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

Chapter 337 Don't Be a Spoiler

Shen Ye, who had just come out of the hot spring at Xiaotangshan, felt completely refreshed.

Because copper pipes supplying hot water are installed in the house, the water temperature is warm as spring at this time.

Watching the snow falling outside and eating fresh cucumbers picked from the field, Shen Ye felt incredibly refreshed.

The planting in Xiaotangshan is not yet complete.

Ideally, we could also grow out-of-season fruits, so that...

Just as Shen Ye was enjoying himself, Cao Min, dressed in pajamas, walked in.

Although this is a temporary palace, Shen Ye had already divided it up when it was built.

Although the large area was given to Emperor Qianxi, he built a small garden of more than 20 acres for himself within the imperial palace.

While it may not be as exquisite as the imperial palace, it has the advantage of being quiet and secluded.

Moreover, this place is a world unto itself, and Emperor Qianxi basically wouldn't let anyone come here.

"Your Highness, please take a look at this." As Cao Min spoke, she handed an account book to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye picked up the ledger and casually flipped through a couple of pages before his gaze fell on the final figure: 1,456,800 taels!

This is the income from land purchases over the past few days.

"What's wrong?" Shen Ye secretly estimated in his mind that the number seemed to be about the same as he had expected.

The princes and ministers were very active in buying land in Xiaotangshan, especially when they announced that land near the imperial palace would be sold in limited quantities, which attracted even more buyers.

The land he acquired for hundreds of thousands of taels of silver has now been sold for ten or even twenty times the price, making him incredibly wealthy.

According to Shen Ye's estimate, his profits will double after the New Year.

Looking at Shen Ye's calm expression, Cao Min couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, this is far too much."

"Now that everyone in the court knows you've amassed so much wealth, it's inevitable that some people will speak ill of you to His Majesty!"

"I think you should be more careful."

Shen Ye gently hugged Cao Min and said, "Whether I earn this much money or not, there will always be people who have opinions about me."

"After all, I am the crown prince, and there are bound to be many people who have opinions about me."

Cao Min nodded slightly upon hearing Shen Ye's words.

The fact that he was the crown prince already put Shen Ye in the spotlight.

In fact, what people envied most about the Crown Prince was not his wealth, but his status.

Just as Cao Min was pondering how to advise Shen Ye to be careful, Shen Ye's past life experiences quickly surged into his mind.

Although he didn't achieve much in his previous life, he accumulated a wealth of experience.

One of these is that it's best not to eat alone.

It can be really enjoyable to eat alone, but many people who try to eat alone end up failing miserably.

The most obvious example is Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, who was unwilling to bestow official titles upon others, which ultimately led to his suicide at the Wujiang River.

Liu Bang, whose strength was far inferior to Liu Bang's, successfully won over the majority of people by advocating that good fortune should be shared by everyone, and thus became emperor.

I'm going to earn three million taels of silver this time, and I'll eat it all myself. Others will be envious, but most of them can't do anything about it.

But inevitably, someone will go to Emperor Qianxi and speak ill of him.

The reason I was able to earn so much money was actually because of Emperor Qianxi's influence!
If Emperor Qianxi hadn't stayed here regularly, the land prices here wouldn't have risen...

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Go prepare some paper and pen!"

Although Cao Min didn't know what Shen Ye was going to do, she quickly prepared the ink for Shen Ye.

Shen Ye picked up a brush and quickly wrote on the paper: One million taels of silver. In addition to this, Shen Ye also wrote the four characters "Yuqing Bank".

After finishing these tasks, he picked up his seal from the table and gently stamped it on the surface.

Shen Ye's earnings are all deposited in Yuqing Bank, so the bank draft issued in the name of Yuqing Bank can be exchanged for one million taels of silver.

After glancing at the simple banknote twice, Shen Ye wrote a serial number on it, making it appear extremely formal.

"Your Highness, what are you doing?" Cao Min asked softly when she saw the silver note written by Shen Ye, even though she already had some guesses in her mind.

“Your unease is understandable; you can’t keep everything to yourself!” Shen Ye said with a smile, “So I’m going to share some of the profits with Father Emperor.”

"After all, we're able to make so much money because of him."

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, Cao Min smiled.

The emperor had plenty of money, but it wasn't that he didn't value money.

He wouldn't complain about having too much money!

The Crown Prince earned two to three million taels of silver this time. Although Emperor Qianxi didn't say anything, he felt that he, as the father, had been used by his son.

In this situation, it's normal for him to feel somewhat uncomfortable, even if he doesn't harbor any deep resentment.

However, once the Crown Prince takes out a portion of this money and gives it to Emperor Qianxi, Emperor Qianxi's slight dislike will instantly turn into great joy.

Shen Ye put down the one million tael silver note, then casually picked up a pen and wrote the shape of one hundred thousand taels on another piece of cut Xuan paper.

Both were stamped and both had serial numbers written on them.

After settling the two silver notes, Shen Ye patted Cao Min on the shoulder and said, "I'll go see His Majesty."

Cao Min personally escorted Shen Ye to the door before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Her concern stemmed from the fact that the Crown Prince was earning far too much money. This money was obtained through underhanded means, and although no one dared to speak directly to the Crown Prince, countless people were undoubtedly trying to sow discord between him and Emperor Qianxi.

Even Emperor Qianxi, who was the emperor, couldn't help but be a little envious when his son made millions of taels of silver with just a few words.

Although Emperor Qianxi wouldn't do anything, the knot in his heart would only grow bigger and bigger.

You can't keep eating alone forever!
The fact that the Crown Prince listened to her advice made her feel quite gratified.

In just five minutes, Shen Ye arrived at the Sizhi Study where Emperor Qianxi lived!
Although the place is not large, its exquisite construction, coupled with the copper pipes under which hot springs flow, makes the entire house warm and cozy.

Therefore, Emperor Qianxi spent most of his time living in the Sizhi Study.

Although it's called a bookstore, there are actually a row of twenty rooms.

Emperor Qianxi lived in the middle of these houses.

Outside, the wind howled, but inside, it was warm as spring. Although the glass produced in Liulichang was not large and not very clear, it was far superior to window paper.

Liang Jiugong stood outside the door, not dressed too warmly, but he still appeared quite composed.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Liang Jiugong quickly greeted Shen Ye upon his arrival.

Shen Ye casually asked, "Is Father busy?"

"His Majesty has just finished speaking with Grand Scholar Zhang Ying and is currently reading a book," Liang Jiugong said with a smile. "The Crown Prince wishes to see His Majesty, and I will inform him immediately."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Lao Liang!" Shen Ye said with a smile.

Shen Ye could bestow gifts upon ordinary eunuchs at will, but he maintained a proper distance from Liang Jiugong.

After all, this was Emperor Qianxi's personal eunuch. If the two became too close, Emperor Qianxi would have some doubts.

Liang Jiugong announced for half a minute, then quickly came out and said, "His Majesty invites the Crown Prince to come in."

As Shen Ye entered the Sizhi Study, he felt the oppressive heat inside.

Emperor Qianxi, dressed in a silk robe, was leisurely writing calligraphy. When he saw Shen Ye enter, he smiled and said, "Crown Prince, come and see how my calligraphy is?"

Shen Ye quickly arrived in front of Emperor Qianxi, only to see Emperor Qianxi writing the four characters "澹泊敬诚" in a flamboyant and elegant style!

Emperor Qianxi had practiced calligraphy for many years, and his teachers were all contemporary calligraphers, so Shen Ye found it easy to evaluate him.

He looked at it carefully for a moment, then smiled and said, "Father, your calligraphy is elegant and unrestrained, and it can be said that you have deeply grasped the essence of Dong Qichang's calligraphy."

"However, in my opinion, Dong Qichang's calligraphy still lacks the imperial grandeur of Father Emperor."

Emperor Qianxi had been copying Dong Qichang's calligraphy most recently, and upon hearing Shen Ye's evaluation, he couldn't help but laugh.

He wouldn't dare admit that his calligraphy was better than Dong Qichang's, after all, everyone has some pride.

However, the Crown Prince said that his calligraphy had more imperial bearing than Dong Qichang's, which he readily accepted, since he was an emperor and Dong Qichang was not.

It is perfectly normal that Dong Qichang's calligraphy lacks the grandeur of an emperor.

"Haha, what you said makes a good point. Let's talk about it when we're together, father and son."

"Don't say this in front of Scholar Zhang; he is a recognized master of calligraphy."

As they were talking, Emperor Qianxi put down his pen and said, "Why are you here in this freezing weather instead of staying indoors?"

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Your subject has come to deliver the dividends to Your Majesty!"

As he spoke, Shen Ye took out the silver note he had written himself from his bosom and handed it to Emperor Qianxi with both hands.

Dividends!

As Emperor Qianxi accepted the silver notes, he casually asked, "We haven't been doing business together, so why are you giving me a share of the profits?"

However, when he saw the number on the banknote, he was immediately taken aback.

Although he was an emperor, Emperor Qianxi still had a fondness for money.

After all, even an emperor would have a very uncomfortable life without money.

One million taels, that's quite a lot!
Seeing Emperor Qianxi's astonished expression, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Father, this time the sale of land in Xiaotangshan was actually thanks to your influence."

"Speaking of this deal, it was I who orchestrated it, and with your personal help, Father, that it was finally completed."

"Without your personal involvement, Father Emperor, we wouldn't have been able to earn this money."

"So the profits naturally belong to both of us."

"Your share of one million taels has been deposited in Yuqing Bank by your son. You can withdraw it directly from the bank whenever you need it!"

Hearing Shen Ye say this, Emperor Qianxi felt that it made sense.

He held the one million taels that Shen Ye handed him and said with a smile, "Since you say so, then I'll accept this money."

"If something like this happens again, you can discuss it with me anytime."

This wasn't just polite talk from the Qianxi Emperor; it was what he truly thought.

Doing nothing and getting a palace and a million taels of silver—he naturally hoped for as much of this business as possible.

Just as Shen Ye was about to speak, Liang Jiugong hurriedly walked over and said, "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Zhang Ying has arrived and says he has important matters to discuss with you."

Seeing Liang Jiugong's expression, Emperor Qianxi's expression immediately became serious.

He knew that Zhang Ying had just left, and her hasty arrival at this time must mean something important had happened.

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(End of this chapter)