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

Chapter 517 The imperial court wasn't short of money; it just hadn't found the right way to raise it.

How much wealth does the Crown Prince's Yuqing Bank have?

Nobody knows! Even the Crown Prince himself probably can't say for sure.

However, in the eyes of ordinary people in Beijing, it was undoubtedly a gold mine flowing with silver, overflowing with wealth—

Why is this?
Because the salaries of all the civil and military officials were paid from here, almost every official, big or small, had an account here.

In addition, many ordinary people have recently followed suit and deposited money there, making the bank's signboard dazzlingly bright.

But then again, no matter how much money the bank has, it belongs to the depositors, not the crown prince's personal savings.

A few days ago, the imperial court sent troops, and Yuqing Bank had already paid out four million taels of silver. Although it was a long-term loan secured by the tax revenue from Zhengyangmen, it was still a considerable sum.

If the Crown Prince is forced to spend money again this time...

“Ma Qi, I really underestimated Yuqing Bank before. Maybe the Crown Prince can actually conjure money out of it.”

Tong Guowei took a deep breath and muttered to himself.

Who is Ma Qi? He is the Minister of Revenue, a master at managing money.

If he hadn't had a clear understanding of the situation, he wouldn't have had the leverage to confront Emperor Qianxi head-on.

At this moment, he smiled slightly:
"Prime Minister Tong, it's not just you; I also misjudged you back then!"

"If we had known this bank would cause so much trouble, our Ministry of Revenue should have set up its own branch and opened a separate bank when it first emerged!"

"What a pity, it's too late to join now."

Ma Qi changed the subject, lowering his voice:

"However, the Crown Prince's money doesn't come from thin air. If he were to contribute another eight million taels to support the Emperor's personal campaign, I dare say the Yuqing Bank would be emptied out immediately!"

"At that time... our opportunity will come."

He didn't explicitly say what opportunity it was, but everyone present was a shrewd person, and who wouldn't understand the implied meaning?

If money lenders can't pay out silver, won't things descend into chaos? The people's hearts will surely be in turmoil!
They naturally wouldn't dare to make a move when the Emperor was in the capital, but as soon as the Emperor went on an expedition, a few casual rumors would be enough to give the Crown Prince's bank a hard time—or even cause it to collapse.

Without the support of the bank, the heir is like a tiger with its wings broken; how far can he still soar?
"Lord Ma is right. Now I'm actually hoping that the Crown Prince can really come up with this military pay!"

Kui Xu replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tong Guowei subtly curled his lip, inwardly scoffing:

This child will never amount to anything!

The Eighth Prince, who had been sullen, now looked somewhat more relaxed.

Having been dismissed from his post and demoted, he has been completely dejected these past few days, like a wilted eggplant.

After listening to everyone's analysis, he suddenly realized:
The crown prince may seem to be enjoying a glamorous life now, but he's clearly holding a hot potato in his hands!

Ge Li was suddenly killed, and although it was officially claimed to be due to the chaos of war, later fragmented news seemed to suggest that it was related to his coercion of banks to lend him money...

Although there was no conclusive evidence, the Eighth Prince always felt that this matter was not simple.

If Ge Li could lose his life by borrowing money, what about the Crown Prince who is now in the eye of the storm?

Thinking of this, a faint glimmer of light flashed in the lowered eyelids of the Eighth Prince!

Just as the discussion inside the room was growing increasingly lively, a servant tiptoed in and bowed to Yue Xing'a, who was sitting next to Kui Xu and hadn't said much, saying:
"My lord, the Crown Prince has sent word that you must come to the Imperial Household Department in half an hour."

Yue Xing'a is the descendant of a meritorious official, inheriting the title of marquis. He is also quite capable, having served as a first-class bodyguard to Emperor Qianxi. He recently filled a vacancy as one of the chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department.

He both favored the Eighth Prince and was close to Kui Xu.

"It's the New Year, did the messenger say anything?" Yue Xing'a frowned slightly, as if he was reluctant to move.

"Your Excellency, I have inquired, but the messenger did not know the details. He only heard that the Crown Prince summoned three chief stewards at the same time."

Yue Xing'a slowly stood up, first bowing to the Eighth Prince, then turning to Tong Guowei:
"Eighth Master, Prime Minister Tong, I have to take this leave now. I'll report back immediately if anything happens."

The Eighth Prince nodded:

"Go ahead, Lord Yue, and return as soon as possible. Remember, no matter what, don't confront the Crown Prince directly."

"He's riding high right now, so don't become a target for him to assert his authority."

Yue Xing'a smiled upon hearing this: "Thank you for your concern, Eighth Master. This servant understands."

Tong Guowei added slowly, "Yue Xing, the Crown Prince is probably looking for you at this time because he wants to extract money from the Imperial Household Department."

“Remember, the amount he wants is definitely not small—if the Imperial Household Department could easily come up with it, would the Emperor need to send him around to raise money?”

"So whatever he says, just agree to it for now, and then complain about being broke later. Anyway, you guys in charge know the Imperial Household Department's finances better than anyone else."

Yue Xing'a smiled knowingly: "Prime Minister Tong's insight is truly profound and insightful. I know what to do now."

He then bowed to the surroundings and strode away.

As he walked away, someone couldn't help but tease him:

"Has the Crown Prince gone mad? He's actually eyeing the Imperial Household Department? Those old men are scrambling to find money themselves!"

This remark drew a murmur of laughter. But Ma Qi frowned:
"It's not that the Imperial Household Department is short of money, it's just that the relationships within it are incredibly complex and intertwined. It won't be a matter of ten days or half a month to figure it out. It's difficult for the Crown Prince to get money from there in the short term!"

Everyone nodded in agreement: "The Imperial Household Department is a murky place! Otherwise, the Emperor would have taken action long ago."

"Lord Ma, rest assured, the Crown Prince's efforts this time have been in vain!"

Ma Qi couldn't help but think of his younger brother, Ma Wu—who had also served as the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department.

He once said:

"The Imperial Household Department is a murky mess. Even if the Emperor personally intervenes, he can only catch a few corrupt officials at most. As for the rest, everything remains the same."

The Crown Prince wants to make money from here? He's dreaming!
Just when Ma Qi and the others thought it was impossible for the Crown Prince to reform the Imperial Household Department, at that very moment, the Fourth Prince was also expressing similar concerns to the Crown Prince.

He frowned, his expression very serious:

"Your Highness, the Imperial Household Department consists of the Emperor's servants, and their relationships are intricate and complex. While there seem to be many benefits, they are not easy to touch!"

"Even my father, in recent years, has only occasionally picked out one or two typical cases to give a warning and to keep those servants from getting too out of line."

"Even if you try to make a fuss, I don't think you can squeeze out much money."

Shen Ye looked at him with a smile: "Fourth brother, no matter how chaotic the Imperial Household Department is, it's not a monolithic entity. The previous attempts to rectify it were ineffective because the methods were wrong."

"To be honest, if it weren't for my father pressuring me so hard, and me having nowhere else to get money, I wouldn't want to stir up this hornet's nest. But now, I have no choice but to!"

As he spoke, he handed over several sheets of pre-bound paper:

"You see, reforming the Imperial Household Department is actually not difficult."

"Instead of constantly guarding against our subordinates trying to embezzle funds and skim profits from our exclusive ginseng harvesting, gold panning, and mining businesses, we should just contract them out directly."

“I’ve roughly estimated how much profit these businesses can generate. Let’s set a minimum price for them and let the people from the Imperial Household Department bid on it. Whoever bids the highest will get the job.”

The fourth prince's eyes lit up!
He immediately understood:
Instead of spending all day guarding against rats stealing grain, why not just lease out the grain warehouse?

I don't care how you sell it, but you have to pay me a fixed rent every year.

In this way, those below might earn more, but the royal family's income also steadily increased.

However, after thinking about it, he raised another question:

"Your Highness, I agree with this contracting method. But those servants are all in cahoots. What if they collude in secret and refuse to bid?"

Shen Ye laughed upon hearing this: "Fourth brother, money is a powerful motivator. They know perfectly well how much profit is involved."

"So this time, we'll use sealed markers."

"Besides, if the people from the Imperial Household Department really refuse, it's easy to handle—"

"Then let's expand the bidding scope to include the royal family and relatives, so that they have no chance at all."

"If even members of the royal family won't accept the bids, then we'll open the bidding process to all merchants across the land."

Shen Ye raised his chin, his expression arrogant, "Those people in the Imperial Household Department, at most they just collude among themselves. Do they think they can stop everyone in the world who wants to make money?"

"To prevent them from playing tricks, I will 'invite' all the officials from the Imperial Household Department who were originally in charge of these matters to live in Xiaotangshan Imperial Estate for three years."

"By the time three years have passed, the world will have changed drastically."

Listening to the Crown Prince's meticulous and flawless plan, the Fourth Prince felt a slight chill run down his spine, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The Crown Prince had not only considered all the loopholes and flaws he had thought of, but had also laid an even tighter net long ago—where there were no oversights, there were clearly traps waiting for people to jump into.

If those departments within the Imperial Household Department know what's good for them and go along with the Crown Prince's wishes, they might be able to get a share of the spoils; if they don't, and insist on going against the grain...

It's probably not just a matter of losing a job; it's also hard to say whether he can keep the wealth he's accumulated over the years.

As he was secretly weighing the pros and cons, Shen Ye leaned closer with a smile and said:
"Fourth brother, think about it—if the three major textile factories in Jiangnan were really outsourced, how much silver would be a reasonable amount to collect per year?"

The fourth prince's heart skipped a beat, his lips moved slightly, and he cautiously spoke:
"Your Highness, those three major textile factories always complain about being in debt, but who doesn't know that there are many shady dealings and lucrative opportunities inside?"

He paused, then looked up at the Crown Prince:
“If we really liberalize business operations and only charge a fixed amount, I estimate that… just from this alone, each family would have to pay at least four or five hundred thousand taels a year. And that’s just the publicly stated amount; if they manage their businesses properly, it will only be more.”

Shen Ye patted his shoulder with a smile, the force neither too light nor too heavy, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"Look, getting money from the Imperial Household Department isn't that difficult. It's not that there's no money, it's that the money isn't flowing to where it should be."

“But Your Highness,” the Fourth Prince stood up, a trace of worry still lingering between his brows.

“Even if the Imperial Household Department can generate revenue, that's a matter for future years. What Father Emperor needs right now is real military pay. The army can't wait, and this distant water... can't quench the immediate thirst!”

Shen Ye blinked, then suddenly smiled even more broadly, the smile lingering in the corners of her eyes, making her look like a fox who had successfully pulled off a cunning scheme.

"Who says we have to wait a year? Getting something for nothing—that's a trick we brothers have known since we were kids."

He leaned forward, his voice carrying a hint of mockery and certainty:
"Want to bid? Sure. First, pay a 'deposit of goodwill,' then a 'deposit of operating funds.' Once you go through the whole process, are you worried they won't hand over the cash?"

"Don't worry," Shen Ye hummed softly, his tone leisurely.

"These lackeys have been soaking in the fat of the business for so many years, they're quite wealthy. Just spread the word, and people will fight tooth and nail to give them money."

Having said that, he grabbed the Fourth Prince's hand, his palm warm, but his words were heavy:
"Fourth brother, if this matter is accomplished, it will not only solve the immediate crisis, but also establish a new rule for the Imperial Household Department—a merit that benefits the present and future generations. I'm entrusting this matter entirely to you!"

　Hey everyone, the second update is here! Please continue to give me double the support!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)