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

Chapter 150: There is no right or wrong, only interests.

When the former crown prince attended the grand court assembly, he would usually follow Emperor Qianxi into the hall from behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony. His purpose in doing so was to demonstrate his status as the heir apparent.

However, Shen Ye considered this approach foolish.

The power of a monarch is something that cannot be shared by anyone.

How can I allow someone else to sleep soundly beside my bed!

Although the former crown prince was still the crown prince, Emperor Qianxi would basically not say anything if he attended court like this.

However, as the Crown Prince grew older and the Qianxi Emperor aged, the Qianxi Emperor became increasingly dissatisfied with the Crown Prince.

Although Shen Ye didn't have much of an interest in ascending the throne, he would still avoid doing anything that could lead to his own demise.

When he went to court from the front this time, he felt that many people were looking at him with strange eyes.

He didn't care about any of this, because he knew that the way they looked at him in court would be even more unbearable.

However, to Shen Ye's surprise, Prince Yu actually waved to him.

What is this imperial uncle trying to do?

Despite feeling some contempt for her elder brother, Emperor Qianxi, Shen Ye still came to Prince Yu's side.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Shen Ye bowed to Prince Yu.

Prince Yu quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

"At the hundred-day banquet, I noticed that the Crown Prince did not enjoy himself to the fullest. Today, I have found some fine wine and would like to invite the Crown Prince to my residence at noon so that we can have a good drink together."

Please drink by yourself!
Prince Yu's purpose was not to drink, but to remind the Crown Prince not to forget the promise he made at the 100-day celebration.

Shen Ye's smile was incredibly bright. He said in a deep voice, "Since Your Majesty is so interested, I will definitely go."

Seeing that Shen Ye readily agreed to his invitation, Prince Yu was completely relieved.

He laughed heartily and said, "Since Your Highness is so generous, let's drink until we drop today."

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, not only were the officials watching the two people, but the eldest prince and all the other princes were also watching everything.

A cold smile appeared on the eldest prince's lips.

He was thinking about what Mingzhu had said: the matter of recovering the Ministry of Revenue's arrears was something his father, the Emperor, valued. The Emperor would surely be displeased if the Crown Prince so easily put this matter aside.

Although I will offend many people by stepping forward, His Majesty will definitely value me even more.

As long as His Majesty values ​​me, then nothing else matters.

However, the Third Prince Yunzhi thought that the Crown Prince was also a bully who preyed on the weak.

He's not much better than him.

As for the fourth prince, Yunzhen, his face remained expressionless, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.

However, Yunzhen felt extremely displeased.

He secretly resolved that if he ever gained power, he would make a firm decision to deal with this imperial uncle.

Even if his uncle doesn't live to see the day he takes power, he will make his uncle pay the price for what he did today.

Even if the Emperor's uncle is no longer alive, he still has descendants.

Just as everyone was lost in thought, several cracks of whips suddenly rang out.

Upon hearing the sound of the whip, all the ministers who were able to attend the meeting quickly lined up and then entered the main hall of the Taihe Palace in order of their rank.

Shen Ye held the highest status, so he walked at the front.

When he stood down at the foot of the emperor's throne, Emperor Qianxi strode in.

After everyone kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, Emperor Qianxi said in a deep voice, "My dear ministers, please present your reports."

As Emperor Qianxi finished speaking, someone said, "Your Majesty, your subject Wu Jinming, the Supervising Censor of the Lianghu Circuit, has something to report."

Shen Ye was already prepared, and just as he was about to take out the memorial, he didn't expect that someone would be faster than him.

Left with no other choice, Shen Ye could only listen. Although it wasn't impossible for him, as the crown prince, to cut in line was not only too domineering for a crown prince, but also somewhat impolite in the grand court.

Therefore, Shen Ye decided to wait a while.

Could this censor have been arranged by Emperor Qianxi to propose the regulations for dealing with debtors who refuse to pay their debts?

If that were the case...

Just as Shen Ye was still a little worried, he heard Wu Jinming say, "Your Majesty, I have heard that the Governor of Hunan, Nian Xialing, is pursuing a false reputation and has implemented his so-called 'equalization of land tax and poll tax' without the order of the court."

"His reckless behavior not only disrupted the court's regulations, but also forced some rural gentry and common people into a state of misery."

"Currently, in many places, farmland is being left uncultivated."

"I believe that Nian Xialing has disregarded the law, acted recklessly, and harmed the local people. It is only by investigating and punishing him that the people's anger can be appeased. I beg Your Majesty to consider this matter!"

Shen Ye had heard of the term "equalization of land tax and poll tax".

He also knew what this "integration of land tax and poll tax" meant; the fourth brother in the parallel universe was the one who vigorously promoted this "integration of land tax and poll tax".

The reason for doing this was to alleviate the pressure on poor people who did not own land, by linking taxes to land ownership.

Simply put, it boils down to this: you pay taxes according to the amount of land you own.

In Shen Ye's view, this approach was very fair.

After all, it is unreasonable for landowners to pay little tax, while landless tenants have to pay more.

However, this reasonable method was met with resistance from many people as soon as it was introduced.

Some people even caused quite a bit of trouble because of this.

Shen Ye never expected that his cheap father-in-law would be so bold, taking matters into his own hands before the emperor had even begun to implement his policies.

It's normal to be impeached in court.

Emperor Qianxi said calmly, "He shall submit a memorial to defend himself in this matter when he is of advanced age."

At first glance, Emperor Qianxi's words seemed to make no problem, since no matter who impeaches someone, the other party should also give their reasons.

But in reality, Emperor Qianxi was clearly showing favoritism.

The so-called memorial to defend oneself was just a delaying tactic. Even at the fastest speed, it would take a month to travel from Hunan to the capital.

A month is all it takes for him to defend himself; who knows what might happen!

Moreover, with so many things happening in the court, after a month, probably not many people will remember this memorial.

The Imperial Censor Wu Jinming seemed dissatisfied with the result. He clasped his hands together, about to speak, when Emperor Qianxi waved his sleeve in displeasure.

The movement was very slight, but Wu Jinming felt immense pressure. He quickly replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Watching Wu Jinming leave, Shen Ye felt that this matter was not over.

After all, this matter involves the interests of countless people.

Those who are with Wu Jinming will never give up until they achieve their goal.

Seeing this situation, Shen Ye thought to himself, "I should share some of the pressure with my cheap father-in-law, otherwise he really won't be able to handle it!"

With that thought in mind, Shen Ye strode out and said, "Your subject has something to report."

Upon hearing this, several people who were initially eager to petition stopped themselves.

Because the person who made the memorial was the Crown Prince!
The Crown Prince, who is also in charge of the Ministry of Revenue's collection efforts, must have submitted a memorial this time because it was related to the collection process.

What does the Crown Prince plan to do?

Is he, as rumored, suspending collection efforts?

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(End of this chapter)