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

Chapter 430 The First Step in Abolishing the Crown Prince

Ever since Emperor Qianxi sent that play over, he had been eagerly waiting for the Crown Prince to submit a memorial of apology!
He thought to himself: I've paved the way for you, kid, you should at least know what's good for you and come down here to admit your mistake, right?
If he obediently kowtows and submits, my face will be saved, and things will be easier to handle later.

You won't have to go to Beijing to be a horse driver anymore, how perfect!
Unexpectedly, he waited for three whole days, but the Crown Prince ate and drank as usual, and there was not a trace of the memorial to apologize!

That's absolutely not true!
This angered Emperor Qianxi so much that he became quite irritable. When a palace maid accidentally broke a teacup, it enraged him so much that he banished her from the palace.

Now, the entire Forbidden City was in a state of panic, with everyone walking on tiptoe for fear of triggering a landmine.

Even a seasoned veteran like Liang Jiugong was extremely cautious, afraid that he might accidentally offend Emperor Qianxi and become his punching bag.

"Liang Jiugong, is there anything else to report?"

That day, after Emperor Qianxi finished reviewing and forwarding all the memorials, he put down his pen and asked in a low voice.

Liang Jiugong knew very well what Emperor Qianxi was asking.

His Majesty doesn't want a memorial; he wants the Crown Prince's letter of repentance!
He really wanted to give it to him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't give Emperor Qianxi what he wanted; where could he conjure it up?

The Crown Prince didn't write it at all!
"Your Majesty, there are none left."

At this moment, Liang Jiugong adopted a businesslike demeanor.

Emperor Qianxi nodded, remained silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly ordered, "Go and invite Grand Secretary Tong Guowei over."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiugong's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, this has blown up!
Why did His Majesty summon Tong Guowei at this time? Could it be that he intends to... change the course of history?
He dared not think any further and ran scrambling toward the south study in terror.

He was a confidant of Emperor Qianxi, and for a long time he no longer worried that he would lose his head for a trivial matter.

But today, that feeling of fear and unease has returned!
Moreover, this feeling is very strong.

So much so that he didn't want to spend any more time with Emperor Qianxi, and it was better to slip away.

Tong Guowei arrived quickly, his face as steady as a mountain, as if everything was under his control.

He respectfully bowed to Emperor Qianxi and said, "Your subject Tong Guowei greets Your Majesty."

Before coming, he secretly asked Liang Jiugong, but Liang Jiugong didn't dare to say a word, for fear of getting involved.

Although he really wanted to curry favor with Tong Guowei, this Grand Secretary, he was afraid!

Emperor Qianxi waved to Tong Guowei and said, "Grand Secretary, no need for such formalities."

Upon hearing the title "Emperor Qianxi," Tong Guowei's heart sank:
Previously, Emperor Qianxi would generally address him as "uncle".

This time, however, he was promoted to the official title of Grand Secretary.

Although it sounded more polite, this was not what Tong Guowei wanted.

Tong Guowei had no desire for Emperor Qianxi to be polite to him.

What he wanted was Emperor Qianxi's favor towards him!

Compared to respect, the emperor's favor was more important.

With such goodwill, he won't be punished for his mistakes.

But once the affection between the ruler and his subjects is gone, and only mutual respect remains, then things get complicated.

What could have been a trivial matter could have become a fatal problem.

Just as Tong Guowei was pondering what he had done to disappoint Emperor Qianxi, he heard Emperor Qianxi say, "Tong Guowei, nowadays there are more and more officials submitting memorials to the emperor."

"Regarding the issue of officials and gentry paying taxes together, should the tax burden on officials and gentry be reduced, or should it not be reduced?"

Tong Guowei pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Your Majesty, officials and gentry are the foundation of the country. It is reasonable to give them some preferential treatment, and it has always been the court's policy."

"Your subject agrees that officials and gentry should be given more preferential treatment."

"After all, many things have to be done step by step."

"Trying to get things done all at once and pushing too hard can backfire; too much of a good thing can be bad."

Upon hearing Tong Guowei's words, Emperor Qianxi smiled slightly.

However, he quickly suppressed that smile.

"Your words are those of a wise and experienced strategist."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi looked somewhat troubled: "But the Crown Prince doesn't quite understand this matter."

"So what?"

Tong Guowei's heart was pounding. He felt that his goal was about to be achieved, and the opportunity had arrived!

After a moment of contemplation, he bowed sincerely to Emperor Qianxi and said, "Your Majesty, the whole world knows of your love for your son."

"However, the imperial court's major plans concern the foundation of the nation and the stability of the world."

"I believe that Your Majesty should still make the final decisions in the court!"

Tong Guowei didn't mention the Crown Prince once, but every word he said made his stance clear.

His words can be summarized as follows: You cannot give in just because the Crown Prince threatens you; don't indulge him!
Seeing Tong Guowei's solemn expression, Emperor Qianxi relaxed considerably.

He sighed and said, "Uncle, the Crown Prince is actually quite good."

Emperor Qianxi was praising the Crown Prince with these words.

However, from this sentence, Tong Guowei discerned Emperor Qianxi's thoughts.

He knew that Emperor Qianxi had already made his choice, and the current situation was that Emperor Qianxi was worried about the Crown Prince.

He solemnly replied, "The Crown Prince is young. He was made Crown Prince at birth, so he has not experienced any hardships."

"This is all because of Your Majesty's deep love for your son; you have protected him so well!"

"As the saying goes, people can only grow better by experiencing some setbacks. Your Majesty's intentions are good."

"Your Majesty loves your son, but you must be mindful of the methods!"

Emperor Qianxi felt a surge of joy. His uncle truly understood him; even "punishment" could be described as "care"!
They know what they want to do, but they've already found reasons for doing it.

Officials and gentry should only pay half of the taxes!

Now that the Crown Prince had made this decision, he was going to the capital to tend the horses.

He absolutely could not tolerate the Crown Prince's words spoken in front of the entire court.

Let the Crown Prince go to the capital to herd horses!
The point is to let the Crown Prince know who is in charge of this world, who controls this land, and who is driving the universe!
However, this act of punishing the crown prince was described by his uncle as another form of showing concern for the prince.

The crown prince will have to endure setbacks.

"You understand me best, Uncle!" Emperor Qianxi patted Tong Guowei on the shoulder and said, "With your help, Uncle, I can have it much easier."

"As for the Crown Prince, since he is so stubborn, I cannot indulge him."

"Otherwise, he won't be able to distinguish between what's important and what's urgent in the future."

"It is only to send the Crown Prince to the capital, not under the pretext of herding horses."

Tong Guowei looked at Emperor Qianxi, whose expression showed a hint of hesitation, and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty, this matter is easy to resolve."

"You can fast for a month to pray for the late emperor's well-being, and the Crown Prince can also go to the capital to fast for a period of time to pray for the well-being of the founding emperor and the founding emperor."

"This servant believes that, under the protection of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, the Crown Prince will surely understand your good intentions."

Emperor Qianxi felt a pang of reluctance when he thought of the situation in the capital.

But the thought of Mingzhu's court having only one voice made his resolve harden once more.

Since the crown prince is disobedient, let him know that this court is not a place where he can act recklessly.

He will pay the price for his actions.

Sending him to the capital to pray for the ancestors would be a flexible option.

The best course of action is to replace the crown prince; the best course of action is to recall him.

Even if I eventually bring the Crown Prince back, I believe that after being taught by Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, the Crown Prince should know how to handle things in the future.

"You can go back now," Emperor Qianxi said, waving his hand.

Tong Guowei respectfully bowed to Emperor Qianxi, and then slowly left.

He didn't say much, knowing that at this time, no matter what he said, Emperor Qianxi would suspect that he had ulterior motives.

Therefore, in such a situation, the best course of action is to obey Emperor Qianxi in everything.

He asked himself the question and then answered!

He won't say more unless asked.

However, he estimated that his statement had already been approved by Emperor Qianxi!

The reason why Emperor Qianxi did not make a decision immediately was actually a performance.

It made everyone feel that making this decision was not easy for him.

As for why Tong Guowei didn't directly ask Emperor Qianxi to change the crown prince, it's because some things can't be rushed.

Having a crown prince is not an easy thing.

These kinds of things need to be done step by step.

Keeping the crown prince away from Emperor Qianxi, away from the court, and away from the Forbidden City was, in effect, a solid step toward deposing the crown prince!
This step is absolutely crucial.

As Tong Guowei had predicted, the memorial forwarded by the Ministry of Justice to Emperor Qianxi the following day contained a directive regarding reducing taxes paid by officials and gentry.

This instruction was brief, but it brought joy and encouragement to many.

"It makes sense!"

The young censors were overjoyed to see such an instruction.

They felt they had achieved a crucial victory.

His Majesty has clearly expressed his support. As long as we persevere, the next step will be for His Majesty to issue an edict to reduce taxes on officials and gentry.

Inside the Ministry of Justice's duty room, the Eighth Prince was handing a large red gemstone to Shun Anyan.

Looking at the gemstone that shone brightly in the sunlight, Shun An Yan's eyes lit up.

He examined the gemstone for a moment, then handed it to the Eighth Prince, saying, "Eighth Prince, you shouldn't accept something for nothing. You should keep this important treasure for yourself."

The Eighth Prince smiled and said, "Brother, this isn't for you, but for you to give to the Ninth Princess."

"My ninth sister loves shiny things the most. If you give this to her, she will definitely like it."

Upon hearing what the Eighth Prince said, Shun An Yan was overjoyed.

This is because the Eighth Prince not only gave him a precious treasure, but also said he would help him become the Ninth Princess's consort.

With the help of the Eighth Prince, he took another step closer to becoming the emperor's son-in-law.

"Thank you, Master Eight."

“We are brothers,” the Eighth Prince said, supporting Shun Anyan’s arm. “We are not only relatives, but also family.”

"If you thank me again, I'll get angry."

Shun An Yan smiled and said, "I will always remember Eighth Master's kindness."

"Is the Grand Secretary really telling me to do absolutely nothing?" the Eighth Prince asked, still somewhat uneasy.

"Eighth Master, my grandfather said that the time is right, and the task at hand will be accomplished naturally. If we increase the heat without authorization, it will not go well."

Shun An smiled and said, "Just wait for the fruit to ripen."

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(End of this chapter)