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

Chapter 167 We'll take this big, we're not afraid you won't do it.
Emperor Qianxi was a wise emperor!

He has always been very kind to those around him because he knows that, although in the eyes of many people he is like a god.

But in reality, his body was just that of an ordinary person.

If someone attacks him within five steps, he will definitely die a horrible death.

Therefore, he was very tolerant of those around him in the Imperial Household Department.

He knew that the Imperial Household Department was greedy, and he also knew that the people in the Imperial Household Department were embezzling money from him, but he didn't take it too seriously.

After all, even if you keep a dog, you still need to feed it bones, let alone a group of loyal servants!

However, to Emperor Qianxi's surprise, the Imperial Household Department was so greedy.

He remembered very clearly the price of the eggs he ate; according to the Imperial Household Department's ledger, an egg cost five taels of silver.

However, the price of eggs in the capital was only three coins, which means that the eggs that the Imperial Household Department provided for him cost more than a thousand times the normal price of eggs.

Normally, Emperor Qianxi was concerned with important matters such as grain prices. After all, in his view, as long as ordinary people didn't starve to death, that was enough.

The prices of eggs and meat were not within his concern.

But to his surprise, these guys from the Imperial Household Department had done so much tampering in places he hadn't been paying attention to!
If the figures were falsely reported by one, two, or even five or ten times, it would have been within Emperor Qianxi's tolerance. But now, these guys have become incredibly audacious, falsely reporting by as much as a thousand times.

This is blatant disregard for him, treating him like a complete idiot! Do you think I, the greatest emperor of all time, am mentally challenged?!

A surge of anger rushed straight to Emperor Qianxi's chest.

Only at this moment did he realize the meaning behind the Crown Prince's request for Yu Chenglong to prepare this price list for him.

He was telling himself that these guys in the Imperial Household Department were all too greedy.

These people are completely untrustworthy.

Thinking about how he had been deceived by the Imperial Household Department, Emperor Qianxi felt even more ashamed and angry.

Just as he put down the memorial with the price list, he quickly picked it up again.

Although he was quite displeased with the Crown Prince's actions, the price list was indeed quite useful.

The prince did this for the sake of the operation of the stone-paved road.

Emperor Qianxi was well aware of this, but even as the emperor, he also had a rebellious streak.

You've gone to great lengths to make me admit I've been blinded and that my perception was flawed, so you'll hand over the operating rights? Well, I'm not going to do what you want!

I, the Qianxi Emperor, am wise beyond my years. How could I be less discerning than you, my rebellious son? I simply see through things but choose not to say it!
I cannot follow your pace. I will let the Imperial Household Department operate. As for how to deal with the Imperial Household Department, that is a matter for later.

I made this decision through gritted teeth, and only then did I feel much better. It's true that having a rebellious son makes it hard to have peace of mind!

Just as Emperor Qianxi was carefully considering the form, Liang Jiugong respectfully entered and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has come to pay his respects."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi glanced at the time and discovered that the clock showed exactly eight o'clock.

Not a penny off, not a penny too late.

The timing of the Crown Prince's greetings was truly precise; he was always so punctual every day.

This rebellious son is so meticulous!

Emperor Qianxi said calmly, "Let him in."

Within a minute, Shen Ye entered. After bowing according to protocol, Emperor Qianxi said indifferently, "If the Crown Prince has nothing else to attend to, please go ahead. The Grand Secretaries will be coming to report on their matters later."

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, Shen Ye felt a slight resentment rising in his heart.

In the past, when I came to pay my respects, I would always exchange a few pleasantries. But now, I had only just paid my respects and hadn't said anything else, yet Emperor Qianxi was already acting as if he wanted me to leave. It was clear he didn't want me to speak at all.

It was unclear whether he had seen Yu Chenglong's memorial regarding the prices in the capital. However, regardless of whether he had seen it or not, Shen Ye was not going to wait any longer. He said to Emperor Qianxi, "Your subject has come here not only to pay respects to Your Majesty, but also to report a matter to Your Majesty."

Looking at the Crown Prince's serious expression, Emperor Qianxi thought to himself, "He's about to complain!"
This son seems more magnanimous than before. He's no longer so timid and he speaks his mind without holding back.

This performance seems pretty good.

"What do you want to say?" Emperor Qianxi asked solemnly.

Shen Ye said in a deep voice, "What I want to talk about is the stone-paved road."

Although he already had a guess in his heart, Shen Ye's frank statement still made Emperor Qianxi a little uncomfortable.

He said calmly, "The stone-paved road is almost finished, so you don't need to worry about it anymore. Your servants will manage it."

Perhaps out of spite, Emperor Qianxi took a preemptive approach and completely blocked Shen Ye's path.

After saying these words, Emperor Qianxi felt that he had acted somewhat irrationally, but his mood inexplicably improved a lot.

Shen Ye said, "Father, I think that although the stone road looks like it has been repaired, in fact, the construction of this stone road has only just begun."

As he spoke, Shen Ye produced a map drawn on silk and said, "Father, please take a look. If we can build a stone road like this according to the map, it will be a great pillar for the eternal stability of our dynasty!"

When Emperor Qianxi looked at the map, he saw that it was a map on silk cloth that was a hundred times smaller and a hundred times simpler than the map he had hidden in the back hall of the Qianqing Palace.

Although the map was simple, it was small yet complete, containing all the essential elements. In the middle of the map, there was a long red line that ran from the capital to Yingtian Prefecture.

Upon seeing the red line, Emperor Qianxi immediately understood.

This red line is the stone-paved road that Shen Ye just mentioned, which is where things just started.

Compared to this road, the forty-mile-long stone-paved road to Tongzhou that has been built is simply not good enough; it is far, far inferior.

He gazed at the stone-paved road that directly connected the two prefectures, lost in thought.

Emperor Qianxi personally inspected the condition of the stone-paved road, and he was also very aware that Yu Chenglong had personally traveled to Tongzhou by carriage.

Therefore, he was perfectly clear about the purpose of this stone-paved road, and it was precisely because he understood this that he valued this road so much.

This is also why, even though he knew the Imperial Household Department was greedy, he still wanted them to operate the stone-paved road.

After all, the Imperial Household Department was his servant.

But now, the stone-paved road that Shen Ye proposed, connecting the two prefectures and stretching for at least two or three thousand miles, has really appealed to him.

As problems with the canal multiplied, Emperor Qianxi became increasingly aware of the limitations of his ability to effectively govern the Jiangnan region.

Once the stone-paved road is completed, and according to Shen Ye's plan for the railway, with a horse station every ten miles, then if people take turns resting every day and night, the speed will be comparable to the 800-mile express delivery.

The thought alone was enough to make Emperor Qianxi's heart flutter.

However, how much manpower, investment, and maintenance costs were required to build this three-thousand-mile-long stone-paved road?

Emperor Qianxi estimated that this was no less impressive than the river works on the Yellow River.

Managing the Yellow River requires an investment of over a million taels of silver annually. If this were added, the already strained finances of the imperial court would likely become even more precarious.

But this three-thousand-mile-long stone-paved road is just too attractive.

A hint of hesitation flashed in Emperor Qianxi's eyes.

However, in the end, he still looked at Shen Ye and said, "Your Highness, you've only planned this path, have you calculated how much it will cost?"

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(End of this chapter)