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

Chapter 409 Father is a bit unreliable
After seeing off Mr. Liu Tao, the Eighth Prince felt a surge of excitement and passion in his heart!

Mr. Liu Tao's words seemed to have opened a door to a new world for him—

The position of Crown Prince isn't so far out of reach after all!
Think about it carefully: For many years since Father Emperor ascended the throne, Mount Tai has remained as stable as an old yellow dog. Not to mention earthquakes, not even a clod of earth has collapsed!
As a result, the Crown Prince had only been overseeing the country for half a month when, good heavens, Mount Tai began to collapse and crack!

Isn't this just a clear indication that Heaven doesn't like the Crown Prince?

If someone thinks the world is about to descend into chaos, it must be the crown prince!

Heaven despises it!
Then people abandon it!
Even if the Crown Prince is highly regarded by His Majesty, even if he is the apple of His Majesty's eye, this time he's probably... hehehe.

The Crown Prince's moral failings are the first step towards deposing him!

The Eighth Prince paced back and forth in his duty room, so excited that he wanted to share his joy with someone, but then he thought better of it and suppressed the thought.

Secrets are the key to success!

His imperial education had always taught him that if you want to achieve great things, you must keep your mouth shut!
Hold it in! You absolutely must hold it in!

He couldn't help but imagine how the Crown Prince would react to the earth-shattering blow tomorrow.

Should we continue to pretend to be calm?
Or are you panicking and frantically trying to handle things?
When the time comes, I must remain calm and absolutely not show the slightest bit of joy!

Ideally, they should also step forward with an upright demeanor and vehemently denounce the nonsense of the Director of the Imperial Observatory!

Only in this way can one perfectly conceal oneself and absolve oneself completely...

The sun rose as usual, but the atmosphere at today's morning court session was quite different.

Because of the earthquake in Mount Tai, everyone's attention was focused on the upcoming imperial audience.

It's a pity that the Imperial Audience is different from the Grand Court Assembly; those who can attend are all officials of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers level.

But today, there's an unexpected guest—

Yang Fenggu, the Director of the Imperial Observatory!
Yang Fenggu was in his fifties, as thin as a bamboo pole, and walked with his clothes fluttering in the wind, giving him a rather otherworldly and ethereal appearance.

Normally, he doesn't attract much attention. After all, the Imperial Observatory has neither power nor money, so who would bother to try and curry favor with him?

Fortunately, Lord Yang didn't care at all and devoted himself to his studies. He was very proficient in calendars and stargazing.

This time, when he received the notice to go to Qianqing Gate, he appeared completely calm and collected.

He didn't seem to be attending a court hearing; it was more like he was going to a regular banquet.

Civil and military officials, princes and nobles, arrived one after another outside the Qianqing Gate.

Unlike usual, when everyone would exchange pleasantries, this time everyone gathered together, their mouths seemingly glued shut, and the atmosphere was incredibly heavy.

Shen Ye arrived at the Qianqing Gate on time, then led the court officials to bow to Emperor Qianxi's throne before beginning to hold court.

Shen Ye stood under the Qianqing Gate and surveyed the area before saying in a deep voice, "Today, each department has important matters to report."

"Then let's follow the rules. The Ministry of Personnel should submit its report first."

The Ministry of Personnel was the head of the Six Ministries. Although it did not appear as prestigious as the Ministry of Rites, it controlled the promotion and demotion of officials throughout the country, making it a powerful and influential institution.

The Ministry of Personnel has always been the most important department to the imperial court.

Minister of Personnel Zou Yunjin quickly stepped forward, holding a memorial in his hand, and said: "Your Highness, the list of the first batch of pillars of the nation training program has been drawn up."

"If Your Highness and the other officials have no objections, you may issue a public notice to the world, allowing the selected young talents to take office on a chosen date."

Upon hearing Zou Yunjin's report, Zhang Yushu, the Minister of Rites, turned green with rage.

Many people from their Ministry of Rites were also included in this plan, and many of them were his close associates.

He was extremely unwilling, but he couldn't object—

This isn't a demotion; it's a sign of being given special attention and training!
Suffering? That's not suffering, that's training!

As the ancients said, "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it will first test his mind, strain his muscles and bones, and starve his body." How could a dignified Minister of Rites not understand this principle?
Moreover, how can one command the country and govern the world without first experiencing the hardships of the people and working at the grassroots level?
The Crown Prince's move is a perfectly legitimate, open scheme!
If you perform well, your loyalty to the court is commendable, and a promotion is certain.

Zhang Yushu didn't even doubt that a Grand Secretary could emerge from among them.

However, those troublemakers who are singled out, if the court deems their performance poor, are simply not being properly trained.

I'm afraid my whole life will be wasted in hardship!
Undeterred, Zhang Yushu stepped forward and respectfully addressed Shen Ye:
"Your Highness, these pillars of the nation are all outstanding talents of the court. Could we stipulate that once their training period is over, they can be reinstated to their original positions?"

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Minister Zhang, the plan to cultivate pillars of the nation is still an exploratory plan."

"The purpose is to cultivate pillars of the court who will be able to assume important responsibilities in the court in one, two or even three decades."

"Such a person is not only proficient in departmental affairs, but also has a clear understanding of how the imperial court operates."

"We have to figure out how to cultivate them!"

"So, if we set too many rules and regulations for this training now, wouldn't that be going against the original intention of cultivating talent?"

"We'll talk about it after the assessment period ends."

Shen Ye spoke in a grand and dignified manner, as if he wanted to cultivate future prime ministers for the court, or even select talents without being bound by convention.

However, in reality, Zhang Yushu's proposal was directly rejected.

Zhang Yushu was seething with anger, but all he could say was, "Your Highness is wise. I hope that in the future, more attention can be paid to these young talents."

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Of course, the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate will pay close attention to them." "Moreover, in addition to the local assessments, the imperial court will also send special personnel to assess them every year."

"The pillars of the nation are not to be trifled with."

Zhang Ying looked at Zhang Yushu, who seemed both angry and helpless, and felt sorry for her old friend.

The Crown Prince's move is so painful that it makes you feel like you're suffering internal injuries, yet you can't find fault with it and can only shout that he's wise and brilliant!

With Zhang Yushu's retirement, the matter was quickly approved.

Zou Yunjin continued, "Your Highness, the assistant officials selected from various regions have been arriving in the capital one after another."

"Their positions also need to be arranged as soon as possible."

Although Shen Ye brought up the matter, he didn't have anyone to arrange, so he seemed quite detached.

He waved his hand and said to Zou Yunjin, "Lord Zou, you should discuss the distribution with the various departments."

"My requirement is that these junior officers must learn something, but they must not be allowed to affect the operation of the various departments."

"You gentlemen will have to take this into consideration."

After this was said, Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the Governor of Shandong reports that an earthquake struck Mount Tai, causing the collapse of tens of thousands of houses and affecting hundreds of thousands of people... We request the court to provide disaster relief."

"After discussion, we believe that in addition to reducing the taxes and levies for these disaster-stricken areas for two years, we should also allocate a certain amount of money and levies for disaster relief."

"The Ministry of Revenue believes that 500,000 taels of silver is just right."

Shen Ye has always been very generous when it comes to disaster relief.

Upon hearing Ma Qi mention 500,000 taels, he smiled and said, "Then it's approved, as the Ministry of Revenue has said!"

"However, the Ministry of Revenue will be responsible for converting these 500,000 taels of silver into supplies to be sent to the disaster area!"

As Shen Ye finished speaking, his gaze shifted and fell on the Fourth Prince standing to the side.

Since the Fourth Prince is being tasked with investigating the Kong family's illegal activities, it would be better to have him take charge of disaster relief as well. This would kill two birds with one stone.

"Fourth brother, you will have to make the trip to Mount Tai to ensure that the disaster relief efforts are implemented effectively."

Leaving Beijing in this freezing weather is not a good thing.

However, the Fourth Prince was always meticulous in his work and had studied at the Ministry of Revenue, so he did not object to Shen Ye's nomination.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will certainly handle this matter well."

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Then when Fourth Brother returns in triumph, I will ask Father Emperor to recommend him for credit."

No sooner had this matter been settled than Zhang Yushu, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward, looking as if he were deeply concerned about the country and its people:

"Your Highness, Mount Tai is the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains. Now that the earth has turned upside down, we all believe it is a warning from Heaven."

He spoke with such emotion that it seemed he was about to burst into tears:

"Your humble servant requests that the court give a conclusion to this matter as soon as possible, so that an imperial edict can be issued to appease the people."

Shen Ye was not surprised at all, since he had already discussed it with Emperor Qianxi. So he looked at Yang Fenggu, who was standing at the back.

Come on, come on, the stage is set, it's your turn to perform!
This time, the explanation should be directed towards the Confucian school.

At that time, we can take the opportunity to let the Fourth Prince act as the imperial envoy who investigates the case again while he is carrying out disaster relief.

"Minister Zhang's words are the words of a wise and experienced strategist."

"Lord Yang is the Director of the Imperial Observatory. Tell me, why did an earthquake occur at Mount Tai?"

Yang Fenggu always gave people the feeling of being detached from worldly affairs. At this moment, he was looking up at the sky and had no idea that it was his turn to make a dazzling appearance.

He only came to his senses after being called out by Shen Ye. He straightened his clothes and stepped forward with a solemn expression. His posture was not like that of someone reporting on work, but rather like someone about to perform a ritual.

"Your Highness, as soon as I heard about the earthquake at Mount Tai, I began to consult historical records and calendars."

According to historical records and calendars, there have been seven earthquakes in Mount Tai.

"Every earthquake is a sign of God's anger!"

"Especially the recent earthquake in Mount Tai was caused by the previous Ming Emperor Xianzong's attempt to depose the crown prince, which incurred the wrath of Heaven!"

……

Yang Fenggu's quotations and allusions made Shen Ye's lips curl into a slight smile.

Hmm, not bad, not bad at all. Father Emperor has a keen eye indeed. The shill he found is extremely good at deception!
Just as Shen Ye was secretly amused, Yang Fenggu unexpectedly changed the subject and continued, "According to historical research, every earthquake in Mount Tai was an act of divine wrath!"

"And only a human ruler can incite the wrath of Heaven!"

"Your Majesty has reigned for forty years, and Mount Tai has remained as stable as a rock, never once shaken."

"Your Highness, you have only been regent for half a month, yet you have already angered the Heavenly Court, which has earnestly requested that Your Highness go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices, reflect on your mistakes, and strive to gain Heaven's forgiveness..."

Yang Fenggu's voice wasn't very loud, but it reached the ears of everyone present.

Shen Ye looked at the impassioned Yang Fenggu, his mind filled with questions: Wait, which part of the body is this guy?

We agreed to shift the blame to the Kong family, but how come the blame has now fallen on my head?
Was it Emperor Qianxi who suddenly turned against him and switched sides midway, or was it because Yang Fenggu, whom he brought in, was a terrible teammate who was unreliable from the start?
　The second update for today is here! Dear readers, please support me, please vote for me, please do everything!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)