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

Chapter 53 Five Million Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand Taels (Bonus Chapter)

Three million four hundred and fifty thousand taels!
He knew that Shanxi merchants were incredibly wealthy, comparable to the wealth of a nation.

But he never imagined they were this wealthy! And this was only the portion of their assets that had been confiscated and could be quickly converted into cash!

The enormous sums of money they circulated throughout the Ming Dynasty and even beyond the Great Wall through their banks, and the wealth they buried even deeper, are immeasurable!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! What's wrong?"

When Wang Chengen saw the emperor swaying, he was terrified and rushed forward to help him up.

"It doesn't matter."

Zhu Youjian waved his hand and pushed him away.

He slowly straightened up and regained his balance.

Zhu Youjian closed his eyes and took another deep breath. The air, mixed with the scent of ambergris and blood, filled his lungs, clearing his mind, which had been somewhat confused by extreme shock.

"Wang Chengen." He spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable power.

“This servant…this servant is here,” Wang Chengen replied tremblingly.

"Go and bring the abacus."

"Yes Yes!"

Wang Chengen dared not delay in the slightest. He scrambled to a corner of the warm pavilion and took out the large abacus made of golden nanmu wood that had almost never been used from a rosewood cabinet that was used to store stationery.

The abacus was exquisitely crafted, with a frame made of century-old golden nanmu wood, a beam made of a single piece of ebony wood, and beads made entirely of fine Hetian black and white jade.

Normally, it was just something the emperor occasionally used to calculate the expenditures of the imperial treasury; it was a plaything whose symbolic significance outweighed its practical value.

But today, it will be calculating a fortune that could change the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

"You do the calculations," Zhu Youjian ordered, pointing to the several reports on his desk that seemed to weigh a ton.

"This servant... obeys the decree."

Wang Chengen reached out with trembling hands and carefully placed the heavy jade abacus on a small table.

He picked up the reports and began to move the abacus beads.

"Crackling... crackling..."

The sound of jade striking sandalwood echoed crisply in the warm pavilion.

Wang Chengen's fingers moved swiftly across the abacus.

His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, which dripped down his cheeks.

He is calculating.

He is accumulating.

He was accumulating wealth, each representing sin, betrayal, and death, into a terrifying figure.

"In the capital, Shanxi merchants' shops were seized, and 880,000 taels of silver were deposited into the accounts."

"In the capital, corrupt officials were investigated and their assets seized: 630,000 taels of silver... deposited into their accounts."

"Xuanfu, traitorous general, confiscated, 320,000 taels... deposited into the account."

“In Zhangjiakou, the eight major Shanxi merchants were investigated and their assets seized…3.45 million taels of silver…which were deposited into the accounts.”

The abacus stopped.

Wang Chengen stared at the number that was finally displayed on the abacus, a number so long it made him dizzy.

His hand froze in mid-air.

His lips trembled, and his face was even paler than Zhu Youjian's earlier, completely devoid of color.

He dared not say that number.

Because that number was beyond what he, as a slave, could understand and bear.

"explain."

Zhu Youjian's voice rang out coldly.

Wang Chengen trembled, as if he had been whipped by an invisible whip.

He knelt down again with a thud, and in a trembling voice filled with awe and fear, he announced the final result.

"Reporting to...Reporting to Your Majesty..."

"This time, the joint raids conducted by the capital, Xuanfu, and Zhangjiakou yielded... a total of..."

His voice caught in his throat, as if an invisible hand were gripping it.

"A total of 5.28 million taels of silver!"

Five million two hundred and eighty thousand taels!
When Wang Chengen finally managed to utter the number completely, the entire warm pavilion seemed to have been suddenly transported to a frozen wasteland.

It was as if even the burning candle flames froze at that moment due to the immense pressure brought by this number.

Zhu Youjian stood quietly.

He just stared quietly at Wang Chengen, who was kneeling on the ground, his body trembling like a leaf.

After a long time.

Zhu Youjian then asked a seemingly unrelated question.

“Wang Chengen, you are in charge of the inner court documents, so you know best.”

"Tell me, what was the total annual revenue of the Ming Dynasty last year?"

Wang Chengen was taken aback, clearly not understanding why the emperor had asked such a question.

But this problem is already ingrained in his bones; it is the most troublesome reality he faces every day.

Without hesitation, he replied, “Your Majesty, last year, after deducting income from local military garrisons, imperial estates, and stipends for princes that did not enter the national treasury, the total amount of regular revenues submitted to the Ministry of Revenue from the two capitals and thirteen provinces, including land tax, salt tax, commercial tax, and customs duties, amounted to 4,837,000 taels of silver.”

After saying that, Wang Chengen himself was stunned.

Four million eight hundred and thirty-seven thousand taels.

Five million two hundred and eighty thousand taels.

One is a vast empire with two capitals, thirteen provinces, and hundreds of millions of soldiers and civilians, representing all the income earned through a year's hard work.

One was the rotten flesh that this young emperor had cut off from a group of parasites of the state in just one night.

The latter was a full 443,000 taels more than the former!
Moreover, this is only the initial 'known' wealth that these families have managed to uncover!
absurd!

What a irony this is!
Wang Chengen finally understood this.

He felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head. He buried his head even deeper, wishing he could disappear into the carpet, not daring to even breathe.

Zhu Youjian smiled.

He finally smiled.

This is the first genuine smile I've had in the past two days.

A long-lost sense of ease.

The immense joy of relief felt by a parent who is destitute and in debt, upon suddenly discovering that they actually possess a mountain of gold.

In fact, Zhu Youjian always understood.

Why is it that he has no money to do anything he wants?

Why is the national treasury always empty?

Why does he, the ruler of the world, live like the poorest beggar in the world?

"Hehe...hehehehe..."

Zhu Youjian slowly walked back to his desk.

He reached out and gently stroked the few cold reports, his mind becoming clearer and more transparent than ever before.

It was as if a ray of light pierced through the thick fog before his eyes, allowing him to see the true face of this world for the first time.

He looked at the figure of 5.28 million taels, which was more than just a fortune.

This is his first real pot of gold since he ascended the throne!

It is the most solid foundation that allows him to carry out all his will!

With this money.

This new army, which is loyal only to him, can be expanded!

Forge an iron torrent capable of crushing any rebellious land!

He can do whatever he wants!
No longer needing to be mindful of the cabinet's mood, nor needing to listen to the Ministry of Revenue's complaints of poverty, nor needing to argue endlessly with those so-called key ministers in the court over a mere few hundred thousand taels of military expenditure!
This is what an emperor should be like!
This is true centralized power!

It is not based on debates in the imperial court, nor on the doctrines of sages, nor on those vague and ethereal moral treatises.

Instead, they rely on real money and power!

Whoever has more money, whoever wields the sharpest knife, has the biggest right!
This is the most fundamental truth of this world!
　They said they'd give out tickets at midnight.

　　Where are my tickets?!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)