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

Chapter 478 Some things, you can't just say if you don't want to.
Faced with his father's question, Kui Xu's mind was like a theatrical troupe, with all sorts of ideas coming one after another.

But after thinking it over and over, he despairingly discovered that none of them were usable!

These methods are all just "armchair theorizing," not any brilliant strategies, and they can't solve any practical problems at all.

Helpless, he could only look at the person next to him with a resigned expression:

"Mr. Liu Tao, what should we do? This is really giving me a headache!"

Mr. Liu Tao, who was standing quietly to the side eating melon seeds, almost choked on a mouthful of saliva.

Well, the second young master's kick was incredibly precise, hitting the ball squarely into his own arms.

He was inwardly groaning and wanted to say: "Sir, I'm just a bystander, please don't test me."
But then I thought, wait a minute, isn't that right? I'm the "chief strategist" who gives Mingzhu advice!

The hot potato of a problem right in front of him was indeed within his area of ​​expertise.

After considering it for a moment, he still cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Kui Xu:

"Second Young Master, in my humble opinion, it would be inappropriate for the Prime Minister to personally handle this matter."

"After all, the Prime Minister is now living a life of leisure at home, like a hermit, and it is not appropriate for him to get too involved in court affairs."

"Right now, isn't there still Prime Minister Tong in charge of the overall situation in the court?"

"These kinds of troublesome trivia matters should be left to those in power to worry about!"

Hehe, what if the problem can't be solved?
Why not just gently pass it on to someone else?

This was precisely the "ingenious plan" that Mr. Liu Tao had kept hidden and was secretly pleased with.

Upon hearing this, Mingzhu chuckled and said:

"Mr. Liu Tao's words make sense and are exactly what I think!"

"Tong Guowei is now the Grand Secretary, receiving a salary from the imperial court and holding the top position among all officials. He should be even more anxious than I am!"

"What do I, a retired old man, care about reputation? Let it go!"

As he spoke, he picked up the yellowed letter again, squinted at it, and examined it closely, his smile deepening.
"Compared to those two sentimental poems, this letter is much more vivid and interesting."

Tong Guowei, on whom Mingzhu placed high hopes, actually knew about this matter earlier than Mingzhu herself.

Who told him to have a son named Longkodo who was a commander in the Infantry Commander's Office!
As soon as the news broke, Longkodo immediately mobilized his men to frantically search the entire capital.

Within half a day, he brought back a stack of letters.

He closed the door and studied them carefully.

He wasn't very familiar with Mingzhu and Suo'etu's calligraphy, and couldn't distinguish between the real and fake characters.

But my own father's handwriting—I've seen it since I was a child, I can recognize it even with my eyes closed!

Upon seeing the handwriting, Longkodo's heart sank.
That hook, that stroke, that unrestrained, free-spirited energy.
This really was written by my dad!
You father! You always have a stern face when you're with me, lecturing me about how a gentleman should be cautious even when alone and how one should not do anything improper, putting on such a sanctimonious act.

I never expected that writing letters in private would be so... enthusiastic and unrestrained?

What a free-spirited and unrestrained father you are! You really hid your true nature very well!

No wonder I always heard the older generation say:
The Tong brothers, Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei, were quite the ladies' men back in the day.

But Father, how come you have such a good relationship with Mingzhu and Suo'etu?
To write a letter, and to write it with such sincerity and eloquence?

As he continued reading, Longkodo became even more confused:
It seems that Mingzhu and Suo'etu have a pretty good relationship...

When Longkodo arrived at the Duke of Feng'en's mansion with these "treasures," he almost burst out laughing when he saw Tong Guowei sitting upright with a book in his hand.

Dad, with your acting skills, it's a real shame you're not in an opera troupe!
You appear so dignified and saintly on the surface, but what are you really like behind the scenes?
You know how to play better than anyone else!

He forced himself to remain calm and stepped forward to bow.

“Father, some letters have been circulating in the capital recently. I’ve specially found a few of them. Would you… like to take a look?”

After saying that, he handed over the letter.

Tong Guowei took it and glanced at it twice; his face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

—Most of the works that Longkodo selected were his own "masterpieces".

Moreover, the content inside was so frank and passionate that it made his old face flush and his ears turn red.

Tong Guowei's anger flared up instantly, and the letter in his hand trembled loudly.

I swear to God, these were not written by me!

He was so angry his hands trembled, and he roared, "Where did these things come from?!"

Longkodo observed his father's reaction, and seeing his dark face and trembling hands, he became even more certain:
What's being unearthed must be some old story from my father's past.

He's obviously acting guilty and desperate!

So he rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice:
"I heard it was found by a lowly eunuch in the palace while cleaning up the Southern Study. He secretly took it out of the palace to exchange for money..."

"It's the talk of the whole capital right now, it's quite a spectacle!"

“Some people even secretly copied it into a book and gave it a title, such as… ‘The Record of Flower Appreciation in Three Phases’.”

At this point, Longkodo couldn't help but smile, but he quickly suppressed it—

If he laughed at this moment, his own father would probably grab a broom and kick him out of the house.

Tong Guowei's lips twitched as he listened.

He didn't write it; he knows it perfectly well!

What happened when a young eunuch was cleaning the Southern Study?
This is clearly someone deliberately causing trouble!

Also, the "Three-Phase Flower Appraisal Record"?
Good heavens, this is going to make me "go down in history and be remembered for generations to come"!
He suppressed his anger and gave Longkodo the following instructions:
"These things are all made up; they're pure nonsense!"

"Someone is deliberately trying to ruin my reputation!"

"Go, have your men recall all these things circulating in the market!"

"Also, arrest everyone who wrote that lousy book! Don't let a single one get away!"

Seeing his father's furious outburst, Longkodo became even more convinced: If it weren't true, would Father be so anxious?

He quickly advised:

"Father, many scholars have these letters now, and some officials do too..."

"If we conduct a high-profile raid and confiscation, won't the Emperor be angry?"

"Would you like to inform the Emperor first?"

After venting his anger, Tong Guowei calmed down a bit.

He picked up "his own letter" again and read it once more, then suddenly sneered and waved his hand dismissively:
"Forget it, there's no need to bother."

"The more they stir things up, the more lively it becomes. Let's just pretend we didn't see anything."

Listening to his father's contradictory words, and looking at the enigmatic, half-smiling expression on his father's face, Longkodo suddenly understood:
"Father, have you guessed which 'expert' did it?"

Tong Guowei gritted his teeth and forced out the words:
"Someone is deliberately trying to muddy the waters!"

"Think about it, this matter has become the talk of the town, who benefits the most?"

Longkodo scratched his head, pondered seriously for a moment, and then his eyes suddenly lit up:
"Could it be Zhang Ying? I never expected that this honest man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who looks so upright, could resort to such despicable means..."

"You really know people, faces but not hearts!"

What are you thinking? Did you get your head stuck in a hole?

Tong Guowei raised his hand, wanting to slap his eldest son.

Unfortunately, Longkodo was a military general after all. He lowered his body, slipped, and dodged away like an eel.

Looking at his glaring father, Longkodo was still unconvinced:

"Father, what I said makes perfect sense! Zhang Ying is the second-in-command. If you are removed from your position, he can naturally become the first-in-command, right?"

Tong Guowei snorted: "Absolutely impossible!"

"His Majesty would never allow someone from Jiangnan to become the Grand Secretary."

"Jiangnan is too wealthy and has too many connections. If we add a chief minister from Jiangnan, who will rule the country?"

“I understand that logic, and Zhang Ying understands it even better. He’s as cunning as a monkey, would he do something so foolish?”

Longkodo was taken aback, not expecting there to be this layer.

Then... if it's not Zhang Ying, who else could it be?

Who would be most pleased with this outcome?
"It's the prince!"

Tong Guowei was too lazy to make this simpleton guess anymore.

"The Crown Prince just wants to muddy the waters so that no one will investigate his lousy poem."

Longkodo suddenly realized, but was also puzzled:

"Where did the Crown Prince get so many letters?"

"Most of the time, they find someone to copy the original and then age it."

Tong Guowei sighed and said, "You know how those 'ancient calligraphy and paintings' on the market are made."

When this was mentioned, Longkodo recalled that he had recently acquired a genuine work by Liu Gongquan.

Knowing that the emperor loved calligraphy, he immediately ran over with great joy and presented it to the emperor as a precious gift.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor didn't even raise his eyelids, calmly stating:

The original is hanging in my Qianqing Palace!
One sentence made him blush so deeply that he wished he could dig a hole and bury himself on the spot.

Longkodo couldn't help but curse, "Your Highness, this is too insidious! How could you fabricate such a story about you..."

Tong Guowei waved his hand: "That's enough, let's leave it at that."

"Don't get involved, it won't do you any good."

Although Longkodo usually goes against his father, he obediently nodded this time.

Just then, the steward rushed in, panting: "Master, Third Master, Lord Li from the Court of Judicial Review has sent word that... Third Master has been impeached!"

Tong Guowei was already used to his son being impeached.

Anyway, he was the emperor's uncle, so no matter how big a mess Longkodo made, he could always cover for him.

Longkodo remained unfazed, even asking with a smile, "Who impeached me? What did they impeach me for?"

The butler shrank back: "It's... Zhen Yan!"

They knew this actor very well, because he was the Crown Prince's mouth double.

Whenever the Crown Prince dislikes someone, this guy immediately lets out a howl and pounces to bite!

"Zhen Yan impeached you for your incompetent governance, allowing various rumors defaming Prime Minister Tong to spread in the market..."

"And they even said...and that you haven't been devoted to your father's affairs, which is truly unfilial!"

When Longkodo heard the reason for the impeachment, he almost laughed out of anger!
"They spread rumors themselves, and now they're blaming me for not cracking down hard enough and not arresting people?"

"And you're even accusing me of being unfilial?!"

He slammed his fist on the table: "This is outrageous! Father, this can't be left like this!"

Tong Guowei's face also darkened.

He didn't say anything when the Crown Prince came up with the "Three Ministers' Record of Flower Appreciation," intending to handle it quietly. Now, he's actually turning around and impeaching his son.
This is clearly an attempt to strip him of his old face and make the Crown Prince himself look bad!

He paced back and forth a few times, then finally waved his hand at Longkodo: "You handle your own affairs, I'm not involved anymore!"

After saying that, he took a deep breath—afraid that if he didn't, he would faint on the spot.

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(End of this chapter)