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

Chapter 111 Shooting yourself in the foot

Mingzhu has always been a master of Yin and Yang.

He speaks gently, but when you're not looking, he might suddenly stab you in the back, catching you off guard and leaving you defenseless.

When you realize you've been stabbed, it's too late to get angry!
Therefore, very few people who argue with Mingzhu ever win.

This includes Suo'etu.

Regarding the statistical chart of the Crown Prince, Suo'etu was filled with surprise, some delight, and also some disappointment.

He was amazed by the design of the picture.

He had thought that there would be a heated debate and a major confrontation regarding Jin Fu's future, which would then end with Emperor Qianxi making a compromise.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince's picture rendered the verbal debate ineffective.

Many people's prepared memorials were now of no use.

At this moment, who wouldn't praise the Crown Prince for his exceptional intelligence?
What surprised him was the Crown Prince's performance; at least in the short term, no one could shake the Crown Prince's position.

What saddened him was that the Crown Prince was so intelligent that he, Suo'etu, would rely on him less and less.

This situation put him in a very difficult position.

However, before he could figure out how to cooperate with the Crown Prince, Mingzhu spoke up.

Mingzhu's words, on the surface, sounded like praise for the Crown Prince, but they also contained a barb.

The crown prince was foolish, so the emperor naturally disliked him.

However, if the crown prince is exceptionally intelligent, it will also be a source of pressure for the emperor.

Mingzhu's words were essentially meant to sow discord among the Crown Prince.

Soetu had used this eye drop several times.

But most of the time, he couldn't fight back and could only get angry.

Soetu originally thought that the Crown Prince would have no choice but to endure such words.

After all, Mingzhu's words were eloquent and without any problems, which made people think that Mingzhu was extremely loyal.

The main reason Mingzhu said these things was because he had almost guessed the emperor's thoughts.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince was so direct, wanting to provide Mingzhu with a statistical table of asset changes.

Suo'etu knew that Mingzhu now had considerable assets, not only owning many shops in the inner city, but also large tracts of fertile land around the capital.

These fertile fields were all acquired by Mingzhu after he rose to a high official position.

People think Mingzhu is rich, and that's not the problem.

It's understandable that people think Mingzhu's money came from a meteoric rise.

After all, it's not intuitive.

However, once the table was made, everyone discovered that Mingzhu was just an ordinary minor nobleman back then, but after becoming a Grand Secretary, his assets increased twenty or thirty times, or even a hundred times.

That's like mud falling into your crotch—there's no way to explain it!

Although he had a dispute with the Crown Prince, he still decided to take action at this moment.

Therefore, he said directly, "Your Highness's suggestion is excellent. Why don't you just make a list of the assets of this servant and the Prime Minister?"

"This way, we won't have to face the awkwardness of the situation openly."

Soetu was not afraid of his family's assets. His family had produced two empresses, and his father was the chief regent minister who oversaw the country during the early years of the Qianxi Emperor's reign.

With that kind of wealth, they were already rich.

I still have money.

Even if there were some increases, Suo'etu felt that the increases would be limited.

It will definitely not grow dozens of times like Mingzhu.

So he jumped out.

Mingzhu's forehead was sweating more and more. If she objected now, wouldn't that mean she had something to hide?

But he doesn't object; he knows his family's situation best.

If this table were made, he would have no way to defend himself! At this moment, he secretly regretted it: Jin Fu's matter has already been settled, why did he have to be so talkative? He should have just congratulated the emperor.

Why bother attacking the Crown Prince in such a clandestine way?

It's purely self-inflicted unhappiness.

This was really reckless!

Just as Mingzhu was pondering how to respond, Emperor Qianxi said to Shen Ye in a deep voice, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Minister Ming and Minister Suo are both wholeheartedly devoted to the country; how could they possibly have any petty squabbles?"

"If you're clever in the future, use it openly, don't resort to such petty tricks."

At this point, he turned to Jin Fu and said, "Jin Fu, today the Crown Prince's letter has proven your innocence to everyone."

"I also learned about your contributions to the river engineering project over the years."

"I now know that your method of constricting water to flush away sand is indeed an effective way to control floods."

"You have rendered meritorious service, and I will naturally reward you! Since the Crown Prince protected you this time, I will promote you to Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince. As for the position of Governor-General of the Waterways, you will continue to hold it concurrently."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi pointed to the statistical table that several eunuchs were stretching out and said, "I hope that this chart will be even more beautiful next year."

In fact, the most excited person at this moment was Jin Fu.

He never imagined that his fate would take such a dramatic turn.

He had spoken with Emperor Qianxi and knew that the best outcome for him this time was to be dismissed from office.

He understood the punishment, given the devastating impact of the floods.

Even though Emperor Qianxi tried his best to protect himself, he could not silence the public's criticism.

Under these circumstances, he was also prepared to plead guilty.

Unexpectedly, just when he thought he was about to be dismissed from his post and exiled to the army, and that his years of hard work on the water-binding sand-washing method was about to be wasted and abandoned, the Crown Prince made his move.

With just one statistical table, everyone could see his efforts and achievements.

If Emperor Qianxi had not punished the Crown Prince before he spoke, but instead promoted him, at least half of these ministers would have stood up to oppose him.

But now, everyone is silent.

Perhaps some people still have their own opinions about themselves.

However, despite their resentment at the Crown Prince's actions, they dared not openly express it.

Because they couldn't refute the statistics presented by the Crown Prince!

Although they were eloquent, they were completely ineffective when faced with the data presented by the Crown Prince.

This time, the Crown Prince truly saved himself.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Crown Prince!" Jin Fu knelt on the ground, his emotions sincere and heartfelt.

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "Let's end today's matter here. As for the river works, we'll discuss them later."

As he spoke, he prepared to leave.

Today's events exceeded his expectations, but he was overjoyed.

After all, Jin Fu, this capable minister, was spared, and he proved with irrefutable facts that his annual expenditure of one million taels of silver on Yellow River management was extremely effective.

This is a legitimate achievement of Emperor Qianxi.

Just as he was about to leave, Jin Fu continued, "Your Majesty, I have a request, please grant me your permission."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi was immediately displeased. "Jin Fu, Jin Fu, has your brain gone mad? Instead of knowing when to stop, you're pushing your luck. Are you taking advantage of my favor?"
If he were to suggest retiring to his hometown, the imperial court would lose all face!

Although Emperor Qianxi was somewhat uneasy, he still said in a deep voice, "Minister Jin, please make any requests you may have."

"I will not hesitate to grant any request that I can make!"

As Emperor Qianxi spoke, many people turned their attention to Jin Fu, especially Zhen Mingwu and others who had just impeached Jin Fu, and they all began to feel uneasy.

They're not trying to cause us trouble, are they?

　The second update of the day is here! With only four hours left this month, my esteemed readers, if you don't vote with your monthly tickets, they'll be forfeited!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)