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

Chapter 500 Minister of the Ministry of Personnel: I hold the same position as the Crown Prince.

The Eighth Prince departed amidst Emperor Qianxi's praise.

As he left, he received a reward: from that day forward, he would become the Minister of Revenue!
This filled him with excitement.

In the past, although he held a high position and great power in the Ministry of Justice, his official post was merely that of a prince observing state affairs.

Now, however, he is the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.

In other words, from today onwards, the Ministry of Revenue will be under his jurisdiction.

Of the princes, only the crown prince served as a minister in charge of a department. The other princes were mostly learning through observation.

I've finally achieved the same position as the Crown Prince.

With the support of Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue, his good days were just around the corner.

Emperor Qianxi was in a very good mood after the Eighth Prince left.

He said to Liang Jiugong, who was serving him, "A Ministry of Revenue cannot have two ministers in charge."

"Doesn't the Crown Prince like to stay at home fishing, and doesn't he like to be detached from worldly affairs and live a life of aloofness?"

"Then let him get some rest."

"You shall convey to me the imperial decree that the Eighth Prince has become the new Minister of Revenue, and he no longer needs to serve as the Minister."

Liang Jiugong naturally dared not have the slightest objection to Emperor Qianxi's arrangements.

He agreed and quickly left the Qianqing Palace.

However, after leaving the palace, a sense of regret arose in his heart. The Crown Prince had really acted recklessly this time.

Faced with the ladder offered by His Majesty, he didn't even bother to climb it.

Now, things are fine; the Eighth Prince has taken over this task.

If the Eighth Prince handles this matter well, he will surely win the favor of Emperor Qianxi, and in that case...

Thinking of the Eighth Prince's smiling face, Liang Jiugong felt a sense of unease.

The Eighth Prince already had considerable influence and a large number of supporters.

Now that the Eighth Prince has become the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, his influence will definitely rise to a new level.

Emperor Qianxi, feeling his prestige was damaged by the Crown Prince's refusal, would undoubtedly intensify his attacks on the Crown Prince.

As thoughts raced through his mind, Liang Jiugong's keen intuition told him that he should keep a distance from the Crown Prince in the future.

After all, the crown prince is very likely to lose power!
Despite these thoughts, he still showed due respect when he arrived at the Prince of Qingqiu's residence.

At this moment, Shen Ye was no longer fishing in the leather tent, but reading in the study.

Upon seeing Liang Jiugong return, he smiled and asked, "Old Liang, what is Father Emperor's decree?"

"Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that you be relieved of your post as Minister of Revenue."

"The provisions and supplies for the Emperor's personal expedition have now been taken over by the Eighth Prince."

"Therefore, His Majesty appointed him as the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Revenue."

Upon hearing that the Eighth Prince had taken over the task of raising funds and provisions, Shen Ye smiled slightly.

He had spent a considerable amount of time interacting with the Eighth Prince.

He knew quite a bit about this eighth prince.

This is a prince with good abilities, skillful handling of affairs, and excellent interpersonal skills. He is also very generous and righteous.

Being with him is like being bathed in a spring breeze.

However, Shen Ye did not think that this Eighth Prince was good at accumulating wealth.

It's more likely that he'll spend the money.

"It's a good thing that Eighth Brother is bravely shouldering heavy responsibilities!" Shen Ye smiled and said, "Does Father have any other decrees?"

Looking at the carefree Shen Ye, Liang Jiugong, amidst a flurry of thoughts, still whispered, "Your Highness, you are the heir apparent; you should share more of His Majesty's burdens."

"Only by sharing His Majesty's burdens can His Majesty appreciate your kindness more."

Shen Ye smiled gently and said, "Thank you for your concern, Steward Liang. I know what to do."

This time, Liang Jiugong did not stay at the Crown Prince's residence for long. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Shen Ye, he left the Prince of Qingqiu's residence.

When the Eighth Prince went to the Ministry of Revenue in the afternoon, the news that he had replaced the Crown Prince as the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Revenue spread instantly throughout all the government offices in the capital.

Some people who were good at observing the situation connected this matter with the Crown Prince's relocation of the palace.

If the crown prince were to move palaces, he would go to the Eastern Palace.

Even if the place they go to doesn't use the title of Crown Prince's Palace, it should at least be given the name of a palace.

After all, the crown prince is the emperor's heir and is born to live in the palace.

Now, not only have they been moved out of Yuqing Palace, but the place they've been relocated to is also called the Qingqiu Prince's Mansion.

Could it be that His Majesty is actually planning to make the Crown Prince the Prince of Qingqiu, thus forcing him to abdicate in favor of the Eighth Prince?

Meanwhile, the Eighth Prince's faction became even more active.

For example, Tong Guowei's grandson, Shun'an Yan, the most affectionate man in the capital, said on the very night that the Eighth Prince became the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel that the Eighth Prince was favored by the Emperor.

This statement makes perfect sense no matter how you look at it.

However, a prince is not a minister, and Jian's position in the emperor's heart carries many other implications.

He said this at a tea party in Xiaoxiang Pavilion, surrounded by many nobles and dignitaries.

Under these circumstances, many people looked at Shun An Yan with a different kind of fascination.

Those close to the Eighth Prince cheered with joy, but those close to the Crown Prince began to worry.

For example, when Nian Gengyao, who was delivering New Year's gifts, met his sister, he couldn't help but ask, "Sister, what's the situation with the Crown Prince?"

"Why are so many people saying that His Majesty now values ​​the Eighth Prince more?" Although Nian Xinyue was several months younger than the Crown Princess, her pregnancy was already starting to show.

She glared at her younger brother and said, "It's not your place to discuss the Crown Prince's affairs."

"You should stay home and study hard to do well in this imperial examination."

"As for the rest, you don't need to worry about it."

"The Crown Prince has his own plans regarding this matter."

Nian Gengyao was scolded by his sister, but he was not angry. His heart was not at ease because of his sister's words.

However, life at the Prince of Qingqiu's residence continued leisurely.

It's as if everything outside has nothing to do with this place.

Compared to Shen Ye's leisurely demeanor, the Eighth Prince appeared incredibly busy.

He not only sent an urgent messenger to urge Ge Li to transfer silver from Jiangnan to the capital, but also sent someone with his own handwritten letter to Jiangnan.

Not only that, even though the Ministry of Revenue didn't have much money, he still pleaded with Emperor Qianxi to give the officials in Beijing an extra month's salary as a New Year's reward.

Although the reward wasn't much, it was still silver.

Therefore, there were more and more words of praise for the Eighth Prince.

However, what discerning people value is not the mere few taels of silver reward given to each person, but rather the way the reward was distributed.

The imperial court's salary system had become standardized, and it was all distributed by Yuqing Bank.

However, this time, the Eighth Prince ordered the Taicang to distribute the silver to all the ministers separately.

According to the Eighth Prince, this silver was not a salary, but a reward from His Majesty for the hard work of his ministers.

Therefore, the money will not go through Yuqing Bank's channels.

At first glance, this explanation seems to make no problem at all.

It could even be said that this was only natural, but the meaning behind the Eighth Prince's actions was something even a fool could see.

His goal is to break Yuqing Bank's monopoly on officials' salaries.

Moreover, they planned to use the Ministry of Revenue as a platform to take action against Yuqing Bank step by step.

This news naturally couldn't be kept from Shen Ye.

Shen Ye had already heard the news when the decision was made.

The messenger who sent him the message was Zhang Fengpan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

For Zhang Fengpan, Shen Ye was the key to whether he could become the Minister of Taxation.

Although he did not explicitly pledge allegiance to the Crown Prince, he was able to promptly report to Shen Ye on all matters concerning the Ministry of Revenue.

Ever since Shen Ye proposed establishing a tax department, his relationship with Ma Qi has become somewhat delicate.

Now that the Eighth Prince has become a minister, his life has become difficult.

Shen Ye wasn't too concerned about the Eighth Prince's New Year's rewards, which were intended to win people's hearts.

He was talking to Nian Jinfu when he heard the news.

Nian Jinfu was also talking about this matter.

He said to Nian Jinfu, "Old man, just do what you need to do. You don't need to worry too much."

"Even if the Ministry of Revenue's salaries don't go through our channels, those officials who receive their salary slips are still used to our bank's operations."

"I estimate that even if we don't pay them salaries, those who are going to deposit their money in our Yuqing Bank will continue to do so."

"You don't have to worry about it."

"By the way, if anyone asks how much silver is left in Yuqing Bank, don't tell them."

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, Nian Jinfu hurriedly and solemnly replied, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I have always been tight-lipped about this matter."

"The amount of deposits at our Yuqing Bank is our foundation, and I won't tell anyone."

After seeing Nian Jinfu off, Shen Ye silently calculated that after the Ministry of Revenue issued such a reward, there probably wasn't much money left.

I just don't know if it's reliable for the Eighth Prince to transfer silver from Jiangnan.

After all, this is no small amount!
Moreover, it was used as provisions for the imperial court's military expeditions.

Five days later at the Governor-General's Mansion of Liangjiang, Ge Li looked at the letter from the Eighth Prince in his hand, his face full of joy.

He turned to his trusted advisor, Sui Wanchun, and said, "Old Sui, the Eighth Prince has come to me, Old Ge, for help."

"Haha, this is a golden opportunity!"

He waved the letter in his hand and said, "The Eighth Prince is very likely to inherit the throne in the future. If I can help the Eighth Prince in this matter, what do you think the Eighth Prince will think of me?"

At this point, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Sui Wanchun had already read the letter. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, six million taels of silver is no small sum."

"I don't think even the major banks in Jiangnan could come up with that much money all at once."

"Besides, these banks might not even be willing to lend money!"

Ge Li waved his hand and said, "Even if you can't produce it, you have to produce it for me!"

"Moreover, the Eighth Prince said six million taels, and I, Ge Li, can only manage six million taels. How can that demonstrate my abilities?"

"This time I want to borrow eight million taels of silver from the imperial court, no, I want to borrow it from the Eighth Prince in Jiangnan."

At this point, he said in an unquestionable tone, "Notify all the prefects below to come to my place for a meeting. Also, summon the owners of all the major banks in Liangjiang."

"Let's see who dares not to lend it!"

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(End of this chapter)