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

Chapter 114 Brotherly Love and Respect: Secretly Digging a Trap
The fourth prince, Yunzhen, arrived very quickly.

When he saw the Crown Prince standing on the steps of the door to greet him, a hint of excitement appeared on his face. He quickly bowed and said, "Your subject, Yunzhen, greets Your Highness!"

Before he could kneel down, Shen Ye grabbed him and said, "Fourth brother, we're brothers, why are you being so polite!"

At this point, he stroked Yunzhen's solemn ducal robes and said, "Fourth brother, it's too hot. Come here to your second brother and wear casual clothes."

"Look at you, you're so hot!"

Although the Fourth Prince didn't know what he was thinking about the Crown Prince's concern, he still outwardly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Your Highness, propriety must not be disregarded!"

"Fourth brother, if you continue to be so old-fashioned, then you should stop coming here."

“In this Yuqing Palace, we are brothers.”

"Why be so formal?"

"Hurry up and come inside, it's a bit hot in here."

The two brothers entered the inner hall, displaying an air of brotherly affection and respect.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yunzhen took out a box from his bosom and said, "Your Highness, the first reason I've come here is to congratulate you on taking a new concubine. This set of jewelry is a small token of my and my wife's appreciation!"

As they spoke, they handed over the exquisitely carved box.

Shen Ye did not open the box immediately, but said to the Fourth Prince Yunzhen again, "Fourth brother, didn't we just say that we should call each other Second Brother?"

"If you're going to be so formal, I don't want your gift!"

Looking at Shen Ye's serious expression, the Fourth Prince Yunzhen pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Second Brother."

“That’s more like it.” As Shen Ye spoke, he opened the box, revealing a set of gold jewelry inlaid with diamonds.

Although Shen Ye didn't know the value of the diamonds, the gold used in this set of jewelry definitely exceeded ten taels.

"Thank you, Fourth Brother and Sister-in-law. I'll have Madam Nian go and thank your wife later."

As Shen Ye spoke, she put away the jewelry, then looked at the Fourth Prince and said with a smile, "Fourth Brother, you came here not just to give me a gift, did you?"

The fourth prince was just thinking about how to bring it up with the crown prince when he heard the crown prince say this, so he solemnly said, "I have come here today because there is something I would like to ask the crown prince... second brother."

"Between you and me, there's no need for formalities. If you have any questions, just ask."

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "I will definitely tell you everything I know without reservation."

"Second Brother, the Yellow River disaster statistics table you made is truly amazing and incredibly useful. I have to admit it. I want to make one too."

"What do you want to know?" Shen Ye asked calmly.

The Fourth Prince, Yunzhen, said, "Your Majesty, I would like to use this table to compile statistics on the Ministry of Revenue's silver income and expenditure over the years."

"However, after pondering for a long time, there are still some parts that I don't understand, so I came to ask my second brother, the Crown Prince, for guidance."

When Shen Ye heard that the Fourth Prince wanted to use statistical tables to track the changes in the Ministry of Revenue's silver income and expenditure, he smiled and said, "That's a good idea."

"Fourth brother, if there's anything you don't understand, just say it."

The fourth prince said, "Second brother, after I went back, I made a comparison chart based on the Ministry of Revenue's general accounts over the years, but in the end I found that some years were fluctuating and there was no significant change at all."

"Is it that my method is incorrect, or is there a problem elsewhere?"

Shen Ye looked at the serious-looking Yun Zhen and thought to himself that there was a reason why the fourth brother was able to win in the end.

He created this statistical table to save Jin Fu, while the Fourth Prince had already grasped its essence and wanted to apply it to the management of the Ministry of Revenue's silver.

From this point of view alone, he is truly remarkable.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Fourth Brother, the statistics table shows small fluctuations, and sometimes the changes are not noticeable because it is not broken down into too many details." "If Fourth Brother had someone redraw the tax revenue of each province over the years, he should be able to find something."

"Of course, it would be best to achieve this in every prefecture."

Shen Ye's words stirred something in the Fourth Prince's heart. He slapped his forehead, thinking to himself, "Why didn't I think of that?"

The overall amount of silver in the Ministry of Revenue did not change much, making it difficult to discern the underlying issues. However, if the changes were broken down into individual provinces and prefectures, then the specific changes would become apparent.

It seems that my talent is far inferior to that of the Crown Prince!
"Your Highness, my understanding is now clear," Yunzhen said solemnly. "When I return, I will have someone prepare statistical charts of tax expenditures for each province. Once they are ready, I would appreciate your inspection, Your Highness."

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Fourth brother, you are in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. If there is anything, just report it directly to Father."

"Come over here, let's just drink and chat."

Seeing Shen Ye's casual expression, Yunzhen hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Second Brother Crown Prince, I think it's a good idea to prepare a statistical table of changes in Lord Mingzhu's assets."

"If this method is implemented, I think many people will have nowhere to hide."

"Do you think we should petition His Majesty to have someone specifically do this?"

Shen Ye was initially relaxed, but upon hearing the Fourth Prince's suggestion, his brows furrowed. His first thought was that the Fourth Prince was quietly digging a hole for him.

If we follow Lao Si's method, we'll basically offend all the officials.

In this situation, it can be said that the whole world is against us!

Although he, as the crown prince, no longer wanted to succeed to the throne, he also didn't want to see everyone on edge.

Is this guy truly devoted to the imperial court, or is he digging his own grave?

Although in his previous life in a parallel universe, the fourth brother always seemed like a loyal and devoted son, Shen Ye knew that he was also a master at winning people over.

For example, Longkodo. The fourth brother's attempts to win over Longkodo had reached the point of flattery. This guy called him "uncle" over and over again, acting very affectionately.

As a result, he simply starved his uncle to death!
After transmigrating, Shen Ye made up his mind to befriend this future emperor.

In this way, after Emperor Qianxi passes away, he will have some good days to live.

It seems I was being too naive. This fourth brother, who seemed like a good younger brother, was actually secretly digging a hole for me!

He grew increasingly wary of the fourth prince, then smiled and said, "Fourth brother, do you think we're smarter or Father is smarter?"

Yunzhen was taken aback for a moment, but still solemnly clasped his hands and said, "Second brother, what you say is true. Father Emperor's wisdom shines across the land, how can we compare to even a fraction of Father Emperor's?"

“What we can think of, Father can naturally think of as well. If Father wants to do this, he doesn’t need us to push him.”

"But Father doesn't want to do this, so there's no point in us saying anything."

At this point, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Fourth brother, let's put official business aside for now. It's been a while since we brothers got together for a drink. How about we drink until we're completely drunk today!"

As he spoke, he instructed Zhou Bao, "Zhou Bao, go and see if the food and wine are ready. I want to have a good drink with my fourth brother."

Although Shen Ye was much more wary of Yun Zhen, he didn't intend to directly break off relations. He knew that doing so would be pointless and would only make him appear petty.

Although the Fourth Prince Yunzhen was somewhat disappointed that Shen Ye had not adopted his suggestion, he still smiled and said, "Second Brother Crown Prince has a far-sighted view. I have learned a lot!"

Soon, Zhou Bao and his men brought out several exquisite dishes and a pot of wine. Shen Ye and the Fourth Prince sat facing each other and began to drink.

Shen Ye's alcohol tolerance was decent, while the Fourth Prince's was rather low, so after half a pot of wine, the Fourth Prince's face turned a little red.

He casually raised his wine cup and said, "Second Brother, Father has asked me to investigate the debts owed by the officials in the Ministry of Revenue. What do you think, should I accept this task or not?"

　The second update is here. It's the first day of July, please support me, please vote, please do everything!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)