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

Chapter 557 We're not good at manipulating data, but we can build up numbers.
Although Emperor Qianxi was thousands of miles away in the northwest, the grand court assembly in the capital was not delayed and proceeded as scheduled.

This time, however, the one sitting on the throne presiding over the grand court assembly was not the emperor, but the crown prince who was in charge of the country.

With the Emperor absent, the only one truly in charge of this vast Forbidden City is none other than this gentleman.

Outside Taihe Gate, the sky was overcast, and lanterns were lit in twos and threes, barely providing any light.

The officials also huddled in twos and threes in a sheltered corner, some rubbing their hands and breathing on them to warm them up, while others closed their eyes to rest.

Some would secretly rummage through the memorials hidden in their sleeves; when something was on their mind, their hands would never be idle.

This is basically what the grand court assembly looked like during the reign of the Qianxi Emperor.
With Emperor Qianxi absent, the grand court assembly was even more like this.

Most of the time, it was Crown Prince Shen Ye who led everyone in bowing to the empty dragon throne.

Then, he sat down on the small chair under the Sumeru pedestal, and heard the eunuch shout in a long voice:
"If you have something to report, do so now; if not, the court may adjourn."

Under normal circumstances, the courtiers are quite "sensible".

They knew in their hearts that it would be pointless to present their memorials at the morning court session in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The Emperor can't hear it, and even if the Crown Prince could, it wouldn't count.

Why not pick a few things that have already been accomplished and talk about them, go through the motions in a down-to-earth manner, so that everyone can be happy?

It demonstrates diligence without causing any trouble, and everyone is happy.

To put it bluntly, the morning court session in the Hall of Supreme Harmony is a ritual to reassure people!

Tell everyone: the court is still functioning, and the monarch is still on the throne—even if he is only half a monarch.

"Brother Zhen, I've heard from several of my classmates that they're planning to make a fuss about the Dengwen Drum incident today!"

"Advising the Crown Prince to abolish the 'three-year retrospective investigation' rule would likely cause quite a stir."

Sun Jiacheng, who had just been promoted to the position of Director of the Shaanxi-Gansu Division of the Ministry of Revenue, crouched down and quietly slipped to Zhen Yan's side, whispering a message.

Zhen Yan also heard about this.

Yesterday he even mentioned it to the Crown Prince, and even tentatively advised him: Why don't we just cancel the court session today?

In Zhen Yan's opinion, it's not shameful to temporarily avoid the limelight when facing difficulties.

Although "absent from court" has a bad reputation, everyone eats grains and vegetables, and who doesn't get headaches and fevers sometimes?
Even a prince is a human being; a prince can also feel "uncomfortable"!

Which of these conditions—wind-cold constitution, weak constitution, or spleen and stomach disharmony—cannot be used?
Unfortunately, despite all the persuasion, the crown prince did not adopt the suggestion.

The person simply replied, "I know what I'm doing, don't worry."

Zhen Yan wondered to himself: The Crown Prince is so calm, could it be that the Emperor left a written edict?

However, even with an imperial edict, it might not be enough to control the situation...

He received information that someone was planning to go all out!

Zhen Yan glanced at Sun Jiacheng:
"I've heard that too. Some people are even prepared for a protracted war!"

“If the Crown Prince doesn’t agree, he will kneel in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and refuse to leave.”

Sun Jiacheng blinked his small eyes: "So what does the Crown Prince plan to do?"

"I don't know," Zhen Yan sighed. "Anyway, I'm ready to stand up and argue my case!"

"We can't just stand by and watch the Crown Prince face so many people all by himself, can we? Wouldn't that leave him all alone?"

Sun Jiacheng looked resolute:
"Brother Zhen is right! We can't let the Crown Prince fight alone. It's just that we... don't have enough people on our side."

Zhen Yan didn't reply, but just sighed again with a worried look on his face.

Just then, a loud sound suddenly came from the side:
"With His Majesty on a distant expedition, the court should be focusing on rest and recuperation, and on serving the people well, rather than engaging in reckless actions!"

"Wasn't the last emperor of the previous dynasty the one who incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people because he was too restless and disruptive?"

"We, your subjects, should prioritize the well-being of the nation and the imperial court!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a chorus of agreement immediately followed:
"To die for righteousness is the moment to shine!"

"The imperial court supports scholars so that in times of crisis, loyal ministers and filial sons will step forward!"

"Alas, although the Crown Prince is intelligent, his actions are truly unsettling..."

Compared to the lively scene around Zhen Yan and his group, the area where the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers of Taihe Gate were standing was eerily quiet.

This place is full of big shots.

In matters of court intrigue, the bigwigs always sit back and relax, leaving the actual fighting to their underlings.

If you win, you get all the credit; if you lose, someone else will take the blame.

However, at this moment, most people's eyes were intentionally or unintentionally drifting towards Tong Guowei.

No need for words; the meaning is all in their eyes.

"Clap-pop-pop-"

With three cracks of the whip, the Taihe Gate slowly opened.

The officials, who had been waiting impatiently, strode into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Because there were too many people attending the grand court assembly, only high-ranking officials of the third rank or above and princes and nobles were allowed to enter the hall.

Everyone stood still and followed the Crown Prince in bowing to the empty dragon throne on the Sumeru pedestal.

After that, Shen Ye sat down on his small chair.

The Ministry of Rites originally proposed that Tong Guowei lead the officials in performing the ritual of two kowtows and six prostrations to the Crown Prince, but Shen Ye rejected it with a wave of his hand.

Receiving court congratulations in the Hall of Supreme Harmony sounds impressive, but it's all just empty formality and doesn't offer any real benefit, so he doesn't care for it.

After the kowtows were completed with a thunderous roar, those who wanted to find fault still did. I'd rather spend that time taking a few strolls to relax and rejuvenate.

As soon as Shen Ye sat down, Tong Guowei quietly observed the Crown Prince's expression.

He knew in his heart that he wanted to use the grand court assembly to force the crown prince to make concessions, and the crown prince must have known about this for a long time.

There are no secrets in the palace.

The Crown Prince probably knows perfectly well who will be involved today.

But the Crown Prince looked completely calm... Could it be that he already had a plan? Otherwise, how could he be so composed?

"The Crown Prince Regent has decreed: If you have something to report, do so now; otherwise, the court may adjourn!"

Wei Zhu's high-pitched voice broke the silence in the hall.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone shouted, "Your subject, Censor Du Qihong, has a memorial to submit!"

A censor in his thirties, dressed in the robes of a sixth-rank official, strode into the hall carrying a memorial, his voice impassioned and passionate:
"Your Highness, recently a filial son beat the Dengwen Drum to plead for his father's innocence. His filial piety is truly touching!"

"While I am gratified that the court has such a filial son, there is something I must say, something that I cannot help but utter—"

"The imperial court's efforts to improve public order in the capital are a great thing!"

"But the Crown Prince's demand for a 'three-year retrospective investigation' allowed some lawless individuals to exploit the loophole and use it to harm people!"

"In my opinion, 'investigating back three years' is difficult to implement, as the time has passed and the evidence has long since dissipated."

"Secondly, it is easy for corrupt officials to take advantage of the situation and manipulate things—the tragic case of Shen Zhuowang's family is clear evidence of this!"

"Your Majesty, I implore you to prioritize the people's livelihood, abolish this harmful law, and prevent tragedies like Shen Zhuowang's from happening again!"

Du Qihong spoke with great intonation, and his ending was particularly emotional, which made many people nod in agreement.

Shen Ye listened and pondered:
Tong Guowei, that old fox, really put in the effort this time, choosing a pretty good opening contestant.

His speech was eloquent, logical, and well-supported, making him a first-rate debater!

Just as he was about to speak, someone else chimed in:

"Your subject, Cao Xiangda, a reader in the Hanlin Academy, second this proposal!"

"Your subject, Luo Xingyue, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, seconded this proposal!"

"I second that proposal!"

……

The voices of agreement rose and fell, and in the blink of an eye, forty or fifty people had emerged.

Some officials even stood outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, standing on tiptoe to call inside.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites shouted to maintain order, "Silence! Silence! What kind of behavior is this!"

The situation did get a little out of control at one point.

"Your Highness, I, Zhen Yan, have a memorial to present—I cannot agree with what Imperial Censor Du said!"

Amidst the commotion, Zhen Yan's voice suddenly rang out.

The words "I cannot agree" immediately silenced the hall.

Shen Ye looked at him: "Why does Minister Zhen disagree?"

"Your Highness, Your Excellencies, the restoration of order in the capital is imperative!"

"I have a set of data here that I would like to share with you all."

Zhen Yan held up the memorial, his voice steady:
"According to my statistics, last year alone, the Infantry Commander's Office and the Shuntian Prefecture handled more than three thousand cases of fighting, brawling, and oppression of the innocent."

"In addition, there have been more than 500 reported missing persons..."

As he rattled off the numbers, Infantry Commander Longkodo's face flushed slightly, and he cursed inwardly:

Zhen Yan, you sharp-tongued bastard!

If you keep babbling on and on, this isn't a public praise or commendation; it's just pointing out flaws!

"After a month of intensive crackdown, the number of similar cases has dropped from over 300 per month to just a few dozen!"

"And the numbers are still declining!"

"This operation has severely punished a number of corrupt officials and deterred some lawless criminals."

"Therefore, I believe that what Imperial Censor Du said is somewhat biased and incomplete!"

"He only saw the flaws in one case, but failed to see that the people of the capital were becoming more and more peaceful and prosperous recently."

"I firmly believe that if the reforms continue, Shuntian Prefecture will surely become the most virtuous place in the entire country!"

After Zhen Yan presented a series of well-reasoned and evidence-based data, the previously agitated court calmed down considerably.

Numbers don't lie, especially among the lower-level officials present, who could all sense that public security in Beijing was improving.

Some of the imperial censors on patrol felt this deeply and exchanged glances: Zhen Yan's words were indeed true.

But Chen Tingjing and the others were not alarmed:
They had anticipated that the Crown Prince would have supporters, and they also had a backup plan in case the Crown Prince was good at using data to speak for himself.

We're not good at playing with data, but we're experts at playing with numbers!

Sure enough, someone else immediately stepped forward:

"Your Highness, I, Qi Youguang, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, have a memorial to present."

"I can also feel the results that Lord Zhen mentioned."

"However, I believe that the governance promoted by the Crown Prince has achieved corresponding results and should be stopped at the right time."

"If we push this further, it might backfire!"

"The case of Shen Zhuowang's father is clear evidence of going too far, Your Highness!"

Then another one:
“Your Highness, ‘investigating back three years’ is too harsh and could easily be exploited by those with ulterior motives. It’s truly unsettling…”

"Your humble servant, Gou Yuanji, a senior official in the Ministry of Justice, believes..."

No matter how solid their data is, they can't overcome the opponent's superior numbers.

One, two, three...

In the blink of an eye, forty or fifty officials, both inside and outside the hall, loudly petitioned for its abolition, and the number continued to increase.

The bigwigs, including Tong Guowei, who stood below the imperial steps, remained calm and silent, as if none of this concerned them.

But in reality, they are the ones who orchestrated all of this.

They were waiting, waiting for the Crown Prince to have no choice but to back down amidst the unanimous pleas of the entire court!
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(End of this chapter)