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

Chapter 470 Father and Son Reunite, Let's Be Honest and Upright

I listened to a storytelling performance at Defenglou. The storyteller was so engrossed in his narration that he almost jumped off the stage!

Shen Ye's cheeks ached from eating so many sunflower seeds, but he looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself!

Not satisfied with that, we went for a stroll around Qianmen and did some shopping!

Shen Ye also stopped by his Yuqing Bank for a look around before leisurely strolling back to Yuqing Palace, carrying his bags and humming a little tune.

By the time they entered the palace, dusk was already falling. Shen Ye looked up at the sky, a sudden wave of emotion washing over him.

A few days ago, when he was acting as regent for his father, he thought that being the crown prince wasn't too difficult. It was just a matter of reviewing memorials, writing "read," nodding, and taking action!
She even secretly thought: maybe if I just hold on a little longer, I can outlive my father and then take over the position naturally!
But this incident taught him a real lesson.

He finally understood—the Crown Prince was a sitting duck!

All the open and covert attacks in the palace were aimed at him.

He was also the common target of all the princes who were eyeing the dragon throne.

Surrounding these princes were a bunch of guys who wanted to "help the crown prince rise to power," constantly finding ways to annoy and upset him.

That's not even the worst part!
What's most frustrating is that the emperor above him always keeps a degree of wariness towards the crown prince.

Shen Ye could understand.

After all, there are quite a few emperors in history who were originally ambitious and talented, but were overthrown by their sons; enough to fill a whole table.

Li Yuan and Li Longji, weren't they both outstanding emperors?
King Wuling of Zhao, who pioneered the adoption of nomadic dress and cavalry archery, was even starved to death by his own son.

and also……

If Shen Ye could sense the emperor's wariness, others naturally could too.

Therefore, throughout history, the most difficult position in the imperial palace has always been that of the crown prince.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

He had just stepped into the palace gate and was about to walk towards Yuqing Palace when he bumped into Wei Zhu, who was waiting at the palace gate.

Wei Zhu was the second most powerful eunuch in Emperor Qianxi's entourage after Liang Jiugong, and enjoyed the emperor's favor.

Shen Ye and Wei Zhu had a fairly good relationship, and when he saw Wei Zhu waiting at the door, he already knew what was going on.

But he smiled and said, "Oh, isn't this Chief Steward Wei? Who are you waiting for here?"

Wei Zhu hurriedly bowed, his old face beaming like a chrysanthemum about to wither: "Your Highness, this servant has been waiting for you!"

"His Majesty has instructed that after you return to the palace, you should go to the Qianqing Palace."

"Let's go over there now, don't keep His Majesty waiting - this servant has been waiting for you here for an hour."

These words, though not meant to urge, were actually a reminder: His Majesty has kept me waiting for so long, so you'd better be extra careful when you see him later.

Some things can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "I can't keep Father waiting. I'll go right away."

As he spoke, he turned to Zhou Bao and the others who were carrying the things and instructed them: "Take the things back to Yuqing Palace first."

Zhou Bao glanced at Shen Ye with concern, but didn't dare to say anything.

He had been by Shen Ye's side the whole time and knew very well about the joint trial.

In the afternoon, while Shen Ye was strolling around outside, he repeatedly tried to persuade the Crown Prince to return to the palace as soon as possible to explain to the Emperor, but unfortunately, the Crown Prince simply wouldn't listen.

Now things are really messed up; he was "ambushed" by Wei Zhu as soon as he returned to the palace. This trip is truly unpredictable...

Seeing Zhou Bao's hesitant expression, Shen Ye glared at him and said, "What are you still standing there for? Go now!"

Zhou Bao dared not delay and hurriedly carried his things to Yuqing Palace.

Shen Ye then followed Wei Zhu to the Qianqing Palace.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment, this servant will go and report right away," Wei Zhu said in a low voice at the palace gate.

Shen Ye waved his hand: "Old Wei, you go ahead, I'll wait here."

Outside the Qianqing Palace, a cold wind was blowing, chilling one to the bone.

Even though Shen Ye was dressed in thick clothes, she couldn't help but shiver.

He gazed at the majestic palace and muttered to himself: "My father's hospitality is just too... too stingy. Such a huge palace, and he doesn't even bother to set up a warm pavilion for guests."

Standing outside in this freezing weather, isn't that an extra test of one's endurance?
Just as he was lost in thought, Wei Zhu came out with a bitter face: "Your Highness, His Majesty is reviewing memorials. Please wait a moment."

When she said this, Wei Zhu's heart was in her throat.

He went in just now, and Emperor Qianxi was indeed reading memorials, but that didn't prevent him from seeing the Crown Prince!

Making the crown prince wait outside was clearly an invisible show of force.

Shen Ye looked around and calmly said, "Since Father is busy, we will wait."

"Old Wei, what's that room for?" He pointed to the side room next to him.

Wei Zhu hesitated for a moment before replying, "Your Highness, that is the room where His Majesty's treasures are kept."

Shen Ye's eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, "It's too cold here. If I catch a cold, Father will worry about me!"

"Get me a brazier, I need to go in and rest. I've been out shopping all day, I'm exhausted!"

Before Wei Zhu could react, he pushed open the door to the side room and went inside.

Wei Zhu opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't dare to stop her.

Standing in the cold wind, listening to the Crown Prince humming a tune in the side room, Wei Zhu secretly groaned:

Is this guy just too carefree, or... just too good at pretending?
He finally understood that the Emperor and the Crown Prince were currently engaged in a power struggle behind the scenes.

If he got involved, he wouldn't even know how he died. He could only say with a bitter face, "Your Highness, please have a seat. This servant will go and make the preparations right away."

Despite saying that, he turned around and slipped into the imperial study to report.

Emperor Qianxi was indeed reading memorials—and his eyebrows were practically twisted into a knot from reading them so hard.

The records of the joint trial by the three judicial departments were spread all over the table.

He scrutinized every word of his confession repeatedly. The note with the poem written on it was still spread out beside him.

Seeing Wei Zhu enter with a bowed posture, he said coldly, "What? Is the Crown Prince getting impatient?"

His tone was gloomy.

Wei Zhu shrank her neck and said cautiously, "The Crown Prince said that it's too cold outside, and if he gets frostbite, Your Majesty will feel sorry for him... so he went to wait in the left wing."

He paused, then added, "The Crown Prince also asked me to get him a brazier, saying... the windows in that room are drafty and it's too cold."

Emperor Qianxi snorted softly, his anger rising.

I punished this rebellious son by making him wait outside, intending to dampen his arrogance and observe the Crown Prince's reaction.

Unexpectedly, this unfilial son not only remained calm but also asked for a warmer place, appearing remarkably composed.

Is this genuine innocence or feigned composure?
He glanced at the anxious Wei Zhu and said calmly, "Prepare! Let him roast properly! Give the Crown Prince whatever he wants."

Wei Zhu acknowledged and withdrew.

Emperor Qianxi paced back and forth in agitation.

Is the Crown Prince trying to win over the Duke Yansheng?

He pondered for a long time, but still had no clue.

If that's truly his intention, then the Crown Prince probably has other plans, and I should...

If not, then it means someone is deliberately trying to sow discord between the father and son.

This person has ulterior motives!
Who on earth has such great ability that they can even mobilize the Duke of Yansheng's mansion?
The more Emperor Qianxi thought about it, the more serious his gaze became.

……

Meanwhile, Wei Zhu had already carried the brazier into the side room.

While warming himself by the fire, Shen Ye said to Wei Zhu, "Old Wei, I was going to eat after shopping, but now I'm starving. Can you get me something to eat?"

Wei Zhu's lips twitched upon hearing this: "Your Highness, you really can eat a lot!"

Remembering the Emperor's instructions, he could only respectfully reply, "Your Highness, this servant will have the kitchen prepare it immediately."

Shen Ye casually ordered: "The Flying Dragon Soup in the small kitchen is quite good, have them make one. Don't tell me you don't have any in stock, I know you've been hiding some!"

Wei Zhu forced a smile: "Your Highness, please rest assured, we will not let you go hungry."

About fifteen minutes later, not only was hot tea prepared, but also eight dishes, plus two pots, one meat and one vegetable, were all laid out.

Shen Ye had originally wanted to ask for a pot of wine, but Wei Zhu absolutely refused to give it to him.

At this critical juncture, if the Crown Prince were to drink alcohol, he would be dead!
Shen Ye was really hungry.

After walking around for half a day, his legs were sore from all the walking. He ate some food and drank some tea, quite at ease.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, Emperor Qianxi strode in.

He glanced at the prince, who was enjoying his meal, and sneered, "Your Highness seems to be eating quite comfortably?"

Shen Ye quickly swallowed the mutton, put down his chopsticks, stood up and bowed: "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Normally, Emperor Qianxi would tell him to get up directly, but this time he deliberately remained silent, only staring at the bubbling red soup and asking, "Is the soup delicious?"

"Not bad. Your subject didn't dare eat too much, saving room for the Flying Dragon Soup!" Shen Ye remained kneeling, answering frankly.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at the messy table, where there was clearly not much food left: "It seems you really enjoyed your meal!"

"Of course," Shen Ye wiped his mouth, "Your son walked a lot today and his stomach is so empty!"

Emperor Qianxi was speechless for a long time after being choked by this self-righteous statement. His expression changed, and he finally squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Get up."

Shen Ye had long been impatient kneeling, and upon hearing this, he immediately stood up and said, "Thank you, Father Emperor!"

After he stood up, Emperor Qianxi remained silent, as did Shen Ye. The guards and eunuchs outside the door dared not even breathe loudly.

The only sound in the room was the bubbling of the pot.

Emperor Qianxi stared at his son's shiny, oily lips and suddenly asked, "Why did you go to the joint trial today?"

The question is straightforward.

Shen Ye blinked and smiled: "Your subject went to support your fourth brother! The Duke of Yansheng is dead, and his son has come to the capital. Those scholars are always good at flattering the powerful and belittling the weak!"

"Most of the people in the joint trial are scholars, so I must go over and show them that Fourth Brother is not without support—besides His Majesty, he also has me, his older brother!"

At this point, he rubbed his hands together and said, "But I never expected that I would become the 'protagonist' in this play."

Emperor Qianxi looked at him with a solemn expression and carefully examined him for a few moments before saying, "You said you didn't expect this, and neither did I."

"However, someone told me that your actions were purely out of a guilty conscience, and that you were deliberately keeping an eye on the joint trial, fearing that something detrimental to you would be found out."

"For example...that poem."

As Emperor Qianxi spoke, he pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and read it aloud in a theatrical tone: "I only wish your heart were like mine, then I would never betray your love."

After reading it aloud, Emperor Qianxi slammed the paper on the table, his eyes blazing: "Crown Prince, you wrote this poem before. Tell me, what does it mean?"

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(End of this chapter)