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

Chapter 117 Regent? Even a dog wouldn't do it.

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, but they all converged into one sentence: I absolutely cannot become the regent!

Although it was customary for the crown prince to oversee the country, Shen Ye still felt uneasy.

Moreover, the main reason why the emperor regarded the crown prince as a thorn in his side was because the crown prince was in charge of the country.

Regent may feel great for a while, but he'll be in deep trouble later!
With that thought in mind, Shen Ye said in a serious tone, "Father, I have always heard that the Yongding River is related to the livelihood of the people in Zhili, but I have never really looked at it."

"Your subject wishes to accompany Your Majesty on an inspection tour of the Yongding River."

"Please, Father, choose another person to oversee the country."

Emperor Qianxi originally thought that as long as he brought up the matter of overseeing the country, the Crown Prince would readily agree.

After all, the crown prince who is in charge of the country is almost two-thirds the emperor. Although he will not hold a grand court assembly, he can still attend a small court session.

This kind of thing is exceptionally comfortable.

The Crown Prince probably wouldn't...

However, the crown prince refused!

This surprised Emperor Qianxi.

"Your Highness, you have always been the one to oversee the country when Father Emperor is away. Tell me, if you, as the Crown Prince, don't oversee the country, then who will?"

"Whom can I trust to oversee the country?"

The Qianxi Emperor's voice carried a hint of anger.

Looking at Emperor Qianxi, who looked both embarrassed and angry, Shen Ye mentally complained.

If the crown prince cannot oversee the country, who should? Don't you have many people who can oversee the country?
Third and fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth!

However, they did not have one person overseeing the country; instead, at least two people were appointed to oversee the country together.

As the Crown Prince's prestige grew, you no longer dared to leave him alone in the capital.

The last time the Crown Prince served as regent was when you plotted to have him rebel.

Even a dog wouldn't be a regent!

Shen Ye solemnly said, "I am deeply grateful for Father's trust in me."

"However, the position of regent does not necessarily have to be held by your son."

"Although each of you brothers has your own flaws, you can all serve as regents together!"

"For example, let the third, fourth, and fifth sons be in charge of overseeing the country, and everything can be discussed and decided upon."

"If there is any urgent matter, you can report it to the Emperor by fast horse. It shouldn't delay anything."

Should the third, fourth, and fifth sons be put in charge of overseeing the country together?
Upon hearing this suggestion, Emperor Qianxi's heart stirred.

He's been having some reservations lately about entrusting the regency to someone.

However, by assigning this task to several people at once, thus separating the power, no major problems will arise.

If the Crown Prince were to become regent in the future, I could use this method to leave him with some princes he might not get along with.

Although he thought this way, this time, the Crown Prince had to oversee the country.

Because he was the Holy Emperor, he could not personally deal with the Grand Secretaries he had chosen.

Mingzhu made a mistake, Suo'etu criticized him, the Crown Prince punished Mingzhu, but I was not in the palace.

Thinking about his own plans, Emperor Qianxi said calmly, "Your Highness, although you are eager to inspect the Yongding River, the disaster relief efforts have just been completed, and the capital cannot be allowed to be thrown into turmoil."

"Since I am away, you will naturally oversee the country."

"This is my decree, no further explanation is needed."

When Emperor Qianxi uttered these words, the matter was essentially settled.

Although Shen Ye was very dissatisfied, he could only listen.

Who told him to be the crown prince!
If he were the emperor, he wouldn't need to compromise like this.

"Your subject obeys," Shen Ye could only reply obediently. Emperor Qianxi waved his sleeve and said, "Then you may leave."

"Furthermore, listen to me carefully: beauty is desirable, but one must not be greedy for it."

"If you continue to neglect your health like this, then don't blame me. I'm sending Lady Nian back to her parents' home!"

Hearing this threatening warning, Shen Ye was dissatisfied, but had no choice but to obediently agree.

We have no choice but to agree. The young beauty has just received the emperor's favor; how can we bear to let her return to her parents' home and live alone in her empty chamber?
However, as Shen Ye walked out of the Qianqing Palace, he felt more and more that there must be something wrong with Emperor Qianxi's hasty departure to inspect the river works.

He was put in charge of overseeing the country, and he couldn't refuse.

Could it be that she's trying to make herself take the blame?
But what could possibly warrant making me take the blame?
Those debts owed by the Ministry of Revenue? But that's not something that can be accomplished overnight!

What else could it be besides these?
After thinking for a while, Shen Ye felt a headache coming on, so he stomped his foot and thought to himself, whatever, as long as he's not the deposed crown prince.

Just as Shen Ye was walking towards Cining Palace, the fourth prince, Yunzhen, accompanied by Liang Jiugong, entered Qianqing Palace.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty." The Fourth Prince bowed meticulously.

Looking at his serious-looking son, Emperor Qianxi felt a strange sense of loss.

He felt that the person bowing to him was not his own son, but a loyal subject.

Thinking of all this, he thought of the Crown Prince.

Although the prince's manners weren't perfect, he could chat and laugh with me, making him seem more like a son.

This feeling stirred a strange sensation within Emperor Qianxi.

"No need for formalities," Emperor Qianxi casually asked. "What brings you here?"

"Father, regarding the matter of collecting the arrears of the Ministry of Revenue that you mentioned to me some time ago, after careful consideration, I feel that such an important matter requires the supervision of senior officials."

After careful consideration, Yunzhen solemnly said, "The debtors are all high-ranking officials. Without important ministers, it is impossible to control these debtors."

"If the debts can't be recovered and things turn out half-cooked, that won't be good."

When Emperor Qianxi mentioned this matter to Yunzhen, he felt that Emperor Qianxi intended for him to supervise the collection of outstanding debts.

After much thought, I'm also considering taking on this job.

However, the prince's analysis was so logical that it made him realize that doing this task would not only be extremely difficult, but would also be very easy to offend people.

Most importantly, it may ultimately not be able to be done.

It's fair to say he's pleasing no one!
The Crown Prince's second brother's words were entirely for his own good.

If I were to get stuck in this quagmire, I probably wouldn't be able to climb out anytime soon.

So he came to Emperor Qianxi, hoping to get rid of this task.

Emperor Qianxi looked at the Fourth Prince and said calmly, "In your opinion, which senior official is capable of handling this matter?"

Yunzhen had already thought about this issue before he came.

So he was not discouraged, but solemnly said: "Father, I think that both Grand Secretary Suo'etu and Mingzhu are capable of taking on this task."

"Song'etu was highly respected, and Mingzhu was praised by both the court and the public."

"If either of them were to handle it, the money would basically be recovered."

Yunzhen recommended Suo'etu and Mingzhu not only because they were both important officials, but also because he wanted to incite Emperor Qianxi's dissatisfaction with them through his recommendation.

After all, according to the principles of imperial strategy, the more powerful an emperor is, the less he wants to have powerful ministers who can threaten his position.

Neither of these two supports me, so who else would I take advantage of if not them?

Emperor Qianxi did not speak again. After pondering for a moment, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, I will make a decision on this matter. You may leave now."

As the fourth prince took his leave, Emperor Qianxi sighed softly.

Although the Fourth Prince is meticulous in handling affairs, he lacks the decisiveness to tackle tough challenges!
I've thought this through perfectly!

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(End of this chapter)