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

Chapter 434 If the Crown Prince does not appear, what will become of the common people?

Emperor Qianxi turned his head and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see that the one who stood up to speak was actually Wang Yan!

Wang Yan's official rank was not the highest among all the civil and military officials, but he had one status that no one else could match:
He's the Crown Prince's teacher!

Therefore, he is definitely a member of the Crown Prince's faction.

At this point, Wang Yan stepped forward to make a recommendation, and almost everyone knew who he was recommending.

Emperor Qianxi also knew about it.

Upon seeing Wang Yan step forward, Emperor Qianxi was taken aback at first, then pretended to be clueless: "Whom does my dear minister wish to recommend?"

Actually, Wang Yan was feeling quite uneasy.

He knew that the moment he opened his mouth, Emperor Qianxi would know exactly who he was recommending.

He was afraid that Emperor Qianxi would not give him a chance to speak.

This time, because of tax issues, Emperor Qianxi sent the Crown Prince to the capital.

Although it wasn't an exile to herd horses, this actually demonstrated Emperor Qianxi's attitude:

If you don't obey, the next step I'll take is to depose the Crown Prince!

He even wrote a memorial to the throne requesting that another prince be assigned to repair the imperial tombs of Emperors Taizu and Taizong. But what happened? Emperor Qianxi simply threw the memorial aside as a piece of waste paper!

Now, Emperor Qianxi has actually allowed him to speak. What does this mean? It means that His Majesty still needs the Crown Prince!
After all, the Crown Prince is one of the few financial experts in the court.

Moreover, this matter is a matter of national survival.

At this moment, even His Majesty has to temporarily set aside his prejudices.

So he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is the court's foremost financial expert."

"If we ask him to intervene, perhaps the funds for the army's march will be secured."

"Moreover, once this war starts, even more money will be needed afterward, and the imperial court urgently needs a financial expert like the Crown Prince to oversee and regulate the situation."

"I recommend that the Crown Prince remain in the court to oversee the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue."

As soon as Wang Yan spoke, everyone showed an expression of "I knew it," but since they were all smart, no one wanted to be the first to speak.

Just then, someone jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, although the Crown Prince is good at managing finances, there are plenty of capable people in the Ministry of Revenue!"

"I believe that with Lord Maqi's abilities, he will certainly be able to raise four million taels of silver to set out with the army."

"The restoration of the imperial tombs of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong is a matter of great national importance. Besides the Crown Prince, who else can shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

Wang Yan looked toward the speaker and saw that it was none other than Zhang Yushu.

He understood Zhang Yushu's purpose in doing so.

He was filled with resentment towards Zhang Yushu.

It was Zhang Yushu who made false accusations, which strained the relationship between the Crown Prince and Emperor Qianxi.

The Crown Prince was exiled to the capital to repair the tombs of Emperors Taizu and Taizong. The mastermind behind this was Zhang Yushu.

Calling this guy a troublemaker is not an exaggeration at all!

"Zhang Yushu! The war in the snowy region is now a matter of life and death for the imperial court."

"At this moment, you are deceiving the emperor for your own selfish desires. Where is your conscience? Doesn't it hurt? Do you still have any dignity left?"

Wang Yan gave Zhang Yushu a stern rebuke.

For the sake of the crown prince, Wang Yan directly confronted him, completely disregarding the fact that Zhang Yushu held a higher official position than him.

Zhang Yushu's old face instantly turned bright red.

He always considered himself highly respected, and even the emperor showed him some respect in the court.

The fact that Emperor Qianxi had just bluntly told him, "You don't understand military affairs, so you should speak less in the future," was already embarrassing enough.

Now, even Wang Yan dares to target me.

This caused the anger that had been building up inside him to erupt instantly!
He said angrily, "Wang Yan, stop spouting nonsense!"

“I, Zhang Yushu, am of the highest moral character, how can I tolerate such slander from someone like you?”

At this point, he knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, you have already issued an imperial edict ordering the Crown Prince to go to the capital to repair the tombs of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong."

"Isn't Wang Yan's suggestion a sign that he's disregarding your orders and encouraging you to change your mind so easily?"

"Your Majesty, Wang Yan is a treacherous villain with ulterior motives. You must not listen to him!"

Wang Yan also quickly knelt on the ground and said loudly, "Your Majesty, filial piety is certainly important, but in times of emergency, expediency is the way of the world."

"For ministers, the court has the power to deprive them of their life's blessings!"

"The reason for summoning the Crown Prince to preside over the Ministry of Revenue this time is also for the sake of the overall situation of the court."

"As for Your Majesty changing your orders frequently, I have absolutely no such intention."

"His Majesty's decree has not actually changed; it simply means sending a different prince to the capital to repair the imperial mausoleums of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong."

"I am ashamed to associate with Zhang Yushu, a despicable man who disregards the affairs of the court and only cares about his own selfish interests!"

Zhang Yushu looked at the furious Wang Yan and was about to retort when Emperor Qianxi said to the two of them, "Both of you shut up for me."

"I summoned you here to discuss state affairs, not to have you quarrel."

"If you start arguing again, get out of here."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi glanced around a few times and then passed the buck to Tong Guowei: "Prime Minister Tong, where do you think the money for this expedition will come from?"

Tong Guowei was the chief Grand Secretary and was quite knowledgeable about the court's finances.

He knew perfectly well that the Ministry of Revenue was dirt poor, and even if Ma Qi worked himself to the bone, he couldn't produce that much silver.

Unless, extraordinary measures are taken.

However, if such methods were adopted, not only would the consequences be unpredictable, but it would also affect the reputation of Emperor Qianxi in the future.

The fact that Emperor Qianxi asked him about it now shows that Wang Yan's suggestion clearly appealed to him. It's just that Emperor Qianxi was too embarrassed to say it at the moment.

After all, his relationship with the Crown Prince had become somewhat strained.

He hesitated for a moment, and although somewhat reluctant, he still went along with Emperor Qianxi and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister cannot think of a way to raise four million taels of silver for the time being."

"However, this old minister thinks that His Highness the Crown Prince could give this a try."

"As for the matter of repairing the mausoleums of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, this old minister believes that another prince can be sent to do it."

"I believe that the spirits of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong in heaven would understand Your Majesty's approach of prioritizing national affairs."

As soon as Tong Guowei spoke, all the officials and civil and military officials fell silent.

Although many of them shared Zhang Yushu's thoughts and did not want the Crown Prince to take charge of the Ministry of Revenue at this time.

But they had no choice!

They can't turn money into cash, so they really can't take on this kind of job.

They couldn't stop someone from recommending the crown prince at this time.

Zhang Yushu opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately wisely kept it closed.

The court cannot do without the Crown Prince now, so for him to stand up and obstruct him is simply asking for trouble.

Emperor Qianxi looked at the silent officials below and said calmly, "Wang Yan, since you proposed this, then go and deliver the decree to the Crown Prince."

At this point, he turned to Minister of War Nuomin and others and said, "Let's put aside the matter of money and provisions for now. If we advance from two directions, how should we fight?"

Upon hearing that money wouldn't be mentioned, Nuomin and the others' expressions immediately improved.

They have no way of making money, so they dread discussing how to make money.

Wang Yan happily bid farewell to Emperor Qianxi, then got into a sedan chair and quickly headed towards the Hot Spring Palace.

He thought to himself with satisfaction that he had worked so hard to secure the opportunity for the Crown Prince to stay in the capital again, and that the Crown Prince should be especially happy.

He might even want to express his deepest gratitude to his teacher.

However, when Wang Yan arrived at the Hot Spring Palace, the Crown Prince, who in his eyes should be worried about going to the capital to renovate the mausoleums of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, looked quite relaxed.

Moreover, judging from the smile on the Crown Prince's face, he felt that the Crown Prince was not faking it.

Does the Crown Prince already know about this?

That shouldn't be the case. I've been rushing here without stopping at all. The Crown Prince shouldn't have received any news by now!

"This old minister greets Your Highness."

Shen Ye gently helped Wang Yan up and said, "Teacher Wang, it's freezing cold, why did you have to make the trip yourself?"

"I'm just going to the capital for a short trip. I'll be back once the imperial mausoleum is fully restored."

Shen Ye was not opposed to going to the capital.

Feeling a bit tired of being cooped up in the capital every day, Shen Ye was also getting a little weary.

If I could go to Beijing for some fresh air, that would be a good thing.

As for the position of Crown Prince, judging from the fact that Emperor Qianxi became more and more suspicious of his sons as he grew older, he would eventually be taken away by him by all means.

The sooner you quit, the easier it will be!
To save myself the trouble of being bothered by him.

Wang Yan rushed over, which Shen Ye interpreted as him coming to see her off.

In such freezing weather, with snow covering the roads, it was truly heartbreaking to see this elderly minister making such a arduous journey.

Wang Yan solemnly replied, "Your Highness's concern is deeply appreciated."

"However, this time I have not come to see the Crown Prince off."

"Your Majesty, I have come to congratulate you!"

At this point, Wang Yan's voice was filled with excitement as he said, "The snowy region has been invaded by the Dzungars, and His Majesty has decided to send troops on two fronts."

"This old minister recommends to Your Majesty that the Crown Prince take charge of the Ministry of Revenue and support this large-scale military operation."

"With the Crown Prince's financial acumen, I believe this matter will not be difficult for you."

"As long as you handle this matter well, I believe His Majesty will no longer hold a grudge about what happened before."

After Wang Yan finished speaking, he looked at Shen Ye expectantly.

Shen Ye naturally understood the implications of being put in charge of the Ministry of Revenue at this time.

He was also fully aware of the situation at the Ministry of Revenue.

Emperor Qianxi spent money like water, and coupled with the previous incidents, the Ministry of Revenue of the court had long been short of funds.

Sending troops in two directions sounds good, but in reality, the cost is not small.

The money was spent like water.

Emperor Qianxi probably couldn't raise that much silver in a short time, so he thought of taking it upon himself.

Shen Ye did have some ideas on how to make money, but he wasn't prepared to get involved in this mess.

He simply wasn't in the mood to keep up.

He casually said to Wang Yan, "Teacher Wang, I will always remember your kindness."

"However, you are also aware of the situation of the imperial granary."

"As the saying goes, even a clever housewife can't cook without rice, so I had no choice."

"So please tell my father that my abilities are limited, and that I should go and repair the imperial tombs of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong instead!"

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(End of this chapter)