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

Chapter 571 Bearing the Burden of Heaven and Earth with One Force

It's not safe at sea either!

Yu Chenglong's words were truly those of a mature and prudent person.

Because he knew all too well:
Those traitors in the Yangtze River Navy wouldn't dare to be so arrogant without some "big shot" backing them up.

It is because of these people secretly handing over the knife that the rebels have become increasingly unscrupulous and lawless!
Yu Chenglong dared to bet his official position on it:
As long as the Crown Prince dares to transport grain by sea, this news will surely leak faster than a sieve.

The rebels might even know exactly when the grain ships set sail and how much grain was on board.

By then, the grain ships might not even have set sail yet, and the entire plan would be ruined.

Even worse, who ended up eating this huge amount of food? It's hard to say; who knows who will benefit?
But the blame will definitely be firmly placed on the crown prince.

Therefore, as a supporter of the Crown Prince, Yu Chenglong had to stop him from doing this!
Looking at Yu Chenglong's serious expression, as if vowing to remonstrate to the death, Shen Ye stroked his chin, but still spoke with a smile:

"Lord Yu, I understand your intentions and know that you are doing this for my own good."

"But how will we know it won't work if we don't try transporting grain by sea?"

"If the imperial court really issues an edict to increase taxes, how many more families will be left without food this spring?"

"As the crown prince, I cannot bear to do it."

This didn't mean Jackie Chan would speak. Shen Ye's expression turned serious, and his voice deepened:

"Alright, my mind is made up, there's no need to persuade me anymore."

Yu Chenglong's lips moved, but he swallowed the words back. Sigh, his heart was truly twisted into a knot!
The Crown Prince's actions are incredibly risky; he might even lose his position as heir apparent.

But upon further reflection:
If the grain tax is really increased, wealthy families will naturally not feel any pain.

But those poor farmers probably won't even be able to keep the grain they've saved for seed. How will they survive next year?
On one side is the master's future, and on the other side are the lives of the people.

Yu Chenglong could only bow deeply and silently leave.

This old minister, who was known for his integrity, ultimately failed to persuade the crown prince in the slightest.

Shen Ye trusted Yu Chenglong implicitly and knew that Yu Chenglong genuinely cared about him.

But the chessboard is already set up, and you can't just play it safe when making moves.

His overall plan cannot be laid out at this time, not because he is unwilling, but because he cannot.

The more people who know, the greater the variables and the higher the risk of leaks.

He understood this principle better than anyone else.

In the imperial court, sometimes knowing less is a form of self-preservation.

As soon as Jackie Chan left, Shen Ye immediately spread out paper and ground ink, and began writing a letter to the Thirteenth Prince.

After writing and pondering for a moment, he called Zhou Bao over:
"This letter was sent out by a trusted confidant via the fastest possible courier."

"Remember this: it must be delivered to the thirteenth brother within five days."

Zhou Bao respectfully replied:
"Your Highness, please rest assured, this servant will make the arrangements immediately. We'll change the horses but not the riders, and travel day and night to ensure nothing goes wrong!"

As soon as Zhou Bao left, Shen Ye buried himself in writing memorials again.

I had only written half of it when it got dark outside.

Suddenly a gust of wind howled, sweeping away all the warmth of early spring.

Shen Ye's hand trembled, and the ink drop almost fell onto the paper.

He rubbed his hands together and continued writing.

Since we're worried about what the Emperor will do about it later, it's better to submit a memorial now and report it in advance!
At the same time, at Zhang Ying's residence.

Liu Shixun had been sitting there for quite a while.

He quietly shifted his numb legs, glancing at the person at the head of the table out of the corner of his eye.

From the moment he entered, Zhang Ying had a stern face, sitting there motionless, looking like an ice sculpture.

After a long wait, the servants brought the wine and dishes, and Liu Shixun forced a smile as he urged them to drink:

"Prime Minister Zhang, no matter how busy you are with state affairs, you still have to eat when it's time to eat!"

Zhang Ying raised her eyelids, her voice chilling:

"Sehun, I can't eat this. Can you eat it?"

How could Liu Shixun not see the veiled meaning in Zhang Ying's words?
Her smile widened even more as she personally took the tray, carefully arranging the dishes while gently offering words of encouragement:
"Prime Minister Zhang, things have come to this point, not eating won't solve the problem."

"We need to eat well to have the energy to deal with things, right? Let's eat first and then discuss things further!"

Zhang Ying's attendant, who was standing nearby, glanced gratefully at Liu Shixun and then tactfully withdrew.

Once the servant left, only the two of them remained in the room.

The two were silent for a while. Zhang Ying casually picked up her chopsticks, picked up only two pieces of green vegetables, and chewed them slowly.

Liu Shixun waited quietly to the side.

As the lights dimmed, Zhang Yingcai put down his chopsticks; the table full of dishes remained almost untouched.

Liu Shixun lowered his voice:
"Prime Minister Zhang, although that approach was unconventional and a bit too risky, it did indeed strike at the heart of the court's weakness."

"No matter what trouble the Crown Prince causes in the capital, the grain transported from Jiangnan will definitely not be able to be brought back in the short term."

"If the imperial court wants to stabilize the Jiangnan region, which is a vital source of revenue and grain, in the end, it will still have to rely on the efforts of our local gentry."

"Ge Li's death will not be mentioned, and officials and gentry will pay taxes together... These things will soon be forgotten."

Hearing Liu Shixun say this, Zhang Ying sighed deeply:
"I can see the immediate benefits, but what about the potential problems later?"

"After this incident, will His Majesty and the Crown Prince still trust Jiangnan in the future?"

"Even after this crisis passes, I'm afraid there will be a massive purge specifically targeting Jiangnan!"

"By then, it will be too late to say anything!"

Liu Shixun leaned closer:
"Prime Minister Zhang, even if His Majesty and the Crown Prince have grievances against Jiangnan, they cannot act on them in the short term."

"Your Majesty is past your prime and growing older. As time goes on, you will increasingly desire a stable and peaceful empire."

"As for the Crown Prince... if he can't even get the throne, what's there to worry about?" He lowered his voice further, his eyes gleaming.
"Moreover, isn't now a perfect opportunity? I've heard that the Crown Prince is firmly opposed to increasing the grain tax?"

Zhang Ying did not ask Liu Shixun where the information came from.

Given Liu Shixun's skills and network of connections, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find out this information.

It is even quite possible that someone in the imperial court specifically discussed this information with Liu Shixun.

Zhang Ying frowned: "The Crown Prince has his reasons for opposing it."

"You've never been a local official, so you don't know the difficulties ordinary people face during the lean season in the spring..."

Liu Shixun felt nothing; he even felt a little amused.

The hardships of ordinary people? What does that have to do with this rich young master?
Liu Shixun was concerned with matters of national importance!

But on the surface, he appears very serious.
"Your Highness, this is pure womanly compassion!"

"He didn't even consider that if the army's food supplies were insufficient, and a major defeat were to occur at the front, hundreds of thousands, even millions, would die!"

"Which is more important, the loss of life or the suffering of the people?"

"Why don't we... go with the flow and support the Crown Prince this time?"

"When supplies run out and the war is lost, what will His Majesty think when he returns to the capital? What will the court officials think?"

"They will only think that this was done on purpose by the Crown Prince, and that the Crown Prince's goal was to cause His Majesty's defeat and death."

"In fact, the Crown Prince's goal is probably to seize the throne in the capital at this critical juncture."

"As for temporarily losing some territory, what does that matter compared to ascending the throne as emperor?"

"After all, lost territory can be reclaimed through conquest in the future."

"However, the opportunity to ascend the throne and become emperor is one that cannot be missed and will not come again!"

Zhang Ying's face grew increasingly grim, while Liu Shixun became more and more animated in his speech.

Actually, he had already seen through Liu Shixun's intentions before Liu Shixun even tried to persuade him. But he couldn't make up his mind.

Upon hearing Liu Shixun's words, he calmly replied, "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent and will ascend the throne sooner or later."

"Prime Minister Zhang, you are well-versed in history, and the Crown Prince is also a man of great learning."

Liu Shixun immediately followed up, his tone resolute:

"Then you tell me, let's not even talk about starting from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, let's start from the Qin dynasty."

"Throughout history, how many crown princes under powerful and influential rulers have been able to smoothly inherit the throne?"

"Moreover, the more enlightened the emperor, the more likely his crown prince is to meet a tragic end!"

"Your Majesty always compares himself to Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang, but what became of the crown princes of Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang?"

"They were basically all killed!"

"How could the Crown Prince not be afraid? His so-called pity and compassion for the people are nothing but a convenient excuse."

"His real plans... I'm afraid he can't wait any longer!"

Zhang Ying remained silent. People's hearts are unfathomable; even in the imperial family, there is no true kinship.

He had now largely come to believe Liu Shixun's incisive argument.

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Ying finally spoke in a deep voice: "If we support the Crown Prince, then His Majesty's return..."

“Zhang Xiang,” Liu Shixun immediately interrupted Zhang Ying.

"We don't need to openly support the Crown Prince; we just need to be less adamant about opposing him."

"I believe that when the time comes, what His Majesty will see is what you, Prime Minister Zhang, once strongly opposed and tried your best to stop."

"Once this matter is accomplished, the entire Jiangnan region will remember Zhang Xiang's kindness in protecting his hometown."

Zhang Ying remained silent for a long time, looked at Liu Shixun, and slowly asked in return:

"Shixun, you've been working so hard for the people of Jiangnan, but what is it that you yourself are seeking?"

Liu Shixun smiled calmly:
"Shixun has no other wish than that the way of the sage can be restored to the land of Qi and Lu."

Zhang Ying stopped responding.

I neither agreed nor refused.

Meanwhile, Tong Guowei's residence was also brightly lit.

The Eighth Prince and Tong Guowei plotted in the study until the wee hours of the morning.

As he left, the Eighth Prince tried his best to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

His eyes sparkled with barely suppressed excitement.

Early the next morning.

As dawn broke, the area outside Yuqing Palace was already packed with people.

All the ministers of the Southern Study, as well as the officials of the Six Ministries and Nine Courts, were present.

Although it wasn't a grand court assembly, the atmosphere was even more solemn than at a grand court assembly.

Why is that?

The Southern Study has already added this thorny matter to its agenda.

The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue worked through the night to complete the plan.

Once the meeting has passed according to the agenda, it can begin to be implemented.

Because what we're going to discuss this time is really not a good thing.

As a result, all the ministers participating in this meeting had tense expressions, lest they let others see that something was wrong with their demeanor.

Amidst this silence, the gates of Yuqing Palace slowly opened.

　The second update of the day is here. It's almost the end of the month, please vote!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)