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

Chapter 58 Filial Piety and Kindness: A Breeze Rises on the Green Duckweed
What if you can't get rid of a job?
Then you can only go with the flow and keep singing and dancing!
Having received Emperor Qianxi's decree, Shen Ye, having achieved his goal, immediately changed the subject, saying, "Father, today the Crown Princess not only prepared roasted meat, but also chilled wine."

"Father has been busy with official duties until now. Why not have some wine to relax and let us brothers learn more from you!"

After reprimanding the Ninth and Tenth Princes, Emperor Qianxi pondered whether to stay or leave.

When the Crown Prince invited him to dinner, he initially declined, and even chose Consort Wang instead.

However, after reviewing the memorials and having dinner, he still dismissed Lady Wang who had come to serve him and ran straight over.

He wanted to know what his sons would say when they got together.

Therefore, when he came over, he arranged for the imperial guards to sneak into the village, not to fire a shot, and not to inform anyone in advance!

This is why, even though the others had already entered, none of the sons knew it.

He was overhearing Shen Ye asking about his fourteenth son's studies, and felt a surge of relief.

After all, it's a good thing that the Crown Prince cares about his brothers.

However, to his surprise, when the Ninth and Tenth Princes were questioned by the Crown Prince about their studies, they not only did not repent, but also argued that so what if they were ignorant!
The eldest prince's answer disappointed him, and in a fit of anger, Emperor Qianxi rebuked the ninth and tenth princes.

At that moment, he didn't want to leave like that.

So, after Shen Ye suggested that he stay, he sat down in the main seat that Shen Ye had given up, and then picked up his wine cup and said, "I originally did not want to come to this banquet for the Crown Prince today."

"After all, state affairs are complex and numerous, and I find it difficult to sleep day and night!"

"However, you are, after all, my sons, and I cannot help but worry about you, so I came to see how you are eating?"

"I truly never expected that among you there would be someone so muddled, so self-destructive, and so utterly lacking in ambition!"

"All of the Crown Prince's efforts have been in vain!"

At this point, Emperor Qianxi said, "From now on, we should take these two as a warning, and if anyone violates this rule, I will punish them severely!"

The princes sitting at the bottom of the table responded obediently, while the Ninth Prince Yuntang and the Tenth Prince Yun'e kept their heads down and remained silent, looking as if they were afraid that their father would see them.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit stiff, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, you work hard for the country day and night, it is only right for your son to care about the brothers."

Hearing Shen Ye repeatedly say that he cares about his brothers, the Third Prince Yunzhi and others had no reaction yet, but the Eighth Prince Yunsi almost wanted to curse.

You let the ninth and tenth sons be punished, and let them study in the Imperial Study for a few more years. Is that what you call caring?
Have you no shame? How did your face become so thick-skinned?!

As for the ninth and tenth princes, they could only lower their heads at this time, fearing that Emperor Qianxi would see their dissatisfaction.

Shen Ye couldn't see the expressions on his two good brothers' faces at all, and still held up his wine cup, saying, "I feel very lucky to be the Emperor's son."

"At this gathering today, we brothers should raise a toast to our father, wishing him good health, longevity, and boundless life!"

As a prince who is content to lie low, Shen Ye doesn't want to do anything serious, doesn't want to fight for power, doesn't want to win over subordinates, and doesn't want to amass military power. But he still plans to do everything else he can.

For example, occasionally flattering Emperor Qianxi was a skill that I had barely mastered in my previous life. While I couldn't say I could do it effortlessly, I was quite comfortable using it.

If it's beneficial and inexpensive, why not use it more?

Hearing Shen Ye say that he was lucky to be his son, Emperor Qianxi, as the old father, although he didn't know how sincere the Crown Prince's words were, was very pleased that he said it in front of so many sons.

I'm a pretty good father, aren't I?

The Crown Prince has already said it's good, so you shouldn't have any objections either.

Just then, the other princes, having heard Shen Ye's flattering words, also stood up. The Crown Prince pulled them together to toast Emperor Qianxi, and even those who were dissatisfied with the Crown Prince had to stand up as well.

When Emperor Qianxi was toasted by his sons, his smile became more lively.

For a moment, in the waterside pavilion, father and son were a picture of loving family and happiness. The aroma of roasted meat wafted far and wide.

However, just over twenty miles away from Changchun Garden, outside a shack, Kong Laoshi, who had just wiped himself with well water, was silently watching Shuntian Prefecture not far away.

For him, Shuntian Prefecture was just a legend.

But now, Shuntian Prefecture was right in front of him. If it weren't for that severe drought, he should be farming in his hometown hundreds of miles away, instead of fleeing to Shuntian Prefecture like this.

Fortunately, he survived.

Survive!
These three words are simple to say, but not long ago, he didn't even dare to think that way.

Although the porridge provided by the government was still edible, he didn't know how long he would have to wait in line, and apart from the broken bowl in his hand, he had nothing else.

Everything here belongs to someone else; they can only make do and live under the shade of trees.

But now, everything is different. He now has more than three hundred copper coins in his pocket.

Besides copper coins, he also used some old wood and thatch that were no longer needed at the construction site to build a shack next to the Wanfuyuan construction site.

Although it was hot and humid in the shack, and there were mosquitoes, it was still better than making do under the tree.

The child at home, who had been starving and emaciated, is now lively and energetic again after a few full meals. Also, yesterday, while eating the food at the construction site, he even found a piece of fatty meat...

It was real fatty meat. Although I had eaten it for more than ten days, it was really fatty meat!
After smacking his lips, Kong Laoshi's gaze fell on Wanfu Garden.

We are grateful to the Crown Prince for building Wanfu Garden; otherwise, he really doesn't know how his family would survive.

I heard that Wanfuyuan has several thousand houses, and it will take at least two or three months to complete.

The drought in my hometown should be over in two or three months.

If I work hard for two or three months and save up three or four taels of silver, that will be enough to go home.

If there weren't only one Wanfuyuan, he really wouldn't want to go back to his hometown.

After all, where in our hometown can you find such a good deal as fifty coins a day?
"Big brother..."

A voice startled Kong Laoshi awake instantly.

He quickly looked up and saw a dark figure staring at him.

Startled by the shadowy figure, Kong Laoshi quickly grabbed a wooden stick he usually used to hunt stray dogs.

"Who are you? Let me tell you, this is Shuntian Prefecture, right under the Emperor's nose..."

The words "under the emperor's feet" gave Kong Laoshi a lot of courage.

Upon hearing him mention Shuntian Prefecture, the dark figure immediately asked urgently, "Brother, are you looking to hire people to work here?"

"We are not afraid of hardship, and we all have plenty of strength."

Upon hearing this, Kong Laoshi suddenly had a thought; he felt that the accent sounded very familiar.

Where do you come from?

"I'm from Handan," the man said. "Brother, your voice sounds like you're from our area too."

Kong Laoshi felt a surge of warmth in his heart and said loudly, "My family is from Daming Prefecture. By the way, I heard that most of the people from your area have fled south to escape famine."

What are you doing here?

“Brother, we were originally planning to head south to Kaifeng Prefecture, but we heard halfway there that the capital was hiring people to work. They not only provided food but also paid wages, so people from several of our villages came.”

As the man spoke, he pointed ahead and said, "They're all over there; they've finally arrived."

Upon hearing this, Kong Laoshi looked up and saw shadowy figures in the dim moonlight.

I couldn't see their faces clearly, but I could sense that there were many people there.

This situation made Kong Laoshi's heart tremble.

With so many people coming, how many more days can Wanfuyuan stay afloat?
　Dear readers, I urgently need your support during the new book's release period! Please add it to your favorites, recommend it, and vote for it!
　　

(End of this chapter)