Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 533 Massive Bleeding! Fame and Fortune! Guidance and Wisdom!

Zheng Hongjian turned his gaze to Zhao Qingzhi, who nodded slightly to him without making a sound, his eyes showing a knowing look.

Zheng Hongjian sighed deeply in his heart.

People have to bow their heads under the roof.

With His Majesty personally inspecting the area, their fates are hanging in the balance, and their futures are uncertain.

The two million taels of silver were less compensation for the jade carving and more a toll to save their lives.

Faced with such a predicament, even if one's heart is breaking, one can only grit one's teeth and "bleed profusely."

“What Eunuch Zhao said is absolutely right. This is like a revelation to me, and I have suddenly understood everything!” Zheng Hongjian echoed, his tone carrying a hint of bitterness.

As soon as he finished speaking, he carefully took out a thick stack of checks from the Ming Dynasty Bank from his wide sleeves.

Zhao Qingzhi followed suit, taking out the same stack.

Zhao Rui did not reach out to take it, but merely glanced at it indifferently.

The two understood each other perfectly and respectfully placed the checks neatly on the table to the side.

Zhao Rui's gaze swept casually over the stack of checks, and he discovered that each one was a huge check with a face value of ten thousand taels of silver.

Checks from Daming Bank are usually not registered in any real name, nor are they PINs set.

The reason is quite simple: in the era before the support of computers and information networks, unless customers chose to make deposits and withdrawals at a fixed bank branch, bank branches in other locations simply could not verify customers' real names and passwords.

For example, if you deposit 10,000 taels of silver in a bank in Nanjing and exchange it for a check, and then take this check to a bank in Kaifeng, Henan to cash it in cash.

Without access to information via a computer system, bank branches in Kaifeng, Henan Province, would naturally not have your real name information and password.

It's also impossible for banks to physically transport every customer's paper documents and passwords to every branch across the country; this is simply not feasible from an engineering standpoint.

Therefore, unless customers explicitly specify a single deposit and withdrawal location when making a deposit and promise never to change it, banks cannot implement a system of real-name registration and password withdrawal.

The bank's responsibility is limited to verifying the authenticity of the check itself; it does not concern itself with anything else.

Theoretically speaking, at this point there is no essential difference between checks and cash, as neither of them carries any real-name information.

“Eunuch Zhao, here is a full one million taels of silver. It is not only the equivalent of compensation for the ‘Six-Armed Coral Parrot’ piece, but also a sincere gesture to accumulate merit for Her Majesty the Empress and to fulfill your filial piety,” Zheng Hongjian said respectfully.

"How rare! How rare!" Zhao Rui nodded slowly, a look of approval on his face, and said, "Money is nothing but an external thing, fleeting and ephemeral."

"The most important thing for us ministers is to be dutiful and wholeheartedly serve the court, sharing His Majesty's burdens and solving his problems. Only in this way can we be worthy of being called loyal ministers and generals of our Great Ming!"

His tone suddenly turned serious: "Millions of people in the disaster-stricken areas of Henan are displaced and are starving. This matter concerns the livelihood of the people and cannot be taken lightly!"

Zhao Rui's tone became more serious: "Governor Zheng, Inspector Zhao, the one million taels of silver you provided to Her Majesty the Empress for the disaster area must not just be empty words. It must be strictly implemented and accounted for through official channels!"

He emphasized, "This payment must be transferred from the official account of the Daming Bank. We cannot allow the Henan Provincial Governor's Office and the Provincial Inspector's Office to create an unclear and muddled account."

"All income and expenditure must be traceable, and we must ensure that disaster victims truly receive tangible assistance and benefits!"

Zhao Rui's voice was full of a strong warning: "If anyone dares to openly fabricate falsehoods, deceive their superiors and subordinates, and use the name of accumulating merit for Her Majesty the Empress, but in reality does not benefit the people in the disaster area, and instead makes the people mistakenly believe that Her Majesty the Empress has not provided any assistance and is only paying lip service, thereby damaging Her Majesty the Empress's reputation for benevolence... then even if they have ten heads, they will not be able to keep them!"

His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, was fixed on their faces as he asked, word by word, "Do you both understand what I mean?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Hongjian's body stiffened abruptly, his heart trembled violently, and a fine layer of cold sweat even seeped from his forehead.

He did have a similar thought just now.

The one million taels of silver given to Zhao Rui must be paid in full, without missing a single penny.

As for the remaining one million taels of silver intended for disaster relief, he originally thought he could easily swindle some of it, spending only a few thousand taels, or at most ten thousand taels, just to make a show of it, and that would be enough.

Unknowingly.

Are we really going to take out the full amount of one million taels of silver for disaster relief?

However, to his utter surprise, Zhao Rui seemed to have anticipated their intentions and had made arrangements in advance.

It was explicitly required that the funds be transferred from the official public account of the Daming Bank.

In this way, the one million taels of silver must be used in the accounts without any shortage of funds, leaving no room for further maneuver.

Zheng Hongjian cursed Zhao Rui's shrewdness and cunning in his heart, but remained outwardly calm.

To put it bluntly, once the two of them leave this room, Zhao Rui will never admit that he has accepted the "bribe" of one million taels of silver.

To the outside world, he would only claim that the compensation money from these two people was donated entirely to the disaster victims, thus demonstrating his noble character.

But in reality, this meant that Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi had to spend an additional one million taels of silver for actual disaster relief.

In this way, Zhao Rui not only pocketed one million taels of silver for free, but also gained the reputation of donating one million taels of silver to disaster victims, which can be described as a double win of fame and fortune.

"Yes, we will certainly keep in mind Eunuch Zhao's earnest teachings!" Zhao Qingzhi quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Zheng Hongjian quickly followed, his attitude respectful.

Now that the money that needed to be spent had already been spent unavoidably, they needed to cling even more tightly to Zhao Rui, who was now the one who could determine their fate.

Zhao Rui nodded in satisfaction: "The fact that Governor Zheng and Inspector Zhao have this intention is enough to show that you are both people who sincerely serve the court and are good officials!"

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat enigmatic: "However, even the best officials sometimes inevitably do bad things!"

Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi immediately leaned forward, craned their necks, and pricked up their ears, afraid of missing any of Zhao Rui's words.

At the same time, the two respectfully asked in unison, "Please enlighten us, Eunuch Zhao. We are all ready to listen."

Wasn't all that money spent on building connections just to get "guidance" from the emperor's trusted eunuch?

Zhao Rui calmly and gracefully tucked the thick stack of silver notes on the table into his pocket before asking in a low voice, "How did Li Jichuan, the prefect of Guide Prefecture, die?"

"Why did he have to die just when His Majesty was about to personally interrogate him? Isn't that a clear way to make His Majesty lose face?"

"How could His Majesty not be furious about this!" Zheng Hongjian mustered his courage and carefully explained, "Reporting to Eunuch Zhao, neither of us is currently in Kaifeng Prefecture, so we are naturally unaware of the specific situation there."

He paused slightly, then continued, "I was also very nervous about what happened, and sent several telegrams to Kaifeng to inquire about the cause."

"According to investigations, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office held a large number of prisoners, and the prison conditions were harsh and the prisoners died of illness or committed suicide due to unbearable torture. This was not uncommon."

"I have heard that Li Jichuan's incident was caused by a prison guard who subjected him to all sorts of humiliation. Unable to bear this great disgrace, Li Jichuan committed suicide by hitting his head against the wall in despair in prison."

"The jailer who had humiliated him, upon hearing the news, also committed suicide out of fear of being held accountable by the imperial court."

“Eunuch Zhao, these are all clear and unambiguous matters, with conclusive evidence and clear facts.”

"Even if His Majesty sends an imperial envoy to thoroughly investigate, he will not be able to find the slightest flaw!"

Zheng Hongjian defended himself with a firm tone, attempting to absolve himself of responsibility.

Immediately, he took the initiative to admit some faults: "Of course, as the chief officials of Henan Province, I and Inspector Zhao are indeed guilty of failing to manage our subordinates properly and have failed to urge the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office to properly supervise Li Jichuan."

"However, there are always times when even the most meticulous plans can go wrong."

"Your humble servant and Inspector Zhao are in charge of the entire Henan Province. Our daily affairs are already numerous and hectic. Right now, we are busy with flood relief and disaster relief, as well as important matters such as welcoming the Emperor. Our energy is really limited. How can we possibly attend to every detail?"

Occasional oversights are unavoidable.

He bowed and pleaded, "I hope that Eunuch Zhao can put in a good word for us before His Majesty and explain things to us!"

After listening to their explanation, Zhao Rui shook his head repeatedly, saying in disappointment, "Foolish! Foolish, you two are utterly foolish!"

Zheng Hongjian immediately fell silent, not daring to say another word. He and Zhao Qingzhi bowed their heads respectfully, listening quietly to Zhao Rui's reprimand.

"What a wise and sagacious person His Majesty is!"

Zhao Rui's voice suddenly rose: "Even the telegraph, such a divine instrument that can reach the heavens and the earth, was created by Your Majesty. Since ancient times, who among those who have been born with extraordinary wisdom and talent can even compare to Your Majesty?!"

He tapped the table lightly with his hand: "How Li Jichuan died is completely unimportant!"

"Whether he committed suicide, was tortured to death by the prison guards, or was killed by someone else, these are all insignificant details."

"The important thing is that he died, and right at the crucial moment when His Majesty was about to personally interrogate him, he died so mysteriously!"

Zhao Rui made no attempt to hide his sarcasm: "You keep saying that the facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive, and that you're trying to absolve yourselves of all responsibility. Do you really think you're being clever?"

Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi were both so terrified that they didn't dare to utter a sound.

Zhao Rui picked up his teacup, took a sip of fragrant tea to moisten his throat, and then said, "This time, His Majesty is personally making a northern tour. He did not send an imperial envoy, nor did he send an imperial censor to inspect the local areas."

"Both of you are high-ranking officials in charge of a region, holding great power and influence."

"Even if an imperial envoy is ordered to investigate thoroughly and convict you, he must produce irrefutable evidence."

"Without solid evidence, no matter what the imperial envoy thinks of you, he can't do anything to you."

Zhao Rui gently set down his teacup, his words striking a chord with the two men: "But, if His Majesty is determined to investigate you two, what evidence does he need?"

Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi's bodies suddenly stiffened.

Zhao Rui's words were like a thunderbolt, shattering the last vestiges of hope in their hearts.

"You must understand a very simple truth."

Zhao Rui's voice turned low: "Even if the two of you have committed some heinous crime, that's not the most important thing."

"What truly matters is whether His Majesty still trusts you and believes in your unwavering loyalty!"

"On the other hand, if His Majesty becomes suspicious of the two of you, so what if he ultimately finds no evidence against you?!"

"Couldn't His Majesty dismiss you from your posts, strip you of your titles and stipends, or even behead you and confiscate your property?"

"Do you really think that you've done things flawlessly, without any loopholes, so that His Majesty can't do anything to you?"

At this point, Zhao Rui couldn't help but curse, "Stupid! Utterly stupid, utterly foolish!"

This stern reprimand instantly caused beads of sweat to appear on the foreheads of Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi.

indeed!

From beginning to end, all they cared about was how to clear themselves of suspicion and avoid getting involved.

This is the most basic code of conduct in officialdom.

Simply put, it means that things can be done, but no matter what, you can't give others any leverage over them.

In this way, even if others have doubts, they are helpless because they lack solid evidence and can only let the matter drop, allowing them to get away with it.

But they completely forgot the simplest and most fundamental principle.

This tried-and-true logic, which works in officialdom, can be used to deal with any official in the Ming Dynasty, but it is absolutely ineffective when facing the current emperor.

As powerful regional officials, once the emperor becomes suspicious of them, their careers, and even their lives, are over.

As for whether there is any so-called "evidence" or whether someone has been caught "handling a problem," these have become irrelevant in the face of the Emperor's will.

What truly determines their fate is the scales in His Majesty the Emperor's heart, and how the Emperor ultimately views them.

This is a self-evident truth, yet the two of them were so deeply entrenched in the ingrained habits of officialdom that they took this routine for granted and completely forgot about this crucial point.

At this moment, upon hearing Eunuch Zhao Rui's resounding words, they finally awoke from their daze.

However, the mistake has already been made, so how can this precarious situation be salvaged?

"Eunuch Zhao, in your wise opinion, what should we two officials do now?" Zheng Hongjian asked anxiously.

……

(End of this chapter)