How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 41 The Enemy is in Beijing (Please add to your favorites and read on)

The vermilion gates of the Qianqing Palace slowly opened, and Zhou Yufeng, leading Tian Xiuying and Madam Yuan, stood before the steps. Seeing Emperor Chongzhen arrive through the snow, the three women curtsied in unison.

"His Majesty is back." Zhou Yufeng took two steps forward to greet him, noticing the joy on his face. "I think there's something good happening at court today?"

Chongzhen grabbed her hand: "Great news! Great news indeed!" His voice was clear and bright. "The Duke of Ying's mansion has handed over 130,000 mu of land! Wei Zhongxian has donated one million mu of land and 1.5 million taels of silver! Add to that the contributions made by Cui Chengxiu, Zhou Yingqiu, Tian Ji, and the others... a total of more than 2.2 million taels of silver and 1.36 million mu of fertile land!"

He smiled and led Zhou Yufeng into the hall: "Disaster relief in Shaanxi, military pay for the nine border regions, rewards for Liaodong..." He did some calculations, and the smile on his lips faded slightly, "Allow another 1.5 million taels to repair my brother's mausoleum, oh dear, we're still far from enough!"

Zhou Yufeng said softly, "Isn't there still more than 1.3 million mu of land?"

"Yes, yes!" Chongzhen composed himself. "I plan to allocate over 300,000 mu of land to the Imperial Guards, and the remaining one million mu to the Jizhou Garrison for rent collection. Each mu yields 50 jin of wheat rent per year, which is 50 million jin! If each of the 100,000 border soldiers receives 500 jin, it will barely be enough for a year's consumption." He lowered his voice and muttered to himself, "As long as we can survive until the year of Ji Si, the Ming Dynasty will be able to breathe a sigh of relief."

Tian Xiuying brought him a hot towel to wash his hands, and smiled gently, "Your Majesty is incredibly resourceful." Madam Yuan tugged at Zhou Yufeng's sleeve and said softly, "Princess Consort, is that little bit of wheat rent really enough for the whole family?"

"Silly girl." Zhou Yufeng pinched her fingertips. "Soldiers not only receive grain rations, but also pay from the court." She looked up at Chongzhen. "Although I don't understand military and national affairs, I know that Your Majesty cares about the soldiers."

The four moved into the west warm room. The charcoal fire warmed the room, and on the round sandalwood table sat a blue and white porcelain bowl, with fish balls, meat cakes, and meat dumplings floating in the milky white soup.

"This is 'Jingzhou Three Delicacies' that I made according to His Majesty's recipe." Tian Xiuying pointed to the large bowl, her dimples appearing slightly. "I minced the fish, and Sister Yuan chopped the meat!"

Madam Yuan stamped her feet in frustration: "It was clearly Princess Consort who made the fish paste! Sister Tian only stirred it a couple of times with her chopsticks..."

Emperor Chongzhen laughed and sat down. Zhou Yufeng sat down next to him and greeted Tian and Yuan, "Sit down, we're family, no need for formalities." Tian Xiuying glanced at Emperor Chongzhen's expression before carefully sitting down on half of the embroidered stool next to Yuan.

“After the coronation ceremony on the seventeenth,” Chongzhen tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks, “you two will have to ask the Empress for your own favors regarding your positions as concubines.” He turned to Zhou Yufeng, “The affairs of the inner palace are entirely up to the Empress.”

Zhou Yufeng smiled gently: "My two younger sisters are so well-behaved and lovely, I will take good care of them." She then composed herself and said seriously, "If my father and brothers rely on their status as relatives of the emperor..."

She was actually asking this to Consort Yuan and Consort Tian. She had great confidence in her father and brothers!
"If you reach out, you will be caught!" Chongzhen interrupted her, a cold glint in his eyes. "My blade will not hesitate to cut down nobles and eunuchs, nor will it hesitate to cut down relatives of the empress! You three remember this: if your family dares to embezzle a single penny or seize an acre of land," he dipped his fingertip in water and drew a line on the table, "I will never forgive them!"

In the quiet of the warm chamber, Tian Xiuying's face turned pale, and Madam Yuan twisted her handkerchief, not daring to raise her head. Zhou Yufeng reached out and covered Chongzhen's hand with her warm palm, her words full of confidence: "I understand."

In the flower hall of the Duke of Cheng's mansion, the silver charcoal burned bright red.

Zhu Chunchen sat in the main seat, his plain-colored python robe highlighting his deep expression. He slowly and deliberately stirred his teacup, a calculating look in his eyes.

Although his collusion with Hudun Tuhan hasn't been exposed yet, the truth will eventually come out! Now that Wei Zhongxian has "knelt down" and the British Duke has "submitted," he might be next. If His Majesty is determined to cause trouble, a thorough investigation will surely expose him!

That's a "commuter visa"!
We have to make a fuss to let the Emperor know that the Ming Dynasty cannot exist without the nobles and military families of the nine border regions!

He put down his teacup and glanced at the people below him. Duke Dingguo, Xu Xigao, was frowning in thought, Marquis Funing, Zhu Guobi, was tapping the table with his knuckles, Marquis Fengcheng, Li Chengzuo, was serving tea as a cover, and Earl Xiangcheng, Li Shouqi, was twirling beads and looking down.

"The Duke of Ying's mansion... 130,000 mu of land." Zhu Chunchen's voice was not loud. "Lord Zhang is very righteous. His withdrawal has benefited his son Zhang Zhiji, the commander-in-chief of the Five Armies... a promising young man."

He sipped his tea and continued, "Eunuch Wei is even more generous, offering up his entire fortune: a million acres of land and 1.5 million taels of silver! Ministers Cui Chengxiu, Zhou Yingqiu, and Tian Ji have also repented and contributed all their wealth... His Majesty is benevolent, and I'm sure he will consider pardoning them and entrust them with important responsibilities in other ways, right?"

These words were like daggers to the heart. They pointed out that with Zhang Weixian's departure, Wei Zhongxian's loss of power, and Cui Tianzhou's downfall, the "unreliable" alliance between the nobles and the eunuch faction had collapsed! Who would the Emperor strike next? It further revealed that His Majesty's sword had been sharpened again and again; one strike, even if it didn't bankrupt everyone, would at least cause them severe damage!
He put down his teacup, then changed the subject, his face showing worry: "The end of the year is approaching, and the weather is freezing cold. I can't stop thinking about the soldiers guarding the borders of Xuanfu, Datong, and Changping."

Everyone was startled.

What is Zhu Chunchen up to? Is he trying to win over the army? But isn't it a waste to give away perfectly good grain and silver to the poor devils in the nine border regions?
Zhu Chunchen sighed, "In Jizhou, Sun Zushou has recently made great contributions and has been richly rewarded by the Emperor, with ample provisions and pay. Liaodong is supported by Liaodong provisions, so it should be doing just as well."

His voice lowered: "But the towns of Xuanfu, Datong, and Changping... have been in arrears with their pay for so long that the soldiers are struggling to even get enough to eat. The twelfth lunar month is fast approaching, and the end of the year will be tough! We are all soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and we are all their flesh and blood. How can we, the meritorious officials enjoying our lives in the capital, bear to do this?"

Zhu Guobi looked distressed: "Your Excellency is right! The soldiers of Xuanfu and Datong are indeed suffering." Li Chengzu put down his teacup: "We can't just stand by and watch our brothers go hungry and cold during the New Year, but the court is in a difficult situation..."

Li Shouqi murmured, fingering his prayer beads, "Amitabha... Your Excellency is merciful. But where will the money and provisions come from? We are willing, but our strength is insufficient."

"No!" Zhu Chunchen waved his hand to interrupt, his expression resolute. "The court has its difficulties, and we nobles have our responsibilities! We may lack the strength, but our intentions must be there. Each family should contribute some wheat, ten or twenty thousand shi per family, raising over a hundred thousand shi to present to the court. The court will then send it to Xuanfu, Datong, and Changping. This will serve as a token of our loyalty to the Emperor!"

He looked around at everyone and said in a generous tone, "The money and provisions may be small, but the sentiment is profound! It also lets the soldiers know that the court has not forgotten them, and that we nobles have not forgotten them either! This is not only to show our care for the troops, but also to stabilize morale and demonstrate our loyalty!"

The nobles thought to themselves: Although it's a bit late, it's better to show loyalty than not at all!
Xu Xigao's brows relaxed slightly: "If it's about donating wheat, that would be a good deed. My Duke of Dingguo's mansion will contribute 10,000 shi (a unit of dry measure)."

“My Duke Cheng’s mansion will contribute 30,000 shi of grain!” Zhu Chunchen immediately replied.

Zhu Guobi thought for a moment and said, "I will contribute 10,000 shi from my own household."

Li Chengzuo, Li Shouqi, and others expressed their support, contributing five thousand or eight thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), and soon they had raised more than one hundred thousand shi.

Zhu Chunchen smiled, but his heart was ice-cold: This little bit of grain cannot buy everyone's safety!
"Excellent! You are all so righteous!" he clapped his hands in praise. "After the Emperor's coronation ceremony, at the court assembly on the first and fifteenth of next month, we will present grain to the Emperor to show our loyalty!"

He emphasized the words "offering grain to show loyalty," but a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

The wheat will be delivered. But if someone tampers with it, the ensuing uproar could lead to a mutiny...

Zhu Chunchen picked up his teacup and sipped slowly, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"His Majesty is wise and compassionate towards his soldiers. He must be very pleased to see us taking the initiative to share the burden."

The city of Zhangjiakou stood in the cold wind. The city gate creaked open, and the wind and snow mixed with the smell of horse manure immediately rushed in.

Fan Yongdou's sled rolled across the frozen, hard snow and came to a stop under the signboard of Fan's Goods Store. Several soldiers wrapped in tattered sheepskin coats huddled by the doorway, their spear shafts leaning against the city wall, their spearheads rusted. One of them, with swollen eyelids, glanced at the sled before lowering his head to gnaw on a frozen, hard bran cake.

"Dismount and show your badge!" a sergeant hoarsely shouted as he approached, his eyes fixed on the mink fur hand warmer at Fan Yongdou's waist. The head guard, Fan Biao, quickly tossed a string of copper coins, which landed on the snow. The soldiers pounced like hungry wolves, not even bothering to help the fallen spears.

Hou Xingguo stepped off the carriage on the back of a guard and looked into the fortress—high walls and large courtyards lined both sides of the bluestone road. Under the gilded plaque of the Wang Family Bank, four guards stood with their hands on their swords, their brand-new blue satin quilts peeking out from the lapels of their lambskin coats; in front of the vermilion porch of the Zhai Family Pawnshop, two men were wiping their horses with snow, the brass fittings on the saddles gleaming.

"Master Fan is back..." a waiter drawled as he pushed open the black lacquered door of the Fan family's old shop. A steward wrapped in a fox fur coat emerged from behind the screen wall, bowed, took Fan Yongdou's bundle, and called out, "Hot water is ready, and ginseng soup is simmering in the kitchen."

Hou Xingguo followed Fan Yongdou through the gate into the courtyard. There, they saw burly guards stamping their feet to warm themselves under the corridor, and the aroma of stewed mutton wafted from the side gate.

He suddenly remembered the two Yellow Banner camps he had seen outside Shengjing City, those Bayara soldiers who drilled shirtless in the freezing cold, who were said to have mutton soup and fine wine every day, how could the beggar Ming army in Zhangjiakou compare?

"Young Master Hou, do you see that?" Fan Yongdou leaned closer and whispered, "This is the border of my Great Ming Dynasty!" He pointed to the courtyard wall, "Outside the wall are beggar soldiers, and inside are guard dogs dressed in silk and satin!"

Hou Xingguo stared at the exquisitely decorated scimitar at Fan Biao's waist and muttered, "The Fan family's guards... are more respectable than a centurion!"

"How can a hundred households compare?" Fan Yongdou scoffed, leading him up to the second floor of the warehouse. Pushing open the carved lattice window, the entire Zhangjiakou Castle came into view: the western barracks were dilapidated, with some houses having half their thatched roofs collapsed, while the Shanxi merchants' residences to the east were grand and imposing. A caravan of mules carrying tea bricks emerged from the side gate, the escorting men with sabers slung across their waists, strong and sturdy, exuding an imposing aura.

"The Eight Banners soldiers in Shengjing, clad in armor and carrying bows, can stand in the snow for two hours without their eyebrows trembling! And look at these soldiers in Zhangjiakou..." Fan Yongdou pointed to the soldiers eating flatbread under the barbican, "They're so hungry they can't even lift their swords!"

"Master Fan," Hou Xingguo's voice was hoarse, "do you think there's any hope for the Ming Dynasty...?"

"Save what?" Fan Yongdou scoffed. "I think the Ming Dynasty's greatest enemy is right here in Beijing!"

(End of this chapter)