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

Chapter 585 Yes, I'm targeting you.

The spring breeze not only turned the south bank of the Yangtze River green, but also invigorated the grass in the capital!

Seven or eight days have passed since the grand court assembly where the crown prince was "persuaded" to abdicate and return to the palace to be with his son.

The capital city was calm and quiet, so quiet it was unsettling, as if nothing had happened.

But these past few days have been anything but simple:
The Third Prince left, the Eighth Prince went south, and even Longkodo, the head of the Infantry Commander's Office, packed up and left the capital.

The entire capital city was unusually stable.

Even the most notorious troublemakers, who would chase after and kick even a cat, are now staying home, all behaving themselves.

Everyone felt that something was off about the winds blowing in Beijing!

I have a feeling that sooner or later I'll have to make some kind of noise, and it will definitely be earth-shattering.

But after waiting and waiting, nothing major happened.

Just when everyone thought the storm was about to pass without incident, Wei Zhu, the eunuch by the Crown Prince's side, invited two Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet, Tong Guowei and Zhang Ying, to Yuqing Palace.

Although the relationship between these two old ministers and the crown prince had long been so strained that it could be squeezed dry, they still had quite a few opportunities to meet.

After all, I had official duties to perform.

So, the two of them were quite calm when they first entered the room.

After bowing according to custom, Crown Prince Shen Ye politely offered him a seat, and the atmosphere seemed peaceful.

After Zhou Bao brought the tea over, Shen Ye slowly spoke:
"Prime Minister Tong, I received a memorial today. Would you like to take a look?" He said, handing it to Wei Zhu, who was serving beside him.

Wei Zhu quickly handed it to Tong Guowei.

Seeing the Crown Prince's calm and composed expression, Tong Guowei's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.

Ever since his "good eldest son" Longkodo left the capital to oversee the promotion of sweet potatoes, he had been on guard against the Crown Prince's retaliation.

After all, this man is no ordinary person; he is the Crown Prince Regent and the second-in-command to the Emperor.

In the current situation, apart from the Emperor returning to the capital, no one can do anything about him.

Who wouldn't have a headache dealing with someone they can't afford to offend?
Moreover, his abilities are undeniable and widely recognized throughout the court.

Tong Guowei unfolded the memorial, glanced at the beginning, and saw that it read in bold:

"Your humble servant, Zhen Yan, the head of the Fengqingqizheng Division, reports..."

Upon seeing that it was Zhen Yan, Tong Guowei immediately perked up.

Zhen Yan is a staunch loyalist of the Crown Prince. If he submits a memorial at this time, his target is most likely one of them.

Come on, I'd like to see who you impeach!

If it were aimed at him, Tong Guowei wouldn't be afraid at all.

He held the position of Grand Secretary and was a trusted confidant of His Majesty.

His position was built up through years of hard work, and even the crown prince couldn't just move it!

But as he watched, his composure gradually crumbled.

Because the person impeached in this memorial was actually his eldest son, Ye Keshu!
The charge was that he was lending money at exorbitant interest rates, which led to the deaths of dozens of people.

If the Emperor were in the capital, Tong Guowei could easily find an excuse to get away with this.

The emperor, in most cases, would turn a blind eye and simply keep such memorials to himself without issuing them.

After all, in the Emperor's eyes, this was really not a big deal, and dealing with it would only hurt his uncle's feelings.

Tong Guowei's mind raced, and he immediately adopted a pained and indignant expression:

"Outrageous! This must be the work of a wicked servant who has disgraced the Tong family, using my son's name! When I return, I will investigate and punish him severely, without any leniency!"

Tong Guowei still knows how to protect his son.

She used a clever trick to shirk responsibility for her son's actions.

But since the Crown Prince dared to let Zhen perform, how could he not have anticipated this move?
Shen Ye's tone was calm, yet every word was clear:

"Prime Minister Tong, all the matters reported by Lord Zhen have been verified."

"Among these three households, there were three that were personally sent by Ye Keshu to be forced to their deaths."

"Therefore, this Ye Keshu is truly guilty of heinous crimes."

Upon hearing the words "heinous crimes," Tong Guowei's expression changed drastically.

He was about to speak when Zhang Ying quickly intervened to smooth things over:

“Your Highness, Prime Minister Tong is busy with state affairs and has occasionally neglected his family, failing to discipline them properly.”

"I implore Your Highness to consider that Ye Keshu is His Majesty's cousin and grant him leniency for now, so that we can discuss this further once His Majesty returns to the capital."

Zhang Ying thought to herself: As long as we can stall until the Emperor returns, this is no big deal.

Unfortunately, although Zhang Ying's idea was good, Shen Ye didn't take it at all.

He gave a cold laugh:
"Prime Minister Zhang, you make it sound so easy to say you'll 'give leniency'!"

"Who will give an explanation to those dozens of innocent souls who died unjustly?"

"You think you can get away with just saying 'I didn't discipline my child properly'?"

"A third-rank official of the imperial court? How laughable!"

Then the voice turned deep:
"Issue the imperial decree: Imprison Ye Keshu and hand him over to the three judicial departments for joint trial and sentencing!"

Having said that, he turned his gaze to Tong Guowei:

"Prime Minister Tong, if you can't even sweep your own room, how can you sweep the world?"

"I do not wish to see the Tong family engage in such despicable acts again, causing His Majesty distress and becoming a laughingstock to the world!"

Having said that, he waved his sleeve and said, "Prime Minister Tong, go back and rest."

Tong Guowei's hands trembled slightly.

Ye Keshu is his eldest son and the future heir to the title of Tong family.

In the past, those "minor matters" were protected by the emperor, so who dared to investigate?
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince showed absolutely no mercy. But thinking about it again, it seems quite normal that the Crown Prince showed no mercy.

Being reprimanded by the Crown Prince, Tong Guowei was both anxious and angry. Coupled with the exhaustion he had expended in the past few days, he had just turned around when everything went black and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Shen Ye was stunned for a moment, then realized:

No one can die in my Yuqing Palace!
"Quickly summon the imperial physician!"

He shouted at Wei Zhu, "No matter what, you must wake up Grand Secretary Tong!"

Because the Crown Princess had just given birth, the imperial physicians remained on duty at Yuqing Palace.

After a few needles were inserted, Tong Guowei slowly woke up.

"Your Highness, Lord Tong fainted just now due to a sudden surge of anger. I have prescribed medicine to help him recover. He will be fine after resting at his residence for a while."

Hearing the imperial physician's words, Tong Guowei breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Shen Ye give the order:

"Someone, escort Lord Tong back to his residence to rest."

"In addition, the Imperial Medical Academy has assigned two imperial physicians to reside permanently at the Tong residence to take care of him, and all the necessary medicines will be obtained from the palace."

"Prime Minister Tong has made great contributions; we must do everything we can to save him."

After a period of chaos and turmoil, Tong Guowei was carried home by Zhou Bao and his men.

Zhang Ying watched him leave, then turned to Shen Ye and solemnly said:
“Your Highness, Prime Minister Tong is a pillar of the nation and His Majesty’s maternal uncle.”

"If something goes wrong, how will the Crown Prince explain it to His Majesty?"

Shen Ye smiled, but his tone was chilling:

"Lord Zhang, Prime Minister Tong was angered by his unfilial son, Ye Keshu."

"If Your Majesty inquires further, you will naturally hold these rebellious sons accountable."

His gaze shifted, fixing on Zhang Ying:

"Does Prime Minister Zhang mean that I have been too harsh in my treatment of Ye Keshu?"

"Could it be that in your eyes, Prime Minister Zhang, the lives of those dozens of ordinary people are so worthless?"

Zhang Ying's expression changed, and she was speechless.

He understood that the Crown Prince was going to take action against Tong Guowei, and he also knew why the Crown Prince would do this.

He and Tong Guowei were prepared to fight back, but they didn't expect that the Crown Prince wouldn't target the seemingly easy-to-manage him, but instead went straight for Tong Guowei:

Let's start with Ye Keshu!

He had a bad feeling that this wasn't over yet.

Just then, Shen Ye spoke again:
"Prime Minister Zhang, it seems that Prime Minister Tong needs to rest and recuperate for some time. Please take care of the affairs of the Southern Study."

Looking at the calm-faced Crown Prince, Zhang Ying could only manage a wry smile:

“Your Highness, in the past, the Southern Study was jointly managed by three ministers.”

"Now that only your humble servant remains, I am truly inadequate and may jeopardize Your Majesty's important affairs. I urge you to select another capable person to share the burden."

Shen Ye smiled gently, but pushed the words back:
"Zhang Xiang will hold on for now; perhaps Tong Xiang will recover soon."

"If we really can't manage it all, I'll think of something else."

Zhang Ying cupped his hands in greeting to Shen Ye and then left Yuqing Palace.

As he walked, he thought to himself that the Crown Prince's revenge would probably not end just because Tong Guowei had fainted.

After finishing his day's official duties, Zhang Ying was preparing to write a secret memorial to the Emperor when his personal attendant suddenly rushed in, flustered.

"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened!"

"What is it now?" Zhang Ying asked without looking up.

"Shuntian Prefecture has received a complaint that the second son of Prime Minister Tong, Dekexin, forcibly occupied a private residence and set it on fire, killing two people!"

"Shuntian Prefecture requested Dekexin to be questioned according to the law, but when they went to arrest him, they were blocked outside by the servants of the Tong family."

"The prefect had no choice but to go to the palace to request an imperial decree!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ying felt a chill run down her spine!
They just arrested Tong Guowei's eldest son, and now they're turning around and targeting his second son?

Judging from the way the Crown Prince is acting, it's more like he's playing a match-3 game than investigating a case.

I can't bring you down, Tong Guowei, that's easy to say. Then I'll just take down your big sons one by one and play with them!
To be honest, these young masters of the Tong family look quite respectable, but unfortunately, none of them are easy to deal with!

The debts I owe are so many that if I just grabbed a handful, I could knit a sweater.

If it weren't for the Emperor protecting them, taking care of them in every way, and shielding them from trouble at all times, something bad would have happened long ago.

But is the Crown Prince really trying to break ties with the Emperor by doing this?

Just as I was pondering this, Liu Shixun, the attendant of the Southern Study, strode in and lowered his voice, saying:
"Prime Minister Zhang, something big has happened again!"

"The Crown Prince has dispatched Prince Cheng of the Imperial Clan Court directly to the Tong residence, demanding that the Tong family cooperate with the Shuntian Prefecture's investigation."

"This is a deadly attack on the Tong family...!"

"Don't you think our opportunity has arrived?"

Zhang Ying glanced at him and whispered:
"We can't get involved in the mess that's with the Tong family right now."

"Go and contact Zhang Yushu right away, and tell him to clean up the cases of Ge Li and Guan Shaopeng as soon as possible, and make sure they don't leave any evidence against them!"

"The Eighth Prince agreed quite readily before leaving, but I still feel uneasy and uneasy."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shixun felt a chill run down his spine.

That's right. Ge Du and his gang brought so many people to beg you, Eighth Prince. What choice do you have?
Who can say for sure?

He forced a smile and said:
"Please rest assured, my lord. Everything has been taken care of over there. They will definitely give the Eighth Prince a satisfactory explanation without any loopholes."

"But what should we do about Prime Minister Tong? We can't just stand by and watch, can we?"

Zhang Ying remained silent for a long time before finally picking up a pen, writing a single word on a piece of paper, and handing it to Liu Shixun:
"Go and give this to Prime Minister Tong."

　The second update for today is here! Please vote, everyone! I'm begging for everything!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)