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

Chapter 368 Your Emperor Experience Card Has Arrived in Your Account

When Tong Guowei stepped into the Sizhi Study, he looked up and saw Emperor Qianxi leisurely wielding his brush, seemingly unconcerned and relaxed.

This was completely different from what he had expected—the emperor's furious and exasperated appearance.

However, as the saying goes, "old foxes are cunning," and Tong Guowei, this old fox, was on high alert: the more things seemed to be like this, the more vigilant he couldn't let his guard down.

He knew his nephew all too well; he was stubborn and a man of his word, and anyone who dared to go against him never fared well.

Even if it hadn't been dealt with then, that thorn would have remained in my heart forever. I'd have to find a reason to exact revenge!

This incident of almost beating Zhen Yan to death in the street is exactly like a replay of an old story from the Jiajing era of the previous dynasty.

Emperor Qianxi always considered himself a "sage ruler," so how could he tolerate this?

The calmer the surface appears, the more intense the raging fury is hidden within.

Today's hurdle is likely to be difficult to overcome.

"Your subject Tong Guowei greets Your Majesty!" he said respectfully, bowing.

Normally at this time, Emperor Qianxi would not wait for him to kneel completely before ordering someone to help him up, and sometimes he would even personally reach out to help him up.

But today, Emperor Qianxi acted as if he hadn't heard anything and continued writing stroke by stroke.

Tong Guowei's heart skipped a beat, and he had no choice but to obediently kneel on the ground. His knees ached from the pressure, but he dared not get up rashly. He knew that the emperor was in a very bad mood and was furious. If he was not careful, he would be stirring up a hornet's nest.

Only after the calligraphy was finished did Emperor Qianxi seem to notice his uncle kneeling there, and slowly say:
"Uncle, get up quickly! The ground is so cold, why are you still kneeling on it?"

At this point, he turned to Liang Jiugong beside him and scolded, "Liang Jiugong, where are your eyes? Hurry up and help the Grand Secretary up!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiugong quickly ran forward and helped Tong Guowei up.

Tong Guowei quickly put on a smile and said, "Your Majesty was so engrossed in writing that I didn't dare to disturb you for a moment."

"Uncle, come and see how well I've written this calligraphy?" Emperor Qianxi beckoned to him.

Tong Guowei had absolutely no interest in calligraphy, but he knew that when the emperor asked him to look at the calligraphy, it wasn't an appreciation, but rather a statement of opinion.

He leaned closer to take a look, and his heart skipped a beat. He saw that it was written on the paper:

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

Tong Guowei's eyelids twitched, and he immediately straightened his face and pledged his loyalty:

"Your Majesty, this is all the nonsense of despicable villains! Leave this matter to your humble servant, and I will certainly bring those audacious and reckless people to justice."

Seeing his loyal appearance, Emperor Qianxi finally smiled.

When it comes to being the most considerate, it has to be your own uncle!
He snorted coldly, his tone chilling as he said:

"Uncle, they dared to touch Zhen Yan, which is a show for me, and it's tantamount to slapping me in the face!"

"They think they can intimidate me by learning a few of the previous dynasty's fearless methods? They think too highly of themselves!"

"Aren't they supposed to be loyal and die for their principles? Fine, let them try it today. I'll grant their wish!"

The same words, spoken by the emperor, carried a chilling murderous intent, sending a shiver down Tong Guowei's spine.

The emperor was so angry that he laid down millions of corpses!

Knowing that forceful persuasion wouldn't work in this situation, Tong Guowei had to change his approach:
"Your Majesty obeys. However, I feel that this matter is neither too big nor too small. Your Majesty's personal involvement is a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

"It would be better to find a capable person to conduct a thorough investigation, with His Majesty directing the operation from the center, which would allow for greater flexibility in handling the situation."

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Emperor Qianxi's eyes.

How could he not understand Tong Guowei's unspoken message? It would be best if he didn't get involved himself, but who could he ask to handle such a thorny matter?
"Uncle, if we hand this over to those useless people in the Ministry of Justice, the final conclusion will probably be 'fighting and accidental death,' and then they'll downplay it and make it disappear!"

Emperor Qianxi sneered, "Then it would be better for me to just take action directly!"

Tong Guowei was also aware that the people in the Ministry of Justice might not be able to withstand the pressure and might actually try to smooth things over.

That would damage the emperor's dignity.

He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and leaned closer to say:
“Your Majesty, the one who tied the knot must untie it. This matter... cannot be avoided by dealing with His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Upon hearing Tong Guowei mention the Crown Prince, Emperor Qianxi's heart stirred. "That's right, how could I have forgotten about the Crown Prince?"

Faced with pressure from the entire court, how will the Crown Prince respond?

Will the successor I personally chose back down under pressure and fail at the crucial moment?
Objectively speaking, the Crown Prince's performance during this period was remarkable. He overcame all obstacles and handled every difficult and troublesome matter properly.

Emperor Qianxi was initially quite pleased, believing that the Crown Prince would still be fully capable of taking over and managing the great empire after his death.

But when faced with such a difficult and serious matter, can he still stick to his principles?
Should we choose to compromise and back down, or forge ahead against the current...?

The more Emperor Qianxi thought about it, the more he felt that it would be better to hand the matter over to the Crown Prince, so as to see what he was really capable of, and whether he was a mule or a horse, and then we would know after taking him out for a spin.

In this way, he wouldn't have to personally intervene or make judgments, yet he could still control the overall situation from behind the scenes, which was a wise move. So he nodded and said, "Uncle is right."

Tong Guowei felt a surge of smugness – whoever took on this thorny issue would be doomed, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it would have endless consequences.

Even if the emperor were to handle it personally, offending so many ministers would cause him a lot of trouble, not to mention the crown prince who hasn't even ascended the throne yet.

This backlash will come sooner or later, and it will be enough to make the Crown Prince suffer!
Just as Tong Guowei thought he had succeeded, Shen Ye arrived at Sizhi Study.

He had already heard about the whole thing before he came, and he was seething with anger.

Anyone who dared to make a move in the inner city, intending to kill Zhen Yan outright, was clearly targeting him; this was a blatant provocation.

What you, Your Highness, say is all right. Didn't you put forward a mere pawn, Zhen Yan, to charge into battle for you? I'm going to beat him to death right here in the street and see what you can do to me!
Such things had happened before in previous dynasties; many tax supervisors appointed by the emperors died in this way.

If we don't retaliate fiercely this time, it will only embolden the other side, and who will respect him as the crown prince in the future?

He was determined that this time he had to persuade Emperor Qianxi to take drastic measures and deal with the situation severely!
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Shen Ye bowed respectfully.

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand: "No need for formalities. Come, let me see how well I've written this calligraphy."

Shen Ye was puzzled, but still went forward to take a look.

Upon seeing that line of text, he understood about 70-80% of it, and then he spoke:

"Your Majesty's calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, full of momentum! However, I feel that this content is not suitable for you to write."

“If you wrote ‘The streets of the capital are traversed with the bones of nobles,’ or ‘The swallows that once graced the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into the homes of ordinary people,’ it would be even more impressive.”

Tong Guowei, who was listening nearby, felt a chill run down his spine—the Crown Prince's murderous aura was even stronger than the Emperor's!

The first sentence is full of murderous intent and bloodshed, while the second sentence is even more intent on utterly crushing certain people.

However, he didn't dare to interrupt at this moment.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Shen Ye, and seemed quite satisfied with the answer.

He said in a flat tone:
"Your Highness, I dreamt of the late Emperor last night. I plan to recite scriptures for forty-nine days to pray for his well-being."

"While I am reciting scriptures, I entrust the affairs of state to you!"

He then turned to Tong Guowei: "Tong Guowei, issue an imperial decree that, starting tomorrow, the Crown Prince will oversee the state!"

The emperor was clearly in the capital, yet he suddenly appointed the crown prince to oversee the country. The meaning couldn't be clearer—he wanted Shen Ye to handle the "nurturing scholars for a hundred years" matter entirely.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye immediately understood Emperor Qianxi's intention—to entrust the task to him would save him the trouble of explaining and allow him to proceed directly according to his own wishes.

To be honest, he was quite satisfied with his father's arrangement. This time, he was determined to get justice for Zhen Yan.

Otherwise, if Zhen Yan were nearly beaten to death and he, the crown prince, were helpless and couldn't even handle such a small matter, it would damage his prestige and make him lose face! In the future, who would still take him, the crown prince, seriously?
Thinking of this, Shen Ye's eyes sharpened, and a resolute feeling surged within him. He immediately replied solemnly, "Thank you for your trust, Father. Your son will never let you down!"

Tong Guowei, standing to the side, received the imperial decree, but his heart was heavy. The emperor, residing in the capital, had entrusted the crown prince with overseeing the state—this was unprecedented!

His original intention was simply to get the emperor to pass this hot potato to the crown prince, to shirk responsibility, but he never expected to overdo it this time!

Who would have thought that Emperor Qianxi would pull such a stunt?

The emperor did heed his advice, but instead delegated a great deal of power, directly appointing the crown prince as regent.

This power was given out too suddenly and too much!

But the decree has already been issued and cannot be changed; it's too late to say anything now.

Upon careful consideration, he realized that Emperor Qianxi's actions were not merely to have the Crown Prince handle the matter, but also to test his ability to deal with major events.

It seems that His Majesty is still focused on grooming a crown prince.

In other words, the Crown Prince's position is unshakeable by anyone in the near future; it should be as secure as Mount Tai.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Shen Ye and added, "I'll wait here for your decision. Since you're going to oversee the country, then don't stay in this hot spring palace."

"The Southern Study in the Forbidden City would be more suitable."

"In addition, the court hearings at Qianqing Gate should still be held, and the grand court assembly should also be held as usual."

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye inwardly groaned – in this freezing weather, to send him to the Southern Study in the Forbidden City to work, with the cold wind whistling into his trousers, wouldn't he be frozen to the bone? It was practically torture!

But since his father had spoken, he had no choice but to obey.

Shen Ye thought about it again, and when he was about to deal with this matter decisively, he couldn't help but smile bitterly at the overwhelming flood of memorials he would receive.

Father Emperor wants him to experience what it's like to be an emperor early on!
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(End of this chapter)