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

Chapter 489 Beneath the Crown, Only One Person Sit Alone

As Shen Ye strolled out of the Qianqing Palace, there wasn't a trace of dejection on his face.

On the contrary, the corners of his mouth secretly curled up, and he was secretly pleased: Hehe, there's hope!

The Qianxi Emperor will live for another twenty years or so. How long can I, the crown prince, reign? I don't know.

But I've finally figured out that unfortunate crown prince in the history books—

He wasn't incompetent, nor was he arrogant; it was simply that he had been the crown prince for too long, and his father felt the dragon throne beneath him was getting too hot.

What does an emperor want most? He wants his word to be law, "whatever I say goes."
But as he realized he was getting older and the Crown Prince was growing up, those who had once been loyal to him were starting to flock to the Eastern Palace...

The Crown Prince's words carry weight; even one's own words must be carefully considered.

Who could stand this? The more I look at the Crown Prince, the more I dislike him!
Beneath the crown, only one person sits alone!
Not even half a butt is allowed on that dragon throne!

Kill the crown prince? That would bring eternal infamy.

A deposed crown prince? That would give you a lot more room to maneuver!
For an emperor with more than twenty sons, no matter how much he liked the crown prince, his other sons were not picked up from the palace gates!

It doesn't matter who the throne is passed to.

But before he closes his eyes, this vast land must belong to "Laozi"!

Just like a certain "perfect old man" who said he would abdicate and become the retired emperor, but he kept the imperial seal until the day he died.

For Shen Ye, moving to the Prince of Qingqiu's mansion would be incredibly appealing—

The mansion has a pond where you can fish, and a small kitchen where you can barbecue.

Even if they are deposed in the future, they won't have to suffer in the cold palace counting spider webs.

Following Emperor Qianxi's usual pattern, he would most likely confine him to his own residence and make him reflect on his mistakes in front of the wall.

The eldest brother is like this, and so is the thirteenth brother...

If I were confined to the Prince of Qingqiu's mansion, well, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?
I sleep until late morning every day, read storybooks until my eyes ache, and occasionally ask the kitchen to prepare some rare and unusual meals.
Of course, this is the worst case scenario.

Ideally, we should stick to the plan.

Let the thirteenth prince occupy a piece of land overseas, or use the navy he has cultivated to find a scenic island.

Let me live a life of lying flat and watching the sea, basking in the sun every day, counting the waves, that would be quite carefree!

Lost in thought, Shen Ye hummed a little tune as she made her way back to Yuqing Palace.

Erlengtai was pacing anxiously at the door like an ant on a hot pan, his shoes almost sparking.

Upon catching a glimpse of the Crown Prince in the distance, he let out a howl and rushed towards him, his eyes reddening, almost bursting into tears.

"Your Highness! Are you...are you alright?"

After struggling for a while, he managed to squeeze out this sentence.

Shen Ye waved his hand: "It's alright! Your matter is settled. You'll be a deputy general under the Lanzhou General."

He deliberately put on a stern face, but couldn't hide the smile in his eyes:
"But be careful there, swords don't have eyes, don't rush too far ahead."

"If you come back missing an arm or a leg, I won't let you off the hook!"

Upon hearing that he would be promoted from deputy commander to deputy general, Erlengtai's eyes lit up:
It's not easy for the Emperor to change his mind. The Crown Prince has said so many good things for me!

"This servant thanks Your Highness for your great kindness!" As he spoke, his knees buckled and he was about to kneel down.

Shen Ye grabbed him by the back of his collar: "Alright, alright, stop with the act!"

"You've been with me all this time, so I have to find you a good place to go."

"Once you get to the military base in Lanzhou, you'll be entirely on your own."

As he spoke, he patted him heavily on the shoulder, causing E'luntai to stumble.
"Hurry up and get busy, there's still a lot to do before leaving the capital!"

After seeing off Erlengtai, who looked back every few steps as if it were a farewell to life or death, Shen Ye turned around and called Zhou Bao over:
"Have someone clean up our newly built garden inside and out, and get the underfloor heating working properly!"

"All the pots and pans in the kitchen are ready, especially the grill and pan for the barbecue. If anything is missing, I'll hold you responsible!"

"Pack your things here quickly, we're moving tomorrow! Travel light, don't bring any of those troublesome items!"

"Moving...moving?" Zhou Bao was stunned, his tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and he stammered:
"Your Highness, the New Year is just around the corner. It's not appropriate for you to stay temporarily in the garden, is it?"

Shen Ye raised her hand and lightly tapped his forehead:

"What are you thinking? It's about moving out completely and not living in Yuqing Palace anymore! From now on, we'll have our own little courtyard!"

"Oh, right, find someone to make a plaque that says 'Prince Qingqiu's Residence' and hang it on the main gate!"

"Hurry up, get moving!"

Zhou Bao was completely dumbfounded.

Even if the Crown Prince moves out, it should still be called "Yuqing Palace" or some other palace...

What on earth is this "Qingqiu Prince's Mansion"? Has the Crown Prince become a Prince?!
Oh no, oh no, it must be because of Erengtai that they fell out with the Emperor!
Has the Crown Prince been banished from the palace?
While he was busy with his business with his mind buzzing, Shen Ye hummed a little tune and strolled briskly into Shi Jingrong's room.

Seeing her lounging lazily in bed, Shen Ye smiled and leaned closer:

"We can finally move out! We don't have to be confined in Yuqing Palace anymore. Father Emperor agreed to let us move to the garden. There aren't so many rules there, it'll be much more comfortable!"

Shi Jingrong frowned slightly, a hint of worry appearing in her eyes:
"Is it... something wrong that we're being asked to leave the palace at this time?"

"It's nothing, we just exchanged a few words about Erlengtai." Shen Ye said nonchalantly, picking up a fruit and feeding it to her.

"If I had known that talking back would get me a move into our courtyard, I would have done it long ago! I've been stuck in this palace for so many years!" Shi Jingrong was both amused and exasperated: "You really dare to say that... Is it really alright to offend Father Emperor?"

"Things are going very well right now." Shen Ye patted her head, her tone light as if discussing what to eat for dinner. "Just focus on your pregnancy, I'll take care of things even if the sky falls down outside."

"Nothing serious will happen!"

Despite this, the news that "the Crown Prince is moving to the Prince of Qingqiu's residence" still exploded like a firecracker throughout the court and the country.

The civil and military officials couldn't help but murmur to themselves:
Qingqiu? The Prince's Mansion? Is the Crown Prince going to cultivate immortality or be demoted? What's going on?
Yu Chenglong, who was close to Shen Ye, rushed to Yuqing Palace to request an audience immediately, even wearing his official hat askew.

"Your Highness, why do you suddenly want to move the palace?" After bowing, Yu Chenglong went straight to the point.

Shen Ye slowly took a sip of tea: "I wanted to move when that garden was being built, but Father Emperor didn't agree before."

"This time he showed mercy and finally granted my request."

"You wouldn't believe it, my garden has running water so you can boat on it, and I even dug a hot spring pool!"

After finishing his sentence, he suddenly changed the subject, his eyes lighting up: "By the way, how's that expressway in Tianjin doing now?"

Yu Chenglong was startled by the sharp turn and paused for two seconds before replying:
"Sea transport in Tianjin is not yet fully operational, so there are fewer people than in Tongzhou, but land transport has an advantage, attracting many merchants, and prices have also risen."

"With your 'General Fubo' decree, this road has a bright future, and the stock price has doubled!"

Shen Ye, who held a considerable number of shares, was even happier upon hearing this.

"Your Highness, has His Majesty named your new garden?" Yu Chenglong couldn't help but steer the conversation back to the main topic.

Having spent so many years navigating the imperial court, his intuition told him that this matter was not simple.

Asking the Crown Prince to move palaces so close to the New Year? This is a bit outrageous; there must be more to it than meets the eye!

Shen Ye paused for a moment: "Let's call it 'Prince Qingqiu's Mansion,' since I still hold that title anyway."

"I've been trying to negotiate this move for a long time, so please don't cause any trouble. Forget about writing letters of advice or anything like that!"

"This Yuqing Palace is definitely not as comfortable as my new garden!"

Yu Chenglong almost blurted out: "So many people dream of living in Yuqing Palace!"

You're simply ungrateful for your good fortune!
But he held back, thought quickly for a moment, and then squeezed out a sentence:
"Since Your Highness does not wish for me to offer advice, I will naturally obey."

"However... you and His Majesty should communicate more to prevent rumors from spreading."

He emphasized the word "rumor" very heavily.

Shen Ye smiled and patted his shoulder: "I understand Lord Yu's intentions. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Yu Chenglong finally breathed a sigh of relief and solemnly said:
"You are the Crown Prince, the hope for the future of the nation. You must be careful with your words and actions!"

After seeing Yu Chenglong off, Shen Ye smiled and shook his head.

Old Yu must have guessed something, but in this kind of situation, it's useless for him to write a letter to persuade them to make peace.

The problems between him and Emperor Qianxi were not something that could be resolved with a simple chat.

Their relationship is like a bowl of longevity noodles that has already clumped together; forcibly separating them will only make the break more complete.

At that moment, Emperor Qianxi was watching a play with the Empress Dowager.

The stage was filled with the deafening sound of gongs and drums; it was another performance of "The Legend of the White Snake"—

The Empress Dowager watched it eight hundred times, and could recite the lines backwards, but she still couldn't get tired of it.

In the scene of their "meeting at the Broken Bridge," Lady White Snake is singing in a high-pitched voice, "My lord—"

The Empress Dowager suddenly picked up a seed from the fruit plate and casually asked:

"Your Majesty, I've heard that the Crown Prince is planning to move out."

Her eyes were still fixed on the stage, and her tone was so soft that it sounded like she was discussing whether the idea in her hand was appealing.

Emperor Qianxi remained expressionless and casually served tea to the Empress Dowager: "The children have grown up and no longer like to live near us old folks."

"I guess they think Yuqing Palace has too many rules, and they have to be restricted in everything they do."

"The garden was built a long time ago, but he keeps complaining that he's not comfortable living there. I was so annoyed by him that I finally gave my permission—"

"If you don't release them, given the Crown Prince's unruly nature, who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause me!"

As he spoke, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he added:
“He insisted on calling it ‘Prince Qingqiu’s Mansion.’ This child, he just does whatever comes to mind.”

The Empress Dowager chuckled, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes resembling blooming chrysanthemums, and gently replied:

"The Crown Prince is still young. It's normal for young people not to like being controlled. I was the same way when I was young."

She slowly wiped her hands, then subtly changed the subject:
"However, I think we should keep Yuqing Palace. We can come back and stay for a couple of days every now and then, so it will be lively."

"After all, this plaque has been hanging for a long time, and it would feel rather desolate if it were suddenly taken down."

The jade thumb ring that Emperor Qianxi was turning in his hand paused for a moment.

He understood: the Empress Dowager meant that moving was fine, but the Crown Prince's position should not be changed.

These words are like a jade ruyi wrapped in velvet—soft to the touch, but actually quite hard.

He smiled and nodded: "What Mother says is true, that's what I think too."

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(End of this chapter)