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

Chapter 484 I am the Crown Prince, and I won't be a Crown Prince for nothing if I don't cheat.
Tong Guowei held the golden imperial edict in his hand, his palms beginning to sweat.

Why? Because this thing is incredibly powerful!

If the Crown Prince dares to bare his teeth, we can take him down on the spot.

With the prince under control, hehe... then the stage is set up securely!

This is a rare opportunity; once it's gone, it'll be gone forever!
Tong Guowei was calculating in his mind: Your Highness, Your Highness, you must not back down!
Ideally, someone would act impulsively and jump up on the spot to defy the imperial decree; that would be perfect.

Who doesn't know about Emperor Qianxi's arrogant and self-centered temperament?
He's very assertive; he can tolerate his son openly jumping up and down and challenging him.

Therefore, whether or not the crown prince can be deposed and this troublesome fellow removed is very important this time!

After quickly gathering his men, Tong Guowei swiftly left the palace.

Outside the palace gates, Longkodo, the emperor's own son who had received the order, was already waiting.

Although they were father and son, there were many people around and they had to put on a good show, so the two of them didn't exchange a single casual word.

Tong Guowei asked with a stern face, "Longkodo, have you found out where the Crown Prince and the others are?"

Look, this is the first thing Tong Guowei said.

The main theme is putting public interests first and disregarding family ties!
Longkodo was a smart man and immediately got into the zone.

He would cooperate with whatever his father asked.

He bowed and replied:

"Reporting to the Grand Secretary, the Crown Prince led his men to the Court of Judicial Review, and my Infantry Commander's Office has already sent people to the Court of Judicial Review to keep an eye on things."

Judging from his respectful manner, it was as if the person asking him the question wasn't his own father, but his immediate superior.

"Let's go!" Without saying a word, Tong Guowei climbed into the sedan chair.

The group immediately escorted Tong Guowei's sedan chair, heading straight for the Dali Temple in a grand and imposing manner.

At this moment, at the entrance of the Dali Temple, Shen Ye and Fei Yuanji were sitting face to face, playing chess.

Fei Yuanji was probably too preoccupied with his own thoughts, and his moves were disorganized and chaotic, leaving the black pieces in complete disarray, making the game unplayable.

"Lord Fei, your game of chess has been so blatantly unfair that you've let the game slide so far that my victory is hardly honorable!"

Shen Ye looked at him with a smile, "I'm almost embarrassed by how well I won! How about you let me win this round?"

Fei Yuanji thought to himself, "You're not just trying to win, you're trying to kill me... All I want to do right now is pack up and run away!"
He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and earnestly advised:

"Your Highness, His Majesty should already know the news."

"If you ask me, you should know when to quit while you're ahead."

"As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. You are the Crown Prince of the current dynasty, why waste your time here at the Dali Temple?"

Shen Ye waved his hand, smiling easily: "Lord Fei, it is precisely because I am the Crown Prince that there are some things I must do."

"If I don't do it, then people will really take advantage of me!"

Shouts and reprimands could be heard from the main hall of the Dali Temple from time to time, and it was unclear how the trial was going.

However, the fact that the fourth prince did not come out indicates that the trial is not yet over.

Zhou Bao was craning his neck and watching closely, ready to report the situation to Shen Ye at any time.

Just as the second game of chess was set up, a series of rapid footsteps suddenly came from outside the Dali Temple.

Immediately following was a large number of troops from the Infantry Commander's Office.

Longkodo led the way on horseback, looking very imposing.

But the most eye-catching thing was the large sedan chair carried by eight men, with plaques held high on both sides bearing the gleaming gold inscriptions "Imperial Conferment of the Title of Duke of Feng'en" and "First-Rank Grand Secretary"...

Tong Guowei is here!
When Fei Yuanji saw this scene, his heart skipped a beat, and he almost dropped the chess piece in his hand into his crotch.

Good heavens, even the Grand Secretary and Grand Secretary have been sent over; the Emperor is truly desperate!

If the Crown Prince continues to be so stubborn, he might be doomed.

Fei Yuanji quickly tugged at Shen Ye's sleeve, his voice trembling, "Your Highness, it's Prime Minister Tong who's here. You'd better stop while you're ahead, that's enough..."

Shen Ye glanced up at Tong Guowei's aggressive demeanor, and her expression changed—

Then, without any haste, he took out two small earplugs from his pocket and carefully inserted them into his ears.

Now it was Fei Yuanji's turn to be dumbfounded:
What's going on with the Crown Prince?

Does plugging your ears silence the whole world?
Before he could even ask a question, Shen Ye shouted loudly at Erlengtai, "Lord Fei's chess skills are superb, I need to concentrate on thinking!"

"We can talk about it later!"

After saying that, he lowered his head and stared intently at the chessboard, giving off an air of "I love playing chess, don't bother me."

Fei Yuanji was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.
Do you think you can pretend the imperial edict doesn't exist by plugging your ears?
Isn't your attempt to bury your head in the sand a bit too blatant?
Just then, Tong Guowei strode forward, holding the imperial edict high, his voice booming like a bell:
"His Majesty has decreed—Crown Prince, receive the decree!"

He immediately spotted the Crown Prince, who sat calmly like a mountain blocking the main gate. He assumed the Crown Prince would at least rise and kneel to greet him, but...

The crown prince remained motionless, holding a chess piece in one hand, his brows slightly furrowed, looking as if he were deep in thought.

What's happening here?
Seeing Fei Yuanji standing up helplessly, Tong Guowei immediately raised his voice and shouted again: "His Majesty has decreed that the Crown Prince should receive the decree!"

Shen Ye remained silent and motionless, as if living in another quiet and peaceful world of Go.

Erlengtai stepped forward silently and explained sincerely, "Prime Minister Tong, the Crown Prince was playing chess and found the noise outside disturbing his concentration, so he put on earplugs and can't hear anything now."

"No matter how loudly you shout, it won't do any good!"

Tong Guowei's mouth twitched:
Who are you trying to fool? You're covering your ears to think about how to play the game.
You're clearly just trying to refuse to obey my orders! Do you really think I'm a three-year-old?

He patiently said, "Erentai, please have Your Highness remove your earplugs."

Erlengtai spread his hands, his expression full of helplessness: "Prime Minister Tong, the Crown Prince just said that no one is allowed to disturb him, and anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy."

"I am but a lowly subordinate with little influence, and I dare not disobey your orders!"

Tong Guowei appeared serious on the surface, but was secretly delighted inside:
I'm afraid you'll obediently accept the decree; the longer you drag it out, the happier I'll be!
The Crown Prince deliberately delayed the time, wasn't it all to deal with Kong Shangde inside?

Tong Guowei didn't really have any feelings about Kong Shangde.

How can a mere memorial tablet of the Duke Yansheng be compared to him, the powerful Grand Secretary of the current dynasty?
Of course, if the two meet, Tong Guowei should still show the respect due to appearances, after all, he still carries the title of a descendant of a sage.

Along the way, Tong Guowei had already considered all the possibilities.

For him, he wasn't afraid of the Crown Prince disobeying the imperial decree at all; he was afraid that the Crown Prince wouldn't disobey the imperial decree.

The more the crown prince defied the imperial decree, the more pleased the emperor became.

Only in this way can Emperor Qianxi truly develop a grudge against the Crown Prince.

Once Emperor Qianxi had pent up enough dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince, things would be much easier to handle from then on.

Now that the Crown Prince is covering his ears and pretending to be deaf, it's even easier to handle.

Isn't this blatant nonviolent non-cooperation?
A hint of a smile flashed across Tong Guowei's eyes, but his expression turned serious, and he immediately ordered, "Men, go to the Dali Temple and rescue the Duke Yansheng!"

Just as the guards were about to move, Erlengtai suddenly took a large step forward and blocked their way, spreading his arms wide as if he were ready to risk everything:
"Prime Minister Tong! Offending the Crown Prince is no small matter. It is my duty to do so, and I cannot tolerate it!"

With that, he waved his hand, and the guards behind him instantly formed a human wall.

Even so, Erlengtai did not forget to remind the other two: "Olundai, Tulishen, my lords, please keep a close watch on the Crown Prince and do not let any unauthorized persons get close!"

Tong Guowei felt even happier: Yes!

Just stop them like that!

The more you try to stop them, the more defiant you appear!
He immediately raised the golden imperial edict and shouted loudly, "With the golden imperial edict here, it is as if His Majesty is here in person!"

"By order of His Majesty, bring Kong Shangde back to the Qianqing Palace for questioning. Anyone who dares to obstruct him will be severely punished."

He turned and ordered Longkodo, "Go in and bring the men out!"

Sweat streamed down Erlengtai's forehead as he glanced at the Crown Prince—

That old man was still staring at the chessboard, muttering to himself, "thinking about his moves."

He gritted his teeth and raised his voice, shouting, "Your subjects obey the decree—"

"By order of His Majesty, protect the Crown Prince's safety. Anyone who approaches the Crown Prince within ten steps without cause will be killed without mercy!"

The imperial guards all came from high-ranking families and served the emperor and the crown prince, so they were naturally proud and arrogant.

Surrounded by the men from the Infantry Commander's Office, he was already seething with anger.

In their eyes, the Infantry Commander's Office was nothing more than a pack of gatekeeper dogs, and it was too humiliating for them to be surrounded by such a group of people!

Now that Erlengtai, the leader, has made his stance clear, he immediately blocked the entrance, showing no less imposing presence.

Tong Guowei almost burst out laughing, but deliberately questioned sharply, "Elengtai, are you going to disobey His Majesty's decree?"

Erlengtai stiffened his neck and retorted loudly:
"Prime Minister Tong, don't make baseless accusations! You do your job, and we'll protect our Crown Prince. We won't neglect either!"

Seeing this, Tong Guowei knew what the Crown Prince was thinking. He picked up the golden imperial edict and shouted, "The golden imperial edict is here. Everyone who sees this edict is seeing His Majesty. Get out of the way!"

Looking at the golden imperial edict raised by Tong Guowei, Erlengtai's face turned bright red.

Although the Crown Prince had given prior instructions, he still felt immense pressure when actually facing the imperial edict.

After all, this golden imperial edict represented the Qianxi Emperor.

Although Emperor Qianxi appeared to be very tolerant, the consequences of offending him were absolutely unbearable for ordinary people.

Just as he was feeling distressed, the Crown Prince, who had been sitting motionless, lost in thought about the chess game, suddenly looked up, as if waking from a dream: "Oh, Tong Guowei, what brings you here?"

"Come, come, you've come at the right time! Quickly, help me see if this game is a dead end?"

As he spoke, he reached out and stuffed a chess piece into Tong Guowei's palm: "Take it, it's your turn!"

Tong Guowei, holding up the token, loudly proclaimed, "Your Highness, I am here by imperial decree to bring Kong Shangde here!"

"Please, Your Highness, do not put this old minister in a difficult position."

Shen Ye, wearing earplugs, shouted, "Huh? What did you say, Prime Minister Tong? I can't hear you!"

"It's alright, let's play chess first, it won't keep you from working!"

After saying that, he pulled Tong Guowei toward the chessboard.

He has an attitude of "the world is big, but playing chess is the most important thing".

At this moment, everyone present knew that the Crown Prince was pretending to be stupid, but what could they do about it?
Who can blame him when he's the Crown Prince? Aside from the Emperor, who would dare expose him?

"Sir, what should we do?...Should we still arrest him?" A soldier stared in disbelief and quietly tugged at Longkodo's sleeve to ask.

Longkodo glanced at him indifferently: "Watch."

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(End of this chapter)