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

Chapter 563 Pressing In Step by Step, Hello Xiao Tong

The spring chill was still in the air, and it was quite cold outside, but the floor heating inside Yuqing Palace was burning with an intense, fiery heat.

Shen Ye, as his master, certainly didn't care about the small amount of money spent on charcoal.

As for the officials of the Imperial Household Department, they were all extremely good at reading people's expressions. Right now, they were as afraid of their superior as mice seeing a cat, and they were serving him with all their might, afraid that they might not serve him well in any way.

If you accidentally end up with a huge black pot on your head, that would be a real problem!
At this moment, Shen Ye was sitting in the study of Yuqing Palace, holding a letter in his hand.

No, this isn't a letter, it's practically a "performance report"!
The letter was sent by the thirteenth prince from the Qingqiu Kingdom by express courier.

The Thirteenth Prince had only been there for a month, but his report was truly inspiring: though the time was short, the achievements were remarkable!

Putting everything else aside, there are already more than a dozen groups of pirates who have taken the initiative to make contact.

Surprisingly, the legendary figure who roams the world is also here—Cheng Hai!
Who is Cheng Hai? He is the son of a former naval admiral.

After the previous dynasty fell, he followed his father to rule the seas. At the height of his military power, he could command as many as 100,000 pirates with a single order.

The black command flag of the Cheng family was more effective than imperial edicts across the land.

After all, the imperial court had virtually no navy at that time, and was practically useless in that respect.

However, the thirteenth prince also mentioned in his letter that the Cheng family's life is not as comfortable as it used to be.

Once the imperial court imposed a maritime ban, he couldn't keep up with the replenishment of his manpower.

Western warships would also come from time to time to encroach on the territory and compress the Cheng family's living space;

Even their old allies from the small world have collapsed and perished one after another...

For various reasons, this maritime tyrant also began to decline.

Therefore, as soon as the Crown Prince's order to recruit them arrived, the Cheng family was immediately tempted.

Before the thirteenth prince even arrived in Qingqiu, the Cheng family had already sent people to wait eagerly on the shore.

However, during the negotiations with the thirteenth prince, the Cheng family became hesitant: they were willing to submit to the court, but they wanted to "obey orders but not summons";
Furthermore, the islands they occupy should also belong to them.

In short, it boils down to this: I want all the benefits, but I don't want to pay the price.

In his letter, the thirteenth prince, both amused and exasperated, cursed the Cheng family: "They're just trying to get something for nothing!"
Besides the Cheng family, a major player, the Thirteenth Prince also reported that many small groups of pirates were quite willing to submit, with low demands, except for their poor equipment.

However, he was not idle. He recruited fishermen and incorporated small pirates, and had already built a "naval army" of more than 3,000 people with more than 100 small boats.

Seeing this, Shen Ye smiled with satisfaction.

He didn't take his thirteenth brother's complaints to heart at all; on the contrary, he felt that the progress was going much more smoothly than he had imagined!
Take the Cheng family for example. In Shen Ye's view, all their conditions of "obeying orders but not proclamations" can now be agreed to.

They weren't your subordinates to begin with, but now they're giving you free tribute and are even willing to nominally submit to you. What's there to complain about?
Furthermore, providing them with appropriate support would not only develop our naval power but also allow us to use them against Western warships, achieving two goals at once.

Given enough time, once our own navy has grown stronger, controlling these pirates will be a piece of cake.
and also……

Shen Ye was pondering how to reply when his gaze swept to the end of the letter, and he noticed that the Thirteenth Prince had mentioned something else:

The notorious bandit "Old Sea Serpent," who once breached Songjiang City and committed a grave offense against the Emperor, has also sent men over.

The old sea serpent is getting old and is finding it increasingly difficult to lead his men. Fearing retribution from his enemies, he asks not for any reward, but only for the court to pardon his entire family.

He was willing to hand over all ten thousand pirates under his command to the imperial court in exchange for a peaceful old age.

The thirteenth prince dared not make a decision on this matter on his own.

After all, the old sea serpent had broken through Songjiang back then, which was a thorn in the side of Emperor Qianxi, and the powerful families in Songjiang also hated him to the bone.

But from between the lines, Shen Ye could tell that his thirteenth brother was extremely envious of those ten thousand pirates.

Shen Ye frowned slightly, then picked up her pen and began to reply:
Go for it! We should agree to the kind of favorable and cost-effective conditions offered by the Cheng family.

Of course, you should try your best to negotiate if you can get a better deal.

In the letter, he also joked: "If it's not ours, we might as well take it. Let's claim the title first!"
After writing the reply, Shen Ye felt much better.

Just as he picked up another memorial, he heard footsteps: Shi Jingrong, supported by several palace maids, carefully moved in.

Seeing how hard she was struggling to walk, Shen Ye quickly got up to greet her, her tone tinged with reproach:
"Didn't I tell you to get some rest? Why did you come here again?"

Shi Jingrong smiled and said, "I felt stuffy inside, so I came out for a walk."

She glanced at the memorials on the table and gently advised, "Your Highness, there are too many memorials to read. You should rest."

Shen Ye helped her sit down and said with a smile, "I won't read all of these documents; I'll just flip through the important ones."

After exchanging a few words, Shi Jingrong spoke softly:
"Today, my mother sent some plums that had just arrived from Jiangnan. They taste quite good."

"The servant who delivered the plums casually mentioned that the imperial court had issued an edict ordering my great-uncle to return to public life and take charge of the Listening Wind Group..."

"They even said this was arranged by the Crown Prince. Is that true?"

There was a hint of unease in her eyes, but Shen Ye smiled calmly: "That's right, it was my arrangement."

"I'm planning to send a few intelligence gathering teams down to inspect the local areas. With Father Emperor away from the capital, we can't let people get too complacent." "To keep those high-ranking officials in check, we need to send people with comparable seniority. Your great-uncle may be old, but he's in excellent health."

"Besides, Tingfeng is just handling business in the capital, so he won't be too tired."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jingrong was immediately relieved. She and the Crown Prince were one, sharing weal and woe, so she naturally understood that the Crown Prince would not betray her.

After hesitating for a moment, she softly reminded him, "Your Highness, everything you've done is naturally for His Majesty and for the court."

"However, His Majesty is currently far away in the Northwest, and it's inevitable that some unscrupulous people will like to stir up trouble..."

"There are some things you should be cautious about. Report to His Majesty more often, whether there is a problem or not."

Shen Ye knew what she meant and nodded: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Also, the person in charge of the Listening Team recruited this time is not only your great-uncle, but also Marta. You don't need to worry about anyone gossiping or spreading rumors."

"Martha?" A hint of surprise flashed across Shi Jingrong's face, then she smiled.

Although she had never met this old minister who had once fought to a standstill with Songgotu, she had heard of his seniority.

Even Tong Guowei today worked under him in his early years.

However, he was later arranged by Emperor Qianxi to retire to his hometown, and his position was replaced by Tong Guowei.

The Crown Prince invited him back to be the head of the Listening Team at this time, wouldn't that be...

Seeing her knowing smile, Shen Ye knew he couldn't hide anything from her, so he didn't try to conceal it and said with a smile:
"I can't always let others annoy me; I have to disgust those who deserve it sometimes."

Shi Jingrong smiled and said, "Your Highness is absolutely right."

As the two of them were talking, Tong Guowei's expression was not very good in the South Study.

At that moment, an elderly man with white hair and beard, yet full of vigor, was slowly walking towards him.

Standing around Tong Guowei were several people: several staff members of the Southern Study, as well as the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince.

The group was drinking tea and discussing matters when they were interrupted by this uninvited guest.

Upon seeing that familiar figure, Tong Guowei's expression immediately changed!
Before he could even decide how to greet them, the old man had already cupped his hands towards the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince, saying, "This old minister, Marta, greets the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince!"

Marta was not only a senior scholar, but she had also taught in the Imperial Study and was the first teacher of many princes.

The Third Prince and the Eighth Prince exchanged a quick glance and hurriedly stood up, saying, "Teacher Marta, there's no need for such formalities. How have you been doing?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highnesses. This old minister is still in good health. Although I can no longer handle major matters, I can still help the court with some minor tasks and hold on for a few more years."

As Marta spoke, her gaze fell on Tong Guowei.

Tong Guowei also looked at him, his eyes carrying a condescending air.

Although Marta was once Tong Guowei's superior, that was all ancient history.

Now, Tong Guowei is the Grand Secretary!

Their eyes met for a moment, then Marta suddenly spoke slowly:
"Little Tong, how have you been?"

Tong Guowei's face froze instantly.

He really wanted to scold this old guy for being so unruly and lacking any sense of propriety!
Who is Tong Guowei? He is the Grand Secretary and the First Grand Secretary of the current dynasty!
However, just as his anger reached his throat, he forcefully suppressed it.

There was no way I could resist, after all, Marta is such a senior figure!

Back then, he and his father served in the same court, and he even worked under his father when he first entered officialdom.

Although this old man was only seven or eight years older than him, his way of calling him "Little Tong" was impeccable.

This is pure abuse of seniority!
The Crown Prince is truly despicable! Where did he dig this old relic out of?!
Tong Guowei took a deep breath, trying hard to remain calm, and forced a smile as he said:

"Lady Marta, it's been a long time. I thought you were planning to retire at home, but I didn't expect you to still be willing to come out and work."

"Truly...you're still going strong for your age!"

Tong Guowei's words were actually a barbed tongue, subtly mocking the other party for being so old yet still stirring up trouble and causing chaos, truly a disgraceful person.

Marta could easily understand the hidden meaning in Tong Guowei's words.

Marta has no intention of indulging him!
He chuckled and said:

“Little Tong, if it weren’t for the Crown Prince’s belief that His Majesty needs veteran ministers to oversee the court during his expedition, I wouldn’t be out here working at my age.”

"You... still lack some experience."

“Back then, I felt you lacked experience and I didn’t trust you much.”

"I can't believe that after all these years, you've stayed in the same place and haven't made any progress. You still have the same problem!"

Hearing this old man bossing him around in such an arrogant manner, Tong Guowei's eyelids twitched with anger, and he simply shut his mouth and remained silent.

　The second update for today is here! Dear readers, please support me, please vote, please give me everything!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)