How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 143 Don't Cry, Imperial Uncle, the Sky is Wide and the Sea is Bright (Third update, giving Luo Luo some more motivation to update more frequently)

Inside the Qianqing Palace, it was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, lay sprawled on the ground, his large princely robes unable to conceal the slight trembling of his flesh. His legs were weak from walking the distance from the palace gate to the imperial steps. His forehead pressed against the cool, gold-brick floor; though it was summer, a chill, seemingly emanating from nowhere, crept up his spine.

He dared not look up. He felt that the gaze from the throne was harder than gold bricks and sharper than knives.

Emperor Chongzhen did not immediately tell him to get up. He simply made him kneel there.

Prince Fu's mind was filled with images of the Xisi Archway. The dull thud of the ghost-headed knife slicing into his neck seemed to echo in his ears. Zhu Chunchen's head rolled far away... His throat was dry, and he wanted to swallow, but there was nothing to swallow.

"Uncle, please rise."

Finally, the person above spoke, their voice flat and indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Prince Fu quickly kowtowed, saying "Thank you, Your Majesty," and tried to get up by supporting himself with his hands on the ground. His body was too heavy, and he almost fell back down. Fortunately, a clever little eunuch next to him reached out and helped him up.

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand, and the young eunuch withdrew. Wang Chengen stepped forward silently and stood with his hands at his sides.

“There are no outsiders here, Imperial Uncle, please sit down.” Chongzhen pointed to the embroidered stool that had been set up next to him.

Prince Fu had half his buttocks touching the edge of the stool, his back straight, his whole body taut like a fully drawn bow.

Chongzhen spoke as if it were a casual conversation, but there was no warmth in his words: "Imperial Uncle, are you living comfortably in Luoyang?"

Prince Fu felt as if he had been pricked by a needle, and hurriedly said, "Thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune, I am quite comfortable. Your subject... Your subject will guard the borders and dare not violate the ancestral rules."

"Hmm." Chongzhen nodded, his fingers tapping lightly on the sandalwood imperial desk, tap, tap, tap. Each tap struck the heart of the Prince of Fu.

“It’s good to follow the rules. But sometimes, when subordinates don’t follow the rules, the master will suffer.”

Prince Fu's heart skipped a beat.

Chongzhen didn't look at him, his gaze fixed on the dim light outside the hall: "Uncle Prince Dai, you are, after all, of noble birth. I was ordered by me to go to your residence to recuperate for a while. How could you... be stabbed to death in bed?"

Prince Fu knelt down again with a "plop," his voice trembling with sobs: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! I am innocent! It must be a frame-up by treacherous people! I have never had any dealings with the traitor Dai, how could I have committed such a heinous crime! I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me!" As he spoke, he wiped away his unstoppable tears with his sleeve.

"Framed?" Chongzhen's lips twitched as if he'd heard a joke, but there was no amusement in his eyes. "The murder weapon was from your residence. The person died in your residence. Imperial Uncle, tell me, how many people in the world would believe this is a frame-up?"

Prince Fu was speechless and could only kowtow.

Chongzhen changed the subject, as if casually mentioning it: "Speaking of which, back in the Wanli Emperor's time, the matter of 'establishing the eldest son' and 'establishing the favorite son' caused unrest in the court. My grandfather's one wrong decision has caused you, my uncle, to bear so many years of empty fame."

Prince Fu trembled, his face turning deathly pale. These words were far too harsh! Too heavy for him to bear! This was a veiled attack on him, using the old grievances from the Wanli era as a pretext to imply he might harbor inappropriate thoughts!
"Your Majesty! I would rather die than do that! My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as heaven and earth! As clear as the sun and moon!" He could say nothing more than kowtow. His kowtows echoed loudly on the gold brick floor.

Emperor Chongzhen coldly replied, "I am young and have no heir to ascend the throne."

Prince Fu was so frightened that he couldn't even kowtow and collapsed to the ground, on the verge of fainting.

Emperor Chongzhen had neither sons nor brothers. If he were to be murdered by Zhu Chunchen, who could ascend the throne? The Prince of Dai? That doesn't seem quite right. The Prince of Fu? According to the rules, it would either be him or his son who would succeed him!

Now that Emperor Chongzhen has brought this up, it's absolutely disastrous!

Seeing his expression, Chongzhen knew that the time was almost right.

He glanced at Wang Chengen.

Wang Chengen bowed forward, took out a rolled-up document from his sleeve, and unfolded it. He didn't raise his voice, but simply read it aloud in a straightforward manner, yet every word was very clear.

“Your Highness Prince Fu: In order to quell public opinion, uphold the law, and secure the nation, we must make a gesture to demonstrate our loyalty.”

"First, I took the initiative to serve the court and contribute to the Liaodong military expenses, amounting to two million taels of silver."

Upon hearing this figure, Prince Fu nearly fainted, his vision blurred. Two million taels! This meant they were going to seize his entire fortune!
Wang Chengen didn't stop and continued reading: "Second, the fief of Fufan will be changed from Luoyang, Henan Prefecture to Fuzhou Prefecture, Fujian."

Fujian? That malaria-ridden, desolate land! Prince Fu's heart sank to the bottom.

"Third, all the farmland in the Prince of Fu's original residence in Henan, Huguang and other places was confiscated by the government and surveyed by officials. Within the jurisdiction of Fuzhou Prefecture in Fujian, 50,000 mu of mountain land, slope land and riverbank land were allocated to the Prince of Fu's new estate."

Two million mu of fertile land (nominally) in exchange for fifty thousand mu of mountainous land? Even Prince Fu felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Wang Chengen concluded, "Fourth, the Prince of Fu's residence is hereby granted permission to manage the newly allocated 50,000 mu of land. The best tea produced there may be designated as 'Imperial Tribute Tea' and sold there. Furthermore, the Prince of Fu's residence is permitted to operate the port and maritime trade in Fuzhou, and may exchange goods and services with foreign merchants, such as the Dutch East India Company, in accordance with regulations." After he finished reading, the warm pavilion fell silent again. Only the Prince of Fu's heavy breathing could be heard.

"No... No, Your Majesty!" Prince Fu, as if his tail had been stepped on, disregarded all etiquette, raised his head, his face a mess of tears and snot: "Two million taels! I can't come up with that even if I give up everything I own! Going to Fujian is a death sentence for me! Your Majesty, have mercy! Your Majesty, have mercy!"

He cried so hard he looked like he was about to be dragged away and beheaded.

Emperor Chongzhen waited until the man's wailing subsided before slowly speaking, his tone surprisingly gentler: "Uncle, you only know that you're familiar with the land of Henan and how to make a living from the fields. Do you know how vast the world is, and how many ways there are to make money? Actually, two million mu sounds like a lot, but in reality, it's just three fen of silver per mu. You'll have to take a discount from that, so it's only forty or fifty thousand taels a year. As for how much the people below collect... hehe, it's hard to say!"

He leaned forward slightly: "Fujian is a coastal province with convenient waterways. Those barbarian dinghies bring in real gold and silver. You can earn forty or fifty thousand taels a year just by tending your few acres of land and collecting rent. If you could open up sea routes and do big business with the Dutch, the profits would be more than ten times! I've heard that Zheng Yiguan, a major merchant in Fujian, and Liu Xiang, a major merchant in Guangdong, earn millions of taels a year! Compared to them, you're just a poor, uncultured prince!"

Prince Fu's crying subsided a little, and he pricked up his ears to listen.

“I’m giving you the title of ‘tribute tea,’ which is like giving you a golden signboard. Giving you the power to build a port in Fuzhou is like giving you a mountain of gold.” Chongzhen stared at him. “The court is in dire straits now. What it needs is for the imperial family to be able to support themselves and share the burden of the country. That would benefit both the country and themselves! Uncle, if you are willing to take the lead and set an example for the imperial family, I will never treat you unfairly.”

Prince Fu lowered his head, his mind racing. He had vaguely heard of the profits in maritime trade, but always felt the risks were too great. But now, it seemed he had no other choice…

Seeing the struggle in his expression, Chongzhen knew that one last spark was needed.

He sighed, his voice carrying a rare hint of concern, like that of a junior to an elder: "There is one more matter. Empress Dowager Zheng is getting on in years, and while she is in the capital, she must often miss her Imperial Uncle. If the Imperial Uncle were to be transferred to Fuzhou, I could issue an imperial decree allowing the Dowager Consort to accompany him to his fiefdom so that he could enjoy his remaining years in peace. This would allow the Imperial Uncle to serve her day and night and fulfill his filial duty, thus avoiding the separation of mother and son and the resulting worry."

"...The future mother-in-law is coming with us?" Prince Fu suddenly raised his head, looking at Chongzhen in disbelief.

Allowing a prince to take his imperial concubine to his fiefdom is an immense favor! It means that he can not only leave the capital, a place of great turmoil, but also take his mother to Fujian, a place far from the emperor's reach, to truly enjoy the honor and freedom of a prince!
Although the land was gone, the emperor granted a special permit for maritime trade... This, this seems... to be a way out, even a more comfortable way out than before?
Emperor Chongzhen nodded: "And there's more! While you're in Luoyang, you're not allowed to leave the city, but once you're in Fujian, you can travel freely throughout the entire province! Take the old lady with you, and you can go wherever you want!"

This is no small favor!
Money is certainly a painful expense, but life and the carefree decades to come are also very important!

He lay on the ground, and this time the sound of his kowtowing was much more genuine.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... I kowtow to thank Your Majesty for your divine grace!!" His voice was hoarse, yet carried a hint of relief at surviving a calamity. "Your Majesty has considered everything so thoroughly, your kindness is like giving me a second life! Even if I have to sell everything I own, I will definitely raise those two million taels of silver and present them to the court! Everything... is at Your Majesty's disposal!"

Only then did a genuine smile appear on Chongzhen's face. He stood up, walked to Prince Fu, and personally helped him up.

"Your Highness is a man of great wisdom and righteousness, a true model for the imperial family. I am greatly pleased to hear your words. As for the two million, if you cannot raise it all at once, give me half first, and repay the rest over ten years. Don't worry, you will be able to pay it back!" He patted Prince Fu's plump arm. "I will have the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works assist you with the specific details. You must be tired from your journey, Your Highness, please go and rest. Prince Cheng'en."

"The servant is here."

"Help the prince to the side hall, have some tea and refreshments, serve him well, and invite Madam Zheng to come and see him later."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wang Chengen stepped forward and carefully helped the exhausted Prince Fu out of the warm pavilion.

Emperor Chongzhen walked back to the window. The summer morning light of Beijing had already bathed the glazed tiles of the palace. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Even if we only receive half of the two million taels of silver for the war, it will greatly increase our chances of winning the Battle of Jisi.

With Prince Fu removed, the people of Henan can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Shifting the imperial family's focus to the sea might force a new path forward. Sending Prince Fu to deal with the Dutch would also allow the court to assess the situation overseas.

Maybe if we keep walking, we'll find a way through?
He stood there for a while until Wang Chengen returned quietly.

"Your Majesty, Prince Fu has been settled."

"Hmm." Chongzhen didn't turn around. "Tell Governor Yang that we can get started. Take stock of Prince Fu's properties in Henan. Be careful and don't cause any trouble."

"Yes."

"Send an oral edict to the Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Rites, praising Prince Fu for his loyalty and dedication to the country, and for his voluntary donations, and granting him the title of Prefect of Fuzhou. The Dowager Consort Zheng, out of kindness, allows him to follow his son to his fiefdom and live out his days in peace. As for Prince Dai... alas, let him die of shame! Furthermore, pardon the family of the Dai rebel, and settle them in Southern Zhili. Grant the heir apparent of Dai the title of General of the State and a thousand mu of land in Southern Zhili. Have the Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Rites discuss this further before issuing an imperial edict."

"The slaves obey the order."

Wang Chengen went down to deliver the message.

Once again, only Emperor Chongzhen remained in the warm pavilion. He gazed southeast, knowing full well that while the matter of Prince Fu was settled, the predicament of the Ming Dynasty was far from over.

In Fujian, a seed has been planted. Whether it will grow into a towering tree or a thorny weed remains to be seen.

(End of this chapter)