My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

"A few days later, Beijing fell, and Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill to die for his country."

"When Li Zicheng's Shun army entered the city, they didn't care about the etiquette between ruler and subject or moral principles. They directly used knives and clamps to seize the stolen goods and funds from those princes and ministers who had been complaining about poverty not long ago."

Chen Mo said, word by word:

"As a result, how much money was confiscated from the homes of these impoverished civil officials and nobles in such a short period of time?"

"How much?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned.

Chen Mo smiled, a smile that was particularly sarcastic.

"That's nearly seventy million taels of silver! That's far more than the annual revenue of the Ming Dynasty's national treasury during its peak!"

"BOOM—!!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and his two companions were suddenly terrified.

Is this what they call being poor?

Despite their poverty, all the families combined had a total of 70 million taels of silver.

Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth. He couldn't understand how a mere civil official could dare to commit such acts as regicide.

Now it seems he even underestimated them!

Zhu Yuanzhang hated corrupt officials more than anything in his life, wishing he could skin them alive and stuff them into straw.

Therefore, officials during the Hongwu reign lived in constant fear.

But he never imagined that after his death, the dynasty he established would be occupied by such a group of insects.

How can a country be cured by associating with these insects?

"That's not all!"

Chen Mo chuckled and added.

"Li Zicheng only looted what was in Beijing; most of it was actually in Jiangnan, meaning... this 70 million taels of silver isn't all of it!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: ? ? ?

Zhu Di: ? ? ?

"Have they wasted all their time studying the teachings of sages?"

Zhu Yuanzhang roared.

Chen Mo looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, whose worldview was almost completely collapsed, and shook his head.

"So do you understand now? Your rigid, formulaic imperial examination system ultimately selects and nurtures this kind of people."

"He usually talks big and acts like a moral gentleman, putting the emperor in a very difficult position."

"When the country was in peril, they were as stingy as misers, preferring to leave money to the rebel leader and the Tartars rather than use it to protect the dynasty that had supported them."

"The monarch dies for the state, the civil official dies... dies for what?"

Chen Mo sneered.

"They will only kneel to welcome the new master, using the etiquette and knowledge learned from the old master to continue serving as officials in the new dynasty!"

"Unexpectedly, they really treated them like slaves."

Zhu Yuanzhang fell completely silent.

It turns out that his greatest enemy was never the open attacks on the battlefield, but the hidden arrows in the halls of power.

It was not the powerful external enemy, but the corrupt scholars within, both spiritually and materially.

Chen Mo looked at the silent Old Zhu and slowly sighed.

"But don't be sad, Old Zhu. Although Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, was the last emperor and was very suspicious, he was indeed the most principled one compared to the last emperors of other dynasties."

"Upon learning of the fall of Beijing, he ordered all his concubines to commit suicide, while he himself ran to a tree with a thick neck behind Coal Hill and took his own life, leaving behind the words, 'Let the rebels tear the city apart, but do not harm a single civilian.'"

"Therefore, nowadays, whenever someone talks about the Ming Dynasty, they will say things like 'No marriage alliances, no indemnities, no ceding of territory, no tribute,' and 'The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state.'"

Upon hearing this, a complex expression flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

He remained silent for a long time before finally turning his gaze back to Chen Mo.

"You just said there were several reasons for the fall of our Ming Dynasty. Besides this, what were the other reasons?"

Chen Mo pondered for a moment before speaking.

"We can't change the weather conditions caused by the Little Ice Age, but there's another reason that you probably sowed."

"Did we plant these too?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened.

"And what was the reason we planted it?"

Chen Mo glanced at him and slowly uttered two words.

"The feudal lord."

"The feudal lord?"

Upon hearing those two words, Old Zhu's expression darkened.

"What influence could a mere feudal lord possibly have?"

"How many people are there in our Zhu family? Our Great Ming Dynasty spans thousands of miles; surely we can support just a few members of our Zhu family?"

Zhu Di, who was standing nearby, also had the same idea.

Could it be that the vast Ming Dynasty couldn't even support the Zhu family?

Even Zhu Biao shared this idea; he would reduce the power of the princes, but not their benefits.

Chen Mo shook his head as he looked at the three of them.

"First of all, let me mention something about the issue of vassal kings. Your fourth son, Zhu Di, made some changes."

"Oh?"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow and subconsciously glanced at Zhu Di standing beside him.

Zhu Di saw Zhu Yuanzhang looking at him and nodded to him, but then he heard Chen Mo's voice ring out again.

"Because Zhu Di himself rose to power as a prince through rebellion, he was all too aware of the immense threat that princes holding significant military power posed to the central government."

"So after he ascended the throne, he began to work on reducing the power of the regional military governors."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly; he understood.

"but,"

Chen Mo changed the subject.

"Zhu Di's policy of reducing the power of the princes mainly targeted their military and political power."

"Through methods such as 'relocating fiefs,' 'reducing the number of guards,' and 'prohibiting interference in local affairs,' he turned these vassal kings into wealthy idlers confined to their fiefdoms."

"From then on, the vassal kings were no longer able to threaten the central imperial power."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao didn't think much of it when they heard this.

But the next second, their expressions changed drastically.

"However, Zhu Di's reforms were only half completed, or rather, in order to avoid provoking a strong backlash from the vassal kings, he compromised or even strengthened in another aspect."

Chen Mo's voice carried a hint of regret.

"He did not reduce, and even to some extent tacitly approved and solidified the extremely generous economic privileges of the princes. He used economic wealth to exchange for the princes' political and military compliance."

"Now, the issue has completely changed."

Chen Mo looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with sharp eyes.

"Your system of vassal kings was originally a sword and shield protecting the imperial family. Although it might harm oneself, it was at least powerful against external forces. But Zhu Di changed it."

"Good heavens, the sword and shield have been confiscated, but the cost of raising them hasn't decreased at all."

"On the contrary, because they have lost their careers and ambitions, leaving them only with the path of eating, drinking, having fun, and having children to collect their salaries, this group's parasitic nature and reproductive rate have become even more terrifying than before!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang raised an eyebrow slightly.

"So what? They're just a few members of the Zhu family; our Great Ming Dynasty can afford to support them."

Upon hearing this, a cold smile reappeared on Chen Mo's face.

He slowly took out his phone, looked at it, and spoke.

"Old Zhu, it seems you know nothing about your family's reproductive capabilities."

"How many people? Let me count for you."

Chen Mo looked at the information he had found on his phone and began to read it aloud.

"You, the Hongwu Emperor, have 26 recorded sons."

"Your sons, such as the line of the Prince of Jin who were enfeoffed in Shanxi, numbered dozens of princes alone by the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, and hundreds or even thousands of generals and lieutenants at various levels. And this is just one lineage."

"According to later historians' estimates, it was during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty."

Chen Mo paused.

"That is, about two hundred years later, the number of registered members of your Zhu family clan will exceed 150,000."

"How many?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened instantly.

Zhu Di and Zhu Biao were dumbfounded.

Zhu Di, in particular, never expected that his family members would be so prolific.

"150,000."

"And this doesn't even include those unregistered collateral relatives and servants who depend on them."

"And this number is growing at an alarming rate."

"Because they don't have to do anything, they just need to collect their salary and have as many children as possible. After all, every son means an extra portion of the country's salary."

"If that's the case, then why aren't they fighting desperately?"

"The more children you have, the more money you get; Zhu Duoduo receives billions in subsidies."

After saying that, Chen Mo scrolled down his phone and continued.

"Alright, let's not talk about people, let's talk about money. Do you know how much it costs to support these 150,000 members of the royal family?"

"For example, a prince receives an annual stipend of 10,000 shi (a unit of grain). A duke receives 2,000 shi. Subsequent stipends decrease accordingly."

"By the mid-Ming Dynasty, Shanxi province alone had only 1.5 million shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice and wheat remaining, but the annual stipends of the local imperial family alone amounted to 2.12 million shi! Even the entire province's grain supply wouldn't be enough for them!"

"By the Jiajing era, approximately four million shi of grain were transported to the capital annually from across the country, while the staggering eight and a half million shi of rice were needed to supply the stipends of princes throughout the land!"

"In other words, more than a third of the country's total fiscal revenue has been consumed by your descendants!"

"This is impossible!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang roared suddenly, veins bulging on his forehead.

Chen Mo looked at his expression and sneered again.

"Old Zhu, do you think I'm exaggerating? Fine, let me tell you about some of your good descendants."

"Let's start with Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun—he was the Wanli Emperor's most favored son and almost usurped the throne."

"When he was enfeoffed in Luoyang, he was granted 20,000 hectares of land!"

"The imperial court felt there wasn't enough fertile land in the Central Plains, so they sent people to Huguang and Shandong to plunder idle land!"

Chen Mo looked at Old Zhu.

"Do you know what this means? Tens of thousands of farmers instantly lost their ancestral property and became refugees!"

"His palace was filled with treasures plundered from Jiangnan, and it was said that he was fatter than the imperial palace."

"When Li Zicheng captured Luoyang, this Prince Fu, who weighed over 300 jin, could barely run."

"Legend has it that the rebels threw him and venison into a large pot, cooking it into a 'Feast of Fortune and Prosperity,' and then distributed the grain and money from his mansion to the starving people. Ask those who ate his 'Feast of Fortune and Prosperity,' do they hate you, this prince of the Zhu family?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's Adam's apple bobbed, and his face began to turn pale.

"Let's talk about the Prince of Shu, Zhu Zhishu! Zhang Xianzhong is about to enter Chengdu, and the soldiers defending the city are not even able to get food. They are requesting the Prince of Shu's palace to provide money to reward the army."

"Guess what this incredibly wealthy King of Shu said?"

He cried poverty, saying, "The royal treasury is empty, with only the Chengyun Hall remaining. You can dismantle it and sell it for military funds!" He would rather die with mountains of gold and silver than spend a single penny to defend his fiefdom!

"As a result, after the city fell, the gold and silver treasures that Zhang Xianzhong confiscated from his mansion piled up like mountains, becoming one of the most important sources of funding for the Great Western Army!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's breathing became heavy, his fists clenched tightly, and his nails dug into his palms.

"And there are also princes and generals who govern the country, scattered throughout the land."

"For example, Zhu Jixuan, the Prince of Qingcheng in Shanxi, had a hundred sons. Except for the eldest son who inherited the throne, all the other sons were appointed as generals who protected the country."

"You calculate how much rice this lineage consumes in a year?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang finally broke down, his face contorted in pain.

"All we want is for the Zhu family to live a better life!"

"Your Zhu family is certainly living well, but the common people are not."

Chen Mo shook his head.

"What I said before was just the tip of the iceberg!"

"In the late Ming Dynasty, some lower-ranking members of the imperial family, such as the 'Assistant Commandant of the State,' starved to death because they had too many descendants and the court could not provide them with enough rice. They were also prohibited from engaging in any of the four types of occupations according to regulations!"

"Your descendants, the Zhu family, will either die of obesity or starvation; you can't live like normal people!"

Chen Mo looked at Zhu Yuanzhang's increasingly ashen face and continued.

"Because they have no money, the imperial court can only desperately increase taxes! Squeezing food out of the people's mouths!"

"Why are the additional taxes levied—the Liaodong tax, the suppression tax, and the training tax—called the 'Three Taxes'?"

"It's because the national treasury has been emptied by your Zhu family descendants that we have no money to fight wars, so we can only squeeze more money out of the already emaciated people!"

"The result was more displaced people and more violent civil uprisings!"

Chen Mo took a deep breath and posed a soul-searching question.

"Old Zhu, do you still think the imperial court can afford to support you?"

Chen Mo snapped his fingers.

"When you initially enfeoffed the princes, you intended for them to 'protect the imperial family.'"

"But now, they have become the most greedy parasites on the empire, leeches that leech on the bones of millions of people!"

"Most of the men under the command of bandit leaders like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were peasants driven to desperation by your Zhu family descendants!"

"Think about it, isn't this the biggest irony?"

"The Ming Dynasty you, Zhu Yuanzhang, established, ultimately drove more people to rebellion by allowing your descendants to enjoy wealth and luxury!"

The dragon slayer eventually became the dragon.

Chen Mo paused, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a deep gaze, and said, word by word.

"If you were Zhu Chongba, you wouldn't be the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, but just an ordinary farmer in Shanxi at the end of the Ming Dynasty."

"Your few acres of meager land were seized by Prince Fu's estate, and your son was forced to build gardens for Prince Shu's palace but didn't receive any wages."

"Most of the grain you've painstakingly harvested throughout the year will be used to pay the Liaodong military stipends for supporting the royal families in various regions..."

"Look at those princes, riding fat horses and wearing fine furs, indulging in wine and meat, while your old mother starved to death on the road of fleeing famine..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened, and Chen Mo's words seemed to appear before his eyes as if they had materialized into a picture.

"At this moment, if you heard someone say, 'Open the city gates, welcome the rebel king, for when the rebel king arrives, we will not pay taxes,' what would you do?"

"When you hold a hoe and face the royal guard who killed your daughter and stole your last bit of rations, will you kneel down and shout 'Long live the Emperor! Long live the Prince!'"

"Do I still think of Zhu Chongba, who, unable to survive either, brandished his sword and shouted 'Expel the barbarians and restore China!' outside Haozhou City back then?!"

"boom--!!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was struck as if by lightning, and his whole body trembled violently.

What will he do?

He knew all too well what he was going to do!