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

Chapter 550 Crying at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Shall we go together?
Prince Shuncheng's face turned pale instantly!

Yes, it's true that titles can be inherited, but that doesn't mean you can sit on them forever!

If you commit a crime, and the imperial court takes it seriously, they can remove you from office in no time and have your brother take your place!
When the new prince becomes your brother, will this title still have anything to do with you?
Then my lineage will have to say goodbye to the royal family for good.

Without the title, they became "idle members of the royal family"!
The name sounds like a leisurely job, but the treatment is rather meager.

What kind of treatment do retired members of the imperial family receive?
The imperial court provides ten taels of silver a month for living expenses. What can that be enough for?
They can't even afford two pounds of decent tea!

Besides, most of his assets are registered under the name of the Prince's Mansion.

When that day comes, not only will I lose my status, but I'm afraid all my money will also disappear.

As for brothers...

Prince Shuncheng's heart tightened.

How could he not know how he treated his brothers?
No matter who becomes the new prince, they cannot get too close to him.

We're already being kind by not treating him like a thief, let alone expecting him to help us out? Absolutely not!

"Your Highness, this servant confesses his crime!"

"This...this is all because the servants in the manor are ignorant and act recklessly. It has nothing to do with me!"

Prince Shuncheng's voice was almost hoarse from shouting.

"This time, I was dragged here by Yarjianga. My true feelings are... I really didn't want to come!"

"I beg Your Highness to investigate this matter and give this servant a chance!"

Yarjianga, who was standing to the side, felt a pang in his heart.

He was actually thinking about how to plead for the old man, but good heavens, he was stabbed in the back the moment he turned around.

He actually said that he was dragged there by himself?
He was the one who shouted the loudest when he arrived, but now he's doing a great job of shifting the blame!
What kind of damn uncle are you? You think I'm some pushover you can just bully?
They're quite adept at shirking responsibility!
Yarjianga, after all, was someone who served Emperor Qianxi, so he still had some confidence.

He felt that even if the Crown Prince wanted to harm him, the Emperor could at least stop him.

But despite his thoughts, he himself had done his fair share of illicit gains, so it would be a lie to say he wasn't worried.

"Your Highness, please don't just listen to Prince Shuncheng's side of the story!"

Yarjianga, disregarding everything else, quickly said to Shen Ye:
"This time, everyone came to plead for Prince Yu voluntarily."

"This servant is merely working in the Imperial Clan Court, and it seems... that I've been a bit too proactive."

"How dare this servant coerce the Prince!"

Shen Ye waved his hand, expressionless: "Yarjiang, we'll talk about your matter later."

"Why haven't you invited Prince Shuncheng back to his residence yet?"

The imperial guards had already surrounded them, but they hadn't dared to move because Prince Shuncheng had spoken earlier.

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, they immediately stepped forward in unison.

First-class guard Yun Dai was polite, but his tone left no room for negotiation: "Your Highness, please, don't make things difficult for us servants."

"Your Highness! This servant will never dare to do it again! Please forgive this servant this time!" Prince Shuncheng's voice trembled.

He knew that once he left, it would all be over. Entering that palace again would be incredibly difficult.

His gaze darted hastily toward his companions, the princes, as he kept giving them meaningful glances.

What happened to our agreement that we'd share both glory and fortune?

Yarjan had just been stabbed, but he kept his mouth shut and pretended not to see it, remaining silent.

The others exchanged quick glances, then looked at the thick stack of memorials in the Crown Prince's hand, their hearts pounding with apprehension.
Who knows if any of my family's bad debts have been recorded?
If I step forward at this critical juncture, what if the Crown Prince also has evidence of my crimes and I get dragged down with him?
So, not a single person dared to utter a sound.

The group of people who were just a moment ago were now completely silent.

In the dead silence, Shen Ye gently waved his hand.

Prince Shuncheng was led away, howling in frustration, while the air inside Yuqing Palace grew colder and colder.

The group of royal family members looked at each other, none of them knowing what to do next.

At this moment, Shen Ye spoke again.

He looked at Yarjan, his tone very calm:

"I heard you were secretly plotting that if I didn't agree, you would go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and cry to your ancestors?"

Is there any truth to this?

Yarjan's mind went blank, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He had really been reckless this time.

The Crown Prince is really not afraid of offending all the members of the imperial clan; he even has plenty of dirt on them...

If I want to deal with someone, it's like child's play.
"Your Highness, we servants are utterly confused! We didn't understand the situation and thought the court had punished Prince Yu too severely..."

"Now that I hear what you've said, I realize how terribly wrong we servants were!"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness..."

Faced with the title, Yarjanah decisively chose to completely admit defeat.

The price of a stubborn resistance is something the Prince Jian's family cannot afford.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Yarjianga, His Majesty is kind and treats the royal family well. He does not want to hurt the feelings of his own people."

"But this kindness cannot violate the laws set by our ancestors."

“You are paid by the imperial court, but instead of serving the court, you spend your days bullying men and women and ruining the court’s reputation.”

"The hereditary succession granted by Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong is something we, their descendants, would certainly not dare to abolish."

"But a title is a title, and you are you!"

"What face does someone who has made a mistake have to call themselves an heir to a title?"

“But the title itself cannot be lost; there are plenty of people to inherit it!” “Yarjiang, take your title of Prince Jian for example. If something happens to you, your eight brothers can all inherit it.”

"If they're not clean either, then let your five uncles' descendants continue the inheritance."

At this point, he looked up at Yarjianga and asked, "How many cousins ​​do you have in total?"

Yarjiang's lips trembled slightly.

The Crown Prince's words were too blunt... but they sent chills down his spine.

The Emperor might protect him, but if the evidence is conclusive and the Crown Prince is determined to replace him, wouldn't the Emperor also feel...?

Wouldn't it be better to get a more obedient one?

There are plenty of candidates anyway.

"Your Highness, this servant... has twenty-one cousins ​​in total," Yarjianga replied, forcing a smile.

Shen Ye nodded: "I hope you don't become one of the twenty-one of Prince Jian's twenty-one cousins ​​in the future."

Yarjiang was sweating profusely.

Shen Ye stood up: "Didn't you all want to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay your respects, show your filial piety, and express your grievances?"

"Very well, I will grant your wish today. Let's go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple now!"

"Since we are here in front of our ancestors, I'd like to take this opportunity to give a detailed report on everyone's 'great achievements'!"

"Let our ancestors hear how capable and 'successful' you are."

After saying that, Shen Ye lifted his foot and walked out of the hall without hesitation.

The princes exchanged glances, their faces turning pale.

The Crown Prince has completely abandoned all pretense of civility!
Go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple? To listen to the Crown Prince list his crimes one by one in front of the ancestral tablets?

This isn't going to the Temple of Heaven to mourn; it's going to get struck by lightning!

Although they held the title of prince, they had no real power and could not stand tall.

If they really fall out with the Crown Prince, they will definitely be the ones who suffer.

Although they felt that neither the Qianxi Emperor nor the Crown Prince could possibly replace all of them, these princes.

However, one thing is certain:
It's too easy to pick a few of the most troublesome ones and make an example of them.

Prince Yu is the Emperor's own brother, so he might think twice before taking any action.

But Prince Shuncheng... although he was a member of the imperial clan, a hereditary prince.

However, his relationship with Emperor Qianxi had become quite distant, and things could change drastically at any moment.

If they continue to cause trouble with the Crown Prince, who knows who will end up being the scapegoat?

Just as everyone was on edge, the eunuch Zhou Bao came over to urge them: "Your Highnesses, don't keep the Crown Prince waiting."

These words made the atmosphere even more tense, and someone quickly pushed Yarjan:
"Prince Jian, quickly dissuade the Crown Prince! If he really enters the Imperial Ancestral Temple, we will lose face in front of our ancestors!"

Yarjan cursed inwardly:

Now you realize you've got me in the picture? Why didn't anyone say a word or speak up for me when that old bastard was shifting the blame?

He simply stated bluntly: "If you're going to offer advice, then let's all do it together! Otherwise, let's just leave it to fate!"

Who would willingly accept their fate? If the Crown Prince really takes it seriously, their own title might be in jeopardy.

"Hurry up! Don't actually make it to the entrance of the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

"Young Narsu interjected."

He's young, has few brothers, and hasn't done anything wrong, so there shouldn't be any dirt on him.

But now, startled by this display of force, he felt inexplicably guilty.

So the group of princes disregarded all decorum and scrambled to their knees before Shen Ye, pleading their mistakes in unison:
"Your Highness, we know we were wrong! We were foolish! Please give us a chance!"

"Yes, yes, I was just temporarily deceived. Your Highness, please be magnanimous and show mercy..."

"The Crown Prince's handling of Prince Yu was fair; there's really no need to disturb our ancestors!"

"When we get back, we will thoroughly investigate whether there are any illegal activities in our respective residences, and we will never bring shame to our ancestors!"

"Let's not go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple... lest we disturb the peace of our ancestors!"

Shen Ye looked at the group of people in front of him with a half-smile on his face, and after a long while, he slowly spoke:
"Since all the clan members feel that we should not disturb the peace of our ancestors, then we will postpone our visit for now."

"However, the memorials submitted by the Infantry Commander's Office contain quite a lot of information."

"I will not read them out one by one in public, so as to save face for everyone!"

"You have three days to return to your residences and conduct self-examinations, clearly stating whether you have violated the law, and submit your reports."

His voice deepened slightly: "I want to hear the truth. Only then can I plead for mercy before my father."

“If anyone tries to fool us—” he waved the stack of memorials, “then let’s wait for the Infantry Commander’s office to come and investigate.”

After saying that, Shen Ye turned around and went back to Yuqing Palace.

The palace gates were wide open, and Yarjianga and his group looked at each other, as if each of them had a hot potato in their hands, which they couldn't throw away, nor could they hold onto.

"Sigh, they're really just wasting their time! Why not just enjoy their lives instead of getting themselves into this mess..." a middle-aged member of the royal family muttered under his breath.

No one responded; everyone was worried: how exactly should we write this self-examination report?!
How can I write something that explains things without burying myself in the story?

After a while, someone sidled up to Yarjan, looking distressed, and said:
“Prince Jian, it was you who initiated this effort to seek justice for Prince Yu.”

"Tell me, how can we appease the Crown Prince?"

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(End of this chapter)