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

Chapter 126 The Crown Prince is simply making a fool of himself.
On the banks of the Yongding River, Emperor Qianxi gazed solemnly at the surging river.

Although the river embankment was still relatively sturdy at this time, the surging tide had not yet subsided when another wave came to assault it. Under the repeated impact, the river embankment had already become somewhat dilapidated.

According to his estimate, it won't be long before the Yongding River will run into problems again.

What if there's a problem? Then pay for the repairs.

But right now, the biggest headache for Emperor Qianxi is money.

"Guangdi, how many more years do you think this river embankment can hold out?" Emperor Qianxi asked Li Guangdi, the newly appointed Governor-General of Zhili.

The position of Governor-General of Zhili was extremely important; it could be said to be the highest-ranking governor-general in the entire country.

In many cases, the emperor did not appoint a governor-general of Zhili.

Li Guangdi was able to hold his current position because he was a confidant of Emperor Qianxi.

Li Guangdi is efficient and decisive in his work.

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's question, he hesitated for a moment before solemnly replying, "Your Majesty, I believe that with proper repairs, this river embankment can last for several more years."

Li Guangdi seemed to have answered Emperor Qianxi's question, but also seemed not to have answered it at all.

This is a very difficult question to answer.

Although Li Guangdi had inspected the river embankment several times, asking him to answer how many more years it could last was putting him in a difficult position.

After all, he's not someone who can make absolute predictions.

However, as the Governor-General of Zhili, he needed to think about the Yongding River.

If the Yongding River floods, his life will be difficult.

Repairing the river embankment was imperative, so he took the opportunity to explain his purpose.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Li Guangdi, then said in a deep voice, "Guangdi, repairing the river embankment is imperative, but it requires financial support!"

Poor people have short ambitions!

Even an emperor without money has no authority to speak.

Li Guangdi solemnly said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will do everything I can to raise some funds and try to bring forward the work of repairing the river embankment."

Emperor Qianxi nodded, and just then, a fast horse galloped in, carrying a box wrapped in yellow silk on its back.

"Your Majesty, a memorial has been forwarded from the capital."

Emperor Qianxi did not look at it immediately, as this was not the time. He and his entourage, including Li Guangdi, inspected the riverbank for a while before returning to the newly erected tent.

The magnificent tent, spanning over a hundred square meters, was not only very spacious but also well-ventilated, without any feeling of confinement.

The room is fully furnished with tables, chairs, and benches. Although the furnishings are not as grand as those in the Qianqing Palace, it still resembles a palace.

After taking a few sips of tea, Emperor Qianxi casually picked up a memorial, which turned out to be an impeachment memorial.

The person impeached was a vice minister of the Ministry of Works; Emperor Qianxi had seen many such cases.

The memorial contained no comments whatsoever; clearly, the Crown Prince hadn't even glanced at it before sending it over.

The Crown Prince didn't care about impeachments or personnel matters. Although Emperor Qianxi verbally scolded the Crown Prince for being too lazy, he was secretly very pleased.

After all, one can only feel at ease when one has control over personnel matters.

Then he picked up the second memorial, which was from the Ministry of Revenue regarding next year's imperial examination. The Crown Prince also did not reply to it.

Upon seeing this memorial, Emperor Qianxi frowned.

The Crown Prince could easily approve this memorial!

He hesitated for a moment, then turned to Zhang Ying, who was sitting to the side, and said, "Zhang Ying, why did the Crown Prince forward the Ministry of Revenue's memorial regarding the imperial examination to me?"

Zhang Ying wanted to say he didn't know either, but he knew very well that saying that would only cause trouble for himself.

In a moment of quick thought, he said to Emperor Qianxi, "Your Majesty, I think the Crown Prince might not feel that this matter is urgent."

The fact that it wasn't urgent left Emperor Qianxi speechless.

He recalled what he had seen the day before yesterday: what the Crown Prince had said to his ministers when he first assumed the regency—that they should not contact him unless it was an emergency.

They're really doing it! After reading through the memorials, Emperor Qianxi said to Zhang Ying, "Are there any memorials with the Crown Prince's replies? Bring them here so I can take a look."

According to Emperor Qianxi's arrangement, even if it was a memorial approved by the Crown Prince, a copy had to be made so that he could take a look at it.

Basically, Emperor Qianxi would not overturn the Crown Prince's approval, after all, he wanted to maintain the Crown Prince's authority.

However, the emperor needs to know what the crown prince has done.

Among a pile of memorials, Emperor Qianxi did not find this one with his reply.

"Your Majesty, all the memorials sent from the capital today are here," Zhang Ying said in a low voice.

Zhang Ying's meaning was very clear: there was no such thing.

The Crown Prince did not respond to the memorial.

It’s really...

Emperor Qianxi was immediately enraged. If the Crown Prince was acting as regent, how could he possibly pass the throne to him in the future?

He wasn't like this when he was regent before!

In the past, he reviewed many memorials and frequently met with ministers.

He even did some things that only he, the emperor, could handle.

His regency was widely praised by both the court and the public!
What's going on now?!
"Father, we can't say the Crown Prince did nothing!"

"Your subject has heard that the Crown Prince has issued an order, instructing the magistrate of Daxing County to find a piece of wasteland and have people plant a hundred acres of something called... sweet potatoes."

"I wonder what the Crown Prince's intentions are."

The eldest prince, who was serving nearby, said it as if in jest.

sweet potato!

Emperor Qianxi felt the name sounded familiar, but couldn't quite place it.

He looked at Zhang Ying and asked, "What is a sweet potato?"

“Your Majesty, sweet potatoes are an introduced plant. Their roots and stems are edible, and they are mainly grown in Fujian.” Zhang Ying was not only shrewd in his work, but also well-read.

This is also why he became a Grand Secretary.

Upon hearing that the plant originated from Fujian, Emperor Qianxi's face turned cold. He knew very well that oranges from the south of the Yangtze River were not necessarily sweet in the north, let alone those from Fujian transported to the capital.

The Crown Prince is simply making a complete fool of himself!

However, he immediately realized something: how did the Crown Prince come to see the sweet potato?

There shouldn't be such a thing in the palace!
"Why did the Crown Prince issue such an order?" Emperor Qianxi continued to look at the eldest prince.

Emperor Qianxi did not object to his eldest son secretly tattled on him.

He didn't have the time or the inclination to keep an eye on the Crown Prince every moment, so having the eldest prince do it for him was actually a good thing.

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's inquiry, the eldest prince replied, "I heard that the Crown Prince brought the Crown Princess back to the Shi residence, where they saw sweet potatoes, and that's why the arrangements were made."

"Hmm, isn't he forbidden from leaving the palace without a valid reason?" Emperor Qianxi suddenly looked up and asked.

The eldest prince remained silent. He had already achieved his goal of sowing discord, and at this point, it was best to let his father handle the situation himself.

If Emperor Qianxi wanted to ask, he could find out most things.

Soon, he knew why.

Emperor Qianxi was speechless as he pondered the Crown Prince's self-approval of his departure from the palace.

But there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with that.

As the Crown Prince who was in charge of the country, it seems there was nothing wrong with him approving his own departure from the palace.

The Crown Princess also granted herself permission to leave the palace.

"Nonsense!" Emperor Qianxi slammed his hand on the table, his words carrying a hint of anger, though this anger lacked some of his fear.

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(End of this chapter)