How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 87: You're unwilling to "take the blame and offer your loyalty," huh? Then let's have an exam first! (Seventh update)

Inside Yihai Hall, it was so quiet that you could hear the whooshing sound of the underground fire channel.

Chongzhen's words were like a huge boulder, crashing into everyone's hearts.

The ministers all lowered their eyelids, but their minds were perfectly clear.

The Emperor is right!
There are just too many members of the Zhu family clan; they really can't afford to support them all!
When Emperor Taizu Gao enfeoffed his sons, he was to be "Kings of the Frontier" to guard the country's borders, not to be raised like pigs in a pen! But over two hundred years later, the bravery of the Kings of the Frontier has not been passed down much, but their ability to produce offspring has become stronger and stronger.

When too many are born, they need to eat and drink, and become huge rocks that crush the land.

Just looking at Shaanxi province alone, it had five vassal kings! The King of Qin, the King of Qing, the King of Han, the King of Rui, and the King of Su (though stationed in Lanzhou, Gansu province didn't exist at the time, so it was under the jurisdiction of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission and consumed resources). And that doesn't even include the countless princes, generals of the state, and generals of the state below them…

That's not all. Of the nine border towns and thirteen counties, Shaanxi alone shoulders five: Yansui, Ningxia, Gansu, Guyuan, and Yulin Town.

To support a king, one needs rice; to support an army, one needs military pay and provisions.

Shaanxi is not a land of plenty to begin with, and it has been plagued by disasters every year for the past few years. How can it withstand this?
Let's look at neighboring Shanxi.

With the Prince of Dai having just fallen, only the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Shen remained. But there were also three border towns: Datong, Taiyuan, and Xuanfu (which also received some of their provisions from Shanxi). They were all struggling to breathe under the pressure.

The Prince of Dai's faction was able to catch their breath after the confiscation of their property, but the princes and members of the imperial clan below them were still begging for food.

What about neighboring Henan? While it lacks border towns, it has seven princes: the Prince of Zhou, the Prince of Zhao, the Prince of Zheng, the Prince of Chong, the Prince of Lu, the Prince of Fu, and the Prince of Tang. Except for the incredibly wealthy Prince of Fu, they are all long-established princes with numerous descendants. No matter how prosperous Henan is, it can't withstand such exploitation and has no means to provide aid to Shanxi and Shaanxi.

Everyone can see the math.

The two impoverished provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi bore the enormous burden of supporting eight princes and eight border towns, with countless members of the imperial family also needing to pay their bills. They were on the verge of collapse.

Once the refugees and border troops in Shaanxi completely erupt into chaos due to lack of food, and Shanxi follows suit... the Ming Dynasty will immediately be in a desperate situation with war raging on both the eastern and western fronts!

At that time, Emperor Chongzhen would become a ruler who brought about the downfall of his country, and would become the "price" for the Ming Dynasty!
Emperor Chongzhen absolutely did not want to pay that price.

Therefore, someone must first become the price.

The eight princes of Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan, along with their numerous princes, generals, lieutenants, and tens of thousands of Zhu family descendants, had to become "Zhu Xianzhong," sacrificing themselves to prolong the life of the Ming Dynasty.

Let them fend for themselves; the only way for them to survive is for the court to stop paying the almost non-existent stipends.

That's the principle.

But no one dared to respond to that.

Why?

The "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" are right there! They are the family rules of the Zhu family, and also the laws of the state! To make the imperial family members fend for themselves, to engage in scholarly, agricultural, commercial, and industrial pursuits, or even to participate in the imperial examinations? That's practically digging up ancestral graves!
Whoever brings this up will be violating ancestral rules. If trouble arises in the future and thousands of members of the imperial clan rise up, who can bear the enormous sin? Who can shoulder this enormous burden of guilt?
The ministers in Yihai Hall, who were as shrewd as monkeys, all looked down at the ground as if flowers could bloom from the gold bricks. Even the most staunch "Emperor's Party" members, Huang Lijie and Sun Chengzong, remained silent.

This pot is too heavy; it could crush someone.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at the group of "loyal ministers" below and knew exactly what was going on.

He knew this would be difficult, and there would be a lot of resistance. But he also knew that this matter had to be done! If it wasn't done, everyone would be finished.

But he couldn't force his ministers to take the blame; he had to find another way.

Suddenly, Chongzhen changed the subject, as if the heavy topic had never been mentioned before.

"Isn't this the year of the imperial examination?" His voice was calm, revealing no emotion. Lai Zongdao, the Minister of Rites, was taken aback and quickly stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, this year is indeed the year of the Wuchen imperial examination. Candidates from all over the country have long since gathered in the capital, but... due to the late Emperor's passing and the national mourning period, coupled with the invasion of the Chahan tribe and the busy military affairs, the court has not had the time to organize the examination, hence the delay until now."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded: "Yes, the national mourning period is over, and the Han invasion has been defeated. We cannot keep the candidates waiting for too long. Let's hold the imperial examination in February."

He turned his gaze to Grand Secretary Huang Lijie: "Mr. Huang, has the candidate for the chief examiner of the provincial examination been decided?"

Huang Liji's heart tightened, knowing that the main event was about to begin. He stepped forward and cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, the Cabinet has not yet made a final decision on the selection of the chief examiner and co-examiners. This is a grand ceremony for selecting talents for the nation, which concerns the foundation of the country. We dare not be negligent and intend to consider it carefully before requesting Your Majesty's decision."

The atmosphere inside Yihaitang instantly became tense again.

What is the current situation in the imperial court? The remnants of the eunuch faction, the Donglin faction of upright officials, and the new elites of the imperial faction are all vying for power.

Whoever is in charge of the examination will be able to recruit a large number of their own people from among the successful candidates in this imperial examination, forming the future core of the court. This is a major event that will determine the direction of the court for the next decade or so!
Emperor Chongzhen seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere, simply saying, "This is the first imperial examination since my ascension to the throne, and it is of extraordinary significance. As for who will be the examiners... can I decide that myself?"

Huang Lijie immediately bowed deeply: "Your Majesty is the ruler of the world, the supreme sovereign! The imperial examination is for selecting talents for Your Majesty, and the selection of examiners is naturally based solely on Your Majesty's will! Your Majesty may appoint whomever you wish!"

That's a beautifully said statement, and it's certainly the truth. The emperor personally appointed the chief examiner for the imperial examination, and no one could object.

That was exactly what Emperor Chongzhen wanted to hear.

A smile, the depth of which was impossible to discern, appeared on his face as he glanced at the cabinet ministers and officials of the Ministry of Rites below the hall.

"Well then," Chongzhen's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, "I don't know who among you is more learned than whom. Judging by official titles and seniority alone, there will inevitably be some outstanding talents who have been overlooked."

He paused for a moment, then made a shocking decision.

"I will set a few questions for you later. I will invite the five Grand Secretaries, along with Minister Lai and two Vice Ministers from the Ministry of Rites, a total of eight of you, to come to my Tsinghua Garden and write an essay."

"His essay is excellent," Chongzhen said casually, as if discussing a trivial matter. "I will appoint him as the chief examiner for this imperial examination! What do you think?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All the ministers were stunned.

Should the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, the Minister of Rites, and the Vice Ministers... be the ones to take the exam?

Only those who do well on the exam can become chief examiners?
This...this is unheard of ever before!
What is Your Majesty up to now?
On the fifth day of the second lunar month, just as dawn was breaking, the Yihai Hall was warmly heated by the underfloor heating, a stark contrast to the biting spring chill outside. Five Grand Secretaries—Huang Lijie, Shi Fenglai, Zhang Ruitu, Li Guopu, and Sun Chengzong—along with Lai Zongdao, the Minister of Rites, and two Vice Ministers, Qian Qianyi and Xu Guangqi—a total of eight core civil officials of the Ming Dynasty, had all come to "take the exam" by imperial decree.

Eight separate desks had already been set up in the hall, arranged according to the official's rank, with each desk spaced far apart. Fine Xuan paper, Huizhou ink, Huzhou brushes, and Duan inkstones were all provided, along with clean water for moistening the brushes and Xuan stones for absorbing ink.

Xu Guangqi had only arrived in the capital yesterday to assume his post, and before he could even wash away the dust of his journey, he received this unexpected imperial decree. As he bowed to the crowd, his brows still showed weariness and confusion. Qian Qianyi, on the other hand, remained calm. The Donglin leader's gaze slowly swept across the hall, and when his eyes met Sun Chengzong's, he gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Gentlemen, you have all arrived." A clear voice came from behind the screen, and Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in a plain white robe, entered the hall unhurriedly. He carried no documents and sat down directly in the main seat, his gaze sweeping calmly over the assembled officials standing with their hands at their sides. "I have invited you all here today for no other reason than that I have often thought that the key to governing a country and ensuring its stability lies first and foremost in acquiring capable people; and the key to acquiring capable people lies in discerning judgment. Therefore, I have a request, which I would like to make: to see the true talents and abilities of the pillars of my Great Ming Dynasty."

Everyone held their breath, thinking to themselves: Here it comes.

A eunuch bowed and presented a sandalwood box. Emperor Chongzhen opened it himself, took out a scroll with a bright yellow silk cover, but did not unfold it; he simply placed it on the table.

"Today we will have a policy essay test." The emperor's voice was not loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet hall. "The topic will be announced later. There are no restrictions on genre or word count. Just speak freely and express your thoughts directly. The deadline is sunset."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of the eight ministers, before gently unrolling the scroll and reading aloud:
"Question: With the imperial edicts being issued in great numbers, the people of Qin and Jin suffering, and the Central Plains exhausted, what strategies should be adopted to deal with this difficult situation?"

(End of this chapter)