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

Chapter 384 Thunder and Rain, All are Imperial Grace

Prioritization?
These four words seemed unremarkable at first glance, but after a moment's thought, Shen Ye immediately understood Zhang Ying's implied meaning.

I couldn't help but marvel:
This old man truly lives up to his reputation as a master shrewd old fox; he doesn't need to spell things out—the meaning is all in the tea!

Zhang Ying's meaning was very straightforward:

For the crown prince, the most important thing in the future is to ascend the throne!
As for tax reform, it's currently too lenient!
If one cannot become emperor, the position of crown prince is a high-risk career experience card, with virtually no good ending.

If you want to ascend the throne smoothly, then don't go around stirring up hatred and making enemies everywhere.

After all, you have so many brothers, like the Calabash Brothers, that you already have enough rivals.

Shen Ye slowly sipped his tea before speaking: "I understand what Grand Scholar Zhang meant by prioritizing things."

"However, you should also understand—both thunder and rain are acts of imperial favor!"

After saying that, he stopped talking.

Zhang Ying also understood Shen Ye's subtext:

The saying goes, "Thunder and rain are both the emperor's grace," meaning that the throne is not something you can decide.

Your opinion doesn't count, and neither does mine.

It all depended on Emperor Qianxi's mood; he was the one who controlled everything.

When he's in a good mood, he'll shower you with kindness; when he's in a bad mood, he'll unleash a bolt of lightning and leave you utterly devastated!
Seeing the Crown Prince's indifferent expression, Zhang Ying remained silent for a moment, then chuckled dryly twice:

"Having spoken with His Highness the Crown Prince is truly invaluable, a single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study. This old minister has been completely enlightened!"

"I hope to have more opportunities to discuss academic matters with the Crown Prince in the future."

"Your humble servant takes his leave."

Not enough words to speculate.

Zhang Ying knew that this olive branch of reconciliation had been offered in vain, and there was no point in continuing the talks.

They were willing to cease hostilities and seek peace with the Crown Prince, but he refused to accept their offer, so there was nothing more to say.

Everyone should just continue to rely on their own abilities.

Shen Ye didn't try to stop him. As he saw Zhang Ying to the door, he added, "Grand Scholar, I know that it's hard to part with good fortune!"

"However, some money is like a hot potato when you hold it in your hands!"

"Besides, you can never earn all the money in the world."

"Why risk getting all those bumps on your head for a few pennies?"

He paused, then said in a drawn-out tone, "Sometimes, even the emperor can't help but think about 'killing a chicken to scare the monkey'!"

Zhang Ying's expression remained unchanged, but her heart skipped a beat:
This "monkey" is definitely not me, but who is it?

He forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

After seeing Zhang Ying off, Shen Ye shook his head.

He knew he had rejected Zhang Ying's signal for reconciliation.

But there was no other way—if he really accepted the support of these civil officials, the next step would probably be a showdown with Emperor Qianxi at the top of the Forbidden City, a father-son duel!

Emperor Qianxi would never tolerate a crown prince with strong support sharing power.

Although Zhang Ying's personal abilities were not as great as Suo'etu's, the civil official team behind him was no pushover.

Once Emperor Qianxi felt threatened, it became a situation where "the father was no longer a father, and the son was no longer a son," and it was time for the father and son to truly prove themselves!

Although there were many of these civil officials, they might not necessarily be able to defeat Emperor Qianxi.

Moreover, at that time, in order to secure his own power, Emperor Qianxi might offer even more irresistible conditions.

At that time, father and son will kill each other.

Zhang Ying and his group might just sit back and watch the show.

They wait for the father and son to both suffer heavy losses, then jump out and reap the benefits, sitting back and reaping the rewards.

Who can say for sure about something like this?
Therefore, Shen Ye decided that sticking to one path to the end was much better than jumping around and being indecisive.

After taking a sip of tea, Shen Ye calmly went back to her room to rest.

Of course, the affairs of the morning court could not be kept from Emperor Qianxi!
While Shen Ye and Zhang Ying were "discussing academic matters," a memorial regarding the morning court session had already been delivered to the Hot Spring Palace by fast horse.

Some of these memorials were sent by Shen Ye, while others were secretly sent to Emperor Qianxi by his confidants who had seen them.

Although Emperor Qianxi appeared to be in seclusion, he had actually been waiting for this memorial for a long time.

Upon seeing the memorial, Emperor Qianxi raised an eyebrow.

Then he said, "This time the Crown Prince didn't back down. He didn't hesitate when it was time to strike. Not bad!"

"I'm afraid he's all bark and no bite, that he'll become soft-hearted at crucial moments and end up being bullied by some scoundrels!"

Liang Jiugong stood to one side, head down, saying nothing.

He knew that what Emperor Qianxi said was actually his commentary on the Crown Prince, not an exchange of opinions.

Although he stood cautiously to the side, his heart was in turmoil.

As Emperor Qianxi's personal eunuch, he knew far too much.

The memorial that Emperor Qianxi is currently reading was the one he retrieved.

He already knew most of the contents of the memorial when he received it.

He secretly admired the Crown Prince's actions.

"The Duke of Yansheng's mansion got its land divided well! I've wanted to tear their house down for a long time!"

"How dare a spoiled brat who has lived off the legacy of his ancestors for two thousand years embezzle millions of acres of sacrificial land and control Qufu as if it were his own backyard?"

"What a fine example of 'Qufu has no law'!"

"If I wasn't afraid of getting my hands dirty, I would have dealt with them already!"

Emperor Qianxi clapped the memorial in his hand, becoming more and more excited as he spoke:
"If it weren't for praying for the late emperor, we would definitely have a couple of drinks to celebrate today!"

Seeing that Emperor Qianxi was pleased, Liang Jiugong immediately chimed in:

“Your Majesty, I heard from the Imperial Observatory that it is permissible to drink a cup or two of vegetarian wine occasionally during a period of fasting.” “After all, vegetarian wine is not associated with meat, so it does not count as breaking the precept.”

Vegetarian wine!

How could Emperor Qianxi not understand Liang Jiugong's thoughtful little tip?
He smiled, pointed at him, and remained silent.

That's some really nice flattery!

After reading the entire memorial, Emperor Qianxi snorted coldly and said, "The third prince has gone stupid from studying too much. He doesn't understand why I made him study at all!"

"Humph!"

Liang Jiugong continued to play the wooden figure.

Emperor Qianxi could comment on his own son, but as an outsider, he couldn't just chime in.

After all, you never know when you might lose your head.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Qianxi tossed it aside.

After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Wait a moment. In the name of the Empress Dowager, you shall confer upon Nian Xinyue the title of Crown Prince's concubine."

"The reason is that she is pregnant."

Liang Jiugong was a smart man and instantly understood: His Majesty insisted on bringing this up at this time to support the Crown Prince!

He quickly replied with a smile, "The Crown Prince will be overjoyed to know!"

"This servant will take care of it immediately!"

Emperor Qianxi paced back and forth a couple of times, then added:

"Since we're going to give rewards, let's make them generous. The Crown Prince may not be short of money, but it's never wrong to give him more!"

At this point, Emperor Qianxi suddenly changed the subject: "What has Longkodo been busy with lately?"

Although this Commander of the Nine Gates was a trusted confidant, Emperor Qianxi still had many people secretly keeping an eye on him.

After all, this position is too sensitive; if someone turns against you, the consequences could be disastrous.

It could even cause him to stumble!

"Your Majesty, Lord Longkodo is troubled by the case of Lü Baizhou and others killing Tian Wenjing. This case is under the jurisdiction of their Infantry Commander's Office."

Emperor Qianxi snorted coldly: "What does he have to worry about? Just make a judgment according to the law, and that's it!"

"The more he thinks, the more trouble he creates for himself."

After saying that, he stood up and stretched his limbs, and sighed, "At my age, it's good for me to rest more."

Liang Jiugong dared not respond to this—he absolutely did not believe that Emperor Qianxi felt he was old.

She obediently poured Emperor Qianxi a cup of tea, then changed the subject, saying, "Your Majesty has lost quite a bit of weight these past few days while praying for blessings."

"This servant will go to the imperial kitchen and ask them to make the dishes more refined."

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand: "You can handle it as you see fit."

Seeing Emperor Qianxi pick up his book again, Liang Jiugong quietly took a few steps back.

He pondered the changes in Emperor Qianxi's emotions, thinking to himself: It seems that the more people the Crown Prince offends, the happier His Majesty is!
However, this discovery was too terrible, and he could only keep it to himself.

After all, speaking ill of the emperor is a serious crime.

What's more, it's a secret that can't be told.

Longkodo, as the commander of the infantry, was indeed in a very difficult situation at this time.

Ever since the Crown Prince dumped this hot potato on him, he's become a magnet for favors—

People came in droves, offering favors, sending gifts, and trying to curry favor.

There are many people he doesn't want to see, but some people are just too important for him to offend.

But he knew perfectly well:
This matter is of great importance. If the case is mishandled, his career could be prematurely ended.

Therefore, he must be cautious.

After leaving the duty room, Longkodo couldn't wait to slip back to his small home in Sha Mao Hutong.

This is where he kept his mistress. Li Si'er, the beautiful concubine he "took over" from his father-in-law, was settled in this Sha Mao Hutong.

His home was in the Duke's Mansion in Tongjia Hutong, but he didn't want to go back there.

As soon as she entered, Li Si, dressed in a flamboyant manner, swayed her hips to greet her, her gold hairpins sparkling in the sunlight.

It must be said that Li Si was curvaceous and truly a stunning beauty.

Otherwise, Longkodo wouldn't have turned against his father-in-law and insisted on taking his concubine as his "inheritance".

It is precisely because of this that his relationship with his family has always been strained.

After taking a couple of sips of tea and exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Si pointed to the jade comb and gold hairpin on his head and said:
"Master, do you think this hairpin of mine is beautiful?"

Looking at the gold hairpin inlaid with many jewels, Longkodo put his arm around her and laughed, "This hairpin suits you perfectly!"

"Master, people say that this hairpin was once Princess Taiping's favorite!"

Li Sijiao laughed and said, "Putting everything else aside, just one of the gemstones on it can be exchanged for a thousand taels of silver!"

Longkodo had received many gifts in the past, and he knew that Emperor Qianxi generally turned a blind eye to his receiving gifts and didn't care much.

After all, his loyalty is enough!

However, upon hearing that the jade comb and gold hairpin were Princess Taiping's favorite possessions, his heart skipped a beat.

Although Li Si was his beloved concubine, many people had little contact with her because of her background.

Who is so generous and extravagant as to send such an expensive gift?
"My beauty, who gave you this jade comb and gold hairpin?"

Li Si touched the gold hairpin on her forehead and said with a sweet smile:
"It was sent by Madam Lü. She doesn't ask for anything else, she only asks that you, sir, judge the case according to the law!"

"This is the first time I've encountered someone giving a gift without seeking favoritism, only asking that it be done according to the law!"

This world is getting more and more surreal!

　The first update of the day is here! Dear readers, I'd appreciate your support and votes at the end of the month!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)