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

Chapter 532 For domestic matters, consult Tong Guowei; for foreign matters, consult the Emperor.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Qianxi sat upright, solemnly reviewing memorials.

On the surface, the emperor's expression was calm and composed, just like any other day.

But Liang Jiugong, who was serving nearby, knew in his heart—

His Majesty has been on edge for a long time!

Why am I so nervous?

This time, the Imperial Household Department's contract is crucial to whether they can gather enough provisions and pay for the expedition.

Even if we can't raise enough money, we still have to fight this battle, so we have to grit our teeth and charge forward.

But if the soldiers were to go to the battlefield hungry... Emperor Qianxi himself was not sure what to do.

The Crown Prince's plan sounds perfectly flawless;

Kyoto's reaction was entirely expected.

But as the saying goes, "When it concerns oneself, one becomes confused."

Even a wise and powerful emperor like the Qianxi Emperor could not escape this rule.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard soft footsteps outside.

"Your Majesty, Prince Yu's secret memorial has arrived!"

Wei Zhu crouched down as she walked in, holding a small wooden box about the size of her palm.

This little box is no ordinary box; it even has a delicate little gold lock hanging on it.

Even his personal eunuch couldn't possibly see a single word inside.

Speaking of secret memorials, this was a privilege that Emperor Qianxi granted to a few trusted ministers.

Each high-ranking official had their own set of locks and keys, allowing them to submit memorials directly to the Emperor without going through the Office of Transmission.

In the imperial court, those who could submit secret memorials were either confidants or important officials; this was a sign of imperial favor.

Emperor Qianxi took out a bunch of keys from his desk drawer, jingled and found the one belonging to Prince Yu, and unlocked it with a click.

There was only one memorial to the throne lying alone in the box.

Upon unfolding it, I found that the beginning was all polite greetings.

The last line was written casually: "Chang Wu has already gone to the Imperial Household Department."

Upon seeing this, Emperor Qianxi's lips subtly curved into a smile, revealing a barely perceptible hint of mirth.

Tong Guowei outwardly supports the Eighth Prince, but is at odds with the Crown Prince.
But at the same time, he is also his own uncle, and his loyalty is beyond question.

But that's not enough.

When an emperor is about to personally lead an expedition, away from the throne for such a long time, he must make countless arrangements for the capital.

To put it bluntly, it all boils down to one thing: making sure that when he comes back, the chair is still his.

If someone went on a long trip and their home was robbed, causing them to lose their throne, it would truly become a laughing stock for all time.

You can't see into someone's heart.

If I leave, and the two people in charge in Beijing happen to tacitly join forces, that would be extremely bad.

So before leaving, we should add fuel to the fire and stir up their "discord".

However, it's not appropriate for the emperor to personally get involved in such matters, so Prince Yu... is the perfect candidate.

With a high enough position comes a lot of audacity.

In addition, the arrogant words spoken by that brat Shun'an Yan earlier provided the Crown Prince with a pretext to lash out.

If the Crown Prince could beat that brat half to death, that would be even better;

Even if he accidentally hit too hard and accidentally beat someone to death... well, that's his own fault for being so talkative, so he can only accept it.

Emperor Qianxi picked up his pen and wrote on the memorial: "Understood. From now on, a memorial may be submitted every half month."

After finishing writing, I put the folded book back into the wooden box and locked it myself.

Wei Zhu accepted it without a word, bowed, and left.

"Liang Jiugong," Emperor Qianxi suddenly asked casually, as if in a casual conversation, "did you participate in the Imperial Household Department's contracting this time?"

Liang Jiugong quickly bowed and said with a fawning smile:

"Your Majesty is wise. This servant couldn't resist the urge and also invested 20,000 taels to participate in the leasing of shops in the inner city..."

"I don't know if it will work out."

"You certainly know how to pick things, you know which ones are safe." Emperor Qianxi chuckled, picking up his teacup.

"Shops in the inner city are businesses where you can make money even with your eyes closed. It's just that 20,000 taels is a bit low; you can't make a lot of money there."

“Oh dear, this servant dares not be greedy,” Liang Jiugong bowed repeatedly.

"This servant is just testing the waters; I'll be satisfied if I make even a small profit!"

Emperor Qianxi blew on the tea froth and glanced at him with a half-smile:
"In your opinion, is there anything inappropriate about this contracting method?"

Liang Jiugong felt a slight tightening in his heart, but his smile remained impeccable.

"This servant is dull-witted and blind; I really can't see anything wrong with it right now."

"I just feel that this unified outsourcing and management is convenient and saves a lot of effort, and the accounts are also clear."

He paused, then added a flattering remark:

"In the end, it is Your Majesty who is wise. Someone as dim-witted as me can't go wrong by following you!"

He was sweating profusely when a young eunuch came to report from outside:

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the three chief stewards of the Imperial Household Department request an audience."

A glint of delight flashed in Emperor Qianxi's eyes, but he immediately straightened up and said, "Summon them in."

After saying this, he sat back on the dragon throne, casually picked up a memorial, and read it with remarkable composure.

After the others came in and finished their greetings, he put down the memorial as if he had just remembered it:
"Is today the day the Imperial Household Department is contracted out? How's it going?"

His nonchalant demeanor might fool others, but it couldn't fool Shen Ye—the image of Emperor Qianxi's frantic state when he was short of money was already etched in his mind.

Shen Ye remained calm and composed, replying:

"Your Majesty, the contract has been completed. The Imperial Household Department has undertaken a total of 105 projects, collecting 7.15 million taels of silver in contract revenue."

As he spoke, he handed the sheet of Xuan paper covered with numbers to Liang Jiugong:
"The highest-value contract was for the silk fabrics of the three major textile factories, worth 1.03 million taels, which was won by the Cheng family."

"The lowest price is for jewelry workshops, seven thousand five hundred taels."

The highest and lowest figures were not even registering with Emperor Qianxi at this moment; he couldn't be bothered to care. He was only focused on the total number.

Seven million one hundred and fifty thousand taels!

Enough is enough!

The total cost of this large-scale military expedition was only six million taels of silver.

Now, not only are the provisions and pay in full, but the people are not taxed a single penny; the money all comes from the contracts with merchants.

This move truly solved the immediate crisis and preserved the dignity of the imperial court.

Wonderful!

He was so happy he almost wanted to slap the table, but on the surface he still maintained the dignity of an emperor.

"Excellent! The Crown Prince has handled this matter beautifully!" Emperor Qianxi was overjoyed.

"Fourth Prince and the other stewards, you have also worked hard. You have made great contributions to successfully raising the military funds. I will surely reward you handsomely!"

Emperor Qianxi took the list and examined it closely, his gaze suddenly stopping at the "Gold Mining" column—

Huh? It's blank; the contractor's name isn't filled in.

That's strange. Didn't the Tong family say before that they were determined to get this deal?
How did it all fall through at the last minute? This was a huge deal with a starting price of 500,000 taels!

"Your Highness, is there no one willing to contract out gold mining?"

Shen Ye remained calm and composed, her tone steady yet each word clear:

"Father, it is precisely because Tong family's Shun'an Yan previously declared that the Tong family would definitely win this prize, and that anyone who bid would be considered an enemy of the Tong family, that no one dared to participate in the competition."

"But the people arranged by the Tong family only offered the base price of 500,000 taels!"

"Isn't this blatantly trying to steal money from Father Emperor's pocket?!"

"Your Majesty, I hereby disqualify them from bidding on the spot!"

"Otherwise, if this precedent is set, and anyone dares to make such pronouncements to dominate the market, where will the imperial authority be? Where will the Emperor's divine power be?"

Emperor Qianxi nodded secretly upon hearing this, but only gave a soft "hmm" on his face.

The Imperial Household Department's previously lukewarm industries are now generating so much revenue by contracting them out, without the department having to worry about managing them. This idea is getting better and better the more you think about it.

This is how it should be done from now on! The industries will still be mine; let my subordinates do the work and make the money, while I reap the rewards...

If he earns seven or eight million taels of silver every year, plus salt tax and customs duties, then he will be living a very comfortable life as emperor!
The Crown Prince did the right thing by preventing the Tong family from setting a bad precedent this time.

"Your Highness, you did the right thing. The Tong family should be taught a lesson!"

Emperor Qianxi put down the list and casually asked, "I heard... you dealt with Shun'an Yan?"

"Yes. Shun'an Yan claimed that he was talking nonsense all day while drunk."

"I respect his youth, but I still dare to tolerate such arrogant remarks, which may damage Prime Minister Tong's reputation."

Shen Ye answered with an air of righteousness:
“Jade must be carved to become a useful object. So I made him a halberd-bearing guard, to clear the way for me on weekdays and to stand guard at the mansion in his spare time.”

"After ten or eight years of honing his skills, he should become more mature."

What did the halberd-wielding guards do? Did Emperor Qianxi not know?

This location sounds glamorous, but in reality, it's a tough job where you're exposed to the sun and rain.

Not to mention, it will take another ten or eight years... The Crown Prince is really planning to toughen this kid up!

Looking at the list of over seven million taels on the table, and considering the Tong family's opportunistic behavior, Emperor Qianxi finally smiled:
"That's fine, let him suffer a bit, so that Prime Minister Tong won't have to worry about his good-for-nothing grandson while he's busy with state affairs all day."

"Young people should stand and walk more; once their legs are strong, their minds will naturally become clearer!"

After discussing some details of the contract, Emperor Qianxi asked the fourth prince and the others to leave.

Only the father and son remained in the hall, and the air fell silent for a moment.

"Your Highness, the military funds have now been raised, and I will soon lead the army in person."

Emperor Qianxi's expression turned solemn:
"I hereby entrust you with all matters of state affairs as regent!"

He paused, his gaze falling on Shen Ye's face, his tone casual yet probing:

"Although this is not your first time acting as regent, this time it is no small matter—I would like to hear how you plan to proceed?"

Shen Ye chuckled inwardly: He's still not entirely at ease.

But it’s understandable.

No one wants to relinquish all power in the world, not even a father and son. Emperor Qianxi also wanted to keep some options open.

"Your subject will respectfully follow the old system established by Your Majesty. The Six Ministries have their own procedures for handling affairs, and unless it is a matter of great importance concerning the foundation of the nation, Your subject does not wish to interfere too much."

Shen Ye replied respectfully, "Things that each department can decide on its own, shall be decided by them. Routine government affairs shall continue to proceed as usual."

Emperor Qianxi nodded secretly upon hearing this—the answer was perfectly measured and suited his taste perfectly.

He wanted the crown prince to be stationed in the capital and oversee the overall situation, but he didn't want the crown prince to overstep his bounds.

What I fear even more is that he might take advantage of my absence to carry out a major reshuffle in key positions.

The crown prince had served as heir apparent for over twenty years, and his prestige was enough to convince the people.

But this "prestige" must never surpass that of the emperor himself.

“Very good,” Emperor Qianxi said, his tone softening, but he didn’t forget to add a few more words:

"From now on, if there are any unresolved internal matters, you may consult Tong Guowei; if there are any unresolved external matters... you may send a report to me."

Shen Ye outwardly accepted the order, but inwardly he couldn't help but mutter to himself:
You won't let me touch this, and I have to ask for permission for that... How can you expect me to oversee the country?
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(End of this chapter)