Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 86: Confiscating property?

"I have my own arrangements for this matter; it has nothing to do with you!"

Zhu Houcong's tone suddenly became much harsher as he glared at Yan Maoqing and rebuked him.

It seems that if I don't put some pressure on this scoundrel, he will assume that I don't know about the 400,000 taels of silver and intend to swallow it all up as his private property!

This is no longer just squeezing money from between my fingers; it's turning the world upside down and snatching food from the dragon's mouth!
"Your Majesty, I have spoken out of turn. Please forgive me."

Upon seeing this, Yan Maoqing quickly bowed in apology, but then immediately pointed to the large wooden box that had entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation with him and continued,
"Besides these riches, I have also brought back other treasures for Your Majesty, which are equally not to be underestimated."

"What is this?"

Zhu Houcong had noticed the wooden box long ago, but Shen Lian's secret report did not mention it, and Yan Maoqing had not yet given him a chance to ask about it.

"These are the accounts that I risked my life to obtain from Anda."

Yan Maoqing turned around, opened the wooden box, took out two books, and presented them with both hands.

"These accounts involve details of smuggling between many Ming border generals and Altan Khan, including important provisions and military supplies, which were probably embezzled by those border generals."

"Now that the Tartar threat is no longer imminent, and the sovereign has these accounts, it is the best time to deal with these parasites that are clinging to the bone."

"If we can take this opportunity to clarify the military affairs of the border troops and re-verify the Yellow Register of military personnel, we can not only save the empty salaries swallowed by these border troops every year, but also ensure that the allocated food, salary and military funds in the future are used more effectively."

"The amount of silver saved in this way is not just tens of thousands of taels, not hundreds of thousands of taels, and certainly not four hundred thousand taels. I estimate it to be at least several million taels every year."

"Please take a look, Your Majesty!"

"Um?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houcong's eyes lit up again, and he immediately waved to Huang Jin:
"Huang Jin, bring this to me immediately!"

This box of accounts is a valuable resource; it's more than just about money.

If the right methods are used, this thing will involve military power, which even he has difficulty controlling now!
I never expected that Yan Maoqing would bring me such a huge surprise!

This matter was even more important, more crucial, and more surprising than that "ingenious plan"!

Zhu Houcong knew the true nature of the court. In fact, the court was a violent machine. The emperor's power was not bestowed by heaven, but rather derived from the control of the core violence, which was military power!
He quickly flipped through the accounts, looking at the shocking numbers.

While Zhu Houcong was filled with resentment, he had almost already figured out how to use this box of accounts.

It was certainly not as Yan Maoqing described, simply ordering the removal of the maggots clinging to the bone based on the evidence in the accounts.

Yan Maoqing is still too young. If this matter is handled in the way he thinks, not only will it fail, but there is also a great chance that the situation will spiral out of control in a more dangerous way. We must consider this carefully.

However, Zhu Houcong had to admit that Yan Maoqing had indeed given him many surprises this time, one after another!
In his mind, how could the value of this box of account books be merely a matter of millions of taels of silver per year?

This is priceless, even more valuable than the customs duties on coal!

but……

Did he just mention the phrase "400,000 taels"?
It turns out he already knew what I was talking about. He was playing his cards right in front of me, making it clear that he didn't want to hand over the 400,000 taels of silver.

What a bold move! What a huge appetite!
He never even considered sharing the profits with me; he always had the intention of taking everything for himself.
This bastard! Does he even respect me?!
it is good!
very good!

Very good!

Since that's the case, I no longer need to feign compliance with this scoundrel!

"Huang Jin, you step back and order all palace servants and guards not to approach within a hundred paces of the Hall of Mental Cultivation!"

……

A moment later, only Zhu Houcong and Yan Maoqing remained in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. "Yan Maoqing, kneel down first!"

Zhu Houcong's expression grew increasingly serious, and his tone became much colder.

"The minister obeys the order."

Yan Maoqing responded, having no choice but to bow to the evil forces before him, for in this era, the arm can never twist the thigh.

"Let me be frank with you. I will not punish you for the 400,000 taels of silver you extorted from Anda, considering your contributions on this trip."

Zhu Houcong snorted coldly, turned around, stood with his hands behind his back, and said in an unquestionable tone,

"As for the money, I will not take it all. I will allow you to keep 100,000 taels for your private use. You can kowtow and express your gratitude."

So you've started openly robbing people, huh?

Yan Maoqing never expected that Zhu Houcong, having gained such a great advantage, would actually stoop to such banditry. He was utterly shameless for such a small amount of money!

No wonder he dismissed Huang Jin and specifically ordered all palace servants and guards not to approach within a hundred paces of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

He's clearly afraid that if today's events get out, he'll lose face!

The Hall of Nourishing Heart!
What kind of heart does he have? Probably a black heart!
Four hundred thousand taels of silver, and that's not even from the Ming Dynasty. He's asking for a 30/10 split right off the bat. How can he even bring himself to ask for that?

"What, do you intend to disobey orders?"

Seeing that Yan Maoqing did not respond for a long time, Zhu Houcong frowned and turned around to exert pressure.

"Your Majesty, I do not understand what I have done wrong that Your Majesty would be so heartless as to confiscate my property?"

To everyone's surprise, Yan Maoqing stubbornly refused to kowtow and express his gratitude, and even dared to question him.

"I humbly beg Your Majesty to give me a reason for confiscating your property, otherwise I will find it difficult to accept!"

"Confiscate your property? When did I ever say I would confiscate your property?"

Zhu Houcong was both annoyed and amused upon hearing this.

What kind of bastard is this? I only split the accounts with him 30/30, but in his mouth it's like confiscating my property.
"If it weren't for the confiscation of their property, under what pretext would the Emperor and Father have planned to account for this money? How would they ensure that it wouldn't arouse private gossip and thus expose their ingenious scheme?"

Yan Maoqing then launched into a barrage of questions.

"And ultimately, is it to be allocated to the emperor's private treasury?"

"Or should it be assigned to Taicang under the Ministry of Revenue?"

"If it were to be allocated to the emperor's private treasury, and then squandered by the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Directorate of Imperial Horses, and the Directorate of Palace Attendants, how much of the 300,000 taels of silver would actually be used by the emperor and play its due role?"

"If the 300,000 taels of silver were allocated to the Ministry of Revenue's granary and then approved by officials at each level before reaching the lower levels, how much of it would actually be used for national affairs and government matters, reflecting the emperor's love for the people?"

"Forgive my bluntness, but this 300,000 taels of silver is exactly the full amount in my possession."

“Once it reaches the hands of the emperor, it will still be 300,000 taels even if it is not weighed, but if it is weighed, it may not even be able to weigh down a 3,000 tael weight.”

"After all, the world belongs to the sovereign. I have heard about these things. How could the sovereign not know?"

“Since Your Majesty is aware of the situation, why does he not consider how to reform the rampant corruption among officials, but instead treats me poorly because of a mere three thousand small gains? I am but a newly appointed scholar, how dare I harbor any resentment?”

"At worst, I'll kowtow in gratitude, retire, and return to my hometown!"

(End of this chapter)