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

Chapter 333 The Endless Milky Way Rolls In

After the winter solstice, the entire capital city became increasingly cold!
Inside the Forbidden City, the underground heating had been running for a long time, but it still couldn't stop the bone-chilling cold.

Therefore, in the Forbidden City, from Emperor Qianxi down to the palace maids and eunuchs, no one was willing to stay outside for long; they would stay indoors if possible.

On such a cold day, Shen Ye came to report to Emperor Qianxi that the Xiaotangshan Palace had been completed, and even the hot springs inside were in perfect condition.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi immediately decided to take the Empress Dowager to the summer palace for the winter.

Emperor Qianxi was very experienced in this kind of thing.

Every summer, he would go to Changchun Garden to escape the heat!
Although Xiaotangshan is a bit farther than Changchun Garden, it is still within Emperor Qianxi's control, so there is nothing to worry about.

However, before setting off, Emperor Qianxi still sent Liang Jiugong and the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, Orondai, to take a good look over.

Then, another 10,000 guards from the surrounding areas of the capital were transferred there, and only then did the imperial entourage set off for Xiaotangshan in a grand procession.

When the emperor and empress dowager travel, it's quite a grand affair.

The princes and ministers involved in politics naturally followed, along with the palace maids and eunuchs who served the emperor, making it a very grand and impressive scene.

The eldest prince, Yun, rode his horse at the head of a troop of guards.

Although his title was reduced to Duke and he gained a reputation for being "muddle-headed," he was still the eldest son of the emperor and received all the treatment he was entitled to.

He even felt that perhaps because he had been deprived of the possibility of inheriting the throne, Emperor Qianxi was actually more lenient towards him than before.

"Big Brother!" A warm voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

The eldest prince turned his head and saw the third prince riding up on horseback.

Of all his brothers, the one he looked down on the most was this third brother.

He had such a refined and cultured appearance, but in his eyes, he was just a pretentious hypocrite.

Although he didn't like the Crown Prince either, his dislike for him had faded considerably by now.

I just can't bring myself to like the Third Prince.

What's more, the third prince is still a prince, while I am just a duke. His title has actually climbed above mine.

"Is there something you need, Third Brother?" The First Prince's tone was somewhat indifferent.

The Third Prince smiled and said, "It's freezing cold, and I feel bored walking alone, so I wanted to chat with my elder brother for a bit."

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince immediately thought of a saying: "When a night owl enters the house, nothing good is coming."

However, he learned his lesson after the incident of offering the white deer.

Mingzhu is right. Watch your mouth, plant fewer thorns, plant more flowers. Don't offend people easily.

"It's freezing cold, so let's not say too much, lest we catch a chill and feel unwell later." The eldest prince said this tactfully, appearing to care about his younger brother.

But in reality, he just wanted to tell the Third Prince to speak less and it would be best to shut up!
But the Third Prince seemed not to understand and solemnly said, "Brother, the Crown Prince has really gone all out this time!"

"Not only did they provide the Emperor with a temporary palace, but they didn't even take a single tael of silver from the Imperial Household Department."

"I also heard from the eunuchs who went there that it's very warm inside, it's practically spring all year round!"

"Once Father Emperor is comfortable here, who knows how many good things he will bestow upon the Crown Prince!"

In the past, if the eldest prince had heard such words, he would have been indignant and would have joined the third prince in saying a lot of bad things about Shen Ye.

But now, he is no longer the eldest prince he once was.

He has matured considerably, at least he is much more composed now, so he just smiled and said, "The Crown Prince is capable, we can't compare!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince's lips twitched.

Seeing that he had not achieved his goal, he was momentarily speechless.

Embarrassed, the Third Prince could only chuckle awkwardly and change the subject: "Brother, I heard that the Crown Prince has already bought up all the land around Xiaotangshan."

"If Father were to stay here during the winter, the land prices in this area would definitely skyrocket!"

The eldest prince nodded. Putting aside everything else, just look at the area around Changchun Garden.

The land around Changchun Garden was originally very cheap, but Emperor Qianxi often used Changchun Garden to escape the summer heat, so some princes and ministers liked to build gardens next to Emperor Qianxi.

The reason for this is that they have a place to stay when they are on duty at Changchun Garden.

Moreover, having a garden next to the emperor's summer retreat is a source of great prestige.

Ordinary officials in the capital may not have money, but these princes and dukes certainly don't.

The eldest prince said calmly, "That depends on whether His Majesty will stay here in Xiaotangshan."

Unintentionally, a hint of jealousy was revealed in his words.

Hearing this, the Third Prince breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more at ease—he felt that the older brother he knew had returned!
However, before the eldest prince could even realize what was happening, he soon sensed that something was wrong!
He felt a bit hot even before entering the palace, and the palace area was shrouded in a thin mist, looking like a fairyland.

"Hey, what's that?"

As the eldest prince urged his horse forward, he glanced around and was surprised to see a large patch of lush green cucumber trellises!
The eldest prince was stunned. He simply couldn't believe it—where could he find cucumbers this season? Even his favorite cold cucumber salad with wine was no longer available from the imperial kitchen.

Why are there cucumbers here?

He quickly spurred his horse and galloped over.

Looking at the cucumbers hanging on the vines, I reached out and plucked one down.

He casually wiped the cucumber on his sleeve and took a bite.

The refreshing cucumber flavor fills my mouth; it's been so long since I've tasted this!

The Third Prince watched as the First Prince devoured cucumbers with obvious satisfaction, and he dismounted to pick one for himself.

Although he was a prince, his treatment in the palace was similar to that of the eldest prince.

He naturally didn't have what the eldest prince didn't have.

"Brother, this really is a cucumber! Hehe, I wonder how it was grown." The Third Prince exclaimed as he ate.

The eldest prince smiled and said, "This should have been grown by the crown prince. If you want to eat it in the future, just ask him for it."

"Are you going to ask which hen laid an egg before you eat it?"

The third prince was speechless and could only silently gnaw on his cucumber.

Just then, a man who looked like a servant rushed over.

Seeing that the two of them weren't satisfied with just one and wanted to get a second one, he nervously approached them.

Although the man looked like the owner of the cucumber, the eldest prince showed no sign of guilt.

This whole world belongs to his father, what's wrong with him eating a cucumber?
"Did the Crown Prince arrange for you to grow vegetables here?" the First Prince asked casually.

"Your Excellency, I am the farmer of this vegetable garden," the man replied cautiously.

"I ask you, how did you grow these cucumbers in the dead of winter?" The eldest prince was very satisfied with his respectful attitude, and his tone became much gentler.

"Because there are hot springs here, we followed the Crown Prince's instructions to bring the hot spring water here, so the soil temperature here is much higher than in other places."

"So vegetables like cucumbers can all be grown." Seeing that the eldest prince's attitude was good, the man was no longer so nervous.

After all, he was growing vegetables for the Crown Prince!
With the Crown Prince's prestigious title, there's no need for so many scary things!

"Besides cucumbers, is anything else planted here?" the eldest prince asked with interest.

"We grow so many! There are green beans, chives, eggplants, and..." The man rattled off more than a dozen off-season vegetables, making the prince's mouth water.

After all, during this period, apart from meat, he mostly ate cabbage and radishes, which made him very uncomfortable and he was already tired of them!

"Are all these dishes for the Crown Prince to eat himself?" the Third Prince asked casually.

"The Crown Prince said that besides supplying the nobles in the palace, the rest of these vegetables should also be sold!"

"Take these cucumbers for example. The Crown Prince is planning to sell them at a high price now that it's cold. I heard he plans to sell them for one tael of silver per pound."

"I don't know if it will sell, but scarcity drives up the price."

Upon hearing this, the first prince's first reaction was that it was too expensive; his second reaction was that he would definitely buy it!
Looking at the vast cucumber field before him, the eldest prince felt dizzy. He had a strange feeling that this cucumber field was not planted with vegetables at all, but with piles of silver.

The Crown Prince is really good at business!

Just as the eldest prince was about to ask another question, a group of people walked towards them.

Just as he was about to see who was breaking the rules of the march, he looked up and saw that it was Emperor Qianxi walking over with the Empress Dowager and several concubines.

Beside them were the Crown Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Eighth Prince, and others.

"Your Highness, you've grown these vegetables quite well!" Emperor Qianxi said, looking at the lush green fields of vegetables, his tone slightly teasing.

Although he didn't just grab and eat the out-of-season vegetables like the eldest prince, he still had a great appetite and planned to have more greens with his meals when he arrived at the palace.

Shen Ye replied with a smile, "Father, the hot springs around the palace are the best, and there are also many fertile lands."

"If you like, you can have the Imperial Household Department plant some there as well."

"With several hundred acres of land, the palace will never have to worry about not having fresh vegetables to eat in the winter!"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Emperor Qianxi nodded, but he did not intend to send anyone to plant them now—after all, the Crown Prince had them readily available, so he could just take them from the Crown Prince to eat.

He originally came to Xiaotangshan with the intention of checking out his new palace, and if he didn't like the accommodations, he was prepared to return to the palace at any time.

However, even before reaching the palace, he was already very satisfied with the place. Not only was the temperature pleasant, but he was also very pleased with the fruits and vegetables.

If you could stay in this warm place and hibernate during the cold weather, that would be a real treat.

In a flash, it dawned on him that the Crown Prince had apparently bought up all the land in this area.

This time, the Crown Prince is probably going to make a fortune again!

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(End of this chapter)