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

Chapter 473 A stroke of genius, General Fubo's first edict

Shen Ye had already considered Zhou Bao's concerns when he pressed Orondai's face against the threshold of Yuqing Palace to "wipe the floor".

So, with a flick of his sleeve, he threw out this royal flush—

Even though Emperor Qianxi was furious, he could only suppress his anger.

After all, the label of "unfilial piety" can weigh a person down no matter when it comes to it.

Especially for a brute like Orondai, who once boasted of "dominating the Forbidden City," it was a fatal blow.

Sending Orondai to Yuqing Palace as a spy? Emperor Qianxi has made a mistake this time!
As for whether Emperor Qianxi would turn against him because of this, Shen Ye didn't bother to guess.

All he knew was that if he backed down now, and even someone like Orondai could ride roughshod over him, then he would be a complete coward as crown prince!
"His Majesty will not only not blame us for this, but he might even praise us."

"After all, Orondai's reputation for being unfilial is known throughout the court and the country. By disciplining his son on behalf of his father, I am essentially helping the Tong family to rectify their family's conduct!"

Shen Ye slowly sipped her tea, looking calm and composed.

"By the way, you need to get the thing I asked you to do done as soon as possible."

Shen Ye put down his teacup and stretched his limbs: "The weather is nice today, let's go out for a walk later."

Zhou Bao wanted to say a few more words of advice, but he swallowed them back.

The Crown Prince is as cunning as a hornet's nest, so there's no need for me to worry about him.

The Qianxi Emperor had more spies in Yuqing Palace than ants in the imperial kitchen. Not to mention that when Orondai came to Yuqing Palace, he also brought several trusted confidants with him.

So, no sooner had Orondai been put into a side room for "tutoring" than the news reached the Qianqing Palace and reached the ears of Emperor Qianxi.

Upon hearing that Shen Ye had denounced Orondai as "unfilial and disrespectful to elders, and disregarding human relations," Emperor Qianxi became furious.

He originally planned to use the old grudge between Orondai and the Crown Prince to plant a capable spy, but who would have thought that the Crown Prince would not play by the rules.

They sent him straight to a "moral remedial class"!

Is this the kind of thing a son should do to the people his father sends?
But the crown prince not only did it, but he did it with such confidence and conviction that he couldn't even find a word to refute him.

What a filial son!
"Go and summon the Crown Prince," Emperor Qianxi instructed Liang Jiugong.

Liang Jiugong agreed and was about to leave when the Emperor called him back: "Come back."

Emperor Qianxi paced around the hall twice with his hands behind his back, his face grim: "Since the Crown Prince thinks that Orondai is unfilial and lacks discipline, then let Tuli Shen go to Yuqing Palace."

"Tell Tulishen to make sure the Crown Prince's safety is protected."

Liang Jiugong sighed inwardly, "Why bother these errand boys when you two are fighting like this?"

But he still had to put on a smile: "This servant will go and deliver the message right away."

Half an hour later, Tu Lishen, dressed in a guard's uniform, stood respectfully in front of Shen Ye.

Before he arrived, he had already heard about Orondai's "advanced education benefits".

She knew perfectly well that although she was sent by Emperor Qianxi, if the Crown Prince didn't give her face, he could easily deal with her with a single word.

"This servant Tu Lishen greets Your Highness." He performed the greeting with utmost care.

Shen Ye sized up the new informant in front of him. His face looked as honest as a freshly steamed bun, but his eyes were quick and darting around.

He almost burst out laughing—his cheap father was really persistent; was he addicted to sending spies?
"Tu Li Shen, what are you doing here?" Shen Ye asked casually.

"His Majesty has sent this servant to serve the Crown Prince," Tulishen replied flawlessly.

"You've come at the right time; I was just about to head out." Shen Ye dusted off the corner of his clothes. "Change into some casual clothes and come with me."

Thurish's mind works incredibly fast—

Emperor Qianxi only told him to follow along, not to restrain him, so he decided to be a quiet follower and not interfere.

"This servant will go change his clothes right away. I would never dare to delay the Crown Prince's business."

No sooner had Orondai been sent to study abroad than Tulishen filled the vacancy. The news seemed to have grown legs and reached Tong Guowei's ears in no time.

Tong Guowei disliked his nephew Orondai very much and found him extremely troublesome.

Relying on his duke status and the emperor's favor, he acts arrogantly, ignoring the authority of his uncle.

Hearing that the Crown Prince had made him read the Classic of Filial Piety without saying a word, he couldn't help but smirk.

On the surface, His Majesty remained calm about the matter of that poem, but in the end, he still began to suspect the Crown Prince.

He sent Orondai there, intending to use him as a tool to keep an eye on people, but the Crown Prince turned around and carried out a "moral reformation".

Not to be outdone, the emperor then handed over another gift, Turishen.

This father and son have really come up with some interesting ways to outwit each other!

Tong Guowei was happy to watch the show—let them fight, the more exciting the better, who knows, they might actually start fighting to the death one day.

He was leisurely reviewing memorials when Li Guangdi walked in.

"Prime Minister Tong!"

Li Guangdi bowed respectfully, maintaining the courtesy due to a subordinate to a superior towards Tong Guowei, even though they were both Grand Secretaries.

Tong Guo stood up and said, "Guangdi, I've said it so many times, we're old acquaintances, don't be so polite and distant!"

Li Guangdi remained upright, like a talking sculpture: "Prime Minister Tong, etiquette must not be disregarded. Your consideration is appreciated."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Tong Guowei asked, "You've come at this hour, is there something you need?"

Li Guangdi hesitated for a moment, then took out a document from his sleeve: "Prime Minister Tong, there is something I am unsure about, so I have come to consult you. Please give me your instructions." "What do you need advice for? We can discuss it."

"The Southern Study has always been a place where, when faced with difficult decisions, everyone discusses the matter first. If all else fails, then we consult His Majesty."

Although Li Guangdi had only been at the Southern Study for a short time, he was already aware of Tong Guowei's methods.

He smiled and said, "Prime Minister Tong, the Crown Prince has sent an imperial edict to the Ministry of Justice, requesting that it be promulgated throughout the country."

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's edict, Tong Guowei's expression changed.

He asked in confusion, "What edict did the Crown Prince issue?"

Li Guangdi didn't say anything, but directly handed over a folded document he was holding.

Tong Guowei took it, unfolded it, and saw that it read: "Imperial Edict for General Fubo to Oversee All Military Affairs Overseas!"

A thought struck him—

Upon seeing this, Tong Guowei immediately understood why the Crown Prince had issued the edict.

He did not issue the edict in his capacity as the crown prince.

Instead, he acted in accordance with the authority of "General Fubo".

Looking closer, one sees that what is written in front is nothing but clichés such as "The Great Zhou Dynasty is mighty throughout the world and rich in the four seas..."

Then, changing the subject, General Yunye, the quasi-General of Subduing the Waves, began to build a navy in accordance with the imperial court's orders.

A hint of sarcasm flashed across Tong Guowei's lips:
The Crown Prince thinks he can conjure up a navy with just this one imperial edict? He's oversimplifying things...

But as he looked further down, his gaze suddenly froze. The edict stated: "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are the king's subjects..."

"Now that the imperial court is expanding overseas, those overseas refugees who have been stranded abroad, as long as they sincerely submit, will be pardoned for their past misdeeds..."

"A man who leads a hundred men to surrender may be appointed as a captain..."

"The one who leads a thousand men and ten ships to surrender may be appointed as a deputy general..."

"He who leads ten thousand men and a hundred ships to surrender can be made a general..."

Tong Guowei's grip on the document tightened slightly.

What are "overseas Chinese"?
Haha, you really know how to label them!
This is clearly an open offer to recruit pirates!

It was a clear message to the pirates: bring your men and ships to surrender, and you'll be offered official positions; the larger the scale of your operation, the higher the rank.

Throughout history, there have always been many river bandits and mountain outlaws who longed for amnesty.

Isn't Song Jiang of Liangshan a perfect example?!

The prince's move was like stabbing the pirates in the heart, and he even threw a ladder to the sky!

After reading the imperial edict, Tong Guowei fell into silence.

After a long while, he murmured, "Your Highness... what a grand gesture!"

Li Guangdi stood quietly to the side, his expression complex.

He wasn't surprised by Tong Guowei's reaction, which was something he considered "eye-opening."

After all, just now, when he first saw the edict, he was so shocked that he almost plucked out a tuft of his carefully trimmed beard.

I originally thought that the Crown Prince's "General Who Subdues the Waves" was just an honorary title, and that "Commander-in-Chief of Overseas Military Affairs" was a joke.

With no overseas territories, no navy, and no ships, he was just a commander without any real power. What kind of governor was he?
Even if the crown prince rolls up his sleeves and gets to work himself, by the time he becomes emperor, the navy will probably still be just a blueprint.

However, when the edict was issued, Li Guangdi felt a buzzing in his head: Good heavens, he now realized what it meant to "get something for nothing"—this was simply a stroke of genius!

No, no, no, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a poor man's version of the Midas touch.

"Has His Majesty... approved this edict?" Tong Guowei remained silent for a long time before slowly asking.

"This humble official does not know." Li Guangdi honestly shook his head, then added, "However, according to His Majesty's previous decree to the Crown Prince, since the Crown Prince is appointed as the Governor-General of all overseas military affairs..."

"Then such edicts...theoretically, can be issued without His Majesty's approval."

Although Li Guangdi felt in his heart that His Majesty might be more inclined to retract his previous order at this moment.

Tong Guowei paced back and forth in the room for a few steps, then sighed deeply: "Guangdi, regardless of whether His Majesty has authorized the Crown Prince or not, this matter is of great importance, and we must inform His Majesty."

"After all, such measures cannot be hidden from His Majesty, nor should they be hidden from His Majesty."

Li Guangdi sighed inwardly, thinking that he couldn't wait until the pirate captains came to the Meridian Gate in their official robes to express their gratitude before telling the emperor, "Congratulations, your navy has arrived!"

Li Guangdi nodded to Tong Guowei, cupped his hands and said, "Prime Minister Tong is mature and prudent, I admire him."

Tong Guowei shook his head and said with a wry smile, "It's truly one wave after another."

"The case of the Duke Yansheng is still unresolved, and now the Crown Prince has stirred up this mess."

"The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, can't things just stop and let people have a peaceful and happy holiday?"

Li Guangdi deeply sympathized with the helplessness in Tong Guowei's words.

But a doubt arose in his mind: how exactly did the emperor intend to deal with the death of the Duke Yansheng?

Should we let it go and pretend nothing happened, or investigate thoroughly and uncover the truth?

Li Guang glanced subconsciously at the gray sky outside the window, feeling that before the year-end snow had even fallen, troubles were already brewing one after another.

　Hey everyone, here's the second update for today! Please support me, vote for me, I'll do anything!
　
(End of this chapter)