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

Chapter 39 The Emperor's Heart is as Vast as the Sea, as Bright as the Sun
To take a second wife?

You can have this!

You've been clinging to the throne, so what's wrong with me taking a second wife?
Shen Ye almost thanked Emperor Qianxi, but he knew that if he dared to do so, given Emperor Qianxi's temper, not only would the second branch of the family refuse to give him anything, but he would also be subjected to a barrage of venomous words.

What a disgrace to the Crown Prince Yunye! He is unworthy of me and lustful...

I can't let myself get fish bones stuck in my throat instead of getting any fish meat!
Thinking of this, Shen Ye could only look at Emperor Qianxi with longing eyes and say in a wronged tone, "Father, I just want a place to stay."

"After all, I will be observing the government in the future."

"I still have to handle the tasks you assigned me. There's nowhere to stay, and I can't even get a proper rest!"

Emperor Qianxi was a father who cared deeply for his children. When he saw Shen Ye saying that there was nowhere for her to rest, he listened attentively.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Buying a house to rest in is fine, but you are not allowed to stay overnight outside."

Just as the father and son were talking, the storytelling began, and it was about the great battle of Zhuxian Town. For a moment, cheers and applause filled the huge Dexing Tower.

Normally, Shen Ye would start listening to the storytelling with great interest.

When they hear something that pleases them, they might ask for a small tip.

Although it's not much, it's still the price of a ticket.

However, Emperor Qianxi was sitting to one side, making it difficult for him to listen.

Emperor Qianxi, however, listened with a leisurely air.

After listening to a storyteller's tale, Emperor Qianxi left with Liang Jiugong and a group of guards.

With Emperor Qianxi gone, Shen Ye breathed a long sigh of relief.

Although he knew that Emperor Qianxi would definitely have someone report his whereabouts as the crown prince, he did not expect that Emperor Qianxi would have such a accurate grasp of his movements.

This is exactly where they're waiting for me, right on time!
The emperor's heart is like the sea, unfathomable!
But as the saying goes, the truth is always revealed, and it can't escape the word "power."

Just as Shen Ye was feeling sentimental, Zhou Bao quietly walked in and respectfully knelt on the ground.

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Get up."

While pouring Shen Ye a glass of water, Zhou Bao said, "Your Highness, Steward Liang has arranged for me to have tea in another private room."

Shen Ye nodded; Zhou Bao was telling him that he had not been questioned.

But this was meaningless, because it was completely unnecessary for Emperor Qianxi.

"Call Erlengtai over, let's go check out the soup kitchen outside the city."

Erlengtai was a first-class bodyguard and also the leader of Shen Ye's guards.

Shen Ye felt that most of his whereabouts were reported to Emperor Qianxi by this person.

But it doesn't matter, we'll still use it when necessary.

Zhou Bao had been working with Shen Ye in the Daxing County government office for some time and had already learned something about the drought.

Although he had never been to the soup kitchen, he knew that the environment there was not good.

So he immediately advised Shen Ye, "Your Highness, I heard it smells terrible there. If you have any instructions, you can just have Erlengtai and the others do them."

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Do as I say."

In just a quarter of an hour, Shen Ye arrived at the soup kitchen outside Daxing County.

The porridge stalls were still cooking porridge, and it would be some time before they started serving it. But long queues had already formed in front of each pot of porridge.

Even though he was standing at a distance, the sight still made Shen Ye's heart clench.

He only heard numbers from the reports and didn't have much of a feeling about them.

But being there in person made him feel a great deal of reluctance.

He was just an ordinary time traveler, not a ruthless overlord who would rather betray the world than let the world betray him.

"Mother, Mother, I'm hungry!" A small figure grabbed the hand of the emaciated woman beside him and cried out helplessly.

The woman could only hold the broken bowl and whisper words of comfort. "Master, just buy this girl. She's already ten years old. In another year or two, she'll be able to do all kinds of work!" A gaunt man suddenly rushed up to Shen Ye and shouted.

Beside him, he was holding the hand of a little girl in tattered clothes.

Seeing someone rush in front of Shen Ye, Erlengtai and the others' expressions changed drastically, and some even brandished their knives and were about to rush over.

Shen Ye waved his hand at Erlengtai and said, "He's just asking for a way to survive, don't make things difficult for him."

At this point, he glanced at the burly man and said, "There will be job openings today. You'll have to support this kid yourself."

As he said this, he glanced at the gathered disaster victims a few more times, a sigh welling up in his heart.

If he was somewhat reluctant to take on this task before because of Emperor Qianxi's arrangement, now he feels that he should do it well.

Not for any other reason, but because I feel uneasy about my conscience.

"Your subordinate Luo Hu greets Your Excellency, County Magistrate." A middle-aged man dressed as a constable quickly ran over and bowed to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye had no recollection of Luo Hu.

The reason for this was that the other party was simply not qualified to appear before him, the county magistrate.

"Get up."

Shen Ye casually asked, "Are you in charge here?"

"Master Nian instructed me to lead my subordinates on patrol here, to prevent any trouble."

Upon hearing Luo Hu's answer, Shen Ye realized that this Lord Nian Dongliang was indeed quite capable.

He casually asked, "How many disaster victims are there here now?"

"My lord, there are about twenty or thirty thousand, and the number is still increasing," Luo Hu said. "I heard that the area affected by the drought has expanded again."

Shen Ye then asked, "How many young and middle-aged men are there?"

"There should be seven or eight thousand." Luo Hu hesitated for a moment and said, "I can't count them all, but there are more young and strong men."

Although Luo Hu put it mildly, Shen Ye knew that the elderly and those in poor health simply couldn't come here.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Luo Hu, prepare a recruitment notice for me. Say that starting tomorrow, we will recruit young and strong men to work."

"Meals are provided, and each person receives fifty coins per day."

Luo Hu was taken aback when he heard this arrangement.

Shouldn't the magistrate be the one to decide whether to recruit able-bodied men for work and then pay them?

Since when did county magistrates become allowed to make decisions on their own?

However, he also knew that his county magistrate had an amazing background and held the rank of a third-grade nobleman. Even if he met the top official of Shuntian Prefecture, he would not need to bow.

Moreover, ever since he arrived at the county government office, almost everyone has fawned over him and revolved around him.

No one objected to his decision.

"Sir, how many people do you plan to recruit?" Luo Hu abandoned his doubts and quickly asked.

Shen Ye said, "Recruit as many as you can. Anyone who wants to work is welcome."

Upon hearing this, Luo Hu felt a buzzing in his head. He mustered his courage and glanced at Shen Ye, asking, "Sir, what... what are you planning to do?"

"If we recruit people like this, that would be several thousand people at once!"

"That's several hundred taels of silver a day."

Shen Ye looked at the worried Luo Hu and waved his hand, saying, "Just do as I tell you, you don't need to worry about anything else."

At this point, Shen Ye waved his hand forward and said, "As for what to do, naturally we'll build another city!"

Hey everyone, I need your support for my new book! I'll take all your votes!

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(End of this chapter)