How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 284 Emperor Chongzhen: Rich Yet Poor (Third Update!)
Autumn came exceptionally early in the fifth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign. The northern wind, carrying a chill, blew into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but it could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere that made people uneasy.

Inside the hall, civil and military officials, princes and dukes, stood in orderly ranks, utterly silent. Even their breathing was hushed. Everyone knew that today's court assembly was unavoidable.

Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and knelt down, his body prostrate on the ground, his voice trembling uncontrollably:
"Your Majesty... Your subject... deserves to die!" He bowed his head low, his voice trembling with sobs.

"In the fifth year of Chongzhen's reign, the salt tax of Lianghuai amounted to 800,000 taels in the first half of the year, which was intercepted by imperial decree for disaster relief... The Grand Canal transport was disrupted, and the payment for the canal tax was nowhere to be found... In the five northern provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong, the summer grain harvest failed, and the autumn grain harvest was also hopeless. As for the land tax... it was impossible to collect it..."

He took a deep breath, as if he had used up all his strength, and then continued in a hoarse voice:
"Disaster relief in Huaibei, Henan, and Shandong will cost at least three million taels of silver! The nine border regions have finally shown some improvement, thanks to the sufficient food and pay over the past two years. This year's pay... will also be no less than a million taels! The salaries of officials in the capital have already been two months overdue..."

"Taicang... the silver currently stored in Taicang..." He paused, almost fainting, "...is less than...less than 150,000 taels!"

These words were like a block of ice, striking everyone's heart.

The air froze. Then, with a whoosh, chaos erupted in the court. Some shouted for immediate additional taxes in unaffected areas, others suggested confiscating the property of wealthy families, and still others advocated cutting the expenses of the imperial clan…

The noise was deafening, like a pot of mushy porridge. Every idea seemed tinged with despair.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Chongzhen's face was ashen, his hands gripping the armrests so tightly that his nails turned white. He looked at the chaotic officials below, his eyes filled with heavy weariness, and a hint of... near-desperate helplessness.

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, his hoarse voice drowning out the noise:

"enough……"

The hall fell silent instantly.

"The national treasury is empty, I... know." He paused, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "Allow me... to think about it some more. Court adjourned."

After saying this, he struggled to his feet, his steps unsteady. With Xu Yingyuan's support, he slowly turned around the screen, leaving behind a sense of despair and panic.

……

The door to the West Warm Pavilion of Qianqing Palace was tightly closed.

The heavy weariness on Chongzhen's face vanished like a mask. He walked to the washstand and vigorously wiped his face with a wet towel, as if trying to wipe away all the bad luck.

Gao Guiying silently handed over a cup of goji berry and red date tea. Cao Huachun and Liu Yueying stood below with their hands at their sides.

“Your Majesty,” Cao Huachun took half a step forward, his voice extremely low, “the secret accounts of the ‘Three Great Estates’ have arrived. The silver deposits of the three main branches of the Imperial Estates, Qin Jinyuan, and Lu Shengfeng, plus their branches in various provinces, exceed fifty million taels. The ‘Beiyang Granary’ in Tianjin has four million two hundred thousand shi of grain. The accounts and the actual grains match perfectly, and the guards are as solid as an iron barrel.”

Emperor Chongzhen grunted in response, said nothing, and walked to the huge map of the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Yueying whispered, "Your Majesty, the silver reserves in these three major estates..."

"I know, I know what those tens of millions of taels are!" Chongzhen interrupted Liu Yueying. In fact, he knew better than Liu Yueying and everyone else that he now controlled the Imperial Estate Bank, Qin Jinyuan Bank, and Lu Shengfeng Bank, and thus the "interbank market" and inter-provincial remittances in Beizhili, Shandong, Shanxi, and Shaanxi. In effect, he had taken control of a small central bank.

Although in those days, even central banks did not have unlimited credit when it came to precious metal currencies, the amount of silver that Emperor Chongzhen was able to manipulate through this "mini central bank" was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

However, this was Chongzhen's biggest trump card; he didn't need to reveal it to others right away, but rather use it discreetly.

Thinking of this, his gaze swept across the barren north and finally landed on the prosperous southeastern coast. Money, to become something tangible, needed to truly control the southeast!

“We have money. We have food.” His voice was calm, as if he had everything under control. “But now, we can’t do anything.”

He turned around and looked at the three absolute confidants in front of him.

“Revealing our trump card now will have endless consequences.” He pointed to the north on the map. “Let them taste what it’s like to have no rice to cook. Let them all understand that the imperial court is truly at its wit’s end.”

"Cao Huachun".

"The servant is here."

"Keep a close eye on the government and the public, especially the princes and nobles, and see how they react."

"The servant understands."

"Yueying."

"exist."

"Prepare the 500,000 taels from the imperial treasury. I want it to be used to its fullest potential."

"Furthermore, gather some items from the palace and sell them. Make sure everyone knows that I am truly broke and can barely make ends meet!"

...The next day, Chongzhen summoned another grand court assembly. In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, his cold gaze slowly swept across the entire hall, from the Grand Secretaries and Ministers to the nobles and princes.

Suddenly, Emperor Chongzhen's hoarse voice rang out: "There are still 150,000 taels in the imperial granary. If we squeeze a little, we can still come up with 500,000 taels from my private treasury."

These words made the eyes of those below light up, giving rise to a glimmer of hope.

But Chongzhen's next words instantly extinguished that hope.

"I have decided that these 650,000 taels of silver shall be divided in this manner."

He spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something ordinary.

"First, send 400,000 taels of silver immediately to the nine border regions. Divide it among Liaodong, Jizhou, Xuanda, and Shanxi according to their urgency. It's not much money, just a drop in the ocean, but we need to let the soldiers know that the court hasn't forgotten them! This money is to buy their continued service in guarding the borders of the Ming Dynasty!"

Several officials from the Ministry of War shuddered and lowered their heads even further.

"Secondly, 100,000 taels should be distributed to officials in the capital. We can't let them work for me on an empty stomach. Again, it's not much, just a token."

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate looked at each other, wondering what they could do with such a small amount of money.
Chongzhen's voice suddenly rose, carrying a chillingly resolute tone:

"Third! The remaining 150,000 taels of silver shall all be distributed to the Imperial Guard!"

What? They're all going to the Imperial Guard?
The ministers and princes inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony all gasped in shock.

What does this guy mean? Does he not want to live anymore?

"Fifty thousand Imperial Guards, three taels each!"

Emperor Chongzhen spoke slowly and deliberately, his gaze sharp as a knife as he swept across the entire room: "I will personally distribute this money! I will watch with my own eyes as the silver is handed to every single soldier!"

A tremendous explosion erupted inside the hall!
Giving 400,000 taels of silver to the Nine Garrisons was a last resort to stabilize the defenses.

Giving 100,000 taels to officials in the capital was a matter of appeasement and routine.

But this 150,000 taels was a real sum, personally distributed by the Emperor to the Imperial Guard! Three taels per person. It wasn't much, but it was all the Emperor had! Everyone knew what the natural disaster was like, and everyone had witnessed how much silver the Emperor spent on disaster relief.

Now that the money is gone and disasters are everywhere, the emperor is distributing his last bit of silver to his most capable troops. What is he trying to do?

Are they trying to rob us? The thought is terrifying!
The princes present were pale-faced, exchanging terrified glances. They all lived in Beijing, and most of their silver was still stored in the Imperial Silver Bank, Qin Jinyuan Money Shop, and Lu Shengfeng Money Shop. It would be no problem for the Emperor to rob them.

The civil officials from the prosperous southeastern regions felt a chill run down their spines. They weren't worried about the Emperor sending troops to their residences to seize their silver; their businesses were all in the southeast, not in Beijing. However, the entire northern part of the Ming Dynasty was now ravaged by the great flood, with only the area around Beijing remaining relatively unscathed. If the Emperor didn't want to exploit his own people, it seemed his only option was to plunder their homeland!
If the emperor really leads 50,000 imperial guards to Jiangnan to plunder and loot, what will happen then?
Emperor Chongzhen surveyed the chaos below, his face expressionless. This was exactly the effect he wanted. Panic? That's exactly the kind of panic he wanted!

He slowly stood up, his voice drowning out the slight noise in the hall:
"I know this amount of money can't save the situation. The north is already crippled, and it needs to recuperate, so the days ahead will be even more difficult!"

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood his meaning. That's all the money we have. Where's the way out? Figure it out yourselves.

"Retreat."

Having said that, he turned away without looking at anyone else, leaving behind a hall full of terrified nobles who looked at each other, somewhat at a loss.

……

A few days later, in Shenyang, at Qingning Palace.

Huang Taiji looked at the secret report sent by his spies, a smile gradually spreading across his face, until he finally burst into laughter.

"Good! Good for Chongzhen! Heaven is truly helping us!"

He handed the confidential report to Fan Wencheng, who was standing next to him: "Mr. Fan, take a look too."

Fan Wencheng quickly glanced through the document, stroked his beard, and smiled: "My lord, the Ming Dynasty's treasury is empty, its imperial funds are depleted, and disasters are occurring everywhere, beyond any means of relief. Its finances have completely collapsed. Our army only needs to wait and see how things unfold."

The young Dorgon eagerly stepped forward: "Great Khan! The Ming Dynasty is no longer able to hold on, and this is the perfect opportunity for our Eight Banners cavalry to march south!"

Huang Taiji stood up triumphantly and walked to the Liaodong map: "Order all banners to intensify preparations for war and stockpile grain! Tell the men that before long, this vast land of the Ming Dynasty will be ours!"

He seemed to already see the Ming Dynasty collapsing without a fight under immense internal pressure.

(End of this chapter)