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

Chapter 293 I absolutely cannot live a life without power.
Emperor Qianxi was overjoyed today!

The sight of the gunpowder gun firing in ten bursts not only stunned the grassland tribes, but also suppressed their rebellious thoughts.

Now, Emperor Qianxi's slight concern about the grasslands was finally largely alleviated.

He thought to himself that as long as there are more and more firearms, then no matter how powerful the cavalry on the grasslands are, they are not a threat!

The tribal chiefs of the grasslands who were watching the hunting scene today were all much more submissive than before.

The death of Kerzang, which could have caused a major uproar, was quietly swept under the rug.

OK!

After drinking some wine, Emperor Qianxi felt hot all over and wanted to go out for a stroll.

He instructed Liang Jiugong, "Have Tuli Shen take a few men and accompany me for a walk around the palace!"

Upon hearing the order, Liang Jiugong looked up at the sky and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Why not wait until tomorrow morning..."

"Enough with the nonsense! I just wanted to go out for a walk, what could possibly be the problem?" Emperor Qianxi waved his hand impatiently, interrupting Liang Jiugong.

Seeing that Emperor Qianxi wouldn't listen to him, Liang Jiugong dared not try to persuade him any further, so he sent a guard outside to deliver a message to Tuli Shen.

As a first-class imperial bodyguard, Tuli Shen enjoyed the deep trust of Emperor Qianxi.

Although he felt it was inappropriate for Emperor Qianxi to be out at this hour, he dared not refuse when he heard it was Emperor Qianxi's decree. He could only quickly come over with a few subordinates.

"Let's go for a walk outside!"

The imperial palace in Rehe was not very large. Although it had been renovated by the Imperial Household Department, it was still incomparable to the imperial palace.

In the dead of night, although there were many people on night duty in the palace, the entire palace gave people a feeling of quietness.

Wearing a cloak, Emperor Qianxi walked through the desolate palace at night, his expression gradually becoming serious.

Looking at the solemn-looking Emperor Qianxi, Tu Lishen and Liang Jiugong dared not utter a sound.

Having served Emperor Qianxi for many years, they knew one thing well: especially at times like these, it was best not to disturb him.

Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

As I was walking, I suddenly heard people whispering.

Upon hearing the sound, Emperor Qianxi frowned and walked towards it.

Liang Jiugong and Tu Lishen also heard the sound. They exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

It turned out that the two people talking were two eunuchs on night duty. They were hiding by the corridor and chatting in hushed tones.

"Xiao Guizi said that the hunting scene today was truly spectacular."

"Tsk tsk, the soldiers of the tenth platoon of the firearms battalion are all fully loaded with gunpowder, constantly loading their guns and firing in rotation, and the hunted wild animals fall to the ground in droves."

"That's right! I heard that the leaders of those grasslands were terrified!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smug smile.

Although it was just casual conversation among ordinary people, it stirred up a sense of pride in him.

"I heard that this idea came from the Crown Prince. He's really amazing!"

"Of course! I even heard someone say today that the Crown Prince is 'as learned as Guan Zhong and as skilled in martial arts as Yue Yi,' and he's destined to be an extraordinary figure!"

Who is Guan Zhong?

"I don't know either, but I heard that this was the evaluation of Zhuge Liang back then!"

……

Liang Jiugong felt a chill run down his spine and a sense of unease gripped his heart.

Talking about the Crown Prince behind his back—this is outrageous!

He was the most powerful eunuch in the palace, and all the junior eunuchs were under his command!
If something goes wrong, he'll be the first one to get away with it.

So when he heard these comments, his face turned pale!

He desperately wanted to rush up and slap those two talking nonsense eunuchs across the face, but he dared not disturb the emperor.

Should he cough to remind him? That doesn't seem appropriate either. Because if he did, Emperor Qianxi would definitely make trouble for him.

There happened to be a small pebble at his feet, so he kicked it into the flower bushes.

"Meow!"

A stray cat was startled and jumped up, and two eunuchs who were whispering to each other were also startled.

Looking up, I was surprised to find that Emperor Qianxi was standing not far away.

The two young eunuchs, pale with fright, scrambled over to pay their respects.

Liang Jiugong dared not utter a sound. His little action just now was to prevent these two eunuchs from talking nonsense.

As for the fate of the two young eunuchs, he didn't care.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at the two eunuchs, then said indifferently, "Go down."

The two eunuchs, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly retreated to the side.

"Your Majesty, this servant will go down and will certainly discipline him strictly," Liang Jiugong quickly apologized.

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand but did not speak.
After walking a few more steps, Emperor Qianxi suddenly said, "Let's go back!"

Tu Lishen obediently followed behind, like a wooden stake the whole time.

It was as if he hadn't seen or heard anything at all. Back at his residence, Emperor Qianxi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then focused his gaze on the small bookcase he carried with him.

Emperor Qianxi picked up a book at random and saw that it was titled "History of Tang Dynasty"!
Emperor Qianxi remembered that the book he had read some time ago was not this one.

However, he didn't mind, since he had just picked it up casually.

When Emperor Qianxi opened the History of Tang, he saw the Annals of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. As he read about the struggle between Emperor Xuanzong and Princess Taiping, Emperor Qianxi frowned.

While historical records are one aspect, Emperor Qianxi liked to speculate on the extent of the discrepancy between historical accounts and reality.

When he saw Li Dan voluntarily request to abdicate, he fell silent.

Is Liuwei Dihuang Pill, which is in the position of emperor—a father, mother, brother, son, grandson, and himself—truly willing to abdicate?

Moreover, after abdicating, in order to protect the son who had angered Li Longji, he even knelt down before Li Longji in the court!
Thinking of this, a flash of anger appeared in Emperor Qianxi's eyes.

I absolutely cannot live a single day without power!
Increasingly agitated, Emperor Qianxi threw the "History of Tang" aside.

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?" Liang Jiugong rushed over and asked.

Emperor Qianxi couldn't admit that he found reading Tang history difficult, so he said calmly, "Bring up the young women sent by the General of Shengjing."

Hearing Emperor Qianxi's instructions, Liang Jiugong dared not say anything more.

He had already keenly sensed that Emperor Qianxi seemed somewhat absent-minded, and under such circumstances, he dared not provoke Emperor Qianxi.

In no time at all, Liang Jiugong brought up several newly dressed young women.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at her a few times, then his gaze fell on a tall, slender, fair-skinned woman. He asked, "What's your name?"

When the young woman heard Emperor Qianxi's question, her heart tightened and a hint of excitement appeared on her face.

She knew perfectly well that this opportunity could propel her to great heights, and if she didn't seize it, she might regret it for the rest of her life!

So she answered respectfully, "Your Majesty, this servant is Zheng Chunhua!"

Upon hearing the name Zheng Chunhua, Emperor Qianxi nodded gently and said, "A good name!"

……

The carriages rumbled, the horses galloped!
After the Emperor Qianxi celebrated his birthday and bestowed honors upon the leaders of the grassland tribes, he began his journey back to the capital.
The Eighth Prince has been extremely busy lately. He was recently appointed as the "Supervisor of the Emperor's Temporary Residence" and has to report to Emperor Qianxi almost every day.

During this process, the Eighth Prince also frequently convened meetings with his guards and officials from the Imperial Household Department, which quickly made him a figure of great prominence.

There are even rumors that His Majesty feels the First Prince is incompetent and has now started using the Eighth Prince to handle affairs.

These words naturally reached Shen Ye's ears as well.

Shen Ye didn't take this situation too seriously.

The Eighth Prince was bound to rise to power eventually, and the reason he was able to rise to power was, in fact, due to the will of Emperor Qianxi.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have entrusted important matters to the Eighth Prince time and time again.

Shen Ye pretended not to know anything about this.

He finally got out to get some fresh air and didn't want to get involved in these things.

However, on the second day of his return journey, Shen Ye encountered Nian Gengyao, who had come to report on the situation of Yuqing Bank!
Although Yuqing Bank has no connection with the Nian family, Nian Gengyao is a protégé of the Crown Prince.

When Shi Jingrong couldn't find a suitable messenger, she simply arranged for Nian Gengyao to deliver the letter to Shen Ye.

The twenty-something Nian Gengyao appeared much more composed than when Shen Ye first met him.

However, Shen Ye could still sense a hint of arrogance in his eyes and brows.

“Your Highness, ever since you left the capital, some people have said that the Imperial Household Department has withdrawn all the money from Yuqing Bank.”

"Yuqing Bank is currently out of money."

"Some people are saying that those certificates of deposit from Yuqing Bank are no longer valid!"

At this point, Nian Gengyao took a sip of tea and said, "Although the head manager in charge of Yuqing Bank also had someone refute the rumors, saying that Yuqing Bank would definitely make payments to depositors on time."

"But these rumors spread more and more, and some people even said that the officials in the Ministry of Revenue said that this money would not be recovered, not even next year or the year after."

"Some even say that the Imperial Household Department's borrowing of money is always like a tiger borrowing from a pig—it never gets back."

"As a result, just five days ago, people surrounded Yuqing Bank demanding to withdraw their money."

"Because the bank didn't have that much cash, and we agreed to exchange the deposit certificates next summer, we didn't exchange them for them."

"So, this group of people surrounded Yuqing Bank and wouldn't leave, they started causing trouble, and some even tried to vandalize the store."

"Under these circumstances, the head steward could only report to the palace while requesting the Five Cities Garrison and the Infantry Command to maintain order."

"When the people from the Five Cities Garrison and the Infantry Commander's Office arrived, they arrested several of the ringleaders and made them do hard labor. Only then did those who wanted to exchange their money gradually disperse."

Upon hearing Nian Gengyao's words, Shen Ye immediately frowned.

Arresting the ringleaders of the money-gathering may seem swift and decisive, but in reality, it has endless consequences. It will only exacerbate the panic, and more and more people will want to withdraw their money.

Another point is that Yuqing Bank's reputation is likely to be ruined now!
After something like this happened, who would dare to deposit their money in Yuqing Bank?

With Yuqing Bank gone, how should the crown prince position himself be?

Thinking about this, Shen Ye vaguely felt that all of this was probably not so simple, and he sensed a conspiracy.

Seeing that Shen Ye remained silent, Nian Gengyao added, "I've heard that many depositors are discussing whether to file a joint complaint with the Shuntian Prefecture, demanding that Yuqing Bank immediately pay out their money!"

　The second update for today is here, everyone! It's almost mid-month, please vote with your monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)