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

Chapter 460 It's not that I'm afraid of bad things happening, it's that I'm afraid of a lack of good
Emperor Qianxi's face almost turned green!
This emperor often traveled incognito, claiming it was to observe the lives of ordinary people.

Actually, the main purpose was to mingle with the locals and eat and drink.

He was overjoyed to hear that a courtesan had filed a complaint, and immediately led his men to watch the drama unfold!

At first, I listened with great interest, almost ready to grab a handful of sunflower seeds and start cracking them open. But then, as the investigation progressed, they actually brought up Shun'an Yan!

Emperor Qianxi immediately flew into a rage.

Although he knew that his cousin often did a lot of ridiculous things, he didn't think it was a big deal!
Anyway, I'm sitting on the dragon throne. Let alone Shun An Yan, even the entire Tong family, who would dare to cause trouble?

Bad habits are easy to correct!

Besides, Shun'an Yan is, after all, the son of my cousin. Marrying the Ninth Princess to him would not only keep Tong Guowei loyal, but also be considered a generous gift to my uncle's family.

But he never expected to stumble upon such a good show in a place like the Daxing County Government Office.

But who was Emperor Qianxi? He was incredibly shrewd!
When Nian Dongliang slammed the gavel and said "Court adjourned," he sensed something was wrong and even guessed pretty accurately who the mastermind was.

So, after most of the onlookers had dispersed, he squatted down in front of the county government office.

Sure enough, they caught their son sneaking out.

"Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities," Emperor Qianxi said in a drawn-out, sarcastic tone. "In this freezing weather, why did Your Highness come all the way to Daxing County to catch a cold?"

Shen Ye replied with a smile, "Father, I've come to see a play!"

"Judging the courtesan, how interesting!"

Emperor Qianxi snorted: "Interrogating the courtesan is interesting, but if we arrest both the courtesan and the shopkeeper and throw them into the army commander's office for another interrogation..."

"Guess what they'll find out?"

The threat in Emperor Qianxi's words was almost overflowing.

This is clearly telling Shen Ye: Once you're inside, you won't be able to hide anything!
Shen Ye remained calm and cheerful, saying, "Father, if this really escalates to the Infantry Commander's Office, things won't look good!"

He continued in a relaxed tone, "This matter is neither a frame-up nor a slander; it's simply a beautiful story of a talented man and a beautiful woman!"

"Just like the story of 'The Oil Vendor Wins Over the Courtesan'!"

"Our story is 'The Prime Minister's Son's Exclusive Love for the Courtesan'!"

At this point, he winked at Emperor Qianxi: "Father, what do you think, if I go back and write this into a play..."

Do you think it can catch up with the popularity of "The Peach Blossom Fan"?

Emperor Qianxi stared at the smiling Crown Prince, speechless for a moment.

If this matter were truly handed over to the General Headquarters of the Progressive Army, at most they would find out that the Crown Prince had given a push behind the scenes.

Even "slandering and ruining Shun'an Yan's reputation" doesn't count—after all, according to the intelligence Emperor Qianxi received, his cousin should have really made a lifelong vow with the courtesan named Xiangxiang.

Of course, it's just for fun!

But if Shun An Yan were to say in court, "I was just playing around," then the "most affectionate gentleman in the world" would probably collapse on the spot into the "most scumbag"!

At that time, Shun'an Yan's reputation will be even more remarkable.

In that instant, Emperor Qianxi almost wanted to take a hammer and pry open the crown prince's skull to see what was inside—

What's wrong with this kid's brain? He's so difficult to deal with!

"Whether it can surpass 'The Peach Blossom Fan' or not, I don't know. I only know that some petty tricks are ultimately not up to par!"

Emperor Qianxi coldly said, "I can pretend this never happened."

"What do you think?"

Shen Ye laughed even harder: "Father, folk tales are all the more fantastical they are, the more people will tell them."

"If Father Emperor were to forcefully intervene and drag Ninth Sister into this... tsk tsk, I think this show would be truly spectacular!"

"It can absolutely crush 'The Peach Blossom Fan'!"

He added slowly, "Who knows how it will be interpreted in a few hundred years!"

As an emperor, Emperor Qianxi cared most about his reputation before and after his death.

Upon hearing "several hundred years later," his expression immediately changed.

He's the emperor now, so of course he can suppress things.

At least it allows you to deceive yourself and pretend you don't know, and it also prevents others from talking recklessly.

But once he's gone, or even the Great Zhou Dynasty is gone, who can control the gossip of the people?
Until then...

"Hmph, nonsense!"

Emperor Qianxi flicked his sleeve, glanced at Cao Min and Zhou Bao who were standing meekly to the side, and said irritably, "Have you finished your official business? Why are you just loitering around here?"

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, I need to go to the Ministry of Revenue later to discuss some matters with Ma Qi and the others."

"I'm just trying to balance my personal and professional life!"

Emperor Qianxi snorted and said, "It's good that you know!"

"As the Minister of Revenue, you must ensure that the supply of money and provisions for both armies is in place."

"If anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible!"

After saying that, he turned to Cao Min, his tone much gentler: "How's your father's silver exchange business going?"

In Emperor Qianxi's eyes, Cao Min was both Cao Yin's daughter and his own daughter-in-law, so his attitude towards her was naturally much warmer. Cao Min's heart was pounding—she never imagined she would meet the Emperor on such a occasion!
Moreover, Emperor Qianxi clearly saw through the fact that the Crown Prince had orchestrated this whole charade.

The conversation between the two of them had terrified her; she felt that the Crown Prince had been too blunt in some of his statements!

She was genuinely afraid that if Emperor Qianxi became displeased, he might get rid of the Crown Prince.

Fortunately, Emperor Qianxi did not retaliate.

When Emperor Qianxi asked about her father, she quickly replied, "My father wrote to me a few days ago, saying that business is going quite well."

"We have already paid back almost half of the money our family owed to the Ministry of Revenue."

"He thought that if he worked for another year, he could pay off all the money he owed to the Ministry of Revenue."

Looking at the obedient and docile Cao Min, Emperor Qianxi nodded and then said lightly, "Tell your father that he is not young anymore and should take good care of his health."

After saying that, he glared at Shen Ye again: "You're just going to follow Lao Wu's nonsense. Let's see how you'll face Tong Guowei in the future!"

Before he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and strode away.

Liang Jiugong, accompanied by a group of guards, followed after them in a flurry.

Shen Ye respectfully saw Emperor Qianxi off, then turned to Zhou Bao and said, "Zhou Bao, you escort Min'er back to the palace. I'm going to the Ministry of Revenue."

"I just went out for a stroll, and I still got dragged off to do work..."

"It's so uncomfortable!"

Cao Min knew that Shen Ye had other important matters to attend to, so she didn't say much. The group parted ways at the entrance of the Daxing County Government Office and went about their own business.

The gossip about the Prime Minister's son and the courtesan was itself an explosive piece of tabloid news, spreading as fast as a plague. What's more, the Fifth Prince was also "helping" behind the scenes.

In just half a day, the news had spread throughout half of the capital.

Even in some government offices, this was the topic of conversation during breaks.

In no time, Shun'an Yan, who was determined to surpass Nalan Rongruo in "deep affection", became the number one trending topic in the city.

As the commander of the Infantry Commandery, Longkodo was naturally well-informed.

He received word of the trial half an hour after it began at the Daxing County government office.

Upon hearing this, Longkodo immediately understood—someone was targeting the Tong family and Shun'an Yan!
But instead of getting angry, he smiled and almost burst out laughing.

For him, this was something to be very happy about!

Because of the Tong family, he and his older brother Ye Keshu had been fighting openly and secretly for many years.

Ye Keshu was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and should have inherited Tong Guowei's title of Duke Feng'en. However, Longkodo was also the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and he was the most capable one in the family.

It wouldn't be wrong for him to inherit the title.

Therefore, under these circumstances, the two brothers have had quite a few rivalries over the years.

Making Shun'an Yan the consort of the Ninth Princess was clearly a way to boost Ye Keshu's chances.

Longkodo was unhappy, but there was nothing he could do.

He knew very well that the driving force behind this was Emperor Qianxi and his father, Tong Guowei, and he dared not offend these two powerful figures at once.

Feeling helpless, all he could do was glare at them blankly.

Now, seeing this play, he is not angry at all; on the contrary, he is secretly delighted.

The Tong family already has a "number one scoundrel" named Orondai, and now they want to produce a "number one affectionate person in the world"? They're not planning to leave any room for other families to survive!
"Sir, this matter is being discussed all over the city, and it's causing quite a stir. Should we... take some action?"

A subordinate who had a good relationship with the Tong family cautiously suggested, "If we step in now, we might be able to suppress the situation."

Longkodo glared at him: "What do you mean by 'block'? My nephew has been a womanizer since he was a child. Do you think I, as his uncle, can protect him from unwanted attention every time?

"Besides, it's all over the place now, like a storyteller. Do you think you can suppress it all? Do you really think you're a fire extinguisher?"

"What are you thinking about!"

After saying that, he impatiently waved his hand at his subordinate: "Get back to your work! Have you finished your tasks? Stop meddling!"

He intended to flatter his subordinate, but instead, he inexplicably received a scolding, and his subordinate's face turned green.

Longkodo was always domineering, and his subordinates, no matter how aggrieved they felt, dared not utter a sound and could only retreat dejectedly.

"I just wanted to share some of the commander's burdens, how come I still..." He bumped into an acquaintance on the way and recounted all the bad luck that had befallen him that day.

An acquaintance slapped him on the back of the head: "Tell me, are you smart or stupid?"

"Don't you have any idea about the old scores between the commander and his brother?"

"You dare to meddle in other people's family affairs! It's a thankless task!"

"Listen to me, if you want to follow the commander and get things done, just remember this: do anything that will make Ye Keshu suffer, and you can't go wrong!"

The subordinate then slapped his forehead: "Oh my god! Thanks for the advice, brother. I deserved this scolding!"

By the time Tong Guowei found out about this, it was already the next evening—Longkodo had managed to suppress it until now.

As it turned out, his arch-rival, Minister of Justice Fu Lun, couldn't resist the urge to make a scene and came over to tease him. Only then did he hear that his own grandson had actually won the glorious title of "the most affectionate gentleman in the world"!

Mr. Tong felt a lump in his throat.

Oh no, this time it seems my silly grandson is really going to get tricked into something!

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(End of this chapter)