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

Chapter 398 This child, like me
When the Crown Prince's plan to train a prime minister was announced, Zou Yunjin couldn't hold back any longer: What kind of weird name is this?

But then I thought about it again, and hey, this plan is actually pretty good! Isn't this the legendary troublemaker reformation camp?
Which silly kid is being disobedient? Come on, let's throw him out there and let him experience life on the ground!

Once these arrogant and haughty young geniuses have had their edges smoothed out by reality, we'll help them redefine their life goals.

At that time, wouldn't the imperial court immediately be able to acquire a group of well-rounded talents who are law-abiding, knowledgeable about the people's sentiments, and able to understand their opinions?
These guys are all legitimate scholars, their IQs are definitely online.

If they could take some extra lessons in emotional intelligence, what would they be like?
He understands both the rules of the court and the local customs. When discussing national affairs in the future, it will be a piece of cake for him, and he will be able to speak eloquently and logically.

You are capable of undertaking great responsibilities!
As for those who can't be honed through hardship, then they shouldn't come back and get in the way.

"Your Highness, I find your plan ingenious, absolutely brilliant!"

While Zou Yunjin verbally praised him, she secretly thought to herself: This is a really underhanded trick, but I like it.

After thinking about it, I cautiously added a sentence:
"However, none of these Hanlin scholars have any experience in governing a region. Wouldn't it be a bit risky to suddenly appoint them as the top officials in a region?"

He had barely finished speaking when he noticed the Crown Prince staring at him with a smile.

That smile... the more I look at it, the more it sends chills down my spine.
Just as Zou Yunjin was digging her toes into the ground, feeling extremely uncomfortable, Shen Ye spoke lightly:

"Lord Zou, you're overthinking it! What I mean is—let them serve as assistant officers!"

"They're just going there to get some training!"

"We can't just give them a commanding officer right from the start, can we?"

"That's irresponsible to them, and even more so to the people!"

Assistant official?
To appoint a distinguished scholar as his deputy? This ingenious idea, which can only be described as a stroke of genius, could probably only be conceived by the Crown Prince!

But upon closer reflection... it doesn't seem to make any mistakes.

Even a junior officer is an official!

Go to the prefectures and counties to get some experience, gain some prestige, and experience the hardships of ordinary people. It's better than staying in the Hanlin Academy drinking tea and writing poetry every day.

Although the Crown Prince's move was clearly aimed at reforming the workplace and eliminating dissidents, Zou Yunjin secretly gave him a thumbs up: "I'm on the Crown Prince's side this time!"

"Your Highness, I have no objections." Zou Yunjin said and tried to slip away.

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Minister Zou, don't rush off, I haven't finished speaking yet!"

Zou Yunjin was stunned on the spot:
Good heavens, the Crown Prince was able to come up with these two things so quickly; his ability to torment people is truly astounding!

Even writing down my thoughts and feelings for three days and three nights wouldn't have allowed me to grasp its essence. Did the Crown Prince really have a backup plan?
A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind, but he cautiously replied, "Your Highness, what are your orders..."

"As the saying goes, 'running water never stagnates, and a door hinge never rusts.' Those who are not capable of achieving anything can be sent down to the prefectures and counties for training, while the outstanding ones in the prefectures and counties can come to the various ministries to learn."

Shen Ye smiled like a fox: "We don't need many people, just one hundred a year is enough."

"If their performance is outstanding, they can be retained directly!"

"From now on, the Ministry of Personnel must ensure that the capable are promoted, the mediocre step aside, and the incompetent are demoted."

Zou Yunjin did the math: a hundred or so people a year, but if you spread that out across different regions, there aren't many left.

Moreover, besides studying, these people can also serve as "backup plans"—if anyone dares to cause trouble, they can be replaced at any time.

That's great, not only are they strictly controlling the entrance, but they've also created an open exit.

The Crown Prince's move was truly ruthless!
Zou Yunjin suppressed the urge to complain and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, I will go and draft a plan immediately."

Shen Ye smiled and said, "This is a small matter for Lord Zou. However, time is tight and the task is heavy, so we must come up with a plan before dinner."

"Start implementing it tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, Zou Yunjin's first reaction was to decline.

How could it possibly be completed under such tight time constraints?!
But when she looked up and saw the Crown Prince's ambiguous smile, she swallowed back her words of refusal.
Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged people are plentiful, all lining up to curry favor with the prince.

Having figured this out, Zou Yunjin immediately made a serious promise:
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will complete it as quickly as possible."

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Lord Zou, then I'll trouble you!"

While Shen Ye and Zou Yunjin were talking, Emperor Qianxi had already received news that the court had suspended its proceedings.

Upon hearing this news, Emperor Qianxi was filled with rage, and his blood pressure spiked on the spot.

He knew very well that the officials were doing this ostensibly to protest Lü Baizhou's death, but in reality, they were targeting the new policy of "officials and gentry paying taxes together."

Before pushing this forward, Emperor Qianxi had anticipated that there would be opposition.

This is why, when someone was knocking on the gate, he chose to fast first and let the crown prince take his place!
Emperor Qianxi was quite satisfied with the Crown Prince's combination of firmness and leniency, his strategy of making an example of someone to deter others.

In particular, in handling the Lü Baizhou incident, he both established his authority and avoided inciting public anger, while also using Kong Yujin as a typical example to deal with her.

I thought things would calm down for a few days...

As a result, this group of people went all out: they collectively boycotted court!

Emperor Qianxi was so angry that his hands trembled: This is completely disregarding me, the emperor! Do they really think I wouldn't dare to unleash a massacre?

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and asked Liang Jiugong, who was standing beside him, "Who led the boycott of court? Has the matter been investigated?"

Liang Jiugong was sweating profusely—besides serving the emperor, he also secretly managed an intelligence squad, specifically responsible for gathering information outside the palace.

This secret team operated independently of Longkodo, passing on the information they gathered to Liang Jiugong before reporting to the Qianxi Emperor.

This was a hidden move by the emperor to check and balance the power of his ministers.

As an emperor, one must never trust just one person.

But now, this small team couldn't keep up with the pace, and the matter of the court's suspension hadn't been fully investigated. Faced with the furious Emperor Qianxi, in desperation, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply, "Your Majesty, we are investigating."

"Based on the intelligence we have so far, the most likely candidates are Zhang Ying and Chen Tingjing."

"After the court session ended yesterday, Chen Tingjing went to Zhang Ying's residence."

Liang Jiugong wasn't actually sure if it was the two of them.

But I'd rather die than see my friend die! Let's push them both out first and hold them off for a while.

As for whether the emperor believes it or not, that's up to fate!

Upon hearing the names Zhang Ying and Chen Tingjing, Emperor Qianxi hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"Such a crude method as 'abolishing court' is not like their style."

He paced a few steps, then suddenly turned around and said, "Investigate carefully again. I think there might be someone with ulterior motives behind this."

Upon hearing "someone is up to no good," Liang Jiugong's expression changed.

Yes, the capital city may seem calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath.

Many people may seem harmless on a normal day, but they might suddenly cause trouble at any time.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief; no matter what, he had temporarily gotten through this ordeal!

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will investigate thoroughly."

Seeing Emperor Qianxi remain silent, Liang Jiugong hesitated for a moment, then whispered a reminder:

"Your Majesty, now that such a thing has happened, shouldn't you summon the ministers of the Southern Study for a discussion?"

Emperor Qianxi was also hesitant at this moment!
If banging on the palace gates and causing trouble can be resolved with court beatings, then a collective boycott of court is a more subtle form of resistance that is quite troublesome.

After all, these people are just not on duty, not rebelling.

However, once I summon the ministers of the Southern Study, the news will definitely not be kept secret.

Those who oppose the new policies will surely become even more arrogant, and their condition will most likely be that the court rescind its decision.

Taxation for officials and gentry alike? Forget about it! Don't even mention it again!

But if we let them continue to boycott court, wouldn't the court be paralyzed?
At this moment, Emperor Qianxi suddenly remembered the Crown Prince.

"Is there any news from the Crown Prince's side?"

Just as Liang Jiugong was about to say no, Wei Chao's shrill voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's memorial has arrived—"

Emperor Qianxi disregarded all etiquette and said bluntly, "Bring it here quickly!"

Soon, Wei Chao sent up the memorial.

Emperor Qianxi picked up the memorial and glanced at it. He saw Shen Ye's analysis of the matter written on it.

Shen Ye did not say that there were people with ulterior motives pushing for this, but said that the reason why everyone boycotted the court this time was still because of the "taxation of officials and gentry together".

After the analysis, a complete solution was also provided.

Looking at the strategies Shen Ye came up with, especially the one about "establishing the Bureau for Rectifying the Source," Emperor Qianxi couldn't help but smile broadly.

The name of the Crown Prince is... quite interesting, it suits my taste perfectly.

Emperor Qianxi believed that the Crown Prince's strategy had a very high chance of success.

Although success was not guaranteed, Emperor Qianxi felt it was worth a try.

If all else fails, he will personally step in to clean up the mess.

Originally unsure of the outcome, Emperor Qianxi felt much more at ease after reading the Crown Prince's memorial.

He wasn't afraid that the court would become even more difficult to manage. As long as the 50,000 troops stationed around the Hot Spring Palace still obeyed his orders, everything was still possible.

"Liang Jiugong, issue an edict saying that I am deeply grateful for the late Emperor's kindness these days and will sincerely recite scriptures to pray for blessings. I will not see anyone!"

"Remember, you will not see any former ministers or nobles!"

Although Liang Jiugong did not know why Emperor Qianxi suddenly had this idea, he knew that it must be related to the Crown Prince's memorial.

Does the Crown Prince really have a way to resolve the crisis of the court strike?

He dared not ask any further questions and respectfully replied, "This servant obeys the decree."

When Liang Jiugong withdrew, Emperor Qianxi picked up the Crown Prince's memorial again.

After glancing at it a few times, he chuckled and muttered, "This brat has quite a knack for causing trouble, and he's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve for putting things out."

"Not bad, just like me!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiugong's heart tipped slightly in favor of the Crown Prince.

With the Crown Prince receiving such attention and praise from Emperor Qianxi, his chances of succeeding to the throne seem to be increasing.

Just as Liang Jiugong was pondering how to establish a connection with the Crown Prince, someone reported:

"My Lord Steward, Lord Longkodo requests an audience."

Normally, Liang Jiugong wouldn't dare to stop Longkodo, but having just heard the Emperor's decree, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply, "Tell Lord Longkodo that His Majesty is in seclusion and will not see anyone."

As soon as the messenger left, the same question popped into Liang Jiugong's mind again: Your Highness, Your Highness, can you fill the huge hole left by this mass strike?

　The first update of the day is here! Please support me, everyone! Please vote! I'll do anything!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)