How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 248 How to provide disaster relief? How to defeat the invaders? The large-scale development of Beijing and Tianjin!
The tenth day of the first month of the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign.

The Qianqing Palace in the Forbidden City.

Having just thoroughly defeated Qian Qianyi and his gang of charlatans in a "great debate on truth," Emperor Chongzhen sat in the main seat, his face showing no joy, his eyes sweeping over the ministers seated below him.

Grand Secretary Huang Lijie still maintains his "loyal demeanor" of "immediately offering his allegiance."

Minister of Revenue Bi Ziyan's brows relaxed slightly—thanks to his frugality and Chongzhen's efforts to increase revenue, the Ming Dynasty's finances actually improved in the third year of Chongzhen's reign, a year of great disaster.

The salt tax revenue from the seven southern provinces plus Sichuan totaled 1.7 million taels, the national salt tax revenue "reached" 1.8 million taels (the fixed amount should have been 2.5 million taels), the eight major customs offices collected 380,000 taels (mainly due to a significant increase in revenue from the Chongwenmen and Hexiwu customs offices in Beizhili), the grain transport tax revenue was 120,000 taels, and the additional levies for the Liaodong military service from the seven southern provinces plus Sichuan amounted to nearly 4 million taels! Adding in other miscellaneous revenues, in the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign, the Ministry of Revenue's income exceeded 8 million taels!

This was achieved despite severe droughts in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan, and the fact that the five northern provinces (Beizhili, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan, and Shaanxi) were required to re-enrich their granaries with grain and that additional taxes levied on Liaodong troops were waived.

The Ministry of Revenue's expenditures also decreased to some extent after Emperor Chongzhen used a significant amount of imperial funds to subsidize military expenses, the Beizhili region received two to three hundred thousand likin for military expenses, and Bi Ziyan's own frugal management style.

This resulted in a long-awaited surplus in the Ming Dynasty's finances!

If we include Emperor Chongzhen's own personal finances, then the Ming Dynasty's treasury would be even wealthier.
Minister of Works Li Congxin sat up straighter, his eyes filled with anticipation—he was now a meritorious official who had passed Dorgon's test! He was in charge of building the De Mausoleum of the Tianqi Emperor. Dorgon, the tomb raider, had put in a tremendous amount of effort, digging and blasting, but the gate to the underground palace of the De Mausoleum remained impregnable!

Sun Chengzong, the Grand Secretary and Left Censor-in-Chief, frowned slightly, probably worried about the news coming from Korea.

Yang Sichang, the Grand Secretary and Vice Minister of War, stared intently at Qian Qianyi across from him, as if he were a thief.

Qian Qianyi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood ramrod straight in his brand-new official robes, his skin as thick as a city wall—this "defender of morality" had been fiercely criticized by Emperor Chongzhen, who was like Zhu Siwen, leaving him utterly humiliated. But instead of fleeing in shame, he continued to hold his high-ranking position!

After all, a defender of morality is a defender of morality, and Qian Qianyi is Qian Qianyi.

Xu Guangqi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, also came today. He looked calm and did not participate in the previous debate. These days, he has been focusing on the Beijing Garrison Artillery Factory. Since Sun Yuanhua went abroad for a visit, he has taken over the affairs of the artillery factory.

"Everyone's here," Chongzhen said, and everyone perked up.

"You all worked hard during that great debate before the New Year," Chongzhen said without beating around the bush. "The more we debate, the clearer things become. The abolition of the feudal system and the establishment of the imperial examination system have been settled. The most important thing now is to formulate a practical and feasible plan to get things done."

His gaze fell on Qian Qianyi: "Muzhai, the Ministry of Rites is in charge of the imperial examination ceremony. What do you think about this?"

Qian Qianyi seemed to have been waiting for these words. He immediately stood up, bowed, and took out a memorial from his sleeve.

"Your Majesty, my colleagues and I have been discussing this for several days and have drafted a few regulations for your consideration." His voice was clear and resonant, with a Jiangnan accent. "I believe that the imperial family members have been confined within the palace walls for a long time, and their studies are inevitably rusty. If they were to suddenly compete with scholars from all over the country who have studied for ten years, it would be unfair and would also damage the dignity of the imperial family."

He opened the document and read it aloud, line by line:
"First, members of the imperial clan who wish to take the imperial examinations may be exempted from the county and prefectural examinations, and may directly participate in the provincial examinations upon the approval of the Imperial Clan Court..."

"Secondly, in the imperial examinations, we can follow the ancient system and allocate a few places separately for members of the imperial family, as a sign of preferential treatment..."

"Third, members of the imperial clan who pass the imperial examinations will be granted official positions with higher honors than their contemporaries, as a sign of imperial favor..."

With each point he read, the expressions of the people below changed. Bi Ziyan's brows furrowed even more, Sun Chengzong shook his head slightly, and Xu Guangqi hesitated to speak.

This isn't an imperial examination; it's clearly opening a floodgate for the nobility to ride into the examination hall! How are students from poor families supposed to compete?
After Qian Qianyi finished reading, he stood there bowing, waiting for the emperor to speak. He was calculating in his mind: once this regulation was issued, wouldn't those upright officials who dared to speak out, and all the scholars in the country, be in an uproar? At that time, the pressure would naturally fall back on the emperor's side.

Chongzhen sneered inwardly—this was "overdoing it," a case of "praising to death"! Fortunately, this wasn't his first time being Chongzhen, and he had served the people of Handong for over thirty years, having seen far too much. Qian Qianyi, this kind of official, actually didn't have much political experience, nor had he risen from the grassroots; how could he be a match for him?

“Mr. Muzhai,” he began, his tone calm, “I understand your thoughts. You are thinking of the imperial family, afraid that they will lose face.”

He changed the subject, his voice becoming more serious: "But your plan doesn't give them face, it slaps them in the face!"

Qian Qianyi was taken aback and looked up. How could the emperor have seen through his strategy, which he and his disciples had been discussing for several days?
Chongzhen looked at him sharply: "I lifted this ban to give the descendants of the Taizu a path to self-improvement, not to build them a shortcut to instant success! Exemption from examinations? Separate quotas? Preferential appointments? Wouldn't this just turn them into a bunch of nobles who live off their ancestors? What use are such officials to me?"

He stood up and walked to Qian Qianyi: "All the procedures should be the same as those for ordinary scholars! Those who should take the county-level exam should take the county-level exam, and those who should pass the provincial-level exam should pass the provincial-level exam! Those who pass the imperial examination should be appointed as candidates for official positions, and those who should be sent to other places should be sent to other places! Only by earning a living with real ability can one stand tall in the imperial court!"

He scanned the crowd, his voice resolute:

"What I need are officials who can get things done, not just wealthy and powerful relatives who only know how to enjoy the emperor's favor! Remember that!" Qian Qianyi's face flushed red and then turned pale as he awkwardly agreed. However, he had one advantage that Chongzhen greatly admired—he was thick-skinned, and soon his expression returned to normal!

Chongzhen didn't bother with him anymore (it was good to keep a shameless, incompetent, and famous target around), and turned to the crowd: "This year's imperial examination is important. The chief examiners will be Mr. Huang and Minister Qian."

Huang Lijie and Qian Qianyi quickly stepped forward to receive the imperial decree.

Emperor Chongzhen walked to the huge map of the Ming Dynasty, pointed to the northwest, and then drew a line to the southeast.

"The drought in the Northwest comes every year, and it gets worse every year. The harvest from the land can't support so many people. What about the Southeast? When Hubei and Hunan are prosperous, the whole country is well-fed. But how much does it cost to transport grain to the Northwest? If out of five bushels of grain transported from the Southeast, even one bushel might reach the mouths of the disaster victims in Shaanxi and Henan, that would be considered a good outcome!"

He turned around and looked at the two examiners: "You can decide the topic for this policy essay, but I will give you a direction."

He paused, then said, word by word:
"Let all the scholars in the land discuss this! What methods can we use to move the vast surplus of manpower in the Northwest to the East, especially to our Beizhili region, with less money and higher efficiency? Let's make this area around the capital prosperous in all aspects of industry and commerce! So that it can not only support itself, but also become a solid rear area for pacifying Liaodong and suppressing the barbarians!"

His gaze was intense: "The essay need not be flowery and full of praise. What I need are solid methods! Whoever can come up with a solution will be chosen as the top scholar!"

Again!
The officials present all knew about the imperial examination in the first year of Chongzhen's reign. Last time, Chongzhen used this method to promote the "establishment of the Three Feudatories in Liaodong" and the "reform of the imperial clan," and also selected two great talents, Niu Jinxing and Huang Zongxi.

Now that the "establishment of the Three Feudatories in Liaodong" has been a complete success, the situation in Liaodong has greatly improved, and expenses have been reduced considerably. Meanwhile, the "reform of the imperial clans" is also progressing steadily.

Now, they're doing this again! What are they trying to promote? We need to investigate this carefully.
The audience ended. The ministers, each with their own thoughts, left the platform.

Emperor Chongzhen kept only Yang Sichang as his trusted confidant. Only when there were no outsiders in the hall did a slight smile appear on his face.

"You saw it all?" Chongzhen laughed. "Once an opening is made, countless people will try to slip their own goods in or sabotage it."

Yang Sichang bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise and decisive. However, the development of Beijing and Tianjin needs to be rolled out as soon as possible. Money, food, and manpower are all problems. It would be great if another top scholar could emerge from this competition."

Emperor Chongzhen shook his head and said, "I don't expect those newly appointed scholars to handle these two major projects in Beijing and Tianjin. I hope you, Minister Lu, and Minister Niu can take over! If we do these two major projects well, the grand plan of disaster relief and defeating the enemy will be half successful! Fat old man, do you have confidence?"

Yang Sichang bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, saying nothing more. He knew in his heart that persuading the court and forging a consensus was only the first step. The real battle was yet to come. The loess soil of Shaanxi and the bloodshed of Korea were both reminders to him that time was running out.

In the Hetao region, a cold wind whipped up snowflakes, lashing against the newly compacted earthen walls. Several soldiers, dressed in tattered, mismatched combat jackets, grumbled as they stuffed mud-covered, withered grass into the cracks in the wall.

"Damn this weather! This place is great everywhere, but it's so cold, I'm freezing solid!" a one-eyed veteran cursed as he shivered.

"Shut up!" Zhang Xianzhong kicked him and pointed to a vast expanse of white wasteland outside the wall. "In the spring, that area! Whoever clears it up owns the land! If you want to be a landlord, send a message to your wife and tell her to come quickly and have a few more kids to farm!"

The crowd burst into laughter, which seemed to lessen the cold somewhat.

There are no imperial regulations here, only swords and land—fertile, moist, and boundless land!

Outside the north gate of Haizhou City, a group of soldiers stood solemnly.

Li Hang, the newly appointed top scholar and prefect of Haizhou, rode a lean horse, dressed in a brand-new sixth-rank official robe of the Later Jin dynasty. Behind his official hat, his newly grown pigtail swayed slightly in the cold wind. His face was pale, his eyes darting away, avoiding his gaze.

Beside him stood Zhao Si, the garrison commander of Haizhou in the Korean Green Standard Army. Zhao Si stood tall, wearing a new uniform in the style of the Manchus, and commanded several hundred Korean soldiers who had shaved their heads.

"Into the city!" Zhao Si shouted at the top of his lungs in broken Korean.

The troops began to move. The North Korean Green Standard Army soldiers jogged into the city first, lining up on both sides of the road inside the city gate, armed and on guard.

Li Hang and Zhao Si rode into the city side by side.

Inside the city gate, the roadside was lined with a dense, dark mass of kneeling men. They were all shaved-headed Korean men, each with a thin braid trailing behind their heads, like strange crops growing in a field. No one dared to raise their head, no one dared to utter a sound; only the clatter of horses' hooves on the frozen ground could be heard.

(End of this chapter)