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

Chapter 208 Just name your reward, as long as it's something I can give.

In reality, many people are secretly calculating how many kilograms these sweet potatoes can produce.

Some people were concerned with the bet itself, but for scholars like Tong Guowei and Zhang Ying, they were more concerned with the far-reaching impact these sweet potatoes could have.

Looking at the densely packed sweet potatoes now, and considering the way the prince described how to eat them, everyone knew perfectly well that once these sweet potatoes were widely distributed, they would save countless people from hunger.

Some hidden dangers that have plagued the imperial court for many years will also disappear.

However, the sweet potato harvest had not yet begun, and they all waited quietly.

In about half an hour, Zhou Bao rushed over and reported: "Your Majesty, one acre of sweet potatoes has been dug up."

Upon hearing this report, Emperor Qianxi immediately said, "Weigh it quickly and see how much this acre of land can yield!"

Yarjan had already lowered his head. Although the sweet potatoes hadn't been weighed yet, he already knew that he was bound to lose this bet!
Even if the Crown Prince's trial planting of sweet potatoes doesn't yield 2,000 catties per mu, as long as it exceeds 1,000 catties, the Crown Prince will have already won big.

A prince who cared deeply about the world and the basic needs of the common people; a prince who successfully cultivated sweet potatoes that yielded over a thousand catties per mu.

Such a crown prince will surely win the support of the people; who wouldn't praise the crown prince?
Who told me that the grain yield couldn't exceed 300 jin?
Such a despicable person who spouts nonsense deserves to be torn to pieces!

Just as Yarjan was secretly cursing, a pile of sweet potatoes had already been gathered up.

The ordinary sweet potato, which was unremarkable in ordinary times, became a priceless grain in the eyes of Emperor Qianxi.

He noticed some sweet potatoes rolling off the ground when it was dumped, and said in a low voice, "Be careful."

As the ruler of a country, Emperor Qianxi's words were considered inviolable.

As soon as he said this, the already slow-moving laborers became even more gentle in their movements.

However, those who were assigned to work here were all carefully selected, so the sweet potatoes gathered together were weighed very quickly.

"Your Majesty, after weighing, the yield of sweet potatoes from this acre is... 3,425 catties!" The clerk from the Imperial Household Department's voice trembled slightly.

He hadn't expected the sweet potato yield to be so high.

His level of expertise meant he couldn't be as far-sighted as those great figures.

However, seeing such a high yield of grain, I couldn't help but feel excited.

Emperor Qianxi was incredulous and pressed, "How many times did you say it? Say it again!"

The minor official trembled slightly under the pressure of Emperor Qianxi's imposing presence. After all, he was just a nobody, far inferior to a big shot like Emperor Qianxi.

But at this moment, he still forced himself to say, "Your Majesty, it is three thousand four hundred and twenty-five catties!"

Emperor Qianxi repeatedly exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent!"

"This yield is excellent!"

"Your Highness, you have done a great deed!"

At this point, he picked up a sweet potato, weighed it in his hand, and then addressed the assembled ministers, saying, "My esteemed ministers, did you all hear that?"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!" The first to step forward was Grand Secretary Tong Guowei.

He solemnly declared, "With the Holy Ruler on the throne, auspicious omens have descended from Heaven!"

"It is precisely because of Your Majesty's diligence in governing and love for the people that Heaven has bestowed such high-yield grains, allowing the common people to be free from the suffering of hunger."

"Your Majesty, I, Tong Guowei, offer my congratulations! A prosperous era is on the horizon!"

Tong Guowei's words were quite insightful.

When Emperor Qianxi was in a good mood, who wouldn't like to flatter him?

So, the moment Tong Guowei knelt down, almost all the accompanying ministers shouted in unison, "Your Majesty, we congratulate you! A prosperous era is on the horizon!"

Hearing the sound, which was like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing, Emperor Qianxi showed a hint of intoxication on his face.

He wanted to be a sage ruler, and it seemed he already possessed everything a sage ruler needed.

Now, he seems to be one step closer to becoming a sage ruler.

After all, a wise ruler is one who can ensure that all people in the world have enough to eat!

"My dear ministers, you may rise!" Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "Although the yield of sweet potatoes per mu is high, only by promoting their use can the people of the world truly benefit from them."

"My esteemed subjects, I hope that sweet potatoes can be promoted as soon as possible, so that more and more people will not have nothing to eat during famine years!"

Emperor Qianxi's words naturally drew a torrent of flattery.

Shen Ye stood to the side, silently watching Tong Guowei and the others act.

He planted sweet potatoes so that the starving disaster victims could have something to eat.

As for anything else, he didn't think about it at the time.

I never expected it to turn into such a big fuss.

Now that Emperor Qianxi is vigorously promoting the cultivation of sweet potatoes in the north, Shen Ye's goal has essentially been achieved.

However, Emperor Qianxi did not forget Shen Ye, the great contributor. Everyone present knew that this sweet potato field was planted by the Crown Prince. If anyone deserved the most credit, it would naturally be the Crown Prince.

Even though they sing praises and attribute all the credit to Emperor Qianxi, the Crown Prince's contributions cannot be denied by anyone.

However, Emperor Qianxi was having a bit of a headache about how to reward the crown prince.

The crown prince is already practically a monarch; how else can he be rewarded?

Giving him the title of prince? Isn't that a joke?
But if he were given military power, would Emperor Qianxi still be able to sleep soundly?
However, this matter was no challenge for Emperor Qianxi. He glanced at Shen Ye and said with a smile, "The Crown Prince's attempt to plant sweet potatoes is a great contribution to the country and a truly virtuous act."

"Your Highness, tell me what reward you desire."

"As long as it is within my power, I will make you completely satisfied." Emperor Qianxi said this in a grand and magnanimous manner, appearing extremely generous.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye inwardly scoffed, "You stubborn person who wants it all!"

Wanting to bestow favors but afraid to grant real power, who are you trying to fool with this hypocritical reward!

Ask me what I want?
What can I say?
Could it be that if I said I wanted to move out of Yuqing Palace in front of the entire court, wouldn't that just be making things difficult for myself?
Although I have never been a prince, I served as a clerk for several years in my previous life.

They do understand some social niceties!

“Father, I am trying to plant these sweet potatoes to see if they can be grown in the north.”

"The fact that these sweet potatoes can be grown now is all thanks to the blessings of our ancestors, as well as the great fortune and benevolence of our father!"

"Your subject only did a small favor, how dare I accept any reward!"

Shen Ye's words were equally grand and dignified, making it seem as if he really wouldn't ask for credit or reward.

However, no one present was a fool. They knew that although the Crown Prince's words were polite, he was actually passing the buck back to Emperor Qianxi.

Didn't you ask me to choose a reward? I said I didn't do anything and didn't deserve a reward.

You can decide for yourself!

Emperor Qianxi looked at the respectful-looking Crown Prince and felt a sense of helplessness.

The crown prince had kicked the ball back to his feet; as the emperor, he could no longer push it away.

What should be given to the crown prince at this time?

Emperor Qianxi's first thought was, why not let the Crown Prince observe the administration of the Ministry of Personnel?
But as soon as this idea came to mind, Emperor Qianxi's heart was in suspense.

What is the Ministry of Personnel? It is responsible for managing all officials in the country. If the Crown Prince is allowed to observe the administration of the Ministry of Personnel, then after a few years, the Ministry of Personnel may no longer be under his control.

The Ministry of War is even worse!
Although Emperor Qianxi was full of confidence in himself, the Ministry of War...

But this time, he had no choice but to reward the crown prince.

With such hard work and great achievements, how would others view him as emperor if he were not rewarded?

As a series of thoughts flashed through his mind, Emperor Qianxi said in a deep voice, "Crown Prince, you can decide what reward you want. I'm only giving you one task."

"From this day forward, you will observe state affairs in the Court of Colonial Affairs!"

The Court of Colonial Affairs was a department that seemed unimportant to the imperial court, but was actually very important.

Because the Court of Colonial Affairs mainly dealt with matters concerning tribute missions and foreign vassal states, it didn't seem to offer much financial reward to the imperial court!

But these things are actually very important.

If not handled properly, it could even lead to war!
Allowing the Crown Prince to observe the administration of the Court of Colonial Affairs was, in effect, a way to establish his authority in front of the foreign vassal states.

This is a good job for the Crown Prince.

However, this would prevent the crown prince from wielding too much real power.

Tong Guowei felt much relieved when he heard about the assignment given to him by Emperor Qianxi.

Although the Court of Colonial Affairs was important and was where Emperor Qianxi wanted to groom the crown prince, he ultimately did not give the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, or the Ministry of War to the crown prince. This is enough to show that Emperor Qianxi was still somewhat uneasy about the crown prince.

It's good that you're worried!
Shen Ye did not expect that Emperor Qianxi would actually give him a sweet treat.

If the former crown prince were to receive such a position, he would be overjoyed.

But he really doesn't like it!
He's become more laid-back and now just wants to live a good life.

The administration of the Court of Colonial Affairs must be mentally and physically demanding, unlike the more relaxed work in Daxing County.

He genuinely didn't want to provoke them.

However, Emperor Qianxi had said it was not a reward but an assignment. If he tried to refuse in front of everyone, it would make him, as the crown prince, seem inconsiderate and disregard the bigger picture.

He inwardly groaned, but could only respectfully say, "Thank you, Father."

In the eyes of the ministers, giving the Crown Prince the post of observing government affairs in the Court of Colonial Affairs was actually a great favor.

Therefore, the matter of bestowing rewards upon the Crown Prince can be considered to have come to an end.

Emperor Qianxi was still in high spirits. Looking at the piles of sweet potatoes dug from the ground, he smiled and said to Shen Ye, "The yield is over three thousand catties per mu. Your Highness, you've made a fortune this time!"

His words were partly a joke, but also a warning to Shen Ye and Yarjianga.

He meant that he knew about this betting scheme, and that you should all be more careful in the future.

Yarjan A was ashen-faced and remained silent. Given that the Crown Prince had profited from his actions, his current reaction was understandable.

As for Prince Gong and others, they also remained silent.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, I just found a plot of land to test the yield of that plot."

"The bet that Yarjianga and others made with me was that the yield of sweet potatoes from 100 mu of land would exceed 2,000 jin."

"So, they haven't lost yet!"

"The real winner or loser will only be decided after all the sweet potatoes on these 100 acres have been harvested."

When Shen Ye's words reached Yarjiang'a's ears, they did not bring him any joy.

Although he doesn't yet know if the yield of 100 mu of sweet potatoes is the same as the yield of the one mu he just weighed, he has a bad feeling looking at the sweet potatoes that have been dug up all around him.

　The first update of the day is here, still 3,000 words per chapter. It's the beginning of the month, so please give me some votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)