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

Chapter 514 At the beginning of the new year, father and son are frank with each other.

On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Imperial Physician Li was on duty in the palace, feeling extremely frustrated.

During the Lunar New Year, who wouldn't want to stay home?
But he had to stay in the palace, smelling the medicine pots, which made him even more dedicated than a lantern keeping watch on New Year's Eve.

But Emperor Qianxi still wanted to summon him over. This was not just summoning an imperial physician; it was like putting another brick in his heart.

But once you take this job, you have to do this work.

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's inquiry, Imperial Physician Li could only bite the bullet and respectfully reply, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's pulse is stable; there should be no serious problem."

"It's just a headache... I think it's probably from overthinking and getting too tired."

"As long as you take your medicine on time and rest well, you'll get better in a while."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi's lips curled into a cold smile that seemed to say, "I understand."

"Take a good rest? This unfilial son is probably just pretending to have a headache; what he really wants is to rest!"
He's made up his mind; it's clear he's going to shirk his responsibilities and doesn't want to work for me anymore!

Emperor Qianxi paced back and forth a few steps, then turned to stare intently at Imperial Physician Li: "Don't you have any... way to help the Crown Prince recover quickly?"

Upon hearing this, Imperial Physician Li exclaimed, "Oh my! How much His Majesty dotes on the Crown Prince!"
I have already said that the Crown Prince needs to rest, but I am still thinking of speeding up the treatment so that he can recover quickly.

Ah, such a deep bond between father and son is truly touching!
Physician Li was filled with emotion, but his face remained serious:
"Your Majesty, excessive worry is not strictly speaking an illness; it's purely exhaustion!"

"What the Crown Prince needs most right now is rest and recuperation..."

"As for other methods, I... am still unaware."

Seeing Physician Li's dedicated and conscientious demeanor, Emperor Qianxi's anger surged, but he forcefully suppressed it.

You can't get angry! If you do, the whole world will say that this emperor is petty and oppresses his own son!
Is it better to earn a reputation for "avoiding medical treatment for fear of symptom remorse"?
Or should we expose all the little squabbles between father and son?

Emperor Qianxi paced back and forth in front of his desk several times, his dragon robe sleeves swirling in the wind, and finally realized something profound:
It's all hopeless to coax the crown prince into doing his work, or to secretly push him into the position of regent!

To have the crown prince oversee the country, one must openly discuss it with him.

But what will this kid ask for this time?

The Prince of Qingqiu's Mansion and General Fubo that I asked for last time are both overseas anyway, so I've given them away!

But what about this time?

What has his appetite set on this time?
The more Emperor Qianxi thought about it, the more distressed he became, and he couldn't help but start calculating: what could he give away, and what must he keep to himself...

The next morning, Emperor Qianxi ate a few bites of breakfast and hurriedly went to Cining Palace to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager had a very comfortable New Year!

The emperor showed respect, and Crown Prince Shen Ye would send over novelties every few days, making the Empress Dowager extremely happy.

Upon seeing Emperor Qianxi, the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "If Your Majesty has something to attend to, go about your business. Don't keep coming here to see me."

"Take a break when you have time."

These words warmed Emperor Qianxi's heart.

Even though he is the supreme ruler of the world, he is still made of flesh and blood. Who wouldn't want someone to genuinely care about him?

Although the Empress Dowager was not his biological mother, she was his legal mother, and he greatly appreciated this consideration from an elder.

Emperor Qianxi smiled and said, "Mother, today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. Ordinary people don't work, let alone our royal family?"

"It's so boring to stay cooped up in the palace all day. I've heard that the Crown Prince's new garden is very beautiful. Shall I accompany you for a stroll?"

When the Empress Dowager heard "Crown Prince," her heart skipped a beat, but on the surface she still had to give the Emperor face.

The smile on her face remained unchanged: "Then let's go for a walk. I haven't seen Jingrong for several days, so it's a good opportunity to see her."

Within the Forbidden City, the Emperor was the most powerful, followed by the Empress Dowager. Once the two of them made their decision, the matter was settled.

After getting ready, the group left the palace in a grand procession and headed straight for the Prince of Qingqiu's residence.

Before Emperor Qianxi set off, someone naturally went to Shen Ye to deliver the imperial decree.

Upon hearing that the Emperor and Empress Dowager were coming to "admire the garden," Shen Ye, who was lounging on the couch eating jujubes, sat up abruptly.

The first thing that popped into my head was seven big characters: Night owls come into the house—they don't come unless they have a reason!
Although he was faking illness, he ate and drank as usual, and his complexion was actually quite rosy.

Anyway, it's not a serious illness, I just have a headache, what can you do to me?

But since both my father and grandmother are coming, we have to make sure we present a good image.

Shen Ye quickly asked Cao Min to give him a "sickly and weak" makeover.

Cao Min was quite skilled, applying powder and lipstick in one smooth motion, making the Crown Prince look haggard and pitiful.

Sure enough, when the Empress Dowager first saw him like this, she was startled and sighed with heartache:

"What's wrong with the Crown Prince? Let me see him quickly!"

The Empress Dowager was very pleased with her grandson, Shen Ye.

Not only is he shrewd and capable, but he is also exceptionally filial.

No matter what good things they had, they would send them to the Cining Palace.

So whenever the Crown Prince and the Emperor were at odds, she would secretly protect Shen Ye and quietly offer him a way out.

Shen Ye coughed weakly twice before replying, "Grandmother, it's nothing serious, I just have a persistent headache that keeps coming on and off."

"The imperial physician examined him and said it was nothing serious, just from being tired, and he would be fine after some rest."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief, but Emperor Qianxi secretly curled his lip.

"That's good. The most important thing for you now is to take good care of your health and not worry about anything else," the Empress Dowager said kindly.

Shen Ye replied obediently, "Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. I will definitely take good care of myself." Listening to the friendly conversation between the old and the young, Emperor Qianxi suddenly interrupted, his tone chilling, "Crown Prince, I just enclosed a section of the Eastern Palace for you. It's quiet here."

"Why don't you take a few eunuchs and go in to the East Palace to 'cultivate your character'?"

"As for the others, they can stay here and not disturb your recovery."

"In this way... I feel I will recover faster."

Hearing this, Shen Ye rolled his eyes inwardly. This old man was subtly criticizing him.
If we follow his advice, this isn't recuperation; it's clearly a disguised form of confinement!
On the surface, he respectfully replied, "Your Majesty's affection is deeply appreciated by your son."

"But what father in the world doesn't love his child?"

"The Crown Princess is about to give birth, so I should stay home and rest."

"Although it's slower, it makes me feel at ease when the whole family is together!"

Emperor Qianxi understood the underlying meaning in the Crown Prince's words—

That line, "What father in the world doesn't love his own child?", was clearly meant for him!

He was speechless, and had no way to refute it.

He could only wave his hand and say, "This is not the place to talk. Don't let your grandmother get cold."

Seeing that the emperor had changed the subject, Shen Ye took the opportunity to lead the two into the mansion.

Although it was already the dead of winter, the Prince's Palace had a unique charm.

The plum blossoms in the garden are in full bloom, and the various landscapes are very pleasing to the eye.

In addition, Shen Ye's meticulous design makes it not only beautiful but also incredibly warm.

Upon entering the main hall, a warm feeling immediately greets you, eliminating the need for even a charcoal brazier.

The Empress Dowager took off her fox fur coat and asked curiously, "Crown Prince, why is it so warm here?"

Shen Ye didn't hold back, explaining with a smile:

"My grandson laid a lot of copper pipes underground to allow hot water to circulate from top to bottom. The heat dissipates through the brick surface, so the house is not only warm but also not dry."

"It was a bit expensive, so when my grandson was building it, he only laid out a few main rooms."

"If Grandmother likes it, after spring arrives, I will have it laid out in Cining Palace... and Qianqing Palace as well, so that you will be warm next year."

When Shen Ye mentioned "Qianqing Palace", Emperor Qianxi paused for a moment and thought to himself: This rebellious son is quite eloquent.

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, saying, "Never mind, this must cost a lot of money."

"Mother, don't worry," Emperor Qianxi said leisurely. "Our Crown Prince is rich and powerful; it's just right for him to bleed money!"

After a while of chatting and laughing, the atmosphere gradually became like that of a family celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Shi Jingrong and Nian Xinyue went to rest first, while Cao Min and others played mahjong with the Empress Dowager. Emperor Qianxi then said to Shen Ye, "Crown Prince, go and take a look in your study."

When the emperor speaks, his word is law. If he says he wants to go to the study, can Shen Ye refuse?
Knowing that Emperor Qianxi was about to get down to business, Shen Ye perked up, coughed dramatically, and said:

"Father, I just tidied up my study, it's a bit messy, please forgive me."

Emperor Qianxi snorted and strode towards his study.

The Empress Dowager observed the commotion of the father and son, but pretended not to notice, and said with a smile to Cao Min and the others:

"They're uncomfortable watching us play mahjong. Let them keep busy, we'll have a good game ourselves."

Cao Min verbally agreed, but inwardly she was secretly worried—

As intelligent as she was, she knew very well that the contest between her own Crown Prince and the Emperor was about to reach a true test.

Shen Ye's study was very tidy, after all, someone cleaned it every day.

The room was also heated, so it was warm and cozy as soon as you entered.

Emperor Qianxi sat down in the main seat and said to Liang Jiugong and the others, "Go outside and wait. I need to have a word with the Crown Prince."

All the bystanders left, leaving only the father and son inside.

Emperor Qianxi watched as Shen Ye covered his mouth and pretended to cough again, then calmly exposed him: "I have already checked the pulse record with the imperial physician, and it doesn't say that you can cough."

"Stop pretending in front of me."

Hearing this, Shen Ye was speechless.

He chuckled twice: "I read a book a few days ago that said coughing can make a person look sick, so I... wanted to try it out."

Seeing the Crown Prince's shameless behavior, Emperor Qianxi was both annoyed and amused.

"Are you really that unwilling to oversee the country for me?" Emperor Qianxi took a sip of tea and went straight to the point.

“Being regent is not difficult,” Shen Ye said, spreading his hands.

"But now Taicang is completely empty, so clean that even rats can run around. The provisions and pay for more than 300,000 Green Standard Army soldiers are no small amount."

"It's not that I don't want to share the burden with Father, it's just that this matter is too difficult to handle! It will cost at least ten million taels of silver."

"Moreover, once the expedition begins, the expenses will be like water flowing out of the sky."

Emperor Qianxi's expression turned serious. He knew the Crown Prince's words made sense, but he was also certain—this kid was definitely hiding a trick up his sleeve!

This rebellious son, whose mind is as cunning as a hornet's nest, can be solved no matter how difficult the problem is once he is appeased!

He stood up and looked directly at Shen Ye: "Stop playing the poor card with me. Just tell me, if I lead the army into battle, what conditions do you want for me to oversee the country?"

"Let's stop beating around the bush and just get straight to the point."

(End of this chapter)