How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 295 Chongzhen's Grand Account Settlement: The Princes Were All Suckers!
Emperor Chongzhen's carriage moved slowly along the bluestone-paved road of Xiangyang City.

The gongs for cleaning the streets had already sounded, and the streets were lined with kneeling crowds of local people, their heads thronging and stretching deep into the alleys. Although everyone kept their heads down, not daring to look up at the emperor, Chongzhen, sitting in his carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain and looked over the kneeling crowd, still able to take in the entire scene of the city.

On both sides of the street, shops stood side by side, one after another, selling cloth, grain, and groceries, their colorful signs and plaques hanging everywhere. Even though the owners and their employees were kneeling in front of their shops, one could still see the mountains of cloth, neatly stacked crates, and overflowing sacks of rice in the grain stores through the open doors. Further away, the sounds of people and workers' chants could be faintly heard from the canal wharf. Although the specific scene could not be seen, one could imagine the bustling scene of boats coming and going, and laborers loading and unloading.

Emperor Chongzhen watched quietly. From the number of people kneeling in welcome, the density of shops, the abundance of goods, and the mingled smells of grain, spices, and paint in the air, he could tell that Xiangyang was ten times more prosperous and bustling than he had imagined. Where was the poverty and destitution described in the memorials?

He sighed inwardly. The Little Ice Age was indeed severe; the drought in the north was so bad that the ground cracked, a truly devastating situation. But the impact on the fertile lands of Hubei and Hunan was different. There were floods, inundating some low-lying areas, but they also washed away the fertile mud. Not to mention, during years of famine, grain prices soared, and wealthy households with grain could actually profit even more from the high prices. The ones who truly suffered were the poor people who had lost their land or were renting land to cultivate.

He recalled his past life, how the governor of Huguang always mentioned "floods," "famine," and "requests for tax reductions" in his memorials. Back then, he genuinely believed that Huguang was as impoverished as Shaanxi. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he realized how badly he had been fooled. This wasn't a disaster; it was clearly using the guise of disaster to quietly make a fortune!

The carriage arrived at the Prince of Xiang's residence. The gate tower of the residence was tall, and the copper nails on the vermilion gate gleamed. The Prince of Chu, the Prince of Xiang, Tang Hui, the governor of Huguang, He Fengsheng, the retired Grand Secretary, and a large group of officials dressed in red and green robes knelt on the ground in a dense mass.

"Welcome, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Chongzhen got out of the carriage, his face expressionless, and simply raised his hand: "Get up, all of you."

The welcoming banquet was held in the main hall of the Prince's mansion. A large round table was laden with delicacies from land and sea, while opera sang on the stage.

After several rounds of wine and several dishes, King Chu and King Xiang exchanged a glance. King Chu, Zhu Hua Kui, stood up first, holding his wine cup with a sorrowful expression.

"His Majesty's personal presence is a great honor for Huguang. However… alas, this summer and autumn, the Jianghan and Dongting Lakes flooded, inundating much farmland, and the people are suffering greatly. We, as members of the imperial family, are truly ashamed that we have been unable to share His Majesty's burdens." He wiped his eyes with his sleeve as he spoke. "But Your Majesty, rest assured! No matter how difficult things become in Huguang, we will certainly do our utmost to serve the court!"

Prince Xiang, Zhu Yiming, quickly chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty! No matter how difficult things are for the Prince's Palace, we must save every penny we have to scrape together money and provisions to help the court overcome this crisis!"

Tang Hui and He Fengsheng nodded in agreement, both looking like they were "concerned about the country and its people".

Emperor Chongzhen slowly put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a towel. He didn't look at the Prince of Chu or the Prince of Xiang, but glanced at Tang Hui and asked indifferently, "Governor Tang, from my journey here, the streets of Xiangyang seem quite prosperous. I wonder how much a shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice costs in Xiangyang these days? What about Wuchang? And what about Nanjing and Suzhou?"

Tang Hui's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stood up to reply, "Your Majesty, the price of rice in Xiangyang is about one tael and eight mace per shi. It's about the same in Wuchang. In Nanjing and Suzhou... it's probably going to be two taels and five mace or more."

"Oh." Chongzhen nodded, as if chatting casually. "Grain prices aren't low." He suddenly started counting on his fingers, as if doing some calculations. "There are 220 million mu of registered farmland in Huguang, right? A lot of it is paddy field, which can yield two harvests a year. Even if each mu yields an average of two shi of rice a year, that's not much, is it?"

The table fell silent instantly. The drums and gongs on the stage also stopped.

Chongzhen ignored them and continued calculating: "As for the land rent, I'll be fair and collect five dou (a unit of dry measure). With 220 million mu (a unit of land area), the rent collected should be at least 100 million shi (a unit of dry measure)."

The faces of the King of Chu and the King of Xiang began to turn pale.

"You all know what the situation is like in the north now," Chongzhen said calmly. "The court is in trouble, and so am I. How about this, I won't ask for more. Take ten million shi from this hundred million shi and transport them to the capital to be used as military pay and disaster relief grain. One-tenth, is that too much?"

"Your Majesty!" Prince Xiang, Zhu Yiming, was startled by Chongzhen's words and knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with tears. "Your Majesty, please understand! The land in Huguang is barren; how can it yield such high productivity! A mu of land, let alone five dou of rent, can only yield one qian of rent in a good year, and that's only if it's a good paddy field! If the land is of poor quality, it won't even yield five fen! One hundred million shi? Ten million shi? Even if you plundered three feet of land in Huguang, you still couldn't come up with that amount!"

Chu King Zhu Hua Kui also quickly knelt down and kowtowed: "What the Prince of Xiang said is all true! The taxes in Huguang are heavy, and the people are suffering. Your Majesty, please have mercy!"

Emperor Chongzhen looked at the two muddle-headed princes, somewhat speechless. He slowly stood up and walked to Prince Xiang. Prince Xiang was kneeling on the ground, only to see a pair of bright yellow boots stopping in front of him.

"Really?" Chongzhen bent down, his face almost touching that of the Prince of Xiang, his eyes wide and fixed on him. "An acre of prime paddy field, and a tael of silver in rent?"

The King of Xiang trembled with fear at the Emperor's imposing manner, but having already spoken, he could only brace himself and stammer, "It's...it's absolutely true! Your subject...your subject would never dare to deceive Your Majesty!"

"Fool!" Chongzhen suddenly sat up straight, letting out a thunderous roar that shook the entire flower hall! He grabbed a wine cup from the table and smashed it violently onto the gold-brick floor! Porcelain shards flew everywhere, and wine spilled all over the floor!
"Fools!!" he cursed again, his chest heaving, clearly furious. "You fools! Sitting in this land of abundance, Huguang, you've been swindled like this by these parasites! A prime acre of paddy field for only one coin in rent? Whose job are your princes doing?"

He whirled around, his gaze sweeping across the room like a knife: "Welcome banquet? I'm not eating! I'm too angry!"

"Wei Zhongxian!"

“This old servant is here!” Wei Zhongxian hurriedly stepped forward.

"Gather the Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards! Leave the city immediately! Go to the largest estate of the Prince of Xiang! I want to see with my own eyes what this three-tenths rent plot of land actually looks like!"

"Men of the Prince of Xiang's mansion! Lead the way! Anyone who delays even a moment, or tips off the way, will be executed on the spot!"

After Chongzhen finished speaking, he didn't wait for anyone to react and strode out. The imperial guards immediately stepped forward and, without saying a word, supported the limp Prince Xiang, the dumbfounded Prince Chu, and the ashen-faced Tang Hui, He Fengsheng, and others, practically dragging them out of the flower hall with the emperor.

Outside the Prince's mansion, carriages and horses were already prepared. Emperor Chongzhen mounted a fine horse and shouted sternly, "Let's go!"

The large army, like an iron torrent, surged out of Xiangyang City and headed straight for the outskirts.

King Xiang, strapped to his horse, was terrified. King Chu, Tang Hui, and the others were also shaken. They never expected the emperor to pull such a stunt! He overturned the table and ordered an investigation of the estates!
What are we going to do? We weren't prepared at all! Why isn't the emperor playing by the rules?
Half an hour later, the large group of people stopped outside a large manor. Under the autumn sun, a vast expanse of golden rice stretched before them! The rice stalks bowed heavily, and the air was filled with the fragrance of ripening rice. Hundreds of farmers were scattered across the fields, wielding sickles to harvest the rice. The cut rice was bundled and piled on the ridges of the fields, resembling small golden mountains.

This isn't a disaster; it's a bumper harvest!
Emperor Chongzhen dismounted, his face ashen. Prince Xiang was helped off his horse, his legs weak, and as he looked at his own thriving rice paddy, his vision blurred.

Emperor Chongzhen gave Gao Guiying a wink. Gao Guiying understood and immediately led several guards, trudging through the muddy fields. She approached a few elderly farmers who were resting and said a few words. The farmers, looking fearfully at the large group of people and banners, cautiously approached at Gao Guiying's signal.

“Father-in-law, don’t be afraid.” Chongzhen stepped forward, his tone softening. “I have a few questions for you. Tell me the truth.”

The oldest farmer knelt down with a thud: "Long live the Emperor..."

"Rise and answer." Chongzhen raised his hand. "Does this land belong to the Prince of Xiang?"

"It is...it is the prince's estate."

"How many acres did you rent? How was the harvest this year?"

"Your Majesty, I have rented ten mu. This year... the harvest is good; one mu can yield more than two shi of millet."

"Hmm. A good harvest. And the rent? How much rent should be paid to the Prince per acre?"

The old farmer licked his chapped lips, stole a glance at the pale-faced Prince Xiang, and whispered, "According to... according to the old rules, the best paddy fields are rented out in half... for one mu of land, you have to pay 1.2 shi of grain. If the harvest is bad, you can ask the manager to... reduce it a little, but... but it will never be less than 8 dou."

One shi and two dou! That's millet! But if you convert it into rice, it would be seven or eight dou, which is far more than one qian of silver. Nowadays, rice is worth more than one liang.
Chongzhen slowly turned his head, his gaze icy, fixed on the dumbfounded Prince Xiang's face.

Prince Xiang, Zhu Yiming, felt the world spinning. One shi and two dou? The rent from his estate, as reported by the estate manager, was only three or four dou per mu in the best year, which would be worth at most one qian in silver (probably roughly the same based on rice prices a hundred or two hundred years ago). On drier land, he was lucky to get five fen! Where did the extra eight or nine dou of rent go?!
Of course, the reason he was so confused was not because of a lack of intelligence, but because of the two hundred years of restrictions imposed on him – his family had never been able to leave Xiangyang City for generations, and they were easily fooled by their subordinates.
Emperor Chongzhen didn't ask him any more questions. He walked to a pile of freshly harvested rice and grabbed a handful. The rice was golden and plump, gleaming in the sun.

He loosened his grip, and the rice grains trickled down between his fingers.

He looked at the Prince of Xiang, who was slumped on the ground, then at the group of pale-faced officials from Huguang behind him, and at the other several dumbfounded princes:
"It seems I'll have to help you foolish princes discipline your lackeys..."

(End of this chapter)