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

Chapter 86 Adding insult to injury, nothing can be done without money.
Heavy rains for days have caused the Yellow River to breach its banks, with the disaster affecting five provinces!

As Emperor Qianxi read the memorial submitted by the Governor-General of the Waterways, he felt his hands trembling.

Since quelling the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories and defeating Galdan, Emperor Qianxi has rarely encountered situations that left him feeling helpless.

But this time, something else happened again!
Now that the disaster has struck, we must provide disaster relief!
But disaster relief requires food and money; without these, it's impossible to achieve anything with just empty words.

However, if disaster relief efforts are inadequate, those who cannot survive may not be so easy to reason with!

If they rise up in rebellion, the consequences will be severe.

The continuous military spending far exceeded the funds allocated for disaster relief.

But now, how do we get these disaster relief funds?
From the money the prince made selling the stone-paved road?
No, the capital cannot be thrown into chaos now.

Meanwhile, Taicang was already facing severe financial difficulties...

"Summon the Grand Secretaries and officials of all ministries for a meeting!" Emperor Qianxi ordered in a deep voice, glancing at the rain outside.

However, he waved his hand and said halfway through his sentence, "Never mind, there's no need to issue the decree."

"Let's talk about it at the morning court tomorrow."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi said in a deep voice, "Have someone quickly inform all the Grand Secretaries and officials of the Six Ministries about the breaching of the Yellow River dikes."

"Also, inform the Crown Prince and the princes in charge of governance that there will be a meeting tomorrow."

As Zhao Chang listened to Emperor Qianxi's orders, his admiration for the emperor grew even stronger.

The reason Emperor Qianxi changed his mind was that hastily summoning people to the palace at night would not only fail to solve the problem, but would also cause unnecessary panic.

This is highly undesirable for a mature emperor.

Therefore, he set the meeting time for tomorrow.

However, Emperor Qianxi had trouble sleeping. He was reading the memorials and pondering how to deal with the Yellow River breach.

The breach of the Yellow River requires not only disaster relief for the victims, but also the reconstruction of the riverbanks.

Furthermore, was this dam breach a natural disaster or a man-made one?
One thing after another made him feel like his head was starting to ache.

After hearing the message from Liang Jiugong's messenger, Shen Ye didn't give it much thought.

He is the crown prince; it's not his place to worry about important matters yet.

Moreover, how to handle this matter was entirely up to Emperor Qianxi.

He should just lie there quietly.

So, after looking at the map of Yuqing Palace and understanding the main areas affected by the disaster, Shen Ye went to sleep.

Why worry so much about a crown prince who has no chance of ascending the throne?

It's better to just live your own happy life!

However, the next day, even though Shen Ye was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to get out of bed with Shi Jingrong's help.

The Qianxi Emperor had already notified the court assembly, so he dared not fail to attend.

Lying down in Yuqing Palace is much better than being confined in the Cold Palace.

"Your Highness, please be careful at today's court assembly. His Majesty is in a bad mood."

Shi Jingrong also knew about the Yellow River flooding. Although she couldn't see it, she could guess at Emperor Qianxi's feelings at that moment.

Shen Ye naturally understood that Emperor Qianxi was unhappy; after all, no one would be happy to encounter such a worrisome situation.

From this perspective, being a crown prince is happier than being an emperor.

Even if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up; after all, the short ones watch the show, while the tall ones hold up the sky.

"I know, don't worry." Shen Ye patted Shi Jingrong's hand and said, "It's okay, go back to sleep. It's still early."

Shi Jingrong smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I understand."

After dressing in his new clothes, Shen Ye quickly walked towards the Qianqing Palace.

Because it wasn't a regular court session, only the powerful officials from the Six Ministries, the Nine Ministers, and the Censorate attended this assembly. The rain continued to fall! The vast天地 (heaven and earth) remained shrouded in darkness.

Sometimes it pours down, sometimes it's as fine as cow's hair. Although it's not that intense, the prolonged rain makes people's moods feel like they're being soaked and moldy, adding a touch of melancholy.

Zhou Bao and a young eunuch held a large umbrella over Shen Ye, afraid that raindrops would fall on her.

When Shen Ye arrived at Qianqing Palace, the corridors were already full of people.

Many familiar faces gathered together and whispered among themselves.

In the past, before going to court, people would sometimes make a few jokes.

But now, no one dared to laugh, because Emperor Qianxi was displeased. Anyone who laughed at this time would be extremely tactless and might be punished.

A single breach of etiquette before the emperor is a minor offense; if the sharp-tongued Emperor Qianxi deems you utterly heartless, your life is over!
"Greetings, Your Highness." Everyone bowed respectfully upon seeing Shen Ye approach.

Shen Ye waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities!"

Just as Shen Ye was about to find a place to rest, he heard Liang Jiugong's voice: "His Majesty has decreed that all officials shall come to court."

As Liang Jiugong spoke, the main gate of the Qianqing Palace slowly opened, and the officials, who had just been in disarray, quickly entered the hall in order.

Shen Ye was the first to walk in, and no one dared to compete with him for that position.

His position was next to the chair in the Qianqing Palace, where he could look down at the assembled officials.

Unfortunately, he was standing and looking down.

It would be more comfortable to sit and look down.

According to the former crown prince's memory, in the past, after the officials entered the hall, Emperor Qianxi would always wait a few minutes before entering himself.

But this time, right after the officials had taken their positions, Emperor Qianxi strode into the main hall.

As soon as he sat down, the courtiers quickly bowed.

Standing next to Emperor Qianxi, Shen Ye noticed that Emperor Qianxi looked unwell, as if he hadn't woken up properly.

Shen Ye also felt that this situation was quite normal.

After all, it's rare to be able to fall asleep at a time like this.

Before the officials could finish their greetings, Emperor Qianxi waved his sleeve and said, "Dismiss the formalities. The reason I have gathered you all here today is to discuss the matter of the Yellow River breaching its banks."

At this point, he said in a deep voice, "According to the report from the River Conservancy Commissioner, this breach has affected five provinces, with millions of people affected."

"What strategies do you, my esteemed ministers, have for disaster relief?"

Disaster relief is simply money and food.

Everyone present knew that the Ministry of Revenue of the Imperial Court really didn't have much silver left.

Even the more than 100,000 disaster victims gathered in Beijing some time ago could not be provided with relief. Now, with millions of disaster victims suddenly appearing, it is truly a headache for everyone.

After all, we don't have any money!
In the midst of an unbearable silence, someone suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I, Yang Menglong, the Censor-in-Chief, report that the River Conservancy Commissioner Jin Fu has been managing the river for many years, and the court spends no less than one million taels of silver on river works every year."

"But he was incompetent and mediocre, and his many years of governance not only failed to solve the flood problem, but also caused such a great disaster."

"Your subject requests to execute Jin Fu to appease the world!"

As soon as this person began to speak, seven or eight imperial censors stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, "Jin Fu is incompetent. Your Majesty, I request that Jin Fu be executed to appease the people."

Shen Ye looked at these censors and was speechless.

Emperor Qianxi summoned these people to solve problems and turn the tide, not to have them start shouting for war.

What are you going to do about Emperor Qianxi?
Emperor Qianxi looked at the censors kneeling in the court below and felt somewhat irritated.

However, he could not vent his anger on the censors at this time, since their task was to impeach them.

He glanced around before his gaze settled on Shen Ye and asked, "Your Highness, what do you think should be done regarding the censor's statement?"

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(End of this chapter)