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

Chapter 416 Will the Crown Prince Summon the Eastern Peak Emperor?
Cheng Family Lamb Restaurant!
Good heavens, this place is filled with the aroma of cooking and meat.

Seven or eight young people were sitting around a table, each with a lamb chop in their left hand and a glass of wine in their right, eating with gusto, their faces flushed and mouths greasy.

These aren't imperial officials having a meal together; they're clearly a pack of hungry wolves who just finished their shift and rushed into the restaurant to grab meat!
That's right, these people were all the "chosen ones" of the previous imperial examination. Although they have all secured stable jobs, they are basically still in the internship stage.

My meager salary isn't even enough to buy two pounds of braised beef, and I often need financial assistance from my family.

As for those who want to rely on Bingjing and Tanjing to live a comfortable life, wake up! That's a long way off for them!
"Everyone, everyone!" A young man stood up unsteadily, holding a wine glass. "This toast must be to Brother Ma! Ah!"

This Brother Ma was originally a top scholar in the Hanlin Academy, but who knew that he would be stuffed into some kind of "pillar of the nation training program" overnight!
Just yesterday, he packed his bedding and left the capital to become a county magistrate in a county under the jurisdiction of Luzhou!
A scholar from the prestigious Hanlin Academy, a top ten Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), was actually exiled to a county to serve as an assistant to some Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examination) who couldn't even pass the Jinshi exam!
What can this assistant do? To put it bluntly, he's just a handyman!

What a disgrace! It's an absolute disgrace!

Everyone shook their heads and sighed: This is not cultivating pillars of society, it's clearly exiling them to Ningguta!

But who dares disobey the imperial court's orders? Unless you want to go home early to grow sweet potatoes, you have no choice but to obediently take up your post.

"The Crown Prince had not been in charge of the country for a full month when he seized the sacrificial fields of the Duke of Yansheng and forcibly promoted the idea of ​​officials and gentry paying taxes together."

The official in the blue robe slammed his fist on the table in anguish:

"Now look what's happened, everyone's angered and resentful!"

"Even Mount Tai was struck by an earthquake! The honest and outspoken Director of the Imperial Observatory committed suicide!"

"Let's see how the Crown Prince explains himself after His Majesty emerges from seclusion!"

"If we weren't worried that His Majesty would fail in his filial duty, we should really go and invite His Majesty to return to court as soon as possible."

"Let's set things right!"

These words immediately resonated with many: "That's right, that's right. If Your Majesty ends the fast sooner, maybe Brother Ma and the others won't have to go down to exercise."

"Don't worry, it won't be long."

"Do you think... with the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people reaching this point, His Majesty might... change course?"

The moment the words left their mouths, they were so startled that they dropped the lamb bones from their hands!
Although they often complained about the Crown Prince, the phrase "change course" still made them uneasy.

After a long pause, someone finally spoke up weakly: "Well... it's not impossible!"

"After all, how can someone who is not favored by Heaven and the people rule the world?"

"That depends on what His Majesty thinks. There are so many princes; if he doesn't change his mindset, he can just replace him!"

"Shh, let's keep quiet. Don't say things you shouldn't, and try to avoid discussing this topic. We don't want anyone overhearing us!"

Just as everyone was talking at once, a figure rushed in, stumbling and crawling:
"Everyone, breaking news! Lord Yang Fenggu's family has been released!"

"What? Has His Majesty emerged from seclusion ahead of schedule?"

Everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

"I knew it! Once His Majesty ends his fast, he will surely set things right!"

"Quickly, please ask His Majesty to issue an edict to bring Brother Ma and the others back. That way, when we hold another gathering, we won't be without Brother Ma, the big wine vat."

……

Listening to his companions' discussion, the man who had barged in added, panting heavily, "It wasn't His Majesty who left the pass early, but rather all the ministers who went to find the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince agreed to allow Lord Yang's family to take his body for burial."

"I heard that the Crown Prince only allows Lord Yang to be buried with the rites due to a scholar after his death."

"The Crown Prince said that regardless of whether Lord Yang harbors ulterior motives, he is still quite learned."

"The standards for a scholar?" Someone immediately jumped up. "I've met Lord Yang. He's an honest and upright man who has spent his whole life studying the stars and the moon."

"He was a big name in the astronomy world! He died like that, and they're giving him such meager treatment? It's so humiliating!"

"Who can disagree? Gentlemen, let's go to pay our respects together tomorrow. Lord Yang died with dignity; we can't let him feel disheartened."

"Yes, let's go together!"

……

Just as the crowd was filled with indignation, someone suddenly lowered their voice and said mysteriously, "To say that Lord Yang's death had no effect at all would be a big mistake; at least it had some effect."

"I heard that the Crown Prince plans to convene a debate on the heavens in two days, requiring all officials of the seventh rank and above in the capital to attend!"

"I bet the Crown Prince was terrified by Lord Yang's statement that 'the Crown Prince has offended Heaven,' which is why he convened this debate on Heaven and tried his best to clear his name!"

No sooner had he uttered those words than someone chimed in: "Rectify the name? Hah, that'll probably only make things worse!"

"My lords, we are all men of justice."

"As far as we are concerned, we absolutely cannot let Lord Yang die in vain!"

"We must attend this debate on the heavens."

"As long as we work together, no one can distort the truth!"

The words "turning black into white" were spoken with such force and conviction that they almost deafened people.

These words were incredibly inspiring, immediately igniting the entire audience: "We must go! We must let the Crown Prince know that what is black is black, and with us here, we absolutely cannot let Lord Yang die in vain!"

"Let us all work together to make the Debate on Heaven a true testament to the truth!"

...The atmosphere at Cheng's mutton restaurant was electric, and similar scenes were playing out in many other parts of Beijing!

Those who attend such occasions are all young officials.

Although they all had their own calculations, they all appeared passionate and righteous under the influence of the sentiment of shouldering the responsibility of upholding justice!

While these passionate young people were shouting excitedly, a completely different scene unfolded at the Fourth Prince's residence.

The Eighth Prince, carrying a pot of wine, slipped into the Fourth Prince's study with practiced ease.

The two lived close to each other and had a good relationship, often getting together for drinks and conversation.

When the Fourth Prince saw the Eighth Prince arrive with wine, he immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare four small dishes, and the two began to drink together.

The fourth prince wasn't a big drinker; after just three cups, his face turned as red as Guan Yu's.

He gripped his wine cup and began to lament the state of the nation: "Eighth Brother, it is extremely difficult to change anything in the affairs of the court!"

The Eighth Prince nodded vigorously: "The Crown Prince was really amazing this time. He practically took on the entire court by himself."

"Who can argue with that? The Crown Prince is taking away the cake from all the gentry in the land!"

The fourth prince lamented, "But if you don't do anything, the court will be so poor that it will be struggling to make ends meet, and life will become increasingly difficult."

"The current silver reserves in the Ministry of Revenue are barely enough to make ends meet."

"If we can save up a million taels of silver by the end of the year, we should be burning incense and saying that the Bodhisattva has blessed us!"

The imperial granary was the source of the imperial court's confidence in facing all kinds of events.

With money in Taicang, the imperial court has more confidence!

After all, poverty diminishes ambition; without money, where does confidence come from?
The Eighth Prince sighed and said, "The Crown Prince is taking too big a step. One must take things one step at a time!"

The fourth prince snorted and said, "If you ask me, we should be more ruthless. Some people get carried away with their good life and feel complacent!"

"Don't they realize that without the imperial court, why would they eat hot pot every day? Now that the court needs them to contribute, they all complain and pretend to have no memory of the court's favors. How can they just turn a blind eye and stand idly by?!"

"I have always maintained that we must not be lenient with such ungrateful wretches; we should be resolute, ruthless, and decisive!"

"Only in this way can we make them understand who this world really belongs to!"

"And let's also give these selfish bastards a good talking-to, make them learn the lessons thoroughly, because when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken!"

"Don't wait until the pot breaks to still be thinking about the mutton in it!"

Hearing the Fourth Prince's words, the Eighth Prince sensed something was amiss.

He didn't like his fourth brother's domineering attitude.

He is kind and benevolent in his dealings with others, winning people over with virtue and governing the world with kindness and compassion.

However, he certainly didn't come to find his fourth brother, Yunzhen, to argue.

He could only reply perfunctorily, "Fourth Brother is right, some people are just not worthy of gratitude."

"But now, there are too many people. If someone offends too many people at once, like the Crown Prince, it will be very easy for the consequences to backfire."

"So we should proceed step by step, steadily and surely, but the young master insists on flipping the table!"

"Even though Yang Fenggu's death damaged his reputation, organizing a debate on the heavens like this is just digging a hole for himself and bringing his own shovel!"

"Fourth Brother, during the Heavenly Debate, which side should we brothers stand on?"

The two stared at each other for a long time, as if playing a game where whoever blinked first would lose.

Finally, the Fourth Prince couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up: "I've studied the teachings of sages since I was a child. As for astronomy and calendar? That stuff is harder to fathom than a woman's mind."

"I have the will but not the ability!"

Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's answer, the Eighth Prince quickly chimed in, "I feel the same way as my Fourth Brother; although I really want to help the Crown Prince..."

"But I know nothing about astronomy and calendar systems, let alone profound things like the interaction between heaven and man."

The fourth prince suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "The crown prince is no ordinary person. Since he proposed to hold this debate on the heavens, he should still have a chance of winning."

"I just can't guess where his chances of winning lie."

The Eighth Prince nodded: "I also think that the Crown Prince must have come prepared."

"But after careful consideration, I realized that unless the Crown Prince can actually find the Eastern Peak Emperor of Mount Tai and have him say in person that the earthquake in Mount Tai was not directed at the Crown Prince."

"In that case, the Crown Prince might not be able to turn the tide."

"Otherwise, I really can't see how the Crown Prince will turn this around."

The Fourth Prince disliked the Eighth Prince's teasing remark, but he also knew that what he said was true.

Unless a divine intervention occurs and he personally testifies, he has no chance of redemption.

Thinking of all this, the Fourth Prince sighed and said, "I just wonder if the Crown Prince will cancel this Heavenly Debate Competition?"

"At least, it's better than losing face in front of all the civil and military officials, right?"

　This is the first update of the day. Please support me, everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)