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

Chapter 589 Two Suns Appear in the Sky, Blood Sweeps Across the Land
Good heavens! Tong Guowei coughed up a mouthful of blood in the duty room and fainted on the spot!

The news spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

The group of students who had been making a ruckus and petitioning for his dismissal immediately shut up when they saw the old man being carried out of the palace, his face as white as paper and his breath barely a whisper.

Everyone looked at each other, wondering to themselves:
This person is almost dying. Wouldn't it be a bit unfair to stomp on them at this time?
Thus, this grand petition dissipated quietly after the Crown Prince calmly took it away.

But everyone knows in their hearts: this is not over yet!

Who is Tong Guowei?
The current emperor's maternal uncle, and the Grand Secretary of the Southern Study!
If he falls, won't the imperial court be shaken to its core?
What will the Emperor do?
How will His Highness the Crown Prince respond?

Will this cause sparks to fly between the father and son?

When Crown Prince Shen Ye heard that Tong Fox had vomited blood, he was completely unmoved and even felt a little tempted to drink tea.

Even with this old man holding a knife to your throat, what are you still pretending to be, a saint and a pure white lotus?

All power struggles are like sharing a golden goblet, where no one spares the other when it comes to a sword fight!
What does that mean? Simply put, it can be summarized in one sentence:

They can put their arms around each other while drinking, but they'll show no mercy when it comes to drawing their swords!
He and Tong Guowei had already broken off relations long ago, so there was no way out for him.
So, while politely sending the imperial physician to treat him, Shen Ye went about his business as usual.

But just as he sat down in Yuqing Palace to review memorials, someone came to Cining Palace: the Empress Dowager summoned him.

Shen Ye knew exactly what was going on. He straightened his robes and hurried over, bowing respectfully: "Grandson greets His Majesty the Empress."

The Empress Dowager told him to rise, waved away the servants, took a leisurely sip of tea, and then spoke:
"The late emperor passed away early, and Empress Dowager Dexuan also passed away early. Since childhood, the emperor has relied heavily on his two maternal uncles."

"I remember twenty years ago, in order to bestow the title of Duke of Feng'en upon both of the emperor's brothers, he clearly did not like Empress Tong, but still married her after your mother passed away."

"The Emperor treats Empress Tong more like a younger sister."

At this point, the Empress Dowager lowered her voice: "When Tong Guogang passed away, the Emperor was heartbroken for a long time."

"If Tong Guowei were to do the same... do you think the Emperor would feel good about it?"

The Empress Dowager rarely spoke to Shen Ye so seriously, but her tone now clearly showed that she was genuinely concerned.

Shen Ye knew that trying to be clever at this time would be useless and would only hurt the old man's feelings.

He spoke honestly:
“Grandmother, I always try to appease Prime Minister Tong whenever possible, and I will never confront him head-on unless absolutely necessary.”

"But this time he really went too far!"

"My grandson only did not inform him of some things in advance in order to be on the safe side, and he joined forces with a group of ministers to try to remove my grandson from his position as regent."

"Grandmother, think about it. If a crown prince is dethroned during his regency, how will he stand on his own two feet in the future?"

"If it weren't for the contingency plan my grandson left behind, which came in handy, I probably would have already retreated to the palace to drink tea and read books."

"Prince Tong is important to the Emperor, but my grandson is also the Crown Prince personally chosen by the Emperor. How can we let him ride roughshod over us?"

"What's more, Prime Minister Tong is the kind of person who never learns from a bad experience. If we don't really teach him a lesson, he won't know when to stop."

The Empress Dowager listened quietly, then sighed.
“I know you feel wronged. But if you really drive Tong Guowei to his death, you will lose face in front of your father.”

"Even if the Emperor understands that you are forced to retaliate, every time he sees you, he will be reminded that his own uncle was driven to his death by you. How can they get along in the future?"

"Your Highness, sometimes it's better to take a step back and let things go."

Shen Ye knew the Empress Dowager meant well for him, but he understood even more clearly:

As the Emperor grows older, his suspicions of the Crown Prince will likely deepen...

However, for now, the Empress Dowager is still on his side, and the precise strike against Tong Guowei is almost complete.

Driving this old man to his death won't do you any good; it will do more harm than good.

After a few moments of thought, Shen Ye lowered his head.
"Grandmother, rest assured, as long as Prime Minister Tong is willing to retire at home, your grandson will never pursue him again."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager finally smiled.
"Tong Guowei is getting old. When the Emperor returns, he will surely allow him to enjoy his retirement."

"Then... what do you plan to do with the rest of the Tong family?"

Shen Ye smiled slightly:
"The Tong family members are too domineering in their daily lives and they deserve to be taught a lesson."

"Even if Prime Minister Tong is retired, those crimes that have been verified should still be severely punished."

"Only in this way will the Tong family learn humility. Only in this way can their family prosper."

After listening, the Empress Dowager nodded slightly:
"I'll do as you say. I'll send someone to persuade Tong Guowei."

After Shen Ye took his leave, the Empress Dowager sat alone in the hall, sighed softly, and a trace of helplessness flashed in her eyes.

She couldn't stop the conflict between the Crown Prince and Tong Guowei. All she could do now was to get them to compromise.

But she already sensed that an even bigger storm was yet to come:
The Crown Prince grew stronger and stronger, while the Emperor, like the afternoon sun, was slowly setting in the west.

Two suns hang in the sky, and blood flows across the land!

She recalled that when the late emperor was alive, although there were struggles in the court, it had never been like this:
The Crown Prince and the Emperor's brother-in-law had actually reached a point of life and death.

"It's all because of power..." the Empress Dowager muttered to herself, shaking her head.

She wasn't unaware of the Crown Prince's predicament; the young man was ambitious, resourceful, and intolerant of injustice.

But the Emperor... that's his maternal uncle, his closest relative who protected him since childhood.

Blood is thicker than water; this saying is not without merit.

Even if the emperor is very rational, once that thorn is planted in his heart, it is very difficult to remove it.

In this deep palace, who doesn't think three steps ahead before taking one?

The news was also delivered to the residence of Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue, immediately.

Although the Crown Prince "suggested" that he return home to discipline his children and grandchildren, Lord Ma's intelligence network was far from idle. He was fully aware of any developments in the court.

Even at home, he was never idle, frequently writing letters to the emperor on his western expedition to report on the situation in the capital.

He had seen the news about Tong Guowei, and he also knew about the news that he had vomited blood and fainted.

Ma Qi was not upset at all; in fact, he couldn't help but smile.

Ma Yuan, the younger brother, asked in a low voice:
"Brother, something so serious has happened to Prime Minister Tong, shouldn't we go visit him in the hospital?"

Ma Qi was very serious:
"Prime Minister Tong is close to my family, so it's only natural that I should visit him. We can't let people gossip behind our backs and say that we are heartless and ungrateful."

Ma Yuan hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice:

"The Crown Prince is becoming more and more powerful. It's actually a good thing that you're not in court... I just don't know when His Majesty will be able to return."

Ma Qi smiled and took a sip of tea:

"This battle in the Northwest will take several months to finish. Even if His Majesty's army goes to war, the combined forces of Arabtan and the Russian Kingdom are not to be underestimated."

"Whether His Majesty returns or not, my good fortune is almost here."

"With Prime Minister Tong gone, someone has to take charge of the Southern Study."

“Zhang Ying is not suitable, and no one else is even more unqualified—who else is suitable besides me?”

Ma Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized:

His elder brother was loyal to the emperor, but had a rift with the crown prince.

The Emperor needs someone like this to check and balance the Crown Prince!
His face immediately lit up with joy: "Congratulations, brother!"

But before the joy was over, worry crept in again:
"Brother, the Crown Prince is not easy to deal with..."

Ma Qi smiled calmly:
"The Crown Prince is not easy to deal with, but with the Emperor backing me up, I am not made of paper."

"And from now on, the Crown Prince's rivals... won't just be me alone!"

He didn't say the last sentence; even though it was his own brother in front of him, he swallowed his words.

Some things are better left unsaid.

He believed in the emperor.

"Go and send someone to keep an eye on the Duke of Feng'en's residence. As soon as Prime Minister Tong wakes up, tell me immediately so we can go and visit him right away."

Ma Yuan quickly nodded and went to do it.

After his younger brother left, Ma Qi's gaze fell on the secret letter he had written to the side, and he silently calculated in his mind:

The imperial court's report on Jiangnan and this great battle should have reached the emperor by now.

I wonder what His Majesty's reaction will be upon seeing this?
In the frigid northwest, perhaps these messages can warm the Emperor's heart?
Just as Ma Qi had guessed, Emperor Qianxi was currently in his military tent reviewing reports sent from the capital.

The emperor's face was solemn, and Grand Secretary Li Guangdi stood beside him.

Li Guangdi had already read most of the memorials, and his expression was equally serious.

He admired the Crown Prince's skillful methods, but also "respected" Tong Guowei's audacity.

They even dared to challenge the Crown Prince's position as regent!
Unfortunately, he encountered a prince who didn't play by the rules and could conjure up 100,000 naval troops out of thin air!
Although this army of 100,000 resembled a loose alliance, it annihilated the rebels in one fell swoop, delivering a great gift to the imperial court...

As Li Guangdi was lost in thought, Emperor Qianxi suddenly spoke:
"The Yangtze River blockade has been lifted and the canal transport has resumed. The thirteenth prince has done a good job."

Li Guangdi didn't reply, determined to remain silent as long as the Emperor didn't ask.

Emperor Qianxi did not talk much about Jiangnan. He quickly flipped through the memorials, took out two of them, and read them carefully.

The wind howled outside the tent, time passed slowly, and the air was so quiet it was almost oppressive.

After an unknown amount of time, the emperor suddenly looked up:
"Guangdi, the Crown Prince has rendered such a great service, tell me... how should I reward him?"

Li Guangdi's back instantly broke out in a sweat.

The Emperor's question, "How should he be rewarded?" sounded light and casual, but it weighed heavily on his ears.

A reward? How should it be given?
He had thought about this problem before sending the memorial, but he couldn't come up with a suitable answer no matter how hard he tried.

At this moment, the emperor's eyes were sharp, and he waited quietly for his reply.

During his regency, the Crown Prince pacified Jiangnan, restored the Grand Canal, and incidentally dealt with Tong Guowei.

This achievement is so great that it's almost unbelievable.

But if the reward is too great, will the emperor be happy?

If the reward is too light, what will the world think?
Li Guangdi's mind raced, but he had to maintain his composure. He bowed and replied:
“Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has indeed rendered great service this time. However… matters of reward and punishment are Your Majesty’s decision, and I dare not presume to comment.”

This statement is essentially meaningless, but it is the safest response at the moment.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at him, but wasn't angry. He simply put the two memorials in his hand on the table.

"The memorials from Jiangnan are lively, and the memorials from the capital are also wonderful."

The Emperor's tone was calm, revealing no emotion, "Guangdi, tell me, who did the Crown Prince learn these methods from?"

Li Guangdi's heart skipped a beat; this was an even more difficult question to answer.

He could only lower his head even further: "The Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent, and His Majesty has provided excellent guidance."

"Yes, I have taught them well." Emperor Qianxi suddenly smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

(End of this chapter)