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

Chapter 407 Father, why don't you find someone else to oversee the country?

Compared to the imposing and prestigious Six Ministries and Nine Ministers in the imperial court, the Imperial Observatory was practically invisible.

Normally, this government office doesn't really stand out; it seems to make little difference whether it's there or not, and the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west as usual.

Strangely, none of the emperors throughout history ever considered removing it.

Why? Because the Imperial Observatory not only controlled the calendar but also served as the chief translator for the Heavenly Court.

Whenever something unusual happens, whether it's an earthquake in Beijing, snow in June, or this earthquake in Mount Tai!

These "astronomical anomalies" all required explanation from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

Once the Imperial Observatory speaks up, even the emperor has to swallow his pride and accept it!

After all, you can't exactly bargain with God, can you?

Therefore, while the imperial court outwardly ignored the Imperial Observatory, it actually paid it considerable "special attention."

The Imperial Observatory not only had officials such as the Director, but also a "Supervisory Minister," who was usually a prince.

It's as if sending a member of the royal family to oversee things will make God give them more face.

The person sitting in this position now is Prince Gong, the younger brother of Emperor Qianxi.

Upon hearing Liu Shixun say that he had already contacted the Imperial Observatory, Zhang Ying's expression immediately changed.

He glared at Liu Shixun fiercely: "You dare to get involved in something like this?"

"go out!"

"Pretend I didn't hear that."

When Liu Shixun saw Zhang Ying's ferocious expression, he pretended to be scared.

He bowed respectfully and tiptoed away quietly.

But the moment he turned around, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

My dear teacher, aren't you tired of being so hypocritical and having to do both things at the same time?
He was clearly quite satisfied with our good communication with the Imperial Observatory; his smile was practically reaching his ears. Yet, he still had to put on a show of being furious.

Do you really think I don't know what you're thinking?
Bah! We're all thousand-year-old foxes, what are you pretending to be, some little demon?!
However, I really need to learn from my teacher how to be two-faced.

Otherwise, with my current personality where I wear my heart on my sleeve, it would be difficult for me to reach the level of a teacher...

Shen Ye arrived at the hot spring palace once again. The warm geothermal heat rushed towards him, making him feel so comfortable that the hairs on his body stood on end. He wished he could just lie down in the hot spring pool.

Shen Ye harbored a great deal of resentment towards Emperor Qianxi for appointing him as regent.

How wonderful it would be to stay here and soak in the hot springs!

Why would anyone want to go to the palace in the freezing cold to "work"? Is that a job for a human being?

He even considered: Why not let Emperor Qianxi pin the blame for the earthquake in Mount Tai on me, and then punish me by making me "reflect on my mistakes in seclusion" at the Hot Spring Palace?
Let the emperor go back to court and clean up the mess himself!

Although Shen Ye has been handling things relatively smoothly lately, he is still exhausted.

After all, the guys he was dealing with were all cunning old foxes, none of them easy to deal with.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!" Emperor Qianxi summoned Shen Ye not in the main hall, but in his study.

He waved for Shen Ye to dispense with formalities and looked him up and down a few times.

Whether it was the wind on the way or not, Emperor Qianxi looked at his son and found him to be somewhat "worn out," which softened his heart.

"Your Highness, you've been overseeing the country these past few days; you must be exhausted."

To Emperor Qianxi, these words were half out of concern and half out of the truth.

The Crown Prince has caused quite a stir this time overseeing the country, with officials petitioning the palace and some even boycotting the court.

Then Kong Yujin suddenly appeared and stirred things up.

Emperor Qianxi thought to himself that he could have handled these troublesome matters himself, but he was quite satisfied that his son had resolved them so quickly.

This exceptional intelligence and drive are quite like mine.

According to custom, Shen Ye should have said a few words of modesty at this point.

But he was still immersed in the "temptation" of the hot springs, and blurted out the truth: "Father, I have indeed not been having a very comfortable time these days."

"Why don't you find someone else to oversee the country? Let the eldest brother or the third brother experience the joy of overseeing the country, so they won't always think it's some kind of cushy job."

"Your son will stay here and enjoy the hot springs and pray for blessings with you. How pleasant!"

When Emperor Qianxi saw his son trying to give up, he was not angry at all; instead, he was amused and a smile appeared on his face.

He asked slowly, "Are you sure you want your eldest or third brother to oversee the country for a period of time?"

Shen Ye said earnestly, "Xiaotangshan is warm and spring-like, and we don't have to worry about those messy things outside. Life here is more comfortable than that of an immortal."

"Your subject really wants to stay a little longer."

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand: "They do want to!"

"But what if they become overseers of the country, and the agreement for officials and gentry to pay taxes together falls through?"

"There's no turning back once this is started. Once we give up halfway, it will be difficult to push it forward again."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi said with a firm expression, "Now that we've come this far, we absolutely cannot back down."

Shen Ye could sense Emperor Qianxi's determination.

He also understood why the emperor was so resolute—after all, which emperor could tolerate living a frugal life while his subordinates were all rolling in money and living much more comfortably than he was?

Looking at Emperor Qianxi's serious expression, Shen Ye hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "If Father doesn't trust them, why not let the fourth prince give it a try?"

"The fourth brother is cold-faced and hard-hearted. Those people can't cause any trouble in front of him."

Emperor Qianxi pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The fourth prince is capable, but he can't control the situation." "Those people always cause trouble, let alone now that there's an earthquake in Mount Tai."

“They can come up with a whole bunch of reasons, and the fourth brother can’t hold on any longer.”

"Your Highness, have a meal here for a while, then go see your wife, and then return to the capital!"

Hearing Emperor Qianxi's three relentless rejections, Shen Ye felt like crying but had no tears left.

Being too capable can be a mistake!
It seems this arduous task of regent will have to endure for another month.

Knowing he couldn't refuse, Shen Ye simply cut to the chase: "Father summoned me here because of the earthquake at Mount Tai, right?"

“Indeed,” Emperor Qianxi nodded. “Earthquakes in Mount Tai have always been regarded as a ‘warning’ from Heaven to the court.”

"I remember there was an earthquake in Mount Tai during the previous dynasty. It was because the emperor wanted to change the crown prince, but the earthquake happened and the matter was dropped."

As Emperor Qianxi spoke, he glanced at Shen Ye and said, "I have no intention of replacing you now. So why did the earthquake in Mount Tai happen this time?"

"What if someone links the practice of officials and gentry paying taxes together with earthquakes?"

Shen Ye looked at the serious-looking Emperor Qianxi and said earnestly, "Father, isn't the Imperial Observatory under your control? Whatever reason you want, just have them make one up, right?"

Emperor Qianxi glared at him: "You make it sound so easy!"

"The Imperial Observatory is what it is because its words must be credible."

"If it's just spouting nonsense, then what kind of Imperial Observatory is it? It'll just become the 'Deceased Observatory'..."

Shen Ye's eyes darted around, and he said half-jokingly, "Father, why don't you also announce that you want to depose me as the Crown Prince?"

"Then, Mount Tai shook, and you decided not to be crippled again!"

Emperor Qianxi flicked his sleeve and said, "How can you talk about something like deposing the crown prince so carelessly?"

"Besides, you've done a good job. If I were to dismiss you for no reason, wouldn't others say I'm a foolish and incompetent person?"

He stared at Shen Ye: "Quickly think of a way to get the Imperial Observatory to explain this matter away."

"It's better to do it sooner rather than later!"

Shen Ye dared not refuse any longer and told him the idea he had thought of on the way here:
“Father, the earthquake at Mount Tai may not necessarily be due to problems with Your Majesty or the royal family. It could also be due to a wrongful case in the area around Mount Tai.”

"I have heard that the Kong family has been in Qufu for many years, allowing their subordinates to annex land and commit many evil deeds, forcing many families to be ruined and people to die."

"However, the Shandong governor's office dared not interfere because they were descendants of a sage."

"Why don't we send someone to investigate and say that the earthquake in Mount Tai was caused by a wrongful conviction there?"

Shen Ye paused, then added, "The key to this matter lies in how the Imperial Observatory 'interprets' it."

Emperor Qianxi listened to Shen Ye's suggestion and pondered it.

He paced back and forth a few times, then nodded: "Your idea is not bad."

"The Kong family has indeed gone a bit too far in recent years."

"The Shandong governor's office has been putting up with them for a long time, so this is a good opportunity to teach them a lesson."

"It's good to let them 'make use of waste'."

Judging from Emperor Qianxi's tone, he was well aware of what the Kong family had been doing, but he simply didn't want to make a big fuss over such a trivial matter.

Now that the Crown Prince has already allowed the lineage of the Duke Yansheng to split up, it is quite appropriate for the Kong family to bear the blame for this "divine retribution."

As descendants of sages, they are worthy of the title "warning from heaven."

After they discussed and made a decision, they both felt much more relieved.

Emperor Qianxi said, "It's getting late, stay and have a meal with me."

"You handled things well this time, but you're still as lazy as ever when you attend court!"

Shen Ye quickly replied, "Your Majesty's teachings will be firmly remembered by your son."

"By the way, what about the Imperial Observatory..."

"I will have Liang Jiugong explain to Prince Gong, so you don't need to worry about it," Emperor Qianxi said confidently.

After all, the Imperial Observatory was firmly in his hands, and the Director of the Observatory would never dare to disobey his orders.

While the father and son were discussing things enthusiastically, in the Kong family's study, Kong Yujin was chatting and laughing with several trusted confidants with a beaming smile.

"An earthquake in Mount Tai shook the entire world!"

"This earthquake was well-deserved! It's a warning from Heaven to those who disrespect the Sage Confucius!"

"As long as we handle things properly, there will definitely be many people in the court and among the people who will speak up for us. At that time, not only will we be able to get back those million acres of sacrificial land, but our clansmen will also no longer have to migrate and suffer!"

Kong Yujin paced back and forth in the room, becoming more and more excited as she spoke: "This time, we not only need to contact the officials, but also ask the governors and viceroys with whom we have connections in various places to come forward."

"It's truly a blessing from our ancestors!"

Several trusted confidants fawned over him, saying, "My lord, it is your sincerity that has moved Heaven; otherwise, why would there be such a warning?"

"Perhaps His Majesty will not only rescind the Crown Prince's reckless decree, but will also promote you to a higher rank and title!"

Kong Yujin waved her sleeve and said, "I don't want to think about things like promotions and titles."

"But protecting the rights and interests of my Kong family is my duty!"

"I'll have the head steward make a trip to the capital later, bringing plenty of money. He needs to not only keep in touch with Prime Minister Zhang, but also make arrangements with Prime Minister Tong."

"This is a rare opportunity, we must seize it!"

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