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

Chapter 92 The Crown Prince Cannot Be Too Outstanding
After Ma Qi finished giving his suggestion, sweat dripped down his forehead.

For a subject, disobeying the emperor's decision means having to bear the emperor's wrath.

Although Emperor Qianxi appeared tolerant, he never hesitated to act decisively when faced with anything that threatened his position.

Now, when the emperor wants to investigate the loans from the granary, he dares to say "wait a moment," which is tantamount to disobeying the emperor.

However, Ma Qi knew even better that if he accepted this task, it would likely cause him more distress than offending the emperor.

Because not only are there too many people in debt, but they are also all in high positions of power.

He feared that if he offended these people, his entire family would be wiped out!

Emperor Qianxi stared at Ma Qi with a cold expression.

No matter how big or small the events in the capital were ever kept from the eyes of Emperor Qianxi.

He was well aware of Ma Qi's concerns at this moment.

Although he was somewhat annoyed by Ma Qi's performance, he also knew that Ma Qi had no choice but to make this decision.

Therefore, at this moment, he could only suppress his anger.

“Ma Qi, then let’s do as you said. We’ll talk about recovering the debts owed by the Ministry of Revenue’s granary after the disaster relief bonds are sold.”

Emperor Qianxi said coldly, "Your Ministry of Revenue should be prepared. I will absolutely not allow this matter to continue to be delayed."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Although Ma Qi was uneasy, he had no way out at this moment.

However, after preparing to step down, he gritted his teeth and finally said to Emperor Qianxi, "Your Majesty, if this matter is to be done, the Ministry of Revenue alone may not be enough."

"Your Majesty, I request that you appoint a capable and senior minister to oversee this matter. Only then will there be any hope of recovering these debts."

At this point, Ma Qi continued, "I am not making excuses, but I am afraid that I might risk my life and fail to recover the money, thus delaying Your Majesty's important affairs."

"Then I deserve to die!"

Looking at Ma Qi's sincere expression, Emperor Qianxi waved his hand.

He knew that although Ma Qi was trying to shirk responsibility, he was telling the truth.

Ma Qi is not capable of shouldering such a great responsibility.

If we only let the Ministry of Revenue collect the debts, it's very likely that we'll end up with a half-baked job.

When it came to sending important officials, the names of Mingzhu and Suo'etu immediately came to mind for Emperor Qianxi.

These two men are undoubtedly worthy of the title of important ministers, but if they are sent to collect money, then a major conflict will likely follow in the court.

The two of them would never give up such an opportunity to strike at their opponents.

Whether the money could be recovered in the end was unknown to Emperor Qianxi, but the court would certainly be in complete chaos.

It could even disrupt the normal operation of the imperial court.

But who else besides them has that kind of influence?
His own brothers, or several hereditary princes, were the biggest debtors.

If we let them go and ask for the money back, it will all be for nothing.

As for the princes, although the eldest prince is quite capable in his duties, he is influenced by Mingzhu and is unwilling to offend anyone.

If we were to assign him this task, the eldest prince would probably find an excuse to shirk it before the task was even assigned.

As for the third prince, Emperor Qianxi simply set him aside.

The Third Prince is so fond of taking advantage of others; he himself is a frequent visitor to the granary. As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too.

He himself has a pile of shit under his butt, so how could he...

The fourth prince is a bit too serious and too young; he probably won't be able to control the court officials.

One prince after another passed through Emperor Qianxi's mind, but in the end, he rejected them all.

Especially the Eighth Prince; just thinking about his title of "Wise Prince" made Emperor Qianxi's teeth ache.

Wise King!

Hehe! After going through each of the princes one by one, the image of the Crown Prince finally appeared in Emperor Qianxi's mind.

Emperor Qianxi felt that, in terms of both status and ability, the Crown Prince was undoubtedly the most suitable person to collect the money.

After all, the Crown Prince was exceptionally capable; he was able to raise two million in disaster relief funds from scratch, not to mention the debts.

The Crown Prince should have a solution!
However, sending the crown prince to collect the debt would mean that he would offend all the officials.

In that case, the crown prince will face numerous difficulties when he ascends the throne.

How could I possibly ruin the next generation of emperors that I have painstakingly nurtured?
But if the Crown Prince doesn't intervene, how can the money be recovered?

Although Emperor Qianxi ultimately suppressed the idea of ​​having the Crown Prince intervene, he vaguely felt an urge within him.

There was an urge to make the crown prince offend all the court officials.

Ma Qi acted very quickly; just three days after Emperor Qianxi made his decision, disaster relief bonds worth two million taels of silver were issued.

The disaster relief bonds, printed with the eight characters "Disaster Relief and People's Salvation" and "Loyalty to the Emperor and Patriotism," sold very well from the very beginning of their release.

After all, these were distributed according to rank, and not buying them would be considered a sign of dissent against the imperial court.

After purchasing it, you can not only exchange it for silver next year, but also earn interest.

Rather than spending some money temporarily, no one wanted to anger the emperor over this matter and thus be branded as disloyal and unfilial.

The eldest prince, carrying a bond worth two thousand taels of silver, rode his horse to the Nalan residence.

Upon arriving here, he naturally didn't need to announce his arrival; he directly saw Mingzhu in the hall, who was also playing with a disaster relief bond.

Mingzhu was examining the eight characters on the back of the bond: "Disaster Relief and People's Salvation, Loyalty to the Emperor and Patriotism," as if these eight characters contained countless mysteries.

"Uncle is really in high spirits!" The eldest prince's voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

The Crown Prince's three interventions put him under immense pressure.

He had always wanted to make a good impression and let everyone know that he, the eldest son born out of wedlock, was even more capable than the crown prince.

But now, the crown prince's brilliance is hard to conceal.

He even sensed that some people who were once close to him were now starting to distance themselves from him.

Mingzhu stood up with a smile and said, "Your Highness, these disaster relief bonds are so exquisitely made that I naturally want to take a good look at them."

"Besides, I bought this for five thousand taels of silver."

"And after the New Year, it will be worth 5,300 taels of silver."

"Tsk tsk, that's quite a fast way to make money!"

Hearing Mingzhu's teasing, the eldest prince's expression grew even uglier.

He said coldly, "Uncle, do you know that the Crown Prince has raised two million taels of silver for disaster relief this time, and is currently being praised by the court officials?"

"What can be done if this continues?"

The eldest prince's words gave the impression of a sudden shift in thought.

But the more this is the case, the more it reveals the Crown Prince's helplessness and bewilderment in this matter.

What can I do?

Mingzhu looked at the eldest prince, who had gone from being furious to dejected, and gently put down the bonds in his hand. He said calmly, "Your Highness, you don't need to worry too much about this matter."

"His Majesty does not want the Crown Prince to be too outstanding."

"Just like how, although the stars are bright, they cannot compete with the moon in brilliance."

"Your opportunity may come soon!"

　The first update of the day is here! Please support me, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)