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

Chapter 68: Prosperity and Disaster

Inside the West Warm Pavilion, the smell of iron and blood brought by Tian Ergeng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Zhou Quan, the director of the Western Depot, had not yet completely dissipated.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Wei from the Directorate of Ceremonial requests an audience."

"Xuan."

A moment later, Wei Zhongxian slowly entered the warm pavilion.

This powerful official, who used to wield immense influence and strike fear into the hearts of all officials, always maintained a respectful and almost humble demeanor in front of Zhu Youjian.

"This old servant pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian finally lifted his gaze from the map and placed it on Wei Zhongxian.

"How did things go?"

They cut straight to the point without any unnecessary pleasantries, a tacit understanding they had long since developed.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian's wrinkled old face immediately broke into a fawning yet genuinely excited smile.

He carefully took out an account book wrapped in bright yellow brocade from his wide sleeves, and held it high above his head while bowing.

"Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission!" He lowered his voice deliberately, but could not hide his excitement. "Those old bastards Zhou Yanru and Feng Quan, and those Shanxi merchants who didn't know their own mortality, they were hiding a lot of things when their homes were confiscated. After more than a month of persuasion from the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they finally came to their senses on their deathbed."

The phrase "please advise me well" is said lightly, but everyone knows what kind of hell on earth lies behind those four words.

"This old servant has converted all the gold, silver, land deeds, antiques, and shops that have been recovered these past few days into cash. After deducting all the costs of transportation and melting down, the net amount that went into the imperial treasury..." Wei Zhongxian deliberately paused, glancing at Zhu Youjian's expression, before uttering the figure word by word:
"No more, no less, exactly... thirty-one million three hundred thousand taels!"

Zhu Youjian's pupils suddenly contracted.

He knew there would be a reward, and even anticipated that the reward would be substantial, but... more than 30 million taels!
His grand visions, which he had been contemplating for countless days and nights—reorganizing border defenses, training a new army, lifting the sea ban, changing the old system, and even…

In the past, these were merely vague and unrealistic fantasies on paper; they were castles in the air, water without a source. He possessed the skill to slay dragons but lacked the rope to bind them; he had the will to turn the tide but no lever to do so.

And now, this lever, this cornerstone, is finally in our hands!

In that instant, an indescribable, complex emotion, a mixture of ecstasy and excitement, surged from the deepest part of Zhu Youjian's heart to the very depths of his brain like a volcanic eruption.

The hand he placed under the imperial desk, hidden by his sleeve, slowly clenched inch by inch. His knuckles turned bluish-white from the extreme force, as if he wanted to crush the air in his palm.

He could even hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest, but his expression remained calm befitting an emperor. Only his eyes shone with a frightening intensity, like a peerless, deadly blade suddenly drawn from its sheath in the dark night.

Wei Zhongxian held his breath, sensing the dramatic change in the atmosphere inside the warm pavilion.

He saw that although the young emperor had no expression, the overwhelming aura that seemed to solidify made even this seasoned eunuch, who had seen many storms, feel a sense of unease.

After a long while, Zhu Youjian slowly loosened his clenched fist and exhaled a long breath.

"Step down." Zhu Youjian's voice was as calm as still water in an ancient well. "This matter must not be divulged. If any word of it leaks out, I will hold you responsible."

"This old servant... obeys the decree!" Wei Zhongxian bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching the cold gold brick floor. He dared not utter another word and bowed as he withdrew from the hall.

Inside the warm pavilion, silence returned once more.

Zhu Youjian's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he spoke calmly to the eunuchs standing outside the hall.

"deliver an imperial order."

"Announce that Duke Zhang Weixian of England shall come to court immediately."

The imperial decree was issued, and within half an hour, a steady and rhythmic sound of footsteps could be heard outside the palace.

Zhu Youjian sat behind his desk, toying with a warm jade pendant in his hand. It was a small trinket he had casually picked out from the confiscated goods of the Shanxi merchants.

The jade is of excellent quality, warm to the touch, and is carved into a qilin looking back, with an arrogant look in its eyes, yet with a hint of being tamed.

He likes this feeling.

……

After bowing, Duke Zhang Weixian of England stood in the center of the hall.

This top nobleman of the Ming Dynasty was dressed in his ducal robes, his posture upright like a pine tree, but beneath the weathered composure between his brows lay a hint of barely perceptible restraint.

This was no longer the meeting before the Shanxi merchants, which carried the connotations of testing and transaction.

At that time, there was an invisible veil between the emperor and his subjects, and they were all assessing each other's importance.

Today, that veil has been completely torn away by thunder and blood, leaving behind a clearer and more naked relationship.

Zhang Weixian knew he had made the right bet; now it was time to reveal the cards and verify the bets!

"Duke, please sit."

Zhu Youjian's voice was unreadable; he pointed to the sandalwood stool beside him.

"Your subject dares not," Zhang Weixian said, bowing.

Zhu Youjian smiled and did not force him. He gently placed the jade pendant on the table, making a crisp "ding" sound.

"Duke, you deserve the greatest credit for this Shanxi merchant case. Without your presence in the capital to quell the unrest both inside and outside the capital, my sword would not have been so swift and steady."

Zhang Weixian was flattered and repeatedly said, "It is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens."

“You deserve a reward for your duty.” Zhu Youjian waved his hand, interrupting him. “But I don’t want to reward you with those empty titles. Things like bestowing titles and hereditary privileges are just empty names, they can’t be eaten or worn. I will give you something real.”

His tone became unquestionable.

"The first thing is people."

"The new army needs to be expanded. I know that the Duke's mansion has no shortage of skilled archers and horsemen, loyal and brave warriors; what they lack is simply an opportunity!" "I will give you ten slots to select the ten most outstanding sons from your Duke's mansion and directly enlist them in the army. Your second son, Zhang Shize, I will appoint him as a lieutenant general. The other nine will be given substantive positions and military power according to their abilities."

Zhang Weixian's breathing suddenly became rapid.

He wasn't a politically naive fool; he immediately grasped the profound meaning behind this reward.

This is not a simple case of a government official being favored by his family.

The title of "hereditary official" was merely nominal; it carried no real power.

This is a direct granting of military power!

It is to bring the elite group back to the field they are most familiar with and most desire—the military!
A military officer, that's a third-rank military position! It's a position that many border generals fight their whole lives for but never reach!
More importantly, the emperor said, "My new army needs loyal and brave military families as its backbone. I trust the family tradition of the Duke."

What trust this is! What dignity this is!
This is tantamount to telling the world that the Duke of Ying's family is still the most trustworthy military family in the Ming Dynasty! Those civil officials who mocked them as parasites can shut up now!

"Your Majesty, I... on behalf of my son and all the servants, kowtow to express my gratitude for Your Majesty's grace!" Zhang Weixian could no longer control his emotions, and his knees buckled as he was about to kneel down.

"Don't rush to thank me." Zhu Youjian offered a gesture of support, a meaningful smile appearing on his face. "My soldiers are not easy to lead. The military camps are full of desperados and northern refugees. I put your sons in there to be wolves, not sheep. If they disgrace your Zhang family, I will arrest them."

"Your Majesty, rest assured!" Zhang Weixian said resolutely, "If there are any who disobey military orders, or who are cowardly and afraid of death, Your Majesty need not lift a finger; I will personally deal with them!"

"Good." Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction. "The second reward is money."

He picked up a file from the table and handed it to Zhang Weixian.

"These are several properties owned by Shanxi merchants in the capital. Three restaurants and five shops in the best locations and with the most thriving businesses. I hereby decide to sell them to your Duke of Ying's Mansion at one-tenth of the market price."

Zhang Weixian's hands trembled slightly as he took the case file.

He opened it and glanced at the place names; his heart skipped a beat.

Those are all prime real estate areas in Qianmen and Dashilan!
The profits generated by these few industries alone each year are an enormous figure!

This...this reward is too generous!

However, Zhu Youjian's next words instantly calmed him down.

"The Duke's mansion has many people and high expenses. You can manage these businesses, make money, improve the lives of your clansmen, and support the sons who will serve in the army. I have only one condition."

Zhu Youjian held up three fingers.

"Thirty percent of the annual profits will be allocated to my personal treasury."

Zhang Weixian was stunned.

He was a worldly-wise man, and he figured out all the key points in an instant.

From then on, the rise and fall of the British Duke's mansion became inextricably linked to the Emperor's private treasury and the Emperor's new army.

When one is prosperous, both are prosperous; when one is lost, both are harmed!
This relationship is a thousand times stronger than any empty title or verbal favor!
This is an immense blessing, but also the most inescapable shackle.

"I...obey the order!"

Zhang Weixian took a deep breath, clutching the case file tightly in his hand, as if he were holding the future fate of his entire family in his grasp.

……

The outskirts of Beijing, the New Army camp.

The wind here is a bit harsher than in the capital. The swirling yellow dust carries a primitive smell, a mixture of wild grass and rust, that chokes you and makes your throat dry.

Unlike the military garrisons near the capital city, where birds are kept in cages and whose edges have been worn smooth by time, everything here is full of primitive and rough vitality.

Looking out, more than 10,000 men stood silently on the vast training ground like a dark forest, as still as volcanoes about to erupt.

This forest is clearly divided into distinct zones.

The three thousand men standing at the forefront are the very flesh and blood of this new army.

Their posture had become quite proper, their spines straight as javelins, and their eyes no longer held the dullness, numbness, fear, and humility characteristic of refugees when they first entered the camp; there was something else in them now.

Something tempered by blood and fire.

In Xuanfu and outside Zhangjiakou, they personally plunged their blades into the enemy's chests, the fear of death washing away their cowardice and impetuosity.

Their faces were still dark and thin, but the lines of their muscles had become hardened.

Some of them still had freshly healed scars on their faces, medals they could show off to the new recruits. They were veterans of the new army, wolves who had seen blood.

Behind them, the seven thousand newly recruited soldiers were nothing more than a flock of sheep.

They were the second batch of new recruits that Zhu Youjian had the Embroidered Uniform Guard recruit in cooperation with Zhang Weixian from the areas surrounding the capital.

These people still bore the heavy marks of hunger, their bodies were thin, their eyes were timid, and they looked at the backs of the three thousand 'veterans' in front of them with awe and a hint of jealousy.

They listened to the "veterans" boasting about their exploits in Xuanfu and Zhangjiakou, which made them feel excited, but they were also very annoyed that they had missed the grand opening ceremony.

They were able to eat their fill, and there was even oil in their food.

This small favor made them feel the simplest gratitude towards the emperor who sat high above them.

But gratitude alone is not enough to forge loyalty.

Loyalty needs a stronger catalyst!

(End of this chapter)