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

Chapter 442 I only have one sentence: Your subject is incompetent.

Although it was cold, it didn't chill Emperor Qianxi.

Inside Emperor Qianxi's most luxurious sedan chair, there were as many as six or seven braziers.

The silver charcoal crackled and steamed in the brazier, yet produced very little pungent smoke.

What's most amazing about this sedan chair is that the gap in the slightly raised corner of the curtain provides ventilation comparable to a modern fresh air system.

It won't make the emperor sneeze, and it will keep the temperature just right.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Emperor Qianxi felt as if he were in a mobile office.

Approving memorials? No problem; summoning ministers? Of course!

This time, Emperor Qianxi specially brought along a group of elites when he went out, such as Ma Qi from the Ministry of Revenue and the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department...

It's obvious to anyone with eyes to see what these people are being taken there for: Well, the Emperor is going to bring mobile harvesters to generate revenue again!
But what about these ministers? They were all grinning from ear to ear—

After all, being chosen by Emperor Qianxi to accompany them was a great honor for them!

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has already led his men to set up a battle formation ten miles away, awaiting Your Majesty's arrival!" Liang Jiugong approached Emperor Qianxi and whispered his report.

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had come all this way to greet him, Emperor Qianxi's face immediately lit up with a smile, and even his wrinkles shone with the gratification of an old father: "How far are we from the Hot Spring Palace now?"

"Your Majesty, it is about forty li away." Before coming to report, Liang Jiugong had already asked someone about this.

Hearing Liang Jiugong's answer, Emperor Qianxi was even more pleased.

The crown prince went out to greet him for thirty li. No matter what, this brat's filial piety is quite something!

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's set off quickly, lest the Crown Prince catch a cold!" The Emperor's words were overflowing with fatherly love; anyone who didn't know better would think he was some kind of doting father.

Liang Jiugong didn't care whether the emperor was sincere or not; he was well-versed in the ways of survival: whatever the emperor said was the truth!
As for the undercurrents between this father and son of the imperial family? Sorry, Liang Jiugong neither takes sides nor can he. To put it bluntly, the palace is like a deep sea, and he, a mere servant, can only ever be an emotionless clapping machine.

Urged on by Emperor Qianxi, the procession moved at a brisk pace. In just over fifteen minutes, they encountered the Crown Prince's welcoming party.

"Your subject respectfully welcomes Your Majesty!" Amidst the sound of drums and music, Shen Ye performed a standard salute with impeccable manners, his posture so upright that it brought tears to the eyes of the Ministry of Rites officials on the spot.

Emperor Qianxi stepped out of the sedan chair and shivered instantly from the cold wind. Looking at his son kneeling upright, he said with heartache, "Why did you come out in this freezing weather? Get up, get up!"

"You've always been sensitive to colds, so don't catch a chill!"

After saying this, Emperor Qianxi personally reached out to help him up, saying, "Come, come, come with your father to the sedan chair to talk."

"Liang Jiugong, quickly bring the Crown Prince a bowl of ginger tea to dispel the chill."

You have to admit, the emperor really knew how to enjoy life. Even while on the move, hot tea was served immediately.

After calmly expressing her gratitude, Shen Ye picked up the ginger tea and took a sip.

I must say, this ginger tea is served hot. When I drink it, I feel a warm current flowing from my throat into my stomach, which makes me feel much more comfortable.

"How is your grandmother's health lately?" Although Emperor Qianxi had urgent business on his mind, he still had to maintain appearances.

After all, he came out in a grand manner under the guise of visiting the Empress Dowager, so he couldn't possibly be too lazy to even ask how the Empress Dowager was doing, could he?

"Reporting to Father Emperor, Grandmother is well."

"The imperial physicians check the Empress Dowager's pulse every day, and they all say that her pulse is stable and normal!" Shen Ye answered fluently, and her expression management was also perfect.

Hearing his son's impeccable answer, Emperor Qianxi's heart skipped a beat. He was afraid that this matter would be difficult to handle today!

Unfortunately, when the time comes, you have to do it even if you have to bite the bullet.

He took a deep breath and launched into praise mode: "Your Highness has recently been rehearsing a play to amuse your grandmother, which is truly commendable and shows your filial piety!"

"Perfect timing. The General of Heilongjiang has presented some top-quality pearls as tribute. I'll have someone send you a liter of them later."

Faced with Emperor Qianxi's blatant sugar-coated bullet, Shen Ye accepted it without hesitation: "Thank you for the reward, Father."

Emperor Qianxi then changed the subject and casually remarked, "Your Highness, that Ayunbutan of the Dzungar Khanate is even more ambitious and treacherous than his uncle Galdan."

"Moreover, he is more insidious and cunning than Galdan."

"His advance into the snowy region was clearly intended to create a pincer movement against the imperial court."

“Once he establishes a foothold in the snowy region, the heartland of the imperial court will be under the threat of Ayunbutan’s military might.”

"If he can attack wherever he wants, then my Great Zhou Dynasty will never have peace!"

"Therefore, no matter how difficult it may be, the imperial court must send troops to reclaim the snowy region!"

"I cannot leave you with a mess and create future troubles for my descendants!"

When he got emotional, Emperor Qianxi's tone became incredibly poignant.

But Shen Ye couldn't help but laugh when he heard it—here it comes, this classic line is late but it's here.

What you're implying is this: this empire will be yours in the future. I'm fighting for you, so I'm short of money. You'd better put in some effort and show some support!
Shen Ye, now in his dramatic mode, immediately put on a touching expression: "Father Emperor has devoted himself to the Great Zhou Dynasty, and his descendants will always remember your kindness!"

Emperor Qianxi had been observing the Crown Prince's reaction, and seeing that his son had indeed grasped the situation, he quickly struck while the iron was hot:
He immediately said, "When a large army goes on an expedition, it is essential to have sufficient provisions and pay."

"Unfortunately, I have exhausted all my efforts these past few days and have only managed to raise less than two million taels of silver."

"This amount of silver is simply not enough for the army to set off."

"Alas, it's truly a case of having the will to kill the enemy, but being powerless to reverse the situation!"

In the end, although Emperor Qianxi did not shed tears, his sigh was heartbreaking to hear.

Emperor Qianxi was indeed a veteran actor; his words were sincere and heartfelt. Watching his father's award-winning performance, Shen Ye almost couldn't help but laugh.

You're in your prime now, what you fear most is someone taking away your power, right?
Otherwise, I would have just gotten the issue of taxation for both officials and gentry settled, and you would have immediately made a decision to "halve the tax burden".

So you get to be the good guy all the time, and all my efforts have been for nothing?
Are you trying to outdo me with your acting skills right now?

Who is afraid of whom!
Shen Ye suddenly knelt down on the ground, crying, "I cannot share Father's burdens, my heart is breaking!"

“These past few days, I have been unable to eat or drink, and I have been unable to sleep day and night, all because I am thinking about how to raise these four million taels of silver!”

"However, no matter how hard I rack my brains, I cannot raise this money."

"Your subject is truly incompetent, and begs Your Majesty to punish me!"

As he was talking, he pulled out a handkerchief with ginger juice hidden inside and pressed it hard against his eyes—goodness, the tears came out in an instant!
That expression was so heartbreaking that anyone who saw it would be saddened, and anyone who heard it would be moved to tears!
His acting skills are both profound and nuanced, and he deserves an Oscar!

Emperor Qianxi looked at his son, who was crying his eyes out, and his lips twitched a few times.

He knew his son's abilities all too well; a mere four million taels of silver was no challenge for him at all.

Besides, this brat is not a weak person at all, so why would he be crying uncontrollably because he couldn't complete the task he was given?

This is a bit unusual!
This isn't about sharing burdens and solving problems; it's clearly about shirking responsibility and not wanting to take on the job at all.

On his way to the hot spring palace, he had even figured out how to deal with the crown prince.

If the crown prince dares to talk back, then he must adopt the dignity of the emperor and teach the crown prince a lesson so that this brat will have to show some respect to his father.

But who could have imagined this!
The crown prince was heartbroken and cried his heart out the moment he arrived because he couldn't share his burdens. His crying was so loud that it shook heaven and earth and made ghosts weep. What else could he say?
Such a filial prince—if he were to lose his temper and forcefully deal with the situation, sensible people would naturally not say anything. But in this world, there are still more foolish people than wise ones.

Those people will certainly have opinions about him as emperor.

Even if Emperor Qianxi felt disgusted inside, on the surface he had to suppress the churning in his stomach, force a fatherly smile, and gently comfort the Crown Prince.

After all, the Crown Prince's deep sorrow stemmed from his inability to share his father's burdens.

“Your Highness, if you can’t think of a solution right now, we can’t force you. Your filial piety makes your father very happy.”

After saying these words, Emperor Qianxi himself got goosebumps. It was blatant lying and utterly disgusting!

Shen Ye held back his laughter until his cheeks ached, and continued acting with a sob in his voice: "Thank you for your understanding, Father! I only regret that I am not talented enough to share your burdens."

"Please rest assured, Father, after I return, I will study diligently to improve my abilities and strive to share more of your burdens in the future."

For a moment, looking at the Crown Prince's "sincere" tearful eyes, Emperor Qianxi even had a slight self-doubt: Could it be... that I really misunderstood the Crown Prince?

It's not that he doesn't want to help himself, but that he genuinely can't think of a solution.

However, the moment this idea came to mind, Emperor Qianxi immediately rejected it.

Give me a break! Who doesn't know that the Crown Prince is a master at making money?
These four million taels of silver should not be a problem for the Crown Prince.

But he's doing just that, crying here to me about how four hundred taels of silver has stumped even heroes!

I suspect that the Crown Prince is simply holding a grudge against me for my repeated flip-flopping on the issue of taxes being levied on officials and gentry alike, so he's deliberately refusing to help me.

Emperor Qianxi instantly snapped to his senses: "You little brat, you're trying to play the 'helplessness' card with me! You're definitely faking it!"

But we haven't arrived at the hot spring resort yet, so I have plenty of time to deal with my son.

He believed that with his abilities and status, he could eventually make the crown prince bow down.

His smile grew even more amiable as he said to Shen Ye, "Your Highness, there's no rush for studying; we can discuss it later."

“Let’s have a good talk, you and your son.”

"Since Father Emperor went on his last campaign, we father and son have not had a proper talk or a heart-to-heart chat for a long time."

Hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, Shen Ye sneered inwardly. Sure enough, he couldn't fool this old fox!
This power struggle between father and son has only just begun.

He immediately put on a grateful expression: "Father! Your son has so much to say to you, I've been wanting to tell you for a long time!"

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(End of this chapter)