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

Chapter 365 The imperial court has nurtured scholars for a century; today is the day when those who uphold integrity and die for righteousness will rise again.
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's question, the Third Prince's heart skipped a beat.

Isn't this a basic common sense problem, like lice on a bald man's head?

Why did the Crown Prince suddenly bring this up?
He dared not speak rashly, because the Crown Prince was too cunning and treacherous; one could easily fall into his trap, making him virtually impossible to guard against.

In fact, it wasn't just the Third Prince who was puzzled; the other princes also looked at each other, none of them able to figure out what the Crown Prince was up to.

After all, who is the number one family in the world? Is there even a need to think about it?

Before the Third Prince could speak, the Fourteenth Prince chimed in with a grin: "Second Brother Crown Prince, isn't our family the number one family in the world?"

Need I say more? The royal family rules the world and is supreme. If they are not number one, who is?

The greatest under heaven is, of course, the royal family!

The Third Prince nodded in agreement with the Fourteenth Prince's answer, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Shen Ye and said, "Your Highness, I think the Fourteenth Prince is right."

"The number one family in the world is, of course, our family."

Shen Ye simply smiled faintly and said, "That can be considered one way of putting it."

"However, in the eyes of many people, the number one family in the world is not actually us."

The tenth prince was furious upon hearing this, and immediately stood up, saying, "If it's not our family, then whose family is it?"

"I refuse to believe that anyone else has the guts to compare themselves to our family!"

"If any fool dares to show his face, I'll be the first to deal with him!"

Normally, many people dislike the Tenth Prince for his bluntness and recklessness, but at this moment, they all agree with what the Tenth Prince said.

After all, this concerns everyone's reputation and interests.

The Third Prince looked at the furious Tenth Prince and vaguely realized something, but he swallowed the words back before he could speak.

Shen Ye remained calm and waved his hand with a smile, saying, "Tenth Brother, let's discuss this matter objectively. Don't get worked up."

Shen Ye paused for a moment, then continued, "There is such a family that no matter who becomes emperor, everyone must show them the utmost respect."

"With millions of acres of fertile land at home, not only do we not have to pay taxes to the imperial court, but we also ask the imperial court for money every year."

"Moreover, I've also checked, and the amount of money they ask for increases year by year, and they always manage to get it."

"That's not all. Their family holds the hereditary title of First-Class Duke, and whenever they come to the court, they have to stand at the forefront of the civil officials."

"What's even more amazing is that every time the court was about to collapse, they never resisted to the death. As soon as they saw the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, they immediately turned into opportunists, followed the wind, and submitted letters of surrender to the new dynasty. As a result, their official positions kept rising."

"Tell me, wouldn't you say this counts as the 'Number One Family in the World'?"

As soon as Shen Ye finished speaking, everyone present understood who Shen Ye was referring to.

The Kong family!

The Duke Yansheng's Mansion!

The Third Prince felt a chill run down his spine when he thought of Kong Yujin, who had visited him some time ago.

The Crown Prince is about to target the Kong family!
However, the way the Kong family behaves does indeed make people uneasy, and even wary!

In particular, the Crown Prince said that the Confucius family was the number one family in the world!
The tenth prince and the ninth prince exchanged a glance, and neither of them spoke.

They understood the meaning behind the Crown Prince's words, but dealing with the Kong family? That was a huge deal!
But at this moment, the Eighth Prince was secretly pleased.

His position as crown prince was becoming increasingly secure, which made him somewhat uneasy.

If the Crown Prince clashes with the Kong family, perhaps I can catch my breath and things will be a little easier.

In the ensuing silence, the eldest prince spoke up: "Although the Kong family is a family of sages, we have been treating them a little too well."

"However, they are, after all, descendants of saints!"

"If we really take action against their family, it might cause unnecessary trouble!"

"Therefore, I think we must be very careful about this matter!"

The eldest prince was quite fair in saying these words, without much personal bias, as he had no connection with the Kong family.

Shen Ye nodded and said, "Brother is right. The reason why everyone has always treated the Kong family well is out of respect."

"But some people take this preferential treatment for granted."

"Whether the imperial court is in trouble or not, they don't care at all; they just want to leech off the imperial court."

"People like this have no choice but to be treated!"

The fourth prince always had a stern face. He had always been concerned about the court's finances and had considered tax reform in order to make the granary more abundant.

However, he never dared to make a move against the Kong family.

After all, they are descendants of sages. If we touch them, we might not only fail to get any benefits, but also get ourselves into trouble.

But he also had a vague feeling that if he could really break through the Confucius family, it would be much easier to implement the policy of "officials, gentry and commoners paying taxes together".

The Crown Prince wanted to start with the Kong family; in this respect alone, he was more daring than I was.

“Your Highness, I have no objection to dealing with the Kong family’s ministers and brothers. However, where should we begin?” The Eighth Prince said with a smile, “The Kong family is not easy to find fault with.”

Shen Ye glanced at him and said with a calm smile, "Eighth Brother, this matter is actually not difficult."

"From a moral standpoint, the saying 'the blessings of a virtuous person last only five generations' applies, and the Confucius family has long surpassed that."

"We can also gradually reduce the title of Duke Yansheng with each generation!"

"Another point is that it is not appropriate for all the descendants of Confucius to gather in Qufu. They should be sent to various places to teach the people."

"In Qufu, it would be best to leave only the Duke Yansheng's family." "Ten people at most."

The title of Duke Yansheng was demoted, the Kong family was divided, and other descendants were relocated to various parts of the country. If these three measures of demoting the title, dividing the family, and relocating people were really implemented, then the huge Kong family would collapse.

The Eighth Prince pondered the Crown Prince's actions and had to admit that with these three moves, the Duke of Yansheng's mansion was doomed to collapse!
“Downgrading the Duke Yansheng’s Mansion would likely displease the officials!” The speaker was the Third Prince. He had close ties with the civil officials and knew that although many of them disdained the Duke Yansheng’s Mansion’s actions, they still had to maintain respect for it.

Because respecting them is respecting the most revered teacher!
Shen Ye said firmly, "On this point, we should look at the Confucius family and the Supreme Sage Confucius separately."

"The Confucian family is the Confucian family, and the sage is the sage; the two should not be confused!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.

"Your Highness, just tell us what you want us to do. We've long disliked the Kong family, and they're even more arrogant than us!" the Ninth Prince interjected menacingly.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Tomorrow, Lord Zhen Yan will present a memorial regarding the Duke Yansheng's mansion at the meeting. Brothers, just lend a hand and give it a shout when needed."

"Come on, let's not just talk, let's have a drink first, and wish each other success this time."

As Shen Ye raised his wine cup, the other princes followed suit.

They were all smiling, but they knew in their hearts that this matter would probably not be so easy to accomplish.

After chatting about some minor details, and having eaten and drunk their fill, everyone took their leave one by one.

The thirteenth prince was the last to leave. Before leaving, he whispered, "Your Highness, I think some of my brothers are reluctant to take action against the Kong family."

"Aren't you afraid of alerting the enemy by calling us all here?"

Shen Ye patted the thirteenth prince on the shoulder affectionately: "Thirteenth brother, the snake was already frightened."

"I had already spoken with Kong Yujin before, but she wasn't very accommodating."

"This time I called all my brothers over, but I told them not to openly oppose me."

"that's enough!"

At this point, Shen Ye whispered again, "Thirteenth Brother, could you help me contact Jin Fu?"

“He used to be an official in Shandong and now he is in charge of the Yellow River and often travels in and out of Shandong. Ask him to help me collect evidence of the Duke Yansheng’s family’s extortion and plunder.”

"I'll be useful in the future!"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, the thirteenth prince immediately understood Shen Ye's intentions.

He nodded heavily and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I understand what to do."

Watching the thirteenth prince leave, Shen Ye rubbed his forehead.

The struggle for power in the court is truly exhausting and mentally taxing.

If it weren't for Emperor Qianxi's arrangement, he really wouldn't want to get involved.

But once you step in, you can never get out.

However, it's good to start such a struggle—the more opponents the crown prince has, the more stable his position will be.

This way, Emperor Qianxi wouldn't feel that he still had the power to sideline him as emperor.

Conversely, if the crown prince is surrounded by enemies, the emperor will be more protective of him.

The art of imperial strategy, at its core, is nothing more than the "way of balance"!

Shen Ye, too lazy to think about it anymore, headed towards Cao Min's residence, slightly tipsy.

For officials in the capital, the most important and nerve-wracking thing this winter was naturally the capital inspection.

However, the person who attracted their most attention was Zhen Yan!

Not only did they impeach the emperor, but they also petitioned for officials and gentry to pay taxes in the same way as ordinary people, which was simply outrageous.

This is taking away everyone's livelihood!
So many people are itching to get their hands on him!

Many self-proclaimed "pure" people, who were ashamed to associate with such individuals, even formed a group to shout and curse at the Zhen family across the street!
If it weren't for the fact that the Zhen family had people from the Infantry Commander's Office guarding them, someone would have rushed to the Zhen family long ago and taught him a lesson.

Just as the court officials were frantically impeaching Zhen Yan, Zhen Yan's third memorial arrived—

The memorial was even more outrageous, directly demanding the complete abolition of all preferential treatment afforded to the Duke of Yansheng!
In his memorial, Zhen Yan quoted extensively from classical texts, recounting the significance of "the blessings of a virtuous man end after five generations," and then said that the Duke Yansheng had been a successor for a thousand years, and the sage's legacy should have come to an end long ago.

The concluding sentence is even more powerful and resounding: "I love the most holy teacher, but I love the truth more!"

After hearing this, even those who criticized him had to admit: Zhen Yan is truly outspoken and eloquent. In short, Zhen Yan is a man of considerable talent!

Of course, only Zhen Yan herself knows who added that line.

As soon as the memorial was circulated, the entire imperial court erupted into chaos!

At Zhang Ying's residence, Liu Shixun said with a serious expression, "Grand Secretary, all the officials and gentry in the world are watching us. It's time to make a decision."

"If we don't take action now, things will get really bad once the Duke of Yansheng falls."

"Therefore, the students felt it was time to fight back."

"The imperial court has nurtured scholars for a century; now is the day to uphold integrity and die for righteousness!"

Zhang Ying opened her half-closed eyes, stared at the indignant Liu Shixun, and after a long while, managed to utter a few words: "Don't go too far!"

Liu Shixun, however, remained unfazed. Meeting Zhang Ying's gaze, he replied in a deep voice, "This student knows what he's doing!"

　Hey everyone, here's the second update for today! Please vote and support me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)