How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 50 Wei Zhongxian's Wrongful Conviction (Released in advance, please add to your favorites and read on)

The seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Emperor Chongzhen rode at the head of the procession. Behind him, two thousand iron cavalry and two thousand armored soldiers stood silently, their hooves shattering the thin ice and splashing up snow. Five hundred grain carts snaked like a dragon, their wheels grinding against the frozen ground with a dull creak.

"Your Majesty," Xu Yingyuan urged his horse closer, his voice extremely low, "We're almost at Haidian Town, perhaps... you could rest there for a while?"

Emperor Chongzhen reined in his horse and looked around.

At the edge of the vast, white snowfield, a few gray-walled, black-tiled houses could be vaguely seen. He paused, then suddenly chuckled softly, "Haidian District... I know it very well."

Images flashed before my eyes of my past life: reading the History of Ming in the Pavilion of Unwavering Commitment, contemplating life in front of the statue of my "comrade-in-arms," ​​and strolling through Tsinghua University with my junior classmates... Now, all that remains is wind and snow, ancient towns, and wastelands.

"Xiao Qi, Xiao Hou, Xiao Zhong..." he murmured, "Right now, your ancestors are probably still toiling in the fields for food!"

"Your Majesty?" Xu Yingyuan called softly when he saw him lost in thought.

Emperor Chongzhen snapped back to reality, pointing his whip southeast: "To Tsinghua Garden! I remember... that was Wei Zhongxian's property?"

He paused, then his voice suddenly turned stern: "Issue an order to You Shiwei and Sun Zushou! Gather your household guards and five thousand soldiers from Changping Town, fully armed, and have them come to Tsinghua Garden to see me within twelve hours!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xu Yingyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he spurred his horse to deliver the order.

The wind and snow swept across Zhu Youjian's eyebrows.

He gazed towards Haidian, his eyes filled with anticipation.

In my previous life, I couldn't get into Tsinghua University... In this life, I'm going to open one myself!
……

Xuanfu Town, outside the west gate.

The snow was trampled into black mud, and thousands of soldiers crowded along the roadside, their eyes glued to the grain carts, like hungry wolves staring at flesh and blood.

Wei Zhongxian curled up in the warm sedan chair, his fingers lifting a corner of the cotton curtain.

On the watchtower of the barbican, dozens of men clad in iron armor stood with their hands on their swords—they were the personal guards of Lieutenant General Wang Tong. Archers and musketeers were even more densely packed along the inner city's crenellations, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"General Hou," Wei Zhongxian said, "this formation... is it for guarding against thieves?"

General Hou Shilu of Xuanfu Town reined in his horse beside the sedan chair and said with a wry smile, "Your Excellency is wise! Ever since Lama Choerji was driven back to the grasslands by His Majesty, Hudun Tu Khan has been furious and sends people to harass the border every few days. We can't afford to be careless!"

Xuanfu Governor Zhu Zhifeng added: "Eunuch Wei may not know this, but news came from the east recently that Buyan Ahai, the Kharachin Hongtaiji, has entered Daning and is vowing to avenge the blood debts of the Doyan Guard... Scouts say that he has already gathered 30,000 cavalry in front of his tent!"

He paused, his voice hoarse: "Xuanzhen...it's so tough! They've been owed wages for over a dozen months, and there's not enough food for the soldiers. The brothers are so hungry they can't even lift their swords..."

Wei Zhongxian squinted at the emaciated soldiers, then suddenly shouted "Stop the carriage!" and lifted the curtain to get out of the sedan chair.

His mink cloak billowed in the wind as his tall figure stood before the grain cart: "His Majesty knows the suffering of the brothers in Xuanzhen! Since October, he has managed to scrape together 80,000 taels of silver to pay everyone's wages! He will also raise funds from various sources to gradually make up for the previous debts! This time, it's 50,000 shi of wheat..."

He pointed to the long line of grain carts on the official road and raised his voice: "This is the Emperor's New Year's bonus! Half a shi per person, enough to make sure the brothers have a good New Year!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Eunuch Wei!" A hoarse roar erupted from the starving soldiers, and countless withered hands reached out towards the grain carts.

Hou Shilu's eyes welled up with tears. He dismounted and clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Your Excellency is truly righteous! This humble general is on behalf of the valiant men of Xuanzhen..."

Wei Zhongxian then bowed to the starving soldiers of Xuanzhen lining both sides of the official road and announced loudly, "Brothers, tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), at the Xuanfu outer city drill ground, we will distribute grain! Half a shi per soldier, everyone will get a share, and it will all be the best wheat!"

……

On the second floor of a grain shop outside the city of Xuanfu Town.

Wang Dengku peered through the window, his eyes fixed on Wei Zhongxian's sedan chair as it entered the inner city. The head manager of the Wang family business was now so dark and gloomy that his face seemed to drip water.

"Go now!" He turned abruptly and growled at a lean man beside him, "Get out of Zhangjiakou immediately and tell Lama Choerji—Wei the eunuch has arrived in Xuanfu! Also, tell him that Xuanfu Town is about to mutinied!"

The man nodded, wrapped his fur coat tighter, and slipped out the back door silently.

Wang Dengku gazed at the swirling snowflakes outside the window, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.

……

The following day at Chenshi (7-9 AM), at the Great Military Parade Ground outside Xuanfu Town.

As dawn broke, the starving soldiers crowded the drill ground. They stood in crooked lines, their eyes fixed on the piles of grain. Wei Zhongxian, draped in a mink cloak, sat in a makeshift shed. Hou Shilu and Zhu Zhifeng sat on either side, both smiling. Du Xun, the supervising eunuch of Xuanfu Town, stood beside Wei Zhongxian, looking every bit the loyal dog of the Wei family.

"Begin distributing the grain!" Hou Shilu gave the order.

The soldiers of the Qing army, in pairs, carried sacks and distributed the food to each soldier. Those who received the food beamed with joy and repeatedly kowtowed in gratitude.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

"Thank you, Eunuch Wei!"

Wei Zhongxian nodded slightly and said in a shrill voice, "It's all thanks to His Majesty's grace! Perform your duties well and do not fail His Majesty's favor!"

Just then, something unexpected happened. A thin soldier carrying a grain sack was about to leave when he suddenly stumbled, and the sack ripped open with a "rip," spilling wheat all over the ground.

"Oh no! My grain!" The soldier hurriedly squatted down to scoop it up.

There was a sudden silence.

All eyes were fixed on the ground—more than half of what had spilled out was bran! Only a small portion of wheat grains were mixed in.

"This," the soldier grabbed a handful, his voice trembling, "is bran!"

The crowd was in a commotion.

The soldiers who received their rations hurriedly tore open their sacks. This action caused an uproar throughout the drill ground.

"Mine is mostly bran too!"

"Damn it, it's mostly bran..."

"Damn it! They've tried to fool us!"

Amid the commotion, several men in tattered military uniforms suddenly leaped onto the grain pile. They moved swiftly, clearly skilled men.

"It was eunuch Wei who embezzled the annual rewards given by the noble lords!" the bearded leader shouted, raising his arm. "He's trying to fool us with bran!"

"That castrated dog deserves to die!"

"Kill this spineless bastard!"

The crowd went wild. Tens of thousands of soldiers, their eyes bloodshot, rushed toward the grain piles, and the scene began to spiral out of control.

Just then, a loud "bang" suddenly came from the east side of the drill ground!
"Musical guns! Wei Zhongxian has fired his muskets!" someone in the crowd screamed.

Then came another burst of loud crackling sounds, much like the volley of musket fire. The starving soldiers fled in terror, making the scene even more chaotic.

"Protect your father-in-law!" Hou Shilu shouted, drawing his sword.

In reality, there were no muskets at all. They were just firecrackers set off in secret by Wang Shiqin's servants. But who could tell the difference at that point?

"The eunuch is trying to kill us to silence us!"

"Let's fight them!"

More "soldiers" stirred up trouble in the crowd. Dressed in ordinary uniforms, they secretly pushed and shoved, shouting and cursing, making the chaos even worse.

Wei Zhongxian's face turned deathly pale as he was carried towards the inner city by the supervising eunuch Du Xun and another deputy garrison eunuch, one on each side. A pebble struck his forehead, causing blood to gush out.

"Rebellion! Rebellion!" he screamed, his voice filled with terror.

Hou Shilu cleaved a charging soldier in two with a single stroke of his sword and roared, "Men, relay this order from the garrison commander: Commander Wang Shiqin and Lieutenant General Wang Tong to lead their elite troops to quell the mutiny!"

However, no one responded.

On the city wall of Xuanfu Town, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Wang Shiqin and Lieutenant General Wang Tong stood at a distance, a cold smile on their lips. Their servants were mixed in with the crowd; they were also involved in today's mutiny!
"Wei the eunuch is embezzling military rations!"

"Kill this spineless beast!"

Amidst shouts and curses, the three men, protected by their servants and guards, finally managed to escape back to the inner city. The city gates slammed shut, keeping the rioting soldiers outside.

Wei Zhongxian collapsed to the ground, his official robes torn, his face covered in blood. Gazing at the deafening shouts of battle outside the city, he suddenly pounded the ground and cried out, "Your Majesty! This old servant is innocent! This old servant has not embezzled a single grain of wheat!"

Hou Shilu and Zhu Zhifeng exchanged a glance, their faces turning ashen.

Wei Zhongxian, was he also wronged at times?
……

At the same time, at Yihai Hall in Tsinghua University.

Emperor Chongzhen leaned on the railing and gazed into the distance. The sunlight after the snow shone on the lake surface, which was not completely frozen. Withered lotus leaves and floating ice coexisted on the lake, creating a scene that truly evoked the idyllic imagery of "water and wood."

"They're here!" Cao Wenzhao whispered.

At the end of the official road, armored cavalrymen trudged through the snow. You Shiwei's "Iron Cavalry Guards" cut through the snow-covered wilderness like blades, while Sun Zushou led the Changping youths on horseback, following closely behind. Meanwhile, five thousand infantrymen maintained their formation even in this icy and snowy landscape.

"How is it?" Chongzhen asked his attendants in a low voice.

"Forty-five li, assembly and marching, two days and one night," Sun Yingyuan said in a low voice. "Commander You has trained excellent soldiers!"

Emperor Zhu looked at the approaching army and nodded slightly: "The Changping army guarding the tomb is indeed stronger than the troops from Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong." He paused, then said loudly: "Xu Yingyuan! Go to the various farms in Haidian Town and collect five hundred catties of meat, steam ten thousand white flour buns, slaughter some sheep, and make twenty pots of mutton soup. Add double the amount of pepper for me!"

Half an hour later, outside Tsinghua Garden, on a field, Emperor Chongzhen patted the old general You Shiwei on the shoulder: "Old general, treat the brothers to a hot meal! From now on, follow me, and you'll see meat every day and receive your monthly salary! I will never mistreat loyal and brave men!"

You Shiwei knelt on one knee: "Ten thousand elite soldiers from Changping Garrison are willing to die for Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)