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

Chapter 519 I won't confiscate your property, I'll just dig three feet into the ground.
Yue Xing'a rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. The fastest way to get money from the Imperial Household Department was probably to confiscate their property!
That's such a satisfying move!

With a kick of the door and a lift of the box, the gleaming silver was confiscated without even needing to keep track of the accounts.

But upon closer examination, which of these powerful families in the Imperial Household Department wasn't deeply intertwined with numerous in-laws and relatives?

Who knows, maybe one of those girls will become an empress in Emperor Qianxi's harem.

Raiding someone's house might feel good in the moment, but you never know when you might run into a "ghost".

Yue Xing'a rubbed his hands anxiously.

If the Crown Prince asks how to get money for the Emperor, what should I say to avoid incurring his wrath?
Just as I was scratching my head in frustration, I heard Shen Ye clear her throat and speak:

"The old methods used by the Imperial Household Department are completely outdated."

"If we don't change this, we'll be just standing by and watching people steal His Majesty's money!"

"Instead, they opened the main gate and invited people in to move the silver from the vault!"

"So I decided to outsource most of the Imperial Household Department's business!"

At this point, he glanced at Narsu, whose face was full of question marks, and explained with a smile:
“Prince Ping, this ‘contracting’ means that a certain business is packaged and handed over to a certain person.”

"Whether he earns more or less in the future is his own business!"

"For example, I can contract out the ginseng harvesting business to you, Narsu. You'll have to pay a contract fee of 500,000 taels first!"

"Of course, the premise is that you have to guarantee the supply of ginseng to the palace, not a single one can be missing."

Upon hearing that 500,000 taels of silver could secure a whole year's ginseng harvesting business, Narsu's eyes instantly turned red!
Although he didn't stay in the Imperial Household Department for long, he knew the ginseng market inside and out—

In the Jiangnan region now, century-old ginseng is being sold for over a thousand taels a piece!

Those doctors in the Imperial Household Department who were in charge of dealing in the old ginseng from Changbai Mountain were all secretly selling it privately, and they had already made a fortune.

If this were a legitimate contract for myself, with my personal oversight, and the price slightly increased...

Anyway, this business is unique in the world, take it or leave it!

Earning hundreds of thousands of taels a year is like child's play for them.

Although he was a hereditary prince, his annual salary was only five thousand taels.

All the family's farms and shops combined bring in no more than 50,000 taels of silver.

If we can close this deal...

"Your Highness! If this business is handed over to me, what will happen to those doctors who used to manage ginseng harvesting..."

Narsu immediately got into character and started thinking about how to clear away the "obstacles".

Shen Ye smiled and waved his hand: "Don't worry, they can't interfere."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slowly added a very damaging remark:

"If you're still not at ease, I'll send them all to Xiaotangshan to grow sweet potatoes. We'll talk again after they've been growing them for a year!"

Narsu had no doubt about the Crown Prince's promise.

These words were spoken by the Crown Prince, and a powerful one at that!

He even dared to silence a prince from the imperial clan, so sending those people to plant sweet potatoes was already an act of imperial benevolence.

Let alone getting a few minor officials to plant sweet potatoes, even getting a prince or the head of the Imperial Household Department to dig the ground would be a simple matter of a word.

Narsu immediately bowed deeply, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement:

"If I could contract the ginseng, I would do my utmost to complete the task perfectly!"

Yue Xing'a and Zhe Luntai, standing to the side, were so anxious that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Wait a minute, wait a minute, you two have already settled it?
Before we even opened our mouths, the world's fattest ginseng business was gone just like that?
The two were frantic: "Your Highness, don't underestimate Narsu just because he's alone! We can do this business too!"
The entire world has a monopoly on the trade of wild ginseng!
You could make a fortune by sneaking around before, but now that you, the Crown Prince, are backing you up, you can do it openly and honestly. How can you not make a killing?

"Your Highness! This servant is willing to share your burdens! What do you think of this gold mining business... could you perhaps consider this servant?"

Zhe Luntai's title was not low, but he was short of money. At this moment, he didn't care about saving face and directly asked for business.

Shen Ye waved his hand: "Zhe Luntai, these businesses all have to be 'bid'!"

"It's not something I can just decide on a whim and assign to anyone."

"Moreover, to ensure fairness and impartiality, the entire process was overseen by the Fourth Prince!"

He then turned to Narsu and smiled, "Narsu, if you want to buy ginseng, you can't just tell me."

"We win the bid!"

"Go home and prepare your money, and act within your means! Whoever wins the bid for a particular deal has to pay a year's contract fee on the spot."

He then gestured with his chin towards Yue Xing'a, saying, "Yue Xing'a, you can participate too."

Yue Xing'a's heart skipped a beat—there were so many lucrative positions in the Imperial Household Department!
The embroidered silks from the three major textile factories may not seem to have much profit, but who wouldn't want to make a quick buck from them?
If we contract it ourselves and sell it to foreigners...

Fur, ginseng, gold mining, pearl mining...

These things, you can easily make a fortune by contracting them for a year. If you could keep contracting them indefinitely, wouldn't you be richer than a country?

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness! This servant will do his utmost to share your burdens!"

After explaining all this, Shen Ye went over the established rules again before strolling back to the Prince of Qingqiu's residence.

He preferred the relaxed atmosphere of the Prince's Mansion to the strict rules of the Eastern Palace.

Shen Ye left with ease.

But no sooner had he left than Narsu and the other two released the news, and the entire Imperial Household Department was instantly in an uproar!
Among the officials in charge of the medical affairs, some were happy while others were sad.

The good news is that it seems like mountains of gold and silver are beckoning, and the opportunity to make a fortune has arrived!
If you snag a deal, you can instantly become a millionaire!

What's worrying is that some people feel their family's heirloom has been broken!

He used to live a comfortable life by taking advantage of others, but now that he's taken over, what chance does he have?
For a time, there was a lot of noise and commotion.

When Tong Guowei heard the news, he was stunned for a long time.

He never expected that the Crown Prince would be able to dig money out of the Imperial Household Department!
Upon closer examination, this method could actually work—the Imperial Household Department's exclusive businesses were all lucrative ventures.

The reason why we haven't collected much money is because it's slipped into the sleeves of layers of checkpoints.
He knew, and of course the Emperor knew too.

But the Imperial Household Department is full of the emperor's own bondservants, who are his trusted confidants, so they have to be indulged to some extent.

Another point is, reforming the Imperial Household Department? That's harder than making a sow climb a tree!
Simply killing a few henchmen is not enough; in the end, it's mostly a thankless task that leaves a mess behind.

In previous years, there were people who wanted to rectify the situation, but what was the result?

It caused a huge uproar and earned him a reputation for being mean and ungrateful.

Now, the Crown Prince is doing something quite different; instead of reforming the system, he's completely changed the game—

Let the servants earn money legitimately, and let the emperor also receive money rightfully.

Contracting out? That's a huge investment!
If this succeeds, the Emperor's military expenses for the expedition might...

Just as I was pondering this, I heard cautious footsteps outside the door.

Sun Zishun An Yan walked in with his head down.

Seeing his grandson, Tong Guowei had very mixed feelings.

I used to think this child was clever, had a sweet tongue, and was quite likable.

But ever since that absurd affair of "the most affectionate man in the capital" came to light, the Ninth Princess's marriage was also called off, and the old man was furious whenever he saw him.

But what else can we do?
After all, he was the eldest grandson, so he had to be given face and asked casually, "What is it?"

“Grandfather, Su Ma’s cousin has come and insists on seeing you, so Father asked me to bring him over.”

Shun'an Yan answered politely.

Upon hearing "the cousin of the Su family," Tong Guowei's brows furrowed into an unsolvable knot.

This isn't some distant cousin, he's a total troublemaker!

This cousin works in the Imperial Household Department. Although his official position is not high, he earns a lot of money through bribery.

Having held this lucrative position for years, he had long since become quite plump and healthy, living a life of easy and comfortable comfort.

Of course, compared to the wealth of someone like him, who has two dukes and is the current chief minister, it's still a drop in the ocean, far inferior.

But this person's sudden arrival was undoubtedly related to the Crown Prince's contracting business.

Tong Guowei was also curious to hear what those money-grubbing experts in the Imperial Household Department thought about this matter, so he waved his hand and said, "Let him in."

Before long, a middle-aged fat man in his forties with an oily face came scurrying in.

The man was well-dressed and immediately bowed upon meeting you, saying, "Nephew greets his uncle!"

Tong Guowei waved his hand, not even bothering to lift his eyelids:
"Get up. How was your grandmother's New Year?"

"Thanks to my uncle! My mother is in good health, eats and sleeps well, and even ate a big plate of three-delicacy dumplings during the New Year!"

The fat man greeted him with a forced smile.

After exchanging a few casual words, Tong Guowei spoke up in a low voice:
"You didn't come all this way just to wish me a Happy New Year, did you? If you have something to say, say it quickly, I have official business to attend to."

The fat man quickly moved closer, lowering his voice but unable to hide his anxiety:
"Uncle, the Crown Prince wants to contract out the Imperial Household Department; this is utter nonsense!"

"The rules of the Imperial Household Department have been in place for so many years. If they are changed so arbitrarily, there will definitely be big trouble!"

"You are the Grand Secretary and His Majesty's maternal uncle, you must advise the Emperor not to let the Crown Prince act recklessly..."

Tong Guowei almost laughed in anger. Looking at his nephew's obese frame, he slammed his teacup on the table and said coldly:

"Do you really think I'm senile or blind, considering what you've done in the Imperial Household Department?"

The fat man's face turned pale.

"Hmph, managing the sale of ginseng from Jiangnan only costs several thousand taels of silver a year to the Imperial Household Department—is it that I'm unaware of the shady dealings involved, or is it that the Emperor is unaware?"

"The Emperor is not taking any action against you; that's out of mercy! He's just too lazy to bother with you!"

"You dare come here and blatantly lie to me?"

The fat man shuddered in fright.

"Let me tell you, the imperial court can find out about your underhanded dealings!"

"If you still don't know what's good for you and insist on causing trouble, then you're just asking for death."

"Don't blame me for not saving you then!"

The fat man's knees buckled, his voice trembled, and he pleaded repeatedly, "Uncle, I know I was wrong..."

"For my father's sake, you can't just abandon me!"

Tong Guowei waved his hand, interrupting him: "Alright, go back and stay put. Don't cause any trouble, and I can keep you safe."

The fat man, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, was about to take his leave when his eyes darted around, and he came back, forcing a smile:
"Uncle, there's something else I need to ask..."

"That ginseng business is really profitable! Since the Crown Prince wants to auction it off, I would like to partner with your household."

"If we pool our money and take over this business, we can easily earn five or six hundred thousand taels a year!"

The study was quiet for a moment.

Tong Guowei's originally gloomy face suddenly shifted slightly.

He paused, then said in a low voice:

"Tell me in detail, how exactly does this ginseng business work?"

　The second update for today is here! Please support, recommend, and vote, everyone!

(End of this chapter)