The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 132 Raising a Hand

"Thanks to Your Majesty's sagacious virtue and Your Highness's courage in taking on responsibilities, the disaster is finally coming to an end. As for the corrupt officials, they will naturally be arrested, imprisoned, and sentenced. However, there are some items that involve a large number of people. We beg Your Highness to be lenient and allow us to take them away. We will be forever grateful for Your Highness's kindness."

Everyone bowed and pleaded. Zhu Zaizhen picked up his teacup, moistened his lips with it, and then slowly said, "Wouldn't that be considered covering up a crime?"

The son of the Vice Minister of Revenue quickly said, "No, no, Your Highness, you are wise. These are all old stories."

Zhu Zaizhen pointed at the sons of officials: "Your fathers and brothers all came from the imperial examination system. They studied the classics diligently, cultivated themselves, managed their families, governed the country, and brought peace to the world. Yet, they couldn't even control the servants in their own homes."

"I've already turned a blind eye, not wanting my servants to get too involved, but now it seems there's solid evidence in the merchants' hands. Do you still dare to ask me to lift a hand?"

"We are guilty," the men said hoarsely, their heads almost buried in their chests.

"If you're guilty, go to the Ministry of Justice. What are you doing here?"

"This—I beg Your Highness to save us."

Zhu Zaizhen remained silent for a moment before speaking: "You should go back first. Let bygones be bygones. If you sincerely repent, I will consider your actions."

Seeing that they still refused to leave, Zhu Shitai, who knew Prince Jing best among them, immediately shouted, "Get back now! His Highness has already given you a way out, what more do you want?"

Lu Wei whispered, "Fool, hand over all the stolen money first!"

Those people suddenly realized what was happening. Seeing that King Jing's expression was indifferent and noncommittal, they assumed that this meant he had tacitly agreed.

"Yes, yes, we'll go back and make the preparations right away."

Overjoyed, they thanked them profusely and retreated, their steps unsteady and weak with the relief of surviving a disaster. The chaotic footsteps disappeared at the end of the stairs.

The private room suddenly fell silent, with only the occasional crackling sound of silver charcoal going in and out of the brazier. The atmosphere was even more subtly awkward than when there were more people earlier.

It's a matter for everyone, but Your Highness is handling it in two groups. The meaning is quite clear: either those who left will suffer greatly, or those who stayed behind will suffer greatly.

Zhu Zaizhen took the initiative to speak, his tone slightly helpless: "I visited you all some time ago to borrow grain, and you all supported me. I mentioned at the time that I remembered this favor, but I didn't expect to have to repay it so soon."

There's a saying that goes, "Politics without human touch is short-lived."

The more Zhu Zaizhen wanted to get things done, the less he could stand against everyone; he had to learn to win over people who had value in united front work.

Although the nobles are in a bit of a sorry state now, their roots are still connected to the royal family.

Just like this disaster relief effort, as long as the methods are appropriate, they can still contribute. Moreover, Xun Gui can't just run away; it's easy to deal with him.

So the homes of those civil officials were to be searched, but Xun Gui's were to be searched with a light touch.

The tense expressions on everyone's faces immediately relaxed; thankfully, we weren't the ones who were in trouble.

Zhu Shitai sighed and cupped his hands, saying, "I am ashamed. Just as I said to Your Highness that day, we may appear glamorous and wealthy from the outside, but with so many people, it is not easy to maintain a respectable social life. We inevitably have to do some business."

Zhang Yuangong raised his hand and adjusted his brocade fox fur coat, echoing, "Take the Duke of Ying's mansion for example. There are more than a hundred members of the collateral branches of the clan and distant relatives who depend on it, and nearly three hundred stewards, guards, and servants in the mansion."

During festivals, relatives visit each other, officials entertain each other, and people buy clothes and food in all four seasons. The annual expenses amount to tens of thousands of taels of silver. The annual salary of the imperial court is only a little over a thousand taels. Even if there are thousands of acres of fertile land left by ancestors, droughts and floods will inevitably reduce production and land rent will be reduced sharply, so there is still a large shortfall in expenses.

Without acquiring shops and investing in businesses, the vast Duke's mansion would have long since run out of money.

Lu Bing's younger brother hurriedly added, "My elder brother is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, spending his days navigating the court and investigating officials. He has neglected the household affairs. The one who got into trouble this time is my distant cousin. Relying on the Lu family's power, he moved between the Ministry of Revenue and Shuntian Prefecture, fraudulently claiming relief grain using fictitious household registers. He pocketed most of the money and only gave a small amount to the household—"

"I understand the difficulties you face, as aristocratic families have multiplied over generations and their branches are numerous and complex." Zhu Zaizhen put down his teacup, leaned back slightly in his pearwood chair, and glanced at Zhu Shitai, Zhang Yuangong, and the others.

"The government's salary certainly can't support a large family living in luxury and maintaining a respectable image. Making a profit through business is not a big deal, but even without looking at the accounts, I know this matter is definitely not as simple as you say."

These words made everyone somewhat embarrassed, but they could only lower their heads and say, "Your Highness is right. We have failed the Emperor's grace and are ashamed before our ancestors."

""

The purpose of exposing them is to let them know that talking nonsense is useless, I know the whole story, and they can't fool me.

Only then would his raising of his hand have meaning; otherwise, these people would only think that Prince Jing is easy to fool, and that he could get away with just a few words of coaxing and a few complaints.

Zhu Shitai raised an eyebrow at them, as if to say, "See? I told you Prince Jing was formidable and not to be underestimated. Last time, it wasn't that I was incapable; I simply couldn't withstand him."

"All the families handed over the embezzled silver, and the servants and collateral relatives involved were handed over to the Shuntian Prefecture for legal prosecution. The master family was no longer implicated."

It would be good to get money without raiding someone's home; raiding is just a means, not an end.

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness."

At this moment, Li Yangong, the eldest son of Marquis Linhuai, knelt down and said, "My family is willing to pay double the amount of silver. The real culprit is my uncle, whom my grandmother cherishes dearly. If he is punished according to the law, I am afraid there are things in my family that I cannot bear to say. I humbly beg Your Highness to have mercy."

The others immediately followed suit, kneeling and kowtowing. Their families were in similar situations, and they would definitely try to protect their homes if possible.

The two dukes didn't care about the outsiders being in charge, but they still bowed and clasped their hands in respect. After all, the person in charge of this kind of thing must be a trusted confidant of the family. If they were to interrogate him, it might bring up other matters. It was better to spend more money to settle things peacefully.

After being pestered by them for a while, Zhu Zaizhen finally nodded slightly, which could be considered a reluctant agreement.

Everyone's faces immediately lit up with joy, and the huge weight that had been hanging over their hearts all night was finally lifted.

"Your Highness is kind and magnanimous, and considerate of those in difficulty. We will remember this in our hearts and will do our best if needed."

Zhu Zaizhen raised his hand to signal everyone to stand up: "No need for formalities. The reason for pardoning you is not to bend the law for personal gain, but because everyone has contributed their efforts, donated grain, and worked hard to help with the disaster relief in the capital region, which has benefited the people and the court."

These words restored everyone's dignity, and they all said they would continue to serve King Jing.

So everyone went downstairs and set off again, heading straight out of the city. In the carriage, only Ma Dezhao was left to serve him. Zhu Zaizhen rubbed his eyes wearily and muttered, "Big rat, big rat, don't eat my millet. I've served you for three years, yet you don't care about me."

"My dear friend, since ancient times, rats have been hunted every year, yet they are never eradicated; corrupt officials have been killed every year, yet corrupt officials still emerge generation after generation. When will this end?"

Ma Dezhao comforted him, saying, "It's human nature; even with mountains of gold and silver, people are still never satisfied."

"Your Highness, you have saved countless lives; that alone is a merit. There is no need to think of anything else."

"Heh, how can I not want to? This silver isn't enough, how can I let Father Emperor hold the religious ceremony in peace? The Great Gao Xuan Palace will continue construction in the spring, the materials for alchemy need to be purchased from all over the country, and Father Emperor also needs some silver to reward people during the New Year—"

They soon arrived at the destination. Qi Jiguang and Chen Zhao led the people to pay their respects. Mules and a large amount of gold, silver and treasures were piled up on the spot. The two main criminals were stripped naked and tied to wooden stakes, while the accomplices were imprisoned in the warehouse.

Those most important boxes of account books were kept in a separate room, guarded by members of the Lu family. No one was allowed to approach without Qi Jiguang's permission.

Surrounded by the crowd, Zhu Zaizhen approached Qi Jiguang, Chen Zhao, and the others, saying, "Well done, thank you for your hard work."

The group led by Qi Jiguang consisted of a small number of Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), Shuntian Prefecture (military service), and many displaced young men. Because they included people from all sides, they kept a close eye on each other.

"We dare not complain of our hard work."

"It is only right that those who have made contributions should be rewarded. Those who receive a salary from the imperial court will be rewarded and promoted, while those who do not belong to the imperial court will each receive two taels of silver and one shi of grain."

Upon hearing this, over a hundred people cheered and expressed their gratitude. They were willing to travel in the freezing snow for the sake of Prince Jing's reward.

Among everyone, the one who surprised Zhu Zaizhen the most was Chen Zhao. Even though there was something incriminating about the Lu family, he didn't try to cover it up.

That makes sense. With such a small amount of evidence of embezzlement and bribery, it would be difficult to bring down even a minor official, let alone the emperor's close relative. Lu Bing had been reported for embezzlement more than once or twice in recent years.

If you don't admit it, it's as if it never happened. If you admit it, the emperor will scold you a few times and then issue an edict to kill the person who bribed him, and that's the end of the matter.

The gold and silver treasures in the warehouse were not sent to the Ministry of Revenue, but were directly taken back to the palace by the Warriors Battalion. Huang Chengye and other officials of the Ministry of Revenue were beheaded and their property confiscated. The porters were locked up in the warehouse until the Canal Gang came and gave them an explanation.

As for the masked man who wanted to burn the account books, he was now curled up naked to the side, and judging from the color of his skin, he was probably only a moment away from freezing to death.

Li Yangong quickly stepped forward, but Zhu Zaizhen didn't even bother to look at him, simply saying, "Take him away."

The most important thing was those boxes of account books. Under everyone's tense gaze, Zhu Zaizhen had a chair brought out and sat down at the door of the small room, personally flipping through each book one by one.

The sound of turning pages was particularly clear in the silence. The waiting princes held their breath and watched intently. Occasionally, when they caught a glimpse of Prince Jing's finger lingering on a certain page for a while, their hearts tightened.

Zhu Zaizhen would occasionally look up at them, and wherever his gaze fell, they all looked dejected and ashamed.

"Hmph." Zhu Zaizhen snorted coldly, tossed the account book onto the table beside him, and said, "Take a look for yourself."

Only then did everyone dare to step forward, carefully picking up their respective account books and flipping through them. Upon reading them, they immediately understood the significance of His Highness's earlier act of leniency.

This is not just the accounts of Zhu Shouyi's family, but those of their entire merchant guild and businesses. The accounts are so detailed and the connections so wide that if the investigation were to be carried out thoroughly, the Ministry of Revenue and the officials in charge of the Grand Canal would all be held accountable.

Zhu Shitai was the first to close the account book, then turned and quietly instructed his servant: "Return to the manor immediately and gather the figures. Do not delay for even a moment."

The others seemed to wake up from a dream, and they all quietly sent people back to their residences to fetch the silver, but they still held onto the account books tightly and refused to hand them over voluntarily.

Zhu Zaizhen didn't say anything. If it really involved a large number of people, and he insisted on pursuing the matter, his father would probably have to leave the pass to quell the rebellion, and all his merits would become mistakes.

For the Emperor, maintaining stability is paramount; how could worldly matters interfere with the cultivation of immortality?

After a long time, the warehouse was almost empty. Zhu Shitai and the others looked at each other and quickly guessed where the silver and the silver they were about to take had ended up.

That's good. It's better to be filial to one's father and ruler than to give it away to those poor, unruly people.

Hey, Your Highness Prince Jing, your future is truly bright and limitless!

I heard that His Highness is about to take up his residence. The Prince Jing's residence is great; I should visit it more often and send more gifts!

Zhu Zaizhen ignored them and instead summoned Lu Bai to deliver a message to Zhang Juzheng and Xu Wei, instructing them to examine the account books to determine who could have their property confiscated immediately and who needed to have it confiscated slowly and systematically.

If those above remain unmoved, those below will be made an example of, and the Emperor can eat and drink his fill. Moreover, since his methods are against the rules, impeachments will be inevitable afterward. It's all good.

He was also afraid of attracting too much attention. As it turned out, the reputation of the wise prince was often a burden, especially for his sensitive and suspicious father.

The Zhu family produced a great sage. What's the difference between that and a cotton ball popping out of a ditch?

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