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

Chapter 454 Hey buddy, how about some investment products?

Shen Ye didn't take the development of the online army seriously at all!
He strolled back to Yuqing Palace and started chatting with Cao Min about everyday things.

A few days ago, Cao Yin sent a large pile of gifts, along with a letter from the Cao family.

The letter was written in a very tactful and roundabout way, but the main point was: the gentry in Jiangnan have a lot of complaints about Your Highness!
In particular, your initiative to "tax officials and gentry pay taxes together" has become a thorn in their side, something they hate to the core!

Cao Yin repeatedly instructed his daughter to remind Shen Ye that even if she had to do something that might offend people, she shouldn't do it herself and take the lead!
Look at Emperor Shenzong of Song, he found Wang Anshi as a "human shield"!

After Cao Min relayed her father's kind reminder, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Min'er, let them curse if they want. Can their spittle drown someone? Will it take a piece of my flesh away?"

"If you ask me, the harsher their criticism, the more peaceful our lives become."

"When you reply to your father-in-law, just say that you have already reminded me, and don't say anything else, so as not to worry him."

Cao Min hesitated for a moment, but still obediently nodded.

As the two were chatting happily, Zhou Bao tiptoed in and said, "Your Highness, the Thirteenth Prince requests an audience."

Ever since he helped the Fifth Princess clear her name, the Thirteenth Prince has been determined to become Shen Ye's chief and most devoted follower.

Upon hearing that he had arrived, Shen Ye smiled and said, "Please invite Thirteenth Master to the small study."

"Oh, right, tell the kitchen to prepare four refreshing cold dishes, set up a mutton hot pot, and heat up two pots of wine—it's been a while since my thirteenth brother and I have had a drink and chat, so this time we're determined to drink to our hearts' content!"

Cao Min smiled and said, "The Imperial Household Department just sent us several jars of fine imperial wine a couple of days ago. I'll have Zhou Bao carry one over for you."

Shen Ye nodded and said, "Thirteenth Brother has a good capacity for alcohol, so we should prepare more today."

Half a winter had passed since they last met, and the thirteenth prince was noticeably more composed than before.

Upon seeing Shen Ye enter, he immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject greets Your Highness!"

Seeing the thirteenth prince about to kneel, Shen Ye stepped forward and supported him:
"Thirteenth Brother, how many times have I told you? We brothers don't do this kind of formality!"

"We haven't had a proper chat in a while, so I've already asked the kitchen to prepare everything!"

"I reckon the mutton hot pot is boiling by now, and the liquor is bubbling away. If we don't drink until we're completely drunk today, then your second brother hasn't entertained us well!"

Upon hearing Shen Ye's words, the thirteenth prince felt very pleased, his whole body warmed up: this act of loyalty was well worth it!
The Crown Prince was so accommodating that I immediately grinned and said, "Then I, your humble brother, will risk my life to accompany you, my second brother, today!"

After downing two cups of warm wine, Shen Ye raised an eyebrow and looked over: "Thirteenth Brother, you didn't come all this way just to mooch some mutton, did you?"

"Speak your mind, don't hold it in! Did you find out something again?"

The thirteenth prince put down his cup, his expression turning serious: "Second brother, the Crown Prince, I heard that you secured the position of General Fubo for His Majesty, so I specifically asked one of Shi Lang's men to inquire about it..."

"People say that the navy is no joke."

"Having ships and cannons alone is not enough; training them is a challenging task in every aspect."

"It would take at least three to five years to form an army, let alone undertake a long and arduous expedition!"

"Expanding overseas territories is a good thing, but I'm afraid that if my second brother, the Crown Prince, messes things up in the future, it will damage Your Highness's reputation. The spittle from those civil officials could flood the threshold of Yuqing Palace!"

Shen Ye laughed heartily and patted his shoulder: "Thirteenth brother, I know you're doing this all because you're worried about me!"

"Don't worry, your brother already has a brilliant plan!"

"It is indeed difficult to conjure up a navy out of thin air, but I have a way to build up the navy under General Fubo in a short period of time."

"However, this navy is composed of diverse elements, and we need a trustworthy person to oversee its integration. Thirteenth Brother, if you're not too busy lately, how about you go to Qingqiu Port to manage this navy for me?"

The thirteenth prince blinked, then asked in confusion, "Your Highness, how many people are in this naval force you mentioned?"

"Around 100,000 or so," Shen Ye said calmly as he sipped his tea.

"How much?!" The thirteenth prince choked on his wine, almost bringing tears to his eyes. This was simply unbelievable!
"Your Highness, even at the height of the dynasty's power, the navy only numbered 100,000. Are you including the Dragon King of the East Sea in this count and just teasing your younger brother?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Shen Ye smiled and poured him more wine. "Once things start up in Qingqiu, the navy will be there immediately!"
However, although I planned this team, it's currently a 'hodgepodge' and could easily cause trouble if not managed properly...

Therefore, I intend to petition Father to appoint you as the first commander. At that time, you must do everything in your power to help my brother firmly grasp it in our hands!

What? You want me to command a navy of over 100,000 men?

The thirteenth prince was so excited that he jumped to his feet, his hand trembling as he picked up the wine cup.
"I am honored that my second elder brother, the Crown Prince, thinks so highly of me. I will certainly train this navy into an iron fist at sea under the command of General Fubo!"

Shen Ye clinked glasses with him:

"From now on, land battles will be important, but naval battles will be even more important! Once our Fubo Navy is established and becomes a force to be reckoned with, Thirteenth Brother, you'll know what the real 'sea of ​​stars' means! Come on, let's drink!" Shen Ye looked at his thirteenth brother's radiant face and felt very reassured.

He had complete confidence in his thirteenth brother's abilities.

In his past life, this man had made many friends and acquaintances. Just by building up his goodwill, he was able to poach tens of thousands of elite troops from the commander of the Xishan Ruijian Camp. Now that he has status, money, and an official position, how bad can he be?

The two drank more and more, and before long, Shen Ye accidentally got himself drunk.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already completely dark.

"Your Highness, I've told you not to drink so much, but you won't listen. Drink some water and clear your head."

Cao Min was reading by the bedside when she saw Shen Ye wake up. She immediately put down her book, came over, and handed him a warm teacup, muttering a soft complaint.

Shen Ye rubbed his throbbing temples:

"I was having too much fun chatting with the thirteenth prince and couldn't stop myself... Next time, if Min'er sees me getting drunk, she should come and stop me!"

By the way, I didn't say anything nonsense, did I?

Upon hearing this question, Shen Ye involuntarily shuddered; he was genuinely a little worried.

After all, he is the crown prince. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to say something like time travel nonsense.

Of course, if I were to add a few more comments about how my father, Emperor Qianxi, has lived for far too long, how frustrating it is for me to wait, and when I will finally be able to ascend the throne, that would be even more disastrous.

Cao Min suppressed a laugh:
"Your Highness, please rest assured. As soon as you got drunk, Min'er sent all the servants away and personally guarded the place. Apart from snoring like you were commanding a thousand troops, you didn't say anything else."

Shen Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Cao Min immediately handed over a memorial:
"It was delivered by Manager Nian of Yuqing Bank. He said that once the military pay is issued, our bank's deposits will be insufficient. Nian Jinfu and the others are so anxious that bubbles are forming at the corners of their mouths, fearing that someone might take the opportunity to cause trouble. If someone tries to withdraw their deposits by force, that would be a real problem!"

Shen Ye glanced at the accounts—the balance was indeed pitifully meager, with only 500,000 taels left, which was indeed quite precarious.

Shen Ye casually set aside Nian Jinfu's report and said with a smile, "I had already thought about Nian Jinfu's concerns, but I've been too busy these days, so I almost forgot about it."

"The Ministry of Revenue has already mortgaged the Zhengyangmen Tax Bureau to us for twenty years. Why don't we have Manager Nian develop a new product called 'Wanfu Silver'? What an auspicious name!"

"One hundred taels per order, only 30,000 orders will be sold, with tax supervision revenue as a guarantee, and the profits will be distributed to depositors."

"And here's another piece of news: from now on, the tax supervision will be under the Ninth Prince's jurisdiction, and he guarantees to hand over 240,000 taels of silver every year! With that, will there be any shortage of people to deposit their money?"

Cao Min listened intently, but couldn't help frowning: "But twenty years is too long, isn't it?"

Shen Ye paused for a moment, then added: "The deposit interest is also tiered according to the deposit period: for a deposit of one year, the interest is three taels of silver; for a deposit of five years, the interest is twenty taels per deposit; for a deposit of ten years, the interest is forty-five taels per deposit; and as for a deposit of twenty years, which is the end of the mortgage at Zhengyang Gate, the interest is one hundred taels per deposit."

Cao Min grew up in Jiangnan and rarely left her home after arriving in the capital. However, the Zhengyangmen Tax Supervisor was a well-known figure, and she had long heard of him.

Many people think that this place is overflowing with money when they hear about it.

There was even a situation in the imperial court where the position of tax supervisor could only be held for one year, and could not be held for more than that!

Those who could become tax supervisors were all either imperial relatives or people favored by His Majesty.

Using the profits from tax supervision to pay interest, even if it's only three taels of interest per order per year, may not sound like much, but most people's money is just sitting at home anyway.

However, if you deposit your money in Yuqing Bank, you not only don't have to worry about it being stolen, but it can also appreciate in value. All things considered, it's quite worthwhile.

“Your Highness, I think someone will save this, but it’s a long time, twenty years. I’m afraid some people will worry about needing the money along the way!” Cao Min hesitated for a moment before reminding him.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "That's easy to arrange! If someone has a fixed deposit and wants to use the money midway, we allow them to buy and sell the deposit certificate. If we really can't find a buyer, our bank can also guarantee it!"

"For example, if a 20-year fixed deposit certificate is sold after 12 years, Yuqing Bank can exchange it for him at the interest rate of a 10-year fixed deposit certificate."

"Of course, the term is only ten years, not twelve."

"Once this product is launched, our orders will essentially be usable as banknotes!"

Cao Min's eyes lit up—the tax supervisor of Zhengyangmen was a well-known lucrative position in the entire capital. With its profits as collateral, it was like digging a hot spring in a pile of silver. Who wouldn't want to come in and soak in it?

The Crown Prince's move was absolutely brilliant!

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(End of this chapter)