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

Chapter 72 I'll fight tooth and nail to get out of this mess.
Going to work in the morning, working at noon, and then having to work overtime in the evening...

Doesn't that mean getting up earlier than the rooster and going to bed later than the dog, working non-stop all day long?
Shen Ye stared at Yu Chenglong, who was spitting everywhere, and felt as if he were watching a supervisor who forced him to keep his eyes open until the lights went out!

After Jackie Chan finished explaining the tasks he was supposed to ask the Crown Prince to do, Shen Ye took a breath and then asked with a smile, "Lord Yu, you said there are too many things to handle. What should I do if I can't manage them all?"

Yu Chenglong clearly did not expect the Crown Prince to speak to him in such a way.

In his view, these were all matters of coordinating various government departments.

If these government departments keep urging us on, it can be accomplished.

He doesn't have the status of a crown prince; if he did, then nothing would be a problem...

In a flash, he solemnly said, "Your Highness, although there are many things to do, it is not impossible for you."

"After all, this concerns the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of disaster victims, so please, Your Highness, put in a lot of effort."

Facing the bowing Yu Chenglong, Shen Ye cursed inwardly, "You make it sound so simple!"
In this sweltering heat, you're trying to make me, a crown prince with no hope of even succeeding to the throne, work like a slave for you? That's just wishful thinking!

But he could only mutter these thoughts to himself; he couldn't say them aloud.

"Lord Yu, I saw Nian Dongliang and his team handling their tasks the other day, and they seemed to do it quite easily, didn't they?" I couldn't admit that I was lazy; I had to say that others were more capable.

At this moment, Yu Chenglong was also filled with resentment.

After all, he had planned everything out, but the crown prince in front of him complained that there were too many things to do.

Now, judging from the Crown Prince's words, isn't he implying that Yu Chenglong is not as good as his own subordinates at handling official duties?
However, he couldn't directly confront the Crown Prince, after all, he was the Crown Prince.

Moreover, if his subordinates are doing a good job, it's because of Jackie Chan's effective leadership. It's not appropriate for him to compete with his subordinates for credit at this juncture!
So he said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the situation is different now compared to that of Nian Dongliang and the others."

“Nian Dongliang and his team are providing relief to disaster victims, so they have plenty of money.”

"If Your Highness could give me 500,000 taels of silver for disaster relief, then you wouldn't need to worry about these things."

Yu Chenglong spoke these words softly, yet with unwavering conviction.

Anyone can get things done with money, but His Majesty is making me do nothing without it. It's like a skilled cook trying to cook without rice!
If you give me money, I don't need you to worry about me.

The reason we're bringing you into this matter is so that we can get things done under your name.

Shen Ye looked at Yu Chenglong, who seemed to have a selfless and magnanimous heart, and smiled, saying, "Lord Yu, you said it yourself."

"I'll give you 500,000 taels of silver, and you don't need to worry about this matter."

Looking at the Crown Prince's smiling face, Yu Chenglong felt increasingly angry.

So many disaster victims are arriving in the blink of an eye, and you still have the mind to joke around here? That's really irresponsible!

He snorted and said, "Your Highness, I have always kept my word."

"Alright, since Lord Yu says so, then I will arrange the disaster relief funds for you."

At this point, Shen Ye said, "Lord Yu, you are the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, so you should be in charge of everything in Shuntian Prefecture, right?"

"Your Highness, I am acting on imperial orders." Although Yu Chenglong was somewhat straightforward, he was not stupid.

Therefore, he always pays attention to the weight of his words and actions.

Shuntian Prefecture is the Shuntian Prefecture of His Majesty the Emperor; this is absolutely correct.

Seeing that everything I did was done under orders, Shen Ye felt that she had learned something new.

Who says loyal ministers are all stubborn? They're smart too; they know what not to do, and they resolutely avoid it.

He smiled and said, "Lord Yu, the 500,000 taels of silver for disaster relief is in Shuntian Prefecture."

Yu Chenglong's eyes widened in surprise!
What is the Crown Prince planning to do?
He was the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, but he didn't know where he got 500,000 taels of silver from.

Even if he sold the Shuntian Prefecture government office, he still couldn't get it.

"Your Highness, you're not joking, are you?"

“I’m not kidding. I’ll not only give you 500,000 yuan in disaster relief funds, but I’ll also find some work for those disaster victims.”

Shen Ye stopped hiding his intentions altogether. Rather than being dragged along by Yu Chenglong and working day and night, he decided to just tell him his idea.

As for other potential problems, let them be!
“If we build a stone-paved road from Tongzhou to Chaoyangmen, and send all these hundreds of thousands of disaster victims to help with the road construction, wouldn’t that solve the problem?” As the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, Yu Chenglong was most aware of the situation in Shuntian Prefecture.

The road from Tongzhou to Chaoyangmen was arguably the busiest road in Shuntian Prefecture.

Whether it was grain or goods, they all had to enter the capital through here, not to mention the crowds of people converging from all directions.

However, this dirt road, which is more than 40 miles long, is dusty on sunny days and muddy on rainy days. Some sections are even impassable for horse-drawn carriages.

Yu Chenglong had walked this path, but there was nothing he could do. After all, the Shuntian Prefecture couldn't afford to pay hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

When Shen Ye suggested using these disaster victims to build a road, Yu Chenglong thought it was feasible.

However, the biggest problem now is not building this road, but the money.

After all, road construction isn't something that can be done just by talking.

"Your Highness, if this road can be repaired, it will be a great achievement for the present and a benefit for future generations. But where will the 500,000 taels of silver come from?"

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Of course, we'll find someone to fund it."

Yu Chenglong was stunned for a moment, then felt a bit dumbfounded.

Who could afford 500,000 taels of silver?

In this capital city, there are people who can come up with 500,000 taels of silver, but who dares to show it?
Besides, who's going to pay for this if it's just empty talk?

Could it be that the Crown Prince is planning to go to the homes of princes and nobles one by one to beg for alms? If so, although it is very likely that he can collect enough, it will damage the Crown Prince's reputation.

His Majesty would not agree!
He solemnly said, "Your Highness, although you have a heart full of love for the people, this amount of money is far too much. If you ask someone to donate it, it may cause unnecessary trouble."

"I urge Your Highness to reconsider!"

Shen Ye looked at Yu Chenglong, who seemed to be thinking of her, and felt speechless.

What is Lao Yu thinking?

Five hundred thousand taels of silver, that's a huge sum of money. How could you possibly think of getting someone to donate it?

He didn't want to beat around the bush with Yu Chenglong, so he said directly, "This road is naturally not open to donations."

"What I mean is, this road wasn't built in vain."

“After the road is completed, passersby will have to pay a certain fee, while those who funded the road construction will receive a share of the profits according to their investment.”

"In this way, the investors get a return, the problem of not having money to repair the road is solved, and the disaster victims have work and money to earn. It's a win-win-win situation."

"Lord Yu, what do you think?"

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's explanation, Yu Chenglong was completely stunned.

He was a smart man and instantly grasped the key point.

Given how busy this road is in Tongzhou, charging for road repairs would definitely be profitable. And with the money from road repairs, the disaster victims would have work to do, and with work, everything would be fine.

"Your Highness, this is indeed a brilliant idea, but... but it's taking advantage of the people! After all, ordinary people can't afford these tolls!"

Yu Chenglong's face showed a hint of struggle.

He thought it was a good idea, but ordinary people couldn't just sit idly by.

Seeing Yu Chenglong's dilemma, Shen Ye patted him on the shoulder and said, "Lord Yu, I didn't say we should use the old road to repair it."

"The old path can be preserved; those who can't afford it can continue on the old path."

"What we're going to build is a new road."

Yu Chenglong's inner turmoil vanished almost entirely. He stared at Shen Ye for a long while before saying, "Your Highness, I believe this is a feasible plan, but it still requires His Majesty's approval."

Shen Ye smiled and said, "Of course, you should go and report to the Emperor. I think he will definitely agree."

　The second update for today is here, please support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)