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

Chapter 581 Swords Draw in the Imperial Court, Murder in the Mortal World
Tong Guowei knew perfectly well what was going on:
If the Crown Prince only punishes this with three cups of wine, then the sun will probably rise in the west by tomorrow.

Although the crown prince couldn't simply tear off his official hat, he also couldn't throw himself into prison and eat cornbread every day.

But want to pass through easily? There's no way you can get through, let alone get through!
Otherwise, where would the Crown Prince's face be? Wouldn't the Crown Prince's prestige be greatly diminished?
So when the Crown Prince's gaze swept over him, Tong Guowei neither dodged nor flinched, but went straight to meet it.

Come on, come on, do whatever you want, I'm waiting right here!
He even secretly hoped that the Crown Prince would punish him severely, so that he could go to see Emperor Qianxi.

Let His Majesty judge this matter. Would His Majesty not protect the reputation of this old minister?
The air in the imperial court was practically frozen solid.

Even Longkodo, the infantry commander standing to the side, was sweating profusely.

Although the old man had previously said, "Don't meddle in my affairs!"
But this is the only pillar of the family. If he collapses, the whole family will starve and no one will be spared.

Of course, he couldn't ignore his father's situation!
But right now, should we intervene or not?
How should it be managed?
Longkodo's heart was pounding like a rabbit, he was overjoyed.

Just as Longkodo was feeling uneasy, Crown Prince Shen Ye slowly spoke:

"Prime Minister Tong is getting old and his energy is waning."

"In addition, I have been worried about the safety of the expeditionary army and my father. It is inevitable that some minor mistakes will happen. It is understandable."

In my opinion, such a minor mistake should not be punished.

"If we punish them, wouldn't that discourage the veteran officials?"

What? The Crown Prince actually took the initiative to save face?
Tong Guowei felt a chill run down his spine and immediately sensed something was wrong.

He knew all too well that the man in front of him was notoriously vindictive and narrow-minded.

I just confronted him so harshly, and he still managed to be so magnanimous?
With such a magnanimous heart, are you willing to let this go so easily?

There's definitely something fishy going on here!
He quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of apology, appearing quite sincere:

"Your Highness, this old minister has made a mistake and deserves to be punished. I beg Your Highness to treat everyone equally!"

Tong Guowei was using a strategy of retreat as a means of advancement; he was simply kneeling first as a sign of respect, making the gesture perfectly appropriate.

If you punish too harshly, public opinion will turn against you, the Crown Prince!

Zhang Ying, who was standing to the side, quickly regained her composure.

Although the outcome of this matter completely went astray, fortunately, this person was also a seasoned veteran who had been navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom for many years.

His reaction was quick; he made a decision instantly.

"This old minister agrees. The fault lies with us, and we beg Your Highness to punish us."

The two of them were speaking in unison, as if to say, "We admit defeat, let's see what you can do about it!"
Shen Ye waved his hand, smiling gently:
"The two prime ministers are so understanding and considerate of the big picture, which is truly admirable."

"But the more this is the case, the less I can bear to punish them!"

He looked around and then slowly added:
"But if I don't punish them, I'm afraid the two Grand Secretaries will be upset about this and it might even cause them to fall ill. Then I would be in grave danger."

Tong Guowei and Zhang Ying's eyes twitched simultaneously, and they inwardly cursed:

Who are you saying is holding a grudge?!

Do I look like the kind of person who's so narrow-minded? I'm perfectly clear-headed!
Just then, Shen Ye's gaze shifted, suddenly turning to Longkodo, who was standing to the side pretending not to exist:
"Longkodo, what do you think we should do about this?"

Longkodo was startled. How did this happen to me? I was just a bystander the whole time.

He didn't participate in this court battle at all; his father didn't reveal a single piece of information to him.

He had his share of resentment towards his father. How could he keep such a big commotion a secret? Did he think of me as an outsider?

If his father produced an imperial edict from Emperor Qianxi, he would have no choice but to comply, even if it meant gritting his teeth.

But who could have imagined that just as Dad was about to unleash his ultimate move, the situation suddenly took a sharp turn:
The grain actually went to Yangzhou!
He couldn't figure out which part of the process went wrong.

He was too lazy to guess anymore and just wanted to stay quietly in his place.

As it turned out, the Crown Prince had no intention of letting him go at all!
Seeing the crown prince staring at him with a smile, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply:

"Your Highness, a son should not speak ill of his father!"

"No matter what mistakes my father has made, I, as his son, am willing to take full responsibility."

That was a veiled statement, neither saying that the father should be punished nor that he shouldn't be punished.

I'll just say that my filial piety is commendable, but I won't comment on my stance.

Can I please not offend either side?

Shen Ye nodded with a smile:

"I had long heard that Longkodo was a very filial son, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

"Alright, in order to allow Minister Tong to rest and recuperate in peace, I plan to punish him by sending him to inspect the sweet potato planting situation in all the counties and prefectures surrounding Zhili."

"It's just a matter of traveling around Zhili, and the exhaustion is not a solution."

"Prime Minister Tong is getting on in years. What if he gets too tired from walking this route?"

Shen Ye changed her tone:
"Longkodo, this glorious mission is entrusted to you. Go on this mission in your father's place!"

"I hereby appoint you as Imperial Envoy to oversee sweet potato cultivation around Zhili."

"We need to plant not only spring sweet potatoes, but also summer sweet potatoes."

"Everyone has seen the yield of sweet potatoes!"

"As long as we can grow these sweet potatoes well, we won't panic even if the grain supply is cut off again."

“Planting this will bring immeasurable merit, and once it is completed, it will also be considered as accumulating blessings for your father.”

Upon hearing this, Longkodo's heart skipped a beat: Oh no, this is a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain!

What does he value most?
That would definitely be the position of Grand Commander of the Infantry Commandery.

With this position, even if he is not one of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, his power in the capital is not much less than that of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers.

But once he left the capital to supervise sweet potato planting, what prestige would he have left? For a moment, his heart was filled with anger and resentment.

How did this inexplicable slash end up on my own body?!
What did I do to deserve this?
I am a confidant of Emperor Qianxi, how could the Crown Prince treat me like this?
Longkodo was sweating profusely with anxiety when Shen Ye continued, "Longkodo, you're not unhappy about this, are you?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is certainly willing to serve, but the affairs of the Infantry Commander's Office are numerous, and I simply cannot leave."

"How about sending my elder brother, Ye Keshu?"

Longkodo immediately thought of his own brother, and at that moment, he felt how wonderful it was to have a brother.

In critical moments, my older brother is there to take the fall for me!
Shen Ye's face turned cold, and he slammed his hand on the table, saying:

"Ye Keshu? That's a terrible idea!"

"Letting him loaf around in the capital is fine, but how can he treat serious matters like a joke? That would be extremely irresponsible and would bring disaster to the court!"

"Longkodo, don't you even have this much filial piety?"

"The Infantry Commander's Office will be temporarily managed by the Fifth Prince Yunqi. If you have any concerns, please feel free to tell Yunqi."

"It's settled then! You set off tomorrow, no delays!"

When Longkodo suggested that Ye Keshu replace him, Tong Guowei tried to speak up to save the situation.

As a result, the crown prince shut him down completely with a single, dismissive remark.

With a single sentence, Yekeshu was utterly crushed, and Longkodo's escape route was completely blocked.

Ye Keshu is a complete waste!
These words were extremely hurtful to Ye Keshu.

Over the years, Ye Keshu followed Tong Guowei but did not accomplish anything significant, so he was not valued by Emperor Qianxi.

But no matter what, he managed to reach the third rank.

Now that the Crown Prince has openly called him a useless piece of trash, how is he going to survive in the capital? Life is going to be tough.

Longkodo was bitter inside, but dared not say it. He could only bow his head and obey: "Your subject obeys."

Shen Ye then smiled again:
"Longkodo has high sweet potato yields and is not picky about the land."

"It is no exaggeration to say that this is the life-saving food for ordinary people in the future. Your efforts in promoting this are of immeasurable merit."

"There will be many benefits in the future."

At this point, he turned to Tong Guowei and praised, "Prime Minister Tong has a fine son; what a blessing!"

Tong Guowei could only grit his teeth and express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Immediately afterwards, Shen Ye's gaze lightly fell on Zhang Ying.

Zhang Ying remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

“Prime Minister Zhang,” the Crown Prince said gently, “Tong Guowei has Longkodo to take his place, and Prime Minister Zhang also has a good son.”

"Let Zhang Tingzan accompany the Eighth Prince to the south of the Yangtze River."

Zhang Ying's heart was pounding wildly.

Now that the mess in Jiangnan has been cleared, how can things possibly turn out well?
He always felt that it wasn't a good thing for the Crown Prince to send the Eighth Prince to Jiangnan.

Because these grain shipments, which should have been sunk at sea or taken to the rebel army's naval stronghold, were mysteriously transported to Yangzhou.

Something must have happened that I don't know about.

Moreover, this situation is very bad.

But before he could react, a joyful shout suddenly came from outside the hall, growing louder as it approached:

"Great news! Great news!"

"The Fubo Navy annihilated the rebel forces controlling the river at Songjiang Estuary and killed the rebel leader Guan Shaopeng."

"Great news! Great news!"

……

The entire court was silent for a moment, then erupted in uproar!

No wonder the cargo ships arrived in Yangzhou!
It turns out that the Fubo Navy had been lying in ambush all along!
The Crown Prince isn't transporting grain; he's clearly dug a pit, waiting for the rebels to jump in!
Someone muttered under their breath, "The Fubo Navy... when did this team even exist?"

Minister of War Nuomin was also bewildered, and asked the Vice Minister in a low voice, "Is this army listed in our Ministry of War's register?"

The Vice Minister wiped his sweat: "My lord, it seems that the Crown Prince set it up himself when he was concurrently serving as the General Who Subdues the Waves."

"They could wipe out the rebels in just a few months?"

Nuomin shuddered. "Those traitors were all elites of the Controlling River Navy..."

Zhang Ying's head was buzzing at this moment. He knew everything about the rebel forces in the Kongjiang Navy.

It is known that Guan Shaopeng and Zhang Yushu have a very close relationship.

If this matter comes to light, it will be a fatal blow to the power of Jiangnan.

Fortunately, Guan Shaopeng is dead!

Good riddance! Many things can be left unverified once the dead are gone, and that settles everything.

Trying to calm herself, Zhang Ying secretly looked up at the Crown Prince sitting upright in the court, a chill running down her spine:

This guy probably set a trap from the moment he proposed shipping.

Regardless of whether Guan Shaopeng and others send troops, the Crown Prince is in an invincible position.

Right now, he just wants things to end here.

But will the Crown Prince agree?

　Regarding the issue of changing the book title, here's a unified response: I've seen everyone's comments. Currently, due to website operational needs, the book title must be changed to no more than 5 characters. If anyone is not satisfied, please feel free to offer suggestions in the comments section and help me think of a good name. I will then communicate with the website. Thank you everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)