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

Chapter 135 The Crown Prince's Regent Duty Is Hard

When the emperor returned from his inspection tour, the ministers who remained behind would greet him for at least ten miles.

This time, in order to welcome Emperor Qianxi back from his river inspection, Shen Ye led a group of ministers to greet him thirty miles in advance.

Banners filled the sky, music resounded, and ministers lined up to welcome them. The grand welcoming procession was magnificent and soared into the heavens.

As the crown prince, Shen Ye was surrounded by all the ministers, who treated him like a star surrounded by the moon.

However, at this moment, whether they were Grand Secretaries or ordinary Censors, they all remained silent.

Because everyone knows that the time has come for a decisive battle between Suo'etu and Mingzhu.

At such a time, anyone who dares to utter an extra word may be considered an enemy.

It would be too unlucky to suffer a crushing defeat over something so trivial!
Suo'etu and Mingzhu, these two old rivals, were standing next to Shen Ye at this moment, both of them acting as if nothing had happened and appearing very relaxed.

The people being impeached so fiercely right now are not them.

The two not only chatted with Shen Ye, but also with the Grand Secretaries and Ministers of the Six Ministries around them, and the two of them even chatted for a few minutes at an occasional time.

It was a scene of harmony between the general and the minister.

However, this smile could not dispel the oppression in everyone's hearts.

After waiting for only half an hour, Emperor Qianxi's large entourage for inspecting the river appeared in the distance.

All the ceremonies were naturally handled by officials from the Ministry of Rites.

Accompanied by guiding music, Emperor Qianxi rode a white horse and arrived in a grand procession, surrounded by a group of princes and ministers.

Shen Ye knew very well that Emperor Qianxi had returned to the palace in his magnificent carriage, and his arrival on horseback was a display of his martial prowess. He wanted to proclaim to the world that he was still young and vigorous!

Even in his forties, Emperor Qianxi still maintained an upright posture, and his movements on horseback were agile and graceful.

His heroic bearing gives people the feeling that I can live another thirty years!

According to etiquette, Shen Ye led the ministers to greet him. After all the formalities were completed, Emperor Qianxi glanced at Shen Ye twice and then said in a deep voice, "Return to the capital."

As they spoke, they spurred their horses forward.

As Shen Ye watched Emperor Qianxi riding his horse, images of Emperor Qianxi returning from his previous tours flashed through his mind.

In the past, after being greeted by the Crown Prince, Emperor Qianxi would transfer to his grand imperial carriage and then summon the Crown Prince and several trusted ministers to the carriage for a meeting.

But this time, Emperor Qianxi did not do that; instead, he rode off on horseback.

During the process of riding a horse, many things were naturally difficult to report. In the eyes of many, Emperor Qianxi riding a horse at this time was a matter of attitude.

I am dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's regency!
Shen Ye pondered Emperor Qianxi's thoughts for a moment, then spurred his horse to follow. Because he was on horseback, he did not take the initiative to talk to Emperor Qianxi, but simply rode forward.

After traveling for half an hour, Emperor Qianxi finally stopped his still vigorous horse and rested temporarily at a post station.

Inside the post station, everything had been prepared in advance.

After Emperor Qianxi entered the post station, various teas and fruits were quickly served.

Even in the lobby of the post station, there were quite a few ice chests.

All of this ice was brought back from the ice cellars in Beijing by the Imperial Household Department.

After having a simple cup of tea, Emperor Qianxi's gaze fell on Shen Ye, and he said indifferently, "Your Highness, are you having a hard time overseeing the country this time?"

Emperor Qianxi's words were loaded with meaning; Shen Ye knew very well how he had been acting as regent.

Looking at Emperor Qianxi's unwell face, Shen Ye thought to herself, "If I were like you, working tirelessly every day and handling everything personally, you'd probably suspect me of trying to seize power again!"

If it were the former crown prince, he would definitely kneel down and beg for forgiveness in this situation, saying a lot of things like he hadn't been diligent enough. But Shen Ye didn't want to indulge him. After all, the former crown prince had always hoped that his father would die so he could take the throne, but Shen Ye had no such thoughts.

He smiled and said, "Compared to Father Emperor's hard work in inspecting the river works, what is my little bit of hardship?"

His words left Emperor Qianxi speechless, unsure how to respond.

He originally thought that his sarcastic remarks would surely make his eldest son kneel down and beg for forgiveness, but he never expected that his son would shamelessly say that he had worked hard.

Governing a government for only one hour a day is considered hard work!
It's hard work to transfer most of the memorials to yourself in one day!

You spend most of your day listening to music, strolling around, and wandering about. Is that what you call hard work?
"Heh, Your Highness thinks you've done a good job? Then let me ask you, how many taels of silver have you recovered from the Ministry of Revenue's arrears that I ordered you to collect?"

At this moment, all the ministers serving around him were looking at the crown prince.

They were all members of Shen Ye's debt recovery team, and each of them was very clear about how much debt the national treasury had recovered.

They haven't gotten their money back yet.

Is Your Majesty angry because of this matter?

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Reporting to Father Emperor, the recovery of the Ministry of Revenue's arrears is currently in its first phase. The task of this phase is to get all debtors to prepare the silver, so not a single tael of silver has been collected yet."

"So, in the next stage, will I have to personally take over?" Emperor Qianxi picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said calmly.

Looking at Emperor Qianxi, whose expression was cold, Shen Ye wanted to say, "I've already prepared the plan. Just follow the plan. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

However, a higher-ranking official can have a crushing effect.

Moreover, this person was Emperor Qianxi, who, although only one rank above the Crown Prince, was able to suppress the Crown Prince indefinitely.

“Father, you don’t need to collect this debt yourself. There’s a collection team, right? You gentlemen will naturally collect these debts according to your assigned roles.” As Shen Ye spoke, he glanced at everyone present.

Although they knew they were being dragged into this mess, none of the people present dared to say a word.

They all felt that Emperor Qianxi was going to teach the Crown Prince a lesson this time.

Speaking up at a time like this would only make things difficult for yourself, wouldn't it?
Emperor Qianxi would not let Shen Ye get away so easily. He said calmly, "It seems you are very confident in this collection plan."

"Then I'll put you in charge of this task."

"As long as you can recover the debt, I will consider it a great achievement for you."

Shen Ye glanced at Emperor Qianxi, feeling a sense of helplessness.

Although the crown prince is the heir apparent, he is still far inferior to the emperor in many matters.

For example, in a situation like this, he had no power to fight back against Emperor Qianxi.

Emperor Qianxi was clearly trying to pin the debt collection on him.

Consider this a great achievement of mine! Now that I have accomplished such a great feat, you should let me ascend the throne immediately!
Despite her inner turmoil, Shen Ye, unable to resist, could only accept it.

Just when Shen Ye thought the matter was coming to an end, Emperor Qianxi had also shown his power and put the debt collection on his own head again, and everything should be over.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Qianxi spoke again, saying, "I have been away from the capital these past few days, and the capital has been quite lively."

"Memorials from Mingzhu and Suo'etu arrived at the camp in waves, like snowflakes."

"Your Highness, I have not yet returned to the capital. You are still the regent. You should handle this matter here at the post station today."

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)