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

Chapter 450 Brothers' Warm Words and Hidden Dangers, Going with the Flow

The journey back to the Forbidden City from the hot spring resort was accompanied by biting winds, as cold as if they were being scraped by knives!

To be honest, Shen Ye had a million reasons not to go back.

But he couldn't not go back. He still had to deal with the military pay, arrange his three positions, and help out his fourth brother... He was truly born to be a busybody!

Fortunately, when he set off today, Shi Jingrong thoughtfully arranged for several small heaters and a small charcoal stove for brewing tea to be placed in his carriage, so he didn't freeze to death on the way back.

When they were still ten miles from the capital, the Third Prince Yunzhi, who was left to guard the capital, led the civil and military officials to greet them.

Good heavens! As soon as the strings started playing and the drums and gongs roared, the entire court of civil and military officials knelt down in unison, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" This overwhelming scene was quite a treat to watch.

After Emperor Qianxi told his ministers to rise, he turned to Tong Guowei and said, "Uncle, please get into my sedan chair. I have something to tell you."

In front of the entire court, Emperor Qianxi addressed Tong Guowei as "uncle" in such an affectionate manner that he gave Tong Guowei ample face.

Tong Guowei knew perfectly well that the Emperor had something to arrange, so he didn't refuse and respectfully followed him into the sedan chair.

The officials, being sensible, all went about their own business.

Shen Ye was about to get back into the car to continue slacking off when he heard a voice from outside: "Your Highness, your subject, Yunzhi, requests an audience!"

The third brother? What's he doing here?

It's definitely up to no good!

Although he had these thoughts in his heart, he still had to maintain the proper brotherly respect in front of everyone, so Shen Ye smiled and said, "Third brother, don't be shy, come up and warm up."

As soon as the Third Prince got into the car, he was instantly enveloped in warmth.

"Ah, that feels so good..." he exclaimed, feeling both grateful and envious.

The Crown Prince's treatment was second only to that of the Emperor, a rule personally established by the Qianxi Emperor.

Therefore, the Crown Prince's carriage was not only spacious, but also top-notch in terms of configuration and comfortable design.

When will I ever get to receive such treatment?

"Third brother, please have some tea." Shen Ye casually handed over a cup of hot tea.

The Third Prince took the hot tea, his eyes immediately reddening, and he choked out, "Your Highness, seeing that you and Father Emperor have returned safely, my heart, which had been hanging in suspense, can finally be put at ease!"

As she spoke, she wiped the corner of her eye, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.

Seeing the Third Prince's hypocritical behavior, Shen Ye felt utterly contemptuous. They were all seasoned foxes, so why were they acting like they were from a ghost story?

But since the Third Prince had already put on such an act, he had to play along, so he smiled and said, "Third brother, you're very thoughtful! However, Father is wise; how could those little schemes in the court escape his discerning eyes?"

It's as good as saying nothing!

The prince conveyed all the intended meaning, but upon closer examination, it became clear that he hadn't actually said anything at all.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was not taking the bait, the Third Prince was not discouraged and continued to stir things up: "Your Highness sees things clearly! But some people, they don't have the skills, but they still want to do things they're not qualified for. Isn't that just overestimating themselves?"

"Take this preparation of military funds for example. He clearly doesn't have the ability, but just to win favor, he insists on taking over this task from the Emperor."

"Hmph, look what happened! Now he's made a fool of himself!"

“Your Highness, I’m not saying anything bad about anyone, but I feel that the person who stepped forward when you needed this job was clearly after you!”

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye raised the corner of his mouth.

That's how the Third Prince is; even when he's practically named someone, he still won't say their name.

That's such a low-level attempt at sowing discord!

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Sharing the Emperor's burdens is our brothers' inescapable responsibility."

"Even if it wasn't done well, at least the spirit is commendable!"

Seeing that Shen Ye was still smiling, the Third Prince thought to himself that the Crown Prince had changed a lot these past few days.

At least, he's not as irritable and arrogant as before.

In the past, anyone who dared to steal the emperor's thunder would probably have been furious!
But the current crown prince is actually...

But the Third Prince was still not giving up and added, "Second Brother Crown Prince, you are an upright man, but it's hard to guard against villains! You still need to be careful."

Shen Ye readily agreed, saying, "Don't worry, Third Brother, I know what I'm doing."

"However, Third Brother is well-informed, so I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on things for me and see what new tricks those villains have up their sleeves."

As far as Shen Ye was concerned, since the Third Prince was a tool that had come to him willingly, he might as well make the best of it and not waste his time.

After exchanging a few more polite words, the Third Prince reluctantly got out of the carriage.

Although he also had a sedan chair, he insisted on riding a horse to appear heroic in front of his father!
The cold wind is blowing right now, and it feels like knives cutting my face. It's really unpleasant, and I'm so regretful!
Shen Ye watched the Third Prince's retreating figure and sighed inwardly. Although the Third Prince was skilled in both literature and martial arts, his vision was too narrow. No wonder he had never caught the eye of Emperor Qianxi.

No sooner had the third prince left than someone outside called out, "Your Highness, your younger brother Yunsi requests an audience."

Hey, the Eighth Prince, who was just complained about by the Third Prince, is here.

"Zhou Bao, please invite your eighth brother up here to speak."

The Eighth Prince, dressed in a princely robe, exuded an air of elegance and nobility. He bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Your Highness." Although the Eighth Prince had just been teased by the Third Prince, Shen Ye continued to play the role of a kind older brother, smiling and saying, "We're all brothers, get up quickly."

The Eighth Prince inquired about Shen Ye's health for a few moments, then immediately put on a guilty expression and said, "Your Highness, I have come here today to discuss the matter of military pay."

“When my father assigned this task to me, I dared not refuse.”

"However, my abilities are limited, and I am far inferior to the Crown Prince! In the end, not only did I fail to do a good job, but I also wasted Father Emperor's time."

Shen Ye secretly applauded in his heart: This Lao Ba is truly a master!

With just a few words, "taking credit" turned into "being forced to take the blame"!
Putting everything else aside, I should learn more about his ability to lie through his teeth.

Shen Ye, of course, would not lose his composure, and his face remained smiling gently: "Eighth brother, don't say that. It is only right to share the burden of Father."

"As for the outcome, it's not important. Being able to share the burden for Father is already a great responsibility! You're still young. Some things can be done slowly, no rush."

The Eighth Prince grew increasingly anxious as he listened: Why is the Crown Prince so composed today? Something's not right!

He was wondering if he had done something wrong when Shen Ye suddenly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Eighth brother, your second brother has something he would like to ask you to share the burden with Father."

The Eighth Prince's mouth tasted a little bitter.

He's starting to regret coming to see the Crown Prince.

This prince is really not easy to fool.

Since the matter had already been brought to this point, he could only bite the bullet and reply, "It is my duty to share the burdens of my father and my elder brother, the Crown Prince."

"I'm afraid I'm not up to the task and will disappoint Father and the Crown Prince!"

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Eighth Brother, it's a piece of cake! With your abilities, Eighth Brother, you can accomplish this in no time."

At this point, Shen Ye said in a deep voice, "Eighth brother, the fact that there was no food or pay for the expedition to the Snow Region this time has made Father Emperor realize the importance of officials and gentry paying taxes together."

"However, it's not enough for Father Emperor to be the only one to say that this is good."

"We brothers need to lend a hand and give them some encouragement!"

"In a moment, Eighth Brother will submit a memorial to Father, listing the benefits of officials and gentry paying taxes together, and urging Father to continue to implement this policy."

"I believe this won't be difficult for Eighth Brother."

“If you, my eighth brother, have no one to write memorials for you, I can find someone to do it for you.”

Supporting officials and gentry paying taxes together? Wouldn't that be cutting myself off from all officials, both civil and military? I must be out of my mind to write such a memorial!

I don't want to become a target for all the officials!
But he was already in this predicament, so he could only stall and say, "Your Highness, rest assured, we still need to pay our respects to the Emperor later and report to him as well."

Eighth Prince, you're obviously just stalling!
And there's another layer of meaning: Crown Prince, if you dare to forge an imperial edict, don't blame me for exposing you.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "No wonder everyone has been praising Eighth Brother for being so thoughtful and cautious."

“That’s perfect. Let’s go see Father Emperor together later and discuss this matter in person.”

The Eighth Prince felt a chill run down his spine: It's over, Father Emperor has most likely already agreed to the Crown Prince's arrangement.

I'm afraid I can't refuse to write this memorial myself...

The Eighth Prince gave a few more perfunctory words, then took his leave with a heavy heart, almost tripping over his own feet as he left.

Shen Ye shook his head as he watched his retreating figure: None of these brothers are easy to deal with!

Inside Emperor Qianxi's sedan chair, Tong Guowei was analyzing the Crown Prince's three new positions.

"Your Majesty, do these three positions held by the Crown Prince seem to indicate an intention to expand overseas?"

Tong Guowei immediately said, "But the imperial court is currently strapped for cash and is so poor that it simply doesn't have the money to build large ships."

"Furthermore, I would like to know which Green Standard Army unit General Fubo commands?"

Emperor Qianxi laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Uncle, don't worry, let the Crown Prince figure out the money to build the big ship himself."

"The imperial court does not need to allocate a single penny in this regard."

At this point, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "As for General Fubo, he does not command the Green Standard Army; he commands the distant naval forces of our Great Zhou."

"As for where the distant navy is, I do not know."

"The imperial court will not provide any support to the crown prince in this regard; he can build it himself."

"And there's the matter of overseeing all military affairs overseas; that depends on the Crown Prince's abilities."

"If he can carve out his own territory, then it's his to control; if he can't, then he's just a nobody..."

Emperor Qianxi didn't continue speaking, but Tong Guowei immediately understood. What Emperor Qianxi meant was that if they couldn't get it, it was just a blank piece of paper, and they could simply pretend it never happened.

Tong Guowei immediately beamed with joy, completely relieved: it turned out that all the positions Emperor Qianxi had given to the Crown Prince were just empty promises!

Especially General Fubo, who was a commander without any troops.

The prince has neither men nor ships; where is he supposed to build a deep-sea navy?
He felt that even if the crown prince were given twenty years, the concept of an ocean-going navy would remain merely a theoretical concept.

(End of this chapter)