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

Chapter 100 Silent Calm Lake, Storm Approaching
With each rain shower, the weather gradually became cooler.

As time went by, a stone-paved road slowly took shape on the road leading to Tongzhou.

Many hands make light work. Although it was only a short ten days or so, the roadbed, which was two meters higher than the ordinary ground, looked like a long dragon, winding forward!

Meanwhile, people were already moving into the residences located in Wanfuyuan.

Although few high-ranking officials and nobles live here, those Hanlin scholars who do not own their own houses all say it is a good place to live.

Wanfuyuan has dedicated staff for cleaning, fetching water, and washing clothes...

The facilities are very complete. Although you have to pay a property management fee, it is very comfortable to live here overall.

As a result, the housing prices in Wanfuyuan have been slowly rising.

This rise, of course, cannot compare to the shares of the stone-paved road, which are rising day by day and soaring to the sky.

As the railway tracks along this road grew longer and the horse-drawn carts went faster and faster, the value of the stone-paved road also began to rise accordingly.

Some businessmen from Shanxi and the Jiangnan region even began to specifically acquire these shares.

Their goal, of course, was to obtain the operating rights to this stone-paved road.

Because when the project was first funded, it was agreed that whoever had the most shares would be responsible for its operation.

However, there are too many discerning and intelligent people, making it increasingly difficult to buy shares in this stone-paved road.

Of all the things the Crown Prince did, the most surprising was the issuance of disaster relief bonds.

The price of disaster relief bonds, which were secured by the salt tax, is actually rising.

Although the increase is limited, it is indeed rising.

A physician from one of the Six Ministries, lacking sufficient funds for his son's wedding, took disaster relief bonds to a pawnshop as collateral. As a result, the 100-tael disaster relief bond was pawned for 103 taels of silver.

Who is this to reason with!

However, beneath this calm, some with keen senses also realized that a huge vortex was silently expanding.

The water level at the five breaches of the Yellow River is steadily decreasing. Grain supplies, including provisions from grain transported by imperial decree and relief grain purchased from various regions, are continuously being shipped to the disaster-stricken areas.

Furthermore, Chen Tingjing, who went to Jiangnan to procure grain, lived up to expectations and completed his mission.

All these signs indicate that the disaster relief efforts have begun to enter their second phase.

When the disaster relief ended, it was also the time for the imperial court to settle accounts.

After all, this matter cannot be simply dismissed as a natural disaster.

Emperor Qianxi would not agree!
Some people in the imperial court would not agree to it either.

They have begun to accumulate their strength, waiting for the right opportunity to strike, ready to deliver the most advantageous blow to themselves at any time.

However, Shen Ye didn't care too much about these things.

He has put Zhao Yongyan's matter aside and is waiting for the outcome.

His main focus was on building his new home.

Although Zhao Yongyan was compensated for the money misappropriated from the river channel, there was still a considerable amount of money left.

For Shen Ye, building a mansion was more than enough.

When it comes to one's own living space, one should naturally strive for perfection.

Shen Ye had visited the Prince Gong's Mansion in his previous life, but he was not a professional, so he still needed to listen to the experts on how to build the mansion.

At most, he and Shi Jingrong could only plan the general location.

In Shen Ye's view, he didn't need too many houses to live in, and he didn't plan to keep too many servants anyway. What he wanted was enough places to relax and have fun, preferably a place to fish.

Just as Shen Ye was pondering whether to mention it to Emperor Qianxi and have someone dredge a few lakes, Zhou Bao came to report that Cao Yin, the Jiangning Imperial Worker, was requesting an audience.

Recently, Shen Ye has consistently given the same answer to ministers who request an audience: he refuses to see them.

However, he could not refuse to see Cao Yin.

It's not that he was Emperor Qianxi's confidant, but rather that the woman named Cao Jia, who was about to enter Yuqing Palace, was his daughter.

Cao Yin's main task upon returning from Jiangning this time, besides reporting to Emperor Qianxi, was to marry his daughter to Yuqing Palace.

According to ancestral rules, the concubines of the crown prince and princes were all highly respected.

Although she cannot enter through the Taihe Gate of the Forbidden City like the Crown Princess, she can still enter through the Shenwu Gate.

"Please invite Lord Cao to the study for a talk," Shen Ye solemnly instructed.

Within minutes, Cao Yin, dressed in the official robes of a fifth-rank official, entered the study. Upon seeing Shen Ye, he immediately bowed respectfully and said, "This servant Cao Yin greets Your Highness."

Cao Yin's official position was the Imperial Textile Commissioner of Jiangning, but he also held a noble title and the concurrent post of Imperial Bodyguard.

Generally speaking, most people wear the highest-ranking official robes that signify their status.

However, this Lord Cao was wearing the lowest-ranking fifth-grade textile uniform.

This alone is enough to show that he is a humble and cautious person.

Shen Ye was aware of Cao Yin's relationship with Emperor Qianxi, and moreover, he was going to marry Cao Yin's daughter. So he smiled and helped Cao Yin up, saying, "No need for such formalities, Lord Cao."

Hearing Shen Ye address him as Lord Cao, Cao Yin felt a little uncomfortable. He was about to decline, but then he seemed to remember something and remained silent.

"Lord Cao, you must have had a long and arduous journey." Although Shen Ye noticed Cao Yin's subtle actions, he pretended not to notice and casually exchanged pleasantries with Cao Yin.

Cao Yin, after all, grew up alongside Emperor Qianxi and was a trusted confidant who had rendered great service to the emperor, so he was not intimidated by the situation.

After exchanging some polite words, Cao Yin solemnly said, "My daughter is unruly. If she makes any mistakes while serving Your Highness in the future, please forgive her."

Seeing Cao Yin stand up and clasp his hands in greeting, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lord Cao, I will never let the concubine suffer any grievances in this Yuqing Palace."

Cao Yin's visit was originally just a courtesy call.

Hearing the Crown Prince's words, he felt relieved. After exchanging a few more polite words, Cao Yin prepared to take his leave.

Shen Ye looked at Cao Yin, who had stood up, and casually asked, "Lord Cao, do you know anything about the disaster situation on your way to the capital?"

"Your Highness, thanks to the timely distribution of disaster relief funds, most of the victims have been properly resettled."

Cao Yin said admiringly, "The floodwaters have now largely receded, and many victims have begun to return to their hometowns."

"This is all thanks to the virtues of His Majesty and the Crown Prince."

"However, I have heard that the Governor-General of the Waterways, Jin Fu, has been ordered to come to the capital. Many censors of the Censorate are preparing to submit a memorial requesting an investigation into the accounts of the Waterways Administration to see how much of the money allocated to the river works was actually used for repairing the river embankments."

"Furthermore, I heard that an imperial censor discovered that the river management department was selling the silt generated from the construction of river embankments without authorization."

"But the whereabouts of the silver from the sale are unknown."

Upon hearing Cao Yin's words, Shen Ye's expression became serious.

Although he hadn't paid much attention to outside affairs lately, he knew that the court had been unusually harmonious recently.

It now appears that behind this harmony, a huge vortex is gathering.

It remains to be seen who will emerge unscathed from this turmoil, and who will suffer a crushing defeat!
　The third update is here! Please support me, everyone! I'll be asking for votes at the end of the month!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)