Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 212 I have always prioritized the affairs of the state.

Qian Qianyi did not die. While the saying "to punish embezzlers by stripping them of their skin and stuffing them with straw" was an ancestral precept, it wasn't written law. The joint trial by the three judicial departments convicted him of embezzlement. The Ming Dynasty Code categorized embezzlement and bribery into six types: theft by a guard, theft by an ordinary person, accepting bribes and perverting the course of justice, theft, accepting bribes without perverting the course of justice, and embezzlement.

"Accepting bribery" is the lightest of the "six types of bribery," but it is the maximum penalty for this crime. The Ming Code stipulates that "accepting bribery" refers to situations where officials or others receive money for no apparent reason. All those in charge are punished with half the penalty, and those who give the money are punished five degrees less. If an official receives 500 strings of cash or more, the penalty is limited to 100 strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude.

Qian Qianyi accepted one hundred taels of gold from Zheng Zhilong, equivalent to one thousand taels of silver and one thousand strings of copper coins. Even Lin Chong couldn't withstand one hundred blows with the water and fire rods; it was practically a death sentence. Whether he died or not depended entirely on the emperor's mood.

These officials in the Three Departments were quite cunning; they wanted to save face but didn't want to take responsibility or incur hatred. Although the Ming Dynasty didn't have a rule that "officials are exempt from punishment," in practice, it was common for officials to cover for each other. After all, they were all colleagues and would see each other all the time, so there was no need to go too far.

That's why everyone hates the eunuch faction so much, because they often don't abide by these unspoken rules.

Zhu Youjian was willing to have the three judicial departments conduct a joint trial because he didn't want to get his hands dirty. After all, he wanted to pretend to "rule the country according to law." He didn't expect that the ball would be kicked back to him again.

In fact, compared to the crime of accepting bribes, the two catch-all charges of "great disrespect" and "deceiving the emperor" were Qian Qianyi's biggest troubles. But the same principle applies to catch-all charges: whether or not to execute him depends entirely on the emperor's mood.

With the responsibility and authority aligned, Zhu Youjian had already grasped the sword in his hand. However, after the court session, his anger subsided, and he suddenly didn't want to kill Qian Qianyi anymore. Killing this fellow would bring no benefit whatsoever. Would it uphold the law? But there were so many corrupt officials, many of whom were far more egregious than him. It was somewhat unreasonable to arrest only Qian Qianyi while ignoring everyone else.

Anti-corruption is anti-corruption. If it is misinterpreted as internal strife, then there is no way to defend oneself.

The Ming Dynasty was plagued by numerous problems, and corruption was inevitable. However, the issue of fighting corruption should not have been raised by Zhu Youjian, just as reform should not have been initiated by him. If there had been a figure like Hai Rui, then he would have been supported; otherwise, it would have been left alone.

Zhu Youjian was a coward; he was still hesitant to take action internally. Without a stable external environment, launching an internal purge might have unbearable consequences. Moreover, who should he send to fight corruption? What if those fighting corruption were also corrupt? He couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Ultimately, Qian Qianyi was punished with dismissal from office, stripping of his official title, confiscation of his property, exile to the eastern frontier, and one hundred strokes of the cane. These one hundred strokes were to be administered in installments; if he had been beaten all at once, he would have been able to go and meet his ancestor, King Qian Liu.

Tang Yu reported, "Qian Qianyi escaped death and, in prison, tearfully thanked Heaven for its mercy." Zhu Youjian sneered, "Hey, he should thank us for being beaten!"

By the end of the year, the autumn tax collection was completed, and the imperial court had collected a total of 18 million taels of silver. The proportions of tax revenue collected varied from place to place, but the imperial court generally took 70%. Of the 12.6 million taels of silver that were to be transported, the court actually received 10 million taels. Zhu Youjian was even somewhat moved.

The total tax revenue for the year of Ji Si was over 30 million taels, which should be considered the limit of exploitation. Without significant changes to the existing tax structure, further growth would be difficult. To collect more money, one either needs to continue imposing levies and exhausting resources, or find ways to tax the wealthy.

Of course, there are other ways. Besides taxes, the state can also generate revenue from business operations, such as the salt and iron monopolies and the tea monopolies. But these were clearly the most profitable monopolies, yet the imperial court squandered them.

However, the salt permits were revived and transformed into a financial instrument by Bi Ziyan, bringing the court hundreds of thousands of taels of extra-tax revenue annually. The land rent system designed by Zhu Youjian has not yet taken effect; if it can be collected normally next year, it could generate an additional million shi of extra-tax revenue.

Engaging the state in international trade might be a good option. Zhu Youjian proposed his idea and tasked his ministers with its feasibility and implementation.

December 24th was Zhu Youjian's birthday, also known as the Emperor's Birthday Festival of the Ming Dynasty. Several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet discussed the matter and decided that this year's birthday celebration could be made grander, treated as a diplomatic event.

They began preparations months in advance, and on the Emperor's birthday, they achieved the grand spectacle of "all nations coming to pay homage." Even the Jurchens sent envoys, but they were turned away at the gate, while the Khorchin tribe was granted permission.

In this diplomatic effort, the nomadic tribes were not the main focus. Zhu Youjian primarily emphasized two directions: Japan and Europe. He intended to normalize and establish regular diplomatic relations between the Ming Dynasty and these countries.

Following the Imjin War (Korean War), the Ming Dynasty severed diplomatic relations with Japan.

The Ming Dynasty remained wary of Japan, with officials generally believing that Japan's "ambitions had not been extinguished." Moreover, the Ming Dynasty's national strength was declining, and it needed to deal with the Jurchens and popular uprisings, leaving it with no energy to actively repair relations with Japan.
From Japan's perspective: After the collapse of the Toyotomi regime, Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Edo Shogunate. Initially, needing to stabilize domestic rule, his policies leaned towards conservatism, and he lacked the motivation to establish diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty. A few years later, they would begin a period of national isolation that would last for over two centuries.

The development of the Ming Dynasty was inseparable from Japan. Zhu Youjian needed to seize the time to establish a stable trade route with Japan before it closed itself off from the world, and ideally, to intervene in their national policies.

In the 17th century, the entire world was at war, both East and West, large and small nations. Those who survived generally possessed considerable martial virtue. The Thirty Years' War in Europe, with its large scale, intensity, and advanced technology, spawned tactics and military technologies that the Ming Dynasty could learn from. Western warships, cannons, and the reliable flintlock muskets were all highly coveted by Zhu Youjian.

The Franco-Spanish War ended in Spain's defeat, and the decline of the "Manila Galleon Trade" led by Spain directly resulted in a sharp decrease in the import of silver into the Ming Dynasty, causing a silver shortage.

A great power must have the awareness of a great power. We live in the Age of Exploration, with nations busy with colonial plunder and even embarking on modernization processes, while the Ming Dynasty is still struggling within its own small territory. Perhaps the Ming Dynasty's domestic problems are insurmountable, and shifting the conflict outwards is the only way out.

On the Emperor's birthday, the capital was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Buddhist monks held "prayer ceremonies," and local officials, along with their subordinates and gentry, set up "longevity dragon tablets" at the government offices to perform court greetings and wish the Emperor a long life. The people of the capital spontaneously prayed for the Emperor's well-being, which was voluntary in principle, and the government only encouraged it.

At the grand court assembly, envoys from various countries presented tributes to the emperor. Their tributes were incredibly diverse, but something strange and unusual went wrong:

Before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Master of Ceremonies, Zhou Yanru, adjusted his black gauze hat, held the list of tribute gifts with a bright yellow cover in both hands, bowed half a step forward, and his clear voice rang out in the spacious hall: "Your Majesty! Today, at this grand court assembly, envoys from various countries have come from afar to present tribute gifts. The list of gifts is now presented to Your Majesty for your consideration!"

"Approved!" Zhu Youjian said in a deep voice.

Zhou Yanru unfolded the gift list and first read it to Korea, which claimed to be a "vassal state of the Great Ming": "The envoy of the Kingdom of Korea has brought tribute. What he offers are twenty ginseng roots, five sable pelts, two gyrfalcons, and one hundred rolls of Korean paper. In addition, the envoy also presents two beautiful Korean women, who are said to be 'skilled in music and fluent in Chinese,' and are willing to serve Your Majesty with music to show their sincerity of submission."

Zhu Youjian tapped the armrest of the dragon throne lightly with his fingertips, his eyebrows slightly raised, already vaguely sensing that something was wrong.

Zhou Yanru continued reading: "The Ryukyu envoy presented the following tribute: five thousand catties of sulfur, three hundred catties of sappanwood, ten strings of medium-quality pearls, and two beautiful Ryukyu women, marked 'skilled in navigation and knowledgeable of tides.' The envoy reported that they could report to His Majesty on their observations at sea, helping His Majesty to understand the maritime frontier."

Upon hearing this, the Ryukyu envoy below the steps quickly bowed and paid his respects, his eyes full of deference.

Zhu Youjian's heart skipped a beat. He turned his gaze to the direction of the Annamese envoy. Sure enough, the next sentence was about Annamese: "The Annamese envoy presents tribute: two pairs of ivory, ten rhinoceros horns, and two thousand catties of pepper. In addition, he presents two beautiful Annamese women, who are said to be 'skilled in singing and dancing and knowledgeable in tea ceremony'. They wish to offer Your Majesty elegant music from the South and wish you a long life."

"Another beauty?" Zhu Youjian's heart began to crumble. His calves trembled, but he still maintained a calm expression.

"The Japanese envoy presented tribute: ten Japanese swords, fifty folding fans, and three thousand catties of sulfur. In addition, he presented two beautiful Japanese women, who were said to be 'skilled in tea ceremony and good at waka poetry' and were willing to demonstrate the Japanese tea ceremony to Your Majesty as a gesture of good neighborliness."

The Siamese envoy presented tribute: an elephant, a spice gift box, a set of lacquerware, and two beautiful Siamese women, "skilled in dance and knowledgeable in Buddhism," who wished to perform a Siamese Buddhist dance for His Majesty and wish him good health.

After reading out the list of gifts from the traditional allied nations, Zhou Yanru cleared his throat and turned to the direction of the Western envoys: "The envoys of the Kingdom of Spain present the following tribute: five hundred taels of silver, two Flemish tapestries, ten flintlock muskets, and two Spanish beauties who are fluent in Latin and arithmetic. The envoys have reported that they can assist in translating Western classics for Your Majesty's reference in Western learning."

Zhu Youjian was not interested in Western learning and did not want to learn foreign languages. When he heard "Spanish beauty", the corner of his mouth twitched. He turned to look at the eunuch Wang Chengen standing beside him, who quickly lowered his head and pretended not to notice.

"The French envoy presented the following tribute: two hundred bottles of wine, a set of glassware, and an astronomical instrument. In addition, he presented two beautiful French women, who were described as 'skilled in oil painting and knowledgeable in etiquette,' and wished to demonstrate Western painting techniques to Your Majesty and broaden Your Majesty's horizons."

Zhou Yanru's voice continued, "The British envoy presents tribute: fifty bolts of woolen cloth, two clocks, and one telescope. In addition, he presents two beautiful Scottish women, marked 'fluent in English and knowledgeable in navigation,' who can describe the customs and culture of the British Isles, so that Your Majesty may be informed of the situation in foreign lands."

After reading the last sentence, Zhou Yanru held up the gift list and bowed again: "This is the complete list of tributes presented by envoys from various countries. We respectfully request Your Majesty to review it!"

Almost every country added its own beauties to the tribute list. Even England, France, and Spain learned this social etiquette. Zhu Youjian's lips twitched. Was he really that lustful? His reputation had spread far and wide!
The hall fell silent for a moment. Zhu Youjian looked at the expectant gazes of the foreign envoys below the steps, his voice calm but tinged with helplessness: "I understand the intentions of the various countries. The tributes will be temporarily handed over to the Imperial Household Department for inventory. As for the beauties..." He paused, his gaze sweeping across the hall, and said solemnly, "I have always prioritized national affairs and have no need for such offerings. Have them properly settled. In the future, they may be sent back to their respective countries or left to their own devices."

Upon hearing this, everyone below the steps was taken aback, then bowed and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise!"

(End of this chapter)