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

Chapter 471 Gentle Words, Sharp Sword
Shen Ye looked at Emperor Qianxi standing in front of him and felt a chill run down his spine!

Emperor Qianxi's words contained a trap.

He wasn't just asking Shen Ye to explain the meaning of that sentence; there was also a trap in his words: "You wrote that sentence, Your Highness."

To whom it was written, naturally, was the deceased Duke Yansheng, Kong Yujin.

It seems that in this matter, Emperor Qianxi believed more that the Crown Prince had written it down.

That's normal. After all, which emperor wouldn't rather betray the world than let the world betray them?

Even if the person carrying this burden is the crown prince.

Under imperial power, there are no fathers and sons!
This isn't just empty talk!
The so-called stories of fathers being kind and sons being filial, and emperors and crown princes supporting each other, mostly come from historical novels.

Or perhaps, like Emperor Zhu Houzhao of the Ming Dynasty, his father only had one son.

When an emperor has no choice, he will be very kind to his successor, fearing that his nephew will inherit the family business after his death.

Shen Ye asked Emperor Qianxi, "Father, have you eaten?"

Emperor Qianxi was taken aback. He had asked the Crown Prince a question, so why was the Crown Prince asking him if he had eaten? Wasn't this completely irrelevant?
A surge of anger rose within him.

However, he was no ordinary person, so he said calmly, "I haven't eaten yet."

"The dishes are ready, why don't we get a pot of wine and chat while we eat?" Shen Ye said casually.

Standing next to Emperor Qianxi, Liang Jiugong felt his body trembling; this Crown Prince was incredibly audacious.

When His Majesty asked him questions, he actually wanted to drink and chat with the Emperor.

Even if you are the emperor's son, you shouldn't treat your father like this.

This is treating the emperor like he's not an emperor at all.

With this thought in mind, Liang Jiugong dared not move, and simply lowered his head and waited obediently.

At that moment, all he wanted was for his ears to have a problem.

In that case, there's no need to listen to the father and son.

"Go and fetch a pot of wine," Emperor Qianxi said casually, glancing at Liang Jiugong.

Liang Jiugong had no idea what kind of drunken rampage this father and son were about to unleash!
Although neither of them drank alcohol.

But he really wanted to escape this environment, so he quickly walked outside.

In just one minute, Liang Jiugong brought over a pot of wine and two wine cups.

Just as he was about to pour the wine, Shen Ye waved to Liang Jiugong and said, "I'll pour it. You go outside and wait."

Although Liang Jiugong stopped pouring the wine, he dared not leave.

He knew very well that at this moment, he could only be loyal to Emperor Qianxi, not to the Crown Prince.

Otherwise, he will be in a lot of trouble.

Just as he was feeling uneasy, Emperor Qianxi waved to him.

Upon seeing this action, Liang Jiugong quickly ran out. For him, this place was far too dangerous, and he absolutely couldn't stay any longer if he could leave as soon as possible.

Shen Ye picked up a cup and poured a glass of wine for Emperor Qianxi, then said with a smile, "Father, let's have a drink."

Emperor Qianxi sat down opposite Shen Ye, picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and then quietly looked at him.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, if I said that the poem on that piece of paper wasn't written by me, would you believe me?"

Emperor Qianxi did not answer Shen Ye's question immediately, but instead handed the paper with the poem written on it to Shen Ye and said, "Do you believe it yourself?"

Shen Ye took the paper, examined it under the light for a few moments, and then smiled, saying, "I believe you!"

"I didn't write this."

Emperor Qianxi looked very calm. He took the initiative to pick up a wine glass and poured a glass for himself and Shen Ye, saying, "Since you know you didn't write it, why don't you come to me to explain?"

Are you feeling guilty, or are you just pretending to be calm?

Neither of the two options offered by Emperor Qianxi were proper choices.

Shen Ye picked up the wine that Emperor Qianxi had poured for him and said calmly, "Father, I am neither feeling guilty nor pretending to be calm."

"But I think this matter is too small."

“I think they should have written a formal edict mobilizing troops from all sides to gather in the capital, instead of these two ambiguous lines of poetry.”

"Clearly, their vision is still a bit narrow."

Emperor Qianxi was almost amused by his own anger. You think trying to win over Kong Yujin is such a trivial matter? You really are...

"Do you think they should forge your order to mobilize troops?" Emperor Qianxi asked with a cold laugh.

“It’s not that I think it’s true, it’s that they will definitely make it.” Shen Ye said with a smile, “Whether you believe it or not, Father, our handwriting has already been thoroughly studied by others.”

“When you write some words, Father, you will feel that what you wrote is a fake, and that what others wrote is the real thing.”

Emperor Qianxi fell silent for a moment, but then said coldly, "Whether what you say is true or false, anyone found to have forged our handwriting will be severely punished!"

At this point, he glanced at Shen Ye and said, "There's paper and pen here. Why don't you write this poem down and let me see the difference between the real one and the fake one?"

Shen Ye felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing these words.

He knew that Emperor Qianxi didn't quite believe what he said.

That's why he said those things.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll write it down. I hope it will satisfy you, Father."

As they were talking, Shen Ye went to the small desk, picked up the calligraphy brush he usually prepared, and casually wrote down the two lines of poetry.

I only wish your heart were like mine, then I would never betray your love!

Looking at the two lines of text written by Shen Ye, and then at the text in his own hand, Emperor Qianxi had a feeling that these two pieces of text were written by the same person.

Although the size of the characters is slightly different, the two pieces of calligraphy are exactly the same in terms of character structure and the way the characters are written.

Just as he was about to ask Shen Ye a question, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, this is a gift from me to you." Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi's face immediately darkened.

The crown prince said this was a gift to me; didn't he mean that he hoped I would trust him as much as he trusted me?

I was wrong to have doubts.

Or was he using this line of poetry to satirize himself?
Emperor Qianxi glanced at the two pieces of paper a few times before saying, "Crown Prince, since you say you didn't write this, what evidence do you have?"

Shen Yexin said, "I don't have a high-powered magnifying glass to find the differences bit by bit, nor do I have any handwriting analysis experts. How can I prove it to you?"

He smiled and said, "Father, I don't know how to prove that I didn't write this poem."

"However, I think that if we are to use a poem to prove that I forced the Duke of Yansheng to his death, shouldn't it be those people who should prove that I wrote the poem?"

Emperor Qianxi was naturally dissatisfied with this answer.

However, looking at Shen Ye drinking calmly, he felt a strange sense of helplessness.

To use such a poem to prove that the crown prince harbors rebellious intentions is absolutely far too frivolous.

In the end, it will probably only lead to endless trouble.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, this matter is suspicious, so I naturally have to ask about it."

"Since you say you didn't write it, then I will naturally believe you."

"Don't dwell on this anymore, just do what you need to do."

With that, he placed two pieces of paper on the table and said, "This matter is over."

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, a cold smile rose in Shen Ye's heart.

Although the old man spoke frankly, only he himself knew whether he truly cared about it.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Emperor Qianxi and said, "Thank you for your trust, Father. The reason I insisted on managing overseas territories before was precisely to deal with this kind of situation."

Emperor Qianxi said calmly, "It is only right that my father trusts you."

"However, many people have written to me about your overseas territories, saying that it is just your wishful thinking, or that you are bluffing and actually trying to cover something up."

"Even if the imperial court intervenes, it will take three to five years to build a navy. Let alone if you do it yourself, it would be good if you could build a navy in ten years."

A pipe dream, a cover-up?

This is disbelief!

Shen Ye looked at Emperor Qianxi and smiled, saying, "I originally planned to handle this matter after the New Year, but since Father doesn't believe me, I will do it now."

"Your Majesty, I can assure you that I will be able to assemble a navy of no less than 50,000 men within six months."

Looking at the confident-looking Crown Prince, Emperor Qianxi felt a slight hesitation.

However, he immediately smiled and said, "If you can build up this navy, I will believe whatever you say."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi continued, "When you go out in the future, be sure to take several guards with you. The capital has been quite unsettled lately!"

At this point, Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "You can continue eating. After you've eaten and drunk your fill, go back to Yuqing Palace to rest."

"I'm tired after a long day."

As they were talking, Emperor Qianxi took two sheets of paper with writing on them and walked out of the room.

Shen Ye watched Emperor Qianxi leave and gently picked up her wine cup.

He understood what Emperor Qianxi meant by adding more guards. These guards were meant to protect him, but more importantly, to keep an eye on his movements.

Clearly, Emperor Qianxi had more suspicions about him than before.

However, Shen Ye was too lazy to argue. After seeing Emperor Qianxi off, he drank a few more cups of wine before leaving Qianqing Palace.

After Shen Ye left, Liang Jiugong came to report to Emperor Qianxi.

He saw Emperor Qianxi sitting quietly at his desk, looking at two pieces of paper with writing on them.

Liang Jiugong dared not look at the two pieces of paper, but carefully said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has already returned to Yuqing Palace."

Without looking up, Emperor Qianxi asked, "How is the Crown Prince feeling?"

“The Crown Prince’s expression is calm; this servant cannot discern his emotions.” Liang Jiugong gritted his teeth, not daring to hide anything, and directly stated his feelings.

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "Tomorrow, go and convey my decree to... to appoint Orondai as the First-Class Guard Commander of Yuqing Palace."

Liang Jiugong could hardly believe his ears.

By appointing Orondai as the commander of the guards at Yuqing Palace, wasn't this blatantly placing someone under the Crown Prince's nose, preventing the Crown Prince from doing anything?

His Majesty still has doubts about the Crown Prince!

He dared not delay and said, "This servant will go and deliver the decree immediately."

"Yes, go ahead. Remember to be careful about things in the palace these days." Emperor Qianxi's voice carried a hint of coldness: "Don't let such an accident happen again."

Liang Jiugong never expected that Emperor Qianxi's anger would also involve him.

He quickly knelt on the ground and said, "It is this servant's incompetence that has disappointed Your Majesty."

"I will strictly guard the palace from now on and ensure that no accidents will happen again."

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "You may leave."

When Emperor Qianxi met Shen Ye, in a spacious room, someone said in a deep voice, "The key to this matter is not whether the Crown Prince can prove that he did not write the poem."

"It depends on whether Your Majesty is willing to believe that this poem was not written by the Crown Prince."

At this point, the man continued, "Deposing the crown prince is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two, but requires a long-term effort!"

"This is just the beginning!"

"But once the seed of doubt is planted, it will grow bigger and bigger until it ripens and falls from the tree!"

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

　
(End of this chapter)