Disaster relief
In the imperial court, the ministers were arguing endlessly about the matter of the crown prince.
It is further divided into several factions.
On the one hand, the royalists felt that Jiang Yunyan's actions were absurd and that he needed to be put down. On the other hand, they felt that the Crown Prince was favored by the Emperor and that he should not be suppressed too much.
As for the officials of the Crown Prince's faction, how could they possibly speak ill of their own Crown Prince? Naturally, while the ministers were denouncing the Crown Prince, they did their utmost to defend his actions. They tried to use their exceptional eloquence to transform the wicked Jiang Yunyan into the purest lotus flower in the world.
The rest, apart from some ministers who were furious about the matter, were members of the other princes' factions.
These people had a very clear purpose: the Emperor had favored the Crown Prince for many years, to the point that he didn't treat the other princes as his own sons. Now that the Crown Prince had finally made a mistake, they naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to deliver a heavy blow to him, hoping to bring him down and avoid such a good opportunity in the future.
The entire court was arguing incessantly about whether the Crown Prince was at fault, and the Emperor's forehead veins were throbbing with anger.
The emperor's face darkened, and he thought to himself, "What's the point of arguing like this?"
Arguing about this won't exonerate the crown prince; in fact, it might cause everyone to remember this incident forever.
It's better to find something else for them to argue about; maybe they'll forget about this whole thing. Once their attention is diverted, it'll be easier for him to secretly clean up after that brat Jiang Yunyan.
So the emperor coughed lightly and raised his hand to stop the ministers from arguing.
He looked around, feigning deep sorrow, and said, "I am deeply saddened by the Crown Prince's treasonous act. But now is not the time to argue about right and wrong. The floods in the south have displaced tens of thousands of people, and they are in dire need of the court's assistance. How can we waste time here arguing?"
When the ministers heard the emperor say this, even though they knew he was trying to divert attention, they still felt that his words made sense and simply discussed them.
“Originally, this kind of thing could be resolved by sending another capable minister, but the Crown Prince’s misconduct has damaged the royal family’s reputation, so we have no choice but to send another prince.”
"But who should we send? Your Highness, this kind of thing must not happen again!"
Upon hearing these two sentences, the ministers unanimously agreed and began to discuss the issue.
The Third Prince's faction spoke first, and an older minister stepped forward, bowed directly to the Emperor, and suggested that the Third Prince go instead.
“The Third Prince is excellent in both character and learning. Under the guidance of the Grand Tutor these days, his behavior and conduct have become even more remarkable! Moreover, the Third Prince is the eldest among all the princes besides the Crown Prince. In my opinion, sending the Third Prince is the most appropriate choice.”
Upon hearing this, the other ministers could not possibly agree.
The fifth prince's faction was the first to stand up, led by a young minister from the Censorate, who pointed at the old minister from the third prince's faction and hurled insults at him.
"In disaster relief and saving lives, the virtuous and capable should be the priority. Why did you suddenly mention in court that the Third Prince is the eldest son after the Crown Prince? What is your intention? Are you coveting the position of Crown Prince?"
These words were not only offensive, but also like stabbing the emperor in the heart.
He doted on the crown prince so much, how could he possibly listen to a single word from the deposed crown prince?
Moreover, it was quite undisguised to reveal the intention to change the crown prince in the imperial court.
The emperor was furious. He slammed his hand on the dragon throne, pointed at the minister who was already kneeling trembling with fear, and shouted, "Drag him out!"
Subsequently, the senior minister from the Third Prince's faction was dragged away.
With just one sentence, a young minister from the Fifth Prince's faction dragged the Third Prince's faction down with ease, instantly gaining prestige.
Then the young minister of the Censorate said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Fifth Prince is the most suitable! In the past, when such disasters occurred, the Fifth Prince assisted His Highness the Crown Prince in disaster relief and people rescue! Now that His Highness the Crown Prince can no longer go to the disaster area to save the people, the Fifth Prince, as his younger brother, is the most suitable to help His Highness the Crown Prince go to the south to provide disaster relief!"
These words struck a chord with the Emperor.
His words implied that he was helping the Crown Prince go south to provide disaster relief, and he even mentioned that he was someone the Crown Prince had brought up before. It sounded as if the Fifth Prince had always been a member of the Crown Prince's faction.
If the Emperor hadn't had a general understanding of the various factions in the court, he would have almost been deceived by this young minister of the Censorate.
The real intention was simply to hand this task over to the Fifth Prince, so that once it was accomplished, they could create momentum to support the Fifth Prince and depose the Crown Prince.
However, if it were a refusal, it certainly wouldn't be the Emperor himself who would say so.
The Emperor merely feigned interest and said, "Oh? So, according to you, the Fifth Prince is the best choice?"
Upon hearing this, the young minister of the Censorate was overjoyed, believing that his words had successfully moved the Emperor and that his fifth prince was a shoo-in for the job.
But as soon as he said that, the others were unhappy.
The sixth prince's faction finally spoke up; how could such an occasion be complete without exposing each other's shortcomings?
Then a middle-aged minister belonging to the sixth prince's faction stepped forward, snorted coldly, and looked at the young minister belonging to the fifth prince's faction.
"Back then, the Fifth Prince wasn't helping His Highness the Crown Prince with disaster relief at all; he was clearly causing trouble for him! If it weren't for our Sixth Prince, his younger brother, cleaning up the mess for him, things would probably be in this state now!"
This statement didn't mention anything about what the Fifth Prince had done, but by saying nothing, it gave everyone a lot of room to speculate.
The other princes' men, in particular, seized on this point and launched an attack on the fifth prince.
Seeing the situation had turned out this way, the emperor felt much more at ease.
He understood that the Crown Prince had damaged the royal family's reputation, and if someone were to be sent to clean up the mess, a prince would definitely have to be sent to restore the royal family's honor.
But he was also afraid that these ambitious princes, having gained prominence this time, would give them an opportunity to climb the ranks, which would be detrimental to his beloved crown prince.
Caught in a dilemma, he suddenly thought of the Ninth Prince Jiang Heng, who had been overlooked all along.
But no one mentioned Jiang Heng.
The emperor cannot bring it up on his own initiative; if he does, then things will be different.
It was his favoritism towards the Ninth Prince that swayed his belief in the Crown Prince.
He couldn't let people misunderstand that he favored the other princes, thus creating obstacles for the crown prince.
Therefore, the emperor remained silent.
He remained silent until someone mentioned Jiang Heng's name.
There were some neutral ministers in the court who disapproved of the princes vying to take the lead.
They all knew perfectly well that these people weren't there to help with disaster relief; they were just there to put on a show.
So, in the midst of their debate, they racked their brains and finally came up with Jiang Heng, who didn't fit either side.
In their eyes, a prince who wasn't even ranked in the "Yun" generation was someone who couldn't be brought into the open. When other princes weren't suitable to come out into the public eye, this kind of person was the most appropriate.
"In my opinion, the Ninth Prince has only recently left Yaoyue Palace. As a prince, he has yet to do anything for the people! Now is a great opportunity!"
Upon hearing this, the other ministers brought up Jiang Heng, who was of little importance.
The ministers, who were unwilling to let the other princes have their way, naturally reached a consensus in an instant: supporting this insignificant ninth prince was better than letting others take advantage of the situation.
Therefore, there's no need to have a compelling reason to convince anyone.
Whether it was the emperor or these ministers.
They just need someone with no vested interest to step in.
Once this person appears, they can accept even the lameest reasons.
"Yes! The Ninth Prince must consider the well-being of all people; this is the most suitable time for him to go!"
“The Ninth Prince is getting older and it’s time for him to gain experience. We can’t always focus on the other princes and neglect the Ninth Prince.”
The Emperor only needs a way out: to hand the matter over to Jiang Heng.
So, after the ministers said a few words, he took the opportunity to step down and handed the matter over to Jiang Heng.
The people inside Zhaoming Hall were completely unaware of this matter.
The Grand Tutor also forbade everyone from discussing matters other than studies and government affairs, as he utterly detested such noisy, backstabbing, and scheming matters.
He would punish anyone who insisted on discussing these miscellaneous matters in class.
Fortunately, the school session ended soon afterward, and everyone packed their things. Several princes, concerned about the commotion in the court, hurriedly sent their eunuchs to inquire about the situation.
Jiang Heng did not have any personal attendants; he only had Shen Wenqiu as his study companion, so there was no one else to call upon.
Shen Wenqiu didn't want to get involved in these matters, so he buried himself in packing his things, only thinking about getting back as soon as possible.
When they were halfway through packing the items in the book box, they heard the voice of the chief eunuch in charge of the emperor's affairs outside.
The princes looked at each other in bewilderment, and Shen Wenqiu couldn't help but look outside, wondering what had happened this time.
Jiang Heng remained calm and composed, burying himself in packing his things, as if nothing had happened to him.
The chief eunuch, who was standing outside looking in, was also observing Jiang Heng. Seeing that Jiang Heng's unpopularity and timidity were not to be taken seriously, he understood that the emperor's decree could be announced.
Before arriving, the Emperor made a special instruction to the chief eunuch.
Before going in, observe Jiang Heng's reaction. If he shows even a hint of excitement at knowing he's about to get a good job, return immediately without announcing the imperial decree.
Although I've always felt that the Ninth Prince Jiang Heng is unreliable, there are still some things that need to be guarded against. It wouldn't be good if we failed to guard against Jiang Heng properly and he ended up taking away the position of Crown Prince.
Seeing that Jiang Heng was alright, the head eunuch smiled and walked into the Zhaoming Hall.
The Grand Tutor has already left; only the princes and their entourage remain in the Zhaoming Hall.
Although the head eunuch had considerable influence with the Emperor, he was still a servant. Following protocol, he bowed to the princes before smiling at Jiang Heng and saying, "Your Highness, the situation is urgent, so I'll keep it brief. Now that His Highness the Crown Prince has returned to the Eastern Palace, the matter of disaster relief in the south needs another prince to handle. His Majesty thought that since you haven't yet had any experience in this field, he chose you."
Jiang Heng was slightly taken aback, smiled shyly, and hesitated before asking, "Does Your Excellency mean that Father Emperor summons me?"
The head eunuch frowned slightly, but his expression relaxed considerably. He smiled and said, "Of course. I won't say any more, Your Highness. You should hurry up and pack your things to set off."
Jiang Heng quickly agreed, and the head eunuch also hurried back to report.
The Zhaoming Hall regained the tranquility it had before the arrival of the chief eunuch.
However, undercurrents were brewing, and the spearhead was aimed directly at Jiang Heng.
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