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

Chapter 547 So valiant, Prince Yu is imprisoned
Prince Yu, Fuquan, came here today specifically to complain!
That's right, he knew perfectly well that the Crown Prince was the one stirring things up behind the scenes, but so what?

He insisted on filing this complaint!
The complaint was against Longkodo for daring to persecute members of the imperial family and bully Prince Yu—he was determined to get an explanation from the Crown Prince.

It was based on this idea that he entered with such a menacing manner, as if he were carrying a belly full of gunpowder, just waiting to light the fuse.

It exploded with a bang, and nobody got any peace and quiet!

Moreover, Prince Yu was very confident; he felt he was fully qualified.

After all, he was Emperor Qianxi's own brother!
In the past, even when the emperor was in the capital, he had to show him respect.

He knew perfectly well what kind of people his sons were.

In fact, even the emperor knew.

However, Emperor Qianxi always turned a blind eye to his nephews.

Although the Crown Prince is overseeing the country, what right do you have to be so ruthless towards the son of my Prince Yu family?
Qingliang is your cousin!
"Eunuch Wei, please inform him that I wish to see the Crown Prince."

Although Prince Yu was filled with anger, he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

He felt that he didn't need to get angry at all; just by standing there, his status was enough to make sense.

Having spent a long time by Shen Ye's side, Wei Zhu knew very well why Prince Qingyu had come.

So he smiled and replied, "Prince Yu, please wait a moment while I go and report."

After saying that, he turned and entered Yuqing Palace, and said to Shen Ye, who was chatting with Cao Min, "Your Highness, Prince Yu requests an audience."

“This servant thinks… he has come with ill intentions.”

Shen Ye smiled at Wei Zhu: "I understand."

"Please invite him to the study; I'll meet him there."

Cao Min, who was always very intelligent, guessed the reason and couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "Your Highness, Prince Yu is, after all, your imperial uncle."

Even my father, the Emperor, would give him some face on ordinary days...

You'd better be careful.

As Shen Ye stood up, he said, "It's alright, I know how to handle it."

Although I had already made up my mind, I still had to show the proper courtesy.

So when Prince Yu arrived at the door of the study, he saw that the Crown Prince was already waiting there.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

When Prince Yu saw that the Crown Prince had come to greet him personally, a sense of pride welled up in his heart—it seemed that this matter should not be difficult to handle today.

This crown prince is quite sensible, but compared to the eighth prince... he's still lacking.

Old Eight promised much more than that!
While reaching out to help Prince Yu, who was about to bow, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Uncle, there's no need for such formalities. Being so polite among family members only makes us feel distant."

After exchanging a few polite words, the two took their seats.

Shen Ye casually asked, "What brings you here today, Uncle?"

When Prince Yu saw the Crown Prince smiling broadly, he cursed inwardly: You really don't know why I'm here? You're such a hypocrite!
He was somewhat displeased, but he still kept a straight face and said:

"Your Highness, the Infantry Commander's Office is incredibly audacious, arresting Qingliang without any reason!"

"I urge the Crown Prince to severely punish Longkodo, otherwise, what will become of the imperial clan's reputation? What will become of the court's authority?"

As Shen Ye listened to his increasingly loud voice, he sighed inwardly: My uncle's skin is truly thicker than a copper wall or an iron wall, no, no, it's even thicker than this!

How can you distort the truth like this?
He said calmly, "Uncle, Longkodo already reported Qingliang's matter to me."

“Longkodo was not the one who arrested Qingliang; he was merely ‘invited’ to the Infantry Commander’s office to assist in the investigation.”

"After all, several cases have involved Qingliang."

At this point, Shen Ye's expression turned serious: "If it is found that these cases have nothing to do with him, Longkodo will naturally send him back to his residence."

"If it's related... then it must be handed over to the Imperial Clan Court."

Prince Yu's lips twitched, as if he had punched a piece of cotton.

His own son was clearly taken away, but when the Crown Prince said it, a casual "assisting in the investigation" was enough to silently dismiss him.

However, he couldn't directly refute this statement, and for a moment he felt a tightness in his chest from anger.

"Your Highness, Qingliang is a member of the imperial family whom I personally raised. How could he act recklessly? Someone must be stirring up trouble!"

"I beg Your Highness to hand Qingliang over to me. I will take him back and discipline him strictly. If he has truly done something wrong, I will not let him off lightly!"

Although the words were spoken respectfully, the attitude was uncompromising.

Shen Ye looked at him quietly, the smile on her face gradually fading.

“Prince Yu, you are my imperial uncle, and there are some things I didn’t want to say—but you’re forcing me to speak.”

“If Qingliang doesn’t break the law, how you discipline him is your own family matter. But he has now violated the laws of the imperial court, so the imperial court should deal with him.”

Do you think... you are qualified to represent the imperial court?

As he spoke, he grabbed a memorial from the table and slammed it down in front of Prince Yu with a "thud":
“Prince Yu, Qingliang’s case has not been fully investigated yet, but the existing evidence is sufficient to convict him!”

"Nine lives lost, five families destroyed..."

"Is this the good son you raised?"

"You want to take him back and discipline him yourself—tell me, what kind of discipline could you possibly achieve?!"

Prince Yu never expected that his slight assertiveness would result in such a harsh reprimand.

Even the Qianxi Emperor had never scolded him like that, yet today he was being berated by a junior!

The Crown Prince Regent... how dare he be so disrespectful to his elders!
He took a deep breath and didn't even glance at the memorial—he knew that most of what was written in it was true.

His voice trembled with anger: "Judging from the Crown Prince's words, even this old minister will be punished?" His words were laced with barbs and carried a hint of threat.

He is the emperor's uncle, the crown prince is not yet the emperor!

How can the imperial clan feel at ease if even his own uncle wants to get rid of the crown prince?

Shen Ye met his gaze, her tone still calm, and said coldly, "Prince Yu, you are a member of the imperial family and have excelled in your studies since childhood. You should be a reasonable person."

"It should be known that, according to the laws of the court, those who harbor criminals are equally guilty!"

"Qingliang has acted so recklessly and disrespectfully, and you, as his father, really didn't know anything about it?"

Shen Ye leaned forward slightly, her voice soft, yet every word pierced the heart:

"Or did you already know, but thought that since my son is a relative, the death of a few civilians doesn't matter?"

Prince Yu was speechless for a moment after being confronted with these questions.

"Guards, convey my decree: Prince Yu, Fuquan, is hereby suspended from all duties. From this day forward, he shall remain at home to study and shall not leave the residence without my order!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly realized that the Crown Prince was serious this time!

The Crown Prince who oversees the state is different from ordinary Crown Princes.

As long as he was appointed as regent, he could handle all matters, big and small, in the court, and at worst, he could report to the emperor for a decision afterward.

“Your Highness, I will obey your decree to keep me confined at home. But I wonder… how will Your Highness explain this to the Emperor?” Prince Yu retorted defiantly.

"Uncle, shouldn't you be thinking about how to explain this to my father?"

Shen Ye's voice was cold: "To condone your son's violent acts is to cover up his crimes. I've already shown leniency by letting you stay home to study and await your fate."

"As for me—I was merely following the law."

Prince Yu knew he had failed this time and said coldly, "Crown Prince, aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of the imperial clan by treating your relatives this way?"

"Uncle, you do not represent all the imperial clans."

Shen Ye took two steps closer and said slowly, "Moreover, I think those who feel disheartened by my actions are people who have no regard for the court or the country."

“I couldn’t be happier if these people were disheartened.”

"And those relatives who are loyal to the court will only think that I did the right thing."

"The reputation of the imperial family should not be ruined by a few unworthy descendants."

He paused, then said in a low voice, "Uncle, you shouldn't have come today."

“If you hadn’t come, I might have been able to show you some leniency. But since you’ve come in person, I have no choice but to proceed strictly by the book.”

"Go home... and study hard."

Prince Yu stared at the Crown Prince's calm face, his mind racing.

Only then did he realize that he had underestimated his opponent!

From the moment he entered the door, the crown prince probably already planned to deal with him—or rather, his entire family.

However, he did not believe that the Crown Prince was punishing his family because of Qingliang's recklessness; it was clearly aimed at him for supporting the Eighth Prince!
Knowing that further discussion would be pointless, he flicked his sleeve at Shen Ye and said, "Now that the Crown Prince is overseeing the country, I shall obey his orders."

"Farewell!"

Shen Ye said no more, watching him leave before a slight smile appeared on her lips.

This imperial uncle usually relied on his status and didn't take him seriously, openly supporting the eighth prince. He couldn't touch him before.

Now, with this "police crackdown," he's been locked up without any real trouble.

It seems this is the correct way to act as regent—before, I was too restrained and too cautious.

Just as Shen Ye picked up Longkodo's memorial again, news of Prince Yu's confinement spread like wildfire throughout the palace.

Imperial Uncle!

Prince Yu!
Confinement!

These three things, when put together, instantly became the most talked-about topic in the Forbidden City.

The Southern Study was not far from Yuqing Palace. When the news arrived, the people in charge there were having tea.

The Eighth Prince and Tong Guowei chatted intimately, and Zhang Ying had also recently become close to the Eighth Prince; the three seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.

Although the Third Prince felt like an extra lantern, he was a little embarrassed.

Everyone was stunned when they heard that Prince Yu had been confined to his home to study.

The Eighth Prince's hand trembled, and the teacup fell to the ground with a clatter.

He truly hadn't expected the Crown Prince to be so bold and so courageous!

"Why does the Crown Prince want to imprison Prince Yu?" Tong Guowei asked the eunuch who brought the news, frowning.

"Reporting to Prime Minister Tong, the Crown Prince said that Prince Yu failed to properly educate his son and indulged and protected him, resulting in his fifth son, Qingliang, being responsible for nine deaths... Therefore, Prince Yu is allowed to return to his residence to study and await His Majesty's judgment." The little eunuch was well-prepared and answered fluently.

Tong Guowei frowned even more deeply.

Things seem to have gotten a bit out of control and are now out of his control.

He originally planned to use the Crown Prince to punish the纨绔子弟 (spoiled young men) and anger Prince Yu and others, so that they would join forces to put pressure on the Emperor.

Who knew, the crown prince would just trap everyone!

That's way too ruthless...

The Eighth Prince had regained his composure and said in a deep voice, "Prime Minister Tong, we must not allow the Crown Prince to act so recklessly!"

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone, and vote!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)