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

Chapter 545 The Storm Instigated by the Crown Prince

Shen Ye stared at Longkodo without saying a word.

He knew perfectly well that Longkodo was just playing dumb for him!

do not know?
How could he not know!
If you can't even hear about the beating of the head manager of Yuqing Bank, then what right do you, Longkodo, have to be Emperor Qianxi's "ears"?
Trying to outsmart me? You're still too green!
Shen Ye spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Longkodo, isn't the security of the inner city under the jurisdiction of your Infantry Commander's Office?"

Hearing the Crown Prince finally speak, Longkodo breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although he had long suspected that being summoned by the Crown Prince today was not a good thing, the Crown Prince had been staring at him without saying a word.

That sight sent chills down his spine; he almost thought the emperor was sitting on top of him!

Although the Crown Prince who was in charge of the country no longer had Suo'etu by his side, he was still no pushover!

"Your Highness, the security of the inner city is indeed under the jurisdiction of my office."

There was no denying it, so Longkodo could only answer honestly.

"I used to think the inner city was safe, but I've only recently discovered that it's absolutely chaotic!"

As Shen Ye spoke, a stack of papers appeared in his hand, which he coldly tossed toward Longkodo:
"Look for yourself, what a mess the inner city has become lately!"

"People were fighting, people were extorting money, and even the head manager of Yuqing Bank had his arm broken."

He handed the paper to Wei Zhu and said, "Let him take a good look at it."

Longkodo's heart skipped a beat:
What is the Crown Prince up to?

Instead of letting me investigate who hit the head manager of Yuqing Bank, they're fixated on the issue of public security.
Isn't this just blatantly trying to shift the blame onto me and pin a huge black hole on me?
If the Crown Prince really brings this up, will the Emperor protect me, his loyal subordinate?
The Emperor will surely protect me, right?

I am his personally cultivated ear and fist!

But right now, His Majesty is far away in Shaanxi and Gansu. Even if he wanted to protect me, would he be able to get there in time, given the distance?

The Infantry Commander's Office is certainly important, but no matter how important it is, the one currently overseeing the country is the Crown Prince, not the Emperor!

Just as I was lost in thought, Wei Zhu walked over with the stack of papers in her hands.

Both of them were trusted confidants of the emperor and had interacted frequently.

As she handed him the paper, Wei Zhu raised an eyebrow, turned the corner of her mouth down, and subtly gave Longkodo a wink:
Be careful, and good luck to you!

Longkodo nodded slightly, took the paper, and glanced at it:
Good heavens! The document was filled with detailed records of recent cases that had occurred in the inner city.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, a fight broke out at Futai Restaurant!

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, two groups of people in Luopan Hutong got into a fight over a girl and started using knives!
The fifth day of the Lunar New Year...

The more Longkodo looked at the scene, the more sweat poured down his forehead. What a chaotic mess this was!
Normally he would never pay attention to such trivial matters, but now that the Crown Prince has listed them out one by one, he is embarrassed and has lost all face!

I gritted my teeth as I watched. These troublesome bastards never know when to start a fight.

Now look what's happened! Everything has become evidence of their crimes in the Crown Prince's hands!
Longkodo was in a state of turmoil, as if two little people were fighting in his mind:

One said, "Quickly admit defeat to ensure your safety"; the other said, "Don't back down, or you'll really become the scapegoat!"
But when he glanced at the Crown Prince's ambiguous smile, he instantly sobered up:
This is not the place to haggle.

So Longkodo bent down even lower:
"Your Highness, I will investigate these matters thoroughly when I return! I will give you an explanation within three days."

Since he couldn't avoid it, he decided to take the initiative and try to appease the prince first.

Shen Ye looked at the slippery Longkodo and said calmly:
"If a tiger or rhinoceros escapes from its cage, or a tortoise or jade is destroyed in its box, whose fault is it?"

Longkodo wasn't a great student when he was young, but he did study the Analects of Confucius.

He actually understood that sentence, and his expression changed immediately.

Your Highness... Your Highness is trying to pin all the blame on me!
Isn't this a blatant accusation that I failed to supervise properly and neglected my duties?

Could it be that the Crown Prince intends to use these things to remove him from his position as the Commander-in-Chief of the Infantry Commandery?

I am, after all, a second-rank official, and I command 30,000 troops in the inner city!
He can be considered an important confidant of Emperor Qianxi.

When the Qianxi Emperor was alive, he didn't have to worry about the Crown Prince harming him at all.

But now?
If the Crown Prince uses this charge to force me to commit a crime, the Emperor will be powerless to stop him, and the distant water cannot quench the fire nearby.

Should I accept the imperial decree or not?

Emperor Qianxi did give me a handwritten edict, saying that if the Crown Prince forcibly took action against me, I could take it out.

But once it's revealed, it's tantamount to completely breaking ties with the Crown Prince.

What would happen if the Crown Prince were determined to punish me?

Although his position was important, would the emperor still feel that important when he was in the army?
Upon reflection, Longkodo quickly declared, "Your Highness is right; it was this servant's dereliction of duty!"

"This servant will return immediately and rigorously enforce order within the inner city!"

"I will never betray the Crown Prince's trust!"

When dealing with superiors, regardless of right or wrong, one must maintain a proper and respectful attitude; this is a very practical way to survive.

Seeing his loyal demeanor, Shen Ye chuckled and said:

"Longkodo, don't think that just because you're a commander personally appointed by the Emperor, I can't touch you."

"If you fail to perform your duties, or if you embezzle or corrupt the morals—I can still execute you."

The moment the word "lonely" left his lips, Longkodo felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

The Crown Prince may address himself as "I," but he may not address himself as "I."

Shen Ye disliked the word "lonely" very much, so he basically never used it.

But this time, in order to deter Longkodo, Shen Ye couldn't care less about anything else.

Longkodo's forehead was covered in sweat, and his voice trembled:
"This servant wouldn't dare! This servant has always performed his duties diligently, and begs Your Highness to investigate!"

"Don't worry, I won't resort to the 'punish without warning' approach." "Now that Father Emperor is away on a distant expedition, the court needs to operate smoothly."

"But some demons and monsters are stirring up trouble, jumping around and disrupting the stable situation of the court."

"Such situations must be severely punished!"

"I am preparing to launch a three-month purge starting today!"

"During the operation, all those who engage in bullying and monopolistic practices will be arrested!"

"Arrest those who cause trouble!"

"Those who bully men and oppress women, arrest them!"

"Arrest those involved in fighting!"

……

As a series of words came out, Longkodo's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally at ease.

As long as the Crown Prince still needs me, there is still room for maneuver. At least it shows that the Crown Prince does not want to touch me for the time being.

Want to clean up the atmosphere? Sure!

This is a good opportunity to make those unruly ancestors in the inner city behave themselves and stop causing trouble all the time.

It's not necessarily a bad thing for me.

This job is manageable!

The Crown Prince probably also wanted to take this opportunity to vent his anger for his head steward whose arm had been broken.

If I just make a big fuss and quickly deal with a few troublemakers, I should be able to get the job done.

Longkodo had just relaxed a little and was thinking about how to gloss over the situation with a lot of noise but little substance when he heard the Crown Prince change the subject and continue:
"For those lawless and domineering people in the inner city, no matter who they are, arrest them all."

"Not only do you need to arrest people, but you also need to investigate them thoroughly."

"Who is backing them up?"

"Who gave them such audacity to act so arrogantly!"

"Are these people openly condoning it, or are they secretly making things convenient for them?"

"The Censorate and the Imperial Household Department will send people to assist you in investigating all of this thoroughly."

Upon hearing "assistance," Longkodo instinctively pursed his lips. This wasn't assistance; it was supervision! Was he watching me work?

"Longkodo, no matter who's involved, those who should be arrested must be thoroughly investigated!"

"Furthermore, we should learn from the past. We should also settle any old scores that have not been settled in the past."

"My request isn't high, just start investigating backwards for three years from now!"

"You need to thoroughly review all the cases that occurred in the inner city from now until three years ago."

"In three months, we will not only bring order and stability to the inner city, but also uproot and eradicate those poisonous seedlings that are causing unrest in the inner city."

Longkodo shuddered as he listened: This was a move that seemed intent on turning the inner city upside down!
Offending one or two members of the imperial family is one thing, but if this is investigated back three years, I'll have offended half of the powerful and influential people in the capital.

How am I supposed to live in Longkodo after this? Will I get a sack thrown over my head when I go out?

But did he have any other choice at this moment? No.

"Your servant obeys!"

"After you get back, first write an action plan. Then, report on the progress every day."

"I want to see if you, Longkodo, have the ability to heal the inner city for me."

"If they can't cure it, I'll find someone who can."

Longkodo now understood that the Crown Prince not only planned to overhaul the security of the inner city, but also intended to use this overhaul to deal with a group of people.

Moreover, this is by no means a small amount.

Shen Ye took a sip of tea and added:
"The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture will be here soon. The inner and outer cities are one, and there are many things you can discuss together."

"Longkodo, don't make me convict you of both crimes. If that happens, no one can protect you."

When Longkodo left Yuqing Palace, his clothes were almost soaked with sweat.

A storm was brewing, and he happened to be one of the people standing in the eye of the storm.

He had already cursed Qingliang, that troublemaker from Prince Yu's mansion, eight hundred times in his heart:

Of all people to mess with, you had to go after the Crown Prince's purse! Now look what's happened, you've dragged me down with you.

Just as he stepped out feeling upset, he ran into Chang Shunhuai, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, who was greeting him with a smile.

"Lord Long, what instructions did the Crown Prince give?"

Longkodo's mood improved considerably upon seeing Chang Shunhuai.

I'm not the only one who's unlucky!
The Crown Prince must have also prepared a "surprise" gift for him.

"Lord Chang, good news! Please go in quickly, don't keep the Crown Prince waiting."

After saying this, Longkodo strode out.

Damn it, better to die than to die. Since the Crown Prince is going to stir up this storm, then he can't blame me.

Anyway, with the censors watching me, I was forced into this situation, so I'll just have to obey orders.

If you have any thoughts, go and tell the Crown Prince!

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, please vote, please do everything!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)