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

Chapter 552 Planting the Recruiting Flag Ensures There Will Be People to Eat the Food

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head!
A light spring rain finally drenched the parched land of Beijing.

In the fields all around, figures moved about, and things began to liven up.

After all, spring planting is something that can be delayed for a season, resulting in widespread starvation. Nobody can afford to delay it!
As the Crown Prince who oversees the country, Shen Ye's days are incredibly fulfilling.

He had to preside over the spring plowing ceremony, attend court sessions without fail, and still couldn't finish reviewing all the memorials even when his hands ached...

One thing after another kept him so busy he barely had time to breathe.

However, no matter how busy he was, there was one thing he always kept a close eye on: the governance of public security in the capital, which he personally promoted.

On this day, Shen Ye was sitting in the warm pavilion, flipping through the self-examination reports sent by the imperial clansmen.

As Shen Ye watched, he almost laughed out of anger.

These memorials were all so identical in content, as if they were printed from the same mold:

Following His Highness the Crown Prince's instruction, I have conducted a thorough self-examination and have been deeply saddened to discover that there are incredibly audacious and wicked servants in my household.

They used my name to commit wicked deeds...

I have severely punished the slave and corrected his mistake. I hope Your Highness will forgive him.

To put these words into simpler terms:
The pots and pans belong to the servants; I don't know anything about them, at most I just have bad eyesight.

Your Highness, if you were to accuse me of negligence because of this, I would be truly wronged.

Even more outrageous are those who don't even bother with the pretense, and are too lazy to even pretend to be polite.

For example, the Prince Qing's Mansion didn't even submit a self-examination report!
Shen Ye looked at him with a cold laugh: "Fine, so you won't shed tears until you see the coffin, or do you think this Crown Prince has too good a temper?"
The Prince Qing's Mansion has been domineering and arrogant for many years, relying on the prestige of its ancestors. There are countless scandals about them.

Want to investigate? Then you'll find out the answer almost instantly.
Just as I was pondering this, the chief eunuch Wei Zhu, like an old cat, tiptoed in to report:
"Your Highness, Second-Class Guard Nalan Zhu requests an audience."

"What about Lan Zhu?"

Shen Ye looked up from the memorial, momentarily unable to recall who this person was, and subconsciously glanced at Wei Zhu.

Wei Zhu spent half his life by the side of Emperor Qianxi, and the secrets he knew were more complete than the recipes in the imperial kitchen.

Seeing Shen Ye's puzzled expression, he immediately bent down even lower and whispered a reminder:
“Your Highness, Lan Zhu is the third brother of the current Prince Shuncheng. He is not particularly noticeable.”

The Prince of Shuncheng's family? Shen Ye raised an eyebrow, suddenly realizing:

This family was among the first to jump out and cheer for the Eighth Prince; they were the loudest and the most vocal.

The fact that Lan Zhu came at this time was most likely because he had heard the harsh words he had said when he was warning the imperial family, and now he was eyeing the title of Prince that his brother held.

Well, with the older brother "having" and the younger brother "attacking," this is going to be a good show.

"Let him in." Shen Ye picked up his teacup and blew away the foam.

A moment later, a middle-aged man in his forties knelt down respectfully.
"Second-class guard Nalan Zhu greets Your Highness!"

"Get up and talk." Shen Ye raised his hand to help you up, his tone very gentle. "What is it that made you come all this way?"

Lan Zhu got up, but his eyes were restless, darting around.

Shen Ye understood what he meant—inside and outside this warm pavilion, many eunuchs and palace maids were Emperor Qianxi's eyes and ears.

Send them all away?

His father, who is far away at the border, will probably receive an urgent report tonight and won't be able to sleep peacefully.

"Stop looking around, just say what you have to say, there are no outsiders here." Shen Ye had no intention of beating around the bush.

Lan Zhu gritted his teeth: "This servant...this servant has come to plead for justice!"

He knelt down again with a thud, his voice trembling with tears:
“I originally had seven brothers. The youngest brother was named Heleng. He was only eight years old when my father passed away and was raised by my eldest brother.”

"But less than a year later, they said he died of typhoid fever... My poor brother, his death was so mysterious!"

"It wasn't until just before the burial that Leng's personal maid secretly told this servant that his younger brother had never had typhoid fever; he was simply poisoned to death by his elder brother!"

"It's because my elder brother is afraid that when he grows up, he'll take a share of the family fortune..."

As Shen Ye listened, he sneered inwardly:
You're speaking so passionately right now, and your tears seem to come out of nowhere, like a switch has been turned on.

But you're not really trying to defend your own brother.
They clearly want to pull your brother off the throne of the Prince and put him in it themselves, right?

The abacus beads are practically falling right onto my face!
However... impure motives are not important, and unscrupulous methods are also acceptable.

Importantly, for Prince Shuncheng, fratricide was an unforgivable crime!
Moreover, Prince Shuncheng was a supporter of the Eighth Prince.

This is like a pillow being delivered to me just when I was about to doze off.

"Where's the evidence?" Shen Ye put down his teacup and asked slowly, his tone indifferent.

"We have the maid's testimony! It's in black and white, with her fingerprints on it."

"And... back then, to cover up this matter, my elder brother sent a generous gift to Prince Qing, who was in charge of the Imperial Clan Court at the time!"

Upon hearing that the matter involved the Prince Qing of the Imperial Clan from back then, Shen Ye's heart stirred.

He knew that Lan Zhu was referring to the previous generation's Prince Qing.

"Then Lan Zhu, so much time has passed, what use is a gift list now?"

Shen Ye said calmly, "Without solid evidence, a conviction cannot be made."

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Lan Zhu not only didn't panic, but her eyes lit up.

He quickly shuffled forward half a step and added in a low voice:
“Your Highness is wise! Other gift lists may be useless, but they include four estates in Tongzhou, which were originally properties of my Shuncheng Prince’s Mansion.”

"Not long after my brother died, these estates were transferred to the name of Prince Qing's mansion without anyone noticing."

“The government keeps records of land deeds, and this matter can be easily investigated. The evidence is irrefutable!” A barely perceptible smile flashed across Shen Ye’s eyes. He asked a few more questions before waving him away.

Lan Zhu was unwilling and wanted to express his loyalty again, but Shen Ye had already picked up his teacup.

Before leaving, Shen Ye seemed to suddenly remember something and casually mentioned:
"Rest assured, I never let honest people suffer."

With just that one casual remark, Lan Zhu was already so excited that her hands were trembling.

It was as if the prince's crown was already half-pressed on his own head; he retreated with profuse thanks.

After the person left, Wei Zhu muttered to herself, "Your Highness, that Lan Zhu... his intentions are not right."

Shen Ye smiled:
"It's perfectly normal for people to think about themselves."

"As long as he hands me the knife quickly and sharply, I don't care which hand he uses."

Just then, Zhou Bao, who was waiting outside, came in to report: "Your Highness, Lord Zhen Yan requests an audience."

Zhen Yan is Shen Ye's top lieutenant; she has both a clean reputation and skillful tactics.

Ever since that sensational and earth-shattering "Number One Memorial in the World," he has been wholeheartedly devoted to following the Crown Prince.

In his own words, following the Crown Prince might make you lose hair, but it's not easy to lose your head.

"Let him in."

Zhen Yan strode in, her steps both hurried and steady, and handed over a booklet:
"Your Highness, since the implementation of the public security reform, the Infantry Commander's Office and Shuntian Prefecture have solved more than 120 cases."

"These cases varied in scale, resulting in the arrest of over 140 local scoundrels..."

As Shen Ye listened, a slight smile had just appeared on her lips when Zhen Yan abruptly changed the subject:
"But recently, I have secretly investigated and found that these two places are starting to treat people differently based on their status, and are only picking on the weak."

"Thugs with no connections or powerful backers are caught quickly and ruthlessly; the interrogation process is faster than a galloping horse."

“Once it involves people of official rank, all sorts of investigations fail to uncover any evidence, and in the end, nothing comes of it.”

Shen Ye was not surprised at all.

Both Longkodo and the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture were shrewd and cunning individuals.
Each one of them is more adept at playing the game of tai chi than the last; who would want to offend the entire court of officials?

"If they want to smooth things over, just give them more solid support and push them forward. They won't be able to back out even if they want to."

"If you've already hit yourself with a brick, you have to jump up and down, right?"

Shen Ye picked up another memorial at random. "By the way, many people in the court have recommended Ma Qi to be the chief examiner for this year's imperial examination. What do you think?"

Zhen Yan's heart skipped a beat—Ma Qi was a staunch supporter of the Eighth Prince.

"In my opinion... Ma Qi is qualified, but there are still some shortcomings in certain aspects," Zhen Yan replied cautiously.

Shen Ye smiled: "Lord Zhen, your Fengqingqizheng Division should take action when the time is right."

"If someone doesn't want to work, help them stretch their muscles."

"If you don't want to continue after the event, then you'll never have to do it again."

Zhen Yan instantly understood: The Crown Prince was about to make a move against Ma Qi.

However, the Crown Prince had just taken action against the imperial clan, and now he was targeting a high-ranking official like Ma Qi.

He originally wanted to advise the Crown Prince whether it was too hasty to take action against Ma Qi at this time.
But he swallowed the words back; he had witnessed the Crown Prince's ruthless methods firsthand.

Ma Qi is certainly not someone to be trifled with, but is this Crown Prince someone to be trifled with as well?

"Your Majesty, I understand."

After Zhen Yan left, the warm pavilion became quiet.

Shen Ye looked out at the drizzle and gently tapped the edge of the table.

Some people want to fish in troubled waters, while others want to watch from the sidelines.

It's time to stir this water up a bit more.

Meanwhile, at Longkodo's residence.

These past few days, Longkodo has been living a very comfortable and carefree life.

Those arrogant nobles who used to look down on everyone now smile at him like sunflowers.

Gift-givers flocked to the door, invitations to banquets poured in, and people addressed each other as brothers... the flow of visitors was endless, and the atmosphere was very warm and friendly.

He knew perfectly well what these guys were after:

It's simply because they're afraid that the "security crackdown" knife in his hand might accidentally slip and end up on their own necks one day.

Since his father, Tong Guowei, had already instructed him to "show some leniency," he figured he might as well accept these favors that came his way.

But with each gift he received, he tossed and turned in bed one more time each night.

"I hope... we won't be discovered?" he reassured himself.

"The Crown Prince is still young, and the relationships in the capital are very complex and murky."

"The Crown Prince is busy with countless affairs of state; how could he possibly understand the intricacies of this matter..."

Thinking this, he touched the newly acquired Hetian jade pendant in his pocket. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and was a rare and fine piece of jade.

But for some reason, when I put it close to my heart, it always felt scalding hot, and I felt inexplicably uneasy.

Sigh, this job is both comfortable and hot to handle. The key is that I can't bear to throw it away, but my hands hurt when I hold it.

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(End of this chapter)