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

Chapter 461 Divide and Conquer: Official Positions That Win Hearts

When Tong Guowei learned of this, he first dragged Shun An Yan over and gave him a good scolding, then turned around and called Longkodo over.

He glared at his "eldest son" with a dark expression and asked bluntly, "Do you know anything about Shun'an Yan and that courtesan?"

Longkodo had long expected his father to come looking for him—he was the head of the Infantry Commander's Office, and no matter how much trouble there was in the capital, it could not be kept from him.

Hearing his father ask this question, he chuckled and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Father, I have my men keep an eye on important matters of the court."

"I didn't pay much attention to this kind of small thing at first."

"By the time my son realized the seriousness of the problem and tried to intervene, alas, the news had spread throughout the entire capital!"

"Besides, my son's relationship with my elder brother is just so-so. If I were to report this to you, I'm afraid you'd think I'm indirectly complaining about my elder brother and trying to sow discord between him and others!"

"So I didn't say anything... Anyway, I don't think it's a big deal!"

“Shun’an Yan is still young, so it’s normal for him to have affairs. It’s no big deal to have such minor flaws.”

Upon hearing this, Tong Guowei's face darkened even more.

He glared fiercely at Longkodo and cursed, "You bastard!"

"Don't you know that Shun'an Yan is going to be a prince consort?"

"Now that this has caused such a huge uproar, how can I, with my old face, go and ask His Majesty to arrange a marriage for him?"

"You...you really are..."

Longkodo smiled and said, "Father, don't be so anxious. You don't only have Shun'an Yan as your grandson. Yuzhu is also your grandson, and he's not engaged yet!"

"Why don't you... talk to Yuzhu about it?"

Looking at Longkodo's smiling face, Tong Guowei felt a tightness in his chest from anger and said coldly, "Yuzhu? How dare you say that!"

"Does that wretched woman's son even deserve to be a prince consort?"

"Do you think I'm stupid, or is His Majesty too easy to talk to?"

Hearing his father call his delicate concubine a "bitch," Longkodo was furious, but dared not argue back.

He just kept his head down and didn't say a word, acting as if it was none of his business.

Tong Guowei took a deep breath and asked, frustrated, "Who exactly is behind this?"

"Please don't tell me this was just an accident, a pure coincidence!"

At this point, Tong Guowei stared coldly at his eldest son, his face full of suspicion, and asked, "You didn't do it, did you?"

"Father, if I did it, I'll have them go straight to the Infantry Commander's office to file a complaint!"

Longkodo quickly waved his hand: "Besides, how could I possibly have the guts to ruin your and His Majesty's important plans!"

Tong Guowei sneered, "Who else could it be but you?"

Longkodo smiled and said, "Father, I advise you not to ask. What good will it do you to find out? You'll just end up getting angry anyway."

"Even the Emperor pretends not to know, so why make yourself unhappy?"

Tong Guowei's expression changed: "Could it be... the Empress Dowager?"

“It’s the Crown Prince.” Longkodo calmly replied, “After I received the news, I rushed to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to investigate.”

"Unfortunately, the fragrant girl from Xiaoxiang Pavilion has already been bought by the Crown Prince's men."

"Who else but the Crown Prince could pull off such a feat?"

As Tong Guowei listened to his son's logical analysis, his expression grew increasingly grim.

However, despite his anger, he knew that there was no way to change the situation.

After hesitating for a moment, he waved his hand and said, "You may leave."

Longkodo stepped forward, almost ingratiatingly saying, "Father, Shun'an Yan is not suitable now. How about we reconsider Yuzhu?"

"I'm not exaggerating, but Yuzhu is much more handsome than Yan Kejun of Shun'an! Just standing there, he's absolutely dashing!"

"He's your own grandson too. We shouldn't let this good fortune go to outsiders, don't you think?"

Tong Guowei looked at him coldly and asked in return, "Do you think that the Ninth Princess can't get married and that you have to force her into our family?"

"Have you ever thought about where the Emperor's face will be?"

Seeing his father's expression, Longkodo quickly shut up.

Tong Guowei turned to the servants beside him and instructed them, "Change your clothes, I need to go to the palace to see the Emperor."

Longkodo, though embarrassed, wasn't angry and quickly left.

In about half an hour, Tong Guowei arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

Upon seeing Emperor Qianxi, he immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject Tong Guowei greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Qianxi still wore a bright smile: "Uncle, please rise."

"Liang Jiugong, please take a seat!"

This time, Tong Guowei neither sat down nor stood up, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I have come here to apologize to Your Majesty."

"Shun'an Yan is young and mischievous, he's really despicable!"

“As his grandfather, I also failed to supervise properly. I beg Your Majesty to punish me as well.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi's expression darkened slightly.

He was already furious about this.

He couldn't punish the Crown Prince who was behind the trouble for the time being, since the Crown Prince was just "going with the flow," and the root of the problem still lay with Shun An Yan himself.

If Shun'an Yan hadn't been entangled with that courtesan named Xiangxiang, how could the subsequent events have occurred?
But seeing his uncle kneeling and begging for forgiveness, Emperor Qianxi finally waved his hand and said, "Let's just let the matter of Shun'an Yan go."

"Uncle will discipline him more in the future!" "Liang Jiugong, help the Grand Secretary up."

Before arriving, Tong Guowei had already anticipated Emperor Qianxi's reaction. Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, he thanked him and stood up.

After he sat down, Emperor Qianxi looked at his uncle and felt a pang of unease.

He believed that with Tong Guowei's abilities, he would definitely be able to find out who did it.

But what can you do even if you find out? He's the Crown Prince!
Thinking of this, Emperor Qianxi simply stopped mentioning Shun'an Yan's matter and instead started talking about the New Year.

The Spring Festival is supposed to be a time for family reunions and joy, but for the Ministry of Revenue, it's not an easy time.

Because the Lunar New Year means spending money, the Ministry of Revenue had to allocate funds for various expenses in addition to paying salaries.

The Minister of Revenue, Ma Qi, is currently facing a major headache regarding this matter.

And now, his head is even bigger!

Because Crown Prince Shen Ye was sitting majestically in the very center of the Ministry of Revenue's main hall.

Previously, when the Fourth Prince was observing government affairs at the Ministry of Revenue, he could only sit on the side.

However, the Crown Prince is different!

The crown prince is a semi-ruler; when the emperor is not present, he is the boss.

Therefore, Shen Ye looked very imposing as he sat in the main hall of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

Led by Ma Qi, everyone bowed in unison.

Shen Ye raised his hand and said, "Gentlemen, you may dispense with the formalities."

Once everyone had taken their positions, Shen Ye smiled and looked at Ma Qi: "Lord Ma, we have quite a few people from the Ministry of Revenue!"

Ma Qi's heart tightened, and he cautiously replied, "Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue has a total of thirteen administrative offices, plus the ones managing the granary, so naturally there are more people..."

He dared not offend this crown prince; the trouble he had suffered before was still fresh in his mind.

Therefore, Ma Qi was highly focused at this moment, fearing that the Crown Prince's casual remark might be a trap, and that he might fall into it and bury himself if he wasn't careful!
He had never been this cautious, not even when facing the Qianxi Emperor.

Shen Ye nodded: "This time, when the imperial court sent troops to the snowy region, the Ministry of Revenue couldn't even raise the necessary funds. Although there were reasons for this, the emperor was still extremely disappointed!"

Upon hearing Shen Ye mention this, Ma Qi, though indignant, immediately admitted his mistake: "Your Highness, it is our incompetence that is the fault of this subject."

"It's not that you gentlemen are incompetent, but rather that the Ministry of Revenue has too many things to deal with!"

"As a result, the officials are so busy that they inevitably neglect one thing for another."

Shen Ye had an expression that said, "I understand you guys."

Ma Qi's heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong. The Crown Prince wasn't the type to be considerate of his political enemies!
Just as he braced himself and prepared to respond, he heard Shen Ye say, "That's why I made a suggestion to my father a few days ago: to loosen the reins on the officials in the Ministry of Revenue."

"It saves me from having a ton of problems all day long."

Ma Qi stepped forward and asked, "I wonder how Your Highness plans to loosen the restrictions on our Ministry of Revenue?"

"It's actually quite simple. We just need to set up a special 'tax department' to manage the collection of all kinds of taxes."

Shen Ye picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "At that time, the Ministry of Taxation will be responsible for collecting taxes, and the Ministry of Revenue will be responsible for spending them!"

"This will make things much easier for everyone!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Qi's expression immediately changed.

He was the Minister of Revenue, so he was only half a Minister of Revenue.

He glanced at his men before saying, "Your Highness, we are deeply grateful for your consideration."

"But the Six Ministries system has been in place for many years. If it is changed rashly, it may cause trouble."

"In my opinion, the matter of the Ministry of Taxation needs to be considered carefully and thoroughly before making a decision."

Shen Ye wasn't in a hurry and slowly took a sip of tea: "Lord Ma, I know you are cautious."

"But the system of the Six Ministries is not something that has existed since ancient times."

"There used to be three provinces, but gradually the three provinces were abolished, and then there were six ministries!"

"A more detailed division of labor is an inevitable trend!"

As Shen Ye spoke, his gaze swept over the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Revenue: "I would suggest to His Majesty that the Minister of Taxation be selected from among those present."

"In this way, our court will have seven ministers."

"Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the two vice ministers of the Ministry of Revenue lit up!

They originally wanted to join Ma Qi in opposing the Crown Prince, since if the Ministry of Revenue were to be split up, their power would shrink.

But if, as the Crown Prince said, the Minister of Taxation were to be chosen from among them... then their chances would be the greatest, wouldn't that mean their opportunity had arrived?
Not only were they tempted, but the doctors below were too!

If there's one more tax department, there will be a whole bunch of more opportunities for promotion!
Thus, the alliance that had just been united and indignant, wanting to stop the Crown Prince from dividing the Ministry of Revenue, instantly crumbled and became fragmented.

Shen Ye looked at Ma Qi, whose face was getting darker and darker, and said with a smile to Zhang Fengpan, the Left Vice Minister, "Lord Zhang, Lord Ma is a Minister, and many people are looking for him and he is very busy."

"You must bravely shoulder the heavy responsibility and take charge of the establishment of the tax department."

I believe in you!

Zhang Fengpan was overjoyed!

He was originally the Left Vice Minister, and now he's in charge of separating the Ministry of Taxation, so his chances of becoming the Minister of Taxation... hehe, aren't they even greater!

So he immediately stepped forward and said, "Your humble servant will obey Your Highness's orders!"

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(End of this chapter)