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

Chapter 462 The Crown Prince Has the Appearance of a Ruler

Ma Qi was incredibly frustrated that he couldn't stop Shen Ye from "separating the family."

Should he be appointed as a "half-baked" Minister of Revenue?
If this gets out, where will Ma Qi put his face?
If his colleagues bring it up later, they'll laugh their heads off: "Hey, Minister Ma, is your Ministry of Revenue... now only half a facade remains?"

No, I can't let this power slip away!

No sooner had Shen Ye left the Ministry of Revenue than Ma Qi followed him into the Qianqing Palace.

Upon meeting Emperor Qianxi, Ma Qi respectfully performed the salutations, then immediately adopted a serious expression, his tone as heavy as if reporting some earth-shattering news: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince intends to 'split' the Ministry of Revenue in two!"

"In my opinion, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

Ma Qi listed them one by one, saying, "The six departments have been operating for many years and have formed a time-tested mechanism that is so well-integrated that it is incredibly seamless."

"If we insist on splitting things up now, under the guise of each taking charge of their own area, it may seem like everyone is fulfilling their responsibilities, but it could easily lead to buck-passing and disputes!"

"Besides, how many official positions would be needed to create a new ministry?"

"Those are all entitled to a salary, Your Majesty!"

"The imperial treasury was already in dire need of funds, and this is clearly making matters worse! Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

After listening, Emperor Qianxi stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then said unhurriedly, "Ma Qi, don't be in a hurry. I just asked the Crown Prince to come up with a plan first. As for whether to do it or not, we'll have to discuss it and then make a decision."

As he spoke, he casually pulled out a stack of memorials and said, "In the past few days, there have been more and more memorials supporting 'officials and gentry paying taxes together.' It seems that you ministers are beginning to understand the difficulties of the court."

These words, though spoken lightly, made Ma Qi's heart skip a beat.

Many of these memorials were secretly sent by him to help the Eighth Prince.

His original intention was to cover up the Eighth Prince's suggestion and not make it too conspicuous.

But now... has His Majesty figured it out? Or hasn't he?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but his face was filled with respect:
"This...this is all due to Your Majesty's virtuous influence. We, your subjects, should naturally share your burdens."

Emperor Qianxi laughed and didn't delve into it further. He continued, "Once this tax system is changed, I hope the court will be more financially well-off next year."

Ma Qi quickly chimed in, his tone resolute: "We have estimated that if this law is implemented, the court's annual revenue will increase by at least this amount!"

He gestured mysteriously, "Ten million taels! Next year, there will definitely be no problem storing a million taels of silver in the Taicang granary!"

As Ma Qi emerged from the Qianqing Palace, he touched his forehead and, lo and behold, was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

He always felt that the emperor had figured out the meaning from those memorials, but the emperor just pretended not to understand.

This skill... the old fox is still the most cunning. Compared to His Majesty, I'm still quite far behind!
The emperor could pretend not to know, but Crown Prince Shen Ye had no intention of letting the Eighth Prince get away with it so easily.

Although Shen Ye stopped reviewing memorials after Emperor Qianxi returned to the palace, the sudden shift in the stance of the court officials in support of unified taxation for officials and gentry did not escape his ears.

Although Tong Guowei remained silent, Shen Ye understood perfectly well the unusual behavior of Ma Qi, Kui Xu, and their group: they usually frowned at the mention of tax increases, but now they had suddenly made a complete 180-degree turn? What other reason could there be besides covering for Lao Ba?

Looking at the list of petitioners compiled by his subordinate Zhou Bao from the Office of Transmission, Shen Ye felt a little emotional: "Eighth Brother is quick on his feet. Even without Ninth and Tenth Brothers, he has already won over a group of people."

Behind this, there was probably also the tacit approval of his own father, the emperor.

Trying to deceive everyone? Did you even ask me, the Crown Prince?!
As Shen Ye was pondering this, Zhou Bao came over and reported, "Your Highness, Lord Rongbao requests an audience."

Rongbao? Shen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.

This man is Ma Qi's younger brother. He used to be a secretary in the Imperial Household Department and was a confidant of the emperor.

A few days ago, his father, the Emperor, sent him to be the chief secretary of the newly appointed "Prince of Qingqiu".

Shen Ye insisted on obtaining the title of "Prince of Qingqiu" for the sake of his grand plan to expand overseas.

Under pressure from military spending, the emperor reluctantly agreed, but then immediately assigned him this "one of his own".

The meaning couldn't be clearer: You want to go solo? I'll have to send someone to keep an eye on you!

"Let him in."

Shen Ye thought to herself, whether it's a blessing or a curse, she can't avoid the "supervisor" and will see him later.

Rongbao was slightly shorter than his brother Ma Qi and Ma Wu, but he looked more energetic and agile.

Upon entering, he bowed respectfully: "This servant Rongbao greets Your Highness."

"No need for formalities." Shen Ye waved his hand, deciding to take the initiative. "Rongbao, since you are the chief secretary of the Prince of Qingqiu's residence, let me test you. Where is Qingqiu?"

The emperor had asked Shen Ye the same question before, and now he was using it verbatim as his opening line.

To be honest, Shen Ye didn't want the position of Chief Secretary, and Rong Bao certainly didn't want it either.

Being caught between the crown prince and the emperor is a very awkward position; one wrong move and you're doomed.

So he did his homework thoroughly before coming.

"Your Highness, Qingqiu is an ancient name, located east of Chengtian Prefecture, surrounded by the sea on three sides, and currently has a population of about five thousand..." Rong Bao recited the geographical location and local customs fluently in one breath. Shen Ye listened, feeling slightly satisfied: Hmm, although he was "parachuted in," his attitude was quite proper, and he had done his homework quite well.

After Rong Bao finished speaking, Shen Ye said solemnly, "I asked my father for this title not for the prince's salary. I want to use Qingqiu as a springboard to expand overseas."

"As you just said, the port there has good conditions. I can't leave right now, so everything over there depends on you, Chief Secretary."

He stared at Rong Bao and emphasized, "So, the burden on your shoulders... is not light."

Despite his inner turmoil, Rongbao immediately clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Your Highness, please give your orders! This servant will do his utmost and will never fail to live up to your trust!"

“Alright,” Shen Ye immediately assigned the task, “When you get to Qingqiu, you have two main things to do: First, find a way to build me a ship!”

"Second, gather the refugees and build several deep-water docks around Qingqiu that can accommodate large ships. Time is of the essence; I'll give you six months to get it done."

Rongbao hesitated for a moment before asking the crucial question: "Your Highness, this...this all costs money. I wonder how much funding you can allocate to this servant?"

Shen Ye was prepared: "This time I will send an accountant to accompany you. If you need money, just ask him. I will bring you 500,000 taels of silver first. Spend it as you need to, don't be stingy."

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had given him 500,000 taels of silver, Rongbao felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

What he feared most was that the Crown Prince would assign tasks without paying him, leaving him with nothing to do.

With this huge sum of money, things became much easier.

After breathing a sigh of relief, he thought of another problem:
"Your Highness, I will do my best to build the docks. But... without a navy, how can we operate overseas? The court has made it clear that it will not allocate any navy to you. Where will we get our navy?"

Shen Ye looked at Rong Bao, who had a worried expression on his face, smiled, and kept him in suspense: "Well, I have my own plans. You will soon see the navy under the command of 'General Fubo'. What you need to do now is to do your job well."

How exactly does it work? Can I tell you? After all, we're not even on their side.

Rongbao felt a little disappointed when he saw that the Crown Prince hadn't told him the specific steps, but he knew that this was normal.

"Then... this servant will await Your Highness's good news."

He then went on to explain the details of the port construction in more detail, and before we knew it, it was noon.

Shen Ye glanced at the sky and said with a smile, "Alright, stay here for dinner today. Consider it a farewell dinner for you as you head off to Qingqiu."

Rongbao wanted to decline, but the reason of "farewell banquet" was too suitable, and to refuse would seem like he was being ungrateful, so he had no choice but to stay.

The two had a meal, and Rongbao, slightly drunk, staggered home.

As soon as I entered, I saw my older brother, Ma Qi, standing at the doorway, looking rather grim.

"Where have you been drinking?" Ma Qi asked, looking at his slightly tipsy appearance.

Rongbao had always been a little intimidated by his elder brother, and answered softly, "I went to see the Crown Prince today, and he invited me to stay for dinner..."

Ma Qi's brows immediately furrowed into a tight knot.

Before he could even begin to reprimand him, Rong Bao quickly added, "The Crown Prince said this meal is a farewell banquet for me as I go to Qingqiu to take up my new post."

Ma Qi swallowed back the words of reproach that were on the tip of his tongue, his tone softening somewhat, but still serious: "Your position as Chief Secretary is sensitive, you must do everything yourself and not make any mistakes. Otherwise, I can't protect you."

"Don't worry, brother, I understand!" Rongbao quickly assured him.

Ma Qi sighed and said earnestly, "The Crown Prince is shrewd and capable, so you must not underestimate him."

"Based on my recent experience dealing with him, he is very concerned about the Qingqiu matter, and he won't completely trust you either."

"Keep your hands and feet clean, don't let him find a way to exploit you."

He paused, a hint of helplessness and sighing in his voice, "And this man, he's incredibly vindictive and holds grudges. Having him as the Minister of Revenue has made me want to quit my job there..."

Rong Bao was very surprised when he heard this; it was too unbelievable!
Why would his usually domineering older brother say such a thing? He asked with concern, "Did the Crown Prince make things difficult for you?"

“He didn’t directly make things difficult for me,” Ma Qi shook his head, looking bitter and resentful, “but what he did was even more upsetting than direct harassment!”

"The Crown Prince proposed today that the Ministry of Revenue be divided into two departments: the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Taxation. A lot of people in the ministry raised their hands in support."

Ma Qi's face turned bitter as he finished speaking.

The reason most people agree is that separating them could potentially lead to higher official positions.

Seeing his Ministry of Revenue, which he had cultivated for many years and was practically an ironclad entity, fall apart in just a few words by the Crown Prince, how could he possibly be happy?

Rong Bao glanced around a few times and hesitated before saying, "The Crown Prince clearly doesn't like me, but he still invited me to dinner in the end."

“In the past, I had little contact with the Crown Prince and didn’t know him very well, so I couldn’t figure out his ways.”

"But now that I see it, I think the Crown Prince has the appearance of a ruler!"

Ma Qi's expression turned serious as he looked at Rong Bao, who was being cautious.

He glanced around and said, "Let's go back inside and talk."

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(End of this chapter)