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

Chapter 499 Without Butcher Zhang, would I still want to eat hairy pork?
Speaking of the two most powerful backers of the Eighth Prince, aren't they Ma Qi and Tong Guowei?

If these two big shots had just nodded, the Eighth Prince would have felt completely at ease – it's all set, this is definitely a sure thing!

As for Tong Guowei's grumbling about Ge Li being "ambitious and fond of quick success," the Eighth Prince didn't take it to heart at all.

What does it mean to be ambitious and eager for quick success? It's just that Ge Li likes to do things on a grand scale and make elaborate arrangements in his daily life!
This style even impressed the emperor, who praised it as "grand and magnificent!"
Of course, the Eighth Prince likes it too!
What's wrong with making a big fuss in this grand and prosperous era? A grand display shows that the people in charge are dedicated!

Besides, getting money is the most important thing!

Everything else is trivial; everything is negotiable.

The Eighth Prince smiled and cupped his hands to Tong Guowei, his tone light as if he had just picked up a big gold ingot: "Since Prime Minister Tong agrees, I will go to see Father Emperor later."

“Ge Li’s little problem is nothing to worry about! When I write to Jiangnan later, I’ll just give him a few pointers.”

Tong Guowei was silent for a moment, then spoke:

"Your Highness, if you wish to see His Majesty, perhaps you should postpone it for now. First, send someone to inquire about the situation at the Crown Prince's residence."

"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty will definitely think of the Crown Prince first when it comes to such a major matter concerning the safety of the court."

"But the Crown Prince's temper has grown recently... He might not be willing to take the way out His Majesty has given him this time."

"If His Highness the Eighth Prince could seize this opportunity to step forward and make a good impression, it would be like offering tea to someone who is thirsty or providing a pillow to someone who is sleepy—timely, comfortable, and unforgettable!"

Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince's eyes lit up!

It was as if I could see myself holding a wise strategy for governing the country, moving my father.

Wonderful!

This move was timed perfectly and controlled with perfect precision; it seemed casual, but it was actually extremely accurate!

In an instant, their trust in Tong Guowei increased even more.

A simple trick, when used in a crucial moment, can indeed bring double the surprises!

In the palace, the Eighth Prince naturally also planted his own spies.

After bidding farewell to Tong Guowei and Ma Qi, he left the Tong residence full of confidence.

Watching the Eighth Prince's departing figure, Tong Guowei sighed softly.

"Prime Minister Tong, didn't you agree? Why are you sighing?"

Ma Qi did not go with the Eighth Prince—otherwise, this "forming cliques for personal gain" would be too blatant.

Tong Guowei shook his head and sighed, saying, "I support the Eighth Prince because this is indeed an opportunity."

"If he can oversee the country and help His Majesty manage the provisions, the Eighth Prince's prestige will definitely reach its peak while the Crown Prince moves out of Yuqing Palace."

"At the very least... he can be compared to the Crown Prince."

"But what if His Majesty still values ​​the Crown Prince more, and even tries every means to coax the Crown Prince back, then..."

Tong Guowei didn't continue, but Ma Qi understood.

Ma Qi looked at Tong Guowei: "Prime Minister Tong, the key to this struggle for the crown prince position lies in the word 'struggle'."

"If we don't fight for it, will the position of Crown Prince just fall into the hands of the Eighth Prince?"

Tong Guowei glanced at him a few times:

“Ma Qi, Ge Li is a bit reckless in his actions. If the Eighth Prince wants to use him, you need to keep a close eye on him.”

"Don't let things end up not getting done, but instead causing us trouble."

Seeing Tong Guowei's "I'm still not at ease" look, Ma Qi thought to himself:
This Ge Li is the Governor-General of Liangjiang, a very important figure in the court whose status is not much lower than mine.

You, Tong Guowei, as the Grand Secretary, are someone who can steadily keep an eye on him. Why don't you keep an eye on Ge Li, this troublemaker, and instead send me to do it?
Do you think I, Maqi, am born to offend people?!
Is Ge Li an ordinary person?
He was not only highly regarded by the Eighth Prince, but even now, he remains the Emperor's favorite minister.

Ma Qi didn't want to point fingers at such a person for no reason and offend him unnecessarily.

Is it because you back down when things get tough, and then try to get me to step up? Are you inherently malicious?
You think it's just your personality that you tricked me? Pshaw!
However, on the surface, he still respectfully replied, "Don't worry, Prime Minister Tong, I will keep a close eye on things."

He said it aloud, but in his heart he had already made up his mind:
Just take care of your own affairs. As for Ge Li? Let the Eighth Prince handle that himself!
Tong Guowei never imagined that Ma Qi, this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, wouldn't take his words seriously at all.

He assigned Ma Qi to keep an eye on things simply because Ma Qi was the Minister of Revenue and had a strong connection to the matter.

Moreover, judging from Ma Qi's attitude, it wasn't a refusal.

Sigh, the palace is full of schemes; who can take anyone seriously?

Just as the two of them were each harboring their own thoughts—

One was figuring out how to take advantage of Ge Li's "generosity" in getting the money;
While the emperor was figuring out how to "discreetly" avoid trouble, he had already heard about the crown prince's attitude from Liang Jiugong.

Although Liang Jiugong tried his best to be tactful and roundabout in his report, Emperor Qianxi was still furious and almost threw his teacup away.

—I'm very comfortable staying at the Prince of Qingqiu's mansion, and I don't want to come back.

—The Crown Princess is heavily pregnant and has many inconveniences, so she will not be going to Yuqing Palace.

—At the meeting, he submitted a memorial to express his gratitude, and that was all.

So, instead of taking the opportunity I offered, this rebellious son not only refused to accept it, but also took the opportunity to dismantle it and burn it as firewood!

Liang Jiugong, who was reporting, knelt on the ground, trembling with fear and unease.

Fearing that the emperor might not be able to handle the crown prince and would instead take his anger out on him, he might inadvertently receive a beating from the court.

"Heh," Emperor Qianxi laughed in exasperation, "Does the Crown Prince think that without him, I really have no one else to use?"

"Without him, the imperial court can't even pay the soldiers' salaries?"

"He thinks too highly of himself!" Emperor Qianxi paced back and forth a few times, then roared, "Go! Summon the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department and Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue, to me!"

Liang Jiugong felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he scrambled to his feet—the Emperor was off looking for money!

As for whether these two can squeeze oil out of the stone and raise the money the emperor wants, that's not something Liang Jiugong should worry about!
Before he could even step out the door, the Eighth Prince was already outside the Qianqing Palace. The timing was perfect.

Although Liang Jiugong was close to the Crown Prince, he was, after all, a seasoned survival master in the Forbidden City.

Of course, I'm not someone who puts all my eggs in one basket.

He smiled warmly and respectfully at the rising star, the eighth prince.
"This servant greets the Eighth Prince."

The Eighth Prince smiled and helped him up: "Steward Liang, I need to see the Emperor. Please inform him that I have something urgent to discuss."

Although Liang Jiugong didn't know what he was going to do, he didn't stop him. He told the Eighth Prince to wait a moment, then turned around and went back to the Qianqing Palace to report.

Emperor Qianxi was still angry, and his face was grim.

The defeat of the Northern Route Army was already infuriating enough, but the Crown Prince's attitude only made things worse.

I've already given you a way out, and you still won't take it? How infuriating!
He was still angry when he heard that the Eighth Prince was requesting an audience. He didn't want to see him, but after all, the Eighth Prince was his own son.

Moreover, Lao Ba has been behaving quite well lately... After a moment's thought, he said, "Let him in."

Upon seeing Emperor Qianxi, the Eighth Prince immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand, his voice still spitting fire: "You rushed over, is there something important?"

"Father, I have heard that Arabtan colluded with the Russian Kingdom and inflicted a great defeat on our army. Father wants to launch a campaign but lacks provisions and funds. I wish to share Father's burden—I can raise the money!"

The Eighth Prince spoke cautiously, but his last sentence was resounding.

Emperor Qianxi's expression shifted, and he stared at him for a long time before suddenly asking, "Who told you about this?"

The Eighth Prince felt a chill in his heart!
This is wrong!

Father didn't play by the rules at all!
At this moment, shouldn't the Emperor suppress his tears and carefully ask himself, "My son, do you have any good ideas?"

Why are you checking the source of the information first?

Fortunately, he had made preparations before he arrived.

With an innocent look on his face, he said, "Father, the memorial from the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu has reached the Office of Transmission. Many people outside are talking about it. I overheard it by chance."

Emperor Qianxi snorted: "The Office of Transmission is becoming increasingly outrageous. Things I don't even know about are being made the talk of the town. It's time for a cleanup!"

The Eighth Prince silently lit a candle for the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review and offered a moment of silence. However, he thought, "Better a friend die than I do; as long as I'm alright, that's all that matters."

"What methods do you have to obtain provisions and pay?" Emperor Qianxi finally got back to the main topic.

The Eighth Prince's spirits lifted, and he immediately said seriously:
“Father, I met with Ge Li, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, who came to the capital to meet the Emperor a few days ago.”

"According to him, there are many money shops in Jiangnan that specialize in large-scale lending of silver."

"These banks are very powerful, and some of them can even mobilize tens of millions of taels of silver when they join forces."

"Now that the court urgently needs grain and funds, why not have Ge Li borrow a batch of silver from these money shops in the name of the Governor-General of Liangjiang?"

"We'll pay back this money when the court is better off."

Emperor Qianxi pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "So Ge Lizhen said that?"

He stepped down from the throne and looked intently at the Eighth Prince.

"How dare I deceive Father Emperor!"

"If Your Majesty agrees, I am willing to urge Ge Li to transport the silver to the capital as soon as possible."

Emperor Qianxi slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Excellent!"

"Yun Si, I'm entrusting this matter to you. If you succeed, it will be a great achievement!"

"Not only will I promote you to the rank of Prince, but you will also be one of the candidates to oversee the country when I personally lead the expedition."

Upon hearing that he could be promoted to a prince, the eighth prince was overjoyed.

But the phrase "one of the candidates" left him a little disappointed.

It seems that Father Emperor is still keeping a tight grip on the matter of overseeing the country...

He quickly suppressed his distracting thoughts and said respectfully, "Father, I do not crave the title of Prince. I only wish to share your burdens."

"The court faces many difficulties, and Father Emperor, you alone shoulder the burden of the country. Only you know the hardships you have endured."

"Your Majesty, I truly cannot bear to see you so exhausted!"

After saying this, she was almost moved to tears, and her eyes welled up with moisture.

Emperor Qianxi seemed somewhat moved, stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said with emotion, "Yunsi, you are a thoughtful and good child."

"Unlike some people, who get a little talent and then become arrogant and haughty!"

"Do you really think that without Zhang the butcher, I'll have to eat pigs with hair on? You're so wrong!"

As he spoke, Emperor Qianxi's gaze sharply turned to the left—the direction of the Prince Qingqiu's residence—his disdain was unmistakable.

The Eighth Prince knew who his father was referring to, and was overjoyed. He quickly cupped his hands and said:

"Father, rest assured, your son will never let you down!"

At that moment, he seemed to see a road leading to heaven, beckoning him enthusiastically.

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(End of this chapter)