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

Chapter 272 If one hides wealth in the temple for oneself but refuses to share it with the country, then one might as well hide it even in death.
Bi Ziyan's words had long since faded away, but the blueprint he described remained like an invisible mountain, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

After a long while, the young emperor on the throne slowly took a breath, his chest rising and falling almost imperceptibly.

His deep eyes shone with an astonishing light as they swept over the ministers, each with a different expression.

"Bi Qing's method is tantamount to laying a foundation for the Great Ming Dynasty for ten thousand generations." The Emperor's voice rang out, "In the past, the treasure ships of our Great Ming sailed to the Western Ocean, their power reaching across the seas, but in the end, they were like rootless duckweed. Today, what I want to do is to build an indestructible fertile land for this rootless duckweed!"

Zhu Youjian stood up and slowly paced around, his bright yellow dragon robe drawing a flowing line of light in the dimly lit hall.

"What is the world? It is a world where nations compete and the tides of change sweep away the sands. Our Great Ming can no longer remain a spectator on the shore. Whether we can keep up with the ever-changing times, whether we can firmly grasp the power to control the seas on the turbulent ocean of the future, and advance triumphantly—this is the first axe to break the mountain, the first stone to lay the foundation!"

His gaze finally settled on the assembled officials, sharp as a bolt of lightning: "This matter concerns the rise and fall of the nation, and is of paramount importance. It is no child's play. You all should remember this well!"

"My lord, I obey your order!"

Everyone inside the hall bowed deeply, their voices trembling with awe at the magnificent spectacle.

The emperor sat down again, raised his hand, and gestured for the emperor to rise.

"This matter shall be handled in accordance with Bi Qing's strategy, without delay, and shall be carried out immediately." His tone returned to its usual calmness. "The Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and all other government offices involved in this matter must go all out. If anyone obstructs or shirks responsibility, I will not hesitate to use my sword."

The ministers felt a chill run down their spines.

The emperor's gaze turned to Wen Tiren, whose heart skipped a beat. Wen Tiren stepped out from the crowd and bowed to stand in attendance.

"Wen Qing."

"The minister is here."

"The key to this matter lies in issuing an edict," the emperor said calmly. "I want you to use all available people to spread the benefits and rules of this matter throughout Jiangnan. I don't want profound words; I want the most straightforward language so that every craftsman, regardless of skill or age, can hear the details and understand the advantages."

They need to understand that joining this 'official craftsman' system is a shortcut to success, guaranteeing them a life of comfort and prosperity for their descendants. They need to know that this is a boundless imperial grace bestowed by the Emperor!

He paused, then added, "I will give you one month to accomplish this. The goal is to make it known to every woman and child in the cities of Jiangnan. The skilled craftsmen must dream of it, every word of it must resonate with them. Is this achievable?"

Wen Tiren bowed even lower, his voice hoarse: "Your subject...accepts the decree. I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust."

He knew that what appeared to be a declaration of benevolence was actually a battle to win hearts and minds.

The emperor wanted more than just the artisans' bodies and skills; he wanted their hearts and souls, and to completely separate them from their original families, communities, and guilds!

Inside the hall, everyone chatted amongst themselves, adding details and elaborating on their respective duties. Before they knew it, half a day had passed.

"Very good." Finally, the emperor nodded and waved his hand, "You may all leave and go about your business."

The officials, as if granted a pardon, bowed again and then carefully withdrew from the Wenhua Hall.

The palace doors opened, and the afterglow of the setting sun poured in like golden dust, casting long, long shadows on everyone.

As the sun dipped westward, its rays streamed through the carved window lattices, bathing the golden dragon pillars in the hall in a vibrant orange-red hue.

By the time everyone had left, it was dusk, and weary birds were returning to their nests.

The emperor did not invite him to stay for a meal. He sat quietly on his throne, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrests of the dragon throne. The entire hall was empty and silent, with only this monotonous sound and his steady breathing remaining.

He is waiting.

Before long, a eunuch's high-pitched voice announced from outside the hall: "Tian Ergeng and Li Ruolian, come to see me—"

As the announcement was made, two figures entered the hall one after the other.

The two knelt on one knee, their movements perfectly synchronized.

“Your subject is Tian Ergeng.”

"Your subject is Li Ruolian."

"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor."

"Rise." The emperor's voice echoed in the empty hall.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two men rose and stood at attention with their hands at their sides.

"How is the matter progressing?" the emperor asked, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Tian Ergeng stepped forward, bowed, and replied, “Your Majesty, all the registered temples and Taoist monasteries in the vicinity of Nanjing, totaling seventy-two, have been thoroughly investigated. Monks and Taoists without ordination certificates or of unknown origin have all been apprehended and handed over to local officials for resettlement. Those with ordination certificates have also been registered and are under strict supervision.”

Li Ruolian added, “Your Majesty, I have already begun arranging the follow-up matters. All able-bodied monks and Taoists can be incorporated into the military farms; the elderly and weak will be distributed to charitable institutions in various places. As for those who harbor filth and commit heinous crimes, the Garrison Command has opened cases for investigation and will not tolerate them.”

The emperor grunted in acknowledgment, his fingers ceasing their tapping. What he cared about most was not those people.

"And the harvest?" the emperor finally asked the crucial question.

Upon hearing this, Tian Ergeng's face revealed an uncontrollable excitement.

He took out a thick book from his bosom and presented it with both hands: "Your Majesty, this is the preliminary inventory report. In addition, there are other physical items."

He had barely finished speaking when he waved his hand towards the outside of the hall.

Outside the palace gate, squads of Imperial Guards, two in a row, carried heavy camphor wood chests in one after another.

The boxes were neatly stacked in the center of the main hall.

"Open the box," Tian Ergeng ordered.

The captains drew their swords and pried open the box lids. The creaking sound was incessant. As the lids were lifted one by one, a dazzling light instantly illuminated the entire dimly lit hall.

Money!
Gold is everywhere you look!
Gold ingots and bars of varying sizes, along with gilded Buddha statues and utensils, were haphazardly piled in boxes, reflecting a dazzling light under the illumination of the palace lanterns on the roof.

银！
The mountains and fields are covered in silver!

More boxes contained neatly stacked snowflake silver ingots, each bearing a casting mark, gleaming with a cool yet alluring luster in the light.

Besides gold and silver, stacks of heavy books were also presented separately.

Tian Ergeng pointed to the registers, a hint of pleasure in his voice: "Your Majesty, these are the fraudulent documents signed between officials, gentry, and landlords and various temples. They falsely claimed their own land as belonging to the temples to evade taxes from the court. This alone has uncovered no less than two million mu of hidden land in Southern Zhili!"

He then pointed to another pile of books: "These are the secret ledgers of hidden tax silver handed over by those powerful clans and gentry when they 'confessed' themselves. They are filled with tiny, densely packed characters, recording every shady transaction of money. It's shocking!" The emperor remained silent, simply watching quietly.

Tian Ergeng took a deep breath and finally announced that astonishing number:
"Your Majesty, this investigation of temples and monasteries, and the order for officials and gentry to make up for their deficits, has yielded a total of no less than twelve million taels of silver in terms of land, gold, and silver collected!"

Twelve million taels!
The moment this number was announced, even Li Ruolian's breath caught in her throat.

In the past, after deducting various losses, the annual revenue of the Ming Dynasty's national treasury was only four or five hundred taels of silver that could actually be used.

A quick sweep around Nanjing revealed three years' worth of national treasury revenue!

Zhu Youjian was truly numb; at this moment, he felt no joy, only a cold laugh.

What excellent ministers and nobles you are! What wealthy households you are under my rule!

They hoard their wealth in temples and keep it for themselves, but they refuse to contribute it to the country.

With the national treasury empty, border towns lacking pay, and people displaced, they are oblivious to the mountains of gold and silver they possess. They even use these temples and Taoist monasteries as cover to carve out another piece of flesh from the body of the nation.

Chongzhen, oh Chongzhen!
Zhu Youjian let out a silent sigh in his heart as he looked at his tragic predecessor.

With Li Zicheng's army at the gates of Beijing and the nation in peril, Emperor Chongzhen pleaded with his officials in the court, tears streaming down his face. How much did he finally manage to raise?

Two hundred thousand taels? Or three hundred thousand taels?
Those civil officials who usually spouted loyalty to the emperor and love for the country, and those nobles who had received the emperor's favor for generations, all cried poverty and pretended to be dead.

They would rather bury their money in the ground than use it to protect their own lives and property.

Finally, the city fell, the country perished, and Li Zicheng used a clamp to torture and plunder tens of millions of taels of silver!

How absurd! How ironic!
The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat stagnant due to the immense wealth and the emperor's silence.

Observing the emperor's inscrutable expression, Tian Ergeng spoke again, changing the subject away from money.

“Your Majesty, there is another matter I must report.” He carefully chose his words. “According to reports from spies in various places, since the unified collection of grain taxes and the re-establishment of commercial taxes, gentry, wealthy merchants, and even some local officials throughout the Ming Dynasty, though they dare not speak out openly, have harbored resentment in their hearts, which may become overwhelming. They see this move as competing with the people for profit, and they see Your Majesty… as implementing harsh policies.”

When he spoke the last few words, Tian Ergeng lowered his voice considerably.

Upon hearing this, Li Ruolian's heart tightened. This was tantamount to saying that all those deeply entrenched aristocratic families had been pushed to the opposite side by His Majesty.

However, the emperor's reaction was beyond their expectations.

Zhu Youjian picked up the tea that had long since gone cold from the imperial table, gently blew on the now-cold tea, and moved with unhurried ease.

"I know."

The atmosphere was calm and breezy, as if Tian Ergeng wasn't expressing any overwhelming resentment, but rather some trivial neighborhood matter.

Tian Ergeng and Li Ruolian were both stunned.

The emperor took a sip of cold tea, put down the teacup, looked at the two of them, and the cold smile on his lips deepened.

"Resentment? I want them to have resentment! If I can't even suppress this much resentment, what kind of emperor am I?"

He stood up and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Let them rebel. I'd like to see how they rebel. Can the pen kill, or can money turn into swords?"

Zhu Youjian's words were resounding:

"Throughout history, it has always been farmers who have rebelled; I've never heard of merchants causing such a ruckus!"

"They're nothing but a bunch of nouveau riche, their bodies hollowed out by wine and women, only good for hiding in dark corners and scheming for petty gains. Their only support is the little bit of shady money they have and their self-righteous reputation. Now that I've cut off their source of income and tarnished their reputation, they're like stray dogs with broken spines. What can they do but howl in the dark?"

How harsh and disdainful those words were!
Tian Ergeng lowered his head, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the young emperor's nonchalant expression, and a cold smile crept across his face.

Indeed, do these people really think they've suffered a tremendous injustice?

For over a year, Tian Ergeng has been acting on the emperor's orders to confiscate property and exterminate entire families, resulting in countless deaths.

The Imperial Guard's prison was filled with once-arrogant figures. He had personally witnessed the curses and resentment of those whose property had been confiscated before their deaths.

In his view, not a single drop of blood shed over the past year was clean.

Where the blade passed, black blood, filthy blood, and pus splattered everywhere!

Which of these so-called gentry, nobles, and wealthy merchants can withstand scrutiny?
The land they seized, the tenants they drove to their deaths, the taxes they evaded, the exorbitant profits they made from selling smuggled salt and tea... each and every one of these things was enough to make them die ten times over.

What Your Majesty has done is like scraping the bone to remove poison!

Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty be cured of its numerous ailments.

These people thought they were well-hidden, that the law wouldn't punish everyone, and that they could use their hypocritical moral codes to coerce the emperor.

They are wrong.

Their mistake was that this time, the emperor sitting on the dragon throne was one who didn't respect the rules at all!
Thinking of this, Tian Ergeng's worries about the situation vanished. He bowed and replied in an extremely firm tone:

"Your Majesty is wise! A bunch of withered bones in a tomb are nothing to speak of. I will keep a close watch on them, and if anyone makes a move, I will make sure their head rolls without Your Majesty's decree!"

The last four words were filled with murderous intent.

The emperor nodded in satisfaction, sat down again, and stared at the chests of gold and silver, remaining silent for a long time.

The last rays of twilight had disappeared from outside the palace gates, leaving the palace deep and somber, with only the flickering candlelight.

Night has fallen.

Zhu Youjian knew that using ruthless methods to extract wealth from this decaying body would inevitably invite deep-seated resentment and a frenzied backlash. The road ahead was destined to be fraught with thorns and danger at every step.

However, looking at the golden light of the candles filling the hall, his eyes remained calm and unfathomable.

This is yet another handful of pure gold salvaged from the ashes of the old for the new Ming Dynasty.

It will be forged into swords and plowshares.

The road ahead may be fraught with danger, but beyond the mountains and at the edge of the sea, a brand new world can already be seen!

(End of this chapter)