How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 196 Execution, Dedication! (Updated, please subscribe)
The north wind was howling!
By nearly noon, the area around the Xisi Archway was already packed with people. Soldiers, armed with long spears, had set up an open space, the red tassels on their spearheads trembling in the cold wind.

During the Ming Dynasty, Xisi Archway was a place where executioners were sent out.

The person we're going to kill today is no ordinary man; he's Kong Yinshu, a gentleman from the Duke of Yansheng's mansion.

That was a close relative of the current "Holy Duke" Kong Yinzhi; the two of them "shared" the same grandfather!
What's even more unusual is that the official supervising the execution was none other than Duke Yansheng, Kong Yinzhi himself.

Uncles and brothers, one overseeing the execution on the platform, the other waiting to die below. This was unprecedented in the more than two hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. And probably also the first time in the history of the Confucius family in Qufu?

Confucius once said: “The uprightness of our people is different from this: a father conceals the wrongdoing of his son, and a son conceals the wrongdoing of his father. Uprightness lies in this.”

Now, the descendants of "Zi" (子) are witnessing the execution of their elder cousin, demonstrating such righteousness that they would even kill their own family.
The news had spread like wildfire a few days ago, reaching every corner of Beijing. Scholars, merchants, and ordinary people alike were eager to see this rare sight. The crowd buzzed with discussion, offering all sorts of opinions.

Across from the execution ground stood a two-story teahouse. In a quiet private room on the second floor, a window was slightly ajar. Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in the simple cotton robes of a wealthy young man, sat by the window, silently watching the chaotic crowd below. His expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

The door opened gently, and two people entered. One was Yang Sichang, the Vice Minister of War, dressed in dark casual clothes, with a calm expression. The other was Niu Jinxing, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, whose face showed a mixture of excitement and unease.

"Your subject Yang Sichang (Niu Jinxing) pays his respects to Your Majesty." The two were about to kneel down to pay their respects.

"No need, there are too many people and too much attention outside." Chongzhen waved his hand, his gaze not leaving the window. "Come and take a look."

The two quickly moved to the window and looked down, following Chongzhen's gaze. They saw a sea of ​​people, with soldiers barely managing to maintain order.

"Your Majesty, will the Duke Yansheng really personally oversee the execution?" Niu Jinxing couldn't help but ask in a low voice. After all, he was a scholar, and he felt that this matter was somewhat shocking.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't turn around, and said calmly, "The arrow is on the string, and it has to be released. He submitted his own letter of apology and appointed his own supervisor. If he doesn't take on the task of overseeing the execution, who will?"

Yang Sichang pondered for a moment before replying, “Your Majesty is wise. This action… while seemingly harsh, is in fact a swift and decisive move. Kong Yinshu’s resistance to taxes and assault on officials is well-documented and he should be executed according to the law. Having the Duke of Yansheng personally enforce the law demonstrates to the world that national law is more important than family rules, and the cause of resisting slavery is above the private interests of any one family. From now on, anyone who wants to cause trouble under the ancestral system of tax exemptions will have to think twice.”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly, acknowledging Yang Sichang's statement. He pointed to a few men in the crowd downstairs who were cowering and glancing around furtively, and said to Yang Sichang, "See? The Eastern Depot's spies have reported that there are Jurchen spies mixed in. Perfect, let them see if the Ming Dynasty's sword can cut their own people."

Yang Sichang and Niu Jinxing followed the gaze and both felt a chill run down their spines.

Not far from the teahouse was an even more impressive restaurant. Upstairs, in one of the best private rooms, several prominent figures from the Donglin Party, including Qian Qianyi, Xu Guangqi, and Sun Chengzong, were gathered. Dishes and wine were laid out on the table, but few touched their food. Everyone leaned against the window, gazing at the execution ground below.

Qian Qianyi stroked his beard and sighed, "A descendant of the emperor personally wielded the axe to oversee the execution of his clansmen... Alas, such a thing has never been heard of throughout history. The emperor's move was... truly resolute."

Xu Guangqi frowned, his mind more focused on practical matters: "Kong Yinshu really went too far in Tongzhou. Not only did he resist taxes, but he also assaulted officials, which was tantamount to rebellion. This time, Duke Yansheng... can be considered to have put righteousness before family. However, with the slogan 'Protecting the Ming Dynasty is protecting Confucianism,' I'm afraid no one will dare to openly oppose the 'local militia donation' or other methods of raising funds in the future."

Sun Chengzong, being the oldest and having weathered many storms, saw things more clearly. He took a sip of warm wine and slowly said, "His Majesty is using the Duke of Yansheng as a weapon to make an example of someone. And the one being killed is a 'golden chicken.' Think about it, even Confucius's cousin lost his head for resisting taxes. In Beizhili, and even in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the whole country, which local gentry or powerful family would dare to provoke this tiger again? His Majesty is using the blood of the Duke of Yansheng to pave the way for the great cause of resisting the slaves."

Those few words silenced everyone. They all understood that from this day forward, the social atmosphere would begin to change.

In the crowd at the execution ground, a man in a mink robe was pushing his way forward. This was Hou Xingguo, now sent back by Huang Taiji to continue serving as a "Jiang Gan" (a low-ranking official). He was there today, of course, to watch the killings—to see the Duke of Yansheng kill his cousin. The more he watched, the more terrified he became!

Just then, he suddenly heard several people nearby, dressed in long gowns and looking like scholars, whispering among themselves:
"Sigh, why did Kong Yinshu have to do this? It was just a matter of two hundred taels of silver, and it's gotten to this point..."

"What do you know? Is this about money? This is... sigh, but the Duke Yansheng is really... ruthless."

"Ruthless? I think it's wise! Didn't you hear what the Duke of Yansheng said at the court meeting? 'Protecting the Ming Dynasty is protecting Confucianism!' If the Jurchens invade, what's the point of us studying the classics? The teachings of Confucius and Mencius will be extinct! Spending some money to fight the Jurchens now is to protect our roots!"

"That's true... It seems we have no choice but to pay this 'military troop donation.' Even the Confucius family has taken the lead; how can we possibly understand the principles better than the descendants of the sage?"

Hou Xingguo was both shocked and furious upon hearing these words. He had originally thought that the Ming Dynasty was rife with internal strife, with deep conflicts between the emperor and the civil officials and gentry. He never expected that this young Chongzhen would pull such a stunt, using the title of Duke Yansheng to bind "resisting the slaves" and "protecting the faith" together, instantly seizing the moral high ground. This was even more powerful than sending 100,000 troops to the border! He had to quickly send the message back to the Khan, telling him that this new Ming emperor was no ordinary man, and that a direct confrontation by force would likely not suffice.

As he was thinking, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if he were being watched. He turned around abruptly and saw several seemingly ordinary men in the crowd glancing at him, their eyes seemingly intentionally or unintentionally. Hou Xingguo's heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his head and shrank back.

"It's time to bring the prisoner."

In the center of the execution ground, the executioner's loud shout drowned out all the noise. The crowd immediately fell silent, and all eyes turned to the makeshift execution platform.

The Duke Yansheng, Kong Yinzhi, dressed in an imperial robe, his face ashen, walked stiffly step by step to the main seat in the center of the execution platform and sat down. He gripped a command arrow tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white. He dared not look down at the people below, his eyes staring blankly ahead.

His cousin, Kong Yinshu, was brought in by two burly executioners. He collapsed to the ground, pale as a ghost, too weak to even cry out for justice.

The executioner verified Kong Yinzhi's identity according to procedure, then turned and bowed to him, asking for his instructions: "Please issue your order, Your Excellency!"

Everyone's hearts were in their throats. Emperor Chongzhen, upstairs in the teahouse, had a sharp gaze. Qian Qianyi and the others in the restaurant held their breath. Hou Xingguo, in the crowd, stared wide-eyed.

Kong Yinzhi trembled violently, as if his soul had been ripped out. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, only a numb despair remained. With all his might, he hurled the command token in his hand fiercely towards the audience below!
"Execute."

The command arrow landed with a crisp sound.

The executioner raised his knife and struck.

Blood spurts out!
A human head rolled to the ground, its eyes still wide open, as if it hadn't yet figured out how it had died so suddenly.
Upon seeing his cousin's gruesome decapitation, Kong Yinzhi swayed violently and collapsed onto the armchair, losing consciousness.

"it is good!"

Someone shouted out, and a cacophony of cheers and exclamations erupted from the crowd. Many of the gentry-looking men turned pale and secretly wiped cold sweat from their brows with their sleeves.

In the private room of the teahouse, Chongzhen gently closed the window, shutting out the noise from outside.

Yang Sichang and Niu Jinxing were still immersed in the shocking scene they had just witnessed, and remained silent for a long time.

"You all saw it?" Chongzhen turned around, his tone calm. "With this stroke, not only was Kong Yinshu's head severed, but the courage of the gentry across the land to resist the court's anti-slavery policy was also cut off."

Yang Sichang took a deep breath, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty's decision is wise! After this incident, the banner of 'protecting the Ming Dynasty is protecting Confucianism' has been firmly established. From now on, the resistance to implementing the fundraising strategy will be greatly reduced."

Niu Jinxing also said excitedly, "Your Majesty, today's event is comparable to a proclamation! It surpasses the might of 100,000 soldiers! This principle and this momentum must be known to the whole world!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, looking at Niu Jinxing: "Minister Niu has hit the nail on the head. Simply establishing authority through killing is not enough. We must let the principles take root in people's hearts and let the momentum continue." He paused, his gaze sweeping over Yang Sichang and Niu Jinxing, "I have an idea, to start a newspaper."

"Newspaper?" Yang Sichang and Niu Jinxing were both taken aback; the word was somewhat unfamiliar.

“Yes, a newspaper,” Chongzhen explained. “Like the Tangbao, but not for officials, but for the people of the world. Find some scholars to write down good articles like the ‘Proclamation Against the Jurchens,’ stories of soldiers fighting and achieving merit on the front lines, the atrocities committed by the Jurchens against the people, and the court’s national policy of resisting the Jurchens. Then, use movable type to print them in large quantities and distribute them to schools, towns, and docks throughout the country. Let literate scholars and officials read them, and let storytellers tell them to the people. I’ve even thought of a name for it—the ‘Imperial Ming Bulletin’!”

He looked at Yang Sichang and Niu Jinxing, his tone solemn: "Minister Yang is well-versed in military affairs and national policies, and Minister Niu has a sharp pen and understands public opinion. I entrust this matter to the two of you. Be quick and do it well. Make sure the whole world knows that 'resisting slavery, protecting the race, and preserving the religion' is the greatest righteous cause today!"

Yang Sichang and Niu Jinxing exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and a surge of excitement fueled by the weighty responsibility in each other's eyes. They bowed in unison and replied in deep voices:

"Your Majesty, we obey! We will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!"

(End of this chapter)