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

Chapter 359 Using one saint to fight another saint

The Duke Yansheng, Kong Yujin, who is in his forties, is currently at the peak of his life.

His fair and chubby appearance is, to put it bluntly, the result of years of pampered living, but he does give people a gentle and refined feeling, like a spring breeze.

The Duke Yansheng was a duke of the highest rank. If he were to stand in the court, his position would be even ahead of Tong Guowei, the chief Grand Secretary.

That's not all. The Duke of Yansheng's mansion also owns millions of acres of fertile land, which are used as sacrificial land and are exempt from all taxes.

In addition, the Duke Yansheng's mansion enjoys a host of preferential treatments!
For example, the magistrate of Qufu County was basically a member of the lineage of the Duke Yansheng, and it had almost become a hereditary position.

And there's more...

This time, the Duke Yansheng came to the capital specifically to pay early New Year's greetings to Emperor Qianxi.

He also wanted to take this opportunity to mention to His Majesty the Emperor that the expenses of the sacrificial rites were too great, and the Duke of Yansheng's mansion simply couldn't afford it.

We want the imperial court to allocate more sacrificial land!
In fact, Emperor Qianxi always respected the descendants of sages and never hesitated to treat them well.

Therefore, in the eyes of Duke Yansheng Kong Yujin, Emperor Qianxi was a good emperor.

The Xiaotangshan Hot Spring Palace has several small courtyards specifically for visiting governors and viceroys. At this moment, Kong Yujin had just finished soaking in the hot springs and was being leisurely served by several servants, drinking tea.

"Kong Ling, when it comes to enjoying life, His Majesty is the best!" Kong Yujin said with a sigh. "Soaking in a hot spring in the dead of winter is just so comfortable."

Kong Ling was Kong Yujin's page in the past, but now he is the second steward of the Duke of Yansheng's mansion.

He grew up with Kong Yujin and knew the Duke Yansheng's thoughts perfectly well.

He immediately replied in a low voice, "After I return to Qufu, I will search carefully. Logically speaking, there should be hot springs nearby. We can build a manor there later."

Kong Yujin smiled; he had always been satisfied with this understanding butler.

Some things don't need to be said too explicitly. You only need to hint at the point, and he'll immediately understand and handle everything perfectly. He's incredibly helpful.

But this time, Kong Ling, who was extremely good at reading people's expressions, couldn't figure out his thoughts.

He simply said, "I heard that land in the Xiaotangshan area is for sale. Let's buy a farm here."

"In this way, when I go to the capital to see His Majesty again, I will have a place to stay."

As the second steward of the Kong family mansion, Kong Lingtai was well aware of the land prices in this area.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "My lord, the land here is now more expensive than fertile fields in the outskirts of the capital."

"Locations near hot springs are even more outrageous, ridiculously expensive!"

"If we were to acquire a thousand-acre estate next to the imperial palace, the land alone would cost at least twenty thousand taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, Kong Yujin frowned.

The Duke Yansheng's mansion was grand and wealthy, but it also had many servants, leading to a life of extravagance and considerable expenses.

Even for him, taking out 20,000 taels of silver in one go would inevitably be painful.

However, after only a moment's hesitation, he smiled and said, "Then I'll mention it to His Majesty, that I'd like to come and pay my respects more often in the winter."

"Please grant us an estate, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Kong Ling quickly advised, "My lord, it's fine elsewhere, but this Xiaotangshan area is basically all His Highness the Crown Prince's territory."

"I heard that the reason why the Crown Prince gave His Majesty the Xiaotangshan Palace was to sell the surrounding land."

"If you speak directly to His Majesty like this, he probably won't refuse you. However, this will offend the Crown Prince."

"It would be more appropriate for you, my lord, to directly purchase the land from the Crown Prince."

Kong Yujin nodded and said, "You're right to point that out."

"If we take over the Crown Prince's land for nothing, it will cause a lot of trouble."

"After paying my respects to His Majesty tomorrow, I should also pay my respects to the Crown Prince according to the rules. At that time, I will talk to the Crown Prince about the land purchase."

"Prepare more silver."

Just as he was giving the instructions, a servant rushed in to report: "Duke Yansheng, Liu Shixun, a member of the Southern Study, requests an audience."

Although the official rank of the Southern Study Room staff was not high, the Southern Study Room represented all the Grand Secretaries.

Kong Yujin knew very well that although she was a high-ranking official, she was far inferior to a Grand Secretary, who was equivalent to a prime minister.

Therefore, he solemnly instructed, "Please have tea served in the living room, Lord Liu!"

Half an hour later, Kong Yujin met this young man in his thirties.

However, Kong Yujin dared not neglect Liu Shixun, who was not very old and only held the sixth rank in officialdom.

This is because Liu Shixun not only has unlimited potential, but also comes from an extraordinary background.

His father and his uncles were both high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, although they had all retired to their hometowns.

"Greetings, Duke Yansheng!" Liu Shixun bowed respectfully.

Kong Yujin smiled and helped him up: "Brother Liu, please don't be so polite. We are both from Shandong, so we are truly family."

"Being too polite means you don't consider me one of your own."

These words were spoken very affectionately, and Liu Shixun's smile widened.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Liu Shixun's expression turned serious as he asked, "Has the Duke of Yansheng heard of a major event that has occurred in the court?"

Seeing Liu Shixun's solemn expression, he also put away his smile and hesitated, saying, "Brother, I've only just arrived in the capital and haven't heard anything yet."

Liu Shixun sneered inwardly at Kong Yujin's reaction: How could the Duke of Yansheng's mansion not know, given its information channels? Kong Yujin's words were clearly meant to avoid trouble.

Unfortunately, if you're big enough, there are some things you can't avoid just because you want to. "Some time ago, someone submitted what is 'the greatest memorial in the land' to His Majesty," Liu Shixun said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this "Number One Memorial Under Heaven," Kong Yujin slammed his fist on the table and stood up, angrily saying, "His Majesty works tirelessly day and night to achieve the current peaceful and prosperous situation where the people are united in heart and mind!"

"We should be grateful to have such a wise ruler, but some people have gone so far as to submit what they call the 'Number One Memorial Under Heaven,' they are simply not human."

"Damn it, absolutely damn it!"

“My Duke Yansheng’s mansion will never be able to coexist with such a person.”

After Kong Yujin said these words, her gaze quietly fell on Liu Shixun.

Regardless of the circumstances, the wealth and status of the Duke of Yansheng's mansion were bestowed by His Majesty, so at this time, he had to express his stance to Emperor Qianxi.

As for what to do next, we'll see how things unfold.

Liu Shixun remained calm, revealing nothing about his expression, which made Kong Yujin wonder to herself:
This young man is damn calm...

"His Majesty will be very pleased that the Duke Yansheng thinks this way." Liu Shixun waited for Kong Yujin to finish speaking before continuing, "However, Duke Yansheng, things are not that simple."

"Just today, His Majesty ordered the Crown Prince to lead the other princes in a debate with Zhen Yan in court."

"The Crown Prince pointed out that the taxes levied on the country today are not only not higher than when the court established its rule, but have actually decreased considerably."

"If this continues, the imperial court may follow the same path as the previous dynasty."

"The Crown Prince said, since Zhen Yan has the world in his heart, then please write a memorial suggesting that officials, gentry and commoners pay taxes together."

"If this matter is settled, then..."

Liu Shixun did not elaborate on the consequences of this matter.

Because he knew very well that, as one of the largest landowners in the land, the Duke Yansheng understood best how much impact this would have on the Duke Yansheng's mansion.

It can be said that the millions of acres of sacrificial fields alone would have to pay a huge amount of taxes to the imperial court every year.

This was a devastating blow to the Duke of Yansheng's mansion.

"How could the Crown Prince do this!" Kong Yujin suddenly stood up from her seat, her voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

This was all his money. The Crown Prince's actions were tantamount to robbing him of his money, which he found unacceptable.

Liu Shixun said solemnly, "Perhaps the Crown Prince just wants to present Zhen with a difficult problem during the rebuttal, so that he knows the consequences of impeaching His Majesty."

"Or perhaps, the Crown Prince really intends to push this matter forward."

"However, once this memorial is written, coupled with Zhen Yan's reputation for submitting the 'Number One Memorial in the World' to His Majesty, it will surely cause quite a stir."

At this point, he said in a heavy tone, "By then, it will be extremely difficult to salvage the situation!"

"Brother, our families have been friends for generations."

"At times like this, let's not beat around the bush, and let's not hold back what we have to say."

"This concerns the overall situation. Just tell me what you need me to do."

Originally, Kong Yujin did not want to express his opinion in a timely manner, but the current situation no longer allowed him to wait and see.

He had to make a statement, which brought a smile to Liu Shixun's face.

He solemnly said to Kong Yujin, "Duke Yansheng, regardless of whether Zhen Yan's accusations against His Majesty were made in his own heart or were a desperate gamble for a higher position."

“We should all regard his behavior as a poor imitation of His Majesty, a deliberate attempt to discredit the wise Emperor in order to gain a promotion.”

"Only in this way can His Majesty vent his anger."

“As long as Zhen Yan is disgraced, it doesn’t matter whether he writes the memorial on ‘officials and gentry paying taxes the same as commoners’.”

Kong Yujin nodded, already understanding Liu Shixun's intentions.

However, he still hesitated at this moment.

After all, this matter also involves the Crown Prince.

Under Liu Shixun's gaze, he finally spoke: "My Duke Yansheng's Mansion will definitely submit a petition on this matter and will not let everyone down."

Liu Shih-hsun didn't explicitly say who this "big shot" was, but he believed Liu Shih-hsun understood.

Liu Shixun smiled at Kong Yujin and said, "The Duke of Yansheng's mansion not only wants to submit a petition, but also wants to take the lead in submitting one."

"After all, Zhen Yan wanted to become the next Hai Gangfeng by petitioning His Majesty, a new saint who dared to speak out for justice!"

“At times like these, only a descendant of a sage like yourself can effectively expose the truth.”

"To deal with a fake saint, the real saint must personally take action!"

Kong Yujin looked at Liu Shixun's resolute attitude and sighed silently.

Whether for his own interests or the attitude of these allies, he could no longer back down.

After a moment's thought, he said to Liu Shixun, "Brother Liu is right."

"It is our Confucian family's duty to deal with such treacherous and fraudulent false saints."

"I will go back immediately to write a memorial and present it to His Majesty!"

Liu Shixun laughed and said, "Duke Yansheng, I await your good news."

　The second update for today is here! Please support, recommend, and vote!
　　

(End of this chapter)