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

Chapter 141 Even a dog wouldn't do it if it came to collecting debts.

Prince Yu, Fuquan, was the elder brother of Emperor Qianxi!

Prince Gong, Changning, was the younger brother of Emperor Qianxi!

And now, Emperor Qianxi only has these two brothers left!

Also, Cao Yin is Shen Ye's father-in-law!
If you look at it this way, none of them are outsiders.

These three individuals held special status, so the officials who owed them money naturally had to observe their actions.

There's a saying, "Even if the sky falls, there's always someone tall enough to hold it up!"
These three people are the tallest among those being pursued for debt.

Even if Emperor Qianxi were to collect this debt, it would probably be difficult.

After all, we're all brothers. If you gain the throne, what's a little money owed to the national treasury by us brothers?

These were all left behind by the late emperor.

You've already taken the lion's share and gotten all the benefits, so what's wrong with sharing some with your brothers?
You wouldn't dare kill your own brother, would you?!
After Ma Qi finished speaking, Shen Ye said calmly, "Isn't the Imperial Clan Court in charge of dealing with the two princes?"

Upon hearing Shen Ye mention the Imperial Clan Court, Ma Qi smiled wryly and said, "The Imperial Clan Court's Chief Clan Member, Lord Yabu, broke his leg in a riding accident some time ago and needs to rest at home for a hundred days."

The original crown prince's memories made Shen Ye clear about who this Yabu was.

This man was not only a close relative of Emperor Qianxi, but also a hereditary Prince Jian, making him arguably the most esteemed member of the imperial clan.

Even someone like him, in order to avoid being chased by debt collectors, actually broke his leg in a fall from his horse.

Yabu was no fool; on the contrary, he was brave and skilled in battle and had followed Emperor Qianxi in many campaigns.

During the campaign against Galdan, he even led an army on his own.

How could someone who had fought bravely on the battlefield and never broken his leg fall on the flat roads of the capital?

Normally, no one would believe this.

But now, everyone knows that this Prince Zongling is also a ruthless person. In order to avoid being chased for debts, he actually injured himself.

He took a deep breath and then said to Ma Qi, "Doesn't the Imperial Clan Court still have the Left and Right Imperial Clan Members?"

Ma Qi helplessly spread his hands towards Shen Ye and said, "The Left Clan member, Prince Nanxing, is ill. As for the Right Clan member, he used to be Prince Yu's subordinate, so he doesn't dare to approach him at all."

Hearing this, Shen Ye wasn't angry.

After all, Ma Qi would certainly have an even bigger headache if he himself was feeling uncomfortable with this person.

Shen Ye smiled and asked, "Have you reported this matter to Father Emperor?"

Ma Qi looked at the smiling Crown Prince and felt a strange tightness in his heart.

He did not report back to Emperor Qianxi, because he dared not.

After all, based on his understanding of Emperor Qianxi, he didn't know if Emperor Qianxi could solve the problem if he reported this matter to him, but he would definitely hold a grudge against him.

However, it's not easy to offend the Crown Prince!
Thinking about it, he smiled and said, "His Majesty has appointed the Crown Prince to oversee the Ministry of Revenue's debt issues, so naturally I will report to the Crown Prince first."

"If you feel it is necessary to report to His Majesty, then I will accompany you to report this matter to His Majesty."

Looking at Ma Qi, who seemed to think, "I wouldn't dare do anything without your orders," Shen Ye mentally complained.

You're making it sound nice, but you just want me to take the blame.

However, since he had been ordered by Emperor Qianxi to take full responsibility for this matter, he couldn't refuse.

However, Shen Ye didn't want to take all the blame himself. He sighed and said, "Lord Ma, the confiscation has reached a critical moment."

"If we can't collect the money now, things will get even more complicated later."

"Let's go, let's go find His Majesty."

Shen Ye's thought at this moment was very simple: if Ma Qi was pushing me, then I would push him towards Emperor Qianxi.

Regardless of whether I had any ulterior motives, I absolutely couldn't handle something this offensive by getting Emperor Qianxi involved alone. Shen Ye's words made Ma Qi secretly groan.

He hoped the Crown Prince would step in to resolve the matter, rather than making a scene and going to see Emperor Qianxi together.

However, since the Crown Prince had spoken, he had no way to refuse.

Looking at the calm-looking Crown Prince, Ma Qi felt that the Crown Prince was much more mature than before.

In the past, given the Crown Prince's temperament, he might have directly confronted the Crown Prince head-on.

After all, the Crown Prince is the second most honorable person in the world, and with the authorization of Emperor Qianxi, he fears no one.

But now, he's dragging me to find the emperor; that's quite a change.

Whether Ma Qi was unwilling or had other ideas, he still followed Shen Ye to the Qianqing Palace.

The weather was no longer as hot as usual; in fact, it was even a little refreshing because of the recent light rain.

Outside the Qianqing Palace, there is never a shortage of officials waiting to see the Qianxi Emperor.

Fortunately, Crown Prince Shen Ye had always enjoyed the right to cut in line, so he and Ma Qi soon met Emperor Qianxi.

Emperor Qianxi was in good spirits. With the rainy season gradually passing, the flood problem had been largely resolved. Although there were still some worries, most of them were no longer so urgent.

Seeing Shen Ye and Ma Qi approach, he understood what they wanted to say.

He paid close attention to the recovery of the debt owed in Taicang every day, and he knew more about the matter than even the Crown Prince.

After exchanging greetings, Emperor Qianxi, without waiting for Shen Ye to speak, asked in a deep voice, "Crown Prince, how much of the Ministry of Revenue's debt has been collected?"

Shen Ye was aware of this, so he solemnly replied, "Reporting to Father Emperor, we have not received a single penny yet."

"According to Minister Ma Qi, the main reason why officials are not repaying their debts is..."

Before Shen Ye could finish speaking, Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "Crown Prince, since I have entrusted you with full authority to handle this matter, it means that I will only ask you for the results."

"As for the process, I will no longer interfere."

At this point, he glared at Shen Ye and said, "If you can't do it, then you shouldn't build your Crown Prince's residence. You should just stay obediently in Yuqing Palace for me."

I'm using my own money to build myself a house, and that was with your permission.

No, you only agreed to my request after I solved the food problem for the disaster victims outside the city!

Now, just because of a demand from the Ministry of Revenue, they're preventing me from building a house. What kind of logic is this, changing your orders so frequently!
If it were the former crown prince, he would definitely keep it to himself but dare not refute it aloud. However, Shen Ye is not going to tolerate this now. He immediately stepped forward and said, "Father, the reason I built my own mansion is because it is a reward you gave me after I solved the crisis of the disaster victims outside the city!"

"You can't go back on your word and break your promise!"

Ma Qi immediately lowered his head.

He really doesn't want to stay here right now!
Although he was Emperor Qianxi's childhood friend, there were some things he really didn't want to hear.

Especially the conflict between Emperor Qianxi and the Crown Prince.

Why...why am I here?!
Emperor Qianxi looked at the sulking Crown Prince, but instead of being angry, he smiled and said, "Crown Prince, I always keep my word. As the saying goes, a gentleman's word is as good as his bond."

"You have completed the task I assigned you, and I will reward you by allowing you to build your own residence outside."

"Now that you've failed to complete the task of recovering the Ministry of Revenue's debts, isn't it only right that I punish you?"

At this point, he chuckled and said, "Rewards and punishments, merits and demerits clearly distinguished, isn't that normal?"

Listening to Emperor Qianxi's robber logic, Shen Ye felt speechless.

What you said makes a lot of sense!
But why do I have this urge to hit someone?

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)