How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 28 With Whom Will I Share the World? (Please add to your favorites, recommend, and vote with monthly tickets)

On the night of October 27th, in the back garden of the Duke of Cheng's mansion, the hidden door of the artificial hill clicked shut, keeping out the wind and snow.

Inside the secret room, the oil lamp illuminated six faces, each with a different expression. Zhu Chunchen, dressed only in a plain satin jacket, held a purple clay teapot in his plump hands. Opposite him sat Wei Liangqing, wearing an ordinary blue satin robe. Below them were five figures—Cui Chengxiu, Minister of War; Tian Ji, Minister of War (at this time, the Ming court had two Ministers of War); Wu Chunfu, Minister of Works; Li Kuilong, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief; and Ni Wenhuan, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices—the "Five Tigers" of the eunuch faction, all holding their breath in concentration.

"On the first day of the eleventh month, the court assembly will be held." Zhu Chunchen sipped his hot tea, his voice sweet and sticky. "The envoy from Hudun Tuhan will recount in court the atrocities committed by Sun Zushou in the massacre of the Doyan Guards. The execution by wheel-cart! Gentlemen..." He put down the teapot, a look of pity rising on his plump face. "The old, the weak, women, and children were not spared; it was utterly inhuman! Our Great Ming governs the world with benevolence and filial piety; how can we tolerate such cruel officials running rampant?"

Cui Chengxiu tapped his knuckles on the rosewood tabletop and sneered, "That poor bastard Sun Zushou, relying on the Emperor's backing, has been demanding back pay from the fields in Jizhou and causing trouble in his own Changping Guard, forcing many hereditary military officers into bankruptcy! This time, we're using the Mongols' knife to chop off his claws!"

“Not just claws,” Wei Liangqing continued sinisterly, “the 100,000 border troops of Jizhou, now fed by him, have all become knives in the Emperor’s hands. With Sun Zushou gone, these soldiers have lost their backbone!” He lowered his voice further, “Without these 100,000 border troops, who else can the Emperor rely on?”

Tian Ji stroked his goatee: "At that time, the emperor will need to pacify Liaodong, provide disaster relief, and support his thousands of imperial guards... Where will the money come from? Won't we have to go to Jiangnan to 'collect' it?" He deliberately emphasized the word "collect," which made Ni Wenhuan chuckle.

"Jiangnan is overflowing with wealth!" Wu Chunfu slammed his fist on the table, spitting as he spoke. "Silk, tea, salt permits, grain transport... isn't every kind of thing a gold mine? Those Donglin scholars, spouting benevolence and morality, actually own vast fields and have merchant ships lining the rivers! If we 'rectify commercial taxes' for the Emperor and crack down on tax evasion, are we afraid we can't scrape together a few million taels? At that time..."

Li Kuilong clapped his hands: "Once the silver from Jiangnan flows into the imperial treasury like water, the Emperor will know who is truly capable! At that time, when Eunuch Wei regains control of the Directorate of Ceremonial, whether we are in court or out of power, won't we be..."

"Ahem!" Wei Liangqing coughed lightly, interrupting Li Kuilong, and his gaze swept over the crowd. "The most important thing right now is the court assembly on the first day of the month. Minister Cui," he looked at Cui Chengxiu, "you are the commander, and you must take the lead in making a move at the court assembly!"

Cui Chengxiu straightened his back, his eyes flashing with a fierce light: "Don't worry! When that Mongolian barbarian comes crying about being executed by wheel, I will throw down my tablet and step out of the hall to denounce Sun Zushou for his cruelty and inhumanity, which is against the will of Heaven! I will also contact the censors and officials to jointly impeach him for 'unauthorized provocation of border conflicts and inciting vassal states'! I will make sure the Emperor dismisses him from office on the spot!"

“Simply dismissing him from office is not enough,” Zhu Chunchen said slowly. “It would be best to… imprison him in the imperial prison. Xu Xianchun is still in the Northern Garrison Command, right? Let him ‘serve’ General Sun well. As long as he signs the document and admits to the crimes of ‘being greedy for merit and rashly advancing, and committing excessive slaughter,’ this matter… will be a done deal.”

A few tacit laughs echoed in the secret room. The flickering lamplight cast long, distorted shadows onto the wall, like a chaotic dance of demons.

"As for Zu Dashou," Wei Liangqing added, "Liaoxi is far from the capital and cannot be touched for the time being. But once Sun Zushou falls, he will be unable to support the army alone, and he is a sensible person, so he will naturally come to our aid."

“What if His Majesty insists on protecting Sun Zushou?” Ni Wenhuan suddenly asked.

Zhu Chunchen's fat face jiggled, and he forced a cold smile: "If the Emperor can protect us, we, as his subjects, certainly can't stand against him. We are all loyal ministers!" He picked up the teapot and took a big sip from the spout. "Then we'll offer him a way out—request an imperial decree to go south to 'reorganize commercial taxes' to raise funds for the army, strengthen the nine border regions, and bail him out. This silver from Jiangnan is our get-out-of-jail-free card, and also... the golden chain that holds the Emperor in place!"

"Furthermore, what we're fighting for is the right to be loyal ministers to the Emperor. The Emperor will understand that we are far more capable of being loyal ministers to the Ming Dynasty than those poor wretches from the Nine Border Garrisons and Thirteen Towns!"

"It's settled then!" Wei Liangqing stood up abruptly. "Only we can be loyal ministers! Minister Cui, you go and speak with the censors and officials below. Remember, their lamentations must be pitiful, and their impeachments must be ruthless! Make sure that the blood and tears of that Mongol envoy drown Sun Zushou!"

Cui Chengxiu cupped his hands and said, "Rest assured, Lord Wei, I will make sure that poor wretch Sun never rise again!"

Zhu Chunchen also stood up, his fat face once again plastered with a friendly smile: "Gentlemen, after this is done, you will all receive a share of the salt permits, tea permits, and silk shops in Jiangnan. For now, let that poor bastard Sun and his 100,000 poor bastards run wild for a few more days."

West Warm Pavilion of Qianqing Palace.

On the small rosewood table lay four exquisite dishes: a plate of goose breast in rouge color, a bowl of ham and bamboo shoot soup, a plate of stir-fried bean sprouts, and a small basket of crab roe soup dumplings. Zhou Yufeng, her hair in a simple bun adorned with a plain silver hairpin, was serving Chongzhen the food. For some reason, Chongzhen's lifestyle after moving into the Forbidden City was vastly different from his time in the Prince Xin's residence. He refused to be served, and wouldn't even allow Wang Chengen to stand beside him. If Wang Chengen insisted on serving him, Chongzhen would kindly invite him to sit and eat with him. Was this some kind of imperial tactic to win people's hearts?

Another change made Zhou Yufeng blush a little—he kept her by his side every day, wouldn't let her return to Kunning Palace, but instead made her live in Qianqing Palace, sleeping with her every night. Could this Emperor have forgotten he still had two concubines?

Thinking of that matter, Zhou Yufeng quickly picked up a piece of goose meat and placed it on the jade plate in front of Chongzhen, saying, "Your Majesty, please try this goose breast. I marinated it myself with rose broth and Shaoxing wine..."

Chongzhen took a bite; the salty and savory flavor was subtly infused with floral notes. He nodded in approval, "Yu Feng's cooking is getting better and better." Suddenly noticing a hint of worry on his wife's brow, he put down his chopsticks and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Yufeng lowered her eyelashes, her voice barely audible: "I've been staying in Qianqing Palace these past few days... His Majesty hasn't visited Consort Tian and Consort Yuan in a long time. They..."

Emperor Chongzhen was taken aback. Tian Xiuying, Lady Yuan… In his previous life, he owed them so much. Consort Tian died young, and Consort Yuan committed suicide when the city fell… In this second life, he had neglected them again. Actually, it wasn't neglect, but rather that he was truly unaccustomed to having three wives—his conduct and integrity in his previous life were impeccable. Although he had now regained his "Emperor-level" status, decades of habits couldn't be changed overnight!

Emperor Chongzhen paused with his chopsticks, then chuckled, "I almost forgot about them." He put down his chopsticks and said gently, "Yu Feng, in this life, my heart can only hold you. As for them... I'll arrange it after you become empress."

Zhou Yufeng blushed and whispered, "The Imperial Observatory has already chosen an auspicious day, the seventeenth of next month."

"The Purple Star and the Moon are in perfect harmony, a very auspicious sign." Emperor Chongzhen smiled, but his thoughts drifted back to his past life—the grand ceremony for the investiture of Empress Zhou Yufeng in the first year of his reign, where she wore a phoenix crown and pheasant robes, receiving the homage of all the officials before the Hall of Supreme Harmony, her beauty unparalleled…

Zhou Yufeng's eyes welled up with tears, and just as she was about to speak, the curtain was suddenly lifted!
Wang Chengen strode in: "Your Majesty, Commander Tian of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has sent a secret report!"

A wax pill was presented to the emperor. Chongzhen crushed it with two fingers and unfolded a piece of mulberry paper.

"On the night of October 27th, a secret meeting was held at the Duke of Cheng's residence. Wei Liangqing, Zhu Chunchen, Cui Chengxiu, Tian Ji, Wu Chunfu, Li Kuilong, Ni Wenhuan, and others plotted to jointly impeach Sun Zushou and Zu Dashou at the court assembly on the first day of the month."

Emperor Chongzhen's eyes turned icy, and he slammed the secret report on the table: "You clown!"

Zhou Yufeng caught a glimpse of the words "slaughter" and "bloodbath," her fingertips trembled, and her face turned deathly pale.

Emperor Chongzhen burst into laughter: "Excellent! I was just looking for an excuse to purge the court, and they've handed me the knife!" He abruptly stood up: "Wang Chengen!"

"The slave is here!"

"Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), summon Mr. Sun to the palace for an audience on the platform!"

"Tell Tian Ergeng again..." The emperor's eyes flashed with a cold light, "Keep a close eye on him! I want to see if these officials really know who my Zhu family is sharing the throne with."

(End of this chapter)