How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 47 I know best who the true loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty are! (Seeking monthly votes, favorites, and continued reading!)

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the charcoal fire burned silently, while outside, the north wind howled.

Emperor Chongzhen sat upright behind his desk, calmly listening to Huang Lijie's report on the court recommendation process. Sun Chengzong stood to the side, eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.

"Did all these officials make impartial recommendations?" Chongzhen's voice was not loud, but tinged with amusement.

Huang Liji quickly bowed: "Your Majesty, that's right. Although there was some discussion, it was all for the sake of recommending worthy people for the country." He held the memorial in his hand high above his head, "This is the memorial for the court's recommendation, and I respectfully request Your Majesty's perusal."

Gao Yushun, who was standing to the side, stepped forward, took the petition, and placed it on the imperial desk.

Emperor Chongzhen did not open it immediately. His fingers traced the yellow silk cover as he turned his gaze to Sun Chengzong: "Mr. Sun, are the Donglin gentlemen satisfied with this court recommendation?"

Sun Chengzong bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, the court recommendation is a public instrument of the court, and it is based solely on talent, without any bias. We old ministers are simply doing our duty to recommend suitable people for Your Majesty's sole decision."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and opened the list of candidates. He glanced at the previous nominations for Wang Zaijin and Cui Chengxiu, and his gaze finally fell on the list of those who were "running alongside" the candidates.

Yuan Chonghuan, Xu Guangqi, Hou Xun, Yang He.

The four names seemed to possess a magical power, pulling him into long-forgotten memories.

Yuan Chonghuan… that barbarian Yuan who boasted of pacifying Liaodong in five years during a military audience. He once saw the dawn of the Ming Dynasty's revival, but ultimately met a tragic end due to the Jisi Incident, suffering a brutal fate.

The Jisi Incident!
Xu Guangqi... that old minister who studied Western learning and was determined to strengthen the army with firearms. And his student Sun Yuanhua, who was good at making Western firearms, but lacked the real ability to lead troops, and was ultimately defeated by the elite troops he trained.

Hou Xun… This name reminded him of Zuo Liangyu—with a formidable enemy at hand, he was still preoccupied with internal strife; it was truly outrageous.

Finally, my gaze settled on the name Yang He.

Yang He... Yang Sichang!

The thought of Yang Sichang filled Chongzhen with indescribable sorrow. He was a pillar of the state whom Chongzhen had truly relied on in his previous life! With a net spread across the four cardinal directions and six intermediate directions, the rebels were on the verge of being driven into a corner.

But the Jurchens breached the pass once again! This forced Emperor Chongzhen to transfer Yang Sichang away from the front lines of the bandit suppression campaign. All his efforts were in vain! Did Yang Sichang eventually die from exhaustion or from anxiety and fear? Emperor Chongzhen wasn't entirely sure; he only remembered the utter despair he felt upon hearing the news of Yang's death.

The hall was silent. Huang Lijie and Sun Chengzong bowed their heads, quietly awaiting the emperor's decision.

After a long while, Chongzhen took a deep breath, forcing back the bitterness in his heart.

He raised his eyes, his gaze now clear. His finger emphasized the names on the list: "Yuan Chonghuan, Xu Guangqi, Hou Xun, Yang He... all veteran officials who have endured many hardships."

He paused, then said, "Come to Beijing. I want to see them."

Huang Lijie and Sun Chengzong were both taken aback.

Emperor Chongzhen's voice rang out again: "Tell Yang He to bring his son Yang Sichang as well. Also, summon Sun Yuanhua, a student of Xu Guangqi." He thought for a moment and added, "And Sun Chuanting, who seems to be living in seclusion in Daizhou, summon him as well."

"I want to see them all."

Sun Chengzong felt a buzzing in his head, overwhelmed with joy. He had only intended to "reject two and offer four," hoping to secure reinstatement opportunities for officials from the Donglin faction. He hadn't expected the emperor to accept everything and even add three more!

His beard trembled with excitement as he bowed deeply: "Your Majesty obeys! Your Majesty's thirst for talent and your willingness to recruit loyal and virtuous officials is truly a blessing for the nation!"

Huang Lijie's heart trembled violently, and cold sweat broke out on his back. Sun Chengzong recommended four, and the emperor accepted four and then added three more? Did His Majesty think the loyalty of the "Imperial Party" wasn't enough? Did he want to further strengthen the Donglin Party's power?

He suppressed his panic, bowed deeply, and said in an extremely loyal tone, "Your Majesty is wise! You have the discerning eye to recognize talent and recruit wise men from all walks of life. We admire you greatly!"

At this moment, Emperor Chongzhen was not thinking about the infighting within the court; he was thinking about the many loyal and seasoned officials who had stood the test of time in the Ming Dynasty!
Yang Sichang, Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangshan, Sun Zushou, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, Cao Wenzhao, You Shiwei, and many others—a host of true heroes who sacrificed their lives to protect the Ming Dynasty in their previous lives. Oh, and Sun Chengzong was one of them!
He waved his hand: "Go. Draft an edict summoning them to the capital immediately." "Yes, Your Majesty!" the two replied in unison, each with their own thoughts as they left the Wenhua Hall.

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, Wangshuo met at the Huangji Hall.

As the morning bell tolled, all the officials stood solemnly. Emperor Chongzhen sat upright on his throne, his gaze falling on Li Juesi, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies.

"Proclaim the imperial decree."

Li Juesi unfurled the yellow silk: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Wang Zaijin, Minister of War in Nanjing, is experienced in governing the country and loyal to the nation. He is hereby appointed as Minister of War, overseeing military affairs in Jiliao, Xuanda, and Changping, to strengthen border defenses and rectify military expenditures. This is the imperial decree!"

Wang Zaijin stepped forward and knelt, saying, "This old minister receives the decree! I dare not fail to exert all my strength to repay the Emperor's grace!" As he rose, his eyes swept over the ranks of nobles, where Zhu Chunchen stood, his expression slightly changed—this Wang Zaijin was quite "wicked," and a master at finding vacancies! Back in Liaodong, he had already caused the generals there to complain bitterly, and now that he had become a soldier himself, and was stuck with a "tyrant" like the current young emperor, how could the noble families possibly have a good life?

The second imperial edict followed immediately: "Li Banghua, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, is of great vision and foresight. He is hereby ordered to assist in the administration of the capital garrison, eliminate redundancies, verify provisions and pay, and reorganize the army for military affairs. This is the imperial decree!"

Li Banghua prostrated himself in gratitude. A commotion arose among the noble ranks, and Zhu Chunchen's fat face twitched. Li Banghua was a member of the Donglin Party! Being appointed as an assistant commander of the Beijing Garrison… needless to say, they were there to audit the accounts!

"Your Majesty!" Zhu Chunchen suddenly stepped forward and knelt on the ground, his voice trembling with tears, "I have something to report!"

Emperor Chongzhen raised an eyebrow slightly: "Speak."

Zhu Chunchen kowtowed, saying, "I wholeheartedly support Minister Wang and Vice Minister Li's efforts to reorganize the border affairs! However, with the end of the year approaching, the soldiers in Xuanfu, Datong, and Changping have been owed wages for a long time, and their clothes are thin and their rations are meager! I cannot sleep at night, and my heart is filled with grief!" He raised his tearful eyes, "I implore Your Majesty to grant a special 'annual allowance' so that the soldiers can have a warm winter! I am willing to donate all my family's wealth, including 30,000 shi of wheat, to help with military supplies!"

A low murmur rippled through the hall. The Duke of Cheng was going to donate 30,000 shi of grain? Had this miserly man finally plucked his feathers?
Seeing that Zhu Chunchen had taken the lead, Duke Dingguo Xu Xigao, Earl Xiangcheng Li Shouqi, and others also stepped forward one by one: "Duke Chengguo is so righteous! Your subjects are also willing to donate 10,000 shi of wheat!" "Your subjects will also donate 10,000 shi!" "Your subjects will donate 8,000 shi!"

The sounds of nobles announcing their donations filled the air. Emperor Chongzhen sat on his throne, expressionless, watching these nobles "generously contribute," a cold smile playing on his lips: "So, Zhu Chunchen... he knows he's going to audit the accounts? He's taking the initiative to show his appreciation?"
He calculated the figures reported by the nobles, which totaled over 200,000 shi of wheat! This was enough for each soldier in the three garrisons of Xuanfu, Datong, and Changping to receive more than half a shi, relieving the immediate crisis and temporarily calming the morale of the troops. More importantly, it wouldn't have to come from his already meager private treasury!
"Excellent!" Emperor Chongzhen clapped his hands and laughed, his voice booming, "My beloved ministers are all deeply righteous, considerate of their soldiers, and dedicated to the country! I am very pleased! They are truly models for the nobles of the Ming Dynasty!"

His gaze swept over Zhu Chunchen and the others, pronouncing the word "role model" with particular clarity.

"In that case, all you nobles shall transport the wheat to the Tongzhou granary within three days according to the amounts you have reported! The Ministry of Revenue will send personnel to count and receive it!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" Zhu Chunchen and the others replied in unison, their hearts bleeding. This wheat represented their very lifeblood!
"As for the distribution..." Chongzhen hesitated for a moment, then his gaze sharpened. "Minister Wang!"

“Your subject is here!” King Zaijin stepped forward.

"You are hereby ordered to personally escort the wheat and grain that Datong Town is entitled to, carrying the Imperial Sword! You shall act on my behalf to pacify the army and supervise military affairs! You must personally witness the distribution of grain to the soldiers and ensure that the troops are properly equipped with the necessary provisions!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Wang Zaijin clasped his hands in acceptance, his voice booming like a bell.

Zhu Chunchen's heart raced. What did "real troops and real provisions" mean? Was this a pretext to count the grain in Datong Town? Wang Zaijin had done this back in Liaodong!

"Wei Zhongxian!" Emperor Chongzhen called out another name.

Wei Zhongxian, who was standing by the imperial steps, immediately stepped forward and knelt down: "This old servant is here!"

"You are hereby ordered to escort the wheat and grain that are due to Xuanfu Town, carrying my imperial warrant! You shall personally oversee the distribution of the grain to the soldiers! If there is any mishap, you shall be held responsible!"

"This old servant obeys the decree! I will do my utmost to live up to His Majesty's trust!" Wei Zhongxian kowtowed heavily, secretly pleased: the Emperor had entrusted him with this important task, which meant he had "passed the test"!

Chongzhen's gaze finally fell upon the heavy sky outside the palace, as if piercing through the palace walls and landing in the direction of Changping Guard.

"As for Changping Guard... I will go there myself. I will also take the opportunity to check on the progress of my brother's mausoleum construction."

(End of this chapter)