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

Chapter 383 Among all the heroes under heaven, only my fourth brother and Cao Er are worthy of mention.

The Fourth Prince, Yunzhen, not only did not regret helping the Crown Prince deal with the Kong family, but was secretly quite pleased with himself.

He smugly planned that one day when he became emperor, he would never allow the Kong family to be so arrogant!

Furthermore, it is unacceptable for the Kong family to seize millions of acres of fertile land without contributing a single penny—

What kind of bastard descendant are you? You even resist doing things as basic as farming and paying taxes. Aren't you even stingier than a mythical creature?
Now that the Ministry of Revenue has swallowed up the Kong family's million acres of sacrificial land, they can finally have a prosperous year.

Yunzhen counted on his fingers and did some calculations:

Even if each acre of these sacrificial fields could only produce one tael of silver worth of goods, that would still amount to a million taels of silver, enough to give all the civil and military officials a year-end bonus!

The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became, and the more he admired himself. He had insight and ingenuity on key issues.

He has the very features of an emperor!

Just as he was indulging in his fantasy of being a genius, Zhou Bao came running over excitedly and invited him to have tea at Yuqing Palace.

"Are you just asking me to come over alone?" Yunzhen looked at Zhou Bao with a face full of suspicion.

Zhou Bao said with a serious expression, "Fourth Master, the Crown Prince specifically instructed that only you are invited."

Although he didn't know why the Crown Prince had invited him, the Fourth Prince knew he couldn't refuse, so he obediently followed him to Yuqing Palace.

Upon entering Yuqing Palace, the Fourth Prince was stunned by the sight before him—

The prince was lying comfortably in a heated room with a heated floor, legs crossed, leisurely drinking tea.

There were four small dishes and a pot of wine on the table next to him.

The most outrageous thing is that in the middle of winter, they actually have braised eggplant and cucumber salad!
"Fourth brother, you've had your fill of drinking at Qianqing Gate today, haven't you? Come on, let's have a couple of drinks!"

Shen Ye grabbed the Fourth Prince, who was about to pay his respects, and said with a smile.

The fourth prince's mind was on high alert; he couldn't figure out what the crown prince was up to.

But then he thought about it again and realized that his strategy was to stay behind the Crown Prince, so he couldn't refuse the Crown Prince's attempts to win him over.

So, he immediately put on a smiling face:

"Then I, your humble servant, will risk my life to accompany you today!"

Before the Fourth Prince could even pick up the wine pot, Shen Ye personally poured him a cup of wine, then said to Zhou Bao, who was serving nearby:
"You all get out of here. Don't come any closer without my permission."

Once only the two brothers remained in the room, Shen Ye suddenly sighed and said:

"Fourth brother, as you saw today, it's really not easy to get anything done in the court!"

"It's harder than teaching a dog to meow like a cat!"

The fourth prince nodded, deeply agreeing.

This time, the princes cooperated closely and joined forces to barely win the battle against the Duke of Yansheng's mansion.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I believe that with your planning, our brothers working together will be as strong as metal, and nothing can defeat us."

The Fourth Prince spoke with force and conviction.

This both highlighted the crown prince's status and clarified the author's stance:
He supports the Crown Prince!
Shen Ye raised his glass with satisfaction: "I hope so too."

"But fourth brother, it's not easy for brothers to be of one mind!"

“All of us brothers are quite intelligent.”

"But the only ones who truly want to change the ills of the court are the two of us!"

These words made the Fourth Prince's heart skip a beat, and a sentence immediately flashed through his mind:

Among all the heroes under heaven, only you, my lord, and Cao Cao are worthy of the title!
Do you think you can just say that for nothing?

Right now, all he can think about is the thunderclap from the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"!
He looked out the window nervously, but unfortunately, it was the dead of winter, and there was no thunder to be heard.
However, this "King of Cold Faces" is no ordinary person.

He immediately put on a loyal minister's face and said loudly, "It is my honor to follow the Crown Prince in reforming the corrupt practices of the court!"

"If there is anything that requires you to charge into battle in the future, Your Highness, please give the order."

"Your Majesty, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Looking at the Fourth Prince, whose face was etched with loyalty, Shen Ye chuckled inwardly:

It's such a pity that the fourth brother didn't join an opera troupe!
His acting is even more immersive than that of professional actors; he deserves an Oscar from previous years!
Shen Ye's mindset has also changed recently.

Although his position as crown prince is still precarious.

However, he felt that if he could not ascend the throne, then it would be best for this great country to fall into the hands of a capable person.

He patted the fourth prince on the shoulder and said:
"Fourth brother, what's with all this talk about going through fire and water? How can I, as the elder brother, let my brother take such a risk?"

"I just hope my fourth brother can help me out!"

Then he sighed and said, "Look, even someone like the Duke of Yansheng has so many helpers."

"But we can only be brothers."

"Isn't it because we've touched upon the interests of those gentry!"

"But if we don't do this, the imperial court will only become poorer and weaker."

"Your Highness, rest assured!"

The fourth prince raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp. "Even if it means killing countless people, this reform must be carried through to the end!"

"The sooner you change, the easier things will be!"

Shen Ye nodded in satisfaction:

"Fourth brother, you need to keep a close eye on the Infantry Commander's Office in the near future and make a judgment on the case of Lü Baizhou and others as soon as possible in accordance with the law."

"We can take this opportunity to promote the policy of taxation for officials, gentry, and commoners alike."

Just as the Fourth Prince was about to agree, Zhou Bao slipped in, crouching low.

Shen Ye frowned, about to lose his temper, when Zhou Bao respectfully reported, "Your Highness, Grand Scholar Zhang Ying requests an audience." Shen Ye was taken aback.

His relationship with Zhang Ying was only so-so to begin with, and now that he had just exiled Zhang Ying's son to the frontier, while it wasn't exactly a deep-seated hatred, it was certainly not insignificant.

Shen Ye was a little surprised that Zhang Ying had taken the initiative to come to him.

He smiled helplessly at the Fourth Prince: "I was thinking of having a good drink with my fourth brother, but I'm tied up with trivial matters and have no choice but to go."

"If Father finds out that we've been drinking all the time and haven't seen our ministers, we'll probably get a beating."

"Fourth brother, please wait a moment. I'll come over as soon as I see Zhang Ying."

The fourth prince felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly rose to take his leave.

He really didn't want to continue drinking with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's words had made him anxious for a while.

He was truly afraid that the Crown Prince would say something treasonous.

"Your Highness, please go ahead with your business. I also have a small matter to attend to here."

"Once this matter is resolved, I will invite Your Highness for drinks."

Seeing the Fourth Prince stand up, Shen Ye didn't insist on keeping him. In any case, he had said almost everything he wanted to say.

After seeing the Fourth Prince off, Shen Ye had Zhou Bao bring Zhang Ying out.

Although Shen Ye ruthlessly banished Zhang Tinglu during the imperial audience, he still put on a show of politeness when he met Zhang Ying.

Seeing that Zhang Ying was about to kneel down to pay her respects, Shen Ye stepped forward and firmly supported Zhang Ying's arms with both hands.

That was incredibly fast; their movements were as quick as if they had specially practiced the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique).

"Grand Secretary Zhang, this is unacceptable! You are a pillar of the court. I have said before, why bother with these formalities when we meet!"

He turned to Zhou Bao and shouted, "Hurry up, hurry up! Scholar Zhang likes to drink West Lake Longjing tea."

"Brew a cup of my newly acquired Longjing tea for Scholar Zhang."

This series of actions was so smooth and effortless that Zhang Ying was stunned and inwardly marveled:
The Crown Prince's acting skills have improved so rapidly that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he went straight from Bronze to King!

The arrogant, headstrong young man he used to be has now learned to hide a knife behind a smile!
His mannerisms and every move he made in dealing with people were so skillful and masterful!

After exchanging a few polite words, Shen Ye began to play dumb, secretly thinking to himself—

You came to see me today, but I'm not the one in a hurry anyway. Let's see who loses their temper first!
As expected, Zhang Ying made the first move: "Your Highness, I have recently been reading and have gained some insights, so I came here specifically to discuss them with Your Highness."

Shen Ye sneered inwardly: If you have something to say, just say it. Why do you have to beat around the bush like this!
You intellectuals, if you don't speak in a roundabout way, you can't prove that you've read books and are full of culture or something.

You might as well just say, "I'm here to cause trouble!"

With a beaming smile, he said, "Grand Scholar Zhang is a great scholar; Father has praised you many times."

"I would be more than happy to discuss academic matters with you!"

Although Zhang Ying had already regarded the Crown Prince as a rival in his heart, he was still somewhat pleased with the Crown Prince's attitude.

"Your Highness, what is your opinion on the saying 'Those who act justly gain much support, while those who act unjustly find little support'?"

Those who act justly will find many supporters, while those who act unjustly will find few.
This is a quote from Mencius. The former crown prince had already learned this article when he was eight years old, and he can still recite it fluently now.

Shen Ye felt there was nothing to discuss regarding the meaning of this article.

What he cared more about was Zhang Ying's unspoken meaning!
You're just indirectly trying to say I'm unpopular!

From this perspective alone, Zhang Ying's statement is quite apt.

Shen Ye smiled at Zhang Ying and replied calmly:

“Scholar Zhang, I have studied this statement, but I think there is another statement that is more profound.”

"If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach?"

"Which of these two sentences do you think is better, Grand Secretary?"

Zhang Ying understood the Crown Prince's meaning: if officials and gentry did not pay their taxes honestly, the court might run into trouble.

Once the imperial court collapses, the property of you officials and gentry will be hard to protect, and your good days will come to an end!

Despite being outmaneuvered by the Crown Prince, Zhang Ying remained calm and composed.

He then smiled and said:
"Your Highness, I wholeheartedly agree with what you have said. However, Your Highness, some things cannot be rushed."

"In my opinion, things will be resolved more easily if we are patient, and people will be safe if we are patient!"

"Some things are good in the first place, but if you rush things, they can turn out badly, and a good thing can turn into a bad thing."

"Scholar Zhang, you are mistaken!"

Shen Ye took a sip of tea and immediately replied, "Haven't you heard that life is short, so we should seize the day?"

I thought to myself, "You old codger, you're still playing delaying tactics with me!"

Bah! Do you think you can bring up "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" again?

Zhang Ying repeated Shen Ye's words before replying meaningfully:

"Your Highness, if you only think about the present moment, you might be doing something futile!"

"You have been a good student since you were young, so you should know that you must distinguish between what is important and what is urgent in all matters."

“These four words are especially important to Your Highness.”

"Please investigate this matter thoroughly, Your Highness!"

The two appeared to be chatting and laughing, but their eyes were actually clashing fiercely, sparks flying between them.

This conflict has only just begun.
　The second update for today is here! Please support, recommend, and vote!
　　

(End of this chapter)