Di Ming

Chapter 116 The Money-Worshipping Emperor

Zhu Yin, who was well-versed in history, knew that the Ming and Qing dynasties were the peak of feudal autocracy, and that emperors liked to issue "secret edicts".

The so-called secret edict is not only about being "secretly issued," but also about bypassing the normal channels and procedures for the edict to take effect, and issuing it directly to the executor.

Correspondingly, there were secret memorials (secret reports) submitted by officials.

The Wanli Emperor's secret edicts mostly concerned gold, silver, and luxuries.

While some did engage in legitimate business, most were involved in activities such as making money, offering tributes, holding beauty pageants, and procuring goods.

What could it be?

Zhu Yin thought about it and felt that it was probably related to this major case.

However, this major case was handled by Hai Rui, and he had already reported it to the court. The court was already supervising the case and had set a very strict tone.

It's the reverse case.

Logically speaking, Wanli Emperor had no reason to issue a secret edict to Tian Yi to inquire about the case being handled by the three judicial departments of the North and South and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

If the secret edict is definitely related to this case, it is most likely concerned with the assets of the parties involved.

Is he trying to make a killing through this case?
This is in line with Wanli's character.

After all, Emperor Wanli was a greedy and materialistic emperor, just like Emperor Jiajing, who confiscated property from the emperor and had tasted the sweetness of such confiscation.

Moreover, the silver confiscated by Emperor Wanli never went into the imperial treasury, but only into his private treasury.

He once smugly told his trusted eunuch, "Confiscating property is more convenient than withdrawing from the national treasury."

This reveals his internal organs.

This major case has brought misfortune to many officials and wealthy merchants in Jiangnan. Shouldn't he take this opportunity to thoroughly confiscate their property?

He's a money-grubber.

As Zhu Yin pondered, he heard Madam Tian say worriedly, "Zheng'er, what do you think it could be? Could it be that someone has committed a crime?"

Tian Zheng's expression was also somewhat solemn. "Mother, please rest assured. Father is only going to receive a secret decree. It definitely has nothing to do with our family."

Even so, he was still a little uneasy.

Xie Langhuan was even more visibly distressed.

It's no wonder they're worried. Life and death, rise and fall, honor and disgrace—all depend on the emperor's word.

The wrath of Heaven is unpredictable, and fortune and misfortune are hard to foresee.

The solemn atmosphere of the family banquet alone reveals the power of the emperor over his subjects in the feudal era.

Ning Caiwei suddenly comforted her, "Don't worry, Aunt. His Majesty is probably concerned about tax revenue, so it's most likely related to silver."

She had heard Zhu Yin say how greedy the current emperor was.

He'd do anything for money. He dared to demand 100,000 taels of silver as a "bride price" from the Ministry of Revenue for the birth of a princess. When the princess married, he demanded hundreds of thousands of taels of silver as a dowry from the Ministry of Revenue.

However, instead of giving the princess the dowry he had received, he kept it for himself.

He also accepted bribes from eunuchs. As the emperor, he accepted bribes and led the way in violating the laws of the land.

His favorite tactic is to fine or suspend salaries. He's always finding excuses to impose fines or withhold wages.

He even condoned eunuchs' looting of ancient tombs, taking the treasures inside, and even dug up his own ancestral graves. As a result, he suffered retribution in later generations, and his own tomb was also desecrated.

However, he was truly both greedy and incompetent. Despite his relentless pursuit of wealth, the eunuchs ultimately took the lion's share, while he himself kept only a small portion.

Such people issue secret edicts to eunuchs in various regions mostly for money.

"Tax silver?" Madam Tian thought for a moment, then fiddled with her prayer beads and said, "Amitabha! It might really be true!"

After all, she was Lady Tianyi, and even if she didn't care about politics, she had heard some things.

After Ning Caiwei mentioned it, she thought about it again and realized that it might really be for the money.

The current emperor is someone who cares a lot about money.

Madam Tian immediately breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:

"Then let's not worry about your uncle. He has an imperial order to carry out. We can enjoy it ourselves. There's no need to wait for him."

"Tonight is a family dinner, so there's no need for those complicated formalities. Just do whatever you like."

Only when the atmosphere relaxed did everyone begin to eat.

Zhu Yin discovered that, setting aside the dishes on the table, the sheer number of cups, bowls, plates, dishes, chopsticks, spoons, and utensils was astonishing.

Each person has two pairs of chopsticks. One pair is ivory chopsticks, with a moon-white color. The other pair is silver chopsticks.

Of course, one pair is a serving chopstick, but which pair is it?

The cups are white jade dragon cups, all made of Hetian jade. There is also a very small porcelain cup, extremely exquisite, with a capacity of about two qian (approximately 6 grams).

All the porcelain pieces were tributes from the official kilns, fired in the famous kilns of Jingdezhen, and each piece was exquisite.

Even a slag bucket is made of silver.

This set of tableware alone must cost several thousand taels of silver.

The cuisine is mainly Qin cuisine, with the three most substantial dishes likely being the Tang Dynasty palace-style braised mutton, roasted mutton, and phoenix fetus.

These famous dishes, passed down from the Tang Dynasty palace, are now only enjoyed by wealthy families in Shaanxi, and are rarely eaten by gentry in Jiangnan.

There were also dishes from the Ming Palace such as Qilin Flour (the nature of which is unknown), Assorted Seafood Slices, Roasted Abalone from the East China Sea, Mare's Milk from the Western Regions, Mackerel Flour, and Yellow Sparrow from Taozhuang...

The most eye-catching staple food was lotus leaf-wrapped rice. The maidservants serving the meal peeled the leaves with their delicate hands, and the fragrant rice was placed in a porcelain bowl, each leaf shaped like an exquisite flower.

The snacks include Guifei Hong, Han Gong Qi, Qi Fan Gao, and Ju Sheng Nu, all of which are famous snacks from Guanzhong.

Tonight's family dinner will mainly feature Qin cuisine.

Madam Tian personally used silver chopsticks to place a piece of meat on Ning Caiwei's plate. "Wei'er, do you recognize this dish?"

"Bring a braised pork knuckle." Ning Caiwei also put a piece on her plate. "This is a famous dish from Guanzhong."

Madam Tian said, "Tonight's banquet will mainly feature Qin cuisine, so please eat more."

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei then realized that the silver chopsticks were for public use, while the tooth chopsticks were for private use, and they should never be mixed up.

People don't just take a bite of food each time they pick it up.

Instead, they first use the serving chopsticks to pick up several dishes at once and place them on the plate in front of them. Then they switch to their personal chopsticks and take food from their own plate.

Zhu Yin was well aware that after the Tang Dynasty, the secular Song Dynasty saw the rise of communal dining, which coexisted with individual dining.

However, at the same time, separate chopsticks appeared in both public and private settings during the Song Dynasty. Moreover, separate dining remained a common practice at important banquets.

During the Ming Dynasty, the practice of separate dining still existed, but it was generally only used at grand banquets of wealthy families and imperial feasts. By the Qing Dynasty, customs had changed drastically, and the practice of separate dining completely disappeared.

Although the practice of using two chopsticks originated in the Song Dynasty, it was not commonly used by ordinary people.

The same was true for the Ming Dynasty.

After Zhu Yin ate a few bites of food, a maidservant poured him some wine.

The wines were of the highest quality, all imperial wines from the palace, such as Man Dian Xiang, Fu Rong Ye, and Lan Hua Yin, each with its own distinct aroma.

Madam Tian said to Ning Caiwei and Zhu Yin, "My children, you are young and should not drink too much. Two or three cups are enough. Just eat more vegetables."

As soon as everyone picked up their chopsticks, a young maidservant came forward, used a small knife to cut open the belly of the sheep, took out the goose from the sheep's belly, and then carried away the whole lamb, leaving only the goose.

Madam Tian changed her chopsticks again, personally placed a piece of goose meat on Ning Caiwei's plate, and said with a smile:

"This is a signature dish from Guanzhong. You're young, so you probably don't eat it often."

"Thank you, Aunt." Ning Caiwei said with a smile.

Fearing that his mother might neglect Zhu Yin, Tian Zheng served Zhu Yin some food.

When everyone finished dinner, there was still more than half a dish left. They couldn't possibly finish it all.

Lady Tian said to the maids, "Take it away, it's a reward for you."

The maids thanked them and withdrew.

Then immediately someone brought out a teacup for rinsing the mouth, a copper ewer for washing the hands, and a snow-white cotton handkerchief. The group rinsed their mouths, washed their hands, and dried them together.

Madam Tian smiled and said, "Although it's a family banquet, the food is a bit greasy. Let's have a small tea party to cleanse our palates and refresh our mouths."

No sooner had he finished speaking than two maids in green changed the tea table and served the after-meal tea. Looking at the tea box, there was a small jar of "Azure Stream Moon" and a small jar of "Mengding Stone Flower".

As for West Lake Longjing tea, which ordinary families can't afford, it's not considered top-grade in wealthy households and is generally not used.

Ning Caiwei and Zhu Yin were not experts in tea ceremony, but the fact that the two young tea ceremony girls opened the tea set and revealed the "sixteen tea utensils" was already quite remarkable.

The porcelain teapot, the Xuande kiln teacup, the tea needle made of gold, the tea strainer made of jade, the tea spoon made of rosewood, and the tea table and tea stove... each piece is extraordinary.

The charcoal used for brewing tea was the silver-frost charcoal commonly used in the palace.

Two young girls lit the stove fire with tinderboxes, their movements elegant and fluid as they handled various tea utensils, a sight to behold.

Before long, the teapot began to gurgle, steam rose, and the aroma of tea filled the air.

Several pure white teacups were placed on the table, and Feng nodded as she poured the tea.

The whole process was orderly and unhurried. This whole process was much more complicated than Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei making tea themselves.

This was the first time the two had ever seen tea drunk like this since arriving in the Ming Dynasty.

Xie Langhuan smiled and said, "These days in Nanjing, there are many people who pretend to be cultured. Those fake teas, which are of inferior quality, are specifically designed to deceive those who don't know their stuff."

Madam Tian said, "That's just how it is. Good tea is rare, and not many people are fortunate enough to have it. There are all sorts of teas, of varying quality, so how can ordinary people tell the difference? Isn't it all up to unscrupulous merchants to make a profit?"

Ning Caiwei's heart stirred upon hearing this.

Tea is the best in China and there is a huge market for it, even in later generations.

However, in later generations, Chinese tea brands were defeated by Western brands and reduced to raw materials.

This is because tea is an agricultural product with very strong attributes, and without quantitative standards, it is difficult to grade its quality.

This is also one of the reasons for the decline of Chinese tea culture in later generations: the use of inferior products and market chaos.

Japanese tea ceremony does this much better.

What if we could leverage the tea culture that was still popular during the Ming Dynasty to spark a tea revolution, promoting the grading, quantification, and commercial packaging of tea products?

Why must tea be an agricultural product, rather than a raw material for tea that is further processed?
In Ning Caiwei's mind, a business project began to take shape.

This is a huge project, a grand dream, but it requires a lot of money and market cultivation. Thinking this through, Ning Caiwei carefully tasted the differences between Bijian Mingyue and Mengding Shihua, and quickly understood.

What makes good tea?

Good tea is one that is both delicious and unique.

Both Bijian Mingyue and Mengding Shihua are delicious, yet each has its own unique characteristics.

Bijian Mingyue has a fresh, slightly bitter taste with hints of pine needles, followed by a hint of bitterness, and finally a sweet aftertaste. One sip of tea offers four distinct flavors, but it requires careful tasting.

These four changes are like the waxing and waning of the moon, its rising and disappearing, clear and ethereal, truly deserving of the name "Bright Moon over the Green Stream."

Mengding Stone Flower is different. This tea tastes like snowflakes when you drink it; before the taste even develops, you feel a tactile sensation.

This is because the tea hairs of Mengding stone flower are numerous and long, resembling frost. When boiled in boiling water, the tea hairs froth, giving people a wonderful tactile experience.

The taste of Mengding Stone Flower is bitter at first, then sweet, and finally a hint of bamboo fragrance emerges.

"It's delicious." For the first time in her life, Ning Caiwei was captivated by the allure of truly top-quality tea.

"Thank you for your kindness, Aunt. I am so lucky to have such a delicious meal today."

Only then did she realize that the so-called good tea she drank in her later life was far inferior.

Zhu Yin tasted it himself and couldn't help but exclaim, "Delicious!"

Madam Tian smiled and said, "If you like it, take some back with you. Langhuan, tell the tea server to weigh out two ounces of each of the selected teas and have your sister take them home."

Xie Langhuan replied, "Yes. I will arrange it myself."

Madam Tian added, "Pick a new tea set and send it to your sister's house."

"Yes." Xie Langhuan accepted the order.

Madam Tian wasn't finished yet, "And those snacks, especially desserts, prepare some too..."

Xie Langhuan smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry. I'll do my best in everything. I liked Caiwei very much the moment I saw her, and I know it even if you don't say it."

Zhu Yin was speechless.

It was truly worth having Ning Caiwei as my adopted aunt. It seems that since all of Madam Tian's maternal relatives have passed away, she has placed her affections on Ning Caiwei.

He suddenly remembered the secret decree. What could it be?

.........

Meanwhile, Tian Yi arrived at the study, personally washed his hands, burned incense, knelt down and bowed to the north. Only after completing the ceremony did he receive the secret decree.

The secret edict was in a paper envelope, sealed with the imperial seal, but not in a wax ball.

Only highly confidential orders are issued using wax pellets. The fact that it's not a wax pellet indicates limited secrecy.

Upon opening the secret edict, one sees a familiar, skillfully written hand – it is the emperor's own handwriting:
"Old Tian: I have heard that the Portuguese from the south are importing more and more opium every day. Each catty is worth one or two taels of silver. Those who sell it in Zhejiang, Zhili, Fujian and Guangdong make huge profits. There are many people who take opium. This thing can really be called a longevity elixir."

Every time I told him that a tax should be levied, he would say no, which is really unreasonable. He probably thinks I don't know anything.

Especially that guy, he talks nonsense without any sense of hierarchy, he should be punished sooner or later.

You are a veteran of three reigns, and I trust you most in Nanjing. You may send someone to verify the details and report all the figures in detail so that taxes can be collected and deposited into the treasury.

You know my mausoleum is under construction, and the palace is procuring jewels; how can we be short of money? The more revenue the imperial treasury receives, the better…”

Upon seeing this, Tian Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

Just by seeing His Majesty refer to himself as "I," one can tell that it is not a reprimand or punishment.

It turns out that His Majesty heard that the amount of opium imported from overseas was increasing, and that more and more people in the south were using it. It was worth one or two taels of silver, so he had the idea of ​​levying taxes on it into the imperial treasury.

However, after consulting with court officials, many opposed levying the incense tax. Therefore, His Majesty issued a secret edict.

Tian Yi was not surprised to see the wording of this secret edict.

When the Emperor issues secret edicts to his officials in various places, he never uses embellishments and speaks as if speaking face to face, rarely using literary terms.

During his years in the south, Tian Yi also heard that the opium sold by the foreigners in Macau to the Ming Dynasty was becoming increasingly popular.

However, since these were not taxable goods, customs officials did not keep statistics on the quantity and price of imports each year; it was an account that had never been calculated.

His Majesty is concerned about the exact amount of incense imported, whether it should be taxed, the tax rate, and how it should be levied.

However, in order to prevent the merchants from becoming suspicious and colluding with tax officials to underreport the amount of taxes, a secret decree was issued, ordering him to secretly investigate all the figures.

Tian Yi continued reading, but what he saw was:

"Furthermore, as you and Hai Rui previously reported, the foreigners in Nanjing colluded with Japanese pirates, engaging in various acts of treason, which shocked both China and the world... I was so enraged by this that I cannot fully express my anger. I have already issued a clear decree to severely punish each of them, to bring them to justice according to the law, and to hold all those involved accountable, so that not a single one of them may escape..."

Upon seeing this, Tian Yi thought it was a reprimand, but what followed was:

"According to the laws of our dynasty, there are three types of property that can be confiscated: those for treason, rebellion, and those belonging to treacherous officials. The properties of the Jesuits in China, as well as those of treacherous officials and corrupt officials, must be thoroughly investigated, registered, confiscated, and sent to the capital. They must not be allowed to transfer or store them elsewhere..."

It turns out that His Majesty is concerned about the Jesuits' businesses in China and the assets of the officials and businessmen involved!

To prevent them from transferring their deposited money and to expedite the process, all the money belonging to the Jesuits and the involved officials and merchants was confiscated and sent to the capital.

Tian Yi was actually working on this, but he wasn't very enthusiastic about it, nor did he intend to implicate others or expand the scope of the matter.

However, as of now, there have already been confiscated properties worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

But what His Majesty meant by "severe punishment" was actually to expand the scope of the case and allow himself to commit another major crime.

More than a hundred prominent merchants, officials, and eunuchs from Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi have been identified as involved in the case; all of them are either wealthy or powerful.

However, many of them are not guilty of any of the three crimes: treason, rebellion, or being a member of a treacherous party.

These people were unaware of the Jesuit conspiracy, the secret church's conspiracy with the Japanese pirates, and were not directly involved in the arms trade or the theft of items from the palace and Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Their involvement as accomplices and associates was not intentional. Many of them were merely guilty of embezzlement and dereliction of duty.

Dismissal from office, exile, or execution are all acceptable. But if one indiscriminately implicates others and extends the crime to their entire family, then that would be a violation of the laws of the country.

If one does not follow the three-foot law, how can one gain the trust of the world?
His Majesty is fond of confiscating property, but relying solely on confiscation to increase revenue is not a long-term solution.
Tian Yi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

His Majesty seems to be most concerned with the imperial treasury. Why should a ruler of a nation personally concern himself with such matters? Alas…

Your Majesty has been indulging in the pleasures of banquets and intimacy, and since last year you have neglected to attend court, often playing with palace maids and concubines in the inner palace.

This very opium, also known as black sesame, was a potent aphrodisiac. Yet, even the annual tribute of one hundred catties from Siam was considered insufficient.

If things continue like this, it will likely be detrimental to the nation. Minister Shen and the others should strongly urge His Majesty to change this.

His Majesty's secret decree appears to address two separate matters, but in reality, it boils down to one thing: finding money.

Whether it was levying an opium tax or investigating the Jesuits' property, it was all for the purpose of enriching the treasury.

Indeed, the palace's expenses have been enormous in recent years, so it's understandable that His Majesty wants to increase revenue.

Just two years ago (the thirteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign), His Majesty mobilized 100,000 people to build his own mausoleum. The construction of the mausoleum alone cost four million taels of silver.

It will take several years to complete the repairs, and it will cost several million taels of silver.

The cost of food in the palace was increased to 300,000 taels per year.

The cost of cosmetics for the imperial concubines alone increased to 400,000 taels of silver per year.

The stipends of the imperial family members also increased every year.

After reading the secret edict, Tian Yi placed it in the incense burner and burned it. This was also the proper procedure.

"Master Tian, ​​what are the instructions in Grandfather's secret decree?" the red-robed eunuch asked.

As Tian Yi's confidant, he could ask.

Whether Tian Yi will speak or not depends on the situation.

"Silver." Tian Yi uttered two words indifferently, and then briefly recounted the contents of the secret decree.

The eunuch in red said, "Lord Tian, ​​leave this matter to me. If my grandfather needs money, he can only ask our retainers."

Tian Yi sighed, "As servants of the inner court, we naturally have to share our grandfather's burdens. But as family retainers, how can we possibly offend our sovereign?"

"However, since Grandfather has given the decree, I must obey it."

"But I still have to offer my advice regarding the confidential memorial to my grandfather."

The eunuch in red said, "The people from the capital also brought news that Hai Rui is rumored to be given a great role."

Tian Yi was not surprised at all. "Hai Rui's health has improved, and he has taken charge of this major case. The court must give an explanation, so his trip to the capital is inevitable."

"But whether he can be of great use is still hard to say; he's probably just a cannon. After all, in Nanjing, he can't be promoted any further."

"At the end of this year, it will be the annual capital inspection, and His Majesty wants to use Hai Rui to compete and drive away some annoying people."

The eunuch in red said, "Lord Tian, ​​if Hai Rui comes to the capital, this matter will need to be handled by you. I suppose this is also what my grandfather wants."

"If Hai Rui were to go to the capital, he would likely become the Left Censor-in-Chief, in charge of the capital inspection."

Tian Yi smiled slightly: "Very well. Hai Gangfeng never hesitates to stir up trouble. Right now, we need to borrow his three fires to burn away the stagnation in the court."

"Although he certainly won't stay in the court for long, he has done a great service by successfully completing the capital inspection, and his life will be fulfilled. As for his personal safety, he is certainly not afraid."

The two discussed for a long time before the eunuch in red took his leave.

Then, Tian Yi convened a secret meeting of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs overnight.

As for the dinner, he completely ignored it.

His Majesty wanted to transfer Hai Gangfeng, not only to use Hai Gangfeng's intimidating aura to carry out the capital inspection plan, but also to prevent Hai Rui from interfering with his plans.

Once Hai Rui leaves, I can use this major case in the south to implicate others at will and help His Majesty find money.

Your Majesty is not afraid of being wronged, nor of being looked down upon by the court and the public; what you fear is not having enough money.

His Majesty needs money, which is the most urgent matter for the Garrison Command, so of course it must be done quickly!

Otherwise, he could be replaced as the garrison commander.

If someone else had done it, things would probably have been even more of a mess.

At least he knows his limits when he does it himself!

P.S.: I'm exhausted both physically and mentally these past two days. Thank you to all my readers for your support. Goodnight.

Note: Historically, Emperor Wanli officially levied an opium tax in 1589, the seventeenth year of his reign. Secondly, the style of Wanli's secret edicts imitates his speaking tone, and there are relevant sources. Therefore, the author did not write this without basis.

(End of this chapter)