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

Chapter 175 Fourth Brother, don't worry, do it boldly. Father and I will back you up.
Seeing Yunzhen's pleading expression, Shen Ye patted Yunzhen's shoulder and said, "Fourth brother, even if you hadn't come today, I was planning to call you here anyway."

As he spoke, he returned to his desk and handed a form to Yunzhen.

Yunzhen glanced at the chart of changes in daily necessities in the capital and immediately realized that it must have been written by his elder brother, the Crown Prince.

Although the Crown Prince's second brother used a table to turn Jin Fu and others' crimes into merits, many people are now learning how to make tables.

However, the one who could innovate in watchmaking was still his own second elder brother, the crown prince.

However, he was, after all, the most capable of handling official duties among all of Emperor Qianxi's sons.

After glancing at the table a few times, I immediately understood its purpose.

If this table is used properly, the imperial court will be able to obtain firsthand and detailed information about changes in the lives of people in the capital.

This was crucial for the decision-making process in the capital.

Despite harboring ulterior motives, Yunzhen couldn't help but sincerely admire the Crown Prince's intelligence, which was truly unmatched by ordinary people.

Is everything really as Mr. Wu described?
The older the Emperor gets, the deeper his suspicions of the Crown Prince will become!
Father is still in his prime, and nothing is yet apparent.

Once the emperor reaches old age, will endless variables arise?
Although he thought this in his heart, on the surface, Yunzhen still sincerely said, "Your Highness, this chart has opened my eyes."

"As long as we look at this chart regularly, we will have a clear understanding of the people's livelihood in the capital."

"I admire you, little brother."

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Fourth Brother, you should just admire Lord Yu. This form was made by Lord Yu."

"I showed this chart to my fourth brother not so that he could see the prices of goods, but so that he could see the prices of eggs and vegetables."

"Take this egg for example. Outside, it would only sell for two or three coins a piece, and the best one would only sell for five coins a piece."

Do you know how the Imperial Household Department reports its expenses?

"At its most expensive, it reached five taels of silver."

At this point, Shen Ye said with a hint of sarcasm, "This is not just embezzlement, it is blatant disrespect for His Majesty."

Shen Ye's words caused Yunzhen's expression to change.

He has always been someone who cannot tolerate any injustice. Over the years, he has kept a low profile and suppressed his temper, but his true nature remains unchanged.

Hearing that the Imperial Household Department charged a thousand times more silver for a single egg, he was immediately filled with anger.

"Such an insolent servant deserves to die!" Yunzhen's voice was filled with murderous intent.

Shen Ye looked at the furious Yunzhen and smiled, saying, "Fourth brother, the scoundrel certainly deserves to die, but that's just the surface."

"The key to this problem is that the Imperial Household Department has issues. In this situation, we cannot just solve the surface problems, but must get to the root of the problem and deal with the Imperial Household Department from the ground up."

“I wanted to handle it myself, but my father felt I wasn’t careful enough.”

"However, Father Emperor made the right choice in entrusting this matter to Fourth Brother."

"Fourth brother, go ahead and do it boldly. Just remember one thing: be bold but careful. Don't be afraid of anything. Father and I will back you up."

Shen Ye's words lightly glossed over the fact that he had set a trap for the Fourth Prince.

What he said was nine times false and one time true.

The lie is that he didn't say he would personally take charge; instead, he said he had been too ruthless and then, according to the Fourth Prince's standards, he stated several conditions.

As for the rest, they are all true.

I spearheaded the reform of the Imperial Household Department!

Those bastards in the Imperial Household Department are far too audacious; they have to be dealt with.

Furthermore, Emperor Qianxi was also extremely angry about this matter and wanted to crack down on the Imperial Household Department; this is all true...

As Yunzhen listened to Shen Ye's words, he secretly compared them with his own experience when he met Emperor Qianxi, and began to believe most of them.

The Emperor Qianxi had no doubt whatsoever that the Crown Prince wanted to manage the Imperial Household Department himself, and that the Emperor would not allow the Crown Prince to do so. If he were the Emperor Qianxi, he would absolutely not allow the Crown Prince to manage the Imperial Household Department either.

Otherwise, I might not be able to sleep soundly.

However, on the surface, he still addressed Shen Ye in a serious manner: "Your Highness, you are the heir apparent of the country. How can Father Emperor allow you to waste your time on such a trivial matter?"

"With Father Emperor and Crown Prince backing me up, I will definitely give the Imperial Household Department a good overhaul today, and let those servants know what fear is."

Looking at the murderous-looking Fourth Prince, Shen Ye felt both that he had chosen the right person this time and that it was a pity.

Would the outcome have been more ideal if the fourth prince had chosen to treat the Imperial Household Department in a more lenient manner?

But that's also good.

"Fourth brother, then I'll wait and see." Shen Ye said, patting Yunzhen on the shoulder, "Reorganizing the Imperial Household Department cannot be done with just enthusiasm."

"You need to manage people through rules and regulations."

"Only by establishing good rules can the problem be solved once and for all."

Shen Ye's last words sounded very reasonable, insightful, and close to the Fourth Prince, but upon closer examination, it seemed that he hadn't said anything at all.

This is the skill Shen Ye brought from his previous life: to speak platitudes in a serious manner.

The fourth prince had rarely encountered such sophisticated platitudes, and for a moment he felt that the crown prince was truly concerned about him.

Sigh, if there wasn't only one throne, why would I have secretly become enemies with my second brother!

But who wouldn't want to sit in that one-of-a-kind chair!
With a series of thoughts flashing through his mind, Yunzhen took his leave with a hint of gratitude.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Fourth brother, last time I married the Crown Princess, I asked my eldest brother and third brother to help me with the wedding."

“This time, I intend to ask my father for permission to let my fourth brother take the lead in helping me.”

"Haha, Fourth Brother will have to work hard tomorrow."

Helping the Crown Prince get married is a prestigious thing, and the Fourth Prince was immediately invigorated when he heard Shen Ye say that he should take the lead.

He quickly replied, "Thank you for your high regard, Your Highness. I will certainly not disappoint you."

The fourth prince spoke for a while longer before taking his leave.

Looking at the fourth prince walking with great spirit, Shen Ye couldn't help but shake his head.

Although he didn't know how much of Yunzhen's words were true and how much were false, one thing was certain: this brother also wanted to seize the throne.

The crown prince is the biggest obstacle in everyone's path to vying for the throne.

No matter who it is, anyone who wants to become emperor needs to remove this stumbling block.

Therefore, even when the crown prince remained motionless, he would still look around and see enemies everywhere.

After the Fourth Prince left, Ma Qi walked in with a big smile on his face.

Unlike his usual gloomy face, Ma Qi was genuinely happy this time.

"Greetings, Your Highness," Ma Qi said respectfully, bowing.

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Lord Ma Qi looks pleased; it seems there's good news."

"Your Highness, we have recovered nearly five million taels of the Ministry of Revenue's debts. Although the Taicang treasury is still not very well-off, it has relieved our immediate crisis."

At this point, Ma Qi clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shen Ye and said, "There are still less than three million taels of silver left, all of which have been paid in installments."

"The shortest contract was for one year, and the longest was for twenty years."

"This servant submitted a memorial to His Majesty regarding this matter, and His Majesty instructed this servant to inquire with the Crown Prince about what to do?"

　The third update of the day is here! Hey everyone, if you have any votes, please give me a couple!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)