ye had already returned to the palace with the memorial.

After quickly scanning the contents of the memorial, a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Although this memorial was hailed as the "greatest memorial in the world," it was actually not aimed at Emperor Qianxi, but at the crown prince.

Some of his words were practically a direct naming of Shen Ye!
First, someone crashed into the Ministry of Personnel and died, which shifted the blame for the unfairness of the capital's official examinations onto him.

Now, someone has publicly submitted this "number one memorial in the world" to Emperor Qianxi, leaving him with no way to back down.

Emperor Qianxi was determined to be a sage ruler, and he had no choice but to respond to this memorial.

If he doesn't take the initiative, he'll be at the mercy of others!
It shouldn't be the eldest prince; he doesn't have that kind of brain!

But what about the jewel behind the eldest prince?

The possibility of him being the third prince is not small. He is a man who is both scholarly and martial, and well-versed in history. He might actually be capable of doing such a thing.

The fourth prince might also be...

The most likely candidate is the Eighth Prince, given his strong support from Tong Guowei and his group, giving him the best chance of winning. However, regardless of who is behind it all, he cannot shoulder the burden alone.

Shen Ye put down the memorial and instructed Zhou Bao, who was standing beside him, "Zhou Bao, take my invitation and have the First Prince, the Third Prince, and all the way up to the Thirteenth Prince come to me."

"The time is set for half an hour from now."

Within the palace, only Emperor Qianxi, the Empress Dowager, and Crown Prince Shen Ye were able to convene all the princes in this way and set a specific time.

Emperor Qianxi frequently summoned his sons for talks; it was a common occurrence for him.

After all, these are his sons.

The Empress Dowager rarely summoned her grandsons. As a grandmother, she would only look after the fifth prince, whom she had raised since childhood. She basically ignored the other princes, let alone summon all the adult princes at once.

As for Shen Ye, the Crown Prince, even when he was the original Crown Prince, he didn't dare to directly summon the princes, let alone the usually composed Shen Ye.

Zhou Bao, upon hearing Shen Ye's order, was stunned. He almost thought he had misheard, as the order was quite unexpected.

After hesitating for a moment, she carefully confirmed, "Your Highness, are you... are you really going to summon all the princes?"

"I have important matters to discuss with them. Just do as I say." Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "It's alright."

Shen Ye's "It's alright" was to tell Zhou Bao that there would be no problem with doing this and that it would not offend Emperor Qianxi.

Once Zhou Bao understood Shen Ye's meaning, he agreed and quickly went to get busy.

The news that the Crown Prince had summoned all the princes spread quickly.

When Zhou Bao went to invite the eldest prince, the prince was inspecting the guards at Xiaotangshan. Upon hearing that the crown prince had summoned him, the prince casually asked who else the crown prince was looking for besides him, and Zhou Bao told him the truth.

Upon hearing that there were other brothers besides himself, and that everyone else was on the list, the eldest prince's first reaction was that the crown prince was really going all out this time, making quite a spectacle!

They actually gathered so many brothers.

However, he also knew in his heart that although the Crown Prince was his brother on ordinary days, he was more like a subject to a ruler.

Since the Crown Prince has summoned him, he has no choice but to go.

Otherwise, it would be considered disobeying an imperial decree.

Although Emperor Qianxi used him to check and balance the Crown Prince, he was also maintaining the Crown Prince's authority.

If he dares to disregard the Crown Prince, then Emperor Qianxi will definitely make him pay!

Therefore, the eldest prince immediately asked Zhou Bao to tell the crown prince that he would definitely be there on time.

The news leaked out during this question-and-answer session.

Before long, almost everyone in the Xiaotangshan Imperial Palace had heard about the Crown Prince summoning all the princes.

When Emperor Qianxi learned of this, he simply smiled and paid no further attention.

The Crown Prince had previously stated that he would lead his brothers in a debate with Zhen Yan. Therefore, the purpose of the Crown Prince's summons of the princes this time was naturally to have them join him in dealing with Zhen Yan's memorial.

In Emperor Qianxi's view, the Crown Prince was sharing his burdens.

Even if others saw it, they dared not say anything if the Qianxi Emperor did not speak.

The only one who objected was the fourteenth prince.

When the twelve-year-old fourteenth prince heard that he was not among the people summoned by the crown prince, he angrily ran to Emperor Qianxi.

"Father, the Crown Prince called all his brothers, but why didn't he call mine?"

Emperor Qianxi was always exceptionally patient with his youngest son. He patted the fourteenth prince's head and said with a smile, "Your elder brother, the Crown Prince, has summoned them because he has important matters to discuss."

"Don't go and join the fun. Go back and study hard."

Hearing his father dismiss him like this, the fourteenth prince immediately became unhappy and tugged at Emperor Qianxi's sleeve, saying, "Father, I am an adult now!"

"Your subject also wants to go and help the Crown Prince."

"Your son wants to go!"

Unable to resist his youngest son's persistent nagging, Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, you can go with him. If your elder brother, the Crown Prince, asks, just say that I sent you."

The fourteenth prince happily agreed and skipped and hopped towards the crown prince's residence.

When the Fourteenth Prince arrived, he happened to see the First Prince and the Third Prince walking side by side.

"Brother, what does the Crown Prince want with us?" the Third Prince asked in a low voice.

The eldest prince said casually, "I don't know, but the Crown Prince must have something important to say in summoning us like this."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a big fuss."

The Third Prince nodded and said, "Brother, if the Crown Prince's request is too excessive, I will follow your lead."

In the past, the eldest prince would have been very pleased to hear these words.

But after experiencing the auspicious white deer, he had long since calmed down.

Faced with the Third Prince's overtures, he simply replied, "Third Brother, the Crown Prince must have something important to discuss with us."

"Let's hear what the Crown Prince has to say first."

The Third Prince was about to speak when he looked up and saw the Fourteenth Prince running over. He immediately swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Why are you here?" The eldest prince asked, frowning as he saw the fourteenth prince, who was only a teenager.

"The Crown Prince didn't invite me, so I went to see Father Emperor, and he sent me." The Fourteenth Prince was beaming with excitement.

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince was speechless.

However, the Fourteenth Prince's words reminded him that since Emperor Qianxi had sent the Fourteenth Prince, it meant that the Crown Prince's summons of them was with the Emperor's tacit approval.

What exactly is the Crown Prince planning to do?
　This is the second update today. I'm asking for your support, everyone. The holiday is over, so if you have any votes, please give me two.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)