How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 286 I'm Going to Jiangnan! (Fifth Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

The East Warm Pavilion of Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Chongzhen sat on his imperial couch, leaning slightly forward with his elbows resting on his knees. Wei Zhongxian and Xu Yingyuan stood on either side of him, their hands hanging down in the shadows behind them, like two clay sculptures.

Below, almost all the key figures of the Ming Dynasty had gathered. Grand Secretary Huang Lijie, Second Grand Secretary Shi Fenglai, Minister of War Wang Zaijin, Vice Minister Li Banghua, Minister of Rites Qian Qianyi, Grand Secretary and Left Censor-in-Chief Sun Chengzong, Minister of Revenue Bi Ziyan, Vice Minister of Revenue Hou Xun, Duke Yansheng Kong Yinzhi, as well as Duke Dingguo Xu Yunzhen and Prince Qin Zhu Cunshu. They stood on either side, arranged according to their civil and military status, each with their eyes downcast and their minds focused.

The air seemed to freeze, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. The thunderous shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" from the drill ground a few days ago still seemed to echo in the rafters, weighing heavily on the hearts of these high-ranking officials in their red and purple robes.

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze slowly swept over the crowd, finally settling on Prince Qin, Zhu Cunshu's face. He broke the silence with a rare gentleness in his voice:

"King Qin, my fellow clansmen, you are very kind."

Prince Zhu Cunshu of Qin was startled and quickly stepped forward, bowing deeply and holding a memorial aloft with both hands:
"Your Majesty...we...we, members of the imperial family residing in the capital, are deeply grateful for Your Majesty's boundless grace and are heartbroken by the court's current difficulties...we hereby jointly submit this donation of one...one million taels of silver! We offer this small contribution to aid in disaster relief...we humbly beseech Your Majesty to accept it!"

He stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. This million taels was a sum pooled together by dozens of princes and dukes. He was the leader, contributing one hundred thousand taels himself—it was painful for him!

Xu Yingyuan stepped forward, took the memorial, and presented it to the emperor.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't open it to look at it. He just gently patted the book and sighed, "When the country is in crisis, we can only rely on our own people. After all, they are the bloodline of Emperor Taizu Gao. We are all family, so we don't need to speak like outsiders."

Although he said it that way, he was not actually satisfied. One million taels of silver was not enough to show their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and their filial piety to their ancestors!

However, Emperor Chongzhen did not intend to cause trouble. As long as these people deposited their silver in the Imperial Estate, Qin Jinyuan, and Lu Shengfeng, and bought property in western Beijing and invested in Tianjin, they would be part of the credit system of the "mini central bank".

Upon hearing Chongzhen's words, the King of Qin felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. He quickly expressed his gratitude and returned to his place in the ranks.

Grand Secretary Huang Lijie seized this opportunity, immediately stepped forward, his expression grave and his tone urgent:

"Your Majesty! The loyalty of the imperial clan is as clear as day! However, the north is in ruins, with millions of people suffering from disaster, and the nine border regions are short of funds, with daily expenditures reaching mountains! One million taels is merely a drop in the ocean! I have been discussing this with the ministers of the ministries for days, and the only solution is to issue an imperial edict immediately, adding three fen of disaster relief silver per mu to the eight provinces of Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Sichuan! This may temporarily alleviate the urgent crisis!"

Behind him, officials from the north, including Sun Chengzong and Hou Xun, nodded slightly.

The warm pavilion grew even quieter. Everyone waited for the Emperor's approval. Sending additional officials was the usual practice, and the most direct method at the moment.

But Emperor Chongzhen on his throne remained silent. He slowly picked up the huanghuali wood thermos beside him, opened the lid, gently blew on it a few times, and lowered his gaze to watch the rising steam.

silence.

The sudden silence sent a chill down everyone's spine. The brief respite brought about by the King of Qin's offering of silver vanished instantly. The civil officials felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them from the throne, making their hearts race. That was the pressure of the thirty thousand imperial guards on the drill ground!
Second Grand Secretary Shi Fenglai (from Zhejiang) was sweating profusely; he felt the Emperor thought it wasn't enough. He steeled himself and took half a step forward, his throat dry.

"Your Majesty... if... if three-tenths is insufficient, perhaps... it could be increased to five-tenths? We must ensure that relief efforts are not neglected and that military pay is not lacking..."

"Snapped."

Emperor Chongzhen placed the rosewood thermos on the table. The sound was not loud, but it sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

He raised his head, his gaze as dark and piercing as a knife, first scraping across Huang Liji, then fixing on Shi Fenglai's face.

"Add three points? Add five points?" His voice was low, but carried a chilling coldness. "Even a child can figure out who will ultimately benefit from these additional levies, which are passed down through the ranks?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "Isn't it all because of those poor wretches who don't own a single plot of land or a single tile of roof over their houses! Is there any point in this?!"

freezing point!

The air in the warm room froze completely. Huang Lijie and Shi Fenglai were deathly pale, their lips trembling, unable to utter a single word. Qian Qianyi felt a tightness in his chest, a mixture of fear and a faint sense of relief—thankfully, he hadn't jumped out to get himself beaten up earlier.

Emperor Chongzhen stood up abruptly, walked to the huge map of the Ming Dynasty on the wall, and turned his back to the crowd.

He raised his hand, his fingers tracing across the disaster-stricken areas in the north, before finally pressing heavily on the prosperous region of Jiangnan.

"Among the princes' estates and my imperial estates, since last year, has there been a single acre of land that has not paid taxes?"

"But all the land under heaven belongs to the emperor!" He turned abruptly, his gaze like lightning sweeping across the entire area. "Just how many fields are left untaxed, unlevied, and even absent from the official register?!" His voice rose sharply, filled with sorrow and anger: "Zhang Jiangling (Zhang Juzheng) during the Wanli era, what a figure he was! He implemented the Single Whip Law, thoroughly surveying the entire country, but in the end? There were still some places he couldn't uncover! He couldn't touch them!"

He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping across each terrified face, and spoke each word slowly and deliberately, with earth-shattering force:

"He can't figure it out, he can't do anything about it... I will investigate it myself! I will take action myself!"

Dead!

Absolute silence! All the ministers gaped, as if struck by lightning. The emperor was leaving the capital to investigate the land and accounts?
After a brief silence, the warm room erupted into chaos.

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!" Huang Liji knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face. "How can the emperor of ten thousand chariots lightly leave the capital? This is no matter for a peaceful emperor! If anything goes wrong, the foundation of the country will be shaken, and we, your subjects, will not be able to atone for it even with ten thousand deaths!"

Sun Chengzong, his hair and beard bristling, prostrated himself on the ground, weeping as he remonstrated: "Your Majesty! The capital is a vital location, concerning the safety of the entire nation! The affairs of the nine border regions and Liaodong all depend on Your Majesty's presence! How can you travel far? Absolutely not!"

Wang Zaijin remained relatively calm, but his tone was urgent: "Your Majesty, the Holy Emperor governs by doing nothing. The investigation of the fields is handled by the relevant officials; why must Your Majesty personally venture into dangerous places?"

Qian Qianyi's mind raced. If the Emperor were to lead troops south to "inspect the lands," would the aristocratic families and gentry of Jiangnan still have a good life? He quickly stepped forward: "Your Majesty! The south is a damp and malaria-ridden land, and the waterways and land routes are unsafe. Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance! Furthermore, if this is delayed any longer, unforeseen circumstances may arise!"

Voices of advice and remonstrance rose and fell.

Emperor Chongzhen listened quietly, his face expressionless. When the sound subsided, he raised his hand.

Everyone fell silent, watching him nervously.

"Leave lightly?" Chongzhen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable resolve. "What do you mean by 'leave lightly'? Does my Great Ming only have Beijing as its capital?"

His finger pressed heavily on the two characters "Nanjing" on the map.

"Emperor Taizu established the capital in Nanjing! Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing, leaving Nanjing as a secondary capital, and the system was complete! So Nanjing is no longer the capital?!"

He surveyed the crowd, his gaze finally settling on the pale-faced officials from the south, and spoke each word with unwavering resolve:

"My purpose in this southern tour is to follow the example of my ancestors, to be based in Nanjing, to coordinate the taxes of the entire empire, and to conduct a thorough land survey! To fundamentally reform the Ming Dynasty's finances and remove the poison from the bone!"

"My mind is made up on this matter! There is no need for further discussion, my ministers!"

His gaze swept over Huang Lijie and Wang Zaijin: "The most urgent task is to figure out how to ensure the stability of the northern border and the smooth flow of government affairs during my southern tour!"

Finally, he looked at Qian Qianyi, Shi Fenglai, and the others, his tone meaningful: "And... the strategy and procedures for this southern tour! Court adjourned!"

Having said that, he looked away from everyone, turned around, and strode towards the rear hall. Wei Zhongxian and Xu Yingyuan quickly followed.

Inside the warm pavilion, a group of high-ranking officials were left dumbfounded and ashen-faced.

Huang Lijie and Sun Chengzong exchanged a glance, both seeing the fear and helplessness in each other's eyes. The Emperor was determined!
Wang Zaijin frowned and began to rapidly consider the defense arrangements for the north.

Qian Qianyi and Shi Fenglai exchanged a furtive glance, their eyes filled with panic. The sky was falling! They had to send a message to Jiangnan immediately!

The King of Qin and the Duke of Dingguo, among others, were secretly relieved that they had already pledged their loyalty. From now on, they would have to follow the Emperor closely and help him investigate where all the official fields and imperial estates in the wealthy southeastern region had gone.
Inside the palace,

Emperor Chongzhen walked quickly along the secluded palace path. Xu Yingyuan jogged to keep up, whispering, "Your Majesty, are you summoning...?"

"Send Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangshan to the capital, and also summon Su Tai," Chongzhen interrupted him, his voice icy. "Before the southern tour, I must make proper arrangements in the north! Also, summon the newly enthroned Prince of Tang to Beijing!"

On the same day, a fleet of fast horses, carrying sealed wax pellets, rushed out of Beijing and galloped wildly southward along the official road.

Under the warm autumn sun of Jiangnan, a massive storm is brewing.

(End of this chapter)