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

Chapter 541 Using an opponent's strength against them, giving the Crown Prince a bad start.
Faced with Ma Qi's questioning, Tong Guowei's face immediately darkened.

Although he didn't want to offend Ma Qi, after all, the two were old comrades who had fought side by side.

But Ma Qi's words were incredibly disrespectful!

What do you mean I let the Crown Prince have his way?

The key point is that he couldn't stop this even if he wanted to!

Tong Guowei slowly uttered a sentence:
"If Minister Ma feels there is a problem with these rules of procedure, he should take up his post in the Southern Study as soon as possible."

The voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a hard stone being thrown, leaving Ma Qi speechless.

Tong Guowei's meaning couldn't be clearer: Ma Qi, don't you think you're quite capable?
Then why don't you become the Grand Secretary or the Chief Grand Secretary? If you're so capable, why don't you take the position?
Ma Qi's face turned red with frustration, and in the end, he could only clasp his hands in a fist salute and leave in a huff.

Watching Ma Qi leave in a huff, Tong Guowei withdrew his gaze and began to ponder the meeting procedures again.

Although Ma Qi had just been ousted, the Crown Prince's rules of procedure were like a fishbone stuck in his throat.

I can't swallow it, and I can't spit it out; I feel uncomfortable no matter what.

He frowned and pondered for a moment, then turned to Tong San and instructed, "Go and invite the Eighth Prince to my office."

According to the rules, the prince was of noble birth, and it was Tong Guowei who should have paid his respects.

However, in terms of his status in the Southern Study, Tong Guowei was the Eighth Prince's superior, the chief scholar of the Southern Study, and the person in charge.

When he goes to the Eighth Prince's place, it's mostly for private matters.

But this time, inviting the Eighth Prince here was clearly to discuss official business.

"Prime Minister Tong!" The Eighth Prince quickly arrived at Tong Guowei's duty room, still wearing a faint smile on his face.

After Tong Guowei and the Eighth Prince exchanged greetings, Tong Guowei didn't beat around the bush and directly addressed the Eighth Prince:
"Eighth Prince, have you read the rules of procedure for the Yuqing Palace that the Crown Prince just issued?"

"I have already read it; the Crown Prince's move is truly impossible to guard against!"

"I was discussing this matter with my third brother just before I came here, and we both felt it was inappropriate to openly oppose it."

"But if this continues, the power of the Southern Study will gradually be dispersed to the Six Ministries and the Crown Prince."

"If this continues, the Southern Study will likely become a mere formality."

Tong Guowei nodded and said:

"Eighth Prince sees things very clearly. The Crown Prince's meeting procedures seem peaceful on the surface, but they are actually full of hidden malice."

"But right now, we don't have any grounds to object."

"However, we can't let the Crown Prince's procedures be implemented too smoothly."

At this point, he picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip:
"Therefore, I intend for the Ministry of Rites to be the first to discuss this matter."

"Let the Ministry of Rites petition to increase the number of candidates admitted from Jiangnan."

The Eighth Prince's expression changed instantly upon hearing Tong Guowei's words.

He immediately understood Tong Guowei's purpose.

Increasing the number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations from Jiangnan was something most officials in Jiangnan dreamed of.

As a powerful figure in the Jiangnan region, Zhang Ying will undoubtedly push this matter forward with all his might.

Chen Tingjing and others, who came from Jiangnan, could not stand idly by in this matter.

With their own encouragement and support, the Crown Prince would have no choice but to accept the one-sided situation, even if he didn't want to.

This directly caused a major setback for the Crown Prince's meeting procedures!

A poorly initiated set of procedures will gradually become a dead letter.

“But what about Prime Minister Zhang…” The Eighth Prince hesitated for a moment before expressing his concerns.

Would he, a man of usually composure, agree to let Zhang Ying take the lead and charge forward?
Tong Guowei understood the Eighth Prince's concerns, and he waved his hand, saying:
"If you're always afraid of everything, what great things can you accomplish?"

"Go tell Zhang Ying that this is a one-time chance. If he doesn't agree, then don't bring this up again!"

"You can't expect to reap the rewards without putting in any effort. There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

The Eighth Prince understood: "Alright, I'll go and talk to Prime Minister Zhang right away."

The Eighth Prince and Tong Guowei talked about some other things before he took his leave and went to Zhang Ying's duty room.

Zhang Ying was also studying the meeting procedures.

Upon seeing the Eighth Prince enter, Zhang Ying respectfully bowed to him and sent someone to serve him tea.

"What does Zhang Xiang think of these meeting procedures?" the Eighth Prince asked with a smile as he sipped his hot tea.

Zhang Ying smiled and said, "Your Highness is truly talented!"

"This procedure is not only logically rigorous, but also highly operable, and the whole process is seamless."

"More importantly, it only specifies 'how to discuss,' but not 'what to discuss,' leaving those who want to find fault with it with nowhere to start."

After a pause, Zhang Ying continued, "These rules of procedure are closely tied to the Crown Prince's role as regent."

"It neither reveals the Crown Prince's autocratic rule nor undermines his dominant position as regent. Truly brilliant!"

The Eighth Prince did not expect that this old fox would start by praising the meeting procedures.

He was somewhat displeased with Zhang Ying's actions.

On the surface, he still smiled and said, "Prime Minister Zhang is humble and modest, which is admirable."

"I came here today because Prime Minister Tong intends to discuss the matter of increasing the number of candidates for the imperial examinations from Jiangnan at Yuqing Palace the day after tomorrow, and he specifically asked me to ask Prime Minister Zhang for his opinion."

Zhang Ying's expression immediately changed.

You cunning bastard, Tong Guowei! You're so shrewd and wicked!

He was clearly using this incident to disrupt the Crown Prince's Yuqing Palace meeting procedures, but he made us, the people from Jiangnan, his tools for attacking.

Although he saw through Tong Guowei's thoughts, the allure of this matter for him and the officials and gentry of Jiangnan was extraordinary.

An additional Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) spot means that Jiangnan can produce one more Jinshi in each provincial examination. This is a great benefit to Jiangnan for generations to come.

However, he was truly unwilling to be at the forefront of opposing the Crown Prince for this matter.

After weighing the pros and cons, he cautiously said to the Eighth Prince:

"Eighth Master, this matter is of great importance. Please allow me to think about it more carefully."

"Zhang Xiang, please do as you please."

"However, Prime Minister Tong said that once this opportunity is missed, it will be gone forever."

"If Prime Minister Zhang doesn't step in this time, then Prime Minister Tong will not support this matter again in the future."

The Eighth Prince calmly stated Tong Guowei's decision.

Upon hearing this, a hint of anger appeared on Zhang Ying's face.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Eighth Master. I will get back to you as soon as possible!"

After the Eighth Prince left, Zhang Ying paced back and forth in the duty room, his face shifting between light and dark.

Although he knew that doing so was somewhat risky, the temptation that Tong Guowei offered was so ruthless and precise that it was simply too great.

But once he succeeds, all the scholars in Jiangnan will be eternally grateful to him.

And because of this, his family will establish a unique position in Jiangnan.

However, if one were to become the one to speak out, it would be tantamount to setting a bad precedent for the Crown Prince's rules of procedure and offending him to the point of no return!

Is the Crown Prince someone to be trifled with?!

In particular, the crown prince who served as regent reached the pinnacle of his status!

Zhang Ying became increasingly restless, and with a determined effort, decided to go home early.

He can't make this decision on his own; he needs to discuss it thoroughly with the officials from the Jiangnan region.

The next day at noon, in accordance with Shen Ye's rules of procedure, all matters requiring discussion were reported to Shen Ye's study through the Office of Transmission.

Shen Ye narrowed his eyes as he looked at the first topic.

It was clearly written above:

The Jiangnan region boasts a rich literary tradition, a large number of students, and students whose abilities are generally superior to those in other regions…

In order to enable more learned students to serve the court, it is suggested that the court increase the number of candidates for the imperial examinations from Jiangnan by fifteen.

Upon seeing this suggestion, Shen Ye's lips curled into a cold smile.

This is truly outrageous! Adding fifteen more Jinshi from Jiangnan is equivalent to doubling the total number of Jinshi from Jiangnan!

He then saw the Ministry of Rites' opinion, which was written in great detail, but could be summarized in one sentence: it should be increased.

After reading the topic twice, Shen Ye continued to scroll down, only to find that there was nothing more.

In other words, tomorrow's meeting at Yuqing Palace will only have this one agenda item.

Shen Ye didn't believe it; in such a vast imperial court, all the civil and military officials had nothing to report.

It's obvious that this was done on purpose.

But it doesn't matter. Since the other party wants to test him, he'll let the one who's testing him find out.

His rules of procedure, which have been refined through countless trials, are not so easy to break.

After setting aside the meeting agenda, Shen Ye called Zhou Bao over:

"Zhou Bao, how's the selection of sweet potatoes for seedlings going?"

Having followed Shen Ye for so long, Zhou Bao had long since figured out how much this young master cared for sweet potatoes, treating them like precious treasures.

He dared not delay; as soon as the Crown Prince gave his instructions, he immediately urged people to carry them out.

"Your Highness, everything has been selected! This servant had it weighed, and there are still about 300,000 catties left to use as seed potatoes."

Shen Ye nodded, her speech quickening: "Okay! Quickly sort them into batches and be ready to load them onto trucks and send them to various counties in Zhili and Henan!"

"In addition, the group of people who planted sweet potatoes last year will be divided into groups, with each group responsible for providing planting guidance for a prefecture."

"Send a message to the stewards of the Imperial Household Department!"

"I don't care how they farmed in previous years. This spring, they must clear out 1,000 mu (approximately 67 hectares) for me to plant entirely with sweet potatoes!"

"After the wheat harvest, we'll move another 30,000 mu of land to plant sweet potatoes!"

"By the way, all those idle fields under my name must be planted with sweet potatoes this year, not a single acre can be left uncultivated!"

Zhou Bao quickly replied, "Yes, yes, this servant will take care of it right away!" After saying that, he left Yuqing Palace in a flash.

Shen Ye was as concerned about planting sweet potatoes as an old farmer worrying about his own vegetable garden.

He didn't eat almost any of the more than 300,000 jin of sweet potatoes he harvested last year; he saved them all for planting.

Even so, with 300,000 jin of potato seeds cultivated into seedlings in the spring, at most 10,000 mu can be planted.

Ten thousand mu sounds like a lot, but when it comes to actually promoting it, it's still a long way off!

Shen Ye plans to first find some places in Zhili and Henan to try planting, planting about a hundred acres of spring potatoes in each county.

Once the spring sweet potato vines have grown, we can cut off the vines and transplant the seedlings to promote summer sweet potatoes.

In this way, the people will see with their own eyes that sweet potatoes are easy to grow and have a high yield, so they will definitely rush to plant them next year without being urged!
When sweet potatoes grow everywhere, how many fewer people will starve to death?

This must be the most brilliant thing he's done since he transmigrated!
After pondering the sweet potato project, Shen Ye picked up the documents sent by the Ministry of Justice, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Compared to the grand cause of promotion, this matter at hand is hardly something to be happy about.

But what's meant to happen will happen; there's no escaping it.

Since the other side has made their move, let them see for themselves whether these rules of procedure are just empty words!
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(End of this chapter)