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

Chapter 417 A Communion Between Heaven and Man: You Can't Get Rid of This Blame, Crown Prince
The prince's residence was a place rife with undercurrents.

The ambitious princes' eyes darted around, their minds racing with their own schemes.

Those who were close to Shen Ye were worried sick for the Crown Prince.

This job is tough!
Emperor Qianxi spared no expense in educating his sons, making them read extensively from a young age. They could all speak eloquently about astronomy, calendar systems, and the interaction between heaven and humanity.

Throughout history, which emperor wasn't completely controlled by the theory of "interaction between Heaven and man"?
For example, if the Purple Star dims, well, that means the emperor is going to be in trouble;
Once the Po Jun and Tan Lang stars get close to the Zi Wei star, it's all over; war and calamity are coming.

If the sun and moon shone together... well, well, anyway, it's a big deal!
Now that the Taishan earthquake has occurred, Yang Fenggu, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, is willing to risk his life to defend his theory. This is something that cannot be refuted by ordinary reasons.

Seeing this, who wouldn't be worried for Shen Ye? This is practically a hellish level of difficulty!
When the news reached the Hot Spring Palace, Emperor Qianxi almost thought his ears had retired prematurely when he heard that the Crown Prince wanted to hold a "Debate on Heaven".

Has this kid gone mad from soaking in the hot springs? Arguing with those old scholars about the connection between heaven and man?
Isn't this blatantly using one's hobby to challenge someone's professional livelihood?
He's definitely using his own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths!
This is just asking for trouble!
After wandering around the Sizhi Study for a while, Emperor Qianxi suddenly threw a probing question at Liang Jiugong: "Liang Jiugong, if you were to preside over this debate on the heavens, how would you refute Yang Fenggu's arguments?"

Liang Jiugong broke out in a cold sweat: "Your Majesty, spare my life! This old servant knows nothing about these things."

"Even if you drive this old servant bald, I still won't be able to think of a single word."

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand: "Don't be afraid, I'm confused myself!"

Hearing Emperor Qianxi's words of comfort, Liang Jiugong felt a little relieved.

He tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, perhaps this old servant should go and sound out the Crown Prince's opinion?"

Emperor Qianxi sighed, "Fine, since he's so confident, let him do whatever he wants."

"Keep a close eye on things and keep an eye on the situation at the Heavenly Debate Conference. If things get really bad, I'll step in and clean up the mess."

"However, I think the Crown Prince doesn't have much of a chance of winning this debate on the heavens!"

Liang Jiugong's attitude towards Shen Ye was neither too close nor too distant, but he was still happy to lend a hand if he could.

Hearing Emperor Qianxi's concern about the Crown Prince's chances of winning, he rolled his eyes and immediately offered a suggestion: "Your Majesty, how about this old servant goes to find two Grand Secretaries and asks them to go and support the Crown Prince?"

Emperor Qianxi paced back and forth, not immediately responding to Liang Jiugong's suggestion.

Instead, he muttered to himself, "If one offends God, how long will it take to sincerely repent and be forgiven?"

These words startled Liang Jiugong, who quickly lowered his head and pretended to be a quail. He dared not answer such a life-threatening question.

To speak rashly and anger the Emperor would be tantamount to courting death.

"No need," Emperor Qianxi finally decided. "Even if you can persuade the Grand Secretary, you can't silence the mouths of the civil and military officials."

"I was certain that these old foxes, the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, wouldn't personally get involved."

"If there's going to be any debate, it'll be those greenhorns who are only sixth or seventh rank."

"Going to say hello is pointless!"

"Since the Crown Prince started this mess himself, let's see if he has the ability to put out the fire he started."

"If we can't destroy it, we can't blame anyone else."

As a long-time servant who had served Emperor Qianxi for many years, Liang Jiugong knew perfectly well what was going on:

Emperor Qianxi both hoped that the Crown Prince would win, but also felt that it wouldn't be a bad thing if the Crown Prince lost.

After all, a crown prince who is "disliked" by God is more reassuring than a crown prince who is loved by all.

In this way, the crown prince would have no chance of overthrowing his father, the emperor.

The Crown Prince is even more alone than a single clove of garlic in the Imperial Kitchen this time; he's definitely fighting a lone battle!
……

On the day of the Debate on Heaven, although it was not the morning court session, almost all officials of the seventh rank and above in the capital gathered outside Taihe Gate in a huge crowd!
The Crown Prince wants to hold a grand debate on the heavens outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

To many, this was practically a golden opportunity to slap someone in the face—

This is a good opportunity for the Crown Prince to wake up and realize that his "perverse actions" have angered the heavens, and it's time for him to turn back from the wrong path and treat all the officials and gentry in the world well.

Some of the younger officials were so excited that they were rubbing their hands together, as if what they were seeing before them was not the solemn Hall of Supreme Harmony, but a glittering arena for advancement.

If you can become famous in this debate, you might catch the eye of some high-ranking official, which would be like "a fish leaping over the dragon gate and rising three times in a day"!

Therefore, the young, junior officials were all full of ambition.

Looking at the group of people from the Imperial Observatory who had just been released, their faces were all solemn.

Among them were many of Yang Fenggu's direct subordinates.

Having just gone through a period of imprisonment, I can't help but feel a little dejected.

For them, this debate was truly a do-or-die battle.

They lost, and the Crown Prince could do whatever he wanted to them; no one would plead for them.

Only by winning can one keep their head and their job.

More importantly, the crown prince would no longer be able to do whatever he wanted during his regency.

Amidst the tense atmosphere, three sharp cracks of the whip rang out, and Shen Ye, dressed in a magnificent robe, made a grand entrance, walking steadily onto the platform of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Amidst the shouts of the Ministry of Rites officials, Shen Ye led a group of civil and military officials in bowing towards Emperor Qianxi's throne before finally sitting down on a small chair below the emperor's seat.

He looked around and calmly began, "The main purpose of this chat is to discuss the nature of the world."

"Guards, prepare seats for all officials of the third rank and above present!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Guowei and Zhang Ying couldn't help but exchange a glance, thinking to themselves: "Wow, even at this critical juncture, he still remembers to respect his elders. The Crown Prince is quite composed."

Under Tong Guowei's leadership, all officials of the third rank and above quickly bowed in gratitude, then sat down in unison, their movements so synchronized as if they had rehearsed it.

For a moment, apart from the howling winter wind, there was no other sound outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Shen Ye came prepared today, dressed very warmly, since it was an outdoor meeting and keeping warm was essential.

His gaze swept over the dark mass of people below, and he said in a detached tone as if he had seen through the ways of the world, "There is only one reason why I have gathered everyone here today. It's because of the earthquake in Mount Tai. Some people say that I have 'offended Heaven,' so Heaven sent down this disaster."

"So, I thought, why don't we just call everyone over and have a good talk about what this world really looks like?"

"Let's all speak up, so that in the future, whenever there's thunder or wind, we won't blame it all on me for offending God!"

At this point, Shen Ye's gaze precisely locked onto a figure next to the six ministers: "Chen Daoquan, Minister Chen, you are the Deputy Director of the Imperial Observatory, so you can be considered a professional. Come, tell everyone, what does the sky look like? And what does the earth look like?"

Chen Daoquan was in his forties and was Yang Fenggu's staunch deputy.

The Imperial Observatory was usually a powerless and unprofitable department, so it was unusually harmonious internally, with little to no power struggles or scheming.

Chen Daoquan had only recently been released, and he knew that with Old Yang gone, he would immediately become the focus of attention, with countless eyes watching him from all levels of the court.

On this occasion, he absolutely cannot be subservient to the Crown Prince, otherwise, who knows how many impeaching memorials will be waiting to bury him alive tomorrow!

He slowly stepped forward, feigning composure, and said, "Your Highness, the vastness of heaven and earth is boundless and limitless. To describe it in a short time is beyond my ability!"

"However, what I can describe is only a part of heaven and earth."

Although Chen Daoquan wanted to clear Yang Fenggu's name, he initially left some room for maneuver, saying that he didn't know much.

This is to leave oneself a way out.

Upon hearing Chen Daoquan's words, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Our debate on the heavens this time is just a debate, and everyone can speak freely."

"Of course, if you try to argue or cause trouble, then you'll just have to be kicked out!"

“Tell me what you think the world is like, and I will never let you be punished for your words.”

The Crown Prince's words were spoken with great clarity, but to Jin Fu, they sent a chill down his spine, making him so anxious he almost stamped his feet in frustration.
The Crown Prince is leaving himself no room for maneuver.

Once he said that, he could only listen to what others said.

Hey!
The Crown Prince is still young and inexperienced!

If it were His Majesty, he would never make such a naive and foolish promise.

Although he wanted to help the Crown Prince, the words had already been spoken, and there was nothing he could do to change the situation.

Chen Daoquan was overjoyed upon hearing this.

He knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness is wise, I admire you from the bottom of my heart!"

His kneeling wasn't just a compliment; it was a way of confirming Shen Ye's promise.

After finishing this task, Chen Daoquan said, "Since the Crown Prince has allowed me to speak freely, then I will share some of my understanding."

"As we all know, chaos gave birth to Taiji, Taiji gave birth to Yin and Yang... Pangu separated heaven and earth, the pure Qi rose to become the heavens, the turbid Qi fell to become the earth..."

"The sky is vast and boundless, like a pot lid covering the earth."

"And the earth is square, just like a chessboard, with four corners at its ends."

"...When the earth changes, the heavens are moved; when the world is peaceful, the seas are calm and the rivers are clear; when the world is in turmoil, disasters will be frequent..."

Chen Daoquan began by explaining his understanding of the universe, but as he spoke, the tone gradually veered off course.

Later on, they even came up with a theory of the interaction between heaven and man:

He said in front of everyone present, "If we follow the will of Heaven and the will of the people, then the seas will be calm and the rivers will be clear!"

But going against the tide and acting perversely will bring endless disasters!

Although not explicitly stated, it subtly implies that the earthquake in Mount Tai was caused by the Crown Prince's perverse actions.

Listening to Chen Daoquan's veiled criticism, many participants in the Heavenly Debate Conference gave him a thumbs up in their hearts: Brilliant, truly brilliant!

That was really powerful.

That was a beautiful left hook right from the start, Your Highness! Can you handle it?

　The second update for today is here! Please support me and vote for me, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)