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

Chapter 287 The Ever-Strong-Willed Emperor Qianxi
What did I do to deserve this?
Watching Emperor Qianxi's retreating figure, Shen Ye couldn't help but have this thought pop into her mind.

However, on the other hand, Emperor Qianxi's arrangement was not without reason. As the crown prince, he was practically a "half-ruler," and with the emperor absent, he naturally had the final say.

However, the job I've taken on is really not a good one!
Archery on horseback requires years of hard work and there are no shortcuts.

Those people on the grasslands, who grew up on horseback, have a clear advantage over this group.

Although there were skilled fighters among Emperor Qianxi's personal guards and nobles, they were pure amateurs compared to professionals.

It's normal for an amateur to lose when playing against a professional!
However, Emperor Qianxi did not think so—he felt he had lost face!
Sigh, what a strong-willed man he was...

Shen Ye was a little unhappy, after all, it was unpleasant to be blamed for this. However, Emperor Qianxi had already spoken, and as his son, he had no choice but to comply.

However, Shen Ye wasn't anything to be afraid of.

In his past life, he had seen plenty of instances of one level suppressing another in the workplace. He wasn't at the very bottom, so what was there to panic about?

After Emperor Qianxi left, he glanced at the people present and slowly began to speak:

"Your Excellencies, the Emperor's birthday is a momentous occasion that is celebrated by all."

"As his subjects, we must not, for the time being, spoil His Majesty's mood or upset him."

"Everyone has heard His Majesty's meaning. Now, let's brainstorm and discuss how our people can achieve good results in the hunt. Let's all share our ideas!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell completely silent.

Even the eldest prince, who was eager to make his presence known to Emperor Qianxi, kept his head down and remained silent.

He considered himself brave and skilled, but he was also aware of his own limitations. Comparing himself to those people from the grasslands in horsemanship and archery was like showing off his skills in front of an expert; he had no hope of winning.

Even the eldest prince remained silent, and the others wisely pretended to be mute.

Shen Ye remained calm, glanced around, and then fixed his gaze on Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue.
"Lord Maqi, do you have any ideas?"

Ma Qi always prided himself on being both literate and skilled in martial arts, but he also knew that unless the other side deliberately threw the game, there was no hope of winning in this situation.

Are you trying to catch a fake hunter? That's more shameful than losing a competition!

How could he, the Minister of Revenue, possibly get involved in such a shameful and disgraceful affair? Besides, the Crown Prince was not someone he supported, so he wouldn't take the blame for this.

Besides, he couldn't be bothered with the Crown Prince's duties!
"Your Highness, I am truly not skilled in horsemanship and archery."

"I really can't think of a good solution right now!"

"Your Highness, please seek someone more capable!"

Ma Qi was a veteran official and the Minister of Revenue; his words were full of arrogance.

Hearing Ma Qi's words, Shen Ye was displeased, but he still suppressed his anger.

After all, it was a discussion, and if Ma Qi remained silent, there were others who would.

Therefore, Shen Ye's gaze turned to Ma Wu, the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department and the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard:

"Lord Ma Wu, surely you're not without a solution too?" Shen Ye asked with a smile.

Ma Wu spread his hands: "Your Highness, you are absolutely right! This servant also wants to share the burden for His Majesty and Your Highness, but the problem is... this servant has no solution!"

"This servant will follow your orders."

Compared to his brother Ma Qi, Ma Wu was more tactful; at least he expressed loyalty and showed some attitude.

Seeing the two brothers taking turns making excuses, Shen Ye's anger flared up instantly.

These two clearly knew that he couldn't touch them for the time being, which is why they dared to be so brazenly perfunctory.

Fine, you think I can't handle you, huh?
Do you know I can't dismiss you, and do you think I can't do anything about you?
But let me tell you—I don't really care about the position of Crown Prince right now! There are still more than ten years to go, let whoever wants to live that kind of life live it!

Shen Ye knew that if he didn't teach these two a lesson, his attempt to ask for advice would be seen as a farce.

With this fierce determination in his heart, Shen Ye slammed his hand on the table and then coldly spoke to Ma Qi:

"Ma Qi, you're a piece of trash!"

Ma Qi was stunned. He didn't expect the Crown Prince to show no respect at all and start cursing right away—just as nasty as last time!
"You always put on airs like a capable minister, but if you ask me, you're just a damn good-for-nothing!"

"You've been appointed Minister of Revenue, but the Ministry is short of money every other day, and you still put on airs all day, acting like a financial expert. You're really good at pretending!"

"You're a complete idiot when it comes to managing finances!"

"You can't handle the Ministry of Revenue's affairs, and now you can't share any other burdens for Father Emperor. Tell me, what use is a piece of trash like you! You're just occupying a position without doing anything!"

"If I were you, I would have just found a block of tofu and smashed my head against it!"

Before Ma Qi, whose lips were trembling, could react, Shen Ye swiftly added insult to injury:

"What? Are you feeling wronged now? Are you thinking of resigning?"

"Alright, come on then! Write your resignation right now, and I'll go to Father Emperor immediately and take your place! I'll show you how I manage the Ministry of Revenue!"

Ma Qi was trembling all over. He said he had no choice. Although his tone was a bit harsh, it was at least 80% true.

He truly felt he had no other options.

Unexpectedly, his younger brother spoke in the same tone as him, which resulted in the Crown Prince giving him a severe scolding!
He didn't dare to refute it—he had witnessed the Crown Prince's ability to "turn stones into gold," and his own financial management skills were indeed no match for the Crown Prince.

He could only suppress his anger and reply with a stiff upper lip: "Your Highness, please forgive this old minister's incompetence... This old minister really can't think of any solution."

Shen Ye looked at Ma Qi, who seemed to be accepting the insult, and chuckled, "Tell me, you can't even do your job well, let alone anything else."

"What are you doing staying in the court? Are you just wasting food?"

These words were so harsh that even Ma Wu couldn't bear to listen to them. He was about to speak when Ma Qi glared at him, stopping him in his tracks.

Ma Qi finally understood that the Crown Prince was just using this as an excuse; he still remembered the debt of two million taels of silver!

He now truly regrets it—he had already sided with another side, so why did he still provoke the Crown Prince?
For that two million, he had already been scolded twice by the Crown Prince in front of everyone. Not only had he lost face, but he was also feeling terrible.

Emperor Qianxi scolded him, and he dared to talk back, even threatening to resign.

But he was truly helpless when it came to the Crown Prince.

It's purely a matter of ability suppression.

“Your Highness, my position was appointed by His Majesty,” Ma Qi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and suppress his anger. “If Your Highness thinks I am not up to the task, you can report to His Majesty and have another capable minister appointed.”

Shen Ye smiled coldly:
"Hmph! You think I didn't say that? I can't tolerate such a useless good-for-nothing! It's only because His Majesty cherishes our past relationship that he's been so magnanimous and tolerant towards you, insisting on keeping a piece of trash like you around!"

"If I were you, neither good at literature nor martial arts, unable to serve the country or bring peace to the people, I would have known my limitations long ago and voluntarily taken off my official robes to go home and sell sweet potatoes!"

"How can you be like this, not feeling ashamed when you can't think of a solution, and standing here so self-righteous!"

"Your skin is really thick, isn't it? It's like an impenetrable wall!"

His tone shifted, a half-smile playing on his lips:

"As the old saying goes, as long as you don't give up, there are always more solutions than problems! Go down and think it over carefully. In two hours, come up with a practical solution for me."

"If you can't come up with anything after two hours, then you're truly a pig-brain, beyond saving!"

Ma Qi bit his lip until it bled, but no matter how uncomfortable he was, he could only endure it and obey the order.

Shen Ye turned to look at Ma Wu again:
"Ma Wu, the Imperial Household Department you're in charge of doesn't seem to be doing very well, does it?"

Ma Wu's face was extremely ugly. After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out, "Your Highness, please forgive this servant's incompetence."

“I don’t know if you yourself are incompetent,” Shen Ye waved his hand, “but the performance of your subordinates this time was not good.”

"I'll give you two hours to finish what Father Emperor entrusted to me. I'll wait for your solution."

Ma Wu wanted to say that he couldn't think of a solution, but he didn't dare to make excuses after his brother had just been scolded so badly—he didn't want to be scolded like his brother, his dignity crushed and rubbed into the ground.

Shen Ye's gaze swept across the entire room, his voice turning deep:
"What about the others? Is there any way?"

No one dared to utter a sound.

Ma Qi was scolded like this after saying "there's nothing I can do" a couple of times. Who would dare to say anything after that?
They all wished they could hide themselves away.

Shen Ye looked at the group of cowardly ministers and princes and said calmly:

"It's normal not to be able to think of a solution right away."

"Then go back and think it over carefully. In two hours, write down your solutions and hand them in."

"I want to remind everyone that I don't want anyone to follow in Ma Qi's footsteps."

Ma Qi's lips twitched—I've already shut up, and you're still using me as a negative example?

What a bully!
However, he was unwilling to resign from his post, and he could not refute the crown prince, so he could only swallow this bitter pill.

As everyone dispersed, Ma Qi returned to his tent with a sullen face, only to find the Eighth Prince waiting for him inside.

Ma Qi's expression changed: "Your Highness, you shouldn't have come."

The Eighth Prince said sincerely, "Lord Ma, I know I shouldn't have come... but the Crown Prince has insulted you too much, and I couldn't bear it, so I came to visit you."

"Please forgive me." He lowered his voice again, "Lord Ma Wu said that there are his men all around, so it's fine."

Ma Qi then breathed a sigh of relief and gestured for the Eighth Prince to sit down:

"In this sensitive period, the Eighth Prince should not take any more risks like this that will not serve any purpose."

"I can handle being scolded a few times."

He changed his tone and whispered to the Eighth Prince:

"Don't be fooled by how scathing he's doing now; I reckon... it'll be his turn to get a scolding soon."

"Hmph, he still can't come up with any good ideas. When the time comes, he'll be in trouble with His Majesty."

The Eighth Prince asked with a hint of doubt, "Really?"

"Your Highness, rest assured, the Crown Prince's recent performance has indeed been remarkable, and he has been stealing the spotlight. However, ever since the First Prince presented the fake white deer, His Majesty has become increasingly wary of the Crown Prince."

"Otherwise, why would such a thankless task fall to him?"

"This is a good sign, a clear signal of a trend—His Majesty has begun to suppress the Crown Prince without making a sound!"

　Hey everyone, I'm begging for monthly tickets, recommendations, and all kinds of votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)