Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 35 Stop talking nonsense, you're on the list!
Upon hearing this, a sharp light suddenly flashed in the eyes of everyone in the room.

Grand Secretary Shi Fenglai was the first to speak, asking, "Do you know where His Majesty's destination is on his tour?"

The official who had just spoken sneered, "His Majesty's will is unpredictable. We didn't even receive any prior notice of his departure from the palace, let alone his inspection tour."

At this moment, an official from Fujian spoke up:

"Although we cannot know the destination of His Majesty's tour, we can glean some clues from His Majesty's recent actions and various court affairs."

Upon hearing this, everyone calmly turned to look at him.

After taking a sip of the fragrant tea that had been brought as tribute from Jiangnan, the man said unhurriedly, "The national treasury is empty and the government is in crisis. His Majesty has already confiscated the property of many people since taking office."

"The silver confiscated from the Embroidered Uniform Guard alone amounted to two or three million taels."

"But frankly speaking, this amount of money can't even cover the military pay owed in Liaodong, let alone the deficits in other provinces."

"However, even with His Majesty's swift and decisive measures, he cannot replenish the national treasury indefinitely through this method, so I speculate..."

"His Majesty's final destination on his tour is most likely the Jiangnan region or the southeastern coastal area."

Speaking of it.

The official then stopped speaking and continued to sip the fragrant tea in his cup.

Everyone immediately understood what he meant.

Continuing to confiscate assets is not a long-term solution. To fundamentally solve the fiscal problem, a healthy tax system is needed.

The most prosperous regions in the Ming Dynasty, which could provide the most tax revenue, were none other than the Jiangnan region and the southeastern coastal area.

The Emperor's various actions these past few days seem to have a reasonable explanation under this speculation.

The ultimate goal of training internal martial arts practitioners, controlling the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and confiscating property and embezzling silver was to reform taxation in Jiangnan.

But how could an emperor who has only been on the throne for a little over a month possibly control the tax revenue from the Jiangnan region?!

Do you know that even the founding emperor and the founding emperor did not dare to go too far in these places?

Among the crowd, Shi Fenglai was the first to speak up: "In that case, I will write a letter home tomorrow and have a trusted confidant send it back to my home in Zhejiang by fast horse."

Several other officials nodded in agreement, saying, "We are the same."

Although no one said it explicitly, the meaning was already quite clear.

If the Emperor dares to come, then don't go back.

Whether it's drowning or catching fire, there's always a way to die that applies to the Ming emperor.

Do they really think eight hundred guards can run rampant and be invincible?!
To be honest, they didn't want to push things too far.

If the emperor was just causing trouble in the capital, they would accept it even if it meant killing hundreds of officials in a single day.

Because killing the emperor is not something that can be easily accomplished by simply talking about it; it requires paying a huge price.

Moreover, historical records inevitably leave behind some clues that allow future generations to speculate.

But such actions as touring the Jiangnan region.

It is fundamentally different from ordinary power struggles.

It's not just a certain Grand Secretary, a certain high-ranking official, or a certain aristocratic family with a century-old tradition that's affected.
It's the entire class!

Class struggle has always been a matter of life and death.

Is it merely because you are the so-called emperor of the Ming Dynasty?

Are we really going to hand over all the wealth and power that we've painstakingly accumulated over generations through sweat and hard work?
Daydreaming!

For a while.

The officials, who were from the south, looked at each other and nodded in perfect unison.

However, Grand Secretary Huang Lijie did not join in at this time.

He glanced at another cabinet minister, Li Guopu, and then slowly shook his head, saying, "I'm afraid things are not as simple as you say."

The Fujian official who had just spoken glanced at Huang Liji and said sarcastically, "Oh?! What brilliant idea does Chief Minister Huang have? Why don't you share it?"

Cooperation is cooperation, and yin and yang are yin and yang; the two are not in conflict.

Huang Liji calmly said, "With His Majesty's shrewdness, how could he not have considered the things you all just mentioned?"

"Moreover, Jiangnan is a thousand miles away from the capital, and His Majesty probably wouldn't take such a big risk."

The man interjected, "Does Chief Minister Huang mean that the Emperor won't go to such lengths instead of seeking what's near?" Huang Lijie and Li Guopu exchanged a glance.

Both of them came from prominent families in Hebei.

Geographically speaking, Hebei is closer to the capital, so the emperor will probably choose the closer one to attack first.

Although Hebei is far less prosperous than the Jiangnan region, it is safer and faster.

After comparing the options, Hebei seemed to have become the best choice for the emperor's external tours.

The officials, mostly from the south, didn't respond further; their attitude was clear:
This is a matter for you in the North; we will neither help nor cause trouble.

Huang Lijie and Li Guopu were not displeased at all.

Now that they had guessed the emperor might come, they decided to make preparations in advance.

Ever since.

With the discussion about the Emperor's possible tour of the country coming to an end, the elders finally felt like eating.

The atmosphere in the room immediately became much lighter.

As for other provinces where the emperor might make an external tour, they didn't even consider it.

Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi, and Liaodong.
From the perspective of those in power, it's impossible for them to go to such an extremely dangerous place where there's no profit to be made.

While all sides were still racking their brains to guess the Emperor's intentions.

The Imperial Guards are making arrests silently.

"My lord! I'm innocent! I've never done anything illegal or despicable!"

"Stop talking nonsense, your name is on the list!"

Then they would unleash a flurry of punches and kicks – that was the procedure for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As for whether there was any resistance? For example, from large gangs with enough thugs.

If it were a few days ago...

If we send these low-ranking officers to arrest people, they might actually be the ones who get beaten up.

But now the authority of the emperor has deeply penetrated people's hearts.

Rumors circulate among the people that the new emperor is extremely bloodthirsty, and that if he doesn't get a good night's sleep, he'll summon hundreds of people to kill for fun.

In addition, with their flying fish robes and embroidered spring knives representing a portion of imperial power, who would dare to resist them?

Moreover, these local thugs and bullies probably already knew this.

This is just a new broom sweeping clean.

Go back home and get a beating; after a while, with some bribes, you'll be back to lording it over everyone.

If we really rebel, wouldn't we be traitors?!
Therefore, a single team of Imperial Guards could often capture dozens of prisoners at once.

But.

With so many people to arrest, there are bound to be a few who are a bit tougher.

For example, the manager of a money exchange.

This money exchange was engaged in usury, operating a nine-out-of-thirteen-out loan business, and also ran a gambling den.

Over the years, countless families have been ruined and lives lost because of this.

Of course, anyone who dares to do this kind of business must have some powerful backer.

So when the Imperial Guards stormed into the money shop to arrest the man, the manager with the mustache simply smiled calmly and said:

"My lords, I am merely a person who lends money to the people. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"

"Moreover, if this matter alarms the Marquis, it may be difficult to handle the situation later."

　Ahem. The things about Jiangnan are actually probably more exaggerated than you might imagine.

　　To give a simple example: the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden, and other famous gardens were built by families of officials who were not very famous in history and were "disappointed in their official careers".

　　This was built several hundred years ago, under the conditions of limited productivity.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)