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

Chapter 295 Father, I have the ability to do it myself
Ma Qi had always been someone who dared to stand up to the Emperor Qianxi, but upon hearing the Crown Prince's request, he immediately became a little anxious!

He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's statement is purely far-fetched!"

"With so many people in the Ministry of Revenue, even if someone leaks information, what does it have to do with me?"

"As long as the Crown Prince finds the person who leaked the information, I will not stop him from doing whatever he wants with the matter."

"But I will not take the blame for such a far-fetched claim!"

"This old minister believes that such a conviction will hardly satisfy the public opinion!"

Seeing Ma Qi's words, Shen Ye smiled slightly and said, "It's hard to convince the opinions of the world, Lord Ma Qi. When did it become your place to decide the opinions of the world?"

“You two brothers, one is the Minister of Revenue, and the other is the Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Department.”

"The problem lies with your subordinates. Do you two think you can absolve yourselves of any responsibility by simply saying you didn't know?"

"At the very least, you should bear the blame for 'lax discipline and dereliction of duty,' right?"

"Besides, since your negligence has caused such serious consequences, shouldn't you two be held accountable?"

At this point, Shen Ye's expression remained calm, but he spoke clearly, "My father has always emphasized the importance of consistency between power and responsibility. Lord Ma, you two aren't trying to make an exception for yourselves, are you?"

Ma Qi's face turned ashen, and he was speechless for a moment!
But he also felt that he found it difficult to refute the Crown Prince's words.

Little did he know that Shen Ye's words were "workplace rules" he had memorized before his transmigration, and they were perfectly applicable to the two brothers at this moment.

For a moment, both of their faces turned rather grim.

Emperor Qianxi looked at the Ma brothers, whose faces were grim. Although he wanted to speak up for them, he felt that the Crown Prince's words were hard to refute.

The principle of aligning rights and responsibilities is absolutely true!

Where is there any reason for a minister to want power but not to take responsibility?
If that were the case, his reign as emperor would be in jeopardy.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke: "Your Highness, let's put aside the matter of holding someone accountable for now."

"How do you plan to resolve the issue with Yuqing Bank?"

"They deserve a chance to redeem themselves, so let's give them one!"

After Emperor Qianxi pleaded on his behalf, Shen Ye did not continue to press the matter.

Since Emperor Qianxi has said that they should atone for their crimes by performing meritorious service, they cannot escape their crimes!
Ma Qi's heart sank!
He sent people to spread this news in an attempt to destroy Yuqing Bank, the crown prince's money bag, and then ruin the crown prince's reputation among the people.

It can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

As the Minister of Revenue, when the two million taels of silver were transferred from Yuqing Bank, he realized that if Yuqing Bank continued to operate, the Crown Prince would accumulate more and more silver.

The more money the crown prince has, the more difficult he is to deal with.

After all, money can not only buy things, but it can also communicate with the gods!

Now that the Crown Prince is rich enough, if Yuqing Bank continues to expand, it could very well affect their family's grand plans.

Taking advantage of the fact that the money in Yuqing Bank has been transferred, a run on the bank would not only bring down Yuqing Bank, but also ruin the Crown Prince's reputation.

This can be considered killing two birds with one stone.

However, to Ma Qi's surprise, the Crown Prince did not follow the usual procedure at all when he received the news. Instead of thinking about how to solve the problem, he came to complain.

And they sued both brothers.

They're said to be the masterminds behind it all!

You guessed right!
Unfortunately, there was no evidence, and His Majesty did not accept such speculation.

But then he brought up the issue of "dereliction of duty," which Ma Qi found difficult to refute.

At this moment, Ma Qi truly felt like he had shot himself in the foot.

However, since Emperor Qianxi had already spoken, he could only listen.

"Since you have said so, then give them a chance."

"If the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department repay all the two million taels of silver they borrowed within three days, it will be considered that they have made amends for their mistakes."

"Your Majesty, I can reduce their punishment by one degree!"

The sentence was reduced by one degree, but it was still not an exemption from punishment. When Ma Qi heard this, he felt even more upset. How much of a grudge did you have against me?
Moreover, two million taels of silver—that's simply not possible.

Therefore, after hearing the conditions mentioned by Shen Ye, Ma Qi said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Taicang really has no money left."

"The budget prepared by the Imperial Household Department for your birthday celebration this year was originally two million taels."

"However, there were quite a few grassland princes who came this time, and with the rewards for the warriors who captured Kezang, the total cost was less than three million taels of silver."

"Much of the silver was borrowed from local areas by me."

"Even if you kill me, I can't conjure up this money!"

"Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Although Maqi appeared to be admitting his guilt, the meaning behind his words was very clear.

It's not that I don't have money, it's that you, Emperor Qianxi, have spent it all.

We agreed on two million taels of silver, but you spent nearly three million taels.

The root of the problem lies with you.

Emperor Qianxi's face immediately darkened.

Although he was unhappy, he knew that Ma Qi was telling the truth.

He bestowed quite a lot of gifts upon the tribes of the grasslands this time, but he had his reasons for doing so.

In his view, every tael of silver he spent was well spent, and every tael was used wisely. These expenditures were a preparatory step, so that the tribes on the grasslands could provide him with considerable assistance when he decided to conquer the Rakshasa Kingdom.

But it's also true that we spent too much money.

He remained silent and instead looked at Ma Wu.

Ma Wu didn't mention any difficulties, but said directly, "Your Majesty, you are aware of the funds of the Imperial Household Department."

"Right now, the entire Imperial Household Department only has 200,000 taels of silver left for the New Year!"

“This servant dares not touch this money, otherwise we won’t be able to get through the New Year.”

Ma Wu didn't say whose New Year wouldn't pass, but his words conveyed the meaning he wanted to express.

Emperor Qianxi felt helpless listening to the two men's complaints of poverty.

He glanced at Shen Ye and said, "Your Highness, what Ma Qi and Ma Wu said is true. It's not that they don't want to atone for their sins, it's just that they don't have the money."

Emperor Qianxi seemed to be repeating what Ma Qi and Ma Wu meant, without saying anything else.

But in reality, he was pleading for the two people.

That means they want Shen Ye to let them off the hook!
How could Shen Ye agree to such a request? Although he had no evidence to prove that the Ma brothers were behind this, he felt that there was a high probability that the two of them were behind it.

Under these circumstances, he had worked so hard to create this atmosphere, how could he let it go so easily!

He immediately bowed to Emperor Qianxi and said, "Father, the situation of the two Lord Mas seems to be very pitiful!"

"However, the fact that the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue, both prestigious institutions, are struggling to make ends meet makes me doubt their abilities."

"How about this: you let me take charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department, and let the two of them go home to reflect on their mistakes!"

"After I resolve the issues with Yuqing Bank and make more money, I will then reinstate both of you to official positions!"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Emperor Qianxi was taken aback, somewhat unable to believe that what the Crown Prince said was true.

The Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department are required!
Your Highness, your mouth is too wide open. Should I give you the throne as well?
You can return the Taicang granary to me when you've made it rich for me!
Emperor Qianxi's face turned green, while the two brothers, Ma Qi and Ma Wu, remained completely calm.

Both of them knew very well that Emperor Qianxi would never be willing to give his purse to the Crown Prince, no matter what.

After all, money talks!
An emperor without money might end up being treated like a pampered lord!
"Nonsense. Although you have some ability, the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue are not as easy to manage as you think."

Emperor Qianxi slammed his fist on the table, furious: "Don't mention this matter again!"

"Didn't the money from Yuqing Bank say it wouldn't mature for another year?"

"You don't need to worry about this matter. I have given orders to the Infantry Commander's Office and the Five Cities Garrison Command: anyone who dares to cause trouble again will be arrested and exiled to Ningguta."

"I ordered them to..."

Although Emperor Qianxi didn't say what he meant next, everyone understood the implication.

If anyone dares to resist, then congratulations, you're going to win the whole family's Candy Crush!
To be honest, this is also a way to solve the problem.

However, once this method is implemented, Shen Ye's Yuqing Bank will no longer need to be established.

Shen Ye stared at the murderous Emperor Qianxi, his mind racing.

He said in a deep voice, "Father, I think this method is quite good. It will not only relieve the pressure on Yuqing Bank, but may also increase the Ministry of Revenue's revenue!"

"How about we let Lord Ma Qi and his brother take charge of this matter?"

"It can be considered that they redeemed themselves by doing good deeds."

"Your subject thinks that it would be good to change the name of Yuqing Bank, for example, to the Ministry of Revenue Bank. Hehe, that way, the deposit of three million taels of silver will not need to be repaid."

"What does the debt owed by Yuqing Bank have to do with our Ministry of Revenue Bank?"

Shen Ye's words seemed to be a continuation of the decision that Emperor Qianxi had just made.

But when Emperor Qianxi heard the last part, his expression changed.

He was well aware that the court's credibility, though invisible and intangible, was of paramount importance.

When a dynasty loses all credibility and prestige, that is when it is headed for its demise.

The discontent of the people is what dynasties throughout history have feared most.

If the will of the people is there, then many figures like Huang Chao and Zhu Wen will have no choice but to live their lives quietly.

However, once public sentiment becomes unstable, what should be a very ordinary matter can turn into a major mess.

At this moment, Emperor Qianxi realized that the matter of Yuqing Bank was very troublesome.

Relying solely on forceful methods may seem simple, but in reality, it can easily lead to major problems.

However, if a major problem arises, it cannot be solved with just two or three million taels of silver.

He snorted and said, "I'm talking about a last resort, a method that shouldn't be used until the very end."

"The people deposit their money in your Yuqing Bank because they trust you, the Crown Prince. You still need to find a way to return their money to them."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi glanced at Ma Qi and Ma Wu and said, "I will have the two of you, Lord Ma, find a way to raise the silver for you."

"Two million taels of silver is not a very large amount."

Seeing that Emperor Qianxi's attitude was somewhat soft, Shen Ye said seriously, "Father, the problem of Yuqing Bank does indeed need a capable person to solve it."

"Since you are reluctant to punish the two brothers, then let someone replace Ma Wu as the head of the Imperial Household Department. He is really incompetent as the head of the department."

"The Imperial Household Department is broke. Ma Wu, don't you feel ashamed?"

　The second update for today is here! Hey everyone, it's mid-month, so please give me some new votes if you have any!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)