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

Chapter 405 The Crown Prince is as Intelligent as Sui Yang
The Xiaotangshan Hot Spring Palace is shrouded in mist, exuding an ethereal atmosphere, making it feel like stepping into a heavenly palace.

Emperor Qianxi sat in the Danbo Jingcheng Hall, looking through the memorials sent by the Crown Prince.

The memorial concerned the actions of the "Correcting the Roots and Rectifying the Sources Division" and the "Pillars of the Nation Cultivation Program."

As he watched, Emperor Qianxi curled his lip, revealing a mocking expression that seemed to say, "I knew it."

A scholar's rebellion will never succeed in ten years!
That's absolutely right.

Those young scholars who had passed the imperial examinations staged a protest against the court and made a huge fuss, but what was the result?
The Crown Prince dealt with them swiftly and decisively.

They all spoke with righteous indignation, but as soon as they saw part of the report in the official gazette, they immediately cowered, and morale collapsed.

The eventual boycott of court gradually turned into a farce, even a joke.

Emperor Qianxi looked at the last few names on the list who resolutely refused to attend court, and with a stroke of his pen, said: "Act according to the rules."

The so-called "following the rules" really means dismissing these unlucky guys and getting them fired!
Moreover, if someone is fired for something like this, they will never be employed again and can forget about ever coming back.

After approving the memorial, he gestured with his chin toward Liang Jiugong, who was standing to the side serving him, and said, "Bring Shen Xingshi here."

Liang Jiugong always obeyed Emperor Qianxi's orders without question.

Seeing his master's ambiguous expression, he dared not be negligent.

Within two minutes, they dragged the haggard-looking Shen Xingshi in front of Emperor Qianxi.

"Liang Jiugong stays; everyone else, step aside," Emperor Qianxi instructed, looking around.

The palace maids and eunuchs who were serving around them all obediently left.

To survive long in the palace, you have to learn to be deaf to what you shouldn't hear and mute to what you shouldn't ask.

The more secrets you know, the faster you die.

Once only the three of them remained in the Danbo Jingcheng Hall, Emperor Qianxi said to Shen Xingshi, who was kneeling on the ground, "Shen Xingshi, you have quite the nerve!"

"How dare you incite ministers to boycott court?"

"Do you know that for what you did, even being ground to dust would be too lenient; that would be too good for you!"

Shen Xingshi had long anticipated this day, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, the reason I did this was entirely for the sake of the court, for this vast empire, and for Your Majesty!"

"Officials and gentry are the foundation of the nation!"

"When officials and gentry are stable, the country is at peace; when officials and gentry are unstable, the world will be in turmoil!"

"For such a small amount of tax revenue, the officials and gentry throughout the land are filled with anxiety. This is not for the sake of the court; it is shaking the very foundation of the court!"

"Your Majesty, I... I have no choice but to resort to this tactic because I cannot see Your Majesty and cannot offer my advice in person!"

Hearing Shen Xingshi's explanation, Emperor Qianxi sneered and said, "What a Shen, who claims to be the first to worry about the world's troubles! Then tell me, is the 'Biography of Yue Fei' performed at Qingping Tower any good?"

Shen Xingshi shuddered.

He never expected that Emperor Qianxi would also know his biggest secret!
His mind raced; he knew that at this critical juncture, saying the wrong thing could mean certain death, so he quickly put on a righteous face and said:
"Your Majesty, Shen Xingshi is not the only one who is concerned about the well-being of the people."

"Shin Heung-se is not the only one who wants to change this chaotic political situation."

"We have gathered here to prevent this chaotic policy of requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together from continuing, lest it lead to a great disaster!"

"Your Majesty, please understand!"

Emperor Qianxi, seeing his stubbornness, said coldly, "Do you think I don't know what you're up to?"

"Stop spouting nonsense about morality and righteousness all the time; you don't deserve it!"

"Today I'm giving you a chance. If you honestly confess everything, I might spare your life."

"Otherwise, I will exterminate your entire family!"

Shen Xingshi's legs went weak with fright. He gritted his teeth and pulled the Third Prince into the conversation as well: "Your Majesty, I do have some connections with the Third Prince, but our purpose is simply to stop the Crown Prince from continuing to act recklessly."

"As for anything else, I have absolutely not thought about it."

"The reason I befriended the Third Prince is because I felt that the Crown Prince was too eager for quick success and instant benefits. Although he had the world in his heart, his methods were too cruel."

As Lao Tzu said, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish!

"The way the Crown Prince is doing this is like putting a perfectly good pot of food on a raging fire to cook it."

"A single misstep could lead to the same disaster as Sui Yang!"

"Your Majesty, please understand!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi was initially furious, but then he was so angry that he laughed:

"Do you think the Crown Prince resembles Emperor Yang of Sui?"

Having said that, Shen Xingshi could no longer back down and decided to go all out: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, what the Crown Prince has done is not much different from what Emperor Yang of Sui did."

"He built an expressway, which makes transportation more convenient, but how much manpower will it waste? Isn't this a waste of resources and manpower?"

"Emperor Yang of Sui's Grand Canal had good intentions, but what was the final result?"

"Furthermore, his current policy of requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together offends all officials and gentry in the land. Emperor Yang of Sui lost the support of the people in order to break the control of the powerful clans in the Guanzhong region..."

"As for the Crown Prince's plan to join forces with the Ottoman Empire to conquer Russia, if it is to be implemented in the future, wouldn't it just be the current Three Campaigns against Goryeo?"

"I acted entirely for the sake of the court and Your Majesty. That's why I joined forces with a group of colleagues who are also dedicated to the court and took the action of suspending court sessions. Our purpose was to offer our advice!"

Emperor Qianxi was both amused and annoyed: "Everything the Crown Prince is doing now, isn't a major plan that benefits the country and its people?" "Emperor Yang of Sui's Grand Canal was built by conscripting laborers, but the Crown Prince's expressway was built with wages paid!"

"Not only did it solve the problem of food for the disaster victims, it also created a golden road that would bring the imperial court a lot of convenience and tax revenue."

"Can this be the same?"

Shen Xingshi continued to argue: "Now that His Majesty is watching, the Crown Prince naturally doesn't dare to take too big a step. However, if His Majesty's supervision is no longer in place, the Crown Prince may very well try to implement his fast track throughout the land."

"By then, it will be too late to regret."

Emperor Qianxi looked at Shen Xingshi, who seemed genuinely concerned for the court, and snorted, "You're making far-fetched comparisons of the Crown Prince to Emperor Yang of Sui just to find a reason for yourself to befriend Yunzhi."

"Since you're so unrepentant, then there's no need for you to change."

"Liang Jiugong, take him away."

Liang Jiugong kept his head down, as if he didn't exist.

He seemed not to have heard a single word Shen Xingshi said.

The moment Emperor Qianxi gave the order, Liang Jiugong immediately said to Shen Xingshi, "Lord Shen, please come with me."

Shen Xingshi glanced at Emperor Qianxi, knowing that this departure would mean never seeing the emperor again.

Before leaving, he cried out tragically, "Whether Your Majesty believes it or not, I did it all for the sake of this world!"

"The Duke of Zhou feared rumors, and Wang Mang was humble before his usurpation!"

"The Crown Prince is too intelligent; it is not a blessing for the country!"

Emperor Qianxi looked at Shen Xingshi, who seemed to be saying, "I'm doing all this for the court," without uttering a single word.

After Shen Xingshi was taken away, he asked Liang Jiugong, "Before Shen Xingshi was brought here, did the Infantry Commander's Office interrogate him?"

"Your Majesty, before sending the person here, Longkodo consulted the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince said that there was no need for trial, and that the person should be sent directly to the Hot Spring Palace for Your Majesty to decide."

Liang Jiugong was well aware of the matter, and he quickly spoke softly.

Emperor Qianxi nodded but did not speak immediately, and Liang Jiugong dared not move at all.

He couldn't guess what Emperor Qianxi was thinking, so he was very honest at this moment, afraid that his actions might cause Emperor Qianxi to misunderstand him.

Just as Liang Jiugong was carefully pretending to be a wooden figure, Emperor Qianxi suddenly asked, "Do you think the Crown Prince will become like Emperor Yang of Sui in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiugong's forehead suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

He cursed Shen Xingshi a thousand times in his heart: "You're asking for trouble, and now you're dragging me down with you!"
If anyone else asked Liang Jiugong this kind of question, Liang Jiugong would definitely slap them across the face twice.

But now, he was facing the Qianxi Emperor.

With his mind racing, Liang Jiugong quickly flattered, "Your Majesty, this servant believes that Your Majesty is in the prime of life and will live to a ripe old age!"

"With Your Majesty as the pillar of our nation, our court will always enjoy peace and prosperity, no matter what!"

Emperor Qianxi was very pleased with what Liang Jiugong said.

Because Liang Jiugong not only flattered Emperor Qianxi, but also explained something to him:
That means you are still young. As long as you live long enough, even if the Crown Prince has ideas, he won't be able to cause any trouble.

And by the time you pass away, the Crown Prince will be quite old!
A prince in his forties or fifties probably doesn't have much ambition anymore.

Emperor Qianxi pondered Liang Jiugong's words and smiled, saying, "This Shen Xingshi is clearly acting out of self-interest, yet he speaks so righteously."

"They even tried to sow discord between the emperor and his son; it's truly despicable."

"You...you go and tell Yunzhi to handle Shen Xingshi's matter!"

Originally, Emperor Qianxi wanted the Crown Prince to handle the matter, but after a second thought, he decided to leave it to the Third Prince.

This not only saved the Third Prince's face, but also served as a warning to him!
Liang Jiugong understood immediately, agreed, and said no more.

Emperor Qianxi sighed and said, "Having too many sons is a debt!"

Liang Jiugong pretended not to hear these words.

Just as the emperor and his minister were speechless and the atmosphere was a little awkward, Wei Chao rushed over with a memorial in his hand.

Seeing Wei Chao like this, Liang Jiugong was about to reprimand him for his lack of manners when Wei Chao suddenly knelt on the ground, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, an urgent report from Shandong—an earthquake has struck Mount Tai!"

As they were talking, Wei Chao handed the memorial directly to Emperor Qianxi.

When Emperor Qianxi heard this news, his expression changed.

For Emperor Qianxi, he had witnessed countless disasters over the years.

Logically speaking, this earthquake shouldn't be considered a big deal.

The problem is, this earthquake happened in the wrong place!

This is Mount Tai, the Eastern Peak!

The place where emperors of past dynasties performed the Fengshan ceremony.

It is also a sacred place for worshipping Heaven.

When an earthquake strikes here, the first thing that comes to mind is a warning from heaven!
In the past, when faced with such a situation, it was customary for emperors to issue an edict of self-reproach.

This made Emperor Qianxi's face turn extremely ugly.

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(End of this chapter)