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

Chapter 364 I feel like I'm becoming more and more like Lao Ba.

Zhen Yan has really fainted this time!
However, he regained his senses quickly this time.

After all, there was no need to pretend this time. After Zhou Bao helped him sit on the chair for a few minutes, he became fully awake.

He looked at Shen Ye, his voice carrying a desperate, tragic air:
"Your Highness, how can I possibly thank you enough?"

"Are you determined to turn me into someone like Hai Gangfeng?!"

Shen Ye replied with a smile:

"Lord Zhen, the path has been chosen, and there's no turning back now."

As he spoke, Shen Ye leaned closer, lowering his voice but speaking clearly, each word distinct:
"I believe that once you submit these three memorials, the whole world will see you as a 'divine sword' for our Great Zhou."

"Right now, some people may misunderstand you, scold you, or resent you, but after a while, they will naturally understand your good intentions."

"After all, time will tell. Your life will be much easier then!"

Zhen Yan let out a long sigh.

How could he not understand that the Crown Prince was dangling a carrot in front of him? But he couldn't refuse that carrot.

"I hope... everything is as the Crown Prince said."

As he said this, Zhen Yan's face showed an unconcealable sadness, as if he could see himself struggling in the raging fire.

Shen Ye patted his shoulder, offering him a silent comfort.

After Zhou Bao arranged a place for Zhen Yan to stay, Shen Ye turned and went to the banquet hall.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw the Fourteenth Prince standing there, fuming.

"Brother Crown Prince! Why didn't you call me again this time?!"

Shen Ye has never indulged the fourteenth prince, that unruly child:

"Fourteenth brother, you are still young. Just focus on your studies. It's not appropriate for children to get involved in the things we're discussing."

After saying that, she tried to walk past him and go inside.

Unexpectedly, the fourteenth prince persisted relentlessly, stubbornly sticking out his neck and shouting defiantly:
"Hmph! Crown Prince, don't look down on me! The other day I went hunting with Father and even shot a wolf with my own hands!"

"Even my father said I've grown up! I'm an adult now!"

"If you don't let me participate, I'll go to my father and demand an explanation! He'll definitely let me come!"

Seeing his defiant look, Shen Ye felt a surge of amusement:
Fine, if you insist on coming, then don't blame me for making you do the work.

"Fourteenth Brother, you said those words yourself."

"Since you're willing to work, I'll assign you a position today."

As they were talking, the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince walked over side by side.

Since they took charge of building that "fast track" from Beijing to Tianjin, the two of them have been visiting Shen Ye more and more frequently.

Many things are gradually starting to align with Shen Ye's direction.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" The two bowed in unison.

Shen Ye waved his hand and stepped forward to offer a helping hand:
"I've told you two so many times, we're all on the same side, stop with the formalities."

"How's the expressway construction going?" Shen Ye asked casually.

The Ninth Prince replied with a smile:
"The road repairs were all handled by Jackie Chan, while the two of us were responsible for providing the funds and checking the accounts."

“I had my cousin take a look a couple of days ago. He said that the roadbed has been laid and all that’s left is to pave the road surface.”

As he spoke, his eyes lit up, and he said excitedly:

"Your Highness, did you know? Yesterday, Zha Tai sold ten shares of Fast Track in order to build a manor."
One share sold for two thousand taels! That's double what he invested in!

Shen Ye smiled slightly, and he smiled too—he owned a significant share in the project, so he was naturally happy about the price increase.

But he quickly became serious and said:
"You two shouldn't just dump all the work on Yu Chenglong. Although he's a capable official, you two still need to keep an eye on things. When it comes to construction projects, the worst thing is for subordinates to team up and slack off!"

The tenth prince quickly replied:
"Your Highness, rest assured, we will not let you down and will not cause you any trouble!"

Shen Ye nodded in satisfaction:

"If this expressway is completed, we'll start working on the next one."

"If we could connect the area within a thousand miles of the capital and build a rapid transit network," Shen Ye's voice deepened, carrying a seductive undertone.

"Even if we lie comfortably at home, money will still flow into our house like water, there's no way to stop it!"
The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince exchanged a quick glance, then simultaneously grinned, their smiles so wide their eyes disappeared.

They know all too well how popular the fast lane is right now.

If the road network is truly built, the money will be so plentiful that your hands will cramp from counting it.

The Ninth Prince was ambitious:
"Once this road is completed, I will contact the local gentry and work to build expressways in various places as soon as possible."

"When that time comes, whoever comes to the capital will have to pay us brothers!"

The fourteenth prince, who was standing to the side, felt a strong urge to join in.

Although he had never lacked money, he was well aware of the principle that those with money in the palace were the most powerful.

Those who are short of money will have their servants secretly rolling their eyes at them! Who wouldn't want to earn more silver!

So he quickly tugged at Shen Ye's sleeve:
"Brother Crown Prince, could you include me in that expressway network too?"

"I still have several thousand taels of silver here!"

The Ninth Prince was taken aback:
"Where did you get so much money? When I was your age, I only had a few hundred taels at most."

The fourteenth prince proudly raised his face:

"Hmph! During the New Year, I always accompanied my father, and all those imperial uncles and elders came to visit him. Didn't they all give me some red envelopes?"

The Ninth Prince was speechless for a moment, feeling a pang of jealousy towards his youngest brother. Shen Ye glanced at the Fourteenth Prince, his mind racing:

In the historical struggle for the throne among the nine princes, the fourteenth prince actually came from behind to win.

At first, he followed behind Lao Ba and Lao Jiu, but later he started to set up his own business.

Now look what's happened! The ninth, tenth, and fourteenth princes are all following me around like madmen...

Am I now playing the role of replacing Lao Ba?

Just then, another announcement was heard:

"Your subject greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"

Shen Ye looked up and saw that it was none other than the thirteenth prince.

This is one of our own, and in terms of loyalty, he's even more reliable than the tenth and ninth brothers.

After returning from the grasslands, the thirteenth prince followed him steadfastly.

Shen Ye smiled and helped him up:
"I've said it so many times, we brothers don't need these formalities."

"Just put on a show in front of outsiders. Now that we're all family, let's be more relaxed."

These words warmed the heart of the thirteenth prince.

Although he understood that, ultimately, there was still a distinction between ruler and subject,
He was still pleased that the Crown Prince had said "one of our own" and that this gesture of closeness was something he appreciated.

The Ninth Prince and the others shared the same feeling; regardless, they could now be considered to have joined the Crown Prince's "own people" camp. The Thirteenth Prince immediately said seriously:

“Brother Crown Prince, etiquette must not be disregarded.”

Shen Ye patted his shoulder affectionately:

"I was just talking to your ninth and tenth brothers about the expressway network."

"The fourteenth brother insisted on using his pocket money to invest. Why don't you come along and earn some pocket money with your ninth and tenth brothers?"

The Ninth Prince was not surprised that the Crown Prince had brought the Thirteenth Prince into the group—this was originally the Crown Prince's doing.

Besides, since the thirteenth prince returned from the grasslands, he has been completely obedient to the crown prince, so having another reliable one wouldn't be a bad thing.

The thirteenth prince wasn't really thinking about making money; he simply responded immediately when the crown prince asked.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I will benefit from your favor."

"We're all brothers, no need to be so polite!"

Shen Ye patted him again, "Let's go inside and sit down to talk."

In the short time it took to exchange just a few words, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and others arrived one after another.

The hall quickly became lively.

The fish was top-quality, and the chef was specially invited by Shen Ye. He was a renowned chef, and the milky white fish soup was incredibly fragrant. The fish meat was as tender as cream, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

After several rounds of drinks, the eldest prince put down his cup:

"Your Highness, you didn't call us brothers here just to eat fish, did you? With such a large entourage, we must have something important to discuss."

Shen Ye smiled:
"of course not."

"This time it's my father's idea."

“When we reviewed the auditions last time, everyone saw that tax table—it was absolutely shocking!”

"If that trend continues, our Great Zhou might not even be as good as the previous dynasty..."

"When the day comes that our country collapses, it will be our descendants who suffer."

Upon hearing this, several of the older princes put down their chopsticks in unison.

They had all studied in the Imperial Study and were aware of the fate of the previous dynasty's imperial family—

Those who were lucky were demoted to commoners and forced to live in obscurity in the marketplace; those who were unlucky, like the Prince of Fu, were boiled alive on the day the city fell...

The fourth prince's expression was solemn:
"Your Highness, what does Father Emperor intend for us to do?"

Although he had always harbored ambitions to seize the throne, this matter concerned the survival of all members of the imperial clan, and could not be taken lightly.

"Father is determined to reform the laws. We can no longer place all the taxes on the common people and make them poorer and poorer."

"But those officials and gentry are getting richer and richer, and sooner or later they will cause a big mess."

Shen Ye said solemnly, "Father Emperor believes that the most credible people in this matter are us brothers."

"Brothers fight side by side, fathers and sons go to war together." Shen Ye's gaze swept over every face at the dinner table, his words resounding:

"As long as we brothers are of one mind and work together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish."

These words suddenly made the princes, who harbored ulterior motives, feel much closer to each other. They all understood the principle that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.

Currently, they are facing a common crisis.

The Fifth Prince was the first to express his opinion:
"Your Highness is right! When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal. As long as we brothers are of one mind, we can accomplish anything!"

"Please tell me what you need, and I will do my best to help you without hesitation!"

As soon as he spoke, everyone else followed suit, even the eldest prince could only barely lift his wine cup to express his opinion:
"Your Highness, please feel free to give any instructions."

Shen Ye nodded:
"Father has entrusted this matter to us, and I think we should discuss it regularly."

"Who is in charge of which part, and what difficulties have been encountered, should all be discussed openly and together."

No one objected to the proposal.

The atmosphere at the banquet gradually became serious.

Seeing that the groundwork had been laid, Shen Ye suddenly turned to look at the Third Prince, who had remained silent all along:
"Third brother, you've read the most books here—tell me, which family is the most powerful in the world today?"

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(End of this chapter)