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

Chapter 210 I keep my word, this Crown Prince never lies.
Regardless of what Emperor Qianxi meant by asking that question, Shen Ye had no intention of giving back the money he had already swallowed!

I earned this money through my own hard work, so why should I give it back?
So he smiled and said, "Father, I have neither a salary nor many estates."

"This year, whether it's building Wanshou Garden or constructing the expressway, we've incurred significant losses, not to mention the construction of another courtyard."

"Although the courtyard has been built, to be honest, I am not very satisfied with it because many parts of it are not decorated."

"This time, I plan to pay off some debts, buy some furniture, and also order some jewelry for the Crown Princess and the others..."

Emperor Qianxi was speechless for a moment.

He asked the Crown Prince how he planned to spend the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, actually wanting to take the opportunity to talk about the Yuqing Bank.

The Crown Prince established Yuqing Bank, but he didn't intend to take the bank away. What he really wanted was the two million taels of silver that were readily available there.

However, having previously agreed that the Crown Prince would not take any money from Yuqing Bank this year, going back on his word now is ultimately a bit unbecoming.

Now that the Crown Prince has earned several hundred thousand taels, he thinks he should take this opportunity to get the Crown Prince to transfer the two million taels to the Ministry of Revenue!
After all, this money also came from the Ministry of Revenue.

Unfortunately, this unfilial son was like a slippery eel, refusing to take the bait. As soon as I mentioned it, he preemptively launched into a tirade of complaining about being poor.

However, the Crown Prince did seem to be right about one thing: everything in Yuqing Palace was supplied by the Imperial Household Department, and the Crown Prince was indeed not paid any salary.

Emperor Qianxi, who felt that the Crown Prince should have earned five or six hundred thousand taels of silver this year, really didn't know what to say at this moment.

While Emperor Qianxi was talking to Shen Ye, Yarjiang A, who was serving nearby, was heartbroken. After all, many of the plans the Crown Prince mentioned involved spending his money.

In this one move, he lost to the Crown Prince's estate, which was worth 100,000 taels of silver.

How shrewd was Emperor Qianxi? Seeing that his roundabout way of asking for money was not going to work, he simply said to Shen Ye directly, "Your Highness, Ma Qi just told me that the court has a lot of things to do right now."

"Unfortunately, the Ministry of Revenue has limited funds."

"Doesn't your Yuqing Bank have taken in two million taels of silver in deposits? Why not transfer them to the Ministry of Revenue for emergency use?"

"After all, this money comes from the Ministry of Revenue!"

Shen Ye breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Emperor Qianxi was not asking him to return the money he had won in the bet.

However, Shen Ye was not prepared to hand over the two million taels of silver from Yuqing Bank so easily.

He glanced at Ma Qi, who was sitting to the side pretending to be deaf and dumb, and then solemnly said, "Father, the bank's silver, although nominally using the Ministry of Revenue's three million taels of debt..."

"But in essence, this money still belongs to those depositors."

“These sums of money are related to tens of thousands of ordinary families in the capital.”

"If we don't have enough silver reserves, it could easily cause unnecessary panic if someone spreads rumors."

"So it's best not to touch this money unless absolutely necessary."

At this point, Shen Ye turned to Ma Qi and said, "When I was setting up this bank, I had already discussed it with Lord Ma Qi, and he said that we wouldn't need this money this year."

"Moreover, as far as I know, the Ministry of Revenue's silver is never enough."

"Instead of living beyond one's means, let the Ministry of Revenue use this money when it has the funds it needs."

"It would be better to deposit this money in Yuqing Bank and use it in case of an emergency."

"To avoid a situation where there is a major flood but the imperial court cannot provide disaster relief funds."

When Ma Qi heard the statement that the Ministry of Revenue's silver was never enough, he felt his face turn pale.

The Crown Prince is really outspoken! He actually dared to expose the shortcomings of the Ministry of Revenue in public!
Unfortunately, no matter how angry he was, he knew that the Crown Prince's words were all reasonable and he could not refute them.

Emperor Qianxi carefully considered Shen Ye's words and found that they were not without merit.

The Ministry of Revenue is always short of money, like a bottomless pit. If two million taels of silver are transferred to the Ministry of Revenue in such a hurry, it will only be a drop in the bucket. The surplus may last for a while, but then it will be gone again.

However, the funds held by the Crown Prince in Yuqing Bank can be transferred at any time.

To avoid the same situation as last time, where there was no money for emergencies.

"Then you and Lord Ma can discuss this matter!"

Ma Qi had said a lot to Emperor Qianxi, but in the end, this was the result, leaving him greatly disappointed.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Shen Ye interrupted with a smile, saying, "Father, it's getting late. The sweet potato feast in the Imperial Kitchen is almost ready. Let's not keep Grandmother waiting any longer."

That was a brilliant move!
If Shen Yeguang were to invite Emperor Qianxi to a meal, Ma Qi would definitely try to stop him.

Everything must be prioritized. Is eating more important, or are national affairs more important?

However, he dared not take responsibility for letting the Empress Dowager go hungry.

After all, who doesn't know that the emperor governs the country with filial piety? If the Empress Dowager goes hungry, he can't bear the stigma of being unfilial.

Although Emperor Qianxi had heard Shen Ye talk about some ways to eat sweet potatoes, he was still full of anticipation for this sweet potato feast.

After all, the yield of sweet potatoes made him feel that it was truly a good thing for the country and its people.

If it tastes good, that would be even better!

"Then let's go together to invite the Empress Dowager to a banquet."

Shen Ye didn't say much at this time, and went with Emperor Qianxi to the carriage where the Empress Dowager was resting.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager was eating sweet potato dumplings while chatting enthusiastically with Consort Hui and others.

"...Oh dear, I dug up eight sweet potatoes from that one, and I thought that was enough and there wouldn't be any more, but I didn't expect that when I looked around, there were two more..." Before the Empress Dowager could finish speaking, Consort Hui cleverly said, "It's because Your Majesty is so lucky that even the sweet potatoes know to make it perfect for you."

"That's right, if you ask me..."

Those who could keep the Empress Dowager company were naturally all shrewd and capable individuals, so when Emperor Qianxi entered, all he heard was laughter and cheerful conversation.

After a brief greeting, the Empress Dowager said to Emperor Qianxi, "One mu can produce more than three thousand jin of grain. This is a blessing from heaven and a blessing from heaven for our dynasty. Your Majesty, you must make good use of such an auspicious thing!"

In the past, the Empress Dowager did not pay much attention to matters of the court, but today, while digging sweet potatoes, she couldn't help but give a few words of advice.

Emperor Qianxi quickly bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely promote it well."

"It's getting late. The sweet potato feast that the Crown Prince ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare is ready. Please, Your Majesty, come and have a taste."

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Excellent! I was just feeling a bit hungry. I wonder how many creative dishes the Crown Prince can come up with for this sweet potato feast!"

"Don't even think about trying to fool me with a few roasted sweet potatoes."

Shen Ye put a lot of effort into this sweet potato feast. After all, he had brought out the Empress Dowager, so it wouldn't be right for him to just serve roasted and boiled sweet potatoes.

"Grandmother, don't worry. If this sweet potato feast isn't delicious, your grandson will eat the whole table of food."

Shen Ye's words were amusing, which made the Empress Dowager smile broadly.

For her, the rules still need to be followed, but she doesn't want her children and grandchildren to stand beside her in fear and trembling.

After all, she is also a person.

The fact that Shen Ye could joke and talk so casually in front of her made her feel very close to this grandson.

The eldest prince stood silently to the side, watching the crown prince chatting and laughing with the empress dowager with ease, and felt very lonely.

Looking at that harmonious scene, perhaps only the Crown Prince and his family are truly connected by blood...

Because everything was prepared in advance, when Emperor Qianxi and his entourage arrived at the banquet tent, not only were the tables, chairs, and benches already set out, but the dozen or so large ice chests made the tent cool and pleasant.

Looking at the basins of ice, Emperor Qianxi frowned slightly.

But after glancing at the Empress Dowager, he remained silent.

Liang Jiugong, who was serving beside him, was very clear about Emperor Qianxi's intentions. He said softly, "Your Majesty, this ice was transported through the fast channel."

"It's very convenient to carry it in a single carriage, and the cost is minimal."

Upon hearing Liang Jiugong's words, Emperor Qianxi thought of the carriage he was in and nodded in agreement.

I still hold the same old idea: if we use a fast track to transport ice, it really won't cost much money.

As the Empress Dowager and Emperor Qianxi took their seats, the imperial kitchen staff began serving the dishes.

When the first plate of candied sweet potatoes was served, it put the minds of several nobles who had initially been worried about whether the sweet potato feast would taste good.

The sweet and sticky candied sweet potatoes are golden and translucent, with a wonderful aroma and taste.

However, when the second dish was served, both Emperor Qianxi and the ministers present were stunned.

Because this is a cold vegetable dish.

Isn't this supposed to be a sweet potato feast? Why are there green vegetables here?!

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Shen Ye and said, "Crown Prince, isn't this a sweet potato feast? What does this dish have to do with sweet potatoes?"

Shen Ye did not respond, but smiled and said, "Please have Father taste it first and see if this dish has anything to do with sweet potatoes."

Emperor Qianxi picked up a leaf of vegetable with his chopsticks, found it refreshing and delicious, and couldn't help but take another bite.

Upon closer tasting, he discovered that the green vegetable actually resembled sweet potato leaves.

"You really made a dish out of sweet potato leaves?" Emperor Qianxi asked in surprise.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "As I said before, every part of the sweet potato is valuable, and even the leaves are edible."

"However, there aren't many tender leaves at this time, so the taste isn't very good."

"There are a few more dishes made with sweet potato leaves later!"

Following Shen Ye's words, another dish of steamed sweet potato leaves was served.

"Father, this is steamed sweet potato leaves. Although it uses a little grain, it's not too much. Steamed with sweet potato leaves, it can be eaten as a dish or a staple food."

"Although it is not a top-class delicacy, it can alleviate people's difficulties and save a lot of food."

Yarjianga, who was eating, felt a mix of emotions. He knew that the Crown Prince was blatantly telling him that these sweet potato leaves were indeed edible!
If you absolutely must classify it as grain, then you can.

In this regard, I absolutely keep my word and never lie!

Many people share the same idea as Yarjiang Ahuai, but everyone just understands it implicitly and keeps quiet!

After tasting a couple of bites of the fairly palatable steamed dishes, Emperor Qianxi felt a growing sense of anticipation.

The prince had previously said that sweet potatoes were not tasty, and he now believes they really are.

But now that even sweet potato leaves can be made so delicious, what surprises will the next dish bring?

　The first update of the day is here! Hey everyone, it's the third day of August. If you have any guaranteed votes at the beginning of the month, please give me two!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)