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

Chapter 580 The Sword Shines in the Imperial Court, Chilling Across Fourteen Provinces

The grain tribute has arrived in Yangzhou!

Am I hearing things? Why am I starting to hallucinate?

Zhang Ying's eyes widened in disbelief.

He knew very well that from the day the grain was transported to the sea, Zhang Yushu had already dispatched a large number of rebel troops to invade the sea area.

Compared to these rebels, ordinary grain transport ships were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.

But now, the grain has arrived in Yangzhou, how is that possible!

What exactly is going on here?

Zhang Ying couldn't help but steal a glance at the Crown Prince.

The man remained seated calmly on the edge of the pedestal, his expression serene and unperturbed.

He was as gentle and refined as if nothing had happened.

But Zhang Ying sensed an impending storm brewing within this "gentleness."

What a mess!
The Crown Prince had this all planned long ago!
While Zhang Ying was still in a daze, someone's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot. This person was Tong Guowei.

Just now, Grand Secretary Tong threatened the Crown Prince, claiming he would bring out the imperial edict left by Emperor Qianxi, thereby forcing the Crown Prince to retreat to the palace.

Reasons come out off the top of my head:

The Crown Prince stood by and watched as Emperor Qianxi's expeditionary army faced the imminent crisis of running out of food, yet he took no action.

This is a malicious act!

Its heart is awkward!

As it turns out... the grain shipment has arrived in Yangzhou.

In other words, Emperor Qianxi's food shortage crisis was resolved.

Once this crisis is gone, the Crown Prince's "treacherous intentions" will naturally become untenable.

The imperial edict left by Emperor Qianxi clearly states that the Crown Prince's power to oversee the country can only be revoked if he undermines the foundation of the nation.

But now, with the Crown Prince as stable as Mount Tai, if Tong Guowei were to dare to produce this imperial edict, it would be like an old man hanging himself, courting death.

But the facade has already been torn off, and the act still has to be performed.

Tong Guowei glanced at the Eighth Prince, then his face lit up with surprise, and he raised his voice high:

"What did you say? The grain shipment has really arrived in Yangzhou?"

"Is that really true?!"

The little eunuch kneeling below trembled and hurriedly replied:
"Your Highness and Your Excellencies, we have just received reports from the Grain Transport Office and Yangzhou Prefecture that the grain has been transported from the sea to Yangzhou Prefecture."

"Currently... one million shi of grain have been loaded onto the grain transport ships and are continuously heading towards the capital."

"The grain transport authorities said they guarantee that all the grain will be transported to the capital within a month!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Guowei immediately clapped his hands twice: "Great! That's wonderful! This time, His Majesty's army will no longer face the crisis of running out of food."

"This is divine blessing upon our Emperor!"

Most of the officials in the hall were still in a daze, but they weren't fools.

Upon hearing the phrase "God bless our Emperor," he quickly echoed, "God bless our Emperor!"

For a moment, the entire court was filled with voices of gratitude, as if it were a temple fair.

Shen Ye watched Tong Guowei put on this show with a cold eye, a sneer rising in his heart:
This Tong Guowei is truly a wise old man; even if the stage collapses, he can still improvise a dance.

What a blessing from Heaven for our Emperor!

You weren't like this just now.

Shen Ye remained silent until Tong Guowei finished his reflections and everyone quieted down, then slowly spoke:
"Prime Minister Tong, now that the grain has been transported to Yangzhou, shouldn't we continue our discussion about your request for me to withdraw from the inner palace?"

"Didn't you say that your father left you an imperial edict? Then please bring it out."

"Let me see how Father Emperor actually wrote it."

Before the Crown Prince even spoke, Tong Guowei had already anticipated that the Crown Prince would make trouble.

While everyone was thanking God, he had already been thinking several things over in his mind.

Based on his understanding of this young master, he was not one to suffer losses.

At a time like this, he would definitely give himself a heavy blow.

Sure enough, the Crown Prince's revenge came swiftly, demanding to see the imperial edict.

If I were to produce the imperial edict at this moment, it would be nothing more than a piece of waste paper.

Since the Crown Prince did not trigger the conditions stipulated by Emperor Qianxi, he could not use this imperial edict to force the Crown Prince to relinquish his position as regent.

So now, faced with the Crown Prince's aggressive questioning, he knelt down with a thud, his tone incredibly earnest:
"Your Highness, you are wise! The imperial edict is indeed with this old minister."

"As I just said, His Majesty gave instructions before his departure: only when the Crown Prince endangers the very foundation of the country will I be allowed to discuss and appoint him with the other ministers of the Southern Study."

"This time, it was our haste and misjudgment that led to the Crown Prince being wronged, which is why the court was so disrespectful just now."

"I beg Your Highness to forgive us for our helpless act this time, considering our loyalty to the court and Your Majesty."

As soon as Tong Guowei said this, the Third Prince quickly took over, clasping his hands and saying, "Your Highness, we brothers acted in a moment of desperation, and it was truly a last resort!"

"If we had known the grain shipment had arrived, we wouldn't have done this."

"We were all thinking of Father Emperor, please forgive us, Your Highness!"

Zhang Ying was also a smart woman. Upon hearing Tong Guowei characterize this as a last resort, she admired him and echoed his sentiments:
"Your Majesty is away on a distant expedition, and we ministers are worried day and night. Our minds are like a taut string, fearing that something might happen to the world and we would fail to live up to Your Majesty's grace."

"Under such circumstances, with His Majesty in danger, it was inevitable that our actions were... a bit too extreme."

"We urge Your Highness to prioritize the well-being of the people and the stability of the nation!"

Zhang Ying spoke the words "of utmost importance" with conviction, displaying the demeanor of a loyal minister.

Shen Ye sneered inwardly, "They've done a pretty good job of shifting the blame!"

He understood Zhang Ying and Tong Guowei's intentions: since they couldn't do anything to the Crown Prince, they wanted to withdraw unscathed. Did they really think they could just brush it off with a simple "a last resort" or "a moment of haste"?

He was about to speak when the Ninth Prince interjected in a sinister tone:
"Prime Minister Tong and Prime Minister Zhang, you two haven't even figured out right from wrong yet, and you want to join forces with court officials to force the Crown Prince to abdicate? Can this be called an 'overreaction'?"

"I think you've been planning this for a long time!"

"Who doesn't know that you, Prime Minister Tong, have a close relationship with Eighth Prince, and you always praise Eighth Prince as a wise prince!"

"Eighth Brother, you just said you were doing all this for Father, but it sounds so unconvincing to me."

The Ninth Prince's words were quite cutting, but they were also true. Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince's face immediately darkened.

"Ninth Brother! Heaven and Earth can bear witness to my heart, Yunsi!"

“If my father did not trust me, he would not have kept me in the Southern Study.”

"My relationship with Tong Xiang is good, but I can tell everyone that this time I, Yun Si, am truly doing this for the sake of the country."

"However, we have wronged the Crown Prince today, which was indeed inappropriate. After court, I will definitely write a memorial to my father to apologize."

Having said that, he bowed to Shen Ye:
"Your Highness, I absolutely have no intention of disloyalty!"

Shen Ye looked at him with a smile, thinking to herself, "You speak beautifully, but it's all nonsense."

However, at this moment, he did not want to say in front of all the officials that he suspected the Eighth Prince, which would break the good tradition of brotherly love and respect in the court.

“I am well aware of my eighth brother’s loyalty.”

"I believe Father Emperor is aware of this as well!"

"Since it was a moment of confusion that led to this action, it was an unintentional mistake."

"I believe even my father would forgive him."

"However, the transport of grain is crucial to the imperial court's grand expedition plan. If it weren't for sea transport this time, the imperial court would probably be in big trouble."

"Since Eighth Brother is so concerned about the grain transport, then let him go to Yangzhou to supervise the transport of grain!"

"Within three months, we must ensure that every single grain of the four million shi of grain is delivered on time without any delay."

The Eighth Prince turned pale when he heard this arrangement!
What kind of power did he wield when he was appointed to the Southern Study?
That's practically the equivalent of a prime minister; the power of a prince combined with the prime minister is considerable.

The Crown Prince is saying he doesn't blame himself, but he's being even more ruthless than if he did.

He kicked himself out of the Southern Study and went to Yangzhou to supervise grain production!
This essentially means I've ruined my chance to get a position at the Southern Study.

Normally, he would never agree.

They even wanted to compete for the crown prince's position.

But now, he's a little less confident.

He didn't reply, but instinctively looked at Tong Guowei, hoping that this loyal teammate would quickly save the day and say a few words on his behalf.

Tong Guowei understood the Eighth Prince's gaze, but he was filled with bitterness!

She hasn't even cleaned up her own mess yet, so it's really inappropriate for her to speak up for the Eighth Prince.

But at this critical juncture, he had no choice but to speak up.

The Eighth Prince is someone he wholeheartedly supports, and he has already made a large investment in the Eighth Prince.

If he offends the Eighth Prince now, his investment might all go down the drain!
Thinking about it this way, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"Your Highness, the Eighth Prince was appointed to the Southern Study by His Majesty. Sending him out like this is probably inappropriate..."

Shen Ye's eyes turned cold:
"Is this inappropriate? Did I dismiss him from his post?"

"Aren't you all worried about the transportation of grain by the imperial court, Eighth Brother?"

"Now that I have followed your wishes and let my eighth brother take charge, how is that inappropriate?"

"Prime Minister Tong, although you are getting old, there are some things you can't just say carelessly."

"That's settled then!"

"Eighth brother, you should make preparations early and leave the capital first thing tomorrow morning, otherwise you will be punished for disobeying the imperial decree."

Tong Guowei turned pale from the rebuke. The Crown Prince's words were direct and blunt, even carrying a hint of reprimand, which made him very uncomfortable.

In the past, he would have reported that the Crown Prince did not respect him, an old minister.

However, given that there was such a thing as forcing the crown prince to relinquish his position as regent, even if he went to file a complaint, he would not win.

Since you're already trying to remove the Crown Prince from his position as regent, why should anyone be polite to you?

The Eighth Prince's expression grew increasingly grim.

At this moment, the Crown Prince held the moral high ground, and he knew that he and his men were no match for him.

He gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shen Ye and said, "Your Highness's command will be obeyed."

Let's focus on supervising the grain supply; we'll discuss everything else after Father returns.

Seeing his resentful and frustrated expression, Shen Ye chuckled inwardly: Don't worry, Eighth Brother, sending you to Jiangnan is certainly not just about supervising grain transport.

I have another "big gift" waiting to be given to you, the Eighth Prince!

After dealing with the Eighth Prince, Shen Ye's gaze fell on the Third Prince: "Third Brother, I have something else to entrust to you."

"The transportation of provisions and supplies is of great importance to the overall expedition."

“In the past, the imperial court did not pay enough attention to this, so any slight disturbance would cause widespread panic.”

"From this day forward, you will go to Chang'an to take charge and be in charge of the army's logistics. You must ensure that all supplies for the expeditionary force are guaranteed without any mistakes."

"You and your eighth brother will leave the capital tomorrow without fail."

The Third Prince's face darkened, but he could only clasp his hands and say, "Your subject obeys!"

Finally, Shen Ye's gaze fell back on Tong Guowei.

The hardest thing is figuring out how to deal with this old fox.

　The first update of the day is here! Dear readers, please support me, please vote for me, please do everything you can!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)