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

Chapter 449 Getting to the bottom of things and seeking revenge requires a face-to-face meeting

Shen Ye opened the memorial and glanced at it. His heart immediately skipped a beat. Wasn't this exactly what the fourth brother had told him? It was word for word!

As Shen Ye read, his mind raced:
If I were to kick someone when they're down now, it might seem like I've eliminated a rival, but in reality, the benefits wouldn't be significant.

Why? Because the things he arranged for the fourth prince couldn't possibly go unreported to Emperor Qianxi.

When Emperor Qianxi investigated, wasn't it crystal clear?
Besides, the Fourth Prince is still nominally the Crown Prince's man, and the Crown Prince is working hard for the court on the front lines. But the mastermind behind this is not only shirking responsibility, but also stabbing him in the back. How will Emperor Qianxi view this?
What will his underlings think in the future?
Isn't this just pure "harming others without benefiting oneself"?

With this in mind, Shen Ye made up his mind. This was not to protect the fourth prince, but to maintain the image of the crown prince in front of the emperor and all the officials!
Once he made up his mind, Shen Ye immediately put on a righteous and awe-inspiring expression and said with a smile, "Father, I think Fourth Brother did the right thing!"

"As for the reputation of the Kong family, just ask around near Mount Tai, and not a single commoner speaks well of them."

"This time, with the earthquake in Mount Tai, they even tried to use it as an opportunity to smear the imperial court, saying that we 'offended Heaven'! Bah!"

“I sent my fourth brother to Shandong for disaster relief, and one of his tasks was to have him thoroughly investigate Kong Yujin.”

At this point, Shen Ye placed the memorial in front of Emperor Qianxi and said casually, "If you ask me, Father, you should not only not ask Fourth Brother to explain, but you should also ask the Kong family to explain."

Why did Kong Yujin commit suicide out of fear of punishment?

"Otherwise, they'll think the imperial court is easy to bully!"

Emperor Qianxi looked at the impassioned Crown Prince and was speechless for a moment.

He never expected that his eldest son, instead of trying to explain the matter, would turn around and accuse him of the opposite.

While they're investigating your crimes, you've already died?

Even if you die, your family still has to give the court a clear explanation!
It seems that this is indeed a feasible approach.

In short, the Confucius family has a lot of shit to cover up!

"What if the Kong family makes a scene?" Emperor Qianxi paced back and forth a few times and asked in a deep voice.

Shen Ye chuckled and said, "Father, I read some records about the Kong family a while ago. It seems that during the Song Dynasty, the orthodox lineage of the Kong family went to Jiangnan with Zhao Gou."

"As the saying goes, 'running water never stagnates, and a frequently used door hinge never rusts.' Your Majesty, I think we should bestow more rewards upon the Kong family in the south!"

"That's the way to get to the root of the problem."

Good heavens, Emperor Qianxi thought to himself, impressed by his son's expertise: not only was his eldest son trying to divide the Kong family, but he was also trying to make that branch of the Kong family lose the position of Duke Yansheng.

However, what Hao Da'er said is also true; the lineage of the Duke Yansheng really does need to be dealt with!

Not only did they dominate the village, they also meddle in things that they shouldn't be involved in.

It's really hateful!

After considering the matter for a moment, Emperor Qianxi said to Shen Ye, "Crown Prince, the expedition is imminent. You shall return to the Forbidden City with me tomorrow."

"The fifth brother can stay here at the hot spring palace."

The fifth prince, Yunqi, was raised by the Empress Dowager and basically had no ambition for the throne. He was a thoroughly honest person.

However, the Fifth Prince was very thorough in his work, so Emperor Qianxi was at ease knowing that he was staying here, and Shen Ye was equally at ease.

Hearing his father say this, Shen Ye did not refuse.

However, as Shen Ye was leaving the Sizhi Study, he said with a grin, "Father, why don't I go and tell Zhang Yushu about the decree to go home and recuperate tomorrow?"

"It's also a sign of respect for veteran officials!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi was so angry that his nose almost twisted out of shape.

He really wanted to say, "Are you afraid that Zhang Yushu hasn't been angered to death?"
But then I thought, if I were to speak up myself, this old guy would probably start crying and wailing and pestering me endlessly.

In the end, you'll be the one in trouble.

So he waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, you do it then."

Just as Shen Ye mentioned Zhang Yushu, Zhang Yushu stormed in, holding a memorial to the throne, in Zhang Ying's duty room in the South Study.

"Prime Minister Zhang, this is outrageous!"

"The dignified Duke Yansheng actually hanged himself!"

"If the imperial court doesn't give an explanation, how can the scholars of the land accept this!"

As Zhang Yushu spoke, he slammed the memorial onto Zhang Ying's desk.

The affairs of the Duke Yansheng's mansion fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, so the Ministry of Rites also received a memorial regarding the Duke Yansheng Kong Yujin's suicide by hanging.

Zhang Ying did not take the memorial to read it, because he already knew its contents.

Looking at the furious Zhang Yushu, he calmly said, "Lord Zhang, the death of the Duke Yansheng is not so simple."

"Please calm down and don't get agitated!"

"Moreover, this involves a prince!"

Zhang Yushu became even angrier upon hearing this: "My great scholar! I think we've been far too impatient!"

"Your Highness has implemented a policy of taxation for officials and gentry alike, so please tell us to be patient."

"Now that the Fourth Prince has forced the Duke of Yansheng to his death, you're telling us to calm down."

Do you know how many people in this world are already dissatisfied with you?

Zhang Yushu continued, "I've heard that some students at Jiangdong Academy have already considered you a disgrace to scholars."

Hearing this, Zhang Ying's face turned ashen—these words were too hurtful!
Although he had already heard about it, he still felt incredibly embarrassed to have his old friend bring it up. He took a deep breath and said, "Your Excellency, I know best what kind of person I, Zhang Ying, am."

"As for those ignorant people who talk nonsense, I won't lower myself to their level."

"As for you, you should also be careful. His Majesty went to the Hot Spring Palace this time to discuss the matter of provisions with the Crown Prince."

"Although the Crown Prince is quite magnanimous, he is not one to let a grudge go unpunished. I'm afraid he'll come after you later!"

Zhang Yushu flicked his sleeve: "Grand Secretary, you don't need to worry about that! My loyalty is all for the court. I don't believe His Majesty would lay a hand on us old ministers just to appease the Crown Prince."

At this point, he gave Zhang Ying a meaningful look and said, "Grand Secretary Zhang, the Crown Prince arranged for the Fourth Prince to go to Mount Tai for disaster relief."

"I think the Crown Prince is probably involved in some way here as well."

Zhang Ying sighed, too lazy to try to persuade her any further.

In his view, Zhang Yushu's insistence on pursuing the Crown Prince was simply overestimating his own abilities.

Emperor Qianxi wanted to send troops to the snowy region, so he needed the Crown Prince to find a way to provide funds and supplies.

At such a time, how could Emperor Qianxi possibly harm the Crown Prince?
Just then, a voice came from outside the door: "Greetings, Grand Secretary!"

The person bowing was Zhang Ying's personal attendant, who usually waited outside Zhang Ying's duty room.

Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Ying hurried out to greet him and saw Tong Guowei striding in.

"Greetings, Your Excellency the Grand Secretary." Zhang Ying bowed respectfully to Tong Guowei.

Although both men were Grand Secretaries, Zhang Ying felt he was no match for Tong Guowei, after all, Tong was the emperor's uncle, and he should still be polite to him.

Tong Guowei waved his hand and said, "Grand Secretary Zhang, there's no need for us to be so polite."

Although Zhang Yushu often clashed with Tong Guowei, he still respectfully greeted Tong Guowei at this moment, saying, "Greetings, Grand Secretary Tong."

Tong Guowei said, "Minister Zhang is here too. It seems I've come at the wrong time."

"However, the matter is urgent, please forgive us, gentlemen!"

As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper and said, "His Majesty just issued an edict, instructing us to pass it down. Grand Secretary Zhang, please take a look."

Upon hearing Tong Guowei's words, Zhang Ying knew that this imperial decree was of great importance. She quickly took the decree from Tong Guowei, opened it, and her expression immediately changed.

Prince of Qingqiu, General Fubo, and Governor-General of Overseas Military Affairs!
These three positions left him somewhat bewildered, but when he saw that the recipient was the Crown Prince, he was utterly dumbfounded:

"This...this is not reasonable!"

Zhang Ying struggled for a long time before finally managing to utter these four words.

Upon hearing Zhang Ying say this, Zhang Yushu couldn't help but lean over and take a look.

Although this was against the rules, his curiosity at that moment made him disregard them.

Tong Guowei did not stop Zhang Yushu from doing so, but smiled and said, "Grand Secretary Zhang, you are the Minister of Rites, take a look at this imperial edict."

His words turned Zhang Yushu's peeping into open and aboveboard peeping.

Zhang Yushu quickly realized that he seemed to have been tricked.

I shouldn't have watched it.

But since things had come to this, he couldn't care less about anything else.

Looking at the contents of the imperial decree, he was even more shocked than Zhang Ying.

The prince is the crown prince!
How could the crown prince be granted other official positions?
Because the crown prince is practically a monarch!
"This...this is nonsense...this is unreasonable!"

Zhang Yushu originally wanted to say "nonsense," but when he thought of Emperor Qianxi's chilling expression, he quickly stopped himself.

Tong Guowei smiled to himself, thinking to himself, "Zhang Yushu, it's a good thing you're quick to change your mind. Otherwise, don't blame me for reporting you for gossiping about the emperor behind his back."

Thinking this to himself, he still said in a deep voice, "Prime Minister Zhang, His Majesty has granted these three positions to the Crown Prince. What should we do?"

Before Zhang Ying could speak, Zhang Yushu said, "Prime Minister Tong, this is unreasonable, and we really cannot comply!"

"How can the Crown Prince become a Grand General?"

"Our Ministry of Rites suggests that we request His Majesty to withdraw the imperial edict before it is issued."

Tong Guowei remained silent and continued to look at Zhang Ying.

Zhang Ying hesitated for a moment and said, "Prime Minister Tong, since His Majesty has issued this decree, this matter must have been discussed with the Crown Prince."

"Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't have issued such an edict."

Tong Guowei nodded and said, "What Prime Minister Zhang said is also what I was thinking, which is why I came to discuss with Prime Minister Zhang how we can avoid disappointing His Majesty."

Seeing that the two men didn't seem to care much about his opinion, Zhang Yushu waved his sleeve and said, "Grand Secretaries, I'll take my leave now."

"I cannot change the Southern Study's opinion on this decree."

"But as the Minister of Rites, I absolutely cannot tolerate such an unreasonable decree going forward."

"Farewell!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yushu strode out.

(End of this chapter)