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

Chapter 334 The Destruction of a Million Families

As we left Cining Palace, the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire Forbidden City in a warm, golden-red halo, making even the usually solemn and imposing palace walls and halls seem softer.

Zhu Youjian's steps were much lighter than when he arrived.

His heartfelt conversation with his sister-in-law brought rare comfort to his heart, which was somewhat weary from being tense all day.

In this vast palace, to have someone who understands and trusts him completely, not because of the formalities between ruler and subject, but solely out of familial affection, is enough to ward off the chill brought by countless court intrigues.

As he reached the corner of the palace road, he suddenly stopped and instructed Wang Chengen, who was following closely beside him, "Chengen."

"This servant is here." Wang Chengen quickly bowed, bending even lower.

"From now on, if Empress Yi'an feels stifled in the palace and wants to go out for a stroll, such as to the West Garden or the South Sea, she can have someone make proper arrangements. She doesn't need to report to me about everything." Zhu Youjian's tone was calm, without a trace of the majesty of the court. "If one stays in this one place all the time, even the most magnanimous heart can easily be confined by these four palace walls."

Wang Chengen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "This servant obeys the decree. This servant will handle this matter properly and will not allow Her Majesty the Empress to suffer the slightest grievance."

He thought to himself that the Emperor's heartfelt respect and care for Empress Yi'an was truly rare.

This further strengthened his resolve to manage the Cining Palace more thoroughly.

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, said no more, and strode straight toward the side hall of Wenhua Hall.

The tenderness between him and his sister-in-law had been suppressed in his heart, and his composure and decisiveness as an emperor once again prevailed.

Inside the side hall, people had been waiting for quite some time.

Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue, and Zhu Guangzuo, the former Minister of Water Conservancy and a dismissed official, stood on either side of each other with their hands at their sides, both keeping their eyes downcast and not daring to slack off in the slightest.

In an inconspicuous yet unmissable corner of the hall, Tian Ergeng, the governor of Huangming Andu Prefecture, stood silently like a cast-iron statue, dressed in a black flying fish robe, seemingly blending into the shadows of the hall.

In fact, whatever major events Zhu Youjian undertakes now are inseparable from Tian Ergeng and the Andu Prefecture behind him; its influence has penetrated deep into the very marrow of the empire.

Every policy of the emperor required the close cooperation of the swordsmen of Andu Prefecture, who could even be said to protect and safeguard it.

This sword allowed government orders to leave the capital and prevented officials from outwardly complying while inwardly disobeying them!
Bi Ziyan was already used to sharing a hall with this "King of Hell," and remained calm and composed.

He knew that the matter to be discussed today was of great importance, and that not only did he, as the "purse," need to be present, but also Tian Ergeng, the "chief of the operation," to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Meanwhile, Zhu Guangzuo was filled with anxiety.

He is a controversial official, but one who does have experience in river management.

During the Tianqi era, he held the important position of Director-General of Waterways and made some achievements.

However, due to the chaos in the court, the endless factional struggles, and the fact that his river management strategies were indeed flawed, he ultimately ended up being dismissed from office and returning to his hometown.

The problem is that, in Zhu Youjian's view, among all the civil and military officials in the court today, when it comes to water management, especially those who have been stirring up trouble in the Yellow River and Huai River basins for decades, there is probably no one more experienced than him.

Even so, Zhu Guangzuo was still filled with fear.

The reason is none other than the fact that the young emperor on the throne is already known throughout the world for his harshness!

Over the past year, countless people who once held high positions of power have fallen without even a chance to struggle.

Zhu Guangzuo was merely a dismissed official awaiting punishment; the emperor's word could determine his life, death, honor, and disgrace.

But amidst his fear, he also harbored a sliver of hope.

He pondered it repeatedly and found that the emperor's harshness seemed to have clear limits.

That is, to comply or not to comply.

Those who oppose the emperor, outwardly comply but inwardly defy him, and obstruct his orders invariably meet a tragic end.

On the other hand, those who wholeheartedly obeyed the emperor and worked diligently, such as Bi Ziyan, Sun Chuanting, and Song Yingxing, were trusted and rewarded by the emperor without question!
Having figured this out, he felt a little relieved.

He came here solely to manage the river and to get things done; he had absolutely no selfish motives. It seems unlikely that the emperor would punish him without cause.

Just as he was pondering this, a eunuch's voice came from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived!"

The three men perked up, quickly straightened their clothes, knelt down, and respectfully welcomed the imperial arrival.

Zhu Youjian strode confidently to the throne, lifted the hem of his robe, sat down, and glanced at the three men before saying in a deep voice, "Rise, and take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The three thanked the emperor and stood up, carefully sitting on the embroidered stools brought by the palace servants, their buttocks barely touching the ground.

Without any pleasantries, Zhu Youjian went straight to the point, turning his gaze to Zhu Guangzuo: "Zhu Guangzuo, tell me, what is the current state of this year's flood?"

Zhu Guangzuo's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stood up from his seat, bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, the floods this year are unprecedented in their ferocity and extent."

He composed himself and began to recount the disaster situation, which he already knew by heart:

"This disaster did not happen overnight. Since last summer and autumn, there has been continuous rain and flooding in the Henan area, which caused the Yellow River to rise sharply, and there was already a risk of breaching the banks in the Lanyang and Yifeng areas. In winter and spring, the water level was slightly lower, but the accumulated problems were difficult to reverse. When the torrential rains returned this summer, it finally caused a great disaster."

"As far as I know, the Yellow River has breached its banks in many places, including Cao County, Shan County, Feng County, and Pei County, causing floods that are more than ten feet deep and have submerged countless houses."

He raised his head, a trace of sorrow in his eyes: "Your Majesty, the disaster area covers eastern Henan, southwestern Shandong, northern Anhui, and northern Jiangsu. These four places are the heartland of our Great Ming Dynasty, the granaries of the nation, and places with abundant populations. Now, they have all become swamps!"

The Book of Han, Treatise on Canals and Ditches, records that "the Yellow River breached its banks at Huzi, flowing southeast into Juye, connecting with the Huai and Si Rivers." The current scene is probably even worse than that of the Han Dynasty! "Fields and crops are submerged," and "countless houses are washed away." Behind this lies the destruction of more than a million families!

Farmland was destroyed, the harvest failed, and the people lost their homes and became refugees. If His Majesty had not acted decisively and swiftly, allocating three million taels of silver and dispatching the capital garrison and border troops to maintain order and distribute grain from the granaries, the consequences… would have been unimaginable!

Zhu Guangzu spoke with great emotion, and when he got to the point, tears streamed down his face.

He knew that in the previous dynasty, if such a disaster occurred, the court could only allocate three to five hundred thousand taels of silver at most, and with layers of exploitation, how much would actually reach the disaster victims?
The emperor, however, didn't even blink an eye and spent three million taels of real gold and silver on disaster relief.

This one point alone inspired a sense of respect in him, an old minister who had dedicated his life to river management.

Zhu Youjian listened quietly, his face as solemn as iron.

Tian Ergeng and Bi Ziyan had already compiled these details for him through various channels, and he knew them in even more detail than Zhu Guangzuo.

But he still wanted to hear Zhu Guangzuo speak for himself, so as to see if this person had a good grasp of the disaster situation, whether he was dedicated, and whether he still had the will to take responsibility.

Seeing that Zhu Guangzuo's words matched the report perfectly without any embellishment, he nodded slightly, gesturing for him to sit down.

A moment of silence fell over the hall, the atmosphere so oppressive it was almost suffocating.

Both Bi Ziyan and Zhu Guangzu could sense the storm brewing beneath the emperor's calm exterior on the throne.

After a long silence, Zhu Youjian's voice rang out again, calm yet tinged with coldness: "I know the disaster is devastating. I also know I have the funds to provide relief. But," he changed his tone, his gaze sharpening, "I don't want to spend so much money every year!"

"What I want is a complete cure! At the very least, I want the Yellow River to cause me less trouble!"

His gaze swept over Bi Ziyan, then over Tian Ergeng, and finally settled on Zhu Guangzuo.

Zhu Guangzuo's heart jumped into his throat.

The real test is here.

What he said just now was merely stating the facts; the ensuing dialogue would determine his life and fortune, and even more so, the future of countless people in that vast, marshy land.

All that he has learned in his life will be presented to the emperor in this very hall today.

The emperor has laid out the problem before us, along with the sword and the purse.

The question is, how does the emperor intend to govern?
(End of this chapter)