How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 180 The Ming Dynasty cannot be without Wei Zhongxian for even a day! (Seeking monthly votes)
Wei Zhongxian arrived very quickly.

He entered the hall with light steps, knelt down and kowtowed nimbly: "This old servant, Wei Zhongxian, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Get up." Chongzhen waved his hand, gesturing for him to rise, and cut straight to the point. "My lord, I have summoned you here today for two matters. The first is about the appointment of Lu Xiang-sheng."

Wei Zhongxian stood respectfully with his hands at his sides: "Your Majesty's orders."

Emperor Chongzhen tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk: "My mind is made up. I appoint Lu Xiang as the governor of Shuntian Prefecture and concurrently as the head of the militia, in charge of the defense of Shuntian and Yongping Prefectures. But this appointment requires a court recommendation."

Wei Zhongxian understood immediately and replied, "Your Majesty is wise. Governor Lu is a capable and competent official, and it is most appropriate for him to be stationed at the northeastern gateway of the capital. However... in court discussions, I fear there may be some ignorant people who will make a lot of noise."

"I expected this." Chongzhen's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "Therefore, we cannot let them interfere with this court recommendation. Your Excellency, you know what to do."

Wei Zhongxian smiled knowingly and bowed slightly: "This old servant understands. Your Majesty, rest assured, a few dissenting voices will not cause any trouble. Governor Lu's appointment will surely pass the court recommendation process smoothly."

He understood that the emperor wanted him to use the power of the "eunuch faction" and the secret police to make arrangements before the court recommendation process, and if necessary, to weigh those people to ensure a smooth procedure.

"Hmm." Chongzhen nodded, then changed the subject to the more crucial issue, "This second matter is of utmost importance. Lu Xiang-sheng ostensibly wants to clear the fields to establish his authority, but the real source of funding for the militia lies in the 'lijin,' which is essentially setting up checkpoints to collect commercial taxes."

Upon hearing the words "commercial tax," Wei Zhongxian's eyes twitched slightly; this was a big problem.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at him and said, "After much thought, I believe it is most appropriate for you and your subordinates to propose and handle this matter. The name will be 'Military Training Donation,' which is nominally a temporary expedient for raising funds."

Wei Zhongxian immediately understood his role—he was to be the target of fire, to do the dirty work that offended people. But far from being afraid, he felt a kind of excitement that "the Ming Dynasty cannot do without me".

He immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty is truly insightful! This 'military levy' is beneficial to the country and the people, and it is a timely rain! This old servant and my men will do our utmost to handle this matter well in Shuntian and Yongping! If those unscrupulous merchants dare to resist the levy, this old servant has plenty of ways to make them obediently hand over their money!"

He knew perfectly well that although this matter would invite criticism, wasn't this exactly what Wei Zhongxian made his living from? Wasn't it precisely because he wasn't afraid of criticism and offending people that the late emperor valued him so highly? Although the current emperor seemed to have abandoned this villain when he first came to power, after going around in circles, hadn't he become increasingly fond of him?
It seems that finding another eunuch in the palace who is as unafraid of offending the scholars and officials of the world as Wei Zhongxian is truly not easy!
Emperor Chongzhen, of course, knew how rare it was to find someone like Wei Zhongxian who was obedient and willing to honestly hand over money to him. He immediately said gently, "My lord, remember this: actions must be methodical, and accounts must be clear. You can give a share to those in charge, but be careful how you do it. Draft a detailed plan on how to set up checkpoints and extract profits. Lu Xiangshan will be in the open, you in the shadows; one will be the orthodox, the other the unorthodox. Make sure this protective barrier around the capital is firmly secured for me."

"This old servant will obey Your Majesty's decree! I will handle this matter perfectly and live up to Your Majesty's trust!" Wei Zhongxian bowed deeply. With Chongzhen's words just now, he was relieved—he could give the person in charge a share! What a wise and sagacious emperor!
Moreover, this emperor is capable and knows how to handle things! He also knows how to seize opportunities to punish people. Every time, he wins battles abroad to establish his authority, and then he takes strong measures at home. This time is no exception. After his three thousand iron cavalry raided Daming, he turned around and started to collect taxes in Shuntian and Yongping.

This looks like it's going to work out!
Having dealt with these two most important matters, Chongzhen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. His tone became more casual, as if he had just remembered something, and he asked, "Grand Master, have there been any other developments in the capital lately?"

Wei Zhongxian snapped out of his daze and hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I have something to report. My men have been keeping an eye on things for a while now, and it turns out that Madam Ke's son, Hou Xingguo, secretly slipped back to the outskirts of the capital a few days ago."

Emperor Chongzhen didn't even lift his eyelids: "Oh? He still knows to come back?"

Emperor Chongzhen was unaware that Hou Xingguo had colluded with slaves. He only remembered that the man still owed several hundred thousand taels of silver (a sum intended to atone for Lady Ke's sins)! He claimed to be selling off family property, but after so long, there had been no further news of him. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had absconded with the money!

“Isn’t that right?” Wei Zhongxian’s shrill voice was cold. “This scoundrel is incredibly audacious, colluding with Fan Yongdou, a corrupt merchant on the wanted list.”

"Huh?" Chongzhen was taken aback and looked up at Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian said, "These past two days, they've been scheming everywhere, trying every trick in the book to find out about the Beijing garrison's artillery factory. In my opinion, the suspicion of collusion with the enemy is confirmed! Your Majesty, should I send someone now...?"

He made a gesture of taking it down.

Emperor Chongzhen picked up the rosewood cup, blew on it, but didn't drink. He looked at Wei Zhongxian: "Grand Eunuch, do you think it's the right time to arrest people now?"

Wei Zhongxian had long known that the emperor was cunning, so he deliberately avoided revealing the "long-term strategy" to Chongzhen, instead letting the emperor speak on it to make him appear wiser. He then feigned ignorance, saying, "Your Majesty means..."

Emperor Chongzhen put down his wooden cup and tapped his finger on the table: "This Hou Xingguo, in my opinion, is more like Jiang Gan from the Three Kingdoms period. He thinks he has succeeded in his scheme, but in reality, he has just delivered himself to our doorstep."

Wei Zhongxian immediately understood, and a smile spread across his face: "Your Majesty is wise! This old servant is foolish, Your Majesty sees things far ahead! Play the long game! Let him steal, let him inquire, we can use him to send some 'good stuff' to that guy in Shenyang!"

Only then did a faint smile appear on Chongzhen's face: "Hmm. Not to catch a big fish, but to hang Huang Taiji! Wei Daban, I want him to take the noose that can hang Huang Taiji to Shenyang and put it around Huang Taiji's neck!"

Wei Zhongxian then feigned ignorance: "Your Majesty, this old servant is foolish and does not know what this noose is."

Emperor Chongzhen smiled and said, "Of course, it's the blueprint for the bronze tiger-crouching cannon."

……

Having dealt with these two thorny matters, Chongzhen rose and headed towards Yonghe Palace. His steps were somewhat heavy. Inside Yonghe Palace, Consort Liu (Liu Yuexiang) and Wang Chengen were discussing something in hushed tones while looking at several account books. Upon seeing Chongzhen enter, they hurriedly rose to greet him.

"Your Majesty," Consort Liu said with a smile, handing over a cup of warm tea.

Chongzhen took the drink, took a sip, and set it aside: "What are you two talking about, so engrossed?"

Wang Chengen hurriedly presented a thick book of regulations: "Your Majesty, this servant is currently discussing the strategy and expenses of the 'Great Ming Europa Trade Company' with Consort Liu."

Consort Liu chimed in with great interest, "Your Majesty, if this fleet can truly sail directly to Europe, the profits will likely be more than tenfold! Our silk, porcelain, and tea are highly sought-after rare commodities there!"

Emperor Chongzhen listened, but his face showed little joy. He flipped through the regulations, which contained drawings of large ships, a list of goods to be purchased, and a budget for expanding Tianjin Port.

"The idea is good." Chongzhen closed the charter and looked at Wang Chengen. "Tell me, according to this strategy, how much silver should be invested the first time?"

Wang Chengen's face showed difficulty as he carefully chose his words: "Your Majesty, building or buying large ocean-going ships is no small matter. We also need to expand the port, stockpile goods, prepay the sailors' wages, and hire Western ship captains who can travel between the East and West Oceans. By the way, all the large ocean-going ships must be built to the standards of Western warships so that they can be equipped with Western cannons... This servant and Consort Liu have roughly calculated that this initial step will require at least 1.5 million taels of silver. I'm afraid it will be difficult to accomplish anything without it."

“One and a half million taels of silver…” Chongzhen repeated, feeling as if a stone had struck his heart.

After deducting all the necessary expenses that need to be paid in the coming year, the cash he could move was only about 1.7 to 1.8 million taels, which seemed to be enough. However, the Great War of Ji Si was about to begin! There was not much silver in the imperial treasury. When military expenses skyrocketed, the imperial treasury would have to support them.

He was really struggling to make ends meet as emperor.

“The vision is good,” Chongzhen sighed, gently placing the plan on the table, “but this money… even my private treasury is being used up.”

Consort Liu and Wang Chengen exchanged a glance and remained silent. The warmth that had just filled Yonghe Palace instantly cooled down.

Chongzhen, on the other hand, habitually rubbed his kidneys. "It seems alright. Let's wait for that girl surnamed Yang to arrive before making any decisions!"

……

Almost simultaneously, southwest of Daning City, near a shallow ferry crossing on the upper reaches of the Liao River.

In the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the autumn winds beyond the Great Wall already carried a chill, whipping up sand and dust that lashed at people's faces. The sky was overcast, the sun hidden in the shadows. A group of ragged bondservants, their breath steaming in the air, laboriously tamped down the dry, hard earth under the overseer's whip, laying the foundation for the newly built fortress.

Zhao Si wore a dirty, old cotton-padded coat, with black and yellow cotton wadding showing through the cuffs. He carried a leather whip and limped back and forth along the edge of the construction site, supervising the work. The death of Ao Bai did not bring him, a bondservant in Ao Bai's household, any further misfortune; instead, it earned him the favor of his new "master," Young Master Sony.

Because he was good at getting things done and knew how to flatter the young master's horses, he actually became a small supervisor in charge of dozens of people, which was considered a "traitor" among the bondservants, so he no longer had to do the hard work himself.

Jin Chengren was among the laborers. He was weak, and moving mud and stones was especially strenuous for him. If he was even slightly slow, he would be whipped on the back, gritting his teeth and not daring to utter a sound. That whip was most likely lashed by Zhao Si.

At this moment, several horsemen galloped towards the construction site, kicking up dust. The leader was a young man of eighteen or nineteen, with a hint of youthful naiveté in his eyes, but a tall and straight figure. He wore a windproof blue satin riding jacket and was none other than Hershey Soni, a close attendant of Hauge Beile.

He nimbly dismounted, his foot landing on the hard, dry earth. His gaze swept across the desolate construction site, landing on Zhao Si's smug, overbearing supervisory demeanor, and he nodded in satisfaction. He was a "scholar," unwilling to be as ruthless as Ao Bai, so he desperately needed lackeys and henchmen. This Zhao Si was a good dog.

Before Zhao Si could come forward, Sony asked directly in Mandarin with a Liaodong accent, "Si'er, is there anyone here who can read? Or who knows how to forge iron?"

The noisy sounds of labor subsided immediately. Most of the laborers hung their heads numbly, not daring to speak, with only the howling of the autumn wind.

Upon hearing Young Master Suo call him "Si'er," Zhao Si immediately perked up, trotted forward, bowed, and forced a fawning smile: "Replying to Young Master Suo! This servant Zhao Si has studied blacksmithing before!"

In the crowd, Kim Sung-in timidly raised his head, his lips trembling: "I...I know a few words."

Sony walked up to the two men and carefully examined the trembling Kim Sung-in: "How many words do you know? Can you keep accounts?"

“I’ve read all the Four Books and Five Classics,” Jin Chengren said, his voice trembling, whether from cold or fear, “Bookkeeping… I can learn it.”

A satisfied look appeared on Sony's young face. He waved to Goshha, who was accompanying him, and said, "Take these two with you. The Prince is in dire need of such talent."

Zhao Sixi was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. Jin Chengren, on the other hand, wore a complicated expression.
Sony mounted his horse, tightened the reins, and glanced once more at the construction site, which was struggling to move forward in the autumn wind. His brow furrowed in worry.

The Great Jin Kingdom is now relying on fortresses to block the harassment of Ming cavalry. The world has changed too fast.
(End of this chapter)