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

Chapter 546 The Crown Prince is about to accomplish something big, let's give him a helping hand.

Shen Ye's rhetoric to deal with Chang Shunhuai was similar to the one he used to fool Longkodo.

Chang Shunhuai had only been the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture for a short time, and hadn't even warmed his seat in the main hall yet!
A heavy burden of being a scapegoat was firmly placed on his head. This mess, like a hot potato, was unexpectedly shoved into his hands by the crown prince.

However, compared to Longkodo, who was a confidant of Emperor Qianxi, Changshunhuai was even less confident in the face of the Crown Prince's questioning.

Arguing based on reason? That's impossible!
After all, he was well aware that the outer city was not safe.

Knowing something is one thing, but being able to do it is another!
As for the reason, it's naturally because it's under the emperor's nose, and there are many imperial relatives and nobles. If you throw a signboard down, you might hit four or five relatives of powerful and influential people.

Under these circumstances, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture felt quite frustrated.

Many times, he was so angry that his teeth itched, but in the end he had to put on a smile and comfort himself: "Patience is a dangerous thing, I can't afford to mess with this guy!"

Therefore, when the Crown Prince mentioned promoting the linkage between the inner and outer cities and carrying out serious rectification, Chang Shunhuai felt that an opportunity had come.

This is practically a golden sword delivered right to our door!
So he obediently accepted the task and turned around to return to Shuntian Prefecture.

After arranging these two matters, Shen Ye didn't rest. He immediately called Zhen Yan over.

These days, Zhen Yan has had a tough time.

Although no one dared to provoke him, ever since he latched onto the Crown Prince's coattails, many people avoided him like the plague.

Fewer and fewer people are willing to associate with him.

Upon hearing Shen Ye's call, he ran faster than anyone else and was standing in front of Shen Ye in the blink of an eye.

Shen Ye didn't even bother to feign an expression when facing Zhen Yan. He simply and decisively gave her a task: Keep a close eye on both the Infantry Commander's Office and the Shuntian Prefecture!
We must not only keep an eye on whether they have abused their power for personal gain, but also on the progress of their rectification efforts.

Before leaving, Shen Ye gave Zhen Yan a temporary official title: Chief of the Fengqingqizheng Division!

This "Upright and Honest Department" is directly affiliated with the Southern Study.

But Shen Ye demanded that he take direct responsibility for him!
Not long after Shen Ye finished talking with Longkodo and Chang Shunhuai, news of his plan to reorganize the capital reached the ears of the ministers of the Southern Study.

Tong Guowei heard about it from his eldest son, Longkodo.

After listening to Longkodo's report, Tong Guowei's heart skipped a beat: This time, the Crown Prince is probably serious!

Tong Guowei didn't even bother to blink when it came to dealing with a few arrogant and domineering spoiled brats; he had no objections.

Those brats deserve to be taught a lesson; they really went too far!

But the Crown Prince actually wants to investigate back three years, and even drag out and take down the protectors behind them. What is he trying to do?!
Is this going to cause a man-made typhoon in the capital?

When this wind blows, whose roof tiles won't fall off with a crackling sound?

If things go wrong, even the Tong family's century-old mansion might leak!

Why? Over the years, the Tong family has expanded and grown in number, but it has also produced quite a few misfits.

He had heard of the notoriously unfilial deeds of several of his descendants, though he wasn't entirely clear on them.

However, in his previous view, those were just children playing around, nothing serious, and he could just close his eyes and let it pass!

but now……

Thinking about the Crown Prince's purpose this time, Tong Guowei suddenly felt a dryness in his throat and a pang of regret.

Did I push the Crown Prince too far when I joined forces with Zhang Ying?
Look how provoked the Crown Prince! He's ready to roll up his sleeves, overturn the table, and start a crackdown on the capital!

"Father, what do you think I should do about this?" Longkodo poured his father a cup of tea and then asked respectfully.

Seeing Longkodo's behavior, Tong Guowei felt angry.

He knew that Longkodo was not only cunning but also very opinionated, with ideas that were bigger than anyone else's.

He clearly had his own plans, but he insisted on pretending to be humble and eager to learn. It's disgusting. Who are you trying to fool?

Despite his anger, he didn't dare to give his eldest son a hard time right now.

After all, there are many things that he still has to handle!
If this eldest son were to simply give up, not only would the other descendants be affected, but even Shun'an Yan, the eldest grandson, might end up in jail.

In that case, he, as the prime minister, would truly have nowhere to hide his face.

Tong Guowei took a sip of tea and said slowly, "You can't refuse to do this."

Hearing his father's words, Longkodo felt an urge to roll his eyes.

Nonsense, do you think I need to teach me this?
If I could push, I'd be faster than a post horse, disappearing in a flash. Why would I need to report to you?

However, on the surface, he still looked worried: "His Majesty is not in the capital now, and I dare not disobey the Crown Prince's orders."

“You can’t refuse to listen…” Tong Guowei interrupted him without any politeness, waving his hand to cut him off.

"Just like you said, the Crown Prince has long amassed a huge amount of information about the poor security situation in the capital."

"If you don't take action, you'll be the first one to suffer!"

"Although the Crown Prince may not issue an edict to execute you, sending you to prison and making you drink cold porridge for a few days will be enough to make you suffer!"

Longkodo had thought about this before, but hearing his father say this still sent a chill down his spine.

Longkodo kept quiet and waited for his father to continue.

Tong Guowei continued, "But Longkodo, don't take the Crown Prince's knife too seriously, he'll cut down anyone."

"Didn't Qingliang from Prince Yu's family break the arm of the head manager of Yuqing Bank? Then make an example of him!"

"And while you're at it, bring in a few more members of the royal family!"

“Even the Emperor gets a headache just looking at these relatives. He’s always turned a blind eye to their crimes!” “You should handle more cases involving these people and give the Crown Prince a piece of the action.”

"Let's see if the Crown Prince can withstand the pressure from the imperial clan."

Longkodo nodded; this was pretty much what he had in mind.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Father, shouldn't we also clean up those monsters and demons in the capital?"

"Arrest them if they need to! Especially those powerful servants in their mansions, don't be lenient, don't let them go."

Tong Guowei said coldly, "Make a big fuss so the Crown Prince can't find fault with it."

"However, apart from Prince Yu and his few other members of the imperial family, don't touch the others for now."

"You know what it means to make a lot of noise but accomplish little, right?"

Longkodo immediately understood and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Father. I understand now."

Before leaving, Tong Guowei added, "You must be careful about things like deception."

"Don't let the Crown Prince catch you doing anything wrong."

"Even worse, you can't let yourself get too involved in the performance!"

Longkodo had a better idea of ​​what was going on, and when he got back, he told the people he was close to.

Then they launched a large-scale operation in the inner city.

Having served as the infantry commander for so many years, Longkodo knew all about the petty affairs within the inner city.

So on the first day of the operation, they arrested several notorious thugs in the inner city.

On the third day, they stormed in and arrested Prince Yu's son, Qingliang.

Qingliang didn't take Shen Ye's efforts to improve the governance of the capital seriously at all!
You broke the arm of bank manager Nian Jinfu? So what? It's no big deal!

Who am I?

I am the Emperor's nephew!

He is the son of Prince Yu, a true member of the imperial family!

Even if the Crown Prince is standing behind Nian Jinfu, so what?
Who knows if it was him who did it? As long as there's no evidence, even the Crown Prince can't do anything to me!

As for the Infantry Commander's Office, he didn't care about it at all.

When Longkodo personally led his men to arrest him, he immediately drew his sword and resisted.

Longkodo dared not harm him, so in the end he had someone make a net, wrap him up like a dumpling, and then he was taken away.

Qingliang cursed and swore all the way!

Just like you arrested him, send him back!
Longkodo didn't care about any of that. After dealing with Qingliang's lackeys and subordinates and getting their confessions, he went straight to Yuqing Palace.

"Your Highness, during my inspection of the inner city, I arrested several thugs who bullied the innocent and engaged in extortion. These men confessed that their backer was Qingliang, the fifth son of Prince Yu."

"This servant dared not arrest him immediately. Only after verifying the evidence did I arrest Qingliang and bring him to the Infantry Commander's Office."

"It has now been determined that Qingliang not only bullied men and women and extorted money, but also caused the deaths of nine people in the outer city, and five families were ruined and destroyed by Qingliang..."

"Along with Qingliang in doing these things were Zheng Shun, the third son of the Marquis of Boling, and the heir of the Earl of Changqing..."

As Longkodo reported, a thick stack of testimonies was placed on Shen Ye's desk.

In Longkodo's report, Qingliang, needless to say, was the son of Prince Yu.

The other people involved were mostly sons of the imperial family. For example, the heir of the Earl of Changqing was the son of one of Emperor Qianxi's sisters.

It can be said that they were all relatives of the emperor!

Longkodo reported with his head bowed, seemingly respectful, but in reality, he was trying to secretly observe the Crown Prince's expression.

Shen Ye was somewhat impressed: they had managed to gather evidence of crimes against five or six members of the royal family so quickly, and the evidence was irrefutable.

That's impressive efficiency!
"Longkodo, you did a good job."

"However, the unsolved cases in the inner city are far more numerous than these."

"Your Infantry Commander's Office and Shuntian Prefecture must work together to solve more major cases so that the capital can achieve long-term stability and peace!"

At this point, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "I've already sent Zhen Yan to assist you. Please cooperate well."

Longkodo chuckled inwardly. What? Send Zhen Yan to assist?

Is that assisting? It's more like supervising!

Although he inwardly grumbled, Longkodo knew that when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head, so he quickly smiled and said:
"With the Crown Prince's support, I will certainly continue my efforts and restore peace and tranquility to the capital."

As Longkodo emerged from Yuqing Palace, he bumped into Prince Yu, whose face was grim.

Although he was arrogant, he still maintained a superficial respect for his elder brother, Emperor Qianxi.

"Greetings, Prince Yu," Longkodo said respectfully, cupping his hands in greeting.

Prince Yu glared at him fiercely and said, "Longkodo, I'm going to see the Crown Prince first. We'll settle the score for what you've done later!"

Watching Prince Yu's angry retreating figure, Longkodo's lips curled up into a faint smile.

I've arrested the man and handed over the evidence. Now... that's your problem, Your Highness!
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(End of this chapter)