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

Chapter 577 The First Step in Deposing the Crown Prince—Removing the Regent
In Liu Shixun's mansion in the capital, the atmosphere was somewhat unusual.

At this moment, Liu Shixun was entertaining a mysterious guest.

The guest was dressed in a black robe, completely covered from head to toe, looking like a black ghost.

Liu Shixun treated him with utmost respect, serving him tea and water with exceptional attentiveness.

Judging from their affectionate manner, one might mistake them for his long-lost maternal uncle.

"Mr. Qin, you must have had a long journey!"

Liu Shixun handed the tea to the other party with both hands, saying politely.

Mr. Qin took the tea and said calmly, "What is a little hardship compared to the greater plan?"

He took a sip of tea, then looked up and asked, "What's going on in the capital right now?"

Liu Shixun lowered his voice and said:

"Although the capital city appears calm on the surface, undercurrents are actually surging. The Crown Prince still has not agreed to the additional tax."

"They said they would wait for news from Yangzhou."

Mr. Qin smirked and sneered, "Yangzhou? Heh, the outcome is already decided!"

“Guan Shaopeng and his men had already left the mouth of the Yangtze River when the grain transport ships departed from Songjiang.”

"At that time, not only the grain, but also the people who transported the grain will belong to Jiangnan Water Village."

"This time, the Crown Prince has truly lost both his wife and his army."

Liu Shixun slammed his fist into his palm, his eyes shining with excitement: "This is fantastic!"

"Mr. Qin, I'm just waiting to see how tight the Crown Prince's face will be when he receives this news!"

Mr. Qin waved his hand and said, "I rushed here from Jiangnan when Guan Shaopeng and the others made their move. I didn't come all this way just to see the Crown Prince change his expression."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice, saying, "I have only one purpose in coming here: to remove the Crown Prince from his position as regent."

Liu Shixun's expression changed. He looked at Mr. Qin in surprise, as if to confirm: You don't have a fever, do you?
Mr. Qin continued unhurriedly, "As far as we know, Emperor Qianxi left behind an imperial edict before setting out on his expedition."

"Right now, this imperial edict is most likely in the hands of Tong Guowei."

"His Majesty must have given instructions that if anything goes wrong, Tong Guowei can use this imperial edict to remove the Crown Prince from his position as regent."

He paused, then said slowly, "Tong Guowei and we have similar goals; we both hope to remove the Crown Prince from his position as regent."

“But the conditions aren’t right now, so he doesn’t dare to do anything. He can’t take out this imperial edict.”

"We'll give him a 'reason'."

Liu Shixun's mind raced.

He knew very well that in all dynasties, once the crown prince was removed from his position as regent, it basically meant that he would lose his position as crown prince.

Mr. Qin's visit this time isn't just about undermining us; it's about trying to pry up the very foundation under the crown prince's feet!

"Mr. Qin, this matter... isn't it quite risky?"

Liu Shixun hesitated.

Mr. Qin smiled and said, "Shixun, don't you know what kind of person the Crown Prince is?"

"Whether it is Jiangnan or the way of the sages, the Crown Prince has always disliked it."

"With such a prejudiced crown prince around, how can we expect to have a good life in the future?"

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; if we miss it, we'll never have another chance!"

Liu Shixun paced around the room twice, then gritted his teeth and said, "Since you're here, sir, you must have made arrangements beforehand. Just tell me what you need me to do?"

Although Mr. Qin disliked Liu Shixun's cunning, he didn't care too much at the moment and said directly, "The Crown Prince is still reluctant to issue an edict to increase the tax, right? Then find someone to submit a memorial impeaching him!"

"The content of the impeachment against the Crown Prince need not be kept secret."

"Don't be shy, just exaggerate! Say that the Crown Prince deliberately delayed the supply of provisions, putting His Majesty in danger and plunging the country into peril, and request the Southern Study to suspend the Crown Prince's power to oversee the country."

He sneered.

"At that time, Tong Guowei will naturally go with the flow!"

Hearing this, even Liu Shixun, who was quite bold, felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

This is no longer just a matter of tearing off relations and fighting to the death; this is about putting the Crown Prince to death!

However, based on Mr. Qin's arrangements, Liu Shixun felt that there was a high chance of success in this matter.

He hesitated for a moment, then said with a forced smile, "Mr. Qin, if we do this, the price will be quite high!"

Mr. Qin glanced at him:
"That's why I came to you. Surely Lord Liu has a few capable men under his command?"

Mr. Qin's tone was icy: "Lord Liu, are you afraid?"

Liu Shixun hesitated for a moment before saying emphatically, "Of course not."

"However, the person who impeached him will probably not have a good end either!"

Mr. Qin did not respond, but simply drank his tea quietly.

He believed that with Liu Shixun and Zhang Ying's years of experience, they definitely had such assassins at their disposal.

However, such people are so precious that losing one would be heartbreaking.

"To bring down the crown prince, the sacrifices will be numerous."

Mr. Qin said calmly, "Doesn't Lord Liu know that the greater the return, the greater the investment?"

Liu Shixun paced back and forth a few steps, then suddenly said, "I can find someone to do this, but Mr. Qin, can you tell me how confident you are in your ability to do it?"

"If I said I was 100% sure, Lord Liu would think I was bragging, but I'm at least 70% sure." Mr. Qin said, then smiled and added, "After meeting Lord Liu, I have to meet someone else."

"He should be the most supportive of this plan."

Upon hearing Mr. Qin's words, a glint of light flashed in Liu Shixun's eyes, and he said softly, "Are you going to see Prime Minister Zhang?"

"If Zhang Xiang doesn't like me, I won't go."

"You can handle things on his end, Brother Liu."

Mr. Qin smiled meaningfully and said:

"I am going to see the Eighth Prince. In this world, if anyone wants the Crown Prince to lose his position as regent, it is none other than the Eighth Prince."

"As long as I mention this plan, the Eighth Prince will definitely be the first to support it."

"With the support of the Eighth Prince, Tong Guowei and the others will have to follow him."

"At that time, the Crown Prince's position as regent will be forcibly stripped."

"Perhaps after Emperor Qianxi receives the news, he will make the Eighth Prince the new regent, which would be entirely beneficial to him."

Liu Shixun nodded as he thought of the Eighth Prince's eyes, which were filled with ambition beneath his gentle and refined expression.

The two may not be sworn enemies, but as long as the Crown Prince is around, the Eighth Prince will never have a good time.

Everyone understands this principle.

"I'll make the arrangements right away. Lord Qin, please have some soup and rice first, and then go to pay your respects to the Eighth Prince." Liu Shixun made up his mind, and a smile appeared on his face again.

Mr. Qin waved his hand and said, "We can eat any day, but we need to get things done quickly."

"Tomorrow is the grand court assembly, let's split up and take action."

Mr. Qin flicked his black robe and turned to leave.

The already turbulent capital city is now even more tense, with a sense of impending doom looming over it.

When Tong Guowei returned from his duty at the South Study, he found that the Eighth Prince had been waiting for him for a long time.

Upon seeing the Eighth Prince, Tong Guowei's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Although Emperor Qianxi was not in the capital, he did not want others to see him getting too close to the Eighth Prince.

After all, some things can be guessed by others, but you can't give them a handle to use against you or let them see too clearly.

"Eighth Master, if you have something to say, you can just send someone to tell you. Why bother coming all the way here yourself?" Tong Guowei said this very politely, but his tone carried a hint of "please don't cause me any trouble."

She subtly criticized the Eighth Prince for coming to see her.

The Eighth Prince, however, did not care at all: "Prime Minister Tong, there is an important matter that must be said in person."

Having said that, he glanced at the servants around him.

Tong Guowei sighed inwardly and waved for the others to leave.

Only the two of them remained in the study.

“Prime Minister Tong, someone told me today that the reason why the Crown Prince has been delaying the collection of grain is not because he is waiting for any grain tribute, nor because he is afraid of the people causing trouble.”

"He is deliberately stalling for time, trying to starve the army at the front and push His Majesty into danger."

"In this way, the crown prince can seize the opportunity to ascend the throne and become the ruler of the world."

Tong Guowei's face darkened!
He didn't quite believe this claim.

After all, are the hundreds of thousands of troops under the emperor just for show?
Even if the grain supply route was disrupted and the supplies couldn't be delivered immediately, Emperor Qianxi could still retreat first.

Die on the battlefield? It's not that easy!

But then I thought about it again... well, while this kind of talk is absurd, it's not entirely without flaws.

"Who said that?" Tong Guowei's voice was somewhat cold.

“They’re from Jiangnan,” the Eighth Prince said in a deep voice. “They’re going to propose abolishing the Crown Prince’s position as regent at the morning court tomorrow.”

"Prime Minister Tong, this is truly a godsend!"

"Once the Crown Prince's position as regent is abolished, his prestige will plummet to rock bottom."

"Don't even mention if Father Emperor doesn't have an accident; even if he did, do you think he could smoothly ascend the throne before his coffin? No way!"

"Moreover, when Father Emperor returns, he will not choose a crown prince who was deposed from his position as regent by the ministers as his successor. That would be tantamount to slapping himself in the face!"

Tong Guowei had already figured out the Eighth Prince's idea: after going through such a long and roundabout way, he wanted me to use the ultimate magic weapon left by the Emperor—the imperial edict!

Although that thing is incredibly powerful, can it be pulled out so easily?

It's like holding a can of gunpowder and lighting a fire; you never know whether it will blow up someone else or yourself.

After hesitating for a moment, Tong Guowei said slowly, "Eighth Master, once this imperial edict is presented, there is no turning back."

The Eighth Prince immediately chimed in, saying decisively, "Prime Minister Tong, we're already on the narrow bridge, why are we looking back?"

"Moreover, your move was not a deliberate act to depose the Crown Prince, but rather a response to the wishes of the court officials. To protect His Majesty's safety and safeguard the nation, you had no choice but to issue this imperial edict."

"This is an act of loyalty and righteousness; what crime have you committed?"

Tong Guowei remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking:

"Eighth Prince is right! For the sake of His Majesty, this old minister truly cannot stand idly by and watch the Crown Prince make one mistake after another!"

His tone was heavy, and his heart was in turmoil.

Because he felt that a momentous event was about to be accomplished under his personal guidance!
Abandoned prince!
This step is finally about to be taken!
　The second update for today is here! Please continue to vote for me at the beginning of the month, everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)