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

Chapter 457 It's not that I don't want to give it to you, it's that you're not capable.

Shen Ye's face didn't change much, but all sorts of thoughts were surging wildly in his mind.

Good heavens! Emperor Qianxi's words were sarcastic and ironic. On the surface, they seemed to be praising his son for being so great and that the bank was very important, but upon closer examination, they had a different meaning.

This implies that such a powerful weapon, which concerns the rise and fall of the nation and can shake the very foundation of the country, should not be kept in the pocket of anyone other than the Emperor.

Even if this person is your own son, it won't work!

This is clearly the prelude to "Give it to me!"

Which "well-meaning person" is deliberately sowing discord behind the scenes?

It was because Emperor Qianxi was so afraid of poverty after experiencing the financial crisis that he decided to break free from the control of his son.

Or... both?!

You want me to hand over the "bank kid" I've raised with such care? Unless I've been kicked in the head by a donkey!
Shen Ye had long seen through his father—on the surface, he was a loving and filial son, but in reality, he was a top-notch egoist.

In essence, he was a ruthless and power-hungry man, just like Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang. The only difference was that his father was particularly good at acting!

“Father, Yuqing Bank is basically just a large money shop. It’s just that I have a little talent for making money and I’m good at managing it.”

Shen Ye smiled and said, "To say it concerns the rise and fall of the court? I think the person who said that is exaggerating and making a big fuss!"

Then, seizing the opportunity, he added, "Father, besides, if this bank were handed over to the Imperial Household Department or the Ministry of Revenue for management, would the people of the capital still feel at ease and dare to deposit their money here?"

"Business reputation is a very strange thing!"

"It's invisible and intangible, but once it's messed up, rebuilding it is incredibly difficult, and it's beyond repair!"

Emperor Qianxi fell into deep thought!
The words Ma Qi said certainly intensified his desire to acquire Yuqing Bank.

However, what the Crown Prince said is not wrong now. It's not that I don't want to give it to you, it's that you are simply not up to the task.

This is both heartbreaking and true; the imperial court's credibility is indeed questionable.

If Yuqing Bank were really handed over to the Ministry of Revenue or the Imperial Household Department for management, what if no one came to deposit money? Where would he go to find money if he needed it urgently in the future?

After much deliberation, Emperor Qianxi had to accept the fact that he seemed unable to fully control Yuqing Bank for the time being, and the idea of ​​"robbing the bank" had to be temporarily abandoned.

Although he felt regretful, he smiled and said, "I am at ease knowing that Yuqing Bank is in the Crown Prince's hands!"

"This empire belongs to us, father and son. You are the one I trust the most!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye wanted to ask Emperor Qianxi, "Do you even believe what you're saying?"

But, after all, he was facing his own father, so he had to give him face.

Shen Ye immediately put down his chopsticks, instantly getting into character, and said with tears of gratitude, "Father Emperor values ​​me so much, I... I'm so moved I can't speak, I can't even finish this soup! From now on, I will definitely serve Father Emperor with all my heart..."

Before Shen Ye could utter the phrase "until death do us part," Emperor Qianxi waved his hand to interrupt, saying, "Between father and son, the sentiment is enough."

"Alas, the main problem is that the imperial court is currently extremely poor, which is giving me a headache."

Shen Ye immediately realized: it was indeed that old bastard Ma Qi who stabbed him in the back!

He simply went along with it: "Father, the court is short of funds, but the tight times are only temporary."

"After all, the imperial court has experienced too many things this year."

"Once we get through this period, everything will be fine and prosperous. I believe that the Ministry of Revenue's granaries will be full."

At this point, Shen Ye continued, "I have mentioned to Father Emperor before that the Ministry of Revenue has too much and too many complex powers!"

"Being in charge of both collecting and spending money easily breeds the kind of corruption that no one in the court wants to see!"

"Therefore, I think it would be better to dismantle the Ministry of Revenue."

"Implementing a two-line system for revenue and expenditure! Mutual supervision can also improve performance!"

“The Ministry of Revenue focused on spending money, while a separate Ministry of Taxation was set up to collect money, which was on par with the Ministry of Revenue and was in charge of all kinds of tax collection.”

"The performance evaluation of tax officials is based on their annual tax revenue collection."

Emperor Qianxi had previously considered separating income and expenditure.

However, the Ministry of Revenue was of great importance, and he couldn't make up his mind immediately.

Now that he heard Shen Ye say this, he felt that it actually seemed quite good.

Shen Ye proposed splitting up the Ministry of Revenue not only because the Ministry had too many responsibilities, but also because he wanted to avenge Ma Qi's defeat.

"I will discuss this with the Grand Secretaries later."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi quickly changed the subject, pointing to the Flying Dragon Soup and saying, "Your Highness, drink more Flying Dragon Soup, it won't be as delicious when it cools down."

Shen Ye drank a bellyful of dragon soup and slowly walked out of the Qianqing Palace.

Although he managed to thwart Emperor Qianxi's spying on Yuqing Bank this time, Shen Ye felt that Emperor Qianxi's burning and persistent gaze would continue to fall upon Yuqing Bank in the future.

Otherwise, his eager hands would have nowhere to go.

Unless Yuqing Bank grows bigger and bigger, to the point that Emperor Qianxi feels that touching Yuqing Bank would cause the collapse of the empire, he will be willing to obediently withdraw his claws from Yuqing Bank.

But that's easier said than done!
Just as they turned the corner of the palace wall, they saw the Fifth Prince, Yunqi, loitering around the entrance of Yuqing Palace.

Yunqi was pampered by the Empress Dowager and didn't study much as a child, so his chances of inheriting the throne are slim.

Precisely because he had no hope of inheriting the throne, Yunqi became the most popular prince, able to be on friendly terms with everyone. Since Shen Ye started spending more time with the Cining Palace, although Yunqi hadn't explicitly said that his elder brother, the Crown Prince, would live forever, he had become much closer to Shen Ye.

At that moment, seeing Yunqi standing at the entrance of Yuqing Palace, shivering in the cold wind and stamping his feet, Shen Ye gave the gatekeeper eunuchs a stern scolding: "Fifth Master is here, why don't you invite him to sit in the study!"

"They're getting more and more unruly!"

Upon seeing the Crown Prince's anger, the young eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Seeing this, Yunqi quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Your Highness, it's not their fault. It was my refusal to go inside and wait. I have urgent business with you, Your Highness!"

"Your Highness, it's windy here, let's go inside and talk."

Judging from the Fifth Prince's behavior, Shen Ye knew that the Fifth Prince must have something urgent to discuss with him this time, and he didn't want outsiders to know.

"I've just acquired some fine tea; please have a taste, Fifth Brother."

The Fifth Prince did not refuse and followed Shen Ye to the study.

Upon seeing that there were many young eunuchs busy in the study, he immediately gave them a meaningful look: "Let's have a private conversation."

Shen Ye immediately understood and said to Zhou Bao, "I'm going to chat with Fifth Master for a while. You all go outside and serve him."

Zhou Bao also knew that the Yuqing Palace was mostly staffed by spies sent by Emperor Qianxi.

He wisely took his leave.

After dismissing everyone, the Fifth Prince said in a low voice, "Your Highness, there may be trouble with Ninth Sister's marriage."

"I don't know what kind of spell Father Emperor cast on Grandmother, but she actually agreed to His Majesty's arrangement to marry Ninth Sister to Shun Anyan!"

"Your Highness, Ninth Sister has gotten to know the Second Young Master of the Qingyuan Marquis's family these past few days."

"Although the two haven't had much contact, I feel they're somewhat compatible..."

"If an imperial edict is issued, then everything will be over!"

Upon hearing what the Fifth Prince said, Shen Ye frowned.

He originally thought it was a solid shield, and that as long as the Empress Dowager insisted, Emperor Qianxi would give up on betrothing the Ninth Princess to Shun'an Yan.

Unexpectedly, this shield quietly moved away on its own in front of Emperor Qianxi.

Even the Empress Dowager couldn't withstand it; it seems Emperor Qianxi was determined.

Sure enough, at the top of the food chain in the palace always sat that smiling father.

Although the Empress Dowager was highly respected, she was not Emperor Qianxi's biological mother.

Therefore, a delicate balance was maintained between her and Emperor Qianxi.

To outsiders, this balance appears to be a harmonious relationship between mother and child, but in reality, it's about maintaining a bottom line and neither side crossing that line.

Emperor Qianxi maintained his image as a filial son!

The Empress Dowager, on the other hand, maintained her high status in the palace by preserving her reputation as a loving mother.

When her needs don't have much impact on Emperor Qianxi, then Emperor Qianxi will definitely fulfill them for her.

However, once Emperor Qianxi made up his mind, and the Empress Dowager's efforts to persuade him were futile, he would choose to back down.

This was done to preserve the mother-son relationship between her and Emperor Qianxi.

If you don't undermine me, I won't overturn your table; this is also a kind of royal-style win-win situation!
Moreover, it was a win-win situation that the two of them had been carefully maintaining.

Life in the palace must be exhausting. Shen Ye sighed inwardly.

Seeing that Shen Ye remained silent, the Fifth Prince anxiously tugged at his sleeve: "Crown Prince! I've inquired about this recently, and this Shun'an Yan is no good!"

"He has several mistresses at home, and he's still not content with that. He's also eyeing the Eight Great Hutongs, where he's quite a figure."

"I heard that the girls who are with him are lining up every day, eagerly waiting for him!"

"The Tong family has always been arrogant and haughty, and Ninth Sister has a gentle and mild nature."

"Furthermore, she still harbors feelings for the second son of the Qingyuan Earl's family... Under these circumstances, if Ninth Sister is married off, she will surely suffer. I fear she won't be able to endure it!"

The Fifth Prince and the Ninth Princess grew up together in the Empress Dowager's palace and had a deep bond. At this moment, they were truly panicked.

He was the one most concerned about the Ninth Princess's marriage.

Shen Ye could only pat him and comfort him, "Don't worry, I'll go see Father Emperor in a bit and give it a try."

He spoke calmly, but he was actually uncertain inside.

After all, the Empress Dowager's influence over Emperor Qianxi should be greater than that of him, the Crown Prince. If even the Empress Dowager couldn't persuade him, how could he?

But Yunqi was already staring at him expectantly, so he had no choice but to go.

The two hurried to the Qianqing Palace, where they bumped into Shun'an Yan, who was beaming with joy. His smile was so wide it almost reached his ears, and he exuded an aura that good things were about to happen.

Shun An Yan bowed respectfully, but his voice betrayed his smugness: "Your Majesty is so kind as to arrange a marriage for me soon. I humbly request that Your Highness grace me with your presence and attend the wedding banquet!"

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(End of this chapter)