How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 164 Is this the real "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty"? (Second update, please vote)
February of the second year of the Chongzhen reign (1644), Taiyuan, Shanxi.

The chief secretary of the Prince of Jin's residence practically rolled into the Yin'an Hall, his face paler than the unmelted snow outside.

"Your Highness! People from the capital have arrived! It's Vice Minister Yang Sichang, and...and..." The chief clerk gasped for breath.

Prince Zhu Qiugui of Jin was reclining on the warm kang (a heated brick bed), having two maids massage his legs. Taiyuan had been under martial law for the past two days; the city gates were tightly closed, and ordinary people couldn't get in at all, yet he still felt uneasy. Upon hearing "people from the capital," he sat bolt upright as if pricked by a needle.

"Who else? Speak up!" Zhu Qiugui's voice was a little shrill.

"And...and there's also Eunuch Wei, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial! Wei Zhongxian!" The Chief Secretary finally shouted out.

"Wei, Wei"

Zhu Qiugui's chubby face twitched violently, and the ginseng tea bowl he had just picked up crashed onto the kang table with a "clatter," spilling brown tea all over himself. He didn't care.

"Where...where are they?" Zhu Qiugui's voice trembled.

"They've already entered the city! Governor Song and Prefect Sun have gone to greet them, and they're almost at the Prince's Mansion!"

Zhu Qiugui felt a wave of dizziness and nearly fainted. Yang Sichang was the Vice Minister of War, a figure of authority, so he was relatively safe. But Wei Zhongxian… this most vicious dog by the emperor's side had also arrived. What good could come of it? He had previously gone to Datong, and then the Prince of Dai was killed! He had gone to Luoyang, and the Prince of Fu had gone to Fuzhou! He had gone to Xi'an, and the Prince of Qin had been granted imperial favor. Now he was in Taiyuan!

Prince Jin suddenly grabbed the arm of a trusted eunuch beside him, his nails digging almost into his flesh: "Quick! Help me to the back... just say... just say I've suddenly fallen ill and can't get out of bed! Go now!"

All he wants to do now is hide, hide for as long as he can.

……

At the entrance of the Prince's Mansion, the ceremonial guards were solemn.

Yang Sichang, dressed in a peacock-embroidered robe, calmly stepped down from the sedan chair. Beside him, Wei Zhongxian also dismounted. This Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial wore only an ordinary undergarment with a windproof cloak over it. His face was expressionless, and his eyelids drooped, but when he occasionally glanced at the imposing gate of the Prince of Jin's residence, the light in his eyes made the officials of the Prince's residence who were waiting at the gate feel uneasy.

The Governor of Shanxi, Song Tongyin, and the Prefect of Taiyuan, Sun Chaojin, hurried forward, their faces beaming with smiles, but their hearts were pounding. Why were these two dreadful figures here together?
"Minister Yang, Eunuch Wei, you must be tired from your journey..." Song Tongyin said, bowing.

Yang Sichang returned the greeting, his tone gentle: "Governor Song, Prefect Sun, the military situation is urgent, so let's skip the formalities. Is Your Highness at home?"

Song Tongyin hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, His Highness is already waiting in the Yin'an Hall." As he said this, he glanced at Sun Chaojin out of the corner of his eye. Sun Chaojin shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't know whether His Highness would see him or not.

Just then, a servant from the Prince's residence rushed out and bowed to Yang Sichang and Wei Zhongxian, saying, "My lords, His Highness... His Highness has suddenly fallen ill and is dizzy and unable to get out of bed. Could you please wait a moment..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Zhongxian raised his eyelids, and the words that Chengfeng was about to say got stuck in his throat.

Wei Zhongxian didn't even look at him, and said to Yang Sichang indifferently, "Minister Yang, the Prince's illness is quite timely. We are acting on the Emperor's special orders; should we wait until the Prince recovers before issuing the decree?"

Yang Sichang nodded and said to the attendant, "His Highness is unwell, so we should visit him immediately and convey His Majesty's will. Lead the way to His Highness's bedchamber."

His tone left no room for argument. He was an imperial envoy, here to deliver a decree! The Prince of Jin had to receive the decree before he even went to see the founding emperor!
The attendant's face turned pale. He looked at Wei Zhongxian and then at Yang Sichang, and dared not stop them any longer. He could only lead the way, trembling.

Song Tongyin and Sun Chaojin exchanged a glance, both seeing fear in each other's eyes. These two were clearly up to no good! They had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.

The group passed through numerous palaces and went straight to the rear hall where Prince Jin resided. The eunuchs and palace maids at the entrance knelt on the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Wei Zhongxian walked to the palace gate, but instead of stopping, he reached out and pushed open the heavy door! With a creak, the warmth of the palace and a strong smell of medicine rushed out.

Zhu Qiugui was lying on the bed, groaning softly, a damp towel draped over his head. Hearing the door open, he peeked out and nearly jumped out of his skin. He never imagined that Wei Zhongxian would dare to barge directly into his bedchamber!
Yang Sichang and Wei Zhongxian entered the hall, followed by Song Tongyin, Sun Chaojin, and others. They were caught in a dilemma, unable to go in or out, and could only stand at the door.

"Your Highness..." Yang Sichang walked to the bedside, looking at Zhu Qiugui who was shivering in the quilt, and said in a steady voice, "His Majesty has issued a special decree. We have come to deliver the decree. Please receive the decree, Your Highness."

Knowing he couldn't escape, Zhu Qiugui had no choice but to climb shakily off the bed and kneel down with the help of two eunuchs. His large body knelt there; although not as big as Prince Fu's, it was still quite substantial.

Yang Sichang took out the imperial edict in yellow silk from his bosom and read it aloud.

Zhu Qiugui hadn't quite heard the admonitions given to Song Tongyin and Zhang Honggong; his mind was still buzzing. It wasn't until he heard the part about himself that he snapped out of his daze.

"...Reaffirming the responsibility of princes to defend their territories as stated in the Imperial Ancestral Instructions! Prince Zhu Qiugui of Jin is hereby ordered to act expediently, recruit able-bodied men within his fiefdom, and repair armor and weapons to protect the state! This is the imperial decree!"

"A temporary measure...recruit able-bodied men, repair armor and weapons..." Zhu Qiugui raised his head, his fat face trembling, his expression full of disbelief. He seemed not to have heard clearly, or as if he had heard something utterly absurd, and forgot all decorum, blurting out, "Minister Yang! You...what did you say? You want me...to recruit soldiers? This...this isn't...isn't this...a violation of the prohibitions against vassal states?"

From the moment he was born, the chief secretary and professors of the royal palace, as well as officials from the imperial court, all kept repeating that a prince should not interfere in local affairs, should not keep soldiers, should not associate with officials from outside the capital, and should not leave the city without permission! Recruiting soldiers to defend the territory was simply unheard of!

Wei Zhongxian then spoke slowly, his voice shrill: "Your Highness, what do you mean by violating the prohibitions against vassal states? His Majesty, according to the provisions of the 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty,' has ordered you to shoulder the responsibility of defending the territory. Do you know the 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty'?"

"The Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Qiugui was even more bewildered. He had never properly read that thick book in his life—he wasn't allowed to read it when he was a child, and after he became a prince, he was too lazy to read it. "Ancestral instructions...is there really such a thing in the ancestral instructions? A prince...must defend his territory?"

He abruptly turned to an old eunuch beside him, an old man who had served his father, and said urgently, "Quickly! Go to the library and fetch the 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty' from the Great Ancestor! Hurry!"

The old eunuch panicked and scrambled out of the room. The hall fell silent for a moment, save for Zhu Qiugui's heavy breathing and the occasional crackling of the charcoal brazier.

Not long after, the old eunuch came running back carrying a thread-bound book with a thick layer of dust and a blue cover, which he had obviously frantically dug out from some corner.

Zhu Qiugui, disregarding the dirt, snatched the book and frantically began flipping through it. The dust made him cough a few times, his chubby fingers scribbling anxiously across the pages. He hadn't read the book before and didn't know where to begin looking for the relevant information. After a long while, he finally found the relevant section thanks to Yang Sichang's seemingly casual remark, "It's recorded in the 'Ancestral Instructions - Military and Guardian' section."

He leaned closer, almost pressing his face against the pages, reading word by word. The more he read, the wider his eyes widened, and the color drained from his face.

"...The princes are entitled to be protected...Whenever there is an emergency in the kingdom, they must first lead the guards to quell it..."

The writing is clear in black and white.

Zhu Qiugui raised his head, glanced at the book, then at the expressionless Yang Sichang and the cold-eyed Wei Zhongxian before him. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The shock on his face gradually turned into an expression of absurdity and disbelief.

He pointed to the words in the book, his voice dry and trembling, and asked with the last glimmer of hope, "This...this is really the ancestral instruction of the Great Ancestor? Is it genuine? It's not...it wasn't compiled by later generations?"

Yang Sichang nodded solemnly, his voice clear and certain: "Your Highness, it is absolutely true, without a doubt. This is an ironclad rule personally established by the founding emperor to ensure the eternal stability of the Ming dynasty, recorded in the 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty,' which all members of the imperial family and officials must abide by. Previously, the court was lenient and did not strictly enforce it. Now that the country is facing difficulties, it is time to return to the ancestral system."

Wei Zhongxian added ominously, "Your Highness, the ancestral precepts are as weighty as mountains. Now is the time for you to follow them, rebuild the guards, and recruit soldiers to defend the city. If you violate them, you may end up as a commoner behind the high walls of Fengyang. The Emperor is waiting for news of victory from Taiyuan."

Zhu Qiugui's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, the copy of the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" falling to the ground with a "thud." His worldview was shattered! According to the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty," he, a vassal king, actually... actually had such great power and responsibility!
What were all those things he studied in the past?

(End of this chapter)