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

Chapter 296 Even with exorbitant demands, you can always get something in return.

When Ma Wu heard that the Crown Prince had requested the removal of his position as the head of the Imperial Household Department, his heart sank.

He had worked hard for Emperor Qianxi for many years before finally obtaining the position of Director-General of the Imperial Household Department.

In this position, even without doing anything, one can easily earn four or five hundred thousand taels of silver a year.

Of course, if one were to be even more ruthless, a million taels of silver would be within reach.

After all, the Imperial Household Department had far too many responsibilities.

Not to mention the profits from those imperial estates, just the precious items sent as tribute from various places amounted to a considerable sum of money.

Some of these tribute items will depreciate, some will be damaged, and some... well, you know!

Therefore, countless eyes are eyeing the position of the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department!
This time, he felt he might lose his position!

The Crown Prince scolded him for being incompetent, saying that he was in charge of the Imperial Household Department but had no money all day long, and was just a penniless pauper.

How can he defend himself in this situation? Should he say that Emperor Qianxi spent too much money?

If we anger the Qianxi Emperor, and he comes to investigate the accounts, we'll be in deep trouble!
So all he could do was swallow his anger and take the blame for his "incompetence"!

As for whether or not he would protect himself, that depended entirely on the Qianxi Emperor's decision!

According to Ma Wu's analysis, now that the two brothers have caused such a huge mess, Emperor Qianxi has to give the Crown Prince an explanation.

When the Crown Prince wanted to take over the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department for the first time, Emperor Qianxi naturally disagreed.

Emperor Qianxi did not agree to dismiss the two brothers.

This is almost the third time they've made this request.

Based on Emperor Qianxi's usual practice, he probably wouldn't reject it again, since he would need the Crown Prince to clean up the mess.

Ma Wu couldn't help but glance at Ma Qi. He felt that the problems at Yuqing Bank must be related to his brother.

He had no evidence; it was purely intuition.

But his intuition has always been very accurate!
Ma Qi's expression was equally grim, but he did not plead for Ma Wu. It wasn't that there was a conflict between the brothers, but rather that the occasion was not suitable for pleading.

They are brothers!
If they plead for leniency, wouldn't that prove that the two brothers are in cahoots, singing in unison, and are clearly a group? The Crown Prince is just waiting to find this excuse!

The Crown Prince is truly despicable; he doesn't play by the rules!
If you're going to deal with a bank run, then deal with the bank run at Yuqing Bank. Why are you trying to impeach us brothers?

Just as Ma Qi was feeling depressed, Emperor Qianxi sighed and said to Ma Wu, "Ma Wu, as the head of the Imperial Household Department, you have always been conscientious and hardworking."

If this were any other time, Ma Wu would probably have been moved to tears upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's evaluation of him.

But now, hearing Emperor Qianxi praise him like this, Ma Wu felt a chill run down his spine.

The emperor's self-praise is probably the same old trick: praising before criticizing, and he's likely about to abandon him!
Although he was filled with grief and indignation, he still had to keep up appearances and hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude, saying, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your high regard. If it weren't for Your Majesty's support, this servant would not have been able to accomplish anything."

Emperor Qianxi nodded, reluctant to part with Ma Wu.

However, the Crown Prince had seized on the two men's weaknesses and was relentlessly pursuing them, so he couldn't leave them without giving him an explanation.

One Ma Wu, and it's worth it to exchange him for the crown prince to vent my anger.

After all, the brothers' laxity in handling matters also played a part.

"The position of Governor of Zhejiang is vacant. You can't stay in the Imperial Household Department forever. Go to Zhejiang after you return to Beijing!" Emperor Qianxi never mistreated his loyal subordinates.

There's a saying: "Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou!"

Since Ma Wu can no longer stay in the Imperial Household Department, let him go to Zhejiang and enjoy himself.

This is also a consolation.

Ma Wu was deeply moved by Emperor Qianxi's arrangement.

He immediately said respectfully, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and offered a few more words of encouragement: "If you want to become a famous minister, you need to gain more experience in different positions."

"Keep up the good work, and I'm sure you'll handle things even better in the future."

Shen Ye had no objection whatsoever to Ma Wu becoming the governor.

Once Ma Wu takes office in Zhejiang, his influence in the imperial court will rapidly diminish.

It's already a victory to have pulled Ma Wu down from his coveted position as the head of the Imperial Household Department based solely on a guess and the charge of lax management of his subordinates.

Ma Qi's expression was rather unpleasant. In the struggle for the throne, the difference between the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department and the Governor was not insignificant.

After all, the head of the Imperial Household Department was Emperor Qianxi's chief steward.

Many things could be reported directly to Emperor Qianxi.

In other words, one could be near Emperor Qianxi at any time.

While the governor of Zhejiang might receive more tangible benefits, his influence over supporting the Eighth Prince was somewhat limited.

Unfortunately, things had already come to this point, and there was nothing he could do to change it.

"I will have the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue raise the funds as soon as possible. As for the run on Yuqing Bank, you should try to stabilize the situation first," Emperor Qianxi said, turning to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Father, the shortfall for Yuqing Bank is three million taels of silver."

"Your Majesty, I would like to know how long it will take for the Ministry of Revenue to provide this sum of money?"

When Emperor Qianxi heard Shen Ye say this, he frowned slightly.

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household!

Throughout his years as emperor, he had always lived a life of financial hardship, and he knew very well that three million taels of silver was not something that could be easily raised!

Emperor Qianxi turned his gaze to Ma Qi again.

Ma Qi coughed and said, "Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue's autumn tax revenue has almost been finalized."

"This servant can only say that I will do my best to raise funds after I return. As for the specific time, this servant really cannot say for sure." Emperor Qianxi understood what Ma Qi meant and chimed in, "Yunye, Ma Qi will do his best to raise funds for you. I have instructed him to send you at least 500,000 taels of silver within a month."

"Do you think this is okay?"

Five hundred thousand taels is a lot, but it's still far from three million taels.

Shen Ye's mind raced as he replied, "Your subject will naturally obey Father's decree."

"However, I have another request. I hope Your Majesty can allow me to handle this matter by any means necessary, even without funds."

"Otherwise, with the instigation of those with ulterior motives, this matter could have endless consequences."

Emperor Qianxi was alarmed when he heard about the various methods used.

He then emphasized, "You can use the people from Shuntian Prefecture and the Infantry Commander's Office to find out those with ulterior motives, but you absolutely cannot take matters into your own hands!"

Shen Ye wanted to hear Emperor Qianxi's words. To be honest, he had no intention of resorting to force.

So he said very sincerely, "Please rest assured, Father, I naturally know the proper measure in this matter."

Having obtained Emperor Qianxi's decree, Shen Ye spoke with the emperor for a while before taking his leave.

The brothers Ma Qi and Ma Wu took their leave first.

Back in his tent, Ma Qi wanted to explain to Ma Wu, but Ma Wu remained indifferent to his brother.

Reaching a corner, Ma Qi said in a low voice, "Ma Wu, it's not that I don't want to plead for you, it's just that the situation at the time didn't allow it."

"The Crown Prince is fixated on the two of us, and His Majesty has no choice but to accept it."

"And we..."

Before Ma Qi could say anything like, "We're brothers, and it might make the Emperor think too much if I plead for you," Ma Wu said in a deep voice, "Brother, I understand what you're saying."

"But don't you think I'm being unfairly treated in this situation?"

"Brother, if you need to do anything in the future that involves me, please let me know in advance."

"Also, please don't try to be clever in the future, brother. The Emperor might not be unable to guess who did it in this matter."

"It's just that he doesn't want to say it."

"Or perhaps he hopes to use this opportunity to damage the Crown Prince's prestige."

Upon hearing Ma Wu's words, Ma Qi's expression changed.

He was just about to speak when Ma Wu had already quickly left.

Watching his younger brother leave, Ma Qi's expression changed rapidly. Finally, he flicked his sleeve and walked to the other side.

As they drew closer to the capital, more and more news about Yuqing Bank emerged.

More and more people are finding out about it.

When the eldest prince heard that Yuqing Bank had suffered a bank run, a gloating smile appeared on his face.

Because of the Bai Lu incident, he even lost his position as a prince, which can be said to have brought him down to earth. It is now impossible for him to compete for the position of crown prince again.

But he was still quite happy to see his longtime rival suffer misfortune.

"Sir, shouldn't we also find something for Yuqing Bank to do?" Fu Lun said in a low voice, standing next to the eldest prince.

If Fu Lun, as the Minister of Justice, were to give a word to the Five Cities Garrison and tell them not to arrest people arbitrarily, the Five Cities Garrison would obey.

The eldest prince chuckled and said, "I think someone is targeting the crown prince in this matter."

"Let's not rush, let's observe first!"

"I just don't know where the Crown Prince will find the magic formula to turn stones into gold, now that the court is short of money."

"After all, that's three million taels of silver!"

When Floren saw that the eldest prince had said this, he did not insist.

His suggestion was purely to curry favor with the eldest prince; for him, it was best not to take action if possible.

As for the Fourth Prince, he came to Shen Ye's side immediately after hearing about this matter.

He didn't say much else, but took out 20,000 taels of silver notes, saying that it was the money he had saved over the years, and that the Crown Prince could use it directly if he wanted.

Facing the sincere-looking Fourth Prince, Shen Ye felt even more moved.

There were reasons why the fourth prince was able to have the last laugh.

Regardless of their ultimate fate, they still put on a very impressive show on the surface.

Shen Ye made a token refusal a few times before finally accepting the 20,000 taels of silver from the Fourth Prince.

Since they want to show their brotherly affection, how can I not give them the opportunity?

The fourth prince's donation was like a beginning. Not only did the thirteenth prince, who was extremely close to Shen Ye, take out his own private funds, but the eighth, ninth, and tenth princes each sent ten thousand taels of silver.

Everyone's explanation was very consistent: the money wasn't much, but it was to help the Crown Prince overcome his difficulties.

Shen Ye naturally accepted these kind offers with a smile.

However, just as Emperor Qianxi's carriage returned to the palace, some people began to gather together again and whispered instructions: "The higher-ups said that we should go to Yuqing Bank to exchange our deposits."

"No one should shout, and everyone should line up properly."

"Don't even hinder the people from Yuqing Bank from coming and going!"

"In short, we must not give the Five Cities Garrison a reason to arrest people!"

"Let me tell you all, the Crown Prince is a man of honor. As long as our people are surrounding Yuqing Bank, the Crown Prince will have to find a way to give us the money."

　The first update of the day is here! Hey everyone, I'm begging for your monthly votes!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)