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

Chapter 444 Stop acting, let's come clean.

The hot spring palace remains warm and cozy, so warm that you don't want to leave!

After having a meal with the Empress Dowager, watching a play, and enjoying a relaxing hot spring bath, Emperor Qianxi felt every pore on his body rejoice – so comfortable!
However, Emperor Qianxi was far from relaxed at this moment.

Why? Because he didn't come here to relax in the hot springs, nor to watch the play with the Empress Dowager. He came here to urge the Crown Prince to find him money quickly.

So that evening, after chatting with the Empress Dowager, Emperor Qianxi strolled back to his temporary palace.

Wearing a light, flowing silk nightgown, enjoying life, she suddenly had a whimsical thought and turned to Liang Jiugong beside her, asking, "Liang Jiugong, do you think anyone would be willing to buy this hot spring palace if I were to sell it? How about asking for four million taels of silver?"

Upon hearing this, Liang Jiugong thought to himself, "Your Majesty, you're really obsessed with money!"

This palace is nice and valuable enough, but it's not worth the price!
Besides, even if someone could come up with that much money, he wouldn't dare to buy it!
I just bought your hot spring palace, and now I have to figure out how to avoid your ruthless hand.

Although he thought this in his heart, on the surface, Liang Jiugong still said respectfully as usual: "Your Majesty, your palace is worth more than four million taels, even ten million taels would be priceless and impossible to buy."

"The problem is, where in the world do people have that much cash?"

Upon hearing Liang Jiugong's words, Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "You are still too ignorant! There are plenty of rich people in this world, you just don't know it."

"What is the Crown Prince doing today?"

Liang Jiugong knew very well that His Majesty's visit to the Hot Spring Palace was aimed at the Crown Prince.

So the first thing he did after arriving at the hot spring palace was to keep a close eye on the crown prince's every move.

We can't ignore him, since he's Emperor Qianxi's personal steward.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is currently holding a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department, hoping to extract some money from them."

Liang Jiugong hesitated for a moment before saying, "This meeting... has been going on for more than an hour now."

Emperor Qianxi knew that nothing in the palace could be hidden from his trusted confidant, Liang Jiugong.

This was originally a task he assigned to Liang Jiugong.

Hearing that the Crown Prince was very obedient and attending the meeting quietly, Emperor Qianxi smiled knowingly.

It seems that my personal presence has some deterrent effect; this kid has finally decided to move!

"How's the effect?"

Liang Jiugong hesitated for a moment, but still honestly said, "I heard from Xiao Dezi, who serves tea, that the effect... doesn't seem to be very good."

"The Crown Prince has already reprimanded Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue, several times."

But Mazi kept repeating the same thing: no money!

Emperor Qianxi was not concerned when he heard that his son had reprimanded Ma Qi.

Although Ma Qi was his favorite minister, it was nothing for him to be scolded by the crown prince.

Who can blame them when the Crown Prince is now the top official in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and his abilities far surpass those of Ma Qi?
What was Mazi's reaction?

"Although Lord Ma was somewhat resentful of the Crown Prince's reprimand, he dared not argue back," Liang Jiugong said cautiously. "However, no matter what Lord Ma says, he can't conjure up any money."

Emperor Qianxi slammed his hand on the table!
Based on his understanding of the Crown Prince, this kid's money-making schemes were more elaborate than the imperial kitchen's recipes; there was no way he couldn't find a way.

But now, after arguing with Ma Qi for ages, he still got nowhere. Of the two of them, one of them is definitely just going through the motions.

Maqi?
He wouldn't dare!
After all, the Crown Prince was a financial expert, and Ma Qi's little tricks could not escape the Crown Prince's grasp.

Therefore, it is unlikely that Ma Qi would try to outsmart the Crown Prince.

If it's not Ma Qi, then it must be the Crown Prince himself acting!
This kid is clearly dawdling: he's deliberately asking a bunch of questions that neither Ma Qi nor the Ministry of Revenue can answer.

To those who didn't understand, it seemed that the Crown Prince had been busy for a long time but couldn't accomplish anything, not because he was incompetent, but because the Ministry of Revenue was truly helpless.

But what is the reality?
The crown prince just doesn't want to work!

Emperor Qianxi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to hang the Crown Prince up and beat him, and asked again, "What about the Imperial Household Department?"

"The Imperial Household Department did manage to scrape together some money, but not much. I heard from Xiao Dezi that it was around one or two hundred thousand taels."

As Liang Jiugong spoke, he wiped his sweat, looking at Emperor Qianxi with a nervous expression.

He knew all too well what His Majesty wanted, and he also understood all too well what tricks the Crown Prince was playing.

This father and son are having a battle of wits!
Don't be fooled by their current harmonious relationship; they might just flip the table at any moment.

I just hope that innocent bystanders don't get caught in the crossfire!

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand at Liang Jiugong and said, "Have someone keep an eye on things. After the Crown Prince finishes his meeting, summon Ma Qi to see me."

Ma Qi arrived incredibly fast, and in less than half an hour, he knelt down before Emperor Qianxi with a thud, looking utterly aggrieved.

"Your humble servant Ma Qi greets Your Majesty." Ma Qi usually refers to himself as "your humble servant."

Today, he suddenly changed his address to "servant," which clearly shows that he is afraid.

"No need for formalities." Emperor Qianxi, not wanting to beat around the bush, went straight to the point: "What did the Crown Prince say to you?"

"The Crown Prince asked me to find a way to transfer silver from the treasuries of various provinces. I told the Crown Prince that the silver reserves in these treasuries are pitifully small, and the treasuries still need to be maintained. Transferring silver would be a waste of time, Your Majesty!"

Ma Qi glanced at the Emperor's face, paused, and then added, "However, His Highness the Crown Prince did point out several loopholes in the treasury silver of the provinces."

“But Your Majesty, investigating the provincial treasury is like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s time-consuming and laborious, and even if we find something, there’s not much to gain. In the end, it will probably just be a mess.”

"Not only is it a losing proposition, but it also wastes people's money and resources."

Hearing Ma Qi's words, Emperor Qianxi coldly said, "You should still investigate the situations mentioned by the Crown Prince!"

"However, there's no need to rush. The most important thing now is to raise funds and supplies."

"But those who dare to tamper with the treasury should not be let off lightly."

"What they're after is all my money!"

When the topic turned to his money, Emperor Qianxi's expression darkened further.

Although Ma Qi did not want to offend the heads of the local treasuries, Emperor Qianxi had spoken, so how could he dare not listen?
He had no choice but to obediently reply, "Your Majesty, I will certainly arrange for people to investigate."

"Do you think... the Crown Prince has any other clever tricks up his sleeve for raising this money?" Emperor Qianxi asked the question he was most concerned about.

Ma Qi instantly broke out in a sweat.

This isn't a question with answers; it's a death trap!

After all, a wrong answer could sow discord between the most esteemed father and son in the imperial family.

That could even get him killed, and his head could be chopped off and used as a football!
To say that the Crown Prince has a solution is tantamount to admitting that the Crown Prince is pretending to be stupid;
To say that the crown prince has no way out would make him seem incompetent.

He stammered for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out a sentence:
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed working tirelessly to alleviate your worries."

"However... compared to the past, Your Highness seems to have lost some of your 'strokes of genius'."

After saying that, Ma Qi shut his mouth tightly.

Emperor Qianxi immediately understood: the Crown Prince was indeed working, but it was all an act for him!
After pacing back and forth a few times, Emperor Qianxi patted Ma Qi on the shoulder and said, "Ma Qi, the court is facing many difficulties."

"I'm leaving the Ministry of Revenue to you."

"The Ministry of Revenue absolutely cannot have any problems."

Ma Qi breathed a long sigh of relief. The fact that Emperor Qianxi was still willing to give him a task meant that His Majesty still trusted him. If he had been ignored, then it would have been truly the end for him.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, your humble servant will dedicate himself to the utmost, even unto death!"

After dismissing Zou Maqi, Emperor Qianxi paced around the room again.

The current crown prince appears quite gentle on the surface, but every time he talks with his father, his eyes redden and he bursts into tears, putting on the appearance of a very filial son.

However, this eldest son was secretly plotting against his old father.

Emperor Qianxi felt as if he were being punched in the face, and his heart was filled with suffocation.

Emperor Qianxi was pacing around the room with his hands behind his back when he suddenly caught sight of Qi Xi, the newly appointed head of the Imperial Household Department, walking past the door with his head drooping.

Qi Xi's face was a little gloomy, and he looked like he couldn't make up his mind.

"Qi Xi!" Emperor Qianxi called out to him.

Qi Xi had previously served as a bodyguard to Emperor Qianxi and was considered one of his most trusted confidants.

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's shout, he quickly jogged in and curtly bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Majesty."

"Get up. You seemed preoccupied just now. What were you thinking about?" Emperor Qianxi asked Qi Xi in a deep voice.

Qi Xi rubbed his hands together, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "His Highness just finished accounting with the Imperial Household Department and asked me to find a way to exchange the items in the Imperial Household Department's inventory that are not needed for the time being for money."

"But most of the items in the Imperial Household Department have somewhere to go."

"If the Crown Prince continues to act this way, the palace's supplies will definitely run into shortage after a while."

"Even if we have the money, we won't be able to make up for it!"

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, follow the Crown Prince's instructions and organize the Imperial Household Department's treasury first."

"Make a list of the items that can be sold first."

Before Qi Xi could say anything more, he waved to Qi Xi, indicating that he could leave.

Although Qi Xi was unwilling, since Emperor Qianxi had already said so, he could only leave dejectedly.

As Qi Xi left, Emperor Qianxi's expression grew even more somber.

The Crown Prince has put on quite a show, making a big fuss and trying every possible method.

But the money wasn't much; the main goal was to put in the effort and shout it out for nothing, just to impress yourself.

This wretched child is incredibly clever! He's making a fool of his old father!

Time waits for no one, military secrets wait for no one, and I don't have time to put on an act with the Crown Prince here.

He paced back and forth a few steps, then suddenly stopped, finally making up his mind.

"Liang Jiugong, summon the Crown Prince to see me!"

Liang Jiugong scrambled away, and in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shen Ye arrived before Emperor Qianxi.

Upon seeing Emperor Qianxi, Shen Ye respectfully reported before he had even stood up properly: "Father, I have just had a meeting with the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue."

"Your subject is preparing..."

"Stop!" Emperor Qianxi interrupted Shen Ye before he could finish speaking, "We'll talk about that later."

"Now that there are no outsiders, just the two of us, father and son, speak frankly—what do you want from me to raise this much silver for me?"

　The first update of the day is here! Please support me at the end of the month, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)