How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 303 Huguang Grain and Salary Management Office
The Chengyun Hall of the Chu Prince's Mansion was decorated differently today. Many side tables and chairs were neatly arranged, giving it a resemblance to a meeting hall in later times. At each seat, there were pens, ink, and blank notebooks bound in thread.

The magistrates and prefects of the seventy-eight prefectures and counties of Huguang filed in according to their ranks. None of them were natives of Huguang; most of them were from Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Beizhili, which were suffering from severe disasters. This was a customary practice of the Ming Dynasty: "Northerners serve in the South, and Southerners serve in the North." At this moment, they touched the paper and pen on the table, their brows furrowing even more deeply. Rumors of tax increases had already spread. On one side were the deeply entrenched local gentry and their southern colleagues in the court; on the other side were their hungry hometown elders and the emperor on the throne. This predicament was truly unbearable.

Behind them, the clerks and financial advisors standing in service had even more complex feelings. Most of them were scholars who had no hope of passing the imperial examinations. This was the first time in their lives that they had seen the emperor's face. They were excited, but also even more bewildered.

Emperor Chongzhen did not sit on the dragon throne, but stood at the front of the hall. Behind him, the Grand Secretaries, Ministers, and nobles sat on both sides, each with a table in front of them, on which were writing brushes, ink, and notebooks, while the eunuchs stood with their hands at their sides.

There was silence in the hall.

“I know,” Chongzhen said, his voice unusually clear in the silence. “What you are worried about right now is not the disaster victims in the north, but your own performance evaluations and official hats. You are thinking about how to complete the additional levies without offending the gentry of Huguang.”

These words were too blunt, revealing the lack of decorum in officialdom. Many officials blushed and broke out in a cold sweat.

"You think it's difficult? How could I not know?" Chongzhen's gaze swept across the entire room. "However, is it more difficult than the starving people in Yan'an Prefecture, Shaanxi, resorting to cannibalism? Is it more difficult than the people of Guide, Henan, clinging to logs in the water, waiting to die?"

He abruptly changed the subject, not naming any officials in the hall, but looking to the side: "Summon Li, the Assistant Magistrate of Yan'an Prefecture in Shaanxi, and Wang, the Magistrate of Guide Prefecture in Henan, to the hall."

Two officials, travel-worn and haggard, hurried forward and bowed deeply. Both were from Huguang, one from Huangzhou and the other from Jingzhou. They happened to be serving in the disaster-stricken areas of the north and had been specially summoned by Emperor Chongzhen.

“Li Tongzhi, please tell me the truth about what you saw and heard in Yan’an Prefecture.”

Before Li Tongzhi could speak, tears streamed down his face. He kowtowed and said, “Your Majesty! Your subject… Your subject deserves to die ten thousand times! Yan’an has suffered from severe drought for years, leaving the land barren and devoid of vegetation… This year, we have also encountered a great flood, and there is simply no way to save them. Many people have been forced to eat clay, and those who have died from bloating have been found lying on the roads, a truly heartbreaking sight!”

"Magistrate Wang, what is the situation in Guide Prefecture?"

Magistrate Wang kowtowed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably: "Your Majesty! The Yellow River has breached its banks, and Guide has become a vast expanse of water... Although the city walls still stand, less than one-tenth of the population remains. Floating corpses fill the rivers, and beasts devour people... When I left office, it was already like a ghost town on earth!"

Both men spoke from their own experiences, their words filled with blood and tears, instantly enveloping the hall in a profound sense of sorrow. Some of the officials from the north, thinking of their homeland, secretly wiped away tears.

Emperor Chongzhen allowed this grief and indignation to linger for a moment before asking in a deep voice, "Should we try to avert this disaster?"

No one dared to answer.

"Where will the disaster relief grain come from?" Chongzhen's voice suddenly became sharp. "If Huguang doesn't shoulder this responsibility, are we supposed to expect Shaanxi and Henan to conjure up grain themselves? Or are we supposed to rely on Shanxi and Shandong, which have also suffered a great disaster?"

He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the room like lightning: "All those whose place of origin is in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Beizhili, Henan, Shandong, and the Jiangbei region of Nanzhili, please stand!"

With a rustling of tables and chairs, nearly two-thirds of the officials in the hall stood up abruptly. They bowed their heads, their hands hanging limply, their faces filled with sorrow.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at them and asked in a sorrowful voice, "Tell me, and tell my colleagues in Huguang, do you want your hometowns saved? Do you want your fellow villagers to live?"

Sobs immediately arose from among the standing officials. Those officials from Sichuan, Southern Zhili, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Zhejiang who were seated, upon witnessing this scene, lost much of their previous indifference and showed compassion on their faces.

"To save lives, we need food! To survive, we need food!" Chongzhen's voice was resolute. "This food can only, and must, come from Huguang! From the seventy-eight prefectures and counties represented here! This is not because I am heartless, but because it is to save lives! To save the lives of millions of people, to save the fate of half of the Ming Dynasty!"

He paused deliberately for a moment, letting this weighty necessity sink into everyone's hearts, before turning to the main topic:

"However, the old laws are riddled with abuses. The gentry are exempted from taxes, while the clerks and officials embezzle funds. Even if taxes are increased, not a single grain of rice will reach the mouths of the disaster victims! Therefore, I have decided to implement new policies in Huguang! I will promote the 'equalization of land tax and poll tax' and the 'equal payment of taxes by officials and gentry'! I will promote the 'official collection and delivery' system! I will eliminate the exploitation in the middle and ensure that the grain and taxes reach the northern regions directly!"

He then announced the most crucial deployment:
"To handle this matter, I will establish the 'Huguang Grain and Provisions Management Office,' with a rank equivalent to the third grade, directly under my jurisdiction! This office is different from the old departments and requires a large number of capable people who are proficient in money and grain and knowledgeable in general affairs."

His gaze shifted to the advisors, his tone becoming increasingly persuasive: "You advisors, though possessing talent, are confined to your posts, unable to serve your country. Today, I have opened a special path for you! The positions of clerk, steward, and treasurer within this government office will be filled through open examinations, with priority given to you advisors! Background will not be considered, only practical skills! Those who are knowledgeable of the new policies, proficient in arithmetic, and diligent in their work, will be granted official positions without hesitation upon excellent performance in the examinations! From now on, you will be legitimate officials of the court!" Become officials with official positions! From temporary workers to the dignified parents of the people of the Great Ming Dynasty!

For these secretaries who had aspired to become officials since childhood but had not been able to, what could be more appealing than this?

Chongzhen continued, outlining an even grander blueprint: "The new government office is newly established, and all industries await development. I have ordered that 1,500 low-ranking officials, literate and quick-witted, be selected from the various garrisons in Huguang and the Zhongshun Tusi to serve in the government office. They will learn from you the methods of tax collection, bookkeeping, and transportation, thus becoming your assistants. In addition, I have allocated 20,000 soldiers from the garrisons in Huguang specifically as 'tax collectors,' subject to the government's command, responsible for protecting provisions and urging the collection and transportation of taxes. Anyone who resists taxes or causes trouble can be apprehended first!"

The nascent form of a massive tax collection agency, directly led by the emperor and possessing an independent administrative team and armed forces, was prominently displayed before everyone.

……

Wuchang, inside the deep courtyard of the He family mansion.

The glow of an oil lamp flickered on the table. He Fengsheng, a retired Grand Secretary and leader of the gentry in Huguang, held the newly delivered secret report in his hand. His fingers trembled slightly, and his lips quivered as he murmured, "This is...this is going to start anew...this is going to...start anew..."

He seemed to have all his strength drained away, collapsing heavily into the armchair, his voice filled with utter anguish: "He doesn't just want money... He's trying to sever all ties with the scholars and officials of the land, to create a government that listens only to him and is controlled by his cronies! The Emperor is currently in Wuchang, surrounded by treacherous officials every day, bewitched! This is cutting himself off from the world, destroying his own Great Wall! The foundation of the Ming Dynasty... the very foundation of the Ming Dynasty, is truly about to be shaken!"

Tang Hui, the governor of Huguang who was standing by, took the note and glanced at it. His face changed color after a few glances: "Lord He, our original plan to have the subordinates outwardly comply but inwardly defy us and 'overdo it' is probably not going to work now! The officials of each county have been summoned to the imperial court to meet the emperor, and those clerks and clerks have been tempted by the promise of official positions... We... we are about to lose control of our subordinates!"

"We must not allow those villains to continue to mislead the Emperor and commit grave mistakes!" He Fengsheng suddenly stood up. "If Huguang goes down this evil path, then Jiangxi, Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong will follow! This will completely sever the ties between the court and the gentry of the land! We must quickly inform the officials in both the northern and southern capitals, and all the upright gentlemen of the land, about this matter!"

He rushed to his desk, his voice hoarse with excitement: "Quick! Send men immediately, tonight, to the two capitals, North and South! Contact the ministers, vice ministers, and censors who remain in the capital! Also, expedite the contact with local gentry and elders, especially prominent officials from Huguang, Jiangxi, and Southern Zhili! Let them know that the Emperor is staying in Wuchang, surrounded by treacherous ministers who are inciting unrest. This new policy is not simply about competing with the people for profit; it is about shaking the foundations of the nation! How can we, as his subjects, stand by and watch the Emperor be surrounded by villains, doing something that hurts his own people and pleases his enemies?"

"We must immediately launch a public outcry! We must have the censors of the two capitals submit memorials, speaking frankly and vehemently against this new policy, exposing its evils. This new policy is nothing short of 'draining the pond to catch all the fish' and 'forcing good people into theft'! We must also have our familiar merchants speak out, saying that with such exorbitant taxes and levies, the people of Huguang will surely be filled with resentment, and trade routes will be cut off!"

He gritted his teeth: "The most important thing is the position of 'Minister of Food and Salaries'! We must make it clear to everyone in the court and the public that whoever takes on this wicked and tyrannical post at this time is going against the scholars of the land and is an accomplice to harming the people! No important official will dare to take this assignment."

Before He Fengsheng could finish speaking, a muffled, thunderous sound came faintly from afar outside the window, growing louder as it approached, breaking the silence of the night.

That wasn't thunder, but the rapid sound of galloping hooves! The sound was incredibly fast, heading straight towards the Chu King's residence.

Tang Hui's expression changed drastically. He quickly walked to the window, listened intently, and said with surprise and doubt, "At this hour... such a hurried cavalry? Could it be...?"

Almost simultaneously, a trusted family member's urgent, hushed voice came from outside the secret room: "Master! Governor! We've just received an urgent report that a force of about three or four hundred elite cavalrymen, escorting a high-ranking official, has entered the city through the east gate and is heading straight for the Prince of Chu's residence!"

He Fengsheng slammed his teacup down on the table, splashing tea onto the secret letter he had just written. Oblivious to the spill, he abruptly stood up, his voice trembling: "Who is it? Do you know who came?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, they are carrying the banner with the character 'Hong' on it. The guards are dressed like elite troops from the north, looking travel-worn, as if they have rushed here day and night!"

“Hong… Hong Chengchou!” He Fengsheng blurted out, his body swaying as he barely managed to steady himself by holding onto the corner of the table.

The color drained from his face, and he murmured, "Why is he here suddenly now, instead of overseeing river management in Huai'an? And with his elite personal guards..."

Tang Hui also panicked: "Lord He, this... His Majesty just announced the new policies in Chengyun Hall, and Hong Hengjiu arrived right after... This can't be a coincidence! Could it be that His Majesty had already..."

“It’s over…” He Fengsheng slumped back into his chair, staring at the several unsent secret letters on the table, his face ashen. “We… we haven’t even started, and it looks like it’s going to be stillborn again. The Emperor… the Emperor has calculated everything perfectly, leaving us no opening whatsoever! Hong Hengjiu’s visit this time must be for the position of ‘Minister of Revenue and Supplies’! With him, this powerful figure guarding Gaojiayan, commanding elite troops, and enjoying the Emperor’s favor, who would dare to act rashly?”

(End of this chapter)