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

Chapter 508 I am a person who is consistent inside and out.
Shen Ye remained calm.

Countless eyes were fixed on him in the main hall—some curious, some speculating, and some waiting to see what would happen—but Shen Ye didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

Shen Ye had long anticipated that Emperor Qianxi would escalate the situation.

After all, his adoptive father, the emperor, was always adept at probing and protracted negotiations:

Let me throw you a sweet date to try, and see if you'll accept it;
If I accept the job, who knows what other work might follow?

But he never expected that Emperor Qianxi would increase the dosage so drastically this time!

He established the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and appointed his own trusted confidants to the position...

It sounds great, but this organization might just be a figurehead that collects a salary without doing any work, and might even do more harm than good.

You think Shen Ye would accept the imperial decree, express his gratitude, and rush off to work like a lapdog? He's dreaming!

Is Shen Ye the kind of person who will shine brightly if given a little sunshine and will soar to the sky if given a ladder?
He is.

But today, he's determined not to!

He turned to Wei Zhu, who was waiting respectfully to the side, and slowly began to speak:

"Eunuch Wei, the Crown Prince's reward is far too generous; I cannot accept it."

"Please inform His Majesty that he meant well. I feel so warm inside and incredibly grateful."

"But I really don't dare accept this kindness."

"I can't put you in a difficult position. I'll submit a memorial of thanks and explain in person later."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhu's face turned pale.

The look on Emperor Qianxi's face just now had already scared him half to death.

The Crown Prince still won't accept the imperial decree? Isn't this blatantly a way to send Wei Zhu away?
He quickly bowed to Shen Ye, saying, "Your Highness, there are some things this servant shouldn't have said..."

"Whether it's thunder or rain, it's all the Emperor's grace! His Majesty's bestowal upon you shows how much he values ​​you!"

"Aren't you hurting His Majesty's feelings by making such excuses?"

"In my opinion, you should reconsider this reward?"

Wei Zhu didn't dare to say "Please accept it" outright, but she emphasized the words "think about it" very loudly.

Shen Ye waved her hand, looking like she understood but wouldn't listen:

"Eunuch Wei, I understand what you mean."

"But I have not accomplished anything, and I feel uneasy receiving such a great reward from the Emperor out of thin air. Please understand."

After saying that, he walked straight to the table with writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones placed to the side.

Seeing this, Wei Zhu knew that if she continued to persuade him, she would be in trouble, so she wisely shut up.

In the palace, a sense of propriety is more important than anything else for survival.

He understood that doing good things too much can turn into bad things, while doing bad things properly can sometimes turn into good things.

As soon as Wei Zhu left, the eldest prince stared at Shen Ye, who was writing furiously, and his heart began to pound.

His eyes followed Shen Ye's pen tip back and forth:
Why won't the Crown Prince accept the imperial edicts issued to both the Eastern Palace and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices? What is the Crown Prince trying to do?
Could it be... that you really don't want it?

What if he uses what I said before as an excuse to go back to Father and say, "Brother, I advise you not to pretend anymore?"

If I become the crown prince's shield, then wouldn't I be...

The thought of possibly having to go back to being imprisoned sent a chill down his spine.

No, I have to say something to salvage this!
So he leaned closer and spoke earnestly:
“Your Highness, although His Majesty is our father, he is also the ruler of the world, and his words are law.”

"Your excuses are disrespectful to the Emperor."

"It's the New Year, so I think you should accept it. Don't let Eunuch Wei make so many trips back and forth and disturb Father's peace."

Seeing the eldest prince pop out again, Shen Ye sneered inwardly. You were just making sarcastic remarks, and now you want to pretend to be a peacemaker?
Are you afraid I'll use you as a shield? Only realizing it now? Too late!

He kept writing without looking up:

“Brother, you just said that I ‘want it in my heart but don’t want it out loud,’ which is hypocritical.”

"Why are you trying to persuade me to accept it all now?"

"Your attitude has changed... I'm completely baffled."

"I'm still not sure if you were referring to me or yourself when you said 'hypocritical'?"

The eldest prince's face twitched, as if he had been poked by the tip of the crown prince's brush!
That wretched prince!
In front of everyone, they didn't give any face at all and made their point so bluntly on the spot.

He could put on airs like an elder brother to other princes, but he couldn't do that in front of the Crown Prince.

He took a deep breath, forced down his frustration, and calmly said:
"The reason I advised you was simply because I didn't want Father to worry during the New Year! My filial piety is as clear as day!"

"Since that's what you think, then I'm not going to get involved anymore! Do whatever you want!"

Shen Ye didn't reply and continued writing the memorial.

There is a fixed format for the letter of thanks, and Shen Ye wrote it with such fluency and ease, relying on the muscle memory of his predecessor.

Halfway through writing, the Fourth Prince quietly moved closer and whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, too much of a good thing can be bad."

"His Majesty will probably send Wei Zhu again later, and the reward will be more generous each time."

“He declined three times, so he should accept the offer now. After all… that is Father Emperor.”

Shen Ye looked up at his fourth brother, who had a serious expression, and smiled: "Thank you for reminding me, fourth brother. I understand."

The smile was gentle and composed, which startled the Fourth Prince.

The fourth prince breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the Crown Prince knows the rules; he's just going through the process of "three resignations and three concessions."

However... if the Crown Prince really accepts this concession, then what will happen next...?

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices has taken over; the position of Crown Prince is secure. Then I, the Fourth Prince...
He suddenly felt a pang of unease. Following the Crown Prince seemed to offer a predictable and predictable future;

If I don't follow along, I'm afraid I'll miss out on something.

Difficult!

Emperor Qianxi stared at Wei Zhu, who was kneeling respectfully, and snorted coldly:
"This unfilial son really put on a show of declining three times!"

"He's treating this place like a stage, waiting for 'to be continued'?"

Wei Zhu didn't dare to utter a sound and buried her head even lower.

The necessary reports have been made; now it's time for a power struggle between you and your son.

I am but a lowly eunuch, and I have no desire to get involved, nor can I afford to!
Just as Wei Zhu was thinking to himself, "I wish you would make a decision quickly; my knees are practically calloused from kneeling," Emperor Qianxi suddenly spoke:
"Wei Zhu, do you think the Crown Prince is complaining that my rewards are too meager?"

"Does this rebellious son think that being a member of the Imperial Household Department is a bit too lowly?"

Wei Zhu felt a chill run down her spine; her hair almost stood on end.

"Your Majesty, this servant is foolish and cannot fathom the Crown Prince's thoughts..."

"However, when the Crown Prince declined, he was very firm in his attitude, saying that he had no merit or virtue and was not worthy of the reward."

Emperor Qianxi scoffed, "What 'no merit or virtue'? That's just empty talk! I think this rebellious son just thinks I haven't given him enough!"

"One Chamberlain's Office isn't enough, is it? Fine, I'll raise the bar! Let's see if he can handle it!"

"Issue the imperial decree: An additional squad of guards will be added to the Eastern Palace, to be recruited by the Crown Prince himself."

He paused, then added:
"The number of people... is one hundred. The commander is counted as a first-class imperial bodyguard."

Wei Zhu's eyelids twitched as she listened.

Having served Emperor Qianxi for so many years, he knew all too well how tightly the emperor held military power.

I will never let go unless absolutely necessary.

One hundred guards! And they recruited them themselves!

Back then, the Heavenly Strategy General's starting capital was only eight hundred Xuanjia cavalry!

Wei Zhu's mind went blank for a moment, and the thought of whether or not to advise His Majesty to be cautious flashed through her mind—

But the next second he immediately suppressed that thought.

Clever eunuchs don't live long; they should play dumb when necessary.

So he immediately bowed respectfully, took the new imperial edict, and hurried to the Crown Prince's place again.

After Wei Zhu left, Emperor Qianxi paced back and forth behind his desk.

Although he had several monitoring plans in place for these 100 people, the thorn in his side still lingered, making him uncomfortable.

"I hope the Crown Prince will make good use of these people... and not lead them to their deaths," he muttered to himself, his expression sinister.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, everyone expected Wei Zhu to come again, but they did not expect him to arrive so quickly.

The faster Wei Zhu arrived, the more Emperor Qianxi valued the Crown Prince, and the more difficult the imperial decree became.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has said that, in addition to the Eastern Palace and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, you are also permitted to recruit a team of guards to protect the Eastern Palace."

"The number of people is no more than one hundred. His Majesty is truly caring and considerate towards you!"

After Wei Zhu announced the imperial decree, he smiled and smoothed things over:

"Your Highness, considering His Majesty's good intentions, you should accept the imperial decree today."

"It's the New Year, we can't afford to have any more incidents like refusing to accept imperial orders and causing discord, don't you think?"

Shen Ye secretly admired Emperor Qianxi's skill.

Although a hundred guards are not many, if used well, they are a hundred pieces that can stir up the winds and clouds, and at crucial moments, they can even change the course of events.

But Emperor Qianxi must have left himself a way to control things.

Perhaps there were already thirty spies planted among these hundred people, and some informants as well, otherwise he would never have been so generous.

As he was pondering this, the Eighth Prince interrupted:
“Your Highness, we have already done our duty by declining three times and yielding three times, and we have fulfilled all the proper etiquette. If we continue to decline, it would be disobeying His Majesty.”

"You've always been filial, and it's New Year's Eve, so please accept it for good luck."

The fifth prince chimed in, making his already chubby body appear even rounder.

"Your Highness, the position of Crown Prince originally belonged to you. Now that His Majesty has bestowed it back upon you, it is perfectly legitimate. So please accept it."

"As for other rewards, if you find them troublesome, there are plenty of days to come, so it's not too late to postpone them later."

If the Eighth Prince's words were loaded with hidden meanings and contained barbs, then the Fifth Prince did seem to have some consideration for Shen Ye.

What he said was quite true.

This way, one can avoid offending the emperor while still leaving room for maneuver in handling sensitive rewards that might seem taboo.

For example, those one hundred guards!
Led by the Fifth Prince, the Ninth Prince, Tenth Prince, and others who were on good terms with Shen Ye also spoke up to persuade him.

Although they didn't understand why Emperor Qianxi was suddenly being so kind to the Crown Prince, they were happy that the Crown Prince had gotten back what he deserved.

Shen Ye glanced at the crowd around him, each with their own thoughts, then at the imperial edict in Wei Zhu's hand, and suddenly smiled:

“Eunuch Wei, I am a man who always speaks my mind and is true to my word.”

“I made it very clear to my elder brother just now: I don’t want this reward from the Crown Prince.”

So now—I still don't want to.

"Please inform His Majesty: I am not playing the game of declining three times or feigning refusal; I am sincere."

Wei Zhu held the imperial edict, her smile frozen on her face. She opened her mouth but no sound came out, and she stood there stiffly.

(End of this chapter)