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

Chapter 319 I make suggestions and I make decisions; who dares to disagree?

The imperial court is like a dilapidated house with drafts coming from all sides; nothing can be kept secret.

For example, the news of the imperial audience with the emperor spread within two days.

The two most talked-about things were: First, the ministers couldn't think of a way to raise the money, so they suggested to Emperor Qianxi that the salaries be withheld until the winter solstice.

But His Majesty defied all objections and declared firmly, "Since you ministers are thinking of me, I cannot let you go hungry!"

Therefore, Your Majesty, the wise Emperor, must distribute these stipends before the Winter Solstice so that all of you ministers can afford to eat dumplings.

Upon hearing this news, Shen Ye thought to himself that the news was probably spread by Emperor Qianxi himself.

After all, these words were meant to portray Emperor Qianxi as a noble, benevolent, and compassionate ruler who cared deeply for his subjects.

With a "boss" like this, wouldn't everyone be moved?

As for the second matter, after the Minister of Revenue, Ma Qi, "fell ill," His Majesty put the Crown Prince in charge of raising funds.

They also conveniently placed the crown prince into the Ministry of Revenue to observe government affairs.

Upon hearing this second piece of news, many officials at the lower levels cheered and were overjoyed.

After all, the Crown Prince has a great reputation, and some people even say that the current Crown Prince is the reincarnation of the God of Wealth, so it would be most suitable for him to manage the Ministry of Revenue.

What everyone is even more eager for is for the Crown Prince to distribute the money quickly.

After all, they were short of money.

While they wouldn't go hungry, without money, it was uncertain whether the family could even afford dumplings on the Winter Solstice.

However, amidst this great anticipation, one person was in a bad mood.

That was the fourth prince, Yunzhen.

The fourth prince had been observing government affairs at the Ministry of Revenue, and he had been getting along quite well with Ma Qi lately, which was increasing his influence within the Ministry.

Just as he was quietly developing his power in the Ministry of Revenue, the Crown Prince came to the Ministry of Revenue.

When he heard Emperor Qianxi announce that the Crown Prince would observe government affairs at the Ministry of Revenue, his head buzzed for a moment.

It felt as if a fierce tiger had invaded their territory.

And what about yourself?

Although he considered himself a tiger, he was at most a tiger cub that hadn't fully grown up yet.

They are no match for a beast like the Crown Prince, who has grown up and is in his prime.

With the Crown Prince's arrival, how should he conduct himself?

Where should we stand?
Unfortunately, Mr. Wu is dead, and there's no one left to consult with.

It was such a pity that Mr. Wu died!
Thinking of this, the fourth prince felt another pang of regret.

As soon as the audience with the emperor ended, the fourth prince immediately returned to his office at the Ministry of Revenue.

His duty room was usually bustling with people coming and going, all of whom were trying to get close to him.

However, as news spread that the Crown Prince was coming to observe the government, the Fourth Prince clearly felt that fewer people were coming to him.

"Greetings, Your Highness," Fuheng said, tiptoeing in and bowing.

The fourth prince frowned and said, "Why are you here? Didn't we tell each other to avoid seeing each other unless it's absolutely necessary?"

Fu Heng said in a low voice, "Your Highness, rest assured, my uncle sent me. He said the Crown Prince shouldn't stay in the Ministry of Revenue for long."

"In just a few days, no one could raise over a million taels of silver."

"So please, Fourth Prince, do not worry."

Hearing this, the fourth prince felt much more at ease.

Although Ma Qi still closely follows the Eighth Prince, the Fourth Prince still trusts Ma Qi's judgment to some extent.

His tone immediately softened as he said, "Your Highness, I welcome you here."

"After all, Father Emperor summoned the Crown Prince here so that he could distribute the salaries to the officials as soon as possible."

At this point, his gaze fell on Fuheng and he said, "Lord Ma Qi is in good health. I saw him riding a horse the other day. How could he suddenly fall ill?"

Fuheng, who had already pledged allegiance to the fourth prince, knew very well that although the prince appeared kind and benevolent, he was actually very shrewd and strict.

If I don't tell him the truth, I'm afraid I won't even have a chance to speak to him again.

So he honestly confessed: "My uncle was driven to desperation by the issue of his salary, which is why he took a cold shower."

Upon hearing the words "cold shower," the Fourth Prince paused for a moment, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

The cold shower might sound a bit comical, but it truly reflects Mazi's predicament.

He wanted to laugh, but he had to hold it in. After all, Ma Qi was a high-ranking official, and also Fu Heng's uncle.

Even if I don't give Ma Qi face, I still have to give Fu Heng face.

In the end, one can only sigh, "It must have been tough for Lord Ma Qi!"

Fuheng smiled and said, "Although my uncle was in great pain, he managed to escape a disaster."

"He doesn't need to worry about his salary."

The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "Lord Ma Qi is a smart man, but I'm afraid his health won't be able to handle it!"

After talking for a while, the Fourth Prince, in a great mood, said to Su Peisheng, the eunuch who served him, "Come with me to Yuqing Palace."

Since the princes had not yet been assigned their own residences, they all lived in the Forbidden City.

Returning to the palace was incredibly easy for the Fourth Prince, and he quickly arrived at Yuqing Palace.

When the Fourth Prince met Shen Ye, Shen Ye was leisurely reading a book.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" The Fourth Prince was about to kneel as he spoke.

Shen Ye helped the Fourth Prince up, saying, "Fourth Brother, there's no need for us brothers to stand on ceremony." "Please sit down!"

"Zhou Bao, serve tea to Fourth Master!"

In fact, without Shen Ye's instruction, Zhou Bao had already quickly brought over the teacup.

After waving Zhou Bao away, the Fourth Prince put on a concerned expression and said, "Your Highness, I've been waiting for you at the Ministry of Revenue for ages. Why aren't you going?"

"The winter solstice is just around the corner."

Shen Ye smiled and said, "If the Ministry of Revenue could find the silver, Ma Qi wouldn't need to go to such lengths to make himself sick!"

Having already learned why Ma Qi was sick, the Fourth Prince immediately feigned surprise upon hearing Shen Ye's words, saying, "Your Highness, you...you mean Ma Qi was faking his illness?"

“No, that’s not it.” Shen Ye said with a smile, “He wouldn’t dare to fake illness, but he has quite a few ways to make himself sick.”

"What do you say?"

The fourth prince paused for a moment, then solemnly replied, "The Crown Prince is right. You can make yourself sick by deliberately letting the cold wind blow on you all night."

"But, Your Highness, if you don't go to the Ministry of Revenue, how will the issue of salary payments be resolved?"

Shen Ye looked at the fourth prince, who had a "worried" expression, and spread his hands, saying, "Fourth brother, Father Emperor assigned the task to Ma Qi before, but he didn't complete it either, did he?"

The fourth prince was taken aback; he hadn't expected the crown prince to be so direct.

If we accept the Crown Prince's statement, then it means he never intended to complete it in the first place!

If that's the case, then...

"Your Highness, if you also fall ill, Father will surely be furious."

“After all, you are not like Ma Qi.”

“Ma Qi is a veteran minister, and he was the first to fall ill. Although the Emperor sent people to visit him, he couldn’t be too harsh on him.”

"But if you get sick at this critical juncture, then..."

The fourth prince didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: if you anger Emperor Qianxi, you might end up losing more than you gain.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "I have no intention of following Ma Qi's example."

"A new sum of money has arrived at Yuqing Bank, which should be enough to pay salaries."

"I plan to ask my father to put all the salaries of the officials into the Yuqing Bank for distribution in the future."

"As for the source of these salaries, they come from the annual salt tax. After the salt tax is escorted to the capital each year, the salaries for that year are first deposited in Yuqing Bank."

"In this way, we can ensure that the salaries of the officials are paid on time, and we will save Father Emperor from having to worry about this matter in the future."

"The officials will no longer be upset about the delayed or unpaid salaries!"

What Shen Ye told the Fourth Prince was, of course, only the surface reason. The biggest benefit of doing so was that it injected a large amount of working capital into Yuqing Bank.

For banks, money is their source of confidence.

"Your Highness is wise! But will the Ministry of Revenue agree to this?" The Fourth Prince hesitated for a moment and asked softly.

After all, doing so would be tantamount to depriving the Ministry of Revenue of power and cutting flesh from Ma Qi's body.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Now that Lord Ma Qi is seriously ill, my father has asked me to oversee the Ministry of Revenue. I don't think anyone will object."

"If anyone objects, then that person should be responsible for issuing the salary."

"I can also have less to worry about and enjoy some peace and quiet."

Shen Ye's words immediately silenced the Fourth Prince.

The phrase "whoever objects will pay" instantly extinguished most of his remaining will to resist.

Just as the Fourth Prince was about to take his leave, Shen Ye suddenly called out to him, "Fourth Brother, even if you hadn't come, I was just about to look for you."

"My father spoke to me a while ago and said that there are huge problems with the current tax system. Some people occupy large tracts of land and make amazing profits every year, but they don't pay a single penny to the court."

"On the contrary, the farmers, who only have a few acres of poor land, not only have to perform labor services, but also have to pay various taxes."

"As a result, they became increasingly poor, and the land had to be sold to wealthy families, so that the government's tax revenue declined year by year."

"It's not even as good as when the dynasty was established."

The fourth prince had been observing the administration of the Ministry of Revenue and was well aware of its situation.

He nodded heavily and said, "Yes, this situation must be changed. If it is not changed, the court will only face more and more difficulties in the future."

“Situations like this, where there is no money to pay salaries, will become more and more common.”

"My father intends to make a change to the court's tax system and asked me to take the lead," Shen Ye said with a smile. "I suggested to my father that this matter cannot be accomplished by one or two people alone."

"A special agency should be established to be responsible for tax reform."

“I know my fourth brother is very talented, so I plan to recommend him to be a member of this organization.”

"The current tax system really needs to be changed!"

As the fourth prince listened to the crown prince's words, his mind raced. He knew that tax reform was a difficult matter, fraught with unpredictable dangers.

The Crown Prince is in charge of this matter; it might backfire someday.

However, the tax reform is also an opportunity. If I can perform well, I might catch the eye of Emperor Qianxi.

In that case, if the Crown Prince makes a mistake, my opportunity might come!

"I am deeply grateful for the Crown Prince's high regard for me. I will do my utmost and never fail to live up to the Crown Prince's expectations."

"We're brothers, no need for such formalities." Shen Ye waved his hand at the Fourth Prince and said, "I believe in my fourth brother's abilities."

"Your Highness, besides my brother, who else do you intend to involve in this matter?" The Fourth Prince hesitated for a moment before asking softly.

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)