How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 23 I have over two thousand brave men who have slain Tartars! (Bonus chapters for the Alliance Leader)
Inside the warm pavilion of Qianqing Palace.

Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo knelt in the middle, while Duke Zhu Chunchen of Chengguo and Duke Xu Xigao of Dingguo knelt on either side. The three men's foreheads were pressed against the cold gold brick floor, and their bodies, dressed in mourning clothes, trembled slightly from heavy breathing.

"Your Majesty, we are ashamed before the founding emperor and the last emperor, and before all the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty!" Zhang Weixian straightened up abruptly, tears streaming down his face. "My ancestors... were utterly foolish, seizing 50,000 mu of military farmland in Shuntian and Yongping prefectures... Today, I am willing to return it all, not a single penny more! I beg Your Majesty to forgive our ancestors' sins, considering their meager contributions in the Jingnan Campaign!"

After saying that, he kowtowed heavily again with a "thud," his forehead hitting the gold brick with a muffled sound like a drumbeat.

Zhu Youjian sat on the dragon-embroidered imperial chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping the cool jade paperweight. Beneath the paperweight were three memorials of apology, the ink still wet—each word written as if weeping, all pleading for mercy on behalf of their ancestors, the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Rebellion, who had long since died but were now being "punished."

These three dukes themselves might not be that greedy (at least Zhang Weixian was somewhat decent), but every bit of their wealth and status came from their ancestors' plundering of military farmland. They were just like those pretentious nobles in Jiangnan, outwardly appearing "clean-handed," but secretly pocketing all the benefits from salt, tea, and silk, paying not a single penny in taxes, yet still calling themselves paragons of virtue! Did they never consider that if the imperial court were to fall, what would become of them, the eggs in their nest?
"Your Majesty, my ancestors were foolish enough to seize 18,000 mu of military farmland in Xuanfu..." Duke Zhu Chunchen of Chengguo bowed even lower, his voice trembling with sobs, but if you listened carefully, you could also hear a trace of heartache in it. "Your Majesty, I am willing to offer this to you as military pay, to atone for one ten-thousandth of my ancestors' sins..." He deliberately gave a fraction of the amount, as if this was already cutting off a piece of his heart.

Duke Dingguo, Xu Xigao, took a deep breath, straightened his back abruptly, and raised his head. His voice was hoarse from excitement: "Your Majesty, my crime is even greater! My ancestors seized 50,000 mu of farmland and military settlements in Jizhou and Changping—I have no face to see anyone. I am willing to return it all to the court, leaving not an inch behind! I implore Your Majesty to punish me severely, so that others may learn from this!" The number he reported was the same as Zhang Weixian's, but his attitude seemed more sincere.

"Excellent!" Zhu Youjian clapped his hands sharply, a smile appearing on his face. "The Duke of Dingguo is loyal and devoted, a good example among the noble families!"

Fifty thousand mu? The Xu family has been managing this land for over two hundred years; this amount is probably not even a fraction of their wealth! However, this attitude is much better than Zhu Chunchen's. Both are Dukes, yet Zhang Weixian and Xu Xigao handed over fifty thousand mu, while you, Fatty Zhu, only offered eighteen thousand? Were your ancestors not greedy enough?
But now is not the time to worry about that. 118,000 mu... that's worth 1,180 Tartar heads!
Most importantly, we must quickly distribute these lands to the brave warriors who have rendered meritorious service in Jizhou!
As long as these Jizhou soldiers become my loyal followers, I can firmly control the more than 20,000 men (both men and women) in the Imperial Horse Administration.

The Beijing Garrison, controlled by nobles? It has tens of thousands on paper, but how many are actually there? And who knows if they even have a few thousand capable of fighting?
Therefore, the advantage lies with me!

Emperor Chongzhen stood up and walked to the three men, his footsteps so light they were almost silent, yet the pressure he exerted was like a mountain pressing down on them. “Redemption fields, fines… the greater the crime, the more one must pay; the more one pays, the lesser the crime.” His voice wasn’t loud, but every word struck a chord in their hearts. His tone suddenly rose: “Three Dukes, do you agree?”

"Your Majesty is wise! Your grace is boundless!" The three men were sweating profusely and kowtowed repeatedly.

"118,000 mu..." Zhu Youjian calculated silently in his mind, his smile deepening, but his gaze swept over Zhu Chunchen's hunched, obese back like a knife. "Hmm, the Duke of Cheng's 18,000 mu... quite a precise calculation. Enough to buy 180 Tartar heads." He paused deliberately, watching with satisfaction as Zhu Chunchen's thick shoulders twitched uncontrollably, before slowly continuing, "But in the battle of Jizhou, 7,300 Tartar heads were chopped off! If all the nobles and relatives in the capital were as sensible and loyal to the emperor as the three of you, this hole... could surely be filled, right?"

Zhang Weixian clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve. The Emperor had set a price: 730,000 mu... still more than 600,000 mu short, and that was the amount that the nobles of the capital had to pay!
That's incredibly cruel!

But recalling the rows of salted human heads on the Jishuitan drill ground, and the unwavering loyalty of the 30,000 Jizhou soldiers to the emperor, he gritted his teeth and forced out a voice from his throat: "Your Majesty, we...we are willing to contact each household and will certainly gather enough land for Your Majesty! It's good...it's good to show our patriotism!"

The three of them hunched over and backed out of the warm pavilion, each step feeling as heavy as lead.

Zhu Chunchen lagged behind, his wide, plain robe soaked with cold sweat. The emperor's seemingly casual glance and the subtle chill he exuded when he mentioned "18,000 mu" had sent shivers down his spine, almost making him wet his pants.

But the thought of the 730,000 mu of "contributed land" quota made his heart ache.

This 730,000 mu is just the blood that the nobles of the capital have to shed... and there's a whole bunch of hereditary military officials waiting to bleed from below!
What's even more terrifying is... after the Emperor finishes clearing the land, will he then go on to rectify the vacancies in the four garrisons of Ji, Xuanfu, Datong, and Changping, as well as the Beijing Garrison? For Zhu Chunchen, this matter is even more critical!
Because he had always served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army Battalion, the largest of the three major battalions... The Fifth Army Battalion had a quota of over 100,000 soldiers! But the actual number was only tens of thousands, the rest were all vacancies. Even the actual number was largely occupied by officers at all levels who "occupied" their positions.

It's better if they don't investigate. But if they really investigate thoroughly... he doesn't know how much land he'll have to pay as atonement and how much money he'll have to pay as compensation... He's embezzled too much. What can be done about this?
……

"Wei Banban".

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youjian's voice, cold as an icicle, pierced the silence without warning. Wei Zhongxian shuddered, fell to his knees with a thud, and slammed his forehead heavily against the brick: "This...this old servant is here!"

"Ms. Ke has accused you of seizing large tracts of land in Cangzhou and Jinghai," Zhu Youjian's voice was devoid of emotion. "Is this true?"

"This old servant...this old servant..." Wei Zhongxian trembled like a leaf, his face covered in snot and tears. "This old servant is confused! This old servant deserves to die! I am willing...willing to offer 100,000 mu of land to atone for my sins! I beg Your Majesty to have mercy!" He said this number with his heart bleeding, but he dared not not offer it—the emperor could even pickle the head of Shu Bu into preserved meat and bring it back, so dealing with him, the Ninth Prince, would be a piece of cake.

One hundred thousand mu? Chongzhen sneered inwardly. Your family has probably seized over a million mu of land over the years! And now you're only willing to give up one-tenth of it? It seems I've been too soft-hearted!

And then there's Zhu Chunchen... Just thinking of that name sent a surge of violent energy rushing to Zhu Youjian's head! It was this fat pig who, in his previous life, ate for free and drank the blood of his soldiers in the Beijing garrison. By the time Li Zicheng's army reached the city walls, all his soldiers had vanished!
A chilling killing intent flashed uncontrollably in Zhu Youjian's eyes. Though it was only for a moment, it plunged Wei Zhongxian, who was kneeling below, into an icy abyss, his cries caught in his throat. He wanted to add more, but dared not speak.

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger. He bent down, staring at Wei Zhongxian's disheveled, graying hair, his voice low and chillingly calm: "Eunuch Wei... I've said it before, you have an immunity token... I'm reasonable. This token will definitely protect you from death." He deliberately paused, letting the words "immunity" resonate in Wei Zhongxian's mind, "But..."

The word "but" was like a sword hanging over his head, making Wei Zhongxian instantly breathless and breaking out in a cold sweat! He understood that while he could escape the death penalty, he couldn't escape punishment! This life-or-death situation was about to begin!
Zhu Youjian straightened up, his face now calm, as if the fleeting murderous intent from just moments ago had never appeared: "Go, make sure you have a clear inventory of the land deeds for those 100,000 mu of land, and bring them to me."

"This old servant...this old servant obeys the decree! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Wei Zhongxian felt as if he had been granted a pardon, kowtowing repeatedly, and scrambling out as if a ghost were chasing him.

Zhu Youjian watched his hasty retreating figure, as if talking to himself: "Alas, it's not that I necessarily want to make trouble for this old dog. It's just that he's amassed far too much... For a powerful eunuch like him, amassed two or three hundred thousand taels of silver, enough to buy several thousand acres of land for his retirement and to provide for his descendants, would be enough. To be so greedy, he can't spend it all, he can't hold onto it, and he's only brought about his own demise. What's the point?"

He shook his head, flicked his sleeve, turned around, and called out to the foot of the steps, "Wang Chengen!"

"This servant is here!" Wang Chengen responded and quickly stepped forward, standing respectfully with his hands at his sides.

"Issue my decree," Zhu Youjian said in a steady voice, "From today onwards, my meals will be prepared by the Princess Consort of Xin (Zhou Yufeng). You will personally oversee all the ingredients, pots, pans, and utensils."

Wang Chengen's expression hardened, and he bowed deeply: "This servant obeys! I will stay by your side at all times, and I would never dare to make the slightest mistake, even at the cost of my life!"

Xu Yingyuan, who was standing nearby, rolled his eyes and quickly stepped forward, lowering his voice: "Your Majesty, the nobles are very powerful. Although Wei the eunuch has had his henchmen removed, his influence is still deep... Just to be on the safe side, why not send Eunuch Wei to Nanhai for 'quiet recuperation'? That would save us the trouble..."

"No need." Zhu Youjian waved his hand decisively. "Wei Zhongxian is, after all, an old man left behind by my elder brother. Even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner. I will only take back what he shouldn't have taken; what he deserves, he will have every last penny." He glanced at Xu Yingyuan and Wang Chengen. "So, keep a close eye on him! Inside and outside the Qianqing Palace, around me, no one is allowed to touch him! Understand?"

"We understand!" Xu Yingyuan and Wang Chengen replied in unison, their hearts tightening. Yet, a warmth warmed their hearts... Although the Emperor was ruthless, he still had his limits.

Zhu Youjian then whispered his orders: "The guards of the Qianqing Palace, Wenhua Hall, and Huangji Hall must be strengthened... Use the imperial guards who returned from Jizhou!"

He muttered to himself, "I now have more than two thousand brave men who have cut off the heads of Tartars. I'll see who dares to touch me!"

(End of this chapter)