My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 302 Chongzhen: Money is hard to earn and shit is hard to swallow, my hands are about to be ruined!
Emperor Chongzhen was somewhat speechless upon seeing this scene.

It was understandable that Empress Zhou liked Zheng Xiaomei, after all, Zheng Xiaomei was her daughter-in-law, and she was also clever, understanding, and very much liked by him.

But why do I like Qiqige?
She's a Mongolian princess, okay?

Even if Zhu Cilang and she do have something going on in the future, it's still too early for Empress Zhou to be so enthusiastic.

However, Chongzhen couldn't say anything about this, since Empress Zhou was the empress and he couldn't criticize her casually, so he could only pretend not to see it.

Just then, Chongzhen suddenly noticed several eunuchs not far behind Zhu Cilang, each carrying two exquisite boxes, looking rather mysterious.

Emperor Chongzhen suddenly realized something, then looked at Zhu Cilang and asked:
"Is this box containing the Ming Dynasty bonds you mentioned yesterday?"

His voice carried a hint of surprise and curiosity.

Zhu Cilang said with a smile:

"Father's guess is correct, these are indeed the national bonds of the Ming Dynasty!"

“Last night, the Treasury Department printed out the template. I took a look and found no problems, so I had the Treasury Department rush to produce a batch of large denomination notes overnight.”

Emperor Chongzhen was speechless upon hearing this.

He hadn't expected Zhu Cilang to be in such a hurry; the matter they had discussed yesterday was settled today.

He originally thought he would have to wait a few days.

However, Chongzhen could not say anything more, after all, Zhu Cilang was also thinking of the Ming Dynasty and wanted to get the national debt issue resolved as soon as possible.

Just then, Empress Zhou suddenly stood up and said:
"Alright, you and your son can discuss important matters here. I'll take them for a stroll in the inner palace."

As she spoke, Empress Zhou pulled Qiqige and Zheng Xiaomei outside.

It was obvious that she knew the father and son had important matters to discuss, so she didn't want to disturb them.

Moreover, she also wanted to get closer to Zheng Xiaomei and Qiqige, since they were both her preferred daughter-in-law candidates.

Emperor Chongzhen said nothing, but Zhu Cilang respectfully said:

"Farewell, Mother."

After Empress Zhou left with Qiqige and Zheng Xiaomei, Chongzhen then signaled to the eunuch to bring over the Ming Dynasty bonds.

After opening the box, he casually picked up a Ming Dynasty national bond and examined it carefully.

The material of the Ming Dynasty bonds was indeed the same as that of the previous Ming Dynasty banknotes, and it felt delicate and smooth to the touch.

Moreover, both the front and back are decorated with exquisite patterns, giving it a high-end and sophisticated look.

Emperor Chongzhen exclaimed in surprise:
"Yes, the material and pattern are very well designed."

Zhu Cilang smiled slightly, feeling quite proud, because the pattern on it was actually a revised version of his draft.

Zhu Cilang then explained:

"Father, look, the front depicts two giant dragons soaring through the clouds, symbolizing the prosperity and flourishing of the Ming Dynasty. The back depicts patterns of the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, signifying that wherever the sun and moon shine, it is China, and wherever the rivers flow, it is Ming territory."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was visibly moved and exclaimed "Good!" three times.
"Good! Good! Good!"

Although it was only three short words, it was enough to express Chongzhen's feelings at that moment.

Next, Chongzhen carefully examined the other denominations of Ming Dynasty bonds and nodded with satisfaction. Both of these Ming Dynasty bonds perfectly matched his aesthetic preferences.

However, he soon started to have a headache.

Because Zhu Cilang brought so many Ming Dynasty national bonds this time, two thick boxes, that he was somewhat dazzled by them.

Then he couldn't help but say:

"This must add up to at least five million taels of silver, right?"

Zhu Cilang corrected:

"It is seven million five hundred thousand taels, in total one thousand sheets, divided into five thousand taels of silver and ten thousand taels of silver."

Emperor Chongzhen's eyes widened as he listened.

Goodness, does that mean I'd have to sign my name a thousand times?
Writing your own name so many times at once is no easy task!
However, since it was something he had promised before, and Chongzhen himself wanted to do something for the Ming Dynasty, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

At the same time, he was thinking to himself:

We should let Zhu Cilang do less of these things in the future, otherwise his hands will be ruined from writing.

Before Chongzhen could say anything, Zhu Cilang shouted loudly to Wang Chengen, who was standing to the side:
"Eunuch Wang, go and fetch the brush and ink."

Wang Chengen was slightly taken aback when he heard this, a look of surprise flashing across his face, but he quickly recovered.

"Slave, go now!"

He then left in a hurry.

Not long after, he carefully returned here with his brush and ink.

Meanwhile, Emperor Chongzhen was already sitting steadily at the table, his posture upright and his expression somewhat serious.

Then, Emperor Chongzhen took the pen from Wang Chengen and began the signing ceremony.

At first, Chongzhen was able to patiently and carefully write his name stroke by stroke.

However, by the time he had written the twentieth page, Chongzhen had become somewhat impatient.

He frowned slightly, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. Writing other things would be fine, but repeatedly writing his own name was just too tedious and boring.

Those identical words seemed to keep jumping around in front of him, making him feel extremely annoyed.

But Chongzhen knew this was something that had to be done, so he could only grit his teeth and persevere. Although he was still writing, his speed had obviously slowed down.

Soon, he had signed about fifty copies, and by this time, Chongzhen was starting to lose his patience.

His eyes were filled with anxiety, and he unconsciously increased the pressure on his pen.

If Emperor Chongzhen were a time traveler, he would definitely be cursing right now:
Fuck!
It's so hard to make money and so frustrating! My hands are about to fall off!

Meanwhile, Zhu Cilang sat there leisurely, his hands casually resting on the armrests, quietly watching Chongzhen sign his name, "Zhu Youjian," on the Ming Dynasty national debt.

They looked as if they were watching a performance that had nothing to do with them.

Seeing Zhu Cilang's leisurely demeanor, Chongzhen became angry.

He felt a surge of inexplicable anger suddenly erupt.

In an instant, Chongzhen suddenly thought of something and then directly instructed Wang Chengen, who was standing beside him:

"Daban, go and get another set of writing materials."

The voice carried a hint of anger, as if venting its dissatisfaction.

Before Zhu Cilang could figure out what Chongzhen was trying to do, he saw Chongzhen suddenly say to him:
"Don't just stand around doing nothing, sign your name with me too."

Zhu Cilang was speechless upon hearing this, and then said:
"This is not appropriate, Father. After all, you are the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It would be better if you signed it yourself. Your son will just watch from here."

Just kidding, Zhu Cilang would never want to do something like that!

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen found it amusing and then said in a somewhat annoyed tone:
"There are no outsiders here, so what are you pretending for? Your current status is no less than mine, and most of the military and civil officials in the court are on your side. The signature you make is no different from the signature I make."

"Besides, I've worked so hard, wouldn't it be unreasonable for you not to stand up for me?"

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and get some pen and ink!" At the end of his sentence, Chongzhen glared at Wang Chengen fiercely, his eyes full of authority.

Although Wang Chengen was somewhat speechless, seeing Chongzhen's expression, he quickly said:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This servant will go immediately."

He then hurriedly left, his steps hurried, as if afraid of displeasing Chongzhen again.

Before long, a brush and ink were placed in front of Zhu Cilang.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang sighed helplessly, inwardly annoyed:

If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have stayed here. He should have gone with Empress Zhou to see his younger siblings!

But it's too late to say anything now.

Left with no other choice, Zhu Cilang picked up a pen, tore off an unsigned Ming Dynasty bond, and wrote his name, "Zhu Cilang," in the designated place.

His handwriting was neat and strong, but it carried a hint of reluctance.

And so, the father and son began to write furiously.

For a moment, the only sound in the hall was the "rustling" of pen tips gliding across paper.

Perhaps because he saw Zhu Cilang signing his name just like him, Chongzhen's mood improved considerably.

The irritation on his face gradually dissipated, and the pen in his hand returned to its previous smooth flow.

On the other hand, Zhu Cilang felt somewhat uncomfortable because his name had far more strokes than Chongzhen's.

It took him quite a while to write his name each time, while Emperor Chongzhen could write it twice.

There's nothing we can do about it; the characters "朱慈烺" have more strokes than "朱由检".

He inwardly groaned, yet there was nothing he could do.

When he reached the fiftieth page, Zhu Cilang simply couldn't continue writing.

Firstly, he wasn't used to writing with a brush, and secondly, repeatedly writing the same three characters was just too boring!
So he put down his pen, rubbed his wrist, and then suggested:

"Father, how about we take a break halfway through? I feel that signing this isn't so urgent anymore."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Zhu Cilang speechlessly, but perhaps he was also tired, so he finally agreed.

"In that case, let's rest over there for now!"

So the father and son put down their pens, stretched their limbs, and then drank some tea.

The tea had a slightly sweet taste, which made people feel comfortable.

But before long, the two of them got busy again.

They sat back down at the table, picked up their pens, and continued to sign their names on the Ming Dynasty bonds.

After a whole morning, we finally finished signing all one thousand Ming Dynasty bonds.

Zhu Cilang probably signed less than 300 copies; the rest were all signed by Emperor Chongzhen.

Firstly, Emperor Chongzhen wrote quickly, and secondly, his name had few strokes, making it naturally faster to write.

After finishing all this, Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen's wrists were so sore they could barely lift them.

Emperor Chongzhen frowned, rubbing his wrists incessantly, and making hissing sounds from time to time.

Zhu Cilang found this scene amusing.

Because the current thousand Ming Dynasty bonds are only a small part; more Ming Dynasty bonds will be sent to the palace to await Emperor Chongzhen's signature.

But he wouldn't help then!
Just as Zhu Cilang was feeling somewhat gloating, without warning, Chongzhen suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahahahaha."

The laughter echoed through the hall, sounding somewhat abrupt.

Zhu Cilang was completely bewildered, because he had no idea what Chongzhen was laughing about.

But he found out the next second.

Emperor Chongzhen smiled as he looked at the Ming Dynasty bonds in front of him, each bearing his signature, and said with a look of pride and satisfaction:

"That's seven and a half million taels of silver!"

The voice carried a hint of pride, as if countless riches were shimmering before its eyes.

After realizing what was happening, Zhu Cilang replied with a smile:

“Father is right. This is seven and a half million taels of silver. I am confident that within three days at most, all of these Ming Dynasty bonds will be converted into real silver.”

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen smiled again, the smile spreading from the corners of his mouth, clearly from the bottom of his heart.

All the negative emotions from before vanished instantly, and at this moment, all Chongzhen could think about was piles of silver!
After the father and son finished all this, it was noon.

Empress Zhou also returned here with Qiqige and Zheng Xiaomei.

The three of them walked gracefully towards us, each with a faint smile on their face.

It was noon, and Empress Zhou wanted Zhu Cilang and the other two to stay for lunch, which Zhu Cilang naturally accepted.

Before long, the dining table was filled with all kinds of delicious dishes, and the aroma was irresistible.

The group ate and chatted in a very harmonious atmosphere.

After lunch, Zhu Cilang planned to take Qiqige and Zheng Xiaomei back to the East Palace.

"Father, Mother, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now!"

Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Immediately afterwards, Zheng Xiaomei and Qiqige also bowed and took their leave.

Watching Zhu Cilang leave with Zheng Xiaomei and Qiqige, Empress Zhou couldn't help but say:

"Your Majesty, do you think Qiqige and our Lang'er are a good match?"

As she said this, there was a hint of expectation in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen rubbed his still-sore wrist and said helplessly:

"What are you thinking? She's just a hostage sent by the Mongols. Lang'er knows his limits and shouldn't fall for her."

Empress Zhou then continued:
"That's hard to say. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds fondness. I think Lang'er might fall for her, and then it would be fine to make her a concubine."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen simply shook his head and did not refute anything further.

Although Qiqige's status was somewhat special, if Zhu Cilang had wanted to take her as a concubine, Chongzhen wouldn't have said anything.

After all, the Ming Dynasty had a precedent of taking Mongol concubines since the time of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, so Emperor Chongzhen had no reason to object.

However, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty had never taken a Mongol princess as a concubine. If that were the case, then Zhu Cilang would be doing so for the first time.

Thinking of this, a complex expression appeared in Chongzhen's eyes.

(End of this chapter)