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

Chapter 469 The Emperor's Mindset: Strength Determines Loyalty and Treachery

A jumble of thoughts raced through Shen Ye's mind, and his head was buzzing!
At this moment, he was absolutely certain that he had never written such a sour letter to Kong Yujin!

He disdained to win over this Duke Yansheng!

As for the former crown prince, Shen Ye had no recollection of writing such a poem for Kong Yujin.

Since he didn't write it himself, there's only one answer left—someone is imitating the Crown Prince's handwriting and trying to cause trouble!
Speaking of this, Shen Ye knew it perfectly well: There were countless people secretly imitating the Crown Prince's handwriting!

Putting aside other matters, both the fourteenth prince and the thirteenth prince imitated the crown prince's handwriting.

These two are just ostensibly copying enthusiasts; who knows how many more they might be doing it behind the scenes.

Who was it this time who made the move?
Shen Ye watched as Chen Tingjing and the others hurriedly left the main hall of the three-court trial, and a chill inexplicably ran down his spine.

He failed to win over the Kong family on his own.

Therefore, they attacked the Kong family from all sides and made things difficult for them. As a result, Duke Yansheng Kong Yujin could not bear the pressure and was forced to... ultimately quit his post.

This analysis actually makes perfect sense, there's nothing wrong with it!

He was stroking his chin in deep thought when the Fourth Prince leaned closer, his face serious, and said:

"Your Highness, I believe someone is sabotaging this. You must go and explain to His Majesty immediately!"

Shen Ye waved his hand: "The truth will never be hidden, and the false will never become true."

"It's fine, let whoever wants to do it do it!"

"Fourth brother, please don't worry!"

After saying that, Shen Ye strode out, not forgetting to turn back and add, "Fourth brother, you should be done with this mess. You've been working so hard for so many days, go back and catch up on your sleep!"

The Fourth Prince, Yunzhen, also understood that with the appearance of this "ghost poem," his troubles were pretty much over.

Now, who has time to care whether he drove Kong Yujin to her death?

Most people are secretly wondering: Why does the Crown Prince want to win over Kong Yujin?
Was Kong Yujin ultimately forced to end her life because she could no longer bear the humiliation inflicted by the Crown Prince?
What should Your Majesty think?
Also, is this note actually real?

Or would Emperor Qianxi believe it?
Just as Yunzhen was pondering, Shen Ye had already swiftly stepped into the sedan chair.

Although Shen Ye knew that being in the midst of the struggle for the throne among the nine princes would be extremely dangerous, he never expected that the actual experience would be a hundred times more exciting than he had imagined!

This doesn't resemble officialdom at all; it's more like extreme survival in the wilderness!

"Your Highness, shall we return to the palace now?"

Shen Ye glanced at the bustling crowd on the street, then said, "No, let's go shopping!"

"Let's find a place to listen to audiobooks first, then buy some snacks."

He knew perfectly well that the key to this matter lay with the Emperor. Instead of rushing over to defend himself, he should eat, drink, and play as usual, calmly walk his own path, and let others speculate.
So Shen Ye leisurely went to listen to "The Story of Yue Fei".

Meanwhile, Chen Tingjing, Fu Lun, and the other two had already jogged all the way to the outside of Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, Emperor Qianxi was having a pleasant conversation with Grand Secretary Tong Guowei, while Grand Secretary Li Guangdi was standing at the entrance of the Qianqing Palace.

Seeing that the three men looked off, Li Guangdi casually asked, "Aren't you three supposed to be hearing the case of the death of Duke Yansheng, Kong Yujin, today?"

"What, the trial is over so quickly?"

Chen Tingjing and Fu Lun exchanged a glance, and finally Chen Tingjing spoke up: "Lord Li, there is a new situation, and we must report it to the Emperor immediately."

After saying that, he tightly shut his mouth, as if saying another word would detonate something.

Li Guangdi greeted them, intending only to chat for a bit, but upon seeing their demeanor, he immediately realized that this new situation was probably no small matter.

So, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

After all, curiosity killed the cat, and there are some things you can't just say. To survive in the inner palace, caution is the most important thing.

A quarter of an hour later, the three of them met Emperor Qianxi.

Emperor Qianxi has been in a good mood lately.

With the New Year approaching and everything going smoothly, the emperor felt very comfortable and relaxed.

"Has the trial of Kong Yujin concluded?" Emperor Qianxi asked casually.

The three men looked at each other, and finally Chen Tingjing, the Left Censor-in-Chief, mustered his courage and spoke up: "Your Majesty, new circumstances have arisen during the trial of this case."

“We three dare not act on our own initiative, so we have come to report this.”

"Since this case has been entrusted to you, I naturally have complete trust in you."

"You can decide for yourselves."

The Qianxi Emperor's tone revealed a hint of impatience: "Do what needs to be done. I only care about the result."

Chen Tingjing handed over a memorial with both hands: "Your Majesty, this matter is far too complicated and has exceeded the authority of the Three Judicial Offices."

"This is the trial record. Your Majesty, please review it."

Emperor Qianxi glanced at it casually, but when he saw the last part, his expression suddenly changed!
Kong Yujin was actually driven to suicide by a single line of poetry?!

This poem has no beginning, no end, and no signature?

Does the Kong family still possess the "original manuscript"?
He then noticed that there was a small note tucked inside the interrogation record.

"I only hope that your heart is like mine, and I will never let you down."

This handwriting... why does it look so familiar?

The Crown Prince's courtesy name?!
Emperor Qianxi was stunned.

How could Kong Yujin have the Crown Prince's poem?! And such suggestive lines at that!

What does it mean for the ruler's heart to be like mine? If this were applied between a ruler and his subject, wouldn't it simply mean demanding the Duke of Yansheng's loyalty?

Therefore, the Crown Prince failed to win over the Duke Yansheng, so he kept putting pressure on him until he finally drove him to his death.
A thousand alpacas galloped through Emperor Qianxi's mind:

What is the Crown Prince trying to achieve by winning over the Duke of Yansheng?

He's already the crown prince, why is he in such a hurry to win people over? Is it really necessary?
Does he feel that he is an eyesore as a father, so he wants to gather people to stage a Xuanwu Gate incident?
Emperor Qianxi's hand trembled slightly.

If it were the former crown prince, he would definitely think that the crown prince did not have this ability.

Especially after dealing with Songgotu, the power of the princelings was greatly reduced.

But recently, the Crown Prince has been performing exceptionally well, and his popularity among the people is rising.

This made him feel a deep sense of threat.

A wise and powerful crown prince, a crown prince whose prestige is growing day by day...

He slowly put down the note, his gaze sharp as he looked at Chen Tingjing: "The Crown Prince was also present when you were handling the case."

"Then let me ask you, what was the Crown Prince's reaction when he saw this note?"

Chen Tingjing had already reviewed the questions the emperor might ask eight hundred times, and calmly replied, "Your Majesty, as soon as we saw that this was the Crown Prince's handwriting, we immediately stopped the investigation."

"Then I went straight to the Qianqing Palace to report to His Majesty."

“We did not say anything to the Crown Prince.”

"Both Lord Florence and Lord Fei Yuanji can testify."

Furen and Fei Yuanji were also quite nervous at this moment, after all, this matter was really too big.

Upon hearing Chen Tingjing mention them, the two quickly nodded: "Your Majesty, we arrived as soon as we confirmed the handwriting, and we did not have any conversation with His Highness the Crown Prince."

Emperor Qianxi held the small piece of paper, his brows furrowed in worry.

The handwriting is indeed that of the Crown Prince.

But his years of experience told him that the letter appeared too coincidentally and was a bit suspicious.

If the Crown Prince really wanted to stage a coup, wouldn't he be most willing to win over a powerful figure like Longkodo who held real power in the capital?

With his exceptionally intelligent mind, why would he seek out the Duke Yansheng?
Aside from his influence, the Duke Yansheng had no soldiers or power... However, it wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that the Duke Yansheng was completely useless.

At the very least, if the coup succeeds, having the Duke of Yansheng step forward to prove that he "gained the country legitimately" is not out of the question.

His mind raced, and his expression shifted between light and shadow.

He glanced at the three people below, who looked like quails, and asked quietly, "So, what do you suggest we do next?"

Fu Lun and Chen Tingjing exchanged a glance but neither spoke.

They're not stupid. When faced with a life-or-death question like this, silence is golden; anyone who answers is a fool!

As for Fei Yuanji, he kept his head down and remained silent.

At this moment, he felt extremely fortunate. Although he was one of the three judicial officials, the two people in front of him were clearly of much higher status than him.

With two such big shots supporting us, we are truly blessed!
Seeing that the three were pretending to be deaf and dumb, Emperor Qianxi sneered and said, "Chen Tingjing, you speak first."

Chen Tingjing said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I... don't know what to do, and I don't know how to proceed with the investigation."

—Isn't it better to not know than to give random advice? The Emperor might at most say I'm stupid or think I'm foolish, but he can't say I'm playing the piano haphazardly!

Seeing Chen Tingjing's nonchalant attitude, Emperor Qianxi was displeased but helpless.

He retorted irritably, "Then what use are you to me!"

Chen Tingjing remained calm and composed despite the sarcasm.

"Florence, you didn't know either, did you?"

Compared to Chen Tingjing, who served as the Left Censor-in-Chief, Fu Lun was not as assertive.

His own reputation was not as good as Chen Tingjing's, so he said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I think we should not just listen to one side of the story... It would be best to ask the Crown Prince."

"Perhaps there's more to this than meets the eye?"

After saying that, Floren immediately shrank his neck.

Emperor Qianxi remained silent and instead turned his gaze to Fei Yuanji.

"Fei Yuanji, you are the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review. What is your opinion?"

Fei Yuanji broke out in a cold sweat and managed to stammer, "Your Majesty, I believe... this matter should be carefully examined and thoroughly investigated, after all, it is of great importance."

Fei Yuanji knew that everything he said was nonsense, but... safety had to be the top priority!
Emperor Qianxi, too lazy to ask any more questions, waved his hand and said, "Alright, all of you may leave."

Fei Yuanji hesitated for a moment. He opened his mouth to ask His Majesty what should be done next in this case, but Chen Tingjing grabbed him and quickly left Qianqing Palace.

After leaving the palace gates, Fei Yuanji belatedly nodded his thanks to Chen Tingjing, realizing he had almost said too much!
Chen Tingjing didn't say anything and walked straight ahead.

Fei Yuanji followed behind him, a series of questions suddenly popping into his mind:
Is this really just a coincidence?
Is someone playing a grand strategy?
still is……

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Fei Yuanji shivered violently, instinctively shrinking his head back.

The wind is blowing particularly hard today!

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

　
(End of this chapter)