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

Chapter 510 Crown Prince, what exactly do you want to do?

Looking at the Crown Prince, who was so passionate and seemed ready to sacrifice himself for the country at any moment, the eldest prince felt a chill run down his spine.

His mind was filled with the image of his father's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot!
I remembered the harsh words my father had said before:
If this attempt fails, then get out of here and go back to your study to read!

The emperor was absolutely uncompromising and ruthless when it came to his eldest son; he would never show mercy when dealing with him.

As for the Crown Prince, it seems that besides feeling helpless and powerless, the Emperor's love for his son is as vast as a mountain.

After his mind raced with anxiety, the eldest prince gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and sincerely cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, saying:
"Your Highness, please accept this imperial edict."

"The nonsense I just said was all because I was blinded by greed... it was utter rubbish!"

"You are so magnanimous, please don't hold it against me!"

"Please accept this decree no matter what."

The eldest prince's face turned bright red, but his eyes were full of pleading.

Shen Ye silently applauded for the eldest prince in his heart:

What an amazing acting skill—able to bend and stretch, and control the situation with ease!
Now you know to beg for mercy? Where were you before?
With a serious expression, he said earnestly:

“Brother, this reward is a matter of the court’s reputation and Father’s illustrious name.”

"Although I desperately want to agree, I also have to consider my father's feelings!"

"Please don't make things difficult for me!"

At this point, he even sighed dramatically:

"Since ancient times, loyalty to the country and filial piety have been difficult to reconcile. This time, for the sake of the court and my father, I have no choice but to harden my heart and refuse you."

"Brother, please don't blame me!"

The eldest prince's scalp tingled with shock.

Are you... are you doing this for your father and the court?

You're clearly putting Father Emperor in a very difficult position!
Forget about brotherhood, you're just kicking someone when they're down!

I'm practically begging you, I'm begging you like this, won't you lend your brother a hand?
How could there be a brother like you in this world!
The eldest prince hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has issued an order that you must receive the decree."

"I have made countless mistakes in the past, but I beg Your Highness to forgive me for the sake of my father."

"Please accept this decree."

In order to avoid being locked back in his study to study classical Chinese texts, the eldest prince is really going all out this time.

He simply couldn't think of a better solution.

Face? What's that? Dignity? Can you eat that?
Upon seeing the eldest prince kneel down, all the other princes present were dumbfounded, exchanging bewildered glances and not daring to utter a sound.

Aside from being shocked, they were at a loss for words.

Some people even felt that they were not suited to stay here, to the point that they were a little at a loss.

Fortunately, most of the brothers were there, so I wouldn't stand out as the only one.

Shen Ye looked at the eldest prince kneeling on the ground and sneered inwardly:
Trying to force me to kneel down? No way!
So he also knelt down with a thud, his voice even louder than the eldest prince's:

"Brother, it's not that I don't understand you, but as I just said, loyalty to the country and filial piety are hard to reconcile."

"For the sake of the court and my father, I cannot accept this decree."

"Big brother, please stop pressuring me!"

Looking at the Crown Prince kneeling opposite him, who was even more upright and tragic than himself, the eldest prince felt his blood surge.

I'm already throwing my dignity to the ground to gain sympathy by kneeling down, but you go and kneel down right in front of me. What do you mean by that?

Just to make my most effective sympathy-gaining tactic fail?
He stared at Shen Ye, who was determined to kneel with him until dawn. After much deliberation, he gritted his teeth and finally got up in despair.

"Since Your Highness says so, then I have no choice but to go and report to my father."

As he spoke, he waved to Wei Zhu, then turned and walked towards the Qianqing Palace.

They begged when they needed to be begged, and they knelt when they needed to kneel.

Wei Zhu also saw this situation. The Crown Prince simply wouldn't accept the challenge. Surely her father wouldn't force her to her death.

Shen Ye looked at the Crown Prince's retreating figure, his expression growing even more solemn.

He knew this wasn't over. If the eldest prince couldn't handle it, the next step would probably be for his father, the emperor, to personally intervene.

As Shen Ye expected, Liang Jiugong arrived in less than a quarter of an hour, respectfully inviting His Highness the Crown Prince to move to the Qianqing Palace.

Normally, when Liang Jiugong is facing Shen Ye, he will wink and make some subtle hints.

But right now, he's like a silent gourd, not daring to utter a single word.

As a seasoned veteran who had made his way in the palace, Liang Jiugong had long sensed that something was amiss!

With such turbulent waves, saving your life is the priority; you'd better just keep quiet.

As soon as Shen Ye entered the Qianqing Palace, he saw Emperor Qianxi "focused" on reviewing memorials.

As for the eldest prince, he has long since disappeared.

Seeing that Emperor Qianxi's expression was calm, Shen Ye respectfully bowed and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Qianxi put down the memorial in his hand, his tone neither too light nor too heavy, but every word was barbed: "No need for formalities."

"Your Highness, is my reward so hot to handle? Your elder brother has already knelt before you, and you still remain as steady as Mount Tai?"

Shen Ye immediately adopted a solemn expression and began acting: "Father, please forgive me!"

"It's not that I feel the reward is too hot to handle; it's that I'm afraid it will damage your reputation!"

"Think about it, the nameplate of the Prince of Qingqiu's residence has not been up for a full month. In such a short time, it hastily changed to the name of the Eastern Palace. What should the ministers in the court think?"

"And what about the gossip among ordinary people?"

"So, although elder brother knows he was wrong, he knows that his son is not the kind of person who is two-faced."

"Even at the very end, he tried to force me to accept this reward by kneeling, an extreme measure." "But for the sake of Father's reputation, I had no choice but to harden my heart and refuse, watching helplessly as my elder brother misunderstood me!"

"Your Majesty, I was truly suffering at that time!"

Emperor Qianxi was so angry he almost laughed.

Looking at the crown prince kneeling on the ground pretending to be aggrieved, he felt an itch to grab the golden lion paperweight on the table.

No one can stop me! I'm going to smash this wretched creature to death today!

However, the moment his hand touched the golden lion paperweight, a chill ran up his palm and into his heart.

Smashing this wretched creature was satisfying, but what's next?

Who will be in charge of the capital?

Who will clean up the mess in Jiangnan?
Who will provide food and pay to the 300,000 Green Standard Army soldiers?
Who will stop that hungry wolf in the Northwest?

Forget it, this wretched creature is infuriating, but without him, things really can't function.

Emperor Qianxi sighed inwardly; the play had to continue.

He slowly approached Shen Ye, helped him up with his own hands, and forced a fatherly smile onto his face:

"Yunye, I just heard that you refused my reward. Your Majesty thought you were throwing a tantrum!"

"Now that I hear this, I realize that you are a filial child."

"You always think of Father Emperor, but what about yourself? You never think about your own affairs."

"Your intentions are understood by your father."

"Come, sit down and talk."

Looking at the forced smile on Emperor Qianxi's face, Shen Ye sighed inwardly:

My father's acting was passable, though a little stiff.

He raised his sleeve and vigorously wiped his eyes, but not a single tear came out.

But regardless of whether it happens or not, the action must be performed correctly.

What hadn't Emperor Qianxi seen?

He had long seen through Shen Ye's little tricks.

But since he needed the Crown Prince's help, he could only pretend he hadn't seen it.

After Shen Ye sat down, he suddenly started chatting casually with a smile:
"I've invited you here for a family banquet today. Does the Crown Princess have anyone to keep her company while she's alone at home?"

The wise and powerful Emperor Qianxi actually showed concern for his daughter-in-law!

Although Shen Ye knew that Emperor Qianxi was acting, she outwardly appeared deeply moved:
"Thank you for your concern, Father! I made all the arrangements before I came, and even invited the Crown Princess's mother to the residence to take care of her."

Upon hearing Shen Ye's answer, Emperor Qianxi nodded in satisfaction: "You are quite thoughtful, child."

After exchanging a few casual words, Emperor Qianxi suddenly stopped smiling and changed the subject:
"Your Highness, how do you think the court should handle Ge Li's death?"

Shen Ye's expression hardened.

Although Shen Ye benefited greatly from Ge Li's death, he also pondered the circumstances surrounding it carefully.

He even thought of the "assassination of Ma" in a parallel universe after Ge Li's death.

The person who was stabbed to death at that time was also the Governor-General of Liangjiang.

Moreover, the reason for the assassination also feels absurd.

Ultimately, however, both the imperial court and Empress Dowager Cixi accepted the outcome.

Neither the imperial court nor the Xiang Army in Jiangnan wanted to break off relations and start a war.

Although the current situation is different from that time, neither Emperor Qianxi nor the gentry in Jiangnan would likely want to start a war.

He hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Father, Ge Li's death is not simple."

"According to my estimation, if those rebel soldiers cannot be eliminated as soon as possible, someone will surely take the opportunity to stir up trouble."

"I even suspect that there are some suspicious circumstances surrounding Ge Li's death."

Emperor Qianxi nodded silently and said, "The death of a regional governor in such a violent manner is truly disheartening for the court and the people."

"Someone is deliberately testing the court's bottom line with this kind of thing. Their intentions are despicable and truly hateful!"

He paused, then looked sharply at Shen Ye:

"Recently, someone advised me that Jiangnan is a vital region, far superior to the Northwest, and that we should focus all our efforts on dealing with Jiangnan."

"As for the northwest, we can postpone the peace talks with Alabama."

"What is your opinion on this, Your Highness?"

Shen Ye's heart skipped a beat, and a look of seriousness flashed across his face.

Despite their bickering, he could not be ambiguous when it came to matters of national importance raised by Emperor Qianxi.

These people suggested abandoning the Northwest and focusing all efforts on dealing with the South. This sounded reasonable, but in the long run, it was a short-sighted approach that would ultimately trap the court in a huge pit.

Neither his status as the Crown Prince nor Shen Ye's conscience allowed him to pretend to be deaf and dumb at this moment.

He immediately said seriously, "Father! Although the banditry in Jiangnan seems urgent, it is not difficult to solve."

"Your subject believes that as long as we select good generals and send elite troops, it is only a matter of time before we wipe them out."

"But once the Northwest and the snowy region are abandoned, even if the imperial court expends ten times the current national strength, it may not be able to take back an inch of land!"

"Father, please reconsider! This proposal is absolutely unacceptable!"

Looking at the burning light in the Crown Prince's eyes, Emperor Qianxi suddenly felt...

This wretch can be truly infuriating when he's angry, but when it comes to serious matters, he never disappoints.

(End of this chapter)