How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 34: There's also embezzlement ordered by imperial decree! (Please add to your favorites, recommend, vote with monthly tickets, and continue reading)
The warm pavilion in the inner courtyard of the British Duke's residence.

The bitter smell of Chinese medicine mingled with the smoky aroma of charcoal fire, lingering heavy in the warm chamber. Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo reclined on a rosewood couch, covered with a thick brocade quilt, his face sallow, coughing incessantly. He had just downed a bowl of ginseng soup, which had barely lifted his spirits.

The old Duke was already in poor health. He was caught in the rain and frightened in Jizhou, and fell ill after returning home. His son, Zhang Zhiji, stayed at home to be a dutiful son and take care of his father, so neither of them attended today's morning court assembly.

Before the bed, Duke Zhu Chunchen of Cheng, Duke Xu Xigao of Ding, Earl Li Shouqi of Xiangcheng, Marquis Li Chengzuo of Fengcheng, Earl Wei Shitai of Xuancheng, Marquis Zhu Guobi of Funing, and Zhang Weixian's eldest son Zhang Zhiji sat in a circle, each with a solemn expression. Dusk was falling outside the window, adding to the oppressive atmosphere.

The usual amiable smile on Zhu Chunchen's fat face had vanished, replaced by anxiety and fear. He had just recounted everything that had happened at the court meeting that day, especially the Mongolian lama Choerji's lament, Qian Qianyi and Li Banghua leading a group to kneel before the palace gates to impeach Wei Zhongxian for treason, and the emperor's final statement, "Speak freely, and those who speak will not be punished."

"...His Majesty said in the end that the morning court assembly is for people to speak, and those who speak are not guilty..." Zhu Chunchen's voice was a little dry, and he subconsciously rubbed his thick palms. "So, according to His Majesty's meaning, what we say at the court assembly should not be a crime."

Zhang Weixian, with his eyes closed, let out another violent cough, his whole body trembling. Zhang Zhiji quickly stepped forward and gently patted his back.

After a long while, Zhang Weixian finally caught his breath. His cloudy old eyes slowly opened, and his sharp gaze fixed on Zhu Chunchen's face: "Speaking is not a crime... cough cough... It's certainly not a big deal to say the wrong thing... But occupying land, occupying labor service, empty quotas... cough cough cough... Aren't all of these real crimes? And..."

He paused, panting, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on Zhu Chunchen, a weary expression conveying a sense of knowing everything: "That Hudun Rabbit Khan... how could it be such a coincidence that he had to come to question us at this very moment? And even name names... cough cough..."

A deathly silence fell over the warm chamber. All eyes were fixed on Zhu Chunchen's chubby face, which had turned deathly pale in an instant.

Zhu Chunchen felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if his heart was being gripped by an icy hand! That old fox Zhang Weixian! What does he mean? He's targeting me!
Occupying land, occupying corvée labor, filling vacancies... these are crimes committed by noble families and military commanders on the nine borders. The law doesn't punish everyone! No matter how ruthless the emperor is, he can't possibly confiscate everyone's property and execute them all! At most, they'll have to hand over land or pay silver to atone for their sins! It'll be a crippling blow, but their foundations will remain intact!
Colluding with the Mongols and engaging in illicit trade with foreign lands... that's a serious crime! It's treason! A crime punishable by the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan! Moreover... this matter was indeed secretly orchestrated by Zhu Chunchen and Wei Liangqing! Once confirmed, the Emperor could confiscate the property of the Duke of Cheng!
Zhu Chunchen's chubby face twitched violently a few times, and a fine layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He took a deep breath, as if a drowning man had grasped at a last straw, and his voice suddenly rose:

"The matter of Hudun and Tuhan is not over yet! The Emperor drove away their envoys, do you think they will let it go? Xuanfu and Datong are still owed more than a dozen months' worth of military pay! Those soldiers have been complaining for a long time! If the Chahar army were to press on, wouldn't those hungry and bloodthirsty soldiers explode? What will happen if the court can't make up for the back pay?!"

He glanced around at everyone, a twisted "confidence" squeezed out on his fat face: "When the time comes, if the border is in dire need, the Emperor... will still have to rely on us nobles and military families to appease and suppress the situation!"

A hint of mockery flashed in Zhang Weixian's cloudy eyes, only to be swallowed up by a violent cough. He coughed for a long time before finally choking out:
"Cough cough... What are you saying? What's the point of the court supporting us nobles? Cough cough... In crucial moments, we have to help the Emperor... cough cough cough..."

Zhu Chunchen's eyes lit up as if he had grasped a lifeline, and he quickly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Excellency is wise! That is exactly right! We have been blessed by the country for generations, and at this critical moment, we should step forward to share the burden for the emperor!"

Zhang Weixian waved his hand with difficulty, as if using up his last bit of strength: "Duke Cheng... my health... is deteriorating day by day... cough cough... I really can't do it anymore... tomorrow... tomorrow I will resign from my post as Governor-General of the Capital Garrison... from now on, I'll entrust the Capital Garrison... cough cough... to you..."

Another bout of heart-wrenching coughing erupted, and Zhang Weixian curled up, his face turning red. Zhang Zhiji quickly stepped forward to support his father and said to everyone, "Uncles and elders, my father really can't hold on any longer. Let's call it a day."

Seeing this, Zhu Chunchen, Xu Xigao, and the others had no choice but to get up and take their leave. Before leaving, Zhu Chunchen made a point of bowing deeply to Zhang Weixian on the bed: "My lord, please take good care of yourself. I will do my utmost in the affairs of the Beijing Garrison!"

The crowd filed out, leaving only Zhang Weixian and his son in the warm pavilion.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Zhang Weixian's violent coughing gradually subsided. He leaned against the couch, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling, but the sickly look on his face seemed to have faded somewhat.

Zhang Zhiji leaned closer with a worried expression: "Father, how are you?"

Zhang Weixian slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, showing no trace of his previous dying state. He waved his hand: "I'm not going to die yet."

He struggled to get up, and Zhang Zhiji quickly helped him. Zhang Weixian walked to the desk, sat down, spread out a sheet of plain paper, and picked up a pen.

“Father, what’s wrong with you…” Zhang Zhi was extremely puzzled.

"Write a memorial to plead guilty." Zhang Weixian said without looking up, his voice steady.

"Apologize?" Zhang Zhiji was extremely surprised. "Father, what crime have you committed?"

Zhang Weixian dipped his brush in ink and brought it down steadily: "I am not guilty, but our family's elders have eaten too much. We have to hand over another 130,000 mu of military farmland... We have to hand over all the land in Yongping Prefecture!"

Zhang Zhiji was struck dumb, and exclaimed, "Father! This...this is the foundation built up by generations of our family!" Zhang Weixian stopped writing, looked up at his son, and said, "I'm paving the way for you!"

"Pave the road?" Zhang Zhiji was even more bewildered.

Zhang Weixian put down his pen, leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and said, word by word, "I originally thought that Zhu Chunchen could succeed me, take charge of the Beijing Garrison, and become the head of the nobility... Now it seems... you have a chance to take over my position as the governor of the Beijing Garrison!"

Zhang Zhiji's heart trembled violently: "The Duke of Cheng... what happened to him?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Weixian's eyes, and he made a very subtle beheading gesture: "His biggest mistake was colluding with Hudun Tu Khan! Land occupation, corvée labor, embezzlement... everyone does these things, the law doesn't punish the masses! Even if the Emperor is angry, at most he'll fine him silver and land, dismiss him but leave him in office, but he won't touch the root of the problem! But colluding with the Mongols, communicating with foreign lands..."

He paused, his voice icy: "This is treason! It's a crime punishable by the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan! Zhu Chunchen... he's finished!"

Zhang Zhiji gasped, feeling a chill run through his body.

Zhang Weixian picked up his pen again, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Tomorrow, after my memorial of apology is sent to the palace, you must personally present the imperial edict to request an audience with the Emperor. Be sincere, kowtow often, shed many tears... it won't hurt you! Remember, stay away from that idiot Zhu Chunchen! The farther the better! To avoid being implicated by him!"

On the second day of the eleventh month, at the Wenhua Hall.

Dressed in plain clothes, Zhang Zhiji followed Gao Yushun, a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, into the hall. The charcoal fire inside was warm and inviting, but it couldn't dispel the chill running down his spine. He looked up and saw Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, sitting behind his desk, writing imperial edicts. His young face appeared particularly solemn in the candlelight.

Zhang Zhiji prostrated himself and kowtowed: "Your subject Zhang Zhiji pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Chongzhen raised his head, his gaze falling on Zhang Zhiji, a gentle smile appearing on his face: "Get up."

Gao Yushun stepped forward and presented the memorial from Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo. Chongzhen took it, read it carefully, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing. He closed the memorial, looked up, and asked, "How is the old Duke's health?"

Zhang Zhiji's throat tightened, and he said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, my father... is terminally ill."

Emperor Chongzhen sighed: "The old Duke is a pillar of the nation, I know that."

He paused, then his gaze returned to the memorial: "I am greatly pleased that the Duke of Ying's government is willing to return 130,000 mu of military farmland."

Zhang Zhiji lowered his head and remained silent.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at him and suddenly smiled slightly: "I will not let loyal ministers suffer."

Zhang Zhiji was taken aback and looked up at the emperor.

Chongzhen's voice was very soft, but every word was clear: "How much are these 130,000 mu of military farmland worth? There will definitely be compensation in the future."

Zhang Zhiji was startled and before he could react, he heard the emperor say in a low voice, "I know that you nobles in Beijing live a hard life, guarding only 100,000 to 200,000 mu of 'poor land' and not being able to collect much rent all year round. You can't compare to the nobles in Nanjing."

A look of surprise crossed Zhang Zhiji's face.

Chongzhen continued, "The nobles of Nanjing and the merchants and pirates of Fujian are doing big business together. Every year they make tens of thousands of taels of silver. Your Zhang family are loyal subjects. Once the situation in the north is settled, I will appoint you as the commander-in-chief of Nanjing. Investigate them thoroughly for me!"

Zhang Zhiji's heart pounded, and his eyes instantly reddened. The Nanjing General Commander! That was a lucrative position! Investigating corrupt officials among Nanjing's nobility would be even more profitable. The Emperor's current rule was that corrupt officials had to pay a fine for their crimes; the more corrupt officials there were, the more fines were owed. He could easily pocket a few hundred thousand taels by acting as a middleman, even if he only took a small cut. And this was embezzlement under imperial decree!

Thinking of this, he kowtowed deeply: "Your subject... thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness!"

(End of this chapter)