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

Chapter 213 You can't get money from me, but you can't take my life.

Throughout history, the phenomenon of not repaying debts has been commonplace.

However, there is one person whose debt is so high that very few people dare not repay it.

This person is the emperor!
Those who fail to repay debts owed to the emperor will be exiled at best, and at worst, their entire family will be executed.

Take the fourth son of the Cao family in later years as an example. Although the Cao family's debts were all spent on his father's trip to the south, the fourth son felt that if you owed debts, then you owed debts!
Whether you admit it or not doesn't matter, it won't interfere with the confiscation of your property.

Although Shen Ye was not the emperor, but only the crown prince, very few people owed him money.

Because no one knows when he will ascend the throne, if he does, he might settle scores later, and the consequences would be dire.

However, this is not absolute.

For example, Orondai!
This is a parallel universe where a fierce person dares to urinate at the palace gate because he is resentful of the fourth prince!

Moreover, he had been punished by the Crown Prince in the past, and still harbored a grudge against him.

In his mind, he had already offended the Crown Prince anyway.

Giving the money would offend the Crown Prince, and refusing it would have the same result.

Since that's the case, he might as well play dirty and refuse to give it to me, and see what the Crown Prince can do to me.
Do you think you can just come to my door and demand payment?
Even if you go to Emperor Qianxi to complain, I will still be fearless. Could Emperor Qianxi, my cousin, really drive his loyal cousin to his death?

Shen Ye pondered that there might be someone stirring things up behind the scenes.

"Your Highness, perhaps we should just forget about the money for Orondai." Shi Jingrong was in charge of the finances of Yuqing Palace and was quite clear about the palace's income over the past few days.

Although she disliked the Crown Prince gambling with others, she still enjoyed the money quite a bit.

She was furious with Orondai, that guy who refused to pay his debts.

But no matter how much you hate them, there's nothing you can do.

If you were to complain to Emperor Qianxi about this, you would likely end up not only failing to get the money back but also being reprimanded.

If you go directly to collect the debt, what can Orondai do if he refuses to meet you?

As for other methods, Shi Jingrong thought about them all and felt they were not feasible.

Not to mention affecting Orondai, it might even have a negative impact on the Crown Prince.

For Shi Jingrong, the Crown Prince was her everything; she would rather be injured herself than let the Crown Prince be affected in any way.

That's why Shi Jingrong advised Shen Ye to let the matter drop.

Shen Ye knew that Orondai was putting on a show of being a tough nut to crack for him.

If they won't give you money, but they'll take your life, there's nothing you can do about it!
Even if you go to complain, you won't be able to find anyone to do so!
You can't possibly ask Emperor Qianxi to get gambling funds for you, can you?

This fellow knew my weakness: You, a dignified crown prince, do you really need to tear me, a mere brute, apart in the street for a mere few tens of thousands of taels of silver?

If it were the former crown prince, it would be like a scholar encountering a soldier—he would have to swallow his anger. After all, a fine jade doesn't compete with rubble.

The crown prince's dignity is more important than money.

But Shen Ye has no desires now and doesn't want to suffer such humiliation!

However, he also knew that without special means, he really couldn't do anything to Orondai.

After thinking it over, Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about this, I'll handle it."

Shi Jingrong hesitated for a moment, then advised, "Your Highness, you should be concerned about the vast country. There's no need to lower yourself to the level of someone like Orondai."

"After all, even if we don't care about the monk, we should at least care about the Buddha. For the sake of Empress Dowager Xiaoyi, you should be more lenient."

The Empress Dowager Xiaoyi that Shi Jingrong mentioned was the mother of Emperor Qianxi and also the elder sister of Tong Guowei.

She phrased her words tactfully.

He claimed to be Empress Dowager Xiaoyi, but in reality, he was Emperor Qianxi!
Please ask the Crown Prince to consider Emperor Qianxi's feelings and not go too far in this matter.

Shen Ye understood immediately and smiled, saying, "I know, don't worry, I will definitely not make His Majesty look bad."

Just as the couple were chatting, Zhou Bao bowed respectfully and said, "Your Highness, a Vice Minister from the Court of Colonial Affairs has come to request an audience with you."

The Vice Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs?

Shen Ye instantly realized that Emperor Qianxi had asked him to observe politics at the Court of Colonial Affairs.

The Court of Colonial Affairs sent a vice minister to the Crown Prince who was observing the government affairs. It seemed to be in accordance with the rules, but it was far too perfunctory!
This also shows that Aling'a, the Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, did not care much about his position as the Crown Prince!

He said calmly, "Please invite our guests to the outer study."

A few minutes later, Shen Ye met Gao Youzhen, the Vice Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs. Gao Youzhen, who was in his forties, had a fair complexion and gave people a gentle and refined feeling.

After exchanging greetings, Shen Ye casually asked, "What brings Lord Gao to see me?"

"Your Highness, we are all very excited to hear that His Majesty has invited you to observe the administration of the Court of Colonial Affairs."

"The Minister sent me here to ask Your Highness to choose an auspicious day so that he can welcome you to the palace to observe state affairs."

Gao Youzhen was very polite, and there was a bit of sweat on his forehead as he spoke.

The Crown Prince's observation of government affairs is different from that of other princes.

Who is the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince is the future emperor. The fact that Aling'a did not come in person when he went to observe the government's affairs is itself a statement of his attitude.

An attitude that would anger the Crown Prince.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince showed no sign of joy or anger on his face, and even spoke in a somewhat lazy manner: "The matter of observing the government affairs of the Court of Colonial Affairs is not urgent for now. I am a bit tired recently. I will have someone inform you when it is decided."

"Yes, sir!" Although the Crown Prince had not specified a time, Gao Youzhen did not ask. He had already accomplished his mission by coming here and speaking with the Crown Prince.

As for other matters, they have nothing to do with him.

Shen Ye didn't discuss the Lifan Yuan (Court of Colonial Affairs) with Gao Youzhen, and simply served him tea to see him off!

Shen Ye truly did not want to get involved in the affairs of the Court of Colonial Affairs.

The more you do, the more mistakes you make. He's just an observer; why should he worry about so much?

Instead of wasting time and energy, we should figure out how to deal with that scoundrel, Orondai!
The story of Orondai's cheating quickly spread throughout the circle of nobles, along with the yield of sweet potatoes.

Because many nobles lost to Shen Ye in this matter, it has attracted a lot of attention.

After all, it was the crown prince who was being cheated out of his debt.

What will the Crown Prince do?

Should we swallow this insult?

Based on many people's understanding of the Crown Prince, they felt that he would never swallow this insult, but they also knew that the Crown Prince didn't seem to have many good solutions in this situation.

After all, Orondai was no ordinary person.

This is the cousin of Emperor Qianxi, a first-class duke, and the nephew of Tong Guowei!
Would Emperor Qianxi really confiscate Orondai's house just because he refused to pay a bet?

Even if the crown prince inherits the throne, he will have to think carefully before confiscating Orondai's property.

Not to mention that he was just a prince at that time!
Some say Orondai is a species!
Some people think Orondai is too stubborn!

However, many people are watching this event with a spectator's attitude.

It is said that Tong Guowei, the head of the Tong family, also knew about this matter, but when someone asked him about it, Tong Guowei pretended to be deaf and dumb and didn't say anything.

Simply ignoring this is, in the eyes of discerning people, a form of tacit approval.

Otherwise, Tong Guowei should have used his position as uncle to restrain and severely reprimand Orondai, instead of letting him act so recklessly.

This matter, of course, could not be kept from Emperor Qianxi!

Upon reading the report on this matter, Emperor Qianxi couldn't help but slam his fist on the table: "That Orondai, he's utterly audacious!"

Liang Jiugong, who was serving nearby, seemed to have heard nothing and stood with his head down.

He had grown up alongside Emperor Qianxi since childhood and knew that Emperor Qianxi was quite tolerant of his maternal uncle's family.

Otherwise, Orondai wouldn't have been so spoiled and lawless.

"What is the Crown Prince's attitude toward this matter?" Emperor Qianxi put down the memorial in his hand and asked Liang Jiugong in a deep voice.

Liang Jiugong respectfully said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince sent Zhou Bao to Orondai's family to collect a debt some time ago, and then there was no further news."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi shook his head.

Although the Crown Prince's actions were not unexpected, he was still somewhat disappointed.

After all, this was silver that the Crown Prince won openly and honestly. If we didn't pursue it at this point, wouldn't that be too weak?
Today is just one Orondai; how will the Crown Prince manage his ministers in the future?

But it seems the Crown Prince doesn't have a better solution!

“Your Majesty, it’s Orondai’s turn to be on duty today. Should we have him come over?” Liang Jiugong pondered for a moment and asked in a low voice.

Emperor Qianxi picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and said, "Never mind, I don't want to see him right now."

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiugong thought to himself, "The reason why Orondai dares to owe the Crown Prince money and not pay it back is because of you."

With your backing, Orondai dares to act so recklessly.

However, although he thought this in his heart, he dared not say it.

Although he and Emperor Qianxi grew up together, there were certain bottom lines that he dared not cross, after all, there is a difference between ruler and subject, and one needs to be careful to maintain proper boundaries.

"By the way, what did the Crown Prince do at the Court of Colonial Affairs?" Emperor Qianxi asked casually.

"The Crown Prince did not go to the Court of Colonial Affairs." Liang Jiugong was already used to Emperor Qianxi's questions, so he dared not hide anything.

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had not gone to the Court of Colonial Affairs, Emperor Qianxi frowned.

He sent the Crown Prince to the Court of Colonial Affairs to observe the administration of the country, which was somewhat out of necessity, but he also hoped that the Crown Prince could make a difference in the affairs of the outer vassal states.

Now that he had made the arrangements himself, the Crown Prince hadn't gone, which displeased him somewhat.

"Why didn't the Crown Prince go?" Emperor Qianxi's voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Liang Jiugong then carefully said, "The Crown Prince said that his body has not yet recovered, so he needs to rest well these few days."

Upon hearing this reason, Emperor Qianxi felt his temper about to flare up.

He knew very well how the Crown Prince's health was.

The Crown Prince is clearly trying to slack off!
He originally wanted to teach the Crown Prince a lesson, but considering the Crown Prince's recent actions, he suppressed his thoughts.

Regardless, the Crown Prince has recently made a great contribution.

If I were to reprimand the Crown Prince at this time, it would easily cause controversy.

Moreover, it's understandable that the Crown Prince was unhappy after Orondai pulled such a stunt on him.

Who told him that Emperor Qianxi was Orondai's powerful backer!
"Keep a close eye on Orondai's debts, and let me know immediately if anything comes up," Emperor Qianxi instructed Liang Jiugong.

As Liang Jiugong agreed, he sighed, feeling that he probably wouldn't be able to get the Crown Prince's money back this time!
　The second update is here! Hey everyone, if you have any votes from the beginning of the month, please give me two!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)