How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 32 Speak freely and without reservation; those who speak are not guilty. (Please add to your favorites and follow!)
The hall suddenly became silent.

Wei Zhongxian stood below the imperial steps, his fingers trembling slightly beneath his plain white official robe, and his vision blurred for a moment: he knew a little about his nephew Wei Liangqing's collusion with Cui Chengxiu and Zhu Chunchen to cause trouble for Chongzhen, but he had not participated.

This is basically just a dogfight!

In his view, Chongzhen was "brave, indeed," but he was not Taizu or Chengzu, and could not possibly slaughter countless people in the court. With the two groups of "dogs," the nobles and the "remnants of the eunuch party," biting Sun Zushou and Zu Dashou, these two "new dogs," the young emperor could not protect them alone, and in the end, he still had to rely on him, the "leader of the eunuch party," to speak out.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Chongzhen subtly allied himself with the Donglin Party and, with the eloquence of Sun Chengzong and Lu Jishan, defused the impeachments leveled against Sun Zushou and Zu Dashou by court officials. Finally, he even used the Donglin leaders to lead students of the Imperial Academy and other candidates to submit a petition to the emperor accusing Wei Zhongxian of treason!
The Donglin Party has also joined the fray!

Wei Zhongxian instinctively reached for his waist when he saw the "immunity token": Could it really grant him immunity from death?

Emperor Chongzhen was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Well, today's court assembly is quite interesting."

"Issue the imperial decree. Li Banghua, Qian Qianyi, and others are permitted to enter the palace. I want to hear... what the scholars of the land have to say."

The palace gates slowly opened, and Li Banghua and Qian Qianyi, dressed in plain clothes and wearing square headscarves, led over a hundred students from the Imperial Academy into the hall. Although they held no official positions, their steps were steady and their gazes were firm. Upon reaching the center of the hall, they all knelt down.

Qian Qianyi held a scroll of memorial in both hands and said loudly, "Your Majesty, we humbly submit this memorial, begging for your wise consideration!"

Emperor Chongzhen's eyes flickered slightly, and he said calmly, "Granted."

Qian Qianyi unfolded his memorial, his voice clear and powerful: "We impeach Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu for framing border generals and deceiving the emperor! Generals Sun Zushou and Zu Dashou fought a bloody battle in Jiliao, beheading 7,300 enemy soldiers, recovering Daming, and cutting off the enemy's route around Yanshan. These are unparalleled achievements! Yet Wei and Cui, on the pretext of 'unauthorized provocation of border conflicts,' attempt to punish these meritorious officials. Is this not the same trick Qin Hui used to harm Yue Fei?! How is this any different from treason for our Great Ming?"

A sudden silence fell over the hall. Chongzhen thought to himself: "How come Qian Qianyi is also using clickbait headlines? The headline is about treason, but the content is accusing Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu of being Qin Hui—but those accusations are really ruthless! No wonder he's the head of the Donglin Party's verbal sparring; Sun Chengzong is indeed inferior!"

Qian Qianyi continued, “Even Qin Hui wouldn’t dare to harm a loyal official like Yue Fei on the grounds that he killed too many Jurchens! Now, Wei and Cui are impeaching Generals Sun and Zu on the grounds that they slaughtered Mongols. Aren’t they putting His Majesty in a position even more muddleheaded than Emperor Gaozong of Song? Their intentions are despicable!”

Emperor Chongzhen thought to himself: Fortunately, I have spent thirty years in the ups and downs of officialdom in Handong, which has tempered my temperament and made me less prone to anger. If I were like in my previous life, I would have been furious long ago.

Li Banghua stepped forward and solemnly said, “Your Majesty, our soldiers on the border are fighting valiantly, yet treacherous officials in the court are trying to frame meritorious officials under the guise of ‘cruelty.’ Does this not chill the hearts of our soldiers and embolden the enemy? If loyal and virtuous men are punished for their merits, who will be willing to fight to the death for the Ming Dynasty when the Jurchens break through the borders one day?!”

The hall was deathly silent, except for Qian Qianyi's voice echoing: "Your Majesty, we beseech you to investigate thoroughly, punish the treacherous officials, reward the meritorious ministers, and secure the borders!"

After listening quietly, Chongzhen slowly shifted his gaze to Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu, do you... regard me as an even more incompetent ruler than Emperor Gaozong of Song?"

Wei Zhongxian trembled, fell to his knees with a thud, and slammed his forehead heavily against the gold brick: "This old servant deserves to die ten thousand times! This old servant is loyal to Your Majesty and has no such intention! This old servant also deeply admires the merits of Generals Sun and Zu! Your Majesty is wise and mighty, comparable to Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu, how can Emperor Gaozong of Song be compared to you?!"

Cui Chengxiu's face turned deathly pale, and he still tried to explain, "Your Majesty, I..."

Meanwhile, the nobles such as Zhu Chunchen, who jumped out with Wei Liangqing and Cui Chengxiu to target Sun Zushou and Zu Dashou, although they were not accused of treason by Qian Qianyi and Li Banghua, dared not defy the emperor at this time. They all knelt very upright, almost as if they wanted to crawl into the cracks between the bricks.

Emperor Chongzhen stopped looking at them and turned to the five cabinet ministers, including Sun Chengzong and Huang Lijie: "What do you all think?"

Sun Chengzong immediately stepped forward and solemnly declared, "Your Majesty, I impeach Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu for the crime of 'slandering the emperor'!"

Huang Lijie also stepped forward: "I second that opinion! How can the merits of the soldiers fighting bloody battles on the border be slandered by treacherous officials? These two have ulterior motives and should be severely punished!"

Shi Fenglai, Zhang Ruitu, and Li Guopu also said in unison, "We second that proposal!"

Of the five cabinet ministers, not one spoke up for Wei and Cui!

The atmosphere inside the hall was stagnant, as if even breathing had stopped.

Emperor Chongzhen was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "The morning court assembly is meant for people to speak. Speak freely and without reservation. There is no crime in speaking out. If there is something wrong, correct it; if there is nothing wrong, strive to improve."

He glanced at Qian Qianyi, Li Banghua, and the others, and said gently, "You dared to submit a memorial to the emperor, surely you know that I am benevolent and will not punish you for your words?"

Qian Qianyi and Li Banghua immediately kowtowed: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Emperor Chongzhen then looked at Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu, and said calmly, "I will not allow scholars to be punished for submitting memorials, and naturally I will not punish you or your cronies for submitting inappropriate memorials. But..."

His tone suddenly turned serious: "The crime of slandering the emperor lies in not speaking to his face but talking behind his back! Do you understand? From now on, on the first and fifteenth of each month, there will be a court assembly for the new moon and full moon. Officials may speak frankly, and scholars may submit their opinions. I will never punish anyone for their words! In addition, there will be regular court assemblies on the third, sixth, and ninth of each ten-day period, also in this Hall of Supreme Harmony. Whether it is the new moon and full moon assembly or a regular court, you may speak freely!"

"But once I have made a decision, you must all strictly follow it—those who understand, follow it; those who do not understand, still follow it! Do you understand?"

All the civil and military officials in the hall knelt down and proclaimed loudly, "Your subjects will obey Your Majesty's decree!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly, then solemnly declared, "Issue an imperial edict immediately: Sun Zushou and Zu Dashou have rendered meritorious service without fault, and shall be rewarded immediately! The Xuanfu, Datong, Changping, and Jizhou garrisons are in arrears with their pay; we must find ways to raise the funds, this is the top priority!" "The Jizhou garrison's Great Wall, Luanhe River, and Kuanhe River fortresses must be repaired immediately, and the Luanhe River agricultural settlements must be started as soon as possible; this is the second priority! Everyone, go back and think it over carefully. We will discuss countermeasures together at the regular court session the day after tomorrow!"

"As for Lama Choerji, let him be sent back to Hudun Tuhan!"

"Retreat!"

After the court session, Wei Zhongxian, accompanied by Wei Liangqing, nervously approached the Qianqing Palace and knelt to request an audience.

Wang Chengen entered to report, and Chongzhen said calmly, "Summon them."

Wei Zhongxian, hunched over, pulled Wei Liangqing into the room on his knees, his forehead pressed against the ground, and said in a trembling voice, "This old servant...this old servant is guilty!"

Emperor Chongzhen sat behind his desk, tapping his fingertips lightly on the surface, a half-smile on his face: "Oh? What crime has Consort Wei committed?"

Wei Liangqing trembled violently, almost collapsing to the ground. Wei Zhongxian, however, took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, saying, "This old servant is insatiably greedy, accumulating millions in wealth, including one million mu of farmland and 1.7 to 1.8 million taels of illicit silver... This is the crime of deceiving the emperor!"

Emperor Chongzhen chuckled lightly: "Deceiving the emperor? Not really. Just greedy for money! Guilty? Then pay the fine and redeem the land."

Wei Zhongxian was taken aback and looked up at Chongzhen, only to see that the emperor's expression was calm and he had no intention of killing him. In his previous life, Chongzhen had too many people to hate. If you count them carefully, Huang Taiji, Dorgon, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Wu Sangui, he could not say that he hated Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu.

Moreover, Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu are still useful!
Keeping them around allows them to "fight like dogs" with the Donglin Party!

This time, when we're harvesting the eunuch faction and nobles, we'll let the Donglin dogs bite us! Next time we go to Jiangnan to harvest them, of course we'll let the eunuch dogs bite us!

"Don't hand it all over," Chongzhen said calmly. "Keep two or three hundred thousand, plus a few thousand acres of land for your retirement. That's what you deserve."

Wei Zhongxian's eyes welled up with tears, and he kowtowed heavily: "This old servant... thanks Your Majesty for your divine grace!"

Chongzhen then looked at Wei Liangqing: "As for you..."

Wei Liangqing trembled all over and almost fainted.

Wei Zhongxian hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Liangqing is young and ignorant. This old servant is willing to take the punishment in his place!"

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand: "Fine, I won't pursue this matter. Let him write a letter of repentance, explaining how he colluded with Duke Cheng and Cui Chengxiu, and then reflect on his actions in seclusion."

Emperor Chongzhen was certainly aware of Wei Liangqing's collusion with Cui Chengxiu and Zhu Chunchen. Everything was under control (except for Wei Liangqing's alleged treason)! He posed no threat whatsoever; instead, it gave Chongzhen an excuse to purge the court. Therefore, Chongzhen did not intend to severely punish Wei Liangqing and even planned to give him a chance to become a "tainted witness."

As long as he's sensible and bites Zhu Chunchen, Cui Chengxiu, and those nobles hard, then letting him go isn't out of the question.

Wei Zhongxian and Wei Liangqing both breathed a sigh of relief. Wei Zhongxian kowtowed again and said, "Your Majesty, this old servant would like to resign as the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial."

"No!" Before he could finish speaking, Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "You can continue to serve as the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial!"

Wei Zhongxian was taken aback: "Your Majesty?"

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze was gentle: "You have offended too many people! After this morning's court assembly, some of the Donglin Party members will surely be reinstated. If you resign from your post, who knows how many people will try to get rid of you."

Wei Zhongxian's throat bobbed, and he was speechless for a moment.

Chongzhen continued, "Also, I see you're quite good at management. Why don't you take charge of the Imperial Treasury for me, and while you're at it, mentor Wang Chengen? He's dull and doesn't know how to make money. Have him become your apprentice, and you can teach him properly. Transfer all the land and wealth you've embezzled to him, and tell him how to embezzle!"

In his previous life, Emperor Chongzhen considered Wang Chengen loyal, reliable, and trustworthy. However, after his "advanced studies" in Handong, he now desired a "He Shen" (a high-ranking official). A loyal minister is one who can provide financial support in crucial moments! That's why he had Wei Zhongxian "guide" Wang Chengen! This truly shows how "a poor emperor thinks of He Shen"!

Furthermore, for the Ming Dynasty's finances to remain prosperous in the long run, there needs to be someone who isn't afraid to offend the Donglin Party and is also good at making money to go to Jiangnan and prevent Wei Zhongxian from going. Who else could it be? Chongzhen couldn't possibly follow Qianlong's example and make six trips to Jiangnan, could he?
Wei Zhongxian, however, felt that the young emperor was still a man of his word, and that the "immunity token" he had given him could truly save him from death. So he kowtowed deeply and said, "This old servant... will surely repay Your Majesty with my life!"

Emperor Chongzhen smiled slightly: "Eunuch Wei, you said it yourself!"

Wei Zhongxian trembled: "What else does Your Majesty want this old servant to do? Just give the order!"

"Corrupt officials and nobles!" After saying these four words, Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "Go."

Wei Zhongxian pulled Wei Liangqing and backed out of the hall.

(End of this chapter)