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

Chapter 572 I am the Regent, and I Decide the Rules
As soon as Shen Ye sat down in the main hall of Yuqing Palace, good heavens, the air in the entire palace seemed to freeze, and it was incredibly solemn!
In the past, although no one dared to laugh and joke around during meetings, everyone was at least relatively relaxed.

After all, no matter how big those things are, they can't shake the foundation of the country.

But this time it's different!

The warships of the river-controlling navy were burned to the ground.

The rebels' warships were positioned directly across the Yangtze River, cutting off the north and south.

The grain shipments can't get through!
This situation is extremely worrying, directly threatening the food supply for Emperor Qianxi's western expeditionary army.

To put it bluntly, if things go wrong, it's hard to say whether the Emperor will be able to return unscathed...

"Your subject Chen Tingjing hereby impeaches Governor-General Cen Youguang of Liangjiang for his incompetence and shirking of his duties, which has led to a catastrophic disaster, the closure of the Yangtze River, and the paralysis of the grain transport!"

“Cen Youguang’s crimes are such that not killing him would not appease public anger, would not uphold the order of the court, would not…”

Chen Tingjing was the first to jump out, his voice as sharp as a knife.

Judging from his aggressive demeanor, he seemed eager to drag Cen Youguang out of the memorials and behead him.

Shen Ye looked at his excited expression, her face as calm as a deep pool of water.

It's perfectly normal for Cen Youguang to be targeted and attacked by the masses!
Regardless, this time the warships of the Kongjiang Navy were burned on his territory.

He can't get rid of this mess, even if he dies.

After Chen Tingjing finished speaking, Shen Ye's gaze slowly shifted and landed on Tong Guowei:
"Prime Minister Tong, what is your opinion on Lord Chen's memorial?"

Tong Guowei stroked his chin and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, in my opinion, Cen Youguang is indeed guilty of a crime."

"As the Governor-General of Liangjiang, he not only failed to stabilize the situation, but also allowed it to deteriorate further!"

"It rotted to the point that the north and south were separated and the canal transport came to a standstill; it was an utterly heinous crime!"

Shen Ye nodded, then looked at Zhang Ying: "Grand Scholar Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Ying hesitated for a moment before saying:
“Your Highness, although Cen Youguang has only been in office for a short time, the disruption of the Grand Canal has caused such a great loss to the court. If he is not punished…”

"I'm afraid the officials won't accept this!"

After listening to these people's speeches, Shen Ye remained calm.

He glanced at the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince who were watching the show, and finally fixed his gaze on Zou Yunjin, the Minister of Personnel.

"Lord Zou, what is the opinion of your Ministry of Personnel?"

Although Zou Yunjin was not a Grand Secretary, he was a confidant of Emperor Qianxi.

When he was called upon, he paused before speaking:
“Your Highness, I believe that although Cen Youguang is guilty, he has only been in Liangjiang for a short time.”

"Therefore, it is understandable that the situation could not be controlled for the time being."

"I think it would be better to let him atone for his crimes by setting a deadline for him to suppress the rebels and restore the canal transport."

Zou Yunjin and Cen Youguang were both Jinshi graduates from the same cohort, and they had a good relationship.

At this critical juncture, not only should we not kick someone when they're down, but we also need to find a way to help our old friend.

Shen Ye remained silent, then looked at Minister of War Nuomin:
"Nuomin, does your Ministry of War have any way to reopen this canal as soon as possible?"

Nuomin was originally planning to follow behind Tong Xiang and shout for Cen Youguang to fight and kill him, and she had rolled the words in her mind several times.

Unexpectedly, the crown prince abruptly changed the subject and asked about a solution, causing his face to turn pale instantly.
I said, Your Highness, please wait a moment. You've taken this abrupt turn. I haven't even figured out how to say this yet.

As the Minister of War, how could he not know the situation of the Green Standard Army in various places?
The troops in the two rivers have been almost entirely withdrawn, and now there isn't a single decent boat on the river; it looks incredibly clean from afar.

Restoring the Yangtze River canal transport system would take at least a few months.

But could he tell the truth and say "it will take several months"? Wouldn't that just be making things difficult for himself?

Moreover, the Crown Prince's question was clearly meant to ask: Can you handle those river bandits?

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice! What can I do?
We can't just go up the mountain to cut down trees and learn how to build a ship on the spot, can we?
Nuomin forced herself to speak, stammering as she tried:
"Your Highness, the naval fleet controlling the river has been completely destroyed. If we want to restore the canal transport as soon as possible, I'm afraid... I'm afraid we need to build ships as soon as possible."

After saying that, I felt a little guilty.

Isn't that obvious? It's just like how you have to eat when you're hungry!
Shen Ye sneered:
"Shipbuilding? Nomin, do you think shipbuilding is like sculpting clay figures, where you just dig up a lump of clay and start building?"

Nuomin was left speechless by the rebuttal.

Shen Ye then turned to Chen Tingjing: "Lord Chen, you have a lot of ideas, do you have a solution?"

Chen Tingjing felt a little smug:

Hmph, restoring the canal transport is easy, isn't it? It's just a matter of me saying a word!

But could he really say that? Of course not!

His eyes darted around, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"Your Highness, I've been thinking that the Governor of Sichuan, He Youdao, is quite the expert, particularly skilled in naval warfare."

"If we transfer him to Liangjiang, he will surely be able to quell the rebellion and restore the canal transport!"

Chen Tingjing was the Left Censor-in-Chief, whose job was to impeach officials.

As for the recommender?
He wasn't guilty at all—he knew the details of those rebels very well, and if his own people went, it would be an easy task to take them down.
He can win whenever he wants; it's just a matter of him giving him a word.

Therefore, he felt no pressure when recommending his own people.

To everyone's surprise, Shen Ye didn't take the bait at all. He simply said "Oh" and slowly continued:
"He Youdao? I don't know him."

"But it would take a month just to travel from Sichuan to Liangjiang."

“Once we get there, it will take another month or so to familiarize ourselves with the situation. In the blink of an eye, two months will be gone.” “Moreover, before Father Emperor left the capital, he decreed that the appointment of officials of the third rank and above must be approved by His Majesty.”

"If we ask for instructions again, three months will have passed."

"Lord Chen, these three months have passed... I'm afraid the opportunity has already passed by."

At this point, Shen Ye's gaze swept over Tong Guowei and the others, his voice low but resolute:

"My father said that it's better to make mistakes than to achieve merit. Let's do it this way: issue an edict to Cen Youguang—let him atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service!"

"If he can reopen the Yangtze River waterway within a month, his merits will outweigh his faults, and I will pardon him."

"If the connection is made within two months, the official will be demoted three ranks, and no further punishment will be imposed."

"If we can get it done within three months... then let him go back to his hometown and grow sweet potatoes!"

Tong Guowei and Zhang Ying exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Although Zhang Ying and the others were unwilling, the Crown Prince had spoken to this extent, even bringing up the Emperor; what could they say?
Moreover, the people they recommend can't guarantee they can secure the Yangtze River deal within a month.

Besides, they didn't necessarily want Cen Youguang dead; it was the matter of the additional grain levy that followed...

"Your Highness," Tong Guowei spoke again, his tone heavy:

"With the canal transport cut off, it will be difficult to transport grain from Jiangnan to the north. Right now, His Majesty's military rations and the expenses of the capital will be in trouble."

"To avoid any worries for Your Majesty, we believe that an additional four million shi of grain should be levied on the north bank of the Yangtze River so that the court can weather this crisis."

He was the Grand Secretary and the Chief Grand Secretary; this statement represented the collective opinion of the Southern Study.

Shen Ye tapped the table lightly with his fingers, then asked calmly:
"Does Prime Minister Tong know how many people will not survive this spring if this additional four million shi of grain is levied?"

Tong Guowei straightened his back, met Shen Ye's gaze, and paused for a moment before speaking:
"Your Highness, I understand. But if we don't increase the tax, Your Majesty and the western expeditionary army will truly run out of food!"

"At that time... that will be the real catastrophe!"

"I believe that even if Your Majesty were in court, you would approve of doing this!"

Shen Ye turned his gaze to Zhang Ying: "What does Grand Scholar Zhang think?"

Zhang Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, what Prime Minister Tong said is exactly the consensus of the Southern Study."

"Warfare hinges on supplies and provisions. Your Majesty is far away in the Northwest. If supplies run out, the entire empire will be in danger, and Your Majesty will be in danger as well!"

"Your Highness, please consider the well-being of the nation and His Majesty, and make a decision as soon as possible!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke: "It is a good thing that the Crown Prince is benevolent, but... I am afraid that His Majesty cannot wait!"

Seeing Zhang Ying's expression that said, "I'm doing all this for your father's sake," Shen Ye remained silent for a moment before saying:
"What you two say makes sense. But what if the additional taxation incites a popular uprising? How should we deal with that?"

"Your Highness, the popular uprising is merely your speculation; it has not yet occurred!"

Tong Guowei's tone was resolute, and his face even revealed a hint of ruthlessness:
"If this happens, the imperial court will send a large army to suppress it quickly."

"With the power of the imperial court, are we afraid we can't suppress a few groups of rebels? We can handle it perfectly well!"

Shen Ye remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Taxation should be a last resort; we should avoid using it if possible."

"Yesterday I read the report from the Grand Canal Administration. Currently, the grain is mainly stored in the Suzhou-Hangzhou and Songjiang areas."

“As long as the cargo ships are transported across the Yangtze River, even if the rebels control the Yangtze River waterway, they will not be able to stop the cargo ships from going north.”

He said seriously, "It's only a few hundred miles from Songjiang to Yangzhou."

"If it's by sea, with a favorable wind, it can be delivered in a few days."

"We can have Cen Youguang mobilize coastal fishing boats to transport grain by sea."

"The rebels were not large and were not very familiar with the sea."

"If we act quickly, we might be able to solve the problem in half a month!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Ying jumped out:

"Your Highness, you mustn't! I've seen the sea before; the winds are strong and the waves are high, it's easy for a ship to capsize!"

“Fishing boats have a small and slow transport capacity, and this matter is easily detected by the rebels—I believe that it would be more prudent to impose additional taxes!”

Chen Tingjing chimed in, his voice urgent: "I second that! The sea is too dangerous, it's not appropriate!"

"Your Majesty, I also think this is inappropriate!" This time, it was the Eighth Prince who stepped forward, his face solemn.
"Father and his hundreds of thousands of troops are currently facing a food shortage!"

"Although the Crown Prince is kind-hearted, he should prioritize the safety of his father and the well-being of the nation!"

The Third Prince glanced at the Eighth Prince and stepped forward as well:
"Your Highness, I agree with Eighth Brother."

"Father's expedition to Arabtan is at a critical moment. If we risk our lives at sea and delay our supplies, it may jeopardize our military plans!"

Shen Ye looked at the group of people in front of him who were all opposing him, and sighed silently in his heart.

He knew that going with the flow was the safest option at the moment, and no one could find fault with him.

But he knew even better that once this decision was made, it would involve the lives and deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

Those in positions of power should naturally seek advantage and avoid harm.

But as someone who transmigrated, he simply couldn't be as cold-blooded and ruthless as the group of people in front of him.

Moreover, he had already prepared a backup plan.

　The first update of the day is here! Please vote, everyone! It's almost the end of the month, so please give me your votes if you have any.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)