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

Chapter 378 A Single Slash Cuts Off the Path to Success

The vast Hall of Supreme Harmony was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Who would have thought that Shen Youding would act like he'd eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard today?

He actually dared to question the Crown Prince on the spot!
This is the morning court session, bro!
Moreover, all officials of the sixth rank or above in Beijing were present.

His outburst was like rubbing the Crown Prince's face in the ground; was he going crazy?
However, more people were worried for the Crown Prince than for Shen Youding's madness.

The Crown Prince presided over the grand court assembly for the first time, and he was criticized like this by his ministers. If he can't even control this situation, what prestige will he have in the future?

"Shen Youding, you have some serious audacity to dare to roar at the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"

"Where are the imperial guards? Drag them out immediately!"

To everyone's surprise, the first one to jump out was the thirteenth prince, who usually stood out as a "background figure" in the court.

This gentleman is not very old, and he usually lives a life of contentment and detachment from worldly affairs.

Moreover, the thirteenth prince never thought of changing his situation.

But now, whenever the Crown Prince is provoked, he is the first to rush to the front line.

It's important to understand that those who step forward without understanding the situation are most likely to end up getting hurt.

The fact that the thirteenth prince stepped forward at this time was basically a declaration that he had decided to follow the crown prince and would not change his mind!

Upon hearing the thirteenth prince's summons, several imperial guards immediately rushed forward.

When Shen Youding saw this scene, his eyes turned red—he was going all out!
With no way out, he stepped forward and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Your Highness, Your Excellencies, I only asked Your Highness to handle the matter I presented."

"How did it become the Roaring Hall of Supreme Harmony?"

"I'm innocent!"

"I beg Your Highness and all the officials to give me justice."

"Does this mean that I, an imperial censor, am not even given a chance to speak out?"

Shen Ye waved his hand to stop the thirteenth prince, who was about to speak again.

He glanced at Shen Youding, then turned his gaze to Chen Tingjing.

As the Left Censor-in-Chief, Chen Tingjing was in charge of all the censors.

Although he always had his own plans, to be honest, he didn't want to confront the Crown Prince head-on.

But some things are not subject to his will.

Take these censors for example; most of them were actually "independent entertainers."

Sometimes, they don't necessarily follow his orders.

When the Censorate was established, it was determined that each censor had the authority to submit an independent memorial.

Take Shen Youding for example. Although he was polite to Chen Tingjing, he was not one of Chen Tingjing's confidants.

Shen Youding stepped forward, but of course, it wasn't his arrangement.

He cursed inwardly at the people behind Shen Youding, saying, "You pushed this guy out and he's done a lot of harm!"
While cursing under his breath, Chen Tingjing quickly got into character.

Since we can't avoid it, we can only tough it out.

"Lord Chen Tingjing, you heard what Shen Youding just reported, didn't you?" Shen Ye didn't give Shen Youding a chance to continue speaking and directly called out Chen Tingjing.

Chen Tingjing wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered honestly, "Your Highness, I heard everything."

"So tell me, have I dealt with it?"

"According to the rules of the Grand Court Assembly, accepting the memorial is considered the end of the matter..."

"After all, many things still need further investigation."

After saying that, he immediately turned to Shen Youding: "Shen Youding! Who gave you such audacity to shout in the imperial court? Hurry up and apologize to the Crown Prince!"

Shen Youding's mind worked quickly. Seeing that the situation was not good, he immediately changed to a pitiful approach: "Your Highness, Lord Chen."

"Although I have been somewhat impolite, what I ask for is that the matter I have impeached can be dealt with as soon as possible."

"In my humble opinion, the facts of the matter I have impeached are clear, and Your Highness should deal with it promptly, rather than delaying the decision."

"Your loyalty is as clear as the sun and the moon."

In the end, he simply knelt down on the ground with a thud.

It's clearly a stubborn confrontation!
Anyway, whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll get stabbed anyway.

Shen Ye smiled and asked slowly:
"You say the Infantry Commander's Office sent people to the Hanlin Academy to arrest people, and that's a clear fact. But do you know why they went to the Hanlin Academy to arrest people?"

"Furthermore, let me ask you again, which law stipulates that the Infantry Commander's Office needs to request permission before arresting someone from the Hanlin Academy?"

Shen Youding immediately froze.

He certainly knew why the Infantry Commander's Office went to the Hanlin Academy to arrest people, but the main point of his memorial was that they had broken into the Hanlin Academy without an imperial edict.

In his view, this was a grave sin.

But the crown prince's question completely stumped him!
It was a custom that everyone had to abide by, that no one should arrest people from various government departments without an imperial decree.

But when asked which rule contains such a provision, Shen Youding really didn't know.

He was momentarily speechless, and under everyone's gaze, he could only stammer, "Your Highness, it has always been this way!"

"It's always been this way" is an unspoken rule, but which law says it? There isn't one!

Even he himself felt uneasy saying that.

Shen Ye replied calmly, "Does the Infantry Commander's Office deserve punishment simply because of the statement 'it has always been this way'?"

"Even you yourself can't say which regulation the Infantry Commander's Office violated."

"We don't even know how to punish them."

"I had your memorials confiscated, what are you complaining about?"

Shen Youding's hands were trembling! He felt a chill in his heart, a wave of despair washing over him.

He subconsciously looked towards Zhang Ying.

Zhang Ying remained expressionless, not even glancing at Shen Youding, as if this person had nothing to do with her.

Seeing Zhang Ying's indifference, Shen Youding cursed inwardly.

Zhang Ying, did you forget your eyes today? Can't you see what's happening right in front of you?

How could you treat me like a rag? Just use me and throw me away?!

But in the end, this anger turned into helplessness.

What could he do? He was truly helpless!
After all, Zhang Ying was no ordinary person; he held a high position of power and was also the leader of their region.

If you offend Zhang Ying, you'll never have a good life again.

"Your Highness, I was confused for a moment, please forgive me."

Since a direct confrontation won't work, and there's no other way to turn the tide, then let's play the victim!

In any case, in this imperial court, if a mere censor like him offers advice and the crown prince punishes him too harshly, he will also earn a reputation for being "strict".

Being in a position of power is not easy; it's not a simple matter.

Facing Shen Youding, who had suddenly changed his attitude, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Ignorance is no excuse, and besides, Lord Shen is wholeheartedly devoted to the court."

"If I punish him, wouldn't that make me seem petty?"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, the Fourth Prince inwardly sneered.

The Crown Prince is fine in every other way, but this hypocrisy makes him feel constrained.

If it were me, and Shen Youding dared to roar at the court like that, I would definitely have to teach him a lesson.

Giving both grace and power is the way to go!

Your Majesty's behavior of allowing yourself to be manipulated by others is not the way of an emperor!

Upon hearing this, Shen Youding was overjoyed: So everything was alright? He had only begged for mercy, and the Crown Prince had raised his whip high and then gently lowered it.

This is wonderful... The Crown Prince is indeed young and easily fooled!
Now that I've escaped, I must keep a low profile for a while and absolutely must not continue to participate in memorials.

Otherwise, you're just asking for trouble.

However, just as he was feeling pleased with himself, Shen Ye suddenly changed the subject and said, "The saying goes that great generals rise from the ranks and prime ministers rise from the prefectures and counties. The reason why Lord Shen made such a mistake is because he lacks experience."

"Without good training, how can one become a pillar of society?"

"Ministry of Personnel, arrange for Lord Shen to take up the post of magistrate under Hongshan Prefecture in Yunnan Province, so that he can gain some experience!"

"After the Ministry of Personnel has conducted three major assessments, the candidate will be transferred to a different post!"

Upon hearing this arrangement, Shin Yoo-jung's legs went weak, and he almost died on the spot!

He knew where the land south of the colorful clouds was, but where was Hongshan Prefecture? He had never even heard of it.

And the place he went to was one of the counties under its jurisdiction!

How remote this must be.

That wasn't enough. With a single word from the Crown Prince, he was ordered to serve as the county magistrate for fifteen years!
The Grand Plan is usually held every five years, but the Crown Prince allowed him to hold the Grand Plan three times, which means he would stay in this position for fifteen years.

At his current age, he'll be quite old in fifteen years.

His peers, who were around the same age and in similar positions, had essentially reached the rank of minister within fifteen years.

And what about him?
He's still just a county magistrate!
It can be said that the Crown Prince's smiling slash has essentially severed his path to advancement!

Upon hearing this arrangement, Shen Youding swayed.

He wanted to curse now. Who said the Crown Prince was easy to get along with? Who said the Crown Prince was...?

He looked at Zhang Ying again with a hint of resentment in his eyes.

But Lord Zhang remained calm and composed, as if none of this concerned him.

In his heart, he really wanted to stand up and give Zhang Ying a good scolding.

But he knew perfectly well that even if he scolded Zhang Ying, it would be of no use.

Because at this point, Zhang Ying was willing to deny everything.

Once he breaks ties with Zhang Ying, he will truly have no one left to rely on in the court.

In that case, I would have no future at all.

The crown prince won't be the crown prince forever!

If one day, as Zhang Ying and the others predicted, the Crown Prince becomes too intelligent and capable, causing Emperor Qianxi to become wary of him, then he will still have a chance.

Although the chances are slim, it's still a chance.

Moreover, both thunder and rain are acts of imperial favor!

He had already lashed out at the court once, and if he continued to cause trouble, he felt he would suffer the consequences.

Therefore, in this situation, acceptance is his wisest choice.

Although he felt aggrieved, he ultimately swallowed his anger and forced out, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Highness. I will remember it forever."

Shen Ye had been keeping an eye on the court. Seeing that no one spoke up for Shen Youding, he knew that Shen Youding was just cannon fodder being used to test the waters.

He already had a guess about who was behind Shen Youding, but now was not the time to make his move.

We'll settle the score when we hold court at Qianqing Gate.

Just then, the eunuch in charge of announcing the proceedings said, "Those with matters to report, speak up; those without, dismiss court!"

　The first update of the day is here! Please vote for me at the end of the month, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)