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

Chapter 566 With me here, there will be no chaos.

In the vast desert of Northwest China, the wind blows like a cold and harsh slap from a stepmother, scraping your face relentlessly.

The tents were densely packed together on the ground, looking from a distance like mushrooms growing out of the ground.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a massive, crowded mass of people.

As soon as it got a little dark, the soldiers gathered around campfires, eating their rations and chatting about the battle situation at the front.

Someone was spitting as they spoke: "The vanguard battalion is no pushover; they've already clashed with Arabtan's spies!"

"A few snaps—" the man gestured to his neck, "and brought back several bloody heads!"

Wrapped in cloth, that would truly be "bringing his head to meet us"! Several new recruits nearby turned pale and trembled with fear upon hearing this.

Although most of those who accompanied Emperor Qianxi on this expedition were veteran soldiers, many were still a little apprehensive about the prospect of risking their lives.

Someone in the corner muttered quietly, "After this battle, who can guarantee I'll even be able to go home unscathed to see my mother?"
An old soldier next to him kicked him, "What a coward! Stop your damn jinx! Even the King of Hell thinks you're too green!"

The atmosphere inside Emperor Qianxi's tent was far more somber than outside.

Several generals in gleaming armor stood on either side of the main tent. Every time Emperor Qianxi issued an order, someone would shout "I have the order!", lift the tent flap, and rush out without looking back.

Once the footsteps of the last general had faded into the distance, Emperor Qianxi finally stood up from the hard couch, secretly hunching his back and stretching out a deep yawn.

Ouch! He grimaced and gasped, his old back stiff and sore from sitting so long.

But can he complain about being tired? Of course not!
He was the emperor, and the spiritual pillar of the entire army.

Even if your back aches so much you want to collapse, you still have to put on an air of "I can fight for another ten years."

Otherwise, if morale collapses, the battle can be lost, and everyone might as well go home and grow sweet potatoes.

Liang Jiugong tiptoed in and handed over a bowl of hot tea.

Emperor Qianxi took the cup, sipped it, and asked casually, "Have any memorials been sent from the capital?"

"Your Majesty, we haven't arrived yet. We're almost at Lanzhou; even if the memorial were delivered as quickly as possible, it would still take a few days, wouldn't it?"

Emperor Qianxi nodded; he understood what Liang Jiugong meant.

However, he was genuinely somewhat distrustful of the imperial court.

Can the Crown Prince keep those old foxes in check?

I hope he doesn't make things worse in Jiangnan and mess things up for me, then I'll have to clean up his mess.
Furthermore, what if that rebellious Crown Prince takes advantage of my absence?
The further away from the capital, the more irritable Emperor Qianxi became, feeling like he was being scratched by a cat.

Only the constant stream of memorials coming and going gave him a little peace of mind:
At least this empire is still firmly in my grasp.

Seeing that Emperor Qianxi's face was so dark it could drip water, Liang Jiugong wanted to sneak out quietly to urge someone to send the memorial over as soon as possible.

At that critical moment, someone came from outside the tent to report: "Your Majesty, your subject Li Guangdi requests an audience."

Emperor Qianxi raised an eyelid, and Liang Jiugong quickly led Li Guangdi into the main tent.

This was quite a surprise:
Emperor Qianxi almost didn't recognize Li Guangdi, who was usually elegant and dignified and walked with a confident stride.

Li Guangdi's robe was covered in yellow sand, his hair ornament was askew to his ears, and his hair was flying freely in the wind.

When you're out fighting, who cares about their appearance?

Li Guangdi, carrying more than twenty memorials in his arms, bowed to Emperor Qianxi while panting, and said:
"Your Majesty, these are all memorials from the imperial court."

When Emperor Qianxi saw his expression, he almost couldn't help but laugh.

He waved his hand and said, "Guangdi, sit down and catch your breath. A memorial from the capital has arrived. Let's deal with it together."

"Liang Jiugong, serve tea to Grand Secretary Li."

Li Guangdi didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the cushion below Emperor Qianxi, then began reading the memorials with him.

Although he was supposed to be reviewing memorials, Li Guangdi knew that his task was simply to help His Majesty identify the key points within them.

Ultimately, the decision rests with the Emperor.

But as he watched, Li Guangdi's expression began to look strange.

The document in his hand was a memorial submitted by an imperial censor of the Censorate against the Crown Prince.
They said the crown prince was autocratic and bullied veteran officials.

At the grand court assembly, the ministers submitted a memorial detailing the dangers of retrospectively investigating public security issues over a period of three years, prompting the Crown Prince to retract his order.

However, the Crown Prince seized on Ma Qi's failure to properly discipline his son and promptly gave Ma Qi a leave of absence to go home and take care of his child.

That's not all; they also abruptly cut off Zhang Ying's son's path to immortality.
As Li Guangdi watched, he secretly regretted following Emperor Qianxi on the expedition.

While I was away from the capital, has the Crown Prince been putting on a grand show?

The court is so fascinating, how could it be complete without him?
It's such a pity he's not here! What a huge loss!

Just as he was wondering about the Crown Prince's purpose in doing this, he saw the Crown Prince's decision to agree to suspend the investigation for three years, but also to establish the Listening to the Wind Group.

The censor angrily denounced this as a corrupt practice from the time of the female emperor, saying it would surely cause widespread panic.

Your Majesty, please have the Crown Prince retract his decree, otherwise…

Li Guangdi thought to himself: This move is quite interesting.

At this moment, Emperor Qianxi suddenly handed over a memorial: "Guangdi, take a look at this!"

It was actually a memorial written by the Crown Prince himself.

In the Crown Prince's memorial, he also wrote about the grand court assembly and the decisions he had made.

At the same time, the reasons for establishing the Listening Group were clearly stated:

Why do civil and military officials dare to act recklessly? It's because they feel no one will bring up past grievances!
The Listening Group listens but doesn't act, doesn't interfere with government affairs, and specializes in dealing with all kinds of dissent, simply making civil and military officials think twice before acting. Not only are there gods watching over us, but the Listening Group is also keeping an eye on us.

After reading the memorial, Li Guangdi secretly gave it a thumbs up:

Whether it's managing the security of the capital or this Listening Group, the Crown Prince's actions are always aboveboard schemes, leaving people with no leverage and a chill down their spines.

Absolutely brilliant!

"What do you think of this Listening Wind Group?" Emperor Qianxi asked slowly after Li Guangdi finished reading the memorial.

Li Guangdi quickly considered his options and answered cautiously:

"Your Majesty, I think the Crown Prince's idea is very creative."

"If used properly, it will definitely yield remarkable results."

“In the future, the imperial court’s control over local areas will definitely be strengthened, and county officials will not dare to be too presumptuous.”

Emperor Qianxi nodded slightly, then suddenly sighed:

"We've only been out for a short time, and the Crown Prince has already come up with so many tricks."

"The regent is a good candidate, but he has too strong a temper and is a bit too harsh on the old ministers."

"If this continues, it will easily lead to a rift between the ruler and his ministers!"

Li Guangdi outwardly agreed, but inwardly he thought to himself:

If the Crown Prince gets along well with Tong Guowei and his gang of old foxes, how can Your Majesty sleep soundly at night?
I bet he'd have to sit up in the middle of the night, yell at his unfilial son, to vent his anger.

However, he could only keep these thoughts to himself and not utter a single word; he could only silently lower his head and drink his tea.

Then, when Emperor Qianxi saw that the Crown Prince had actually invited Marta and others who had abdicated many years ago to serve as the leaders of the Listening Wind Group, he couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Marta was a long-serving minister whom he had employed for many years. When he began to heavily rely on people like Songgotu, Marta had already started to act arrogantly due to his seniority.

He really disliked Marta's behavior, so he made up an excuse to send him away to retire.

Unexpectedly, Marta was picked up by the prince, which can be considered a way to make use of waste.

Brilliant! Now Tong Guowei is in trouble!
Just then, Emperor Qianxi stood up, took two steps, and said quietly:

"Now that the Crown Prince is capable of governing the country, shouldn't I take a break?"

A chill ran down Li Guangdi's spine: Good heavens, another death trap question!

He straightened his back instantly and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, although the Crown Prince has made rapid progress, he is still far behind Your Majesty!"

"In my humble opinion, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; Your Majesty must personally steer the process to ensure the long-term stability of the court."

"The Crown Prince still needs your guidance to take charge of the country."

Emperor Qianxi glanced at him with a half-smile, but didn't reply.

Li Guangdi appeared calm and composed, but secretly rubbed his palms against his robe. Good heavens, his forehead was covered in cold sweat again.

The wind outside the tent was still blowing intermittently, and the candle inside was almost burned to the bottom.

The flames flickered, casting shadows on people's faces.

Li Guangdi sipped his nearly tasteless tea, thinking to himself, "Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger; it's not a job for a human being!"
Just as he was thinking this, Emperor Qianxi suddenly slammed the memorial shut, startling him so much that his hand trembled and he almost spilled tea on his robe.

"Bare land," the emperor's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unyielding force:

"Draft an edict for the Crown Prince, instructing him to keep a close eye on Jiangnan—if that place falls into chaos, I will hold him accountable later."

Li Guangdi quickly put down his teacup and straightened his back: "Yes, yes..."

"Give Cen Youguang another dish," Emperor Qianxi tapped his fingers on the table.

"Tell him to take it easy, but don't drag it out. That mess in Jiangnan needs to be dealt with swiftly!"

"Your subject understands," Li Guangdi replied, inwardly sweating for Cen Youguang.

This job is definitely like picking chestnuts out of a fire.

While Emperor Qianxi was busy fighting and reviewing memorials, Marta, leading a group of four retired officials known as the "Listening to the Wind Group," had already swaggered into the Dali Temple in Beijing.

Meanwhile, old man Marta himself was directly in charge of the Infantry Commander's Office.

Upon hearing this news, Longkodo's head buzzed, and he almost fainted on the spot.

The old man was all smiles, saying to everyone he met, "I'm just here to listen, it's nothing."

But the moment he sat down there, the atmosphere in the entire yamen seemed to freeze over.

Today we need to retrieve the case files; tomorrow we need to inquire about old cases.

Longkodo smiled and agreed, then turned and went inside to rub his temples.

This isn't "listening to the wind," it's clearly "the wind blowing," making him dizzy and disoriented!
Everyone in the Infantry Commander's office was on edge, walking on tiptoe and only daring to mouth their words.

Unexpectedly, the first place to have trouble wasn't here, but rather the Dali Temple—

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review accused members of the Listening Wind Group of asking him for money.

Good heavens, once this happened, the imperial court was thrown into chaos, like water being poured into a pot of hot oil!

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(End of this chapter)