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

Chapter 250 A Thousand Words Conveyed on a Blank Sheet: Life and Death in Their Hands

When the emperor leaves the capital to celebrate his birthday, it is no small matter.

There's a saying that goes, "Those above just talk, while those below run themselves ragged."

That's the situation right now!
When Emperor Qianxi made a decision, people from all directions had to revolve around it.

For example, the Imperial Household Department put in a lot of effort for Emperor Qianxi's birthday celebrations. But now, all that effort has basically been wasted.

Why? Because the Emperor is going to hold his birthday celebration at the Rehe Imperial Palace this time.

Now the Imperial Household Department is in a real bind again.

Moreover, on this Emperor's birthday, the Emperor will summon the leaders of various tribes, and more importantly, these leaders will formally acknowledge Emperor Qianxi's title of "Supreme Khan of Heaven".

This also explains why the Emperor attached great importance to this year's birthday celebration.

This also meant that if anything went wrong, the Emperor would certainly not let it go easily.

As a result, the entire Imperial Household Department was like a tightly wound spring, running around in circles.

However, while outsiders may be busy, Shen Ye doesn't need to be.

Although negotiations with the Rakshasa Kingdom are still ongoing, Shen Ye is only responsible for overseeing the general direction, while the specific execution is being monitored by Jin Wushan and his team.

Although Jin Wushan is timid and hesitant when it comes to important matters and doesn't dare to take responsibility, he is very good at handling trivial matters.

Shen Ye doesn't really need to worry about things at the Court of Colonial Affairs.

That day, Shen Ye casually picked up his favorite book, *Zizhi Tongjian*, in his study. He had only turned two pages when his expression changed—

There was a folded piece of white paper tucked inside the book!
There wasn't a single word on the blank sheet of paper.

What does this mean?

Who played this prank by leaving this blank piece of paper here? That doesn't make sense!
Several question marks popped into Shen Ye's mind.

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up the tinderbox on his desk and heated the paper over it, but he couldn't see anything.

He then casually tossed it into the water basin in the study, and it remained there until the paper was completely soaked and ruined, but still nothing came of it.

In other words, it really is a completely blank sheet of paper.

This……

As Shen Ye sat down again, he suddenly recalled a conversation between the former Crown Prince and Suo'etu.

Soetu once said, "If Your Highness sees a blank sheet of paper in a book, do nothing and just stay quietly in Yuqing Palace."

This agreement was made a long time ago.

It was prepared by the two for unforeseen circumstances when communication was inconvenient but information needed to be transmitted urgently.

However, this agreement has been sitting for a long time, but it has never been put to use.

But now, it has come in handy.

This shows that Suo'etu and his group...

The words the thirteenth prince had once again come to mind for Shen Ye:
Before meeting Viscount Nicholas, Emperor Qianxi had already decided that he would go to the grasslands in person.

The Emperor's decision was definitely not made without reason.

Is he... also plotting something?
For a moment, Shen Ye felt that his brain was not working properly.

He couldn't possibly report anything to Emperor Qianxi with just a blank piece of paper.

Besides, such a report is probably of little use.

So what should he do next?
Or should we just do nothing at all?

Based on Shen Ye's own judgment, and considering the experiences of Emperor Qianxi in the parallel universe, Shen Ye knew that the success rate of this operation was not high.

But even if he wanted to report to the Emperor, he didn't know what to report!

Just as Shen Ye was feeling uneasy, Zhou Bao came in to report: "Your Highness, the Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Department, Ma Wu, requests an audience."

Ma Wu was Ma Qi's younger brother, and he was also highly regarded by Emperor Qianxi.

Ma Qi was the Minister of Revenue, and Ma Wu was the Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Department.

Although the Imperial Household Department has more than one chief steward, everyone who can sit in this position is a confidant of the emperor.

The fact that the two brothers served as important officials in the same court demonstrates the trust Emperor Qianxi placed in their family.

Although Shen Ye had many disputes with Ma Qi, Ma Wu's request for an audience must have something to say.

Otherwise, given Ma Wu's cautious nature, he would never have come to Yuqing Palace without a reason—this is the place the Emperor keeps a close eye on.

No matter who comes to Yuqing Palace, the Emperor must investigate them thoroughly.

"Please invite Steward Ma Wu in," Shen Ye instructed, "and have a few more people come up to serve tea."

His arrangement shows that he has nothing to hide.

Shen Ye knew that the Emperor had planted spies everywhere in the palace.

Since you don't trust me, I'll be frank and tell you exactly what you want to know.

Less than two minutes later, Ma Wu walked in.

He and Ma Qi are brothers, but they don't look alike. Ma Wu looks unassuming and plain; at first glance, there's nothing particularly special about him.

"This servant Ma Wu greets Your Highness." Ma Wu bowed very respectfully. Because Shen Ye didn't have a good impression of Ma Qi, he naturally couldn't be warm towards Ma Wu either.

These days, a hand span is not as close as four fingers, so a family often goes in and out together and stands united against outsiders.

He had a falling out with Ma Qi, so Ma Wu, as his brother, would naturally not stand on Shen Ye's side.

"Ma Wu, what brings you here so suddenly?" Shen Ye asked in a deep voice, telling Ma Wu not to stand on ceremony.

Ma Wu respectfully replied, "Your Highness, this servant has come regarding His Majesty's birthday celebration."

Shen Ye gently picked up the teacup and took a sip—this time it wasn't to serve tea to a guest, but rather to think: What does the Emperor's birthday celebration have to do with me?
However, regardless of whether it's related or not, the Emperor's birthday is always a big event.

He is both the crown prince and a son, and must show sufficient respect for the emperor.

So he said seriously, "Father's birthday is a big event, Ma Wu, please speak freely."

"Your Highness, we had almost finished preparing for His Majesty's birthday celebration."

"But His Majesty suddenly wants to change the location of the birthday celebration to the Rehe Palace and summon the tribal leaders, which has caught us off guard."

"We can try our best to deal with other things, but there is one thing that the Imperial Household Department is truly at a loss about!"

Shen Ye vaguely understood why he had come.

He stared coldly at Ma Wu, waiting for him to continue.

Ma Wu knew that saying these words today would definitely offend the Crown Prince, but since the prince was already there, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak:
"Your Highness, the Imperial Household Department's funds are limited. This year, there are many places where money is needed. Even if we scrape together every penny we can, we simply cannot raise enough money to hold the Emperor's birthday celebration at the Rehe Imperial Palace."

"With no other choice, we have no choice but to report the truth to His Majesty."

"His Majesty sent someone to inquire with the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Revenue said that there was no silver in Taicang either. However, the Ministry of Revenue still has some deposits in Your Highness's Yuqing Bank."

"Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue petitioned His Majesty, hoping to use that sum of money to celebrate His Majesty's birthday."

Ma Wu rubbed his hands together and said, "His Majesty has summoned me to report this matter to the Crown Prince."

Shen Ye held the tea but didn't drink it, just stared at Ma Wu without saying a word.

He could tell who was behind this.

Not to mention that Ma Qi had been eyeing this money for quite some time, just considering the incident with the Rakshasa Kingdom, he and Ma Qi's family had already formed a grudge.

He was the crown prince, and no matter how dissatisfied Ma Qi was with him, he couldn't do anything about it; he could only grumble inwardly.

But in such an inconspicuous place, the two brothers could still work together to secretly trip him up.

Although he had previously stated that the money in Yuqing Bank should be kept as a reserve and could only be returned to the Ministry of Revenue next year.

But now that the Emperor is about to celebrate his birthday, as the Crown Prince and as his son, in such an urgent situation, are you still going to hold onto this money?
Not contributing money is considered unfilial.

If you don't contribute money, it means you don't care about the Emperor's birthday. Your attitude towards the Emperor is problematic, Crown Prince!

This is no small crime!

"Ma Wu, when you say the Ministry of Revenue, are you referring to Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue?" Shen Ye put down his teacup and asked expressionlessly.

Ma Wu remained calm and replied, "Your Highness, we are merely fulfilling our duties; everything we do is to ensure the success of His Majesty's birthday celebration."

Shen Ye didn't expect that a few words would make the Ma brothers bow their heads and submit.

He said calmly, "Although this silver is deposited in Yuqing Bank, it essentially belongs to the depositors. If it needs to be used, the Ministry of Revenue will have to step in."

"How about this, you call Ma Qi over, and the three of us can discuss this together."

"I'm free this afternoon, so don't delay the preparations for Father Emperor's birthday."

Ma Wu knew before he arrived that getting money wouldn't be easy, but he thought that by using His Majesty's name, the Crown Prince wouldn't dare to refuse outright.

As he expected, the Crown Prince did not refuse, but instead wanted to summon Ma Qi as well.

What is the Crown Prince trying to do?
Although he didn't understand, the Crown Prince was, after all, a decree, and his words carried weight. Since he had said that the Emperor's birthday celebration couldn't be delayed, Ma Qi had to come that afternoon.

However, even if Ma Qi comes, what new tricks can you, the Crown Prince, come up with?
In the end, you still have to obediently pay up!
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will go and convey His Highness's decree immediately."

Shen Ye waved his hand, signaling Ma Wu to step down.

But to his surprise, not long after Ma Wu left, Emperor Qianxi summoned him to the Qianqing Palace.

Shen Ye wondered to himself: Could it be that shameless Ma Wu went to complain?

He didn't recognize the eunuch who came to deliver the message, and he couldn't get any information from him.

However, when Shen Ye entered the Qianqing Palace, he found that the First Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince were already waiting there. It seemed that this time it wasn't about Ma Qi.

After a brief bow, Emperor Qianxi said with great spirit:
"This time I will go to the Rehe Imperial Palace to celebrate the Emperor's birthday, and I will also take the opportunity to meet with the leaders of the various tribes on the grasslands."

"However, the palace cannot be left unattended."

"Yunye, you are the Crown Prince. Tell me, among your brothers, who is most suitable to stay in the capital and oversee the country?"

Shen Ye did not expect that Emperor Qianxi would throw out such a question right away.

His heart skipped a beat as he suddenly remembered the little note that Suo'etu had sent him.

According to the agreement he made with Songgotu, it would have been best for him to stay in the capital at this time.

But... can Songgotu really win?

　The first update of the day is here! Please support me, everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)