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

Chapter 36 A seductive charm can bewitch the master.
July is on fire!

July in Beijing is like a sweltering furnace!
Unable to bear the heat, Emperor Qianxi has moved to Changchun Garden to escape the summer heat, and the six ministries and nine government offices have also begun using ice to cool down.

Of course, only high-ranking officials of the third rank or above could use ice. For example, the Daxing County Government Office, located in Xiaozhongfang, south of Andingmen, could not use ice.

So at this moment, from the county magistrate down to the ordinary three-shift bailiffs, everyone wished they could strip off their official robes and dry themselves with wet towels. Taking a bath completely naked would be even more comfortable!

However, at this moment, most people's eyes were fixed on the west duty room.

On this sweltering day, the doors and windows of the west duty room were not only tightly closed, but also covered with thick curtains.

If you didn't know better, you'd think the person inside was trying to get heat rash.

But those in the know understand that the reason they did this was because they used ice.

For the officials of Daxing County, the most important thing in the past two weeks has been the arrival of a very high-ranking county magistrate:

His family was not only a member of the imperial clan, but also held the rank of a third-grade general.

Hearing that this man was coming to serve as the county magistrate, many people thought that a fierce battle was bound to take place in the Daxing County government office.

After all, the county magistrate is nominally the second-in-command and can pose a threat to the county magistrate, who is the top leader.

What's more, this time, it's a formidable force that has crossed the river.

The title of Third-Rank General of the State, though merely a noble title, represents a status even higher than that of the head of Shuntian Prefecture.

Furthermore, titles often imply connections, and more...

Faced with such a powerful second-in-command, I ask you, magistrate, are you afraid?

Nian Dongliang, the magistrate of Daxing County, was genuinely afraid!
After all, when this county magistrate came down, his superior, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, had a special talk with him, telling him to be careful in everything he did.

As for anything else, nothing was said.

However, just that one sentence, "Be careful in everything," was enough to chill him to the bone.

Nian Dongliang, who had already prepared himself to obey his second-in-command, only realized after this person arrived that the other person's heart was not with him at all.

Aside from looking at some materials, I did nothing else.

Even matters that were previously under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate were only glanced at by him. He would then shrug and say, "I'm not familiar with anything. Magistrate Nian should take care of it."

This attitude made Nian Dongliang even more certain that the other person was just there to gain experience.

Who knows, at some point, they might suddenly become your boss.

Therefore, he served this Lord Shen Ye with even greater care.

Shen Ye was the name that Shen Ye gave himself when Emperor Qianxi asked the Crown Prince to choose his own name.

Although it's not very useful, it's still a kind of longing.

He had originally intended to give up the best guardhouse in Daxing County, the one facing south, but Shen Ye refused.

The reason for the refusal was that the rules could not be changed.

However, with Shen Ye's arrival, Nian Dongliang, the county magistrate, started visiting Shen Ye more and more often.

He traveled so much not only to strengthen his relationship with Shen Ye, but also to freeload off the ice chest.

As for using ice to cool down, this county magistrate certainly didn't lack the money.

But he dared not!
On the market, some merchants have ice cellars that store ice for sale, but the prices are not low.

The cost of ice for a month was roughly equivalent to a county magistrate's monthly salary.

Although he doesn't live off his salary, if word gets out about his extravagant lifestyle, those censors who have nothing better to do than think about how to impeach him will surely devour him!

So, when he was in the backyard, he would secretly use it in his room.

However, even when it was so hot that I had a headache, I endured it and dared not use ice.

But Shen Ye is different; he's here to relax, not to suffer.

Ice is necessary, of course; even without the Imperial Household Department allocating it, I'm not short of money.

Even without air conditioning, we'll create the effect of air conditioning.

At this moment, Shen Ye was really annoyed by Nian Dongliang, who was talking to him at length.

This person would bring up official business with him all the time, ostensibly to discuss things, but no matter how Shen Ye listened, he felt that this person was reporting to him.

Why bother reporting this? I have no interest in listening. However, he is here to observe the government's policies, and if he still can't listen to this, he might have a hard time explaining it to his father, the Qianxi Emperor.

So Shen Ye had no choice but to listen patiently.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Magistrate Nian spoke very well.

After finishing his business, Nian Dongliang was still not ready to leave, since the coolness of the ice would disappear once he left the room.

So, without realizing it, the conversation drifted to his own family's uncle, who was quite old.

Although he is called a distant uncle, he is actually more than five degrees of kinship away from his kin.

Moreover, Nian Xialing had a stable source of income, but Nian Dongliang did not; he relied on his own studies to pass the imperial examination and become a second-class scholar.

“My uncle has two sons. The elder son is currently a scribe in the Imperial Household Department. He is not only outstanding in literature, but also skilled in playing the zither.”

Shen Ye really wasn't interested when Nian Dongliang mentioned Nian Xiyao.

Even Nian Gengyao wasn't interested.

After all, he's someone who's going to eventually give up; what's the point of paying attention to these things?

This pillar of the nation is really boring!

Shen Ye thought to himself, then glanced at the pocket watch.

The storytelling at Dexinglou won't start for another half hour, so it's too early for me to go now.

Let's just listen to his rambling for a while.

Nian Dongliang actually noticed Shen Ye's absent-mindedness, but he really didn't want to leave.

Besides the ice chest, he had some other things to attend to and was hesitating about whether to ask Shen Ye for help.

So he casually said, "My cousin's eldest daughter is of marriageable age, but she has to go through the preliminary selection by the Imperial Household Department, so she hasn't been engaged yet."

"However, I heard that several noble families want to form a marriage alliance with my uncle."

Shen Ye casually asked, "Do those noble families believe that the eldest daughter of the Nian family will not pass the preliminary selection?"

"Well, it's not that my cousin isn't good-looking, it's that she's a bit too beautiful. According to the family tradition, she won't pass the preliminary selection."

Upon hearing Nian Dongliang's words, a thought flashed through Shen Ye's mind: the Imperial Household Department's preliminary selection must absolutely not allow for the selection of those who are seductive and capable of bewitching the emperor.

What kind of ridiculous rule is this?!

As Shen Ye listened to Nian Dongliang's words, he thought about the future of the Nian family.

Aside from Nian Gengyao's own demise, it seems the Nian family is doing quite well.

After Nian Gengyao's death, Nian Xiyao was promoted to the rank of first-grade official.

Moreover, if she could become even closer to the fourth brother through marriage, it would create better conditions for her future life of ease and comfort.

Besides, having another seductive and alluring person by one's side doesn't seem so bad!

“Old man, as soon as I arrived here, I felt an instant connection with you. I’ve decided to be your friend,” Shen Ye said solemnly.

Nian Dongliang was stunned for a moment; he didn't quite understand what this meant.

However, on the surface, he still respectfully said to Shen Ye, "General Zhenguo, it is my blessing to be able to become your friend."

"Ha ha!"

Feeling that the time was right, he prepared to say what he wanted to say.

But at this moment, Shen Ye stood up and said, "Old man, let's talk about this later."

"I have to go out because I have something to do here."

"I've also made a reservation at Dexinglou Restaurant."

Nian Dongliang naturally understood the meaning of Dexinglou.

Watching Shen Ye leave surrounded by a retinue, he suddenly felt that being a county magistrate was really meaningless.

A new month has begun, everyone! I'm begging for all kinds of support! Votes, follow my stories, I want them all!

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(End of this chapter)