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

Chapter 128 Slapping in the Face Must Be Done To the Face

Upon hearing that he had become a member of the task force to recover debts owed by the Ministry of Revenue, Chen Tingjing, the Left Censor-in-Chief, was both speechless and furious.

Debt collection is the Ministry of Revenue's business; what does it have to do with my Censorate?
I'm also a member of the group; do you expect me to personally go and collect the debt?

The Crown Prince is being a bit too reckless!

If it were anything else, Chen Tingjing wouldn't say anything.

But Chen Tingjing couldn't keep quiet about such a thing.

After all, this is a big deal, and it might cause him a lot of headaches at any time.

When this kind of rotten stuff gets stuck on your ass, even if it's not shit, it'll still look like shit!
Therefore, Chen Tingjing went directly to the Ministry of Revenue.

If you go directly to the Crown Prince, he won't do that, so you can only go to the Ministry of Revenue.

Minister of Revenue Ma Qi was not too wary of Chen Tingjing, the Left Censor-in-Chief. Chen was Emperor Qianxi's childhood friend and could be said to be deeply favored by the emperor.

Chen Tingjing, the Left Censor-in-Chief, was still no match for him.

"Lord Ma, why is my name on this recovery team?" Chen Tingjing asked, looking exasperated after exchanging a few pleasantries with Ma Qi.

It seems that this isn't the first time Maqi has dealt with this situation.

He said with a smile, "Lord Chen, don't be angry. The reason your name is on the debt collection team is because you also have censors in your Censorate who owe you money."

"Moreover, it was the Crown Prince who decided that you would participate in this group."

"There's nothing I can do!"

Upon hearing Ma Qi's reason, Chen Tingjing felt helpless.

He said somewhat indignantly, "Lord Ma Qi, according to you, does that mean all the high-ranking officials in each department are on this list?"

"Yes, even the head of the Imperial Clan Court is a member of this collection team."

"If Lord Chen has any subordinates who owe money, he should have them raise the money as soon as possible and resolve the matter before the collection period expires."

"To avoid making things awkward and dragging yourself down with it."

Chen Tingjing was speechless for a moment after being rebuked. He then realized that he had only brought trouble upon himself by coming to see Ma Qi.

Left with no other choice, Chen Tingjing could only say, "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Ma. Farewell!"

Watching Chen Tingjing leave dejectedly, Ma Qi revealed a faint, cold smile.

Chen Tingjing was not the first person to come to him; other adults had also sought him out, such as Gao Shiqi and others.

Ma Qi dealt with them with just one sentence: "The Crown Prince said that you have subordinates who owe you debts, and as the chief officials, you should be members of this debt collection team."

This explanation left most people speechless, and they could only leave in the end.

If any tricky situations arise in the future, we can actually apply the Crown Prince's plan.

Bringing more people into such groups not only strengthens the ability to handle problems, but also maximizes the way blame is shifted.

"My lord, today is Lord Mingzhu's fiftieth birthday. Are you going to attend in person?" A subordinate approached Ma Qi respectfully and asked cautiously.

Ma Qi frowned.

He was naturally keenly aware of the power of Mingzhu and Suo'etu.

In the imperial court, if there were two people he least wanted to offend, they would be these two.

It wouldn't have been a problem for him to go to Mingzhu's 50th birthday celebration.

However, recently, he has become aware of Emperor Qianxi's attitude towards Mingzhu and the other person.

Emperor Qianxi was very wary of the two men, and there were already signs that he would take action against them.

It's not a good thing to get too close to the two of them.

However, if I don't participate, I'll offend these two people.

The two men haven't fallen from power yet. If they think I harbor ill will towards them and then turn against me, wouldn't that be...?

After much deliberation, Ma Qi made a decision.

There are definitely many people attending Mingzhu's birthday banquet. If I don't go, I'll stand out. But if I do go, I'll just be one of many people celebrating her birthday.

Even if Emperor Qianxi asked, he could simply say he was going out for a meal. It was easy to find an excuse.

Therefore, Ma Qi decided to have a meal with the world in a simple and unpretentious manner, but as for the birthday gift, he did not intend to use an expensive gift, nor did he intend to use a cheap one.

That's good enough!
Shen Ye also sent a birthday gift to Mingzhu for her birthday.

However, compared to Ma Qi's birthday gift, Shen Ye's birthday gift was quite meager.

It could be said that Shen Ye's birthday gift was a meager one.

A serving of longevity peaches made by the imperial kitchen!
This is Shen Ye's congratulatory gift.

He was never interested in Mingzhu, after all, she was the eldest prince's strongest supporter.

However, he was the Crown Prince Regent, and Mingzhu had been a Grand Secretary for many years. It would seem too heartless and ungrateful for the Crown Prince Regent not to give him a birthday gift on his fiftieth birthday.

However, Shen Ye didn't intend to give this person, who was always thinking about bringing down the Crown Prince, a very nice gift, so he had the imperial kitchen make a large longevity peach.

It's truly a small token of my appreciation.

Although Shi Jingrong didn't quite agree with Shen Ye's approach, she didn't try to dissuade him further.

After all, it was common knowledge that the Crown Prince and Mingzhu were at odds.

If you give a generous gift, who knows what rumors will spread later!

In Shi Jingrong's opinion, the Crown Prince's direct gift of a longevity peach was a bit harsh, but it was also a way of giving Mingzhu some face.

However, it's a bit too simple; it would be better to give a more ordinary gift.

Only in this way can one blend in with the world.

Shen Ye naturally wouldn't attend Mingzhu's birthday banquet. He was living a very leisurely life in the palace and had no intention of making things difficult for himself.

However, just as Shen Ye was reading a book and chatting with Shi Jingrong, Zhou Bao rushed over.

"Your Highness, something has happened!" Zhou Bao said urgently.

Seeing Zhou Bao covered in sweat from running, Shen Ye casually asked, "What happened?"

"Your Highness, we have just received a report that... that at the Prime Minister's birthday banquet, Yu Hualong, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, read out his impeachment letter against the Prime Minister on the spot."

"This lists thirty-six crimes committed by Mingzhu and requests Your Majesty to execute Mingzhu as a warning to others."

At this point, Zhou Bao stammered, "Your Highness, with Yu Hualong causing such a commotion, things are probably going to get complicated."

What is the trouble?
Naturally, it concerns the impeachment of Mingzhu.

Although Yu Hualong read the impeachment letter to Mingzhu on the spot, he would never sit idly by and wait for his death after serving as a Grand Secretary for so many years.

I'm afraid a big storm is coming soon.

Shen Ye sighed softly.

He had anticipated the impeachment, but he hadn't expected it to come so directly.

This is absolutely slapping someone in the face!
He knew beforehand that it was time for Emperor Qianxi to deal with Mingzhu and Suo'etu.

But knowing it doesn't mean he can avoid it.

Just like how he, as the crown prince, had to take on the heavy responsibility of overseeing the country because of a single sentence from Emperor Qianxi.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What was Lord Mingzhu's reaction?"

Zhou Bao said, "I heard that although Lord Mingzhu looked a little unwell, he still asked everyone to continue eating, as if he wanted to continue the birthday banquet."

"However, I have heard that quite a few people have secretly left Lord Mingzhu's birthday banquet."

Shen Ye nodded. Mingzhu's approach was correct; after all, one must not panic in such a situation.

However, Shen Ye also understood that now that the matter had come to light, it would definitely be a major event that would shake the court and the public.

Was this part of Emperor Qianxi's plan?

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(End of this chapter)