Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 21 Power must be backed by a fearsome force.
The hour of midnight had passed, and the sound of the clapper at the third watch echoed far and wide across the empty palace streets of the Forbidden City. The sound was dry and sluggish, as if it had been soaked by the cold dew of late autumn and flattened by the heavy night.

The Forbidden City, this colossal beast that exhales the power of the world and the mundane affairs of the people during the day, has now restrained all its majesty and clamor and fallen into a deep slumber.

The palace walls are like mountains, the halls like forests, and the upturned eaves are hidden in the boundless darkness. Only the copper bells hanging under the eaves make a faint sound or two in the occasional night breeze, like the unconscious murmur of a giant beast in its dream.

The East Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace is the only eye of this behemoth that is still open.

A single candle flame burned quietly on a huge dragon-patterned candlestick, its warm, dim light illuminating only a few feet of space around the desk.

Beyond the light lies an even denser darkness.

The enormous golden pillar with its coiled dragon cast a grotesque and twisted shadow in the dim light, clinging menacingly to the walls and the ground, intertwining and merging with the lingering shadows in the corners, as if countless ghosts were quietly gathering here from every corner of the empire, silently watching the new master on the throne.

Zhu Youjian sat at the intersection of light and shadow, behind this sandalwood desk with dragon carvings that would make the world bow down.

His posture was relaxed, even somewhat casual, with his back slightly leaning back and not completely pressed against the cold, hard back of the dragon throne.

Shedding the carefully crafted facade of the "Chongzhen Emperor" of the daytime—the perfectly measured majesty, the forbearance and sharpness when facing his ministers, the demeanor required to maintain the status of an emperor at all times—he was now simply Zhu Youjian.

A stranger from four hundred years in the future, whose soul was forcibly stuffed into this young body.

A lonely test-taker who has seen the standard answers but finds the exam paper itself to be tattered and the exam room on the verge of collapse...

He was not reviewing memorials.

Those mountains of memorials were written for the symbolic "Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty".

It is filled with tedious formalities, insincere praise, and hidden traps and witty remarks beneath the flowery language of "for the country and the people" and "the laws of our ancestors," which require him to spend countless hours to figure out and crack.

Those were performances, games, dances in shackles!
What he needs right now is authenticity.

It is cold, rough, unadorned, and even carries the smell of rust and blood.

Zhu Youjian felt like he was the CEO of a giant multinational corporation that had just taken over a company on the verge of bankruptcy. In the dead of night, he closed the door, dismissed all his assistants and secretaries, and personally reviewed the most original and confidential operational reports submitted by the group's three core departments—security, R&D, and internal audit.

Three thin files were neatly arranged in front of him.

These three files are three pieces he personally laid out since ascending the throne, and also three levers he used to try to pry open this vast, corrupt, and deeply entrenched empire.

Zhu Youjian's fingers were long and slender with distinct joints, and his nails were neatly trimmed. They were the hands of someone who had lived a life of luxury, yet they contained a calm strength that did not match his appearance.

Without the slightest hesitation, he picked up the first file.

The cover of this dossier is made of the finest black brocade, woven with intricate lotus patterns in dark thread. It feels cool and smooth to the touch, like the cold skin of a venomous snake in the dead of night. There are no text markings on the dossier, except for a barely visible, ferocious beast face embroidered in the lower right corner with ink-black silk thread that blends almost into the darkness. That is the emblem of the Eastern Depot.

This is Wei Zhongxian's "Records of the Rectification of the Imperial Guards and Secret Police".

Zhu Youjian slowly unfolded the case file.

The characters inside were written in a very neat and formal style of small regular script using the finest Huizhou ink.

His handwriting was meticulous, as if every stroke had been measured with a ruler. This writing style was just like Wei Zhongxian himself, humble to the core, yet in every pause and every turn, there was a chilling ruthlessness and decisiveness.

The report contained no superfluous descriptions, only precisely quantified facts.

"Your Majesty: By imperial decree, this old servant is filled with trepidation. Together with Zhou Quan, the supervisor of the Western Depot, we have thoroughly investigated the illegal activities of the Eastern Depot and the Eastern Depot. Since last month, this old servant has swiftly and decisively purged internal corruption. Within the Eastern Depot, we have confirmed that there are seven chief secretaries and twenty-six other key officials, including supervisors, foremen, and secretaries, who secretly colluded with officials of the outer court and nobles in the capital. These people enjoy the emperor's bounty and favor, yet they harbor disloyal intentions, secretly seek external support, and disregard imperial authority. They are truly major corrupt officials of the country, and their crimes are unforgivable. To prevent the collapse of the court and the incurring of public criticism, this old servant has taken appropriate measures to serve as a warning to others."

Zhu Youjian's gaze lingered on the two characters "properly" for a moment. These two characters were written by Wei Zhongxian with slightly darker ink than the other characters, as if they had an invisible weight.

He knew what ruthless methods were hidden beneath those two words.

Thirty-three once vibrant lives were reduced to thirty-three monotonous phrases in this cold report. Zhu Youjian could even imagine, through the paper, the respectful yet numb expression on Wei Zhongxian's wrinkled old face as he wrote those words. He wasn't recording deaths; he was merely taking stock of a tool, cleaning a room.

This is why Zhu Youjian chose Wei Zhongxian.

He was not unaware of Wei Zhongxian's heinous crimes during the Tianqi reign, nor was he unaware of the man's greed, cruelty, and lust for power.

But he was also well aware that at this point in time, every single official in the court was either a member of the Donglin Party, the Chu Party, the Zhe Party, or a fence-sitter attached to a certain group.

Their hearts were filled with the interests of their families, their hometowns, and their "scholar-official" class, but not with the emperor or the precarious state of the nation!

Wei Zhongxian was different; he was a eunuch, and all his power came from the imperial favor.

He had no children, no way out, and irreconcilable conflicts with the powerful civil service.

He was a mad dog that was despised yet feared by the civil officials!

Now, Zhu Youjian has put the collar back on it. As long as he holds the chain, the dog can bite those people that he cannot personally deal with for the time being.

He needed a knife sharp enough and dirty enough to remove the rotten flesh clinging to the bones of the empire.

Wei Zhongxian was the most suitable candidate.

The latter part of the report mentioned another weapon—the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"Commander Luo Yangxing of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is claiming illness and has not yet recovered. This old servant believes that the Embroidered Uniform Guard is the Emperor's personal army and the claws and teeth of the nation, and cannot be without a leader for even a day. The current Vice Commander, Tian Ergeng, is loyal, brave, ruthless, and hates evil as if it were his enemy. Perhaps he could temporarily take over his post and manage affairs within the guard. In the past month, Tian Ergeng has received His Majesty's secret order and has used thunderous methods to reorganize the Northern and Southern Garrison Commands, capturing 137 lawless captains and strongmen, all of whom have been imprisoned and interrogated day and night. The atmosphere within the guard has been cleansed. The arrogance and laxity of the past have vanished, everyone is in awe, and orders are obeyed without question."

Tian Ergeng...

Zhu Youjian's fingertips gently tapped the name on the desk, making a soft "knock, knock" sound that was particularly clear in the quiet, warm pavilion.

He was a core cruel official of the "eunuch party" in history, and one of the "Five Tigers".

A guy known for being ruthless and merciless.

Wei Zhongxian's recommendation of him was both a way of currying favor with himself and a clever test. It allowed him to demonstrate to Zhu Youjian that he was good at recognizing and appointing people, while also testing how "unconventional" Zhu Youjian's bottom line was in choosing people.

Use a ruthless official to reform a group of ruthless officials who have degenerated into local thugs in the capital, fighting poison with poison and violence with violence.

This aligns well with Zhu Youjian's current code of conduct.

He needed the Embroidered Uniform Guard's flying fish robes that once struck fear into the hearts of officials, and their chilling embroidered spring knives, to become sharp again, so that the self-righteous scholars and bloated nobles in the capital would be startled awake by an unexpected knock on the door in the middle of the night!
Power must be backed by a fearsome force; otherwise, it is nothing but empty words.

He picked up the small purple-haired brush on his desk, which was specially used for reviewing secret memorials, dipped it in cinnabar, and without the slightest hesitation wrote his annotations at the end of the list.

His handwriting was slender and vigorous, sharp and unyielding, as if carved by a knife and axe, completely different from the gentle, upright, and dignified "emperor's style" he usually used when reviewing memorials to the court.

"Efficiency is acceptable, loyalty needs further investigation, continue."

In just eight words, there was not a single word of praise, only a cold assessment and an unquestionable order.

He wanted Wei Zhongxian, and everyone who received his annotations, to understand that everything they did was under his watchful eye.

They can gain power and favor, but this power originates from imperial power and must absolutely serve imperial power!

Efficiency is the foundation upon which they gain trust, while loyalty is their last line of defense for survival!

(End of this chapter)