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

Chapter 483 If the Crown Prince disobeys the imperial decree, what should the minister do?
Xu Chunping's speed is ridiculously fast!

Although he was riding in a sedan chair, he moved with the momentum of eight startled wild horses, rushing forward with great speed.

He was inside the sedan chair, but his body was leaning forward so much that he was about to fall out. He wished he could jump out and push the sedan chair poles to run away.

And they still keep urging and urging!
The sedan chair carriers were so urged on that their faces turned red and their necks bulged, and their feet were practically sparking.

Xu Chunping was extremely panicked.

Everyone in the capital knows about the mess that's been raging at the Duke of Yansheng's mansion.
It's just that we're all like crows perched on a coal pile, so no one should complain about who's the darkest.

The thought of Kong Shangde made his scalp tingle.

This young master, who was being groomed to be the next Duke Yansheng, must be the apple of the Kong family's eye.

Can he refrain from getting involved in all the messy things at home?

The answer is obvious even to a fool!
Now that the Crown Prince dares to come directly to arrest people, how can he do it without some serious evidence?
There's definitely solid evidence here!

If Kong Shangde is found to have problems during the investigation, then we'll be in big trouble!

Xu Chunping dared not think any further and urged the sedan chair to speed into the Forbidden City.

After verifying the waist tag, Xu Chunping took off running towards the South Study.

He couldn't manage on his own; he was a nobody and his words carried little weight. He needed to go to the Southern Study to find help.

For the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, the Southern Study was not a forbidden area.

When Xu Chunping rushed in, he almost bumped into the eunuch who came out to serve tea.

Looking up, he saw Li Guangdi slowly and methodically reviewing memorials.

"I have met Scholar Li."

Xu Chunping bowed, panting heavily, and muttered to himself:

That old mudfish, he's always so steady and reliable!

Although he disliked Li Guangdi's slippery nature, he still had to follow proper etiquette.

Li Guangdi also disliked Xu Chunping.

He felt that Xu Chunping was always arrogant and self-righteous.

Seeing Xu Chunping bow, Li Guangdi smiled like a Maitreya Buddha:

"Oh, Scholar Xu, what brings you here?"

He slowly put down his pen. "Please sit down and have some tea!"

Xu Chunping had no time for pretense with Li Guangdi and hurriedly said:
"Lord Li, there's no need for tea!"

"We must quickly summon Minister Tong and Minister Zhang to see His Majesty."

"The Crown Prince... The Crown Prince just went to the Duke of Yansheng's residence and took the heir away."

"They say the Crown Prince's case isn't over yet!"

Li Guangdi was taken aback.

His Majesty has witnessed the situation where the Three Judicial Offices treated the case of the Duke of Yansheng's mansion with utmost seriousness but ultimately downplayed it.

He knew what Emperor Qianxi was thinking, so he dared not say anything more.

In his view, the crown prince should also understand his father's thoughts.

This was certainly unpleasant for the Crown Prince.

But throughout history, princes have always had to be grandsons before they could become grandfathers.

Even if you're unhappy about your father's will, you have to grit your teeth and accept it.

Who can blame him but his father?
Li Guangdi was surprised that the Crown Prince would actually lead his men to take Kong Shangde away.

What... what is the Crown Prince up to?
"Where did you take it?" Li Guangdi asked anxiously.

"I don't know. The Crown Prince only said that Kong Shangde's case is not over."

Xu Chunping stamped his feet anxiously: "Grand Secretary, you must make a decision quickly!"

"Otherwise, something terrible might happen!"

Seeing Xu Chunping's anxious expression, Li Guangdi immediately started making plans in his mind:
On one side is the Crown Prince, and on the other is the Emperor. Can I wade into this mess?
Under such circumstances, I cannot take on this responsibility.

He immediately adopted a serious yet considerate expression:

"This matter is of great importance. Let's go and discuss it with Minister Tong and Minister Zhang."

As she spoke, she got up and walked out, her mind racing with calculations:

This hot potato needs to be handled by several people to prevent it from getting too hot!
Xu Chunping quickly followed, and the two walked out one after the other.

One person was sweating profusely with anxiety, while the other was as steady as if they were going to a banquet, even though on the surface they were moving extremely fast.

Before long, the two rushed into Tong Guowei's duty room.

Tong Guowei had a rosy complexion and was leisurely sipping ginseng tea.

Seeing the two enter, he waved leisurely and said with a smile, "Mitsuji and Junpei, you two have come at just the right time."

"I just had someone make a pot of ginseng tea using the old ginseng bestowed by His Majesty. Try it while it's hot; it's very nourishing."

Xu Chunping stamped his feet inwardly. What time is it? How can you still be thinking about taking a tonic?
If they keep patching it up, the Crown Prince might just tear the roof off!
However, his status was lower than Li Guangdi's, so under these circumstances, he could only watch Li Guangdi longingly.

Li Guangdi quickly stepped forward and explained what had happened.

Tong Guowei's hand, holding the teacup, paused in mid-air for a moment—

Good heavens, is the Crown Prince really going against the Emperor?

It was a decision made by him and Emperor Qianxi to have Kong Shangde succeed as Duke Yansheng.

He was pleased with this outcome.

This shows that Emperor Qianxi was increasingly wary of his capable crown prince.

This is a good thing. Originally, he thought that even if the Crown Prince was a hundred times unwilling, he would have no choice but to swallow his resentment in the face of such an outcome.

After all, it was his father who made this decision.

Unexpectedly, this young master acted unpredictably and was surprisingly defiant.

The three judicial departments tried Kong Yujin's case, and he even took over Kong Shangde's case.

This is going against His Majesty!

This is really great!
In Tong Guowei's view, this was truly a joyous occasion.

The more strained the relationship between the Crown Prince and Emperor Qianxi, the greater the benefit to the Eighth Prince.

It would be even more "perfect" if Kong Shangde could be beaten to death with a single beating.

He was secretly pleased, but his face showed great shock: "How can the Crown Prince arrest people at will without His Majesty's order?"

"What should I do?"

Li Guangdi almost rolled his eyes:

What are we doing here? We've come to ask you what we should do, haven't we?

He inwardly despised Tong Guowei's evasive behavior, but aloud he said:
"Prime Minister Tong, why don't we go together and report this matter to His Majesty?"

"It's too late if you're late!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Guowei exclaimed, "Yes, yes, yes! Quickly go and invite Grand Secretary Zhang!"

Tong San understood his master's meaning and, upon hearing this, ran off to fetch Zhang Ying.

When Zhang Ying was brought over in a daze, Tong Guowei briefly explained the situation, and the four of them quickly arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Qianxi was also very busy during the Chinese New Year!
During the Lunar New Year, governors and viceroys from all over the country flocked to the palace, not only to report on their work to Emperor Qianxi, but also to visit the Six Ministries.

Therefore, the newly built waiting hall in the Qianqing Palace was filled with people at this time.

Stealing a glance at the room full of governors and viceroys, Xu Chunping secretly rejoiced.

Fortunately, I had recruited three Grand Secretaries; otherwise, given my own status, I don't know how long I would have had to wait!

"Please inform His Majesty that the three of us have important matters to discuss with him."

Although Tong Guowei was eager for the Crown Prince to make a bigger scene, he still had to put on a convincing act.

How could he dare to delay such important business? After all, he was surrounded by shrewd and capable people.

If he showed even the slightest negligence or slackness, someone might report it to Emperor Qianxi, and then he would be in deep trouble. Seeing this commotion, Liang Jiugong knew something serious had happened and quickly went inside to report.

Emperor Qianxi was speaking with Mu Xing'e, the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, when he saw Liang Jiugong arrive and immediately knew that something serious had happened.

Otherwise, given Liang Jiugong's keen eye, he would never have done something so impolite.

"Why are you so nervous?"

"Your Majesty, three Grand Secretaries request an audience, saying they have important matters to discuss."

Mu Xing'e was reporting back at a crucial point when he heard Liang Jiugong's report and knew that this audience with the emperor was probably going to fall through.

This greatly disappointed him.

He had originally planned to take advantage of Emperor Qianxi's good mood to change his location.

Yunnan and Guizhou are good, but how can they compare to the Yangtze River Delta?

However, this plan is likely to fall through!

Emperor Qianxi had no interest in Mu Xing'e's feelings and interrupted him with a wave of his hand, saying, "Mu Xing'e, go and rest for a while."

"Summon the three Grand Secretaries."

The three men filed in. When Emperor Qianxi saw Xu Chunping, he frowned slightly but did not say anything.

Tong Guowei said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, Xu Chunping, the Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy, has come to report that the Crown Prince has had Kong Shangde, the heir of the Duke of Yansheng, taken away, and that Kong Shangde's case is still not closed."

"Because this matter involves the Crown Prince, we dare not act on our own initiative, and therefore request Your Majesty's wise decision."

Emperor Qianxi originally thought it was just a trivial matter, but he never expected it to be such a big deal.

The Crown Prince has taken Kong Shangde away!

What a courage!
I've already had the three judicial departments conclude the case, what is he trying to do? Is he going to turn around and overturn the table?
His face immediately darkened, and his eyes shot towards Xu Chunping like arrows: "Was what Tong Guowei said just now true?"

“Your Majesty, it is absolutely true! I was right there when the Crown Prince took away the heir of the Duke of Yansheng.”

"The Crown Prince said that the Three Judicial Offices have already investigated Kong Yujin's case, but what he wants to investigate now is Kong Shangde's embezzlement of disaster relief funds!"

Emperor Qianxi flew into a rage: "Nonsense! Why didn't you stop the Crown Prince from leading his men?"

Xu Chunping knelt down with a thud: "I tried to stop them, but I couldn't!"

“The Crown Prince is determined to arrest Kong Shangde, and I am helpless.” Xu Chunping no longer concealed anything.

"Tong Guowei, you and Longkodo go and find out where the Crown Prince took the person, and then bring the person back according to my decree!"

Emperor Qianxi ignored Xu Chunping's lament and made a decision after a slight hesitation.

He is the emperor, so of course he cannot personally take action; otherwise, who knows what kind of chaos might ensue.

Tong Guowei had the necessary status and ability, and he was not in cahoots with the Crown Prince.

I feel relatively reassured that he's in charge.

Tong Guowei's eyes darted around, and he bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, what should I do if the Crown Prince insists on disobeying the imperial decree?"

As soon as Tong Guowei said this, everyone present changed their expressions.

Good heavens, this is practically asking the Emperor for a "royal sword"!

Emperor Qianxi remained silent for a moment, glanced at Tong Guowei, then suddenly drew a golden command arrow, his voice chilling:

"If the Crown Prince disobeys the imperial decree, Tong Guowei, you shall use this command token to escort the Crown Prince back to Yuqing Palace to rest."

Zhang Ying and Li Guangdi exchanged a furtive glance, their hearts skipping a beat simultaneously.
Once this golden edict is used, this matter will escalate into a huge mess!
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(End of this chapter)