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

Chapter 426 The world has suffered under the Crown Prince for too long

Emperor Qianxi has returned to the palace, but the Crown Prince, who is in charge of the country, is still soaking in the hot spring palace and hasn't moved an inch!
To outsiders, this action looked like a father and son going on vacation together, both enjoying themselves in the palace.

However, the ministers who had become seasoned veterans of the court over the years did not think so.

How can the emperor return to the capital while the crown prince, who is in charge of the state, remains at the temporary palace? That doesn't make sense.

Sure enough, not long after, explosive news broke: Zhang Yushu, the Minister of Rites, was torn apart by the Crown Prince on the spot at the Hot Spring Palace!
Along with this news came the Crown Prince's actions.

The Crown Prince refused to obey His Majesty's orders!

The Crown Prince tears apart Zhang Yushu, the Minister of Rites!
The Crown Prince also made a harsh statement: Anyone who opposes the equal taxation of officials and gentry will be my sworn enemy!

Good heavens! As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court was in an uproar, with officials and civil servants discussing the matter: "Is the Crown Prince serious?"
Some people thought the crown prince was tough, while others were secretly delighted: the opportunity has come! It's time to get the crown prince off the throne!

At this time, two uninvited guests arrived at the residence of Grand Secretary Zhang Ying: Chen Tingjing and Zhang Yushu.

In fact, Zhang Ying was very reluctant for Zhang Yushu to come to his residence.

Of course, it would be even better if Chen Tingjing didn't come.

Although he thought this way, he couldn't change the fact that he couldn't get rid of these two plagues.

"Brother Zhang, this is an utter disgrace!"

Zhang Yushu was so angry that his lips trembled: "A prince of such high status, yet he speaks like a street thug, how utterly rude!"

"You are a Grand Secretary, you must stand up for us!"

Zhang Ying rolled her eyes inwardly, but outwardly she patiently soothed him, saying, "I understand, but His Majesty is in a bad mood right now. Let's not add fuel to the fire and walk into the line of fire."

"Otherwise, it could very well backfire."

Zhang Yushu wanted to say something, but Chen Tingjing tugged at his sleeve and quickly smoothed things over: "If you ask me, what we need to do now is to ensure that officials and gentry pay taxes together."

"His Majesty was almost ready to give in."

"But the Crown Prince's meddling has blocked that opening again!"

"But I think we can't just give up like this, we have to keep writing."

Zhang Ying frowned and hesitated, "But what about the Crown Prince..."

Zhang Yushu was so angry that he spoke without restraint: "The Crown Prince is unfilial, daring to disobey His Majesty."

"Since the founding of our dynasty, have we ever seen such a rebellious crown prince?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ying and Chen Tingjing's expressions changed drastically.

The two of them have always maintained a "stay away and keep a respectful distance" attitude towards the princes' struggle for the throne, like bystanders watching a spectacle.

Zhang Yushu's passionate statement clearly shows that he has already chosen sides among the princes.

But thinking about it, it's not surprising. After being confronted by the Crown Prince and hearing his harsh words that he would never forgive those who proposed tax exemptions for officials and gentry, Zhang Yushu had no way out and could only grit his teeth and charge forward.

His best strategy now is to quickly find a reliable prince to support him and work together to pull the crown prince off the throne.

Otherwise, even if he himself could pass away before the Crown Prince ascended the throne, his entire family would likely not escape the Crown Prince's retribution.

Therefore, Zhang Yushu's desire to overthrow the crown prince is more urgent than anyone else's.

However, Zhang Ying and Chen Tingjing were unwilling to make a statement easily.

After all, this involved a change of the throne, something that Emperor Qianxi took extremely seriously.

It's very possible to accidentally break a taboo.

Moreover, the risks of such a thing are too great. Although they have some relationship with Zhang Yushu, they have not reached the point of "not seeking to be born on the same day, month, and year, but seeking to be demoted on the same day, month, and year."

Zhang Ying slowly said, "It's not appropriate for us old bones to get involved in this matter!"

Zhang Yushu also knew that what Zhang Ying said was true and reasonable.

The Crown Prince and the Emperor had already had a very unpleasant falling out. If these high-ranking officials continued to bring up the issue of officials and gentry paying taxes together, what would Emperor Qianxi think?
Isn't this blatantly labeling oneself as "forming cliques for personal gain"?
Zhang Yushu's eyes darted around, and he suddenly chuckled and said, "It's inconvenient for us to submit a memorial, but the world has suffered under the Crown Prince for too long!"

"I believe that there are many ambitious young people in the Six Ministries and various temples and academies who disapprove of the Crown Prince!"

"Their official positions are not high, but their advantage lies in their humble status and their unwavering concern for the country!"

"Let them go and submit their petitions. They are full of vigor and righteous indignation."

Zhang Ying pondered for a moment, then sighed, "Young people are so energetic, we can't compare!"

His words sounded like a praise for the young man, but the old foxes present all understood that Zhang Ying was tacitly approving of finding someone to be the "vanguard of the petition."

Chen Tingjing immediately understood: "Yes, yes, young people are energetic, have ideas, are enterprising, and dare to speak and act. We old men will just... silently support them from behind!"

Having accomplished what they wanted, Zhang Yushu and Chen Tingjing left happily, while Zhang Ying returned to his study with a serious expression.

His son, Zhang Tingyu, is helping him open the letter!
As a Grand Scholar, Zhang Ying received letters from all sides almost every day.

Some were from the same hometown, some were born in the same year, and some had gone through ups and downs in their official careers together!

The purposes of these letters varied, but most of them were to ask Zhang Ying, the Grand Secretary, for favors.

That's understandable, considering he's a highly respected scholar whom everyone admires.

Zhang Ying didn't have time to read all the letters, so she handed them over to her son, Zhang Tingyu.

After all, he wouldn't trust an outsider with something like this.

"Is there anything important?" Zhang Ying asked her son casually.

Zhang Tingyu said in a deep voice, "Most of them are about officials and gentry paying taxes together."

"I hope my father can stop this."

"Also, my second brother sent a letter saying that he had arrived in Kaifeng Prefecture, but because my sister-in-law was sick, they stayed in Kaifeng Prefecture to rest for the time being."

Hearing this, Zhang Ying remained silent, as if he hadn't heard a thing. "Father, my second brother's letter also asked if he could stay in Kaifeng Prefecture a little longer?"

Zhang Ying was fully aware of Zhang Tinglu's intentions.

Zhang Tinglu must have heard something, which is why he didn't want to go to the place of exile.

He glanced at Zhang Tingyu indifferently, then said in a deep voice, "If you should be on your way, then be on your way. There's no use in being lazy."

At this point, he turned to Zhang Tingyu and said, "Remember this: you must be careful with your words and actions in the coming days."

"There's no need. Just stay home and study, prepare well for next year's exams, and don't go out and hang out with those shady friends!"

Zhang Tingyu was Zhang Ying's most trusted child, but at this moment, he still couldn't help but give him a few words of advice.

Now that I'm in this position, many things are beyond my control.

His son was incredibly intelligent, and he didn't want Zhang Tingyu to get caught up in the current mess at such a young age.

The crown prince is not so easily deposed.

Zhang Tingyu quickly replied, "Father, rest assured, I will stay in my study and read during this time and will not go out."

Zhang Ying nodded and didn't say anything more.

The number of memorials impeaching officials and gentry for paying taxes together increased silently in the imperial court.

There were only a few dozen at first, and Emperor Qianxi didn't care about them at all, simply ordering them to be thrown aside.

Just pretend you don't see it.

After all, the imperial court has always claimed that those who speak out are not guilty!
Although what these people said angered Emperor Qianxi, he could not take it to heart.

Moreover, these people don't hold very high official positions, so taking action against them doesn't seem to have much effect.

However, such memorials gradually increased in number.

Dozens, hundreds, even two or three hundred...

As the number of memorials sent by the Office of Transmission increased, Emperor Qianxi's face grew increasingly gloomy.

"Liang Jiugong, what is that rebellious son doing?" Emperor Qianxi threw aside a memorial from a sixth-rank official and asked Liang Jiugong.

Liang Jiugong reported, trembling:

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince paid his respects to the Empress Dowager this morning, and then, as requested by the Empress Dowager, spent an hour writing the Classic of Filial Piety!"

"After lunch, I played four rounds of mahjong with the Empress Dowager!"

"And another thing is... the Crown Prince invited the Empress Dowager to watch two episodes of his rehearsed play 'The Legend of the White Snake'."

Upon hearing what was said, Emperor Qianxi was so angry he almost choked.

Is the Crown Prince reflecting on his mistakes?
This is clearly a vacation!

The hot spring palace was even more carefree and enjoyable than the capital city.

However, since the Crown Prince was accompanying the Empress Dowager, he had to suppress his displeasure.

After all, the Crown Prince was fulfilling his filial duty.

Filial piety is of paramount importance!

"What is a spoken drama?" Emperor Qianxi asked casually.

"The actors just talk, unlike the operas we watch, which not only require singing, reciting, sitting, and fighting, but also require the coordination of various musical instruments."

Liang Jiugong said cautiously, "I heard that many of the performers in this play were selected by the Crown Prince from among the palace maids and eunuchs."

Upon hearing Liang Jiugong's report on the play, Emperor Qianxi's anger immediately flared up.

"How absurd!"

"Would the Empress Dowager be interested in a version of 'The Legend of the White Snake'?"

Liang Jiugong hesitated for a moment and remained silent.

According to his subordinates, the Crown Prince's play lasted for an hour, and the Empress Dowager watched it the whole time.

There was no rest in between.

If the Crown Prince hadn't said that the next part hadn't been rehearsed, the Empress Dowager probably would have continued watching it overnight.

However, he dared not say these words to Emperor Qianxi.

Emperor Qianxi asked, "What do you mean by those two episodes?"

"I heard that the Crown Prince plans to produce more than 30 episodes of 'The Legend of the White Snake,' with each episode lasting about 15 minutes."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi was taken aback. A two-hour performance of a play was long enough; the Crown Prince's "Legend of the White Snake" was far too long.

He thought of the scene of the Empress Dowager watching the play and Shen Ye rehearsing, and couldn't help but say, "He's living a very leisurely life."

"Since he likes living this way, let him do it."

"Hmph, let's see how long he can stay at the hot spring resort."

Just as Emperor Qianxi was speaking with Liang Jiugong, a fast horse galloped towards them from outside the walls of Yumen Pass, its hooves thundering.
"Urgent military intelligence delivered by express courier! Urgent military intelligence!"

"The Junggar invaded the snowy region, Sunlight City fell, and the Snowfield King was killed!"

"The General of the Border Garrison ordered me to wait until we arrived at the Imperial Court to report this!"

……

With that sound, the fast horse had already galloped past the Yumen Pass, and only the urgent call for military intelligence still echoed in the ears of the guards.

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(End of this chapter)