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

Chapter 2 Imperial Examination Fraud
"Prince!"

Just as Shen Ye was a little stunned, the middle-aged woman respectfully bowed to him.

Upon hearing this voice, memories belonging to Crown Prince Yun Ye flooded Shen Ye's mind.

This is Granny Tong, the Crown Prince's wet nurse, and also one of Yun Ye's confidantes. However, thinking back on his memories of Granny Tong, Yun Ye felt that this wet nurse seemed to have treated him even better.

Putting aside other things, it seems that when the prince in that parallel universe got into trouble, Tong Mama's family alone had hundreds of thousands of taels of silver confiscated during a raid.

Many of the tributes from the imperial court ended up in the private treasury of Granny Tong's household.

For example, Yuqing Palace received a total of 28 ivory mats over a five-year period, but actually only used five of them.

The original owner, Yun Ye, was unaware of these sordid affairs and insisted on having this Granny Tong manage everything in Yuqing Palace.

"What is it?" His voice was somewhat low as he didn't have a good impression of this Granny Tong.

Although Granny Tong noticed Yun Ye's unusual behavior, she believed that the main reason for the Crown Prince's actions was that the people around him had been executed.

So I was a little scared.

She came here to comfort the crown prince!
"Your Highness, today the Grand Secretary sent someone to deliver a message to my wife, asking her to tell you that His Majesty only gave you a minor punishment as a warning, and you don't need to take it too seriously."

"What you need to do now is to apologize to His Majesty."

"As for the rest, he will take care of everything, so you don't need to worry about it."

"They also said that although the eldest prince and the others have already been granted titles, your position as heir apparent is secure, so there is no need to be too anxious."

Shen Ye had already thought about these things.

He knew the problem wasn't there, but that he, the crown prince, had grown up, the Qianxi Emperor was in his prime, and he would be emperor for nearly thirty more years.

Therefore, he had little interest in what Grand Secretary Songgotu had to say.

Nodding, Shen Ye waved for Granny Tong to leave.

He wanted to talk to someone, but not a middle-aged woman like Granny Tong whose face was so wrinkled you could see a few ants lying on it.

However, Granny Tong did not leave, but continued, "Your Highness, there is one more thing I need to report."

Shen Ye was immediately displeased, but since the other party had something to do, he decided to listen anyway.

Then, Granny Tong continued, "Your Highness, my husband said that winter is approaching, and according to past practice, it's time to give rewards to the servants of the Xishan Ruijian Camp."

"There is still a shortfall of 50,000 taels. What do you think? Should we write an imperial edict to borrow some silver from the Ministry of Revenue?"

When Shen Ye heard Granny Tong mention silver, he thought of how the original owner had been constantly rewarding several officers of the Xishan Ruijian Camp in order to win them over.

As for the purpose, it goes without saying that it was to cultivate their own people in the military.

Although the original owner couldn't remember exactly how much money was put in, Shen Ye vaguely felt that it was at least several hundred thousand taels.

Thinking about this matter that has been going on for three or four years, Shen Ye took a deep breath.

The original owner really courted death!

He thought he had done a thorough job, but according to Shen Ye's estimation, it probably wouldn't escape the notice of Emperor Qianxi, whose spies were spread throughout the capital.

The reason why Emperor Qianxi tolerated it and remained silent was probably not only because he felt it was harmless, but also because he had great confidence in his control of the situation.

Seeing Shen Ye deep in thought, Granny Tong said anxiously, "Your Highness, these servants are all exceptionally loyal."

"My husband had to put in a lot of effort to win her over."

"What's a little silver? This world will be yours in the future!"

"You'd better write one quickly."

Hearing these impatient words, Shen Ye's heart stirred. The reason why this Granny Tong was so eager was probably because her family's intentions in this matter were not simply to serve him.

When money passes through someone's hands, everyone ends up with a bit of grease on their hands.

What's more, they even distribute the money on our behalf, and no one dares to check with us to see exactly how much they've distributed.

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "These are extraordinary times; we'll talk about it later." Granny Tong seemed quite surprised by the Crown Prince's attitude. If it were anything else, she might have delayed.

But the thought of those tens of thousands of taels of silver made her anxious.

No, we can't just give up like this.

“Your Highness, if you think borrowing money from the Ministry of Revenue is too conspicuous, my wife has other options.”

"In this year's provincial examination in Shuntian Prefecture, the dozen or so scholars who followed your connections all made it onto the list."

"How about I have my husband find some scholars from wealthy families in the capital, have them pay money first, and then guarantee them to pass the imperial examinations in three years?"

Shen Ye couldn't listen to this anymore. What was all this nonsense?!

First they were bribing soldiers with debts, now they've gone and blatantly cheated on the imperial examinations.

No, it seems like they've already cheated.

Isn't this just digging a hole for themselves?

"Granny Tong, get out!" Shen Ye, who didn't want to pay attention to Granny Tong, spoke sternly.

Looking at Shen Ye's cold and gloomy face, Tong Mama's heart couldn't help but tremble.

However, the thought that he and his wife were both trusted confidants of the Crown Prince gave him more confidence.

"Your Highness, my wife and I are only thinking of you."

"As long as you are well, I will gladly sacrifice myself."

As she spoke, Granny Tong walked out of the study, looking aggrieved.

Looking at the closed door, Shen Ye had a thought: this couple really couldn't stay any longer.

If I stay, who knows what trouble I might get myself into!

This is very detrimental to his plan to lie low.

However, the moment the thought of taking action against the two of them himself arose, Shen Ye dismissed the idea.

Although he was the second most powerful person in the world, he was actually the number one person in the entire Yuqing Palace.

With the Crown Princess as the second-in-command at Yuqing Palace, I can use her to handle this matter directly.

Why do you have to do everything yourself?
Having made up his mind, Shen Ye stood up.

As the crown prince, he can summon most people, but it is not appropriate for him to summon the crown princess.

Fortunately, the Crown Princess lived in the rear palace, which was only a short walk away for him.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, a young eunuch bowed and greeted him, "Your Highness!"

Shen Ye waved his hand and walked towards the back hall.

As she walked, Shen Ye pondered the original owner's memories of the Crown Princess.

This Crown Princess comes from a good family; her father is a regional governor. Since their marriage, she has always been gentle and virtuous.

If I had to describe her in one word, it would be "possessing the bearing of an empress."

However, Yun Ye, as the Crown Prince, did not have a good relationship with the Crown Princess, because the Crown Princess was not the one he had chosen. Therefore, after the wedding, Yun Ye basically never stayed overnight in the Crown Princess's room.

Besides the fact that Yun Ye has no shortage of women, it also carries a sense of rebellion.

A rebellion against the all-powerful rule of their father, the Qianxi Emperor!

In just a few steps, Shen Ye arrived at the back hall. The maids and eunuchs standing at the door were about to bow when Shen Ye waved them off.

He strode to the door and was about to push it open when he heard someone inside say, "Princess Consort, I feel that the Crown Prince is acting strangely!"

Upon hearing that somewhat clear and familiar voice, Shen Ye was startled.

Could it be that my identity as a time traveler has been exposed?
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(End of this chapter)