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

Chapter 91 This rebellious son seems to have been prepared all along.

Living in the palace was considered by many to be an extremely prestigious position.

However, as a daughter-in-law, especially as the head of the household, Shi Jingrong was very clear about just how difficult it was to manage this family.

With her grandmother, the Empress Dowager, above her, though she seemed to be all smiles and not care about anything, she was sharp-eyed and clear-headed, and Shi Jingrong dared not deceive her.

Below them were the emperor's concubines.

Although these concubines were not of the same rank as the Crown Princess, and according to Emperor Qianxi, they had to listen to their daughter-in-law, they were still elders after all!

For example, Consort Hui, Consort Yi, and the Emperor's cousin, who kept saying she wanted to be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort...

They were all the mothers of princes, and much older than her. They had even managed the harem in the past, which meant that she had to consult with them on everything when dealing with them.

Furthermore, she also had to be careful in dealing with the young concubines who had just been favored by Emperor Qianxi.

It's tough!

Not to mention, there was also the Qianxi Emperor, who acted as a father-in-law but also worried about his mother-in-law!
Being able to move out and live a simple life as a family, ignoring the intrigues of the palace, is something everyone dreams of.

"Will His Majesty really agree to let us move out?" Having deeply experienced her current predicament, Shi Jingrong yearned for freedom even more.

Shen Ye smiled and said, "As long as I can help Father Emperor get two million taels of disaster relief funds, Father Emperor will let us move out."

"So, we need to find a good place and see where we can stay comfortably."

Two million taels!

Shi Jingrong was startled.

She was the palace manager, and the palace's monthly expenses were only a few tens of thousands of taels of silver. The Crown Prince wanted two million taels...

"Your Highness, where are you going to get these disaster relief funds for His Majesty?" Shi Jingrong asked, somewhat troubled.

She knew that what the Crown Prince feared most in the past was failing to complete the tasks assigned by Emperor Qianxi, thereby incurring the emperor's displeasure.

Two million taels of silver is no small sum; it cannot be conjured out of thin air.

Shen Ye had Shi Jingrong sit opposite him, and then said with a smile, "I've almost finished taking care of things. We just need to find the mansion."

At this point, Shen Ye pointed to the map and said, "I think this area is pretty good."

The location Shen Ye pointed to was the site of the Prince Gong's Mansion in later generations. He had visited the Prince Gong's Mansion and thought that it would be quite nice to build it according to the layout of later generations.

"Isn't this place a bit far from the capital?" Shi Jingrong asked hesitantly, looking at the spot Shen Ye was pointing to.

Shen Ye understood the meaning behind Shi Jingrong's words.

For the crown prince, the closer he was to the capital, the easier it would be to respond to any situation.

However, given his father Emperor Qianxi's suspicions, the possibility of him ascending the throne as crown prince was virtually nonexistent.

In this situation, the closer a house is to the imperial city, the easier it is for it to be seized.

It's actually better to be further away.

However, he naturally couldn't tell Shi Jingrong this reason.

So he smiled and gave a perfunctory reply: "It's not too far, and besides, there's Houhai Lake here!"

"It's easy to enter the palace, and besides, there isn't much space for us to build a house near the capital."

Although Shi Jingrong felt that the Crown Prince's reasoning seemed reasonable, she still had a vague feeling that there was something the Crown Prince was hiding from her.

"Everything is up to the Crown Prince."

Shen Ye knew that Shi Jingrong was still a little unhappy about what he had just said, so he continued to coax her, "Jingrong, this is our home."

"I think we should design it properly and then let the Ministry of Works build it."

"This is how comfortable it is to live."

Upon hearing the words "our home," Shi Jingrong, who had been feeling wronged, immediately relaxed.

She glanced at Shen Ye, then quietly began to look at the map.

Just as Shen Ye and Shi Jingrong were discussing their upcoming residence, Emperor Qianxi was receiving Ma Qi, the Minister of Revenue. Although Emperor Qianxi had instructed Ma Qi to fully cooperate with the Crown Prince, as the Minister of Revenue, Ma Qi could still distinguish between the major and minor princes.

He knew very well that if he dared not report the Crown Prince's arrangements to Emperor Qianxi, he would lose his position as Minister of Revenue!
So after leaving Yuqing Palace, he went straight to Qianqing Palace to report.

Emperor Qianxi breathed a long sigh of relief after hearing Ma Qi's plan.

Although he had some trust in the Crown Prince's financial management skills, the fact that the Crown Prince only mentioned borrowing money without specifying where he would borrow it from still made him somewhat uneasy.

After all, the Yellow River has breached its banks in four or five places, and a large number of disaster victims are waiting for relief.

If the money isn't available, things will spiral out of control.

According to the Crown Prince's plan, they should still be able to get the silver.

He immediately turned to Ma Qi and asked, "Ma Qi, do you think these disaster relief bonds can be sold?"

Ma Qi solemnly replied, "Your Majesty, I believe it is feasible."

"The Crown Prince used the salt tax as collateral, and the buyers were all tax-exempt nobles and scholars. The national bonds also accrued interest, and the minimum purchase quantity was determined according to the rank of the holder."

"In this way, as long as they are not rebellious, they will definitely buy it."

"The Crown Prince also said that those who enjoy tax-free treatment should not only love our court when they are living off guaranteed salaries."

"If they cannot be loyal to the emperor and love their country, and provide disaster relief and help the people, then the court has no reason to treat them well."

"Therefore, I believe there will be little resistance."

"Moreover, these national bonds can be sold to salt merchants at any time to offset next year's salt tax."

Ma Qi's words completely put Emperor Qianxi at ease.

Thinking of the conditions the Crown Prince had discussed with him, a surge of anger rose in his heart.

This unfilial son seems to have been prepared all along!

But now, he finds it hard to back out!

He immediately smiled and said, "Now that a solution has been found, let's get to it as soon as possible."

"We must never allow a lack of funds for disaster relief to cause a popular uprising. Remember my words: if the foundation is not solid, the earth will shake!"

“Ma Qi, if such a situation really occurs, you will no longer be able to serve as the Minister of Revenue.”

Ma Qi knew that Taicang had no silver. Although the main responsibility lay with Emperor Qianxi in his campaign against Galdan, he, as the Minister of Revenue, also bore some responsibility.

If Emperor Qianxi wanted to find someone to take the blame, his position as Minister of Revenue would be just right.

So when he heard Emperor Qianxi's warning, he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will do my best to convert the disaster relief bonds into silver as soon as possible."

Emperor Qianxi nodded and said, "Although the flood has passed, there will be no salt tax next year."

"I wonder if Taicang will be even more difficult next year."

Upon hearing this remark, Ma Qi immediately lowered his head, not daring to utter a single word.

Just then, Emperor Qianxi suddenly asked, "When do you think we can get back the silver that was borrowed from the Ministry of Revenue's granary?"

Upon hearing about the silver from the granary, Ma Qi's expression immediately changed.

Although the amount of silver lent out by the granary was considerable, getting it back was easier said than done.

As the saying goes, it's easy to borrow money but hard to get it back.

Moreover, those who borrowed money were not ordinary people.

For example, Emperor Qianxi's third brother borrowed more than 100,000 taels of silver from the charitable granary, but who dared to ask him for it back?

He hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, it is time to collect the silver that the granary has lent out, but this matter cannot be rushed."

"We should wait until the disaster relief bonds are sold before making any decisions!"

　The third update of the day is here! I'm asking for your support, everyone. It's almost the end of the month, so please give me a couple of votes if you have any!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)