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

Chapter 397 Getting to the Root of the Problem: Let Me Start with a Combination Punch
Longkodo felt incredibly frustrated!
He wished he could grab the crown prince's sleeve on the spot and cry out his innocence:
Brother, I killed those two idiots, Lü Baizhou, because I was following your orders, wasn't I?
If you hadn't spoken up, I would have killed that guy surnamed Lü, since I have no grudge against him.
What good would it do me if someone died?
Longkodo's old face turned red with embarrassment. With the last shred of reason, he swallowed back all the truth he was about to say and replaced it with the polite phrase, "I am absolutely loyal to you."

While stealing glances at the Crown Prince, he thought to himself, "With the Crown Prince's exceptionally intelligent mind, he must have understood the unspoken meaning behind my words!"

Shen Ye glanced at Longkodo, whose lips were pursed with grievance, and said with a grin:
“Longkodo, I know you’re also quite aggrieved about this.”

"But don't worry, with me here, I will never abandon you or let you take the blame."

What I just told you is only the worst-case scenario.

"If things really escalate to the point where neither of us can handle it, and the Emperor has to personally intervene, then it really won't be up to me alone to make the decisions!"

"At that time, anything is truly possible!"

Although Shen Ye said anything was possible, Longkodo knew very well:

If things really come to that, he's the one most likely to be sacrificed in order to quell the matter.

As Emperor Qianxi's confidant and cousin, he might not lose his head, but he's likely to lose his official position as the Commander of the Nine Gates!

His status will also plummet.

Even worse, in the future, even if Emperor Qianxi wanted to reinstate him, he would have to be extremely cautious and hesitant.

A true man cannot be without power for even a day!
Longkodo knew that he had many rivals, both in the imperial court and in the Duke's mansion.

Once he loses power, those brothers who used to be envious of him will probably be the first to jump out, kick him a few times, and spit on him a few times.

What those guys couldn't stand and were most indignant about was Longkodo's smugness!

With his mind racing, Longkodo made a snap decision, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shen Ye, and said:
"Your Highness, I, Longkodo, entrust my life to you!"

"If you tell me to go east, I will never go west! If you tell me to beat a dog, I will never chase a chicken!"

"I will obey your orders without question!"

Shen Ye helped Longkodo up with both hands, her mind perfectly clear:
To truly win over Longkodo and gain his genuine allegiance is still a long way off.

However, for now, he has no problem having Longkodo as his vanguard to get things done.

After all, obeying his own orders now is saving himself.

"Uncle, you're exaggerating!" Shen Ye patted Longkodo on the shoulder and said:
"Now is the time for us to work together."

"Aren't those people going to boycott court? Well, let's play along and have some fun with them!"

"I'll let them know that three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged living people are everywhere in this world!"

"If they don't want to do it, there are plenty of people eager to do it!"

"Uncle, please go back and select some shrewd and capable people to prepare."

"In addition, find some people who can write, draw, and have good writing skills to prepare for me."

"I have a clever use for it!"

Seeing the cunning glint in the Crown Prince's eyes, Longkodo finally felt much relieved.

The Crown Prince has always been as cunning as a hornet's nest, and he can easily resolve even the most difficult situations. He should be quite confident this time as well.

Just as he was about to take his leave, Shen Ye added, "By the way, keep a close eye on those who skip court when you get back, and see if you can find out who's behind this."

"This is no simple matter!"

In the past, Longkodo might have outwardly complied but inwardly defied him.

But now, with the Crown Prince holding the key to his weakness, he had no choice but to obediently reply, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will take care of it immediately!"

No sooner had Longkodo left than Zou Yunjin, the Minister of Personnel, arrived.

This Minister of Personnel, Zou Yunjin, was a favorite of the Emperor.

So much so that during the last inspection in Beijing, he almost got himself arrested; all that was left of his face was the sole of his shoe.

He's learned his lesson now. He stays far away from anything that might cause trouble, afraid of getting himself into trouble and accidentally burning away all his "favor."

Although he was favored by the emperor, he also knew that if too many things went wrong, the Qianxi Emperor might abandon him.

Before Shen Ye summoned him, he was busy persuading his subordinates in the Ministry of Personnel to return to their posts.

Unfortunately, those people were all polite and agreeable on the surface, so much so that he couldn't find fault with them, but they just wouldn't budge from their spot.

It's true that there wasn't an overly extreme reaction, but they also ignored their own standards.

Zou Yunjin wasn't too upset, since this kind of thing didn't really concern her.

He was only the Minister of Personnel, not the Minister of Justice.

Why should he get involved in something so thankless and exhausting?

But why did the Crown Prince summon me here?
"Your subject Zou Yunjin pays respects to Your Highness!" Zou Yunjin bowed respectfully, his heart pounding.

Shen Ye still smiled like a sunflower, as if he had no idea that a mass strike was taking place in the court and that a huge storm was about to break.

He helped Zou Yunjin up and said, "Lord Zou, please have a seat."

“You don’t need to be reserved in my Yuqing Palace.”

Zou Yunjin felt even more uneasy. The more polite the young master was, the more he felt like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken.

He decided to remain unchanged in the face of all changes: no matter what you're up to, I'll just remember to protect myself!
Therefore, when the crown prince offered him his seat, he sat down very calmly.

Shen Ye looked at Zou Yunjin, who was trying hard to appear calm, and asked in a low voice, "Lord Zou, what is your opinion on the matter of the officials refusing to attend court this time?" Zou Yunjin was prepared and replied calmly:

"Your Highness, I believe that while there is an element of impulsiveness in these officials' absence from court, the fact that Lü Baizhou and others were beaten to death is quite suspicious."

"If the Crown Prince is willing to thoroughly investigate this matter and then have the officials of various departments appease him, this matter will not be difficult to resolve."

Listening to Zou Yunjin speaking fluently and formally, Shen Ye's expression gradually became serious.

"Lord Zou, now that you've said it, I finally understand why our dynasty's officialdom is so corrupt!"

"Besides the fact that some people are naturally unruly and love freedom, your Ministry of Personnel has also made a great contribution!"

Zou Yunjin's heart skipped a beat, and she almost slid off her seat:
That bend was so sharp, it almost threw this old man off!
How did the blame fall on me so suddenly, precisely because all the officials boycotted the court? How could you bring up the administration of officials like this?
I absolutely cannot take the blame for this!

Zou Yunjin hurriedly defended himself, saying, "Your Highness, the court's administration is upright and honest! The reason this happened is entirely the responsibility of the Infantry Commander's Office!"

"Your Highness, if you seek the cause in the administration, you are looking for the wrong thing."

"I implore Your Highness to investigate this matter thoroughly."

Shen Ye strolled over to Zou Yunjin's side and said slowly:
"The imperial court has clear regulations regarding when officials in various departments should go on duty and when they should leave duty."

"There are also rules about what to do when you're on duty!"

"Now, these people are openly violating the rules of the court under the guise of seeking justice for Lü Baizhou. What is this if not a problem with official conduct?"

"The reason these people dare to act so recklessly is because the Ministry of Personnel has always turned a blind eye to these violations and has spoiled them!"

At this point, Shen Ye looked at Zou Yunjin and said, "Minister Zou, the Ministry of Personnel's job is not only to manage promotions and demotions, but also to manage the compliance of officials in each department with the rules and their performance of duties."

"The Ministry of Personnel has done a very poor job in this regard!"

Zou Yunjin wanted to argue, but the reputation of officials was indeed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel.

Although he felt somewhat wronged, he didn't know how to refuse.

In the end, he could only say, "Your Highness, the Ministry of Personnel has indeed fallen short in correcting the officials' adherence to the rules, and there is room for improvement."

"However, in this situation, the Ministry of Personnel alone cannot solve it."

"Among my subordinate officials, less than half are actually on duty."

Zou Yunjin felt incredibly unlucky, and he was filled with bitterness!
It was clearly the Infantry Commander's Office that dug the pit, so how did I become the one filling it in?

However, while feeling frustrated, he also felt somewhat helpless!

Because what the crown prince said seemed to be related to governance.

"Minister Zou, we are discussing matters here, so please don't be in a hurry."

"Have a cup of tea first, to soothe your throat!"

Zou Yunjin had absolutely no interest in drinking tea.

However, since the Crown Prince had invited him, he couldn't refuse, so he could only pick up the teacup in front of him and reluctantly take a sip.

Wow, it's Da Hong Pao!

But this fine tea should make your mouth water, why does it taste like bitter melon? It's so bitter!
"So many people dare to break the rules because there is no one to supervise them and no severe punishment."

Shen Ye put down his teacup, revealing his true intentions: "Therefore, I plan to establish a new department within the Ministry of Personnel."

"Specially responsible for investigating whether officials at all levels abide by laws and regulations and perform their duties."

"This department is located in the Ministry of Personnel, so it's called the 'Correcting the Roots and Clearing the Sources' Department of the Ministry of Personnel!"

"Special oversight of officials' attendance and discipline!"

"Isn't the Ministry of Personnel short of people? Don't worry, the Infantry Commander's Office has plenty of people!"

"It's just a roll call to see who's absent; we don't need any top students."

Zou Yunjin immediately understood: this was an attempt to force those who had refused to attend court to return to work!
"Your Highness, what if some people still don't come?" Zou Yunjin hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously.

"The first time someone is found not on duty, they will be publicly criticized! The second time, they will receive a serious warning and be ordered to write a self-criticism."

"For the third time, a demotion will suffice!"

"If someone is absent from work more than five times in a month, it means that this person really doesn't want to be an official anymore. In that case, just let him go and sell sweet potatoes at home!"

Listening to the Crown Prince's plan, Zou Yunjin thought to herself that this was a truly ruthless move.

But can your approach really restrain so many people from not working?

Before Zou Yunjin could finish processing this, Shen Ye continued, "Lord Zou, there is something else I would like to discuss with you."

As the saying goes, "Generals rise from the ranks, and prime ministers emerge from the local government!"

"Now, the Hanlin Academy members and key personnel in various ministries have all been serving in the imperial court since they passed the imperial examinations."

"This kind of closed-door approach is very detrimental to their development."

"Therefore, I think it is necessary for us to implement a training program for future key officials!"

"We will select a group of people to train in various prefectures and counties for a period of time; the grassroots level is the true test of their abilities!"

Zou Yunjin's face twitched. He looked at the smiling Crown Prince and thought to himself, "What you're saying isn't about training a prime minister, it's clearly about sending those troublemakers and disobedient people down to be reformed!"

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone, and vote for me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)