How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 4: Negotiating the Penalty and the Pledge of Allegiance

On the 26th day of the eighth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the square in front of the Qianqing Palace was chilly with autumn. Wang Tiqian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, a cunning old fox who had been in the palace for decades, arrived outside the Qianqing Palace with a heavy heart, braving the cold wind. He tightly clutched a resignation letter in his sleeve—a test tactic devised the night before after repeated discussions with Wei Zhongxian.

The young eunuch leading the way didn't take him to the main hall, but instead turned towards a side corridor on the west side. Wang Tiqian's heart skipped a beat, and when he pushed open the creaking wooden door, the scene before him stunned him.

The young Emperor Chongzhen sat cross-legged on a simple earthen kang (heated brick bed), wrapped in a plain white robe, holding a rather sturdy-looking rosewood cup in one hand. In the other hand, he held a half-eaten flatbread. When Wang Tiqian entered, he did not get up, but merely glanced at it, slowly took a bite of the flatbread, and then slurped a mouthful from the wooden cup.

"Wang Banban is here? Sit down." Chongzhen pointed to a small stool by the kang (a heated brick bed), his tone as casual as if he were greeting an old neighbor.

Wang Tiqian felt a chill run down his spine. The young man before him, munching on a pancake and drinking water… exuded an indescribable pressure! He knelt down with a thud, holding up the resignation letter with both hands, his voice carrying just the right amount of old age and weariness: “This old servant, Wang Tiqian, kowtows to Your Majesty! This old servant… is old and senile, and truly cannot bear the heavy responsibility of holding the seal. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and allow this old servant to return to his hometown to live out his days!”

Chongzhen put down the wooden cup, took the resignation letter, unfolded it, and read it word by word by the light of the oil lamp. The room was eerily quiet; Wang Tiqian could even hear his own breathing clearly.

After a long pause, Chongzhen closed his resignation letter, looked up at Wang Tiqian kneeling on the ground, and asked gently, "Wang Tiqian is a veteran of the palace, and has made great contributions. With your departure, the position of Director of Ceremonial Affairs will be vacant. I have just ascended the throne and am not yet familiar with the personnel in the palace. Tell me, who should fill this position?"

He held the thick-walled wooden cup, his gaze calm and indifferent, yet Wang Tiqian felt like a rabbit being watched by a tiger.

"Or," Emperor Chongzhen's voice remained gentle, "why don't you recommend one to me?"

Wang Tiqian lay sprawled on the cold brick floor, unable to utter a single word. His fingers trembled slightly inside his sleeves—the new emperor's move was too cunning! His resignation was originally intended as a strategic retreat, a test to see if the emperor would retain him; if he granted it, he could gauge the prevailing winds. But this casual "recommendation for successor" had placed him directly in a precarious position.

Does the Emperor mean... that he wants Wei Zhongxian to be recommended by him?
Although the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial held a higher position than Wei Zhongxian's Secretary Eunuch, the position of Director of the Eastern Depot was always concurrently held by the Secretary Eunuch. Whoever controlled the Eastern Depot was the true head of the eunuchs.

If Wei Zhongxian were to be promoted to the position of Grand Eunuch, according to the rules, the Director of the Eastern Depot would have to be removed—that was the lifeblood of the Wei faction! Without this weapon, the Grand Eunuch would become a toothless old cat.

“This old servant…is dull-witted.” His throat was dry. “The position of Chief Secretary is of great importance, requiring both virtue and talent. Li Yongzhen, the Secretary, is well-versed in documents and has been in charge of the Directorate of Palace Attendants for many years…”

Emperor Chongzhen blew on the steam rising from the wooden cup: "The Imperial Library cannot function without someone. I find Li Bingbi's calligraphy pleasing to the eye, so it cannot be touched."

"Shi Yuanya, who held the seal of the Imperial Seal Workshop, was meritorious in supervising the production of palace clothing..."

"I have just ascended the throne and will need to appoint an empress later. The needlework bureau has a lot of work to do," Chongzhen said slowly, breaking off a piece of flatbread. "Shi Yuanya is doing a good job. Don't move her."

"Tu Wenfu, the Imperial Secretary, is in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration and oversees the Four Guard Battalions..."

"Who will be in charge of the Imperial Horse Stables?" Chongzhen shook his head repeatedly. "The world is in chaos right now. The Imperial Horse Stables are in charge of several thousand elite soldiers. They are extremely important. Only Tu Wenfu can manage them!"

The hall was deathly silent, save for the tapping sound of Chongzhen's fingers striking a thick-walled wooden cup. Wang Tiqian's throat tightened—these three were all trusted confidants of the Wei faction; if none of them could be touched, then only…

After a long while, Wang Tiqian finally squeezed out the name through gritted teeth: "Your Excellency... Eunuch Wei is loyal to the country, and even the late Emperor praised him as 'capable of handling important matters'..."

"Oh?" Chongzhen raised an eyebrow, then suddenly slammed the wooden cup down on the kang table with a loud clang, sending a chill down Wang Tiqian's spine. The young emperor grinned, as if clearing away the clouds: "Wang, you've hit the nail on the head! Wei Changchen is loyal and devoted to the country; the position of Grand Eunuch is undoubtedly his. I approve your recommendation!"

Wang Tiqian's vision went black. If Wei Zhongxian were to be promoted to head of the secret police, the Eastern Depot would surely fall! This was an attempt to eradicate the Wei faction from its very foundation!
He looked up abruptly, only to see Chongzhen had already picked up a flatbread, taken a big bite while the steam from the wooden cup was rising, and mumbled with his cheeks bulging: "By the way, now that Wei Changchen has taken over the Directorate of Ceremonial, the position of Director of the Eastern Depot is vacant... Wang Banban, why don't you go back and discuss it with Eunuch Wei to see who can fill this vacancy?"

Wang Tiqian lay on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold gold bricks, cold sweat soaking through the python robe on his back.

Seeing that he remained silent, Chongzhen sneered, slowly pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from his sleeve, and gently unfolded it.

"Wang Banban, do you recognize this?"

Wang Tiqian slightly raised his head, his eyes widening in shock—it was a confession! The handwriting on the paper was crooked and messy, ending with a bright red handprint. He recognized it all too well; it was Madam Ke's handwriting! That wicked woman, Ke Baba, had actually been captured by the Emperor?!

The confession, written in black and white on black paper, stated: "From the fifth to the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, during the reconstruction of the three main halls, Wang Tiqian and Madam Ke conspired to falsify labor and material costs and embezzle workers' wages, totaling 200,000 taels of silver. Madam Ke received 100,000 taels, and Wang Tiqian received 100,000 taels..."

Wang Tiqian trembled all over, his vision blurring. He knew all too well the weight of this confession—the construction of the three main halls was the most expensive project in the Tianqi Dynasty, and the Wei faction had amassed a fortune through it all. If investigated thoroughly, 200,000 taels was just a drop in the ocean! That vile woman, Madam Ke, had actually implicated him?!

Chongzhen placed the confession back on the table, picked up his wooden cup, took a sip of tea, and spoke in a gentle tone, yet every word was like a knife:
"Wang Banban, you are an old servant of the palace. I ask you—in this Forbidden City, who is the master and who is the servant?" Wang Tiqian shuddered and banged his forehead heavily on the ground: "Your Majesty is the master! This old servant... is Your Majesty's servant!"

"Very well." Chongzhen put down his teacup, his voice low and deep. "I'll make myself clear today: I don't want your life, nor do I want Wei Zhongxian's life. I only want two things."

He held up two fingers:
"First, silver. Lots and lots of silver! Shaanxi is suffering from a severe drought, the nine border regions are in arrears with their pay, Liaodong is short of military funds—all of these require money! If I want to save the Ming Dynasty, the first thing I need to do is raise funds!"

"Second..." His eyes pierced Wang Tiqian's heart like a needle, "the position of the head of the Eastern Depot!"

Wang Tiqian's heart trembled violently. The Eastern Depot! The Emperor was after Wei Zhongxian's lifeblood!
Chongzhen leaned down, lowering his voice even further, with a hint of seduction: "Consort Wang, right now you only have two paths before you..."

"First and foremost, follow me. I will guarantee you wealth and safety, and all past transgressions will be wiped clean. Return the embezzled silver and pay a sum of 'punishment silver,' and I will grant you a pardon. From this day forward, you are mine."

"Secondly, you continue to follow Wei Zhongxian. In that case, I have no choice but to expose this confession and have the three judicial departments thoroughly investigate how you embezzled 100,000 taels of silver and where it went."

Wang Tiqian trembled, his mind racing: Madam Ke was dead, and with the confession in hand, the emperor had clearly come prepared. If he resisted, he would surely be discarded; if he surrendered to the new emperor… would Wei Zhongxian spare him?

But the emperor is right. Who is the master and who is the slave? No matter how tyrannical Wei Zhongxian is, he is nothing more than a lackey! This young emperor before us is the true master of the Forbidden City!

Finally, Wang Tiqian gritted his teeth and kowtowed heavily: "This old servant...is willing to die for Your Majesty!"

Emperor Chongzhen smiled, but shook his head: "Not enough."

He pointed at Madam Ke's confession with his finger: "What do you plan to do with this 100,000 taels?"

Wang Tiqian said in a trembling voice, "This old servant...is willing to refund the entire amount!"

“Simply making restitution won’t suffice.” Chongzhen narrowed his eyes. “You’re guilty! Embezzlement is a crime, you have to pay—a fine for your crime!”

"A fine for crimes?" Wang Tiqian looked up blankly.

"That's right." Chongzhen smiled kindly. "The 'negotiated fine' means that once you pay the fine, I will not pursue your past crimes. I will give you a pardon, and I will not ask about anything that happened before August 26th of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign! You can start anew and become a loyal servant of the Ming Dynasty!"

Wang Tiqian's throat bobbed: "Your Majesty... can you really pardon any crime?"

Emperor Chongzhen patted him on the shoulder: "Besides being greedy for money, what other crime could you have committed? Treason? Do you have the guts?"

Wang Tiqian finally made up his mind and kowtowed heavily: "This old servant is willing to return 100,000 taels of silver, and...and pay another 100,000 taels of silver as compensation for my crime!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded in satisfaction, but then added, "Also... you must keep an eye on Wei Zhongxian for me. I need to know his every move."

Wang Tiqian shuddered, but now that things had come to this, he could only grit his teeth and agree: "This old servant... obeys the decree."

Emperor Chongzhen's smile deepened, and he pushed over the paper and pen: "Finally, write a confession. Write down everything you know about Wei Zhongxian's crimes of embezzlement, bribery, and forming cliques."

Wang Tiqian's hand trembled, and ink splattered onto the paper. He was being forced to betray Wei Zhongxian himself!

Emperor Chongzhen smiled and reassured him, "Wang Banban, don't worry, I won't use your confession to harm Wei Zhongxian... This is just your pledge of loyalty!"

Wang Tiqian took a deep breath, picked up his pen, and wrote: "Wei Zhongxian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, colluded with officials outside the capital during the Tianqi era, accepted bribes from Cui Chengxiu, Tian Ji, and others, embezzled the imperial treasury, illegally occupied imperial estates, and embezzled more than one million taels of silver..."

After writing it down, he pressed his fingerprint on the paper with trembling hands.

Emperor Chongzhen put away the confession, beaming with a smile: "Eunuch Wang, from this day forward, you are mine. Do your job well, and I will not mistreat you, my man. You are not Wei Zhongxian's man, but the Emperor's man, and I am the current supreme ruler of the Ming Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)