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

Chapter 404 Liquidation, This Cannot Be Missed
Xu Chunping left Yuqing Palace in a huff.

He thought to himself, "Your Highness, isn't your meddling in the Hanlin Academy a bit too 'refined and unconventional'?"

He's seen through it all!

The Crown Prince's actions were clearly setting an extreme survival challenge for the Hanlin scholars—

They were all thrown into remote places, and these Hanlin scholars who never lifted a finger were made to serve as assistant officials.

That's not all; the places they went to were all barren, desolate places.

Jiangnan? Dream on!

Four provinces? No way!

Some places are just remote and barren areas. It takes three months of bumpy travel just to get there from the capital, plus a three-year training period, tsk tsk...

But what about the Crown Prince? With a casual remark, "A fine sword is forged through tempering, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold," he left Xu Chunping speechless.

Moreover, he solemnly told him that what you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand!
The suffering we endure today is for the sake of high office and great wealth tomorrow!

Yes, you're absolutely right!
But I just want to ask you, you make it sound so easy, but doesn't your conscience hurt when you say things like that?
Since this opportunity is so rare, why don't you go and experience it for yourself!

Of course, these words could only be kept to oneself and absolutely could not be spoken aloud.

The crown prince is no ordinary person; he is the regent crown prince!
However, he felt he couldn't face his subordinates who were eagerly waiting for him, after returning home in such a dejected manner.

So he went directly to the South Study.

Although the Grand Secretaries of the Southern Study were detached from worldly affairs, they still had some connection to the Hanlin Academy.

Not to mention Zhang Ying, a Grand Secretary, who had previously worked in the Hanlin Academy and could be considered one of their own.

Just as he reached the door of Zhang Ying's duty room, he heard someone loudly proclaim, "Prime Minister Zhang, our Ministry of Rites has always been a place of high esteem and prestige."

"Sending out a third of the young people from the Ministry of Rites at once, and even appointing them as assistant officials, isn't this a bit too much of a 'down-to-earth' move?"

Upon hearing the roar, Xu Chunping immediately stopped and pricked up his ears.

Zhang Yushu, the Minister of Rites, was a veteran official; in truth, he was his superior.

Zhang Yushu is talking to Zhang Ying right now, so I'd better wait a bit.

Moreover, what Zhang Yushu and Zhang Ying were talking about was sending those young subordinates down to gain experience.

If Zhang Yushu can persuade Zhang Ying, then there might be a turning point in their situation.

Just as Xu Chunping was pondering this, he heard Zhang Ying calmly reply, "Lord Zhang, this matter was decided by the Crown Prince. Our Southern Study is merely following orders. We are truly powerless to help!"

"You know perfectly well what these people have done."

"Moreover, sending them down is to cultivate them as pillars of the nation."

"As long as they achieve something, they will have a bright future ahead of them!"

Hearing Zhang Ying say this, Zhang Yushu's voice softened a bit as he said, "Lord Zhang, let's not beat around the bush."

“I don’t object to letting some people go down, but letting a third of them go at once is too much.”

"Our Ministry of Rites is almost completely overwhelmed!"

"Many things can't be left unresolved forever, can they?"

Zhang Ying sighed and decided to speak the truth: "Brother, since you put it that way, I'll be frank with you too."

"Sending so many people down at once will affect the affairs of your Ministry of Rites."

"But there's nothing we can do about it!"

"Who told them to be so cocky before?"

"When you do something wrong, you always have to pay a price!"

"As for the lack of manpower, let's wait and see!"

"Once those assistant officials come from the prefectures and counties to fill the vacancies, your manpower problem will be solved."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yushu trembled with anger: "Zhang Ying, Grand Secretary Zhang, you...you make it sound so easy."

"Don't you really know what kind of quality those junior officers have?"

"Replacing these talented young people, who are mostly from second-tier universities, with them is going to be a laughing stock!"

"You should know that in our Ministry of Rites, not the slightest mistake can be made!"

Zhang Ying's face still wore a peaceful smile.

"Minister Zhang, you should say these words to the Crown Prince."

"Telling me all this is completely useless!"

"According to the Crown Prince, if a donkey can pull a millstone, then an ox can too!"

"Maybe it can even pull faster! You have to try things out. You can't make a conclusion just by imagining things without trying them out!"

"This matter has been decided. If you want to change it, you can either go to the Crown Prince or the Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yushu's face turned pale. He immediately flicked his sleeve and said, "Then I won't trouble Prime Minister Zhang."

As he spoke, he slammed the door and left.

When Zhang Yushu went out, he happened to run into Xu Chunping, who was waiting at the door.

He wasn't in a good mood at the moment, and since the Hanlin Academy was nominally under the Ministry of Rites, he said to Xu Chunping rather rudely, "What are you doing here?"

Xu Chunping quickly smiled apologetically, "Grand Minister, I was sent here on behalf of my subordinates."

The title "Da Zong Bo" is an honorific for the Minister of Rites, and Xu Chunping dared not be disrespectful in this regard.

But Zhang Yushu got even angrier when he heard about this!
He glanced at Xu Chunping and said coldly, "How many people from your Hanlin Academy are going down this time?"

“We need to train more than half of them.” Xu Chunping said aggrievedly, “Grand Minister of Rites, the people in the Hanlin Academy are all selected by His Majesty from among the best. If we let assistant officials fill the Hanlin Academy, then is the Hanlin Academy still the Hanlin Academy?”

Zhang Yushu snorted and said, "The Southern Study won't stand up for us, what can we do!"

After saying this, he didn't even look at Zhang Ying, and turned and left.

Xu Chunping had no choice but to bite the bullet and say to Zhang Ying, "Prime Minister Zhang, we have sent far too many people down from the Hanlin Academy this time."

"I hope that Prime Minister Zhang can do some maneuvering and reduce the number of people sent down from the Hanlin Academy."

"Otherwise, we won't be able to gather enough lecturers for His Majesty in the future!"

Zhang Ying was not as polite to Xu Chunping as she was to Zhang Yushu.

He said coldly, "Of all the court strikes this time, it was your Hanlin Academy that caused the biggest disturbance."

"You're still thinking about how to protect them? Think about yourself first! If His Majesty unleashes his wrath, it's hard to say whether you'll even be able to hold onto your position!"

Zhang Ying put it bluntly.

Upon hearing these words, Xu Chunping's expression changed drastically.

He never even considered that he might have a problem.

In his mind, the Hanlin Academy's subordinates' boycott of court was a spontaneous act and had nothing to do with him.

But Zhang Ying's words startled him.

"Prime Minister Zhang, you know me. This matter has nothing to do with me. If His Majesty punishes me like this, wouldn't that be..."

Zhang Ying waved her hand and said, "So now, just go do what you're supposed to do, and don't make things difficult for yourself."

Having said that, he didn't bother with him anymore and waved his hand, saying, "Zhang Tinglu is leaving to take up his post today, so I have to see him off. You can do as you please."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chunping was speechless.

Zhang Tinglu is Zhang Ying's own son. If Zhang Ying didn't protect him, why would he care about his subordinates?
Just as he was sighing inwardly, he saw Liu Shixun hurrying over.

"Minister Zhang, the Infantry Commander's Office has arrested Shen Xingshi."

"Many people are talking about this now."

At this point, Liu Shixun's voice carried a hint of urgency as he said, "Everyone feels that the Infantry Commander's Office's unauthorized arrests are a provocation against the imperial court."

"Don't you think we should do something about it?"

Zhang Ying picked up a book and said calmly, "Without an imperial edict, the Infantry Commander's Office would not dare to arrest people arbitrarily."

“Shen Xingshi brought this upon himself, so he must take responsibility for his actions.”

At this point, he glanced at Liu Shixun and said, "You also need to calm down recently. I don't want anyone from our Southern Study to participate in the training program for pillars of the nation."

Liu Shixun had originally planned to ask Zhang Ying to take action, but upon hearing Zhang Ying's words, his expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

Participating in the "Pillars of the Nation" training program is practically ruining his future.

He respectfully agreed, then quickly ran away in fright.

Zhang Ying shook her head as she watched Liu Shixun leave.

Is the Crown Prince being a bit out of his mind to order the Infantry Commander's Office to arrest people at this time? After all, even Emperor Qianxi was wary of using the Infantry Commander's Office without authorization.

However, Zhang Ying was unaware that Longkodo, the commander of the Infantry Commandery, was currently requesting an audience at Yuqing Palace.

"Your Highness, after our investigation, we have found that the boycott of court was instigated by Shen Xingshi and six others."

"I have already invited these people to the Infantry Commander's Office."

"How to handle this is up to Your Highness."

Shen Ye smiled at Longkodo and said, "You found the person so quickly, that's quite efficient. Longkodo, you've worked hard."

"Don't try these people. Just let them stay in your Infantry Commander's office for now."

"By the way, they are still officials appointed by the imperial court, so you should still give them the treatment they are entitled to."

"Treat them well with good food and drink, don't neglect them, and then submit a memorial to His Majesty, requesting His Majesty's wise decision!"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's arrangement, Longkodo hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, this servant feels that this matter cannot be accomplished by the few of them alone."

"Even if we don't deal with them, shouldn't we at least interrogate them to see if there are any other people behind this?"

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Since we have to wait for His Majesty's judgment, then let Father Emperor decide on the trial."

"Longkodo, let's just focus on our own business."

Looking at Shen Ye, who seemed to be handling the situation with ease, Longkodo inexplicably recalled the gossip he had overheard some time ago.

Some say that the Crown Prince is exceptionally capable and cares deeply for the people; if he were to become emperor, everyone's lives would be much better.

When Longkodo heard this rumor, he had a feeling that it was deliberately spread by someone.

Upon hearing about Shen Ye's arrangements, a similar feeling unexpectedly arose in his heart.

However, in an instant, he saw that thought disappear.

He wondered if Emperor Qianxi, who had access to numerous information channels, had also heard such rumors if he himself could hear them.

What would Emperor Qianxi's attitude be after hearing such words?
Should I report this matter to His Majesty?
While pondering, Longkodo said to Shen Ye, "Your Highness, I will go and write a memorial to report this matter to His Majesty."

Shen Ye had no idea what Longkodo was thinking. He smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Long."

As Longkodo left Yuqing Palace, the rumor was still on his mind, and he felt uneasy.

After all, this is of great importance; one wrong move and you'll be in deep trouble!

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(End of this chapter)