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

Chapter 251 Don't speak, let me vent my anger first.

Songgotu ordered himself to remain in the capital!

If Songgotu were to launch a swift and decisive attack, then I, remaining in the capital, would definitely have the greatest initiative.

It even prevented Emperor Qianxi from returning to the capital, which he had always been loyal to.

But would Emperor Qianxi allow him to remain in the capital?

Various thoughts flashed through Shen Ye's mind rapidly; in an instant, countless ideas had already crossed his mind.

This time, it's really hard to choose.

Since it's difficult to make a decision on my own, I might as well choose the opposite direction from the original crown prince.

If it were the original crown prince, he would definitely choose to stay in the capital, thus echoing Suo'etu.

So I chose...

"Father, I believe that the trip to the grasslands is of great importance, as it concerns Your Majesty's birthday."

"As the Crown Prince, I should follow you."

"Your Majesty, I believe that my eldest brother, third brother, and fourth brother are all men of both talent and virtue. If they remain in the capital, they will certainly not disappoint you."

Anyway, he doesn't plan to get involved in such troublesome matters.

So it doesn't matter who stays behind, as long as it's not him.

Emperor Qianxi gave Shen Ye a deep look. The reason he had asked the Crown Prince who was suitable to stay in the capital was to see what the Crown Prince thought.

If the Crown Prince says he wants to stay behind, then there must be an agreement between the Crown Prince and Songgotu, because only by staying behind in the capital can the Crown Prince's status be put to the greatest use.

If I don't stop them beforehand, the Crown Prince and Suo'etu could join forces and even ascend the throne directly.

And he himself would be made the retired emperor!
Emperor Qianxi asked Shen Ye for his opinion this time because he wanted to see just how deep the involvement between the Crown Prince and Suo'etu was.

The crown prince's answer satisfied him for the time being.

But it's only a temporary satisfaction.

As the prince answered, another thought arose in his mind.

That means whether the Crown Prince did it on purpose.

After asking the Crown Prince, Emperor Qianxi turned to the eldest prince and said, "Yunshi, who do you think should remain in the capital?"

Yun had been pondering this question ever since Emperor Qianxi asked Shen Ye.

He knew very well that Emperor Qianxi's trip to the grasslands to summon the tribal leaders was definitely a grand event to demonstrate military power.

If I can perform well here, I will definitely be valued by my father.

However, staying in the capital and becoming its garrison commander would allow one to increase their power without making a sound.

Both have their advantages!
However, Yunshi ultimately chose to follow Emperor Qianxi. In his view, if he could make a great impression at his father's birthday celebration, it would greatly benefit his own status.

So he said in a deep voice, "Your subject will obey your father's arrangements."

"However, if Father insists that I choose, then my choice is to follow Father."

"Your subject does not wish to miss Your Majesty's birthday celebration."

"Moreover, I am the eldest son of the Emperor. If I am not present at the Emperor's birthday celebration, people will gossip."

Upon hearing Yun's words, Emperor Qianxi sighed softly.

Although the eldest prince was his favorite son, his speaking skills were actually quite poor.

He flaunts his status as the eldest son of the emperor every day, as if everyone knows he is his eldest son.

However, at this point, Yun was able to trust him.

"Yunzhi, what do you think?"

Emperor Qianxi asked the Third Prince.

The Third Prince answered honestly, saying in a deep voice, "Father, I will listen to you on this matter."

"Whatever you ask me to do, I will absolutely not disappoint you, Father."

Shen Ye glanced at Yunzhi and thought that this younger brother seemed to be much smarter than the older brother.

At the very least, they won't bring up his status as the eldest son of the emperor for no reason.

The fourth prince, Yunzhen, gave a similar answer to the third prince. After the four eldest princes expressed their opinions, Emperor Qianxi waved his hand dismissively and said, "Alright, you may all leave."

Hearing this, the four of them were somewhat disappointed that they hadn't been able to find out Emperor Qianxi's answer immediately, but none of them said anything more.

Thinking of Ma Wu's visit to him, Shen Ye said, "Father, I have something else to report."

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Shen Ye and asked, "What is it?"

Although the eldest prince was eager to know what the crown prince had reported to Emperor Qianxi, he was also well aware of the rules within the palace.

If Emperor Qianxi hadn't kept him, and he had insisted on listening to the conversation between the emperor and the crown prince, he would have been asking for trouble.

So, with a hint of reluctance, he walked away.

"Father, Ma Wu came to see me today and said that in order to ensure the success of Your Majesty's birthday celebration, the Ministry of Revenue has agreed to allow the Imperial Household Department to temporarily withdraw three million taels of silver from Yuqing Bank. Is Your Majesty aware of this?"

When Shen Ye asked about this matter, Emperor Qianxi nodded and said, "Ma Qi said that the Ministry of Revenue's granary does not have that much silver. This celebration is related to the face of the court, so he wants to use this silver temporarily."

"We'll repay this money when the Ministry of Revenue's coffers are full again."

Return it? How is that possible?

Shen Ye knew very well that when the Ministry of Revenue borrowed money, it was basically like a tiger borrowing a pig—it would never be repaid.

He said to Emperor Qianxi, "Father, this money does not belong to the Ministry of Revenue."

"The Ministry of Revenue's silver is in the hands of those officials who owe debts, not in the Yuqing Bank."

"The silver in Yuqing Bank belongs to those forty or fifty thousand depositors."

"They only deposited their money in Yuqing Bank because of its interest rates and the credibility of the imperial court."

"The money still needs to be repaid after a while." "Therefore, I hope that Ma Qi can give me a time to repay the money, otherwise it will be very troublesome."

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Emperor Qianxi felt his face flush.

After all, he had previously agreed not to use the money for the time being.

But he only said that for a month or two, and now he wants to spend it all at once? That's a bit...

For a moment, Emperor Qianxi was at a loss for words.

"Alright, you and Ma Qi can discuss a time when you're redeeming money for those depositors, just make sure it's not delayed."

Emperor Qianxi finally used his imperial privilege and waved to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye knew that he couldn't leave this money untouched.

Fortunately, Shen Ye had enough silver on hand, so transferring it out temporarily wasn't a big deal.

He immediately replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."

After finishing his business, Shen Ye glanced at Emperor Qianxi, and his mind drifted back to the blank sheet of paper that Suo'etu had slipped into his book earlier that day.

Should I report this matter to Emperor Qianxi? Or...?

However, if the report is submitted, the first thing that will be proven is that the former crown prince and Suo'etu had long harbored rebellious intentions.

Just as Shen Ye's mind was racing, Emperor Qianxi asked him, "Crown Prince, is there anything else?"

"Your subject takes his leave." Unable to make up his mind, Shen Ye finally clasped his hands in a fist salute to Emperor Qianxi and took his leave.

Watching the departing crown prince, Emperor Qianxi's brows furrowed even more deeply.

He did not believe that the crown prince would harbor any disloyal intentions, but more and more evidence proved that Songgotu was raising an army.

Soetu wouldn't raise an army just for his own benefit; he...

"Heaven's sins can be forgiven, but man's sins cannot be escaped!" Emperor Qianxi murmured these words, a hint of determination appearing in his expression.

The world belongs to him, and he will never give it up!
Ma Qi and Ma Wu arrived at Yuqing Palace together almost half an hour later.

The two men are brothers, but both hold very high positions.

Their coming together this time truly showcases their family's strength.

Ma Qi's expression remained calm, but a hint of smugness lingered in his heart.

The Crown Prince's methods towards the Rakshasa Kingdom greatly troubled him. Now, taking advantage of the Emperor's birthday celebration to seize the silver from the Crown Prince was a form of retribution.

However, just as Ma Qi was suppressing his smugness and bowing solemnly to Shen Ye, Shen Ye said calmly, "Lord Ma Wu, you may rise."

Upon hearing this, Ma Qi, who was about to stand up, could only kneel down again.

Ma Wu had already risen halfway up. He also sensed that the Crown Prince was going to be rude to his brother, but he could only listen.

After all, the crown prince is only half a ruler.

If the Qianxi Emperor were to die, then he would be the emperor.

Now that Emperor Qianxi is not in office, theoretically they should all listen to the Crown Prince.

However, if the Crown Prince goes too far in his treatment of Ma Qi, then his actions will reach the ears of the Qianxi Emperor.

Just as Ma Qi was pondering whether the Crown Prince should humiliate him by making him kneel and answer, he heard Shen Ye angrily shout:
“Ma Qi, you still can’t forget about the money in my Yuqing Bank, can you?”

"The common saying is that the Ministry of Revenue is short of money, and its granary is empty!"

"The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the nation's finances and grain. How come it's always in deficit when it's in your hands?"

"You can't even afford to prepare money for His Majesty's birthday celebration."

"Is it that the Ministry of Revenue is incompetent, or that you, Ma Qi, are incapable?"

Upon hearing the insults, Ma Qi raised his head, about to speak.

But just as he was about to speak, Shen Ye coldly said, "Are you going to say that you are incompetent and can't manage the Ministry of Revenue?"

"Let His Majesty select another capable person!"

"Let me tell you, you're only saying this to His Majesty. If you were to say it to me, I could immediately grant you permission to go home."

“I can show you how I, the Crown Prince, served as the Minister of Revenue.”

"The Ministry of Revenue has no money? What a joke."

"Do you think everyone in the world is a fool? Who would believe that the Ministry of Revenue, a prestigious institution, couldn't raise two million taels of silver!"

Ma Qi's expression changed rapidly.

It could be said that it became incredibly ugly.

He never expected that the Crown Prince would scold him like that.
This is practically a direct insult.

If it were up to Ma Qi's usual temperament, he would have dared to resign if Emperor Qianxi had dared to scold him like that.

He knew that the Ministry of Revenue couldn't do without him.

However, the Crown Prince's words made him break out in a sweat. Although the Crown Prince did not hold a position in the Ministry of Revenue, his financial management skills were known throughout the land.

Many people are already saying that if the Crown Prince were to take charge of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry would be much more financially secure.

If the Crown Prince were to actually take on the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue, his career path toward becoming a Grand Secretary would likely be abruptly interrupted.

And the Crown Prince's loss...

If the Crown Prince makes a mess of the Ministry of Revenue, it will be an insult to the veteran officials.

But if the Crown Prince manages to improve the Ministry of Revenue to a much better level than it is now, it will be a remarkable story of getting rid of mediocre officials.

And he was just a mediocre talent!

In Mazi's opinion, the latter possibility is very high!
　The second update for today is here, everyone! It's almost the end of the month, please support me with your votes!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)