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

Chapter 73 The Crown Prince's Intelligence Worries Me
When Yu Chenglong heard that the Crown Prince wanted him to go find Emperor Qianxi, he was stunned.

Emperor Qianxi would most likely agree to such a brilliant plan.

Without using a single penny of Taicang's money, a road was built for free, disaster victims were relieved, and the unrest in the capital was resolved. From any perspective, it was a glorious achievement.

Although he disliked vying for credit and favor, if he could achieve such results himself, he had to report to Emperor Qianxi in person.

After all, this is all credit.

The crown prince, however, told him to go and report it.

Why is that?
Yu Chenglong, unable to understand, immediately bowed respectfully to Shen Ye and said, "Your Highness, the idea came from you, so naturally, when reporting to His Majesty, we should follow your lead."

In order to prevent Nian Dongliang from taking the blame, Shen Ye had no choice but to personally participate in the court proceedings today.

He hasn't even had a short rest yet, and he's already going to see Emperor Qianxi again. He doesn't want to keep working like this.

"Lord Yu, we have an agreement." Shen Ye looked at Yu Chenglong and said calmly, "I will take care of finding you 500,000 taels of silver. You don't need to worry about the rest."

"Now, I've not only found the money for you, but I've also arranged everything for those disaster victims. If you still can't do it, then don't blame me!"

At this point, Shen Ye picked up his teacup.

Yu Chenglong naturally knew how to serve tea and see guests off.

He glanced at Shen Ye, who had a calm expression, and had no choice but to take his leave.

As Yu Chenglong left Yuqing Palace, he began to ponder the plan the Crown Prince had just mentioned. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was feasible, and the more urgent he became.

There were already enough disaster victims gathered, and he felt very uneasy if the road wasn't repaired as soon as the crown prince had suggested.

Therefore, he went directly to the Qianqing Palace without leaving the palace.

In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Qianxi, having finished his court session, was drinking watermelon juice.

Chilled watermelon juice is so refreshing and sweet.

In the past, he mostly drank tea, but now he finds himself somewhat dependent on this watermelon juice.

It's much better than eating watermelon.

While drinking watermelon juice, Emperor Qianxi thought about the events of the court meeting that day.

He didn't care much about the disaster victims gathered outside Shuntian Prefecture.

He had already taken precautions, preparing the troops of the Xishan Ruijian Battalion and the Fengtai Camp so that tens of thousands of troops would immediately come to quell the rebellion should anything change.

Of course, this is just the worst-case scenario.

Regarding this court assembly, there were only two things that truly mattered to him:

One of them was the Taicang granary of the Ministry of Revenue, which only had 400,000 taels of silver as ballast!
This gave him a deep sense of crisis.

After all, nothing can be accomplished without money.

Another incident occurred when Qian Youzhong requested the execution of Nian Dongliang, and the Crown Prince, without hesitation, directly intervened.

None of the ministers gathered around the Crown Prince by Suo'etu spoke.

Why is that?
Could it be that the Crown Prince's two failed attempts to meet with Suo'etu caused them to fall out directly?
If that's the case, then dealing with Suo'etu needs to be put on the agenda!

Just as various thoughts were swirling in Emperor Qianxi's mind, Liang Jiugong came to report: "Your Majesty, Yu Chenglong, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, requests an audience."

Emperor Qianxi knew that Yu Chenglong was contacting him at this time because it was definitely about disaster relief.

So he said in a deep voice, "Please come over, Lord Yu."

When Yu Chenglong arrived at the Qianqing Palace, he performed a meticulous bow. Emperor Qianxi casually remarked, "Yu Chenglong, why aren't you discussing disaster relief with the Crown Prince? What are you doing here with me?"

"Your Majesty, I have just met with the Crown Prince!"

"The Crown Prince has suggested a disaster relief plan to me, which I find very feasible, so I have come to report it to Your Majesty."

The Emperor Qianxi's gaze toward Yu Chenglong suddenly took on a strange quality.

Based on Emperor Qianxi's understanding of Jackie Chan, he was not someone who was good at flattery. But now, he was clearly flattering the Crown Prince.

What kind of disaster relief plan did the Crown Prince give him? Shouldn't the Crown Prince act according to his disaster relief plan?
Could it be that Yu Chenglong has completely sided with the Crown Prince?
If that's the case, then I...

Various speculations surged in Emperor Qianxi's mind.

He took a breath before calmly asking, "What disaster relief plan did the Crown Prince tell you? Tell me."

Yu Chenglong didn't hide anything and told him in detail about the idea Shen Ye had given him.

As Emperor Qianxi listened to Shen Ye's plan, his expression gradually became serious.

He had been to Tongzhou and knew that the road was difficult to travel.

I also know just how busy the road from Tongzhou to Chaoyangmen is.

Building a new road for toll collection would definitely make them a fortune.

Because it's profitable, people invest money in it.

Use this money to help the disaster victims!
Thinking about the intricacies involved, Emperor Qianxi pondered for a moment and said, "This is a good idea. Minister Yu, did the Crown Prince come up with this idea himself, or was it offered to him by someone else?"

The ice chest in the Qianqing Palace is quite large, making the entire room very cool.

However, upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.

There was a great deal of resentment towards His Majesty.

He thought to himself, "I came here to talk to you about disaster relief, not to answer your questions about the Crown Prince's whereabouts."

But he also knew that he couldn't escape it.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, Yu Chenglong said that he did not have his own judgment, but instead recounted in detail the circumstances of his meeting with the Crown Prince.

Emperor Qianxi was very satisfied with his answer.

After listening to the conversation between the Crown Prince and Yu Chenglong, Emperor Qianxi snorted and said, "I have always been teaching him that one should be diligent!"

"How can someone so lazy and lethargic be fit for a great responsibility!"

At this point, he turned to Yu Chenglong and said, "Minister Yu, this time we will proceed with the disaster relief according to this method."

"My dear minister, you are in charge of organizing the disaster victims to work. As for the money, I will leave it to the Crown Prince to raise."

Yu Chenglong had a general idea of ​​how to raise the money, but he also knew it wouldn't be easy.

This requires contact with powerful and influential people, which is precisely what he is least good at.

However, for the sake of the disaster victims, he was prepared to give it his all.

Now that Emperor Qianxi had entrusted this task to the Crown Prince, he immediately felt relieved.

He quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

The emperor and his minister discussed some matters related to disaster relief before Yu Chenglong took his leave.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at the time and noticed that the clock not far from him was almost twelve o'clock.

At this point, it's basically time to serve the meal.

"Liang Jiugong, have the Crown Prince come to see me after lunch," Emperor Qianxi ordered in a deep voice.

Liang Jiugong agreed and quickly left.

Emperor Qianxi sat in his chair, carefully considering the idea that the Crown Prince had given Yu Chenglong.

The problems of money and disaster victims were all perfectly resolved, and not a single penny was spent in Taicang. In the end, a new stone-paved road will be built from Tongzhou to Chaoyangmen...

The more Emperor Qianxi thought about this plan, the more he felt it was absolutely brilliant!
However, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he, the crown prince, was perhaps a little too clever.
As his prestige grows, will I still be able to keep him in check?
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(End of this chapter)