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

Chapter 149 Who Rules the Land?

For officials in the capital, being able to attend the grand court assembly was also a symbol of their status.

Your ability to attend the grand court assembly proves that you have entered the court's major decision-making circle and can offer your own opinions on the court's decisions.

Of course, whether these suggestions will be adopted is another matter.

Many times, the grand court assembly is just a routine matter, but sometimes it has extraordinary significance.

For example, this grand court assembly is something many people are eagerly anticipating.

This grand court assembly will decide whether the collection of arrears owed by the Ministry of Revenue, which has been hanging over many people's heads, will proceed.

Naturally, Ma Qi, as the Minister of Revenue, was the focus of many people's attention.

At this moment, Ma Qi felt a mixture of melancholy and relief.

This feeling left him unsure whether to be happy or sad.

What troubled him was that with Prince Yu's intervention, the Crown Prince's efforts to recover the debt, which had already gained momentum, might fall through.

The Ministry of Revenue will face even greater difficulties.

What made him feel at ease was that, as the Minister of Revenue, he didn't have to offend too many people.

He didn't want to offend too many people, because he didn't want to offend people too badly.

With this in mind, he arrived at the imperial court.

In fact, he didn't really blame the Crown Prince for this outcome.

Even a Minister of Revenue like him is so anxious about gains and losses.

As the person in charge of this debt collection, the Crown Prince is probably under even greater pressure.

In this situation, the Crown Prince's choice to compromise is understandable.

In fact, he did consider compromising when faced with pressure.

However, he was not the main person in charge of this pursuit.

With the Crown Prince in charge, he has plenty of room to maneuver; he can simply shift the blame onto the Crown Prince.

As the heir apparent and the person personally appointed by Emperor Qianxi to be in charge of debt collection, the Crown Prince had no way to refuse or retreat!

Faced with his uncle and elder brother, he could only give a positive answer.

Putting himself in the prince's shoes, Ma Qi realized that he might not necessarily do better than the prince.

"Ma Qi, are you really just going to give up these eight million taels of silver?" Left Censor-in-Chief Chen Tingjing came to Ma Qi's side and asked in a deep voice.

Chen Tingjing and Ma Qi had a good relationship, and Chen Tingjing was much older than Ma Qi. So, although their official positions were similar, Chen Tingjing always spoke to Ma Qi with a sense of seniority.

Ma Qi sensed dissatisfaction in Chen Tingjing's words.

Those who can become Left Censor-in-Chief are generally quite tough and assertive.

Chen Tingjing was a man of principle; otherwise, Emperor Qianxi would not have sent him to Jiangnan to procure grain when he needed to do so.

It wasn't just because he was the Left Censor-in-Chief, but also because he was quite tough on certain issues.

“Lord Chen, who would be willing to give up eight million taels of silver!” Ma Qi spread his hands and said, “It’s just that the repayment time is uncertain.”

Faced with Ma Qi's explanation, Chen Tingjing snorted and said, "Don't talk nonsense to me. I know everything. If we can't get this debt back this time, there's almost no chance of getting it back."

"Your Majesty the Emperor..."

Before Chen Tingjing could finish speaking, Ma Qi waved his hand, interrupting him.

If we let him continue, it will really cause trouble.

Although Chen Tingjing was a tough man, he wasn't stupid; he knew that there were certain things he shouldn't say at this time.

But deep down, he felt a sense of injustice.

Looking at Ma Qi, who was acting cautiously, he couldn't help but mutter, "If I had known it would be like this, I would have borrowed some money too."

"Hmph, I, too, can owe debts and not pay them back."

Just as Chen Tingjing was speaking, a commotion broke out all around.

As the Left Censor-in-Chief, Chen Tingjing was responsible for maintaining order at the Grand Court Assembly. Just as he was preparing to see who dared to cause trouble during the assembly, he saw Prince Yu and Prince Gong walking in, surrounded by admirers. "Greetings, Prince Yu!"

"Greetings to the two princes."

"Greetings, Your Highness! We are truly fortunate to have your blessing!"

……

Hearing these words, Prince Yu's face was radiant with a smile.

Although he was Emperor Qianxi's older brother, his presence was never particularly strong.

Most of the time, although people don't want to offend him, not many people actually go to him to curry favor.

Most people would simply keep their distance.

Now, almost everyone was looking at him with admiration, which filled Prince Yu with pride.

Although he had no intention of vying for the throne with his brothers, he was still fascinated by the respect he was receiving.

"Hmph!" Chen Tingjing snorted coldly.

He disliked Prince Yu, so he turned and left.

Ma Qi was also very unhappy with Prince Yu, and he was also preparing to leave.

However, Prince Yu somehow already saw Ma Qi and immediately waved to him, saying, "Ma Qi, come here for a moment."

Ma Qi was Emperor Qianxi's playmate in the past, so he was also very familiar with Prince Yu.

Faced with Prince Yu's invitation, he had no choice but to obey.

After all, Prince Yu was a prince, and also the elder brother of Emperor Qianxi.

Although his official rank was not low, he still had to show the respect due to a prince, especially during a grand court assembly.

If one ignores the prince's greeting, it would be considered rude, and one could be impeached by the censor.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Although he felt uncomfortable, Ma Qi still obediently came before Prince Yu and bowed to him.

Prince Yu patted Ma Qi on the shoulder and said, "Ma Qi, why didn't you attend my grandson's 100-day celebration last time?"

Upon hearing this question, Ma Qi could only clasp his hands in a pained expression and say, "Your Highness, I really want to participate, but official duties are just too busy, and I really can't get away."

"I had no choice but to send my son in my place."

"Your Highness, I will definitely attend your next 100-day celebration."

As Prince Yu listened to Ma Qi's sophistry, his smile grew even brighter. He chuckled and said, "Ma Qi, many people say you're smart, but your brain really isn't up to par."

"Don't you think about it? This country belongs to the emperor, but it also belongs to our family."

"What do you say?"

This statement makes perfect sense, because Prince Yu was Emperor Qianxi's elder brother.

But Ma Qi really didn't dare to respond to this.

He has never dared to participate in the matter of the throne.

Just then, someone said, "The Crown Prince has arrived."

As these words were spoken, many people looked toward the gate of Qianqing Palace and saw Shen Ye, dressed in a black prince's robe, approaching with composure.

Ma Qi had been carefully observing the Crown Prince's expression.

Seeing the faint smile on the Crown Prince's face, Ma Qi was taken aback.

Why would the Crown Prince be so happy?

As the Minister of Revenue, he knew that the Crown Prince was determined to recover the Ministry of Revenue's debts. Now that things had turned out half-cooked, what was the Crown Prince happy about?

He is...

Just then, Prince Yu led the Crown Prince over.

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(End of this chapter)