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

Chapter 447 Another Disappointing Son

In the eyes of Emperor Qianxi, the Duke Yansheng Kong Yujin was a memorial tablet that he personally placed on the altar!
It was specifically designed to soothe the restless hearts of scholars across the land, preventing them from jumping around in a frenzy.

Emperor Qianxi inwardly approved of the Crown Prince's measures to restrict the lineage of the Duke Yansheng.

After all, while the ancestral tablets of the Confucius family are useful, we can't just stand by and watch them pretend to be descendants of sages while simultaneously raking in money like crazy. Their behavior is too ugly.

But who could have imagined that this earthquake at Mount Tai would give some people another reason to make a fuss, saying things like "the emperor has lost his virtue" and "the crown prince has offended Heaven"... Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi's blood pressure soared!

Emperor Qianxi did not stop the Crown Prince from sending the Fourth Prince to provide disaster relief and take the opportunity to investigate the Kong family's troubles.

Let them investigate; it'll be a good opportunity to give them a warning.

As a result, the Duke Yansheng actually hanged himself!
This scene caught Emperor Qianxi somewhat off guard.

This is bad; if this matter isn't handled properly, it could cause an even bigger storm.

From Emperor Qianxi's perspective, he certainly didn't want any more major incidents to occur.

After all, the war in the Northwest is intensifying, and if the country becomes unstable, it will affect his military plans!

He forced himself to remain calm and asked Liang Jiugong in a deep voice, "Why would the Duke Yansheng be so distraught? Surely he wouldn't take his own life just because the Fourth Prince scolded him a few times?"

"This servant would not dare to speak presumptuously. The memorial is right here. Why don't you take a look for yourself?"

Liang Jiugong played a trick. The person who delivered the memorial had already explained why the Duke Yansheng hanged himself, but who would dare to respond to such a question?
When Emperor Qianxi took the memorial, he found that it did not actually explain how the Duke Yansheng died. It only recorded that the fourth prince, Yunzhen, went to the Duke Yansheng's residence and reprimanded the Duke Yansheng for oppressing the local people and bullying the good.

Not long after the Fourth Prince left, Duke Yansheng Kong Yujin hanged himself.

This memorial doesn't even specify whether Duke Yansheng Kong Yujin died of fright.

Did he die of anger?
Anyway, no matter what the reason, it's definitely related to the fourth brother.

Emperor Qianxi frowned and sighed inwardly, "That unlucky fourth son of mine, I only sent you to give him a warning, not to see him off at his deathbed!"
On second thought, based on his understanding of Kong Yujin, and knowing his cunning nature, he wouldn't stoop to the point of hanging himself after suffering a little humiliation.

There must be something wrong here.

However, the death of the Duke Yansheng will likely be used by some to stir up trouble.

He glanced at the signature on the memorial and found that it was a report from the Shandong Provincial Governor's Office.

He set the report aside and said in a deep voice, "Has the Fourth Prince's report arrived yet?"

"Your Majesty, not yet," Liang Jiugong replied. "This servant has people keeping an eye on things. As soon as the Fourth Prince's report arrives, it will be sent over immediately."

Emperor Qianxi sighed softly, "The fourth prince is a bit too serious!"

"It's good that you can't tolerate any flaws, but you can't just fill in all the sand pits for others, can you?"

Liang Jiugong stood silently to one side, like a stone pillar. Emperor Qianxi could freely criticize his son, but Liang Jiugong could not speak recklessly.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at the memorials again, a sense of emotion rising in his heart.

Having more sons can help with chores, but having more sons is also a burden!

After reaching an agreement with Emperor Qianxi, Shen Ye returned to his residence.

Although it seems that Emperor Qianxi compromised in this negotiation, and he could be said to have won a great victory, he still felt depressed.

Although what Emperor Qianxi said when he overturned the table yesterday seemed like a threat, he will not do it.

But he knew in his heart that if he insisted on refusing, all of what Emperor Qianxi said might come true.

Moreover, achieving this was as simple as saying a word to the Qianxi Emperor.

In this world, imperial power is limitless.

Even for the crown prince, rebelling would be extremely difficult.

The concentration of imperial power in the Great Zhou Dynasty had reached its zenith.

Without major upheavals, it would be difficult to muster a force capable of challenging Emperor Qianxi.

When Shen Ye spoke of overseas territories in front of Emperor Qianxi, he said it was all for his own sake and to leave a way out for the future of the court.

However, once overseas territories are established and various shipping routes are set up, it can also bring Shen Ye a strong army.

This powerful army is at sea, in the distant Americas, and in places beyond the reach of Emperor Qianxi.

When this powerful army truly matures, it will become one of Shen Ye's trump cards.

Perhaps then, Father will know what true strength and power are...

He let out a long sigh, took a couple of sips of the tea Zhou Bao had brought, and then instructed Zhou Bao, "Please invite Lord Ma Qi here."

Zhou Bao was quick to act; in just over ten minutes, Ma Qi arrived in front of Shen Ye.

At this moment, Ma Qi dared not neglect Shen Ye in the slightest.

He knew very well that Emperor Qianxi's special trip to the Hot Spring Palace to pay his respects was to ask the Crown Prince to do something for him.

I don't know what agreement these two most honorable people of the Great Zhou have reached, but the fact that the Crown Prince was able to summon me means that he and His Majesty have already reached an agreement.

From Ma Qi's perspective, he really hoped that the Crown Prince and the Emperor would stand their ground to the end, so that the Qianxi Emperor might change the Crown Prince in a fit of anger.

Only at this point does the Eighth Prince have a chance.

Ma Qi was quite upset that the Eighth Prince had failed to complete his mission.

After all, he was the Minister of Revenue, yet he failed to help the Eighth Prince and instead caused the Eighth Prince to lose face so badly.

Although the Eighth Prince always greeted him with a smile, he still felt that the Eighth Prince must have some issues with him.

His feeling was very strong.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Ma Qi bowed respectfully to Shen Ye. Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "Lord Ma, no need for such formalities, please sit down!"

Ma Qi carefully sat down next to the chair, glancing around every now and then.

Today, the Crown Prince smiled and remained calm and composed, displaying the demeanor of a ruler.

For some reason, he thought of the three official positions that the Crown Prince had requested from Emperor Qianxi.

Prince of Qingqiu, General Fubo, and Governor-General of Overseas Military Affairs!
Does the Crown Prince really want to develop his career overseas, or is he going overseas?

Is this just a whim of the Crown Prince, or is it a precautionary measure?
Just as he was thinking this, he heard Shen Ye say in a deep voice, "Lord Ma, the Northwest army is waiting to set off. How much food and pay do we still need? We can't let them fight on an empty stomach, can we?"

Ma Qi was inwardly groaning and looked troubled: "Your Highness, although the Ministry of Revenue has one million taels of silver in its coffers, the most that can be mobilized is only five hundred thousand taels. With the New Year just around the corner, we must give all the officials some salary."

"Furthermore, the Lunar New Year is a major holiday, and the Ministry of Revenue still needs to make preparations..."

Ma Qi counted on his fingers, sweating profusely, the main issue being that the Ministry of Revenue couldn't provide much money.

Shen Ye suddenly leaned forward and smiled: "Lord Ma, my father told me that the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department are capable of raising two million taels of silver."

"You're telling me you only have 500,000 taels?"

"Do you want to talk to your father again?"

Ma Qi's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. This young master's words have become increasingly unpredictable lately!

He was speaking with a smile, yet it felt like a knife was held to his throat.

He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, we have been discussing the matter of grain and salary together these past two days. The Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department have a combined reserve of two million taels of silver."

"But if we take it all out, the imperial court will be unable to function."

"Please, Your Highness, see the truth!"

Shen Ye glanced at Ma Qi several times before saying, "The court must function, but sending troops is of utmost urgency."

"Of the one million taels of silver from the Ministry of Revenue, I'll leave you two hundred thousand!"

"Send the rest to Yuqing Bank."

At this point, he continued, "In addition, you should sign an agreement with Yuqing Bank to mortgage the tax supervisor of Chongwen Gate to Yuqing Bank for twenty years in order to obtain a loan of 2.4 million taels of silver."

Maqi almost slipped off his chair.

The tax supervisor at Chongwenmen was the most lucrative job in the land!
Whoever becomes the head of the tax bureau can earn 100,000 taels of silver a year, even if they do nothing. They are incredibly wealthy.

Of course, if you can do a good job of manipulating things from above and below, you can make even more money.

Many powerful figures coveted this position, but only Emperor Qianxi's confidants were able to sit in it.

The Crown Prince's demand for the tax supervisor of Chongwen Gate as collateral was indeed a sure-fire way to make money.

Ma Qi hesitated for a moment and asked, "Your Highness, what does this 20-year mortgage mean?"

"It means exactly what it says. In other words, within the next twenty years, the tax supervision of Chongwenmen will be under the jurisdiction of Yuqing Bank."

"Once the loan has been collected for twenty years, it will be considered settled, and Yuqing Bank will definitely collect taxes in accordance with the regulations of the imperial court."

"We will absolutely not overcharge."

"The imperial court can oversee this!"

Ma Qi hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I cannot make the decision to mortgage the tax supervisor of Chongwen Gate on my own!"

"Although the tax supervisor at Chongwen Gate is nominally under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, in reality, the tax supervisor has always been managed by His Majesty."

Shen Ye smiled and said, "If Lord Ma cannot make the decision, he can report it to His Majesty."

"After all, the tax supervisor of Chongwen Gate only collects tens of thousands of taels of silver a year."

"I'm here to share my father's burdens!"

Ma Qi smiled bitterly to himself. He knew very well how much silver could be collected if the tax supervisors at Chongwen Gate were properly disciplined.

However, he couldn't say it out loud, otherwise he would offend too many people.

"Please wait a moment, Your Highness, while I inform His Majesty."

Although Ma Qi really wanted to say that it would be best if he came with him to see Emperor Qianxi, he was somewhat afraid of Shen Ye because he had been scolded several times by Shen Ye over the issue of military pay.

Therefore, he dared not say such a thing.

After seeing Ma Qi off, Shen Ye stood up from his chair. For Yuqing Bank, obtaining twenty years' worth of tax revenue from the Chongwenmen Tax Bureau would definitely be a lucrative business opportunity.

Emperor Qianxi would probably agree.

After all, this job that paid him tens of thousands of taels of silver a year was just a sweet treat to him.

Just as Shen Ye was pondering how to manage the tax supervisor, Zhou Bao ran in and said, "Your Highness, Gao Wuyong, who serves the Fourth Prince, has arrived."

"He brought an urgent letter from the Fourth Prince."

"Please take a look, Your Highness."

Shen Ye quickly opened Yunzhen's letter, and saw the first line in large characters: "Second Brother Crown Prince, save me!"

Upon seeing this line of text, Shen Ye knew that the matter was serious, and he quickly read the letter over.

"Well, the fourth prince is in big trouble this time. It seems that Father has another son who will cause him trouble!"

(End of this chapter)