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

Chapter 543 Fourth Brother, You Were Born at the Wrong Time!

The carriages rumbled, and the horses neighed!
In the military camp where the army was stationed, Emperor Qianxi was reviewing memorials by the light of an oil lamp, his neck stiff from exhaustion.

During the day, they were either traveling or discussing military matters, so they had to read the memorials at night.

The curtain moved slightly, and the Fourth Prince, Yunzhen, tiptoed in. Seeing his father still busy under the lamp, he stepped forward and asked with concern:
"Father, what time is it? You should rest now."

Seeing his father's exhausted face under the lamplight, the fourth prince added:
"Although it's spring now, there's still a cold snap, and it's still a bit chilly at night, so you'd better take good care of yourself."

There were many charcoal braziers in Emperor Qianxi's tent, which were burning warmly at the moment, so it wasn't actually cold.

The fourth prince's words were purely a son's private conversation with his father, and contained a hint of flattery.

Emperor Qianxi smiled and waved his hand: "It's alright. How was the inspection of the camp?"

"Everything is normal! The morale of the Green Camp soldiers is high."

"After all, the imperial court provided ample funds for this expedition, and they are eager to go into battle immediately and serve the emperor!"

Emperor Qianxi nodded. The Green Standard Army soldiers were brave and skilled in battle, and they were still capable of fighting. He still harbored a great desire for military merit.

As long as there is enough silver, this fierce and ruthless army will attack wherever they are directed, without ever hesitating.

"Yunzhen," Emperor Qianxi said, taking a sip of tea, his tone casual as if he were chatting about everyday matters.

"I originally intended for my third son to accompany me on this military campaign."

The fourth prince listened silently without uttering a sound.

"Keeping you in the capital, letting you study politics in the Southern Study and gain experience, would suit your temperament."

As Emperor Qianxi spoke, he looked up at him:
"But then I thought, my sons don't all need to be able to govern the country with their pen or conquer the world on horseback, but they should all have some experience in both."

"Therefore, I have finally decided to bring you to the battlefield to see what it's like."

Emperor Qianxi's voice was steady, yet every word was clear:
"Only those who have witnessed the battlefield firsthand will be qualified to safeguard the land conquered by our ancestors."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince's heart skipped a beat.

He originally thought that his participation in the army this time was purely a "sacrifice" in the power struggle between the Crown Prince and his father.

He was a supporter of the Crown Prince, and the Emperor took him away, clearly because he didn't want him to get too close to the Crown Prince.

But now, hearing Emperor Qianxi say this, "they are qualified" to "guard the country"...

Could it be...?
As the Crown Prince's position became more and more secure, his original desire to covet that position had long since withered away!
However, upon hearing his father's words, it was as if a gust of wind had blew the small flame in his heart back to life, and it suddenly burst into flames.

So, in my father's eyes, I was also a "candidate"?
He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your guidance! I will certainly study and understand it diligently, and I will never let Your Majesty's efforts be in vain!"

Emperor Qianxi smiled and asked, "Did you find any problems during your inspection of the camp?"

The fourth prince originally wanted to answer "everything is normal", but his father had just given him a sweet treat. If he couldn't see any problems, wouldn't he look useless?
His mind raced, and he suddenly remembered something:

“Father, I was chatting with some Green Standard Army soldiers, and they mentioned that it would be even better if Yuqing could be given silver dollars when he was paid.”

His tone became serious:
"Everyone says that Yuqing silver dollars are of good quality and have a full weight. One tael is one tael, and almost no one complains about being shortchanged."

Emperor Qianxi grunted in acknowledgment: "I understand. I'll have the Crown Prince allocate more silver dollars later."

The father and son chatted for a few more minutes before the eunuch Liang Jiugong came in carrying a stack of memorials.

Emperor Qianxi originally intended to dismiss the fourth prince, but upon seeing the thickness of the memorials, he changed his mind.
"Take a look at these memorials for me first. Report back to me if there are any important ones."

Helping the emperor review memorials?

This is a huge loss of face!

The fourth prince quickly agreed, then moved a small stool to sit down and picked up the top book to read it carefully.

Anything that reaches the Emperor's attention is no small matter. The memorial already contains annotations from the Grand Secretary of the Southern Study, and important parts also have the Crown Prince's vermilion comments.

However, no matter how many times the Crown Prince reviewed the documents, the word he wrote most often was "approved".

Seeing the page full of "approved," the Fourth Prince suddenly felt a sense of balance:

He now knew what it was like for the Crown Prince to oversee the country!

Nominally, he was the regent, but in reality, the real power of the court was still in the hands of Tong Guowei and his cronies.

As for the Crown Prince, he simply sat on the sidelines watching them, acting as a nodding manager!

Such a regent is truly worry-free.

As he watched, the fourth prince suddenly thought: following his father to fight in war might not be so bad.

Lost in thought, Emperor Qianxi suddenly chuckled, a laugh that sounded rather chilling:

"What a brilliant 'rules of procedure'... It's a killer without shedding blood!"

The fourth prince looked up and saw Emperor Qianxi holding a memorial, with a half-smile on his face.

Seeing him looking over, Emperor Qianxi handed him the memorial:
"Look at this, broaden your horizons!"

"This is the 'Rules of Procedure for the Yuqing Palace' that the Crown Prince concocted... Tsk tsk, this kid is quite clever and knows how to play it well."

The fourth prince's heart tightened—this evaluation didn't sound like a compliment, but it carried considerable weight.

He took the memorial with both hands and examined it closely. After flipping through only a few pages, his expression tightened.

On the surface, these rules were meant to standardize procedures and improve efficiency, but in reality, they were distributing the power of the Southern Study to the Six Ministries...

This is clearly aimed at Tong Guowei and his group!

He read it once, pondered for a moment, read it again, and then gently closed it, falling into silence.

"Have you figured out anything?" Emperor Qianxi stretched his arms and asked casually.

"Your subject... has benefited immensely," the Fourth Prince replied cautiously.

The words weren't explicitly stated, but the meaning was clear.

Emperor Qianxi nodded: "The Crown Prince's rules are quite insightful. I can refer to them when I return to the capital." He then handed over a piece of paper: "Take a look, this is the minutes of the first meeting at Yuqing Palace."

The fourth prince took it and glanced at it, then his expression changed again.

Jiangnan has always been a key area of ​​defense for the imperial court, and the court has generally adopted a suppressive attitude towards Jiangnan.

These guys actually took this opportunity to suggest increasing the number of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from Jiangnan? They're really got some nerve!

Is this a plan to launch a surprise attack while the emperor is away?

He suppressed his anger and looked down, wanting to see how the Crown Prince would respond in the end.

The result was that the Crown Prince wrote three words in his comment: "Immature."

Without explanation or argument, they simply cited "insufficient preparation" as the reason for not discussing it further.

If it is not discussed, it will naturally not pass.

What's even more audacious is that the Crown Prince also instructed the Ministry of Rites to solicit opinions from other provinces.

When will the Ministry of Rites be able to get this job done?
As for Tong Guowei and Zhang Ying, they didn't even get a chance to speak.

In just a few pages of minutes, every word was filled with the glint of swords and the threat of death.

"Yunzhen, tell me, how should I approve these memorials?" Emperor Qianxi's voice drifted over.

The fourth prince's heart skipped a beat. Oh my dear father, this question is a bit beyond the scope of the curriculum!
He pondered for a moment, and suddenly realized:

The contest between the Crown Prince and the Southern Study was entirely a scheme orchestrated by the Emperor.

Or rather, the current situation was orchestrated by the Emperor himself!

At this critical moment, how can the referee step in and blow the whistle to judge who is right and who is wrong?
"Your Majesty, I think... a simple 'I understand' from Your Majesty would suffice."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi burst into laughter:

"Yunzhen, you are very good... It's a pity you were born at the wrong time!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the tent immediately fell silent.

Emperor Qianxi was taken aback, seemingly realizing that his words were somewhat inappropriate.

But as a father, especially an emperor, his words are law, and there's no reason to take them back.
Then he changed the subject, saying, "The soldiers want Yuqing silver dollars... does anyone want the Crown Prince's Yuqing gold notes?"

The fourth prince's face remained expressionless, but his heart was in turmoil.

Being born at the wrong time is like saying, "It's a pity you were born at the same time as the Crown Prince."
Emperor Qianxi's words were like a small thorn, pricking a part of his heart that he had long dared not touch, causing it to ache again.

All the resentment surged up at once.

Fortunately, he always had a cold and expressionless face, so Emperor Qianxi couldn't detect anything unusual.

Seeing that Emperor Qianxi had changed the subject, he seized the opportunity to continue:

"Father, most soldiers don't have access to gold coins."

"However, I heard that they are not opposed to it, but they complain that the denominations of gold notes are too large and they can't make change..."

Emperor Qianxi nodded silently and let out a long sigh.

Seeing this, the fourth prince wisely kept his mouth shut.

The phrase "born at the wrong time" echoed in his mind again and again, and he could no longer calm down.

Emperor Qianxi, who was away on a military campaign, merely observed the rules of procedure at Yuqing Palace with indifference.

However, once the rules of procedure for the Yuqing Palace were issued in the capital, they quickly spread to all government offices.

Everyone knows it, even if they don't say it:

This is no small matter; it's a real battle between the Crown Prince and the Southern Study!
As for the request from Jiangnan to increase the number of Jinshi degree holders, not many people paid attention to it.

After all, officials from Jiangnan had already made a fuss about this matter countless times.

What everyone is really concerned about is the outcome of this contest, who will win and who will lose.

At this moment, Chen Tingjing, one of the parties involved, was pacing back and forth in Zhang Ying's residence.

His face turned bright red; he was so angry he was practically about to explode.

"Lord Zhang, look at this! The Crown Prince just casually said it was immature, and he's completely pinned us down and suppressed us!"

"So, how are we supposed to bring this up again?"

"Those guys in the Ministry of Rites probably don't even dare to write a memorial anymore!"

Zhang Ying slowly sipped her tea, her expression calm:

"Lord Chen, if things are beyond our control, it's alright to postpone them. When things get tense, we should always lay low for a while."

Chen Tingjing wouldn't listen at all: "I... I really can't swallow this!"

"Tong Guowei is clearly using us as stepping stones to test the Crown Prince's strength!"

"If it works out, he benefits; if it doesn't, we suffer! He's got a brilliant plan, humph!"

Zhang Ying remained silent. How could he not feel aggrieved?
However, as the leader of the Jiangnan lineage, he cannot appear panicked at this time.

If you panic, people will look down on you even more.

"Lord Chen, let's leave this matter here."

Zhang Ying said solemnly:
"The Emperor said before leaving the capital that the chief examiner for this year's imperial examination would be decided by the court itself, and all that is needed is to submit a list to him."

"Tong Guowei wants to push Ma Qi... Do you think we should go with the flow, or make other plans?"

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone, and vote!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)