Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 1: A good leader does not eliminate tools, but controls them!
pain!
It felt as if countless red-hot iron rods were being driven deep into every crevice of his skull, stirring up memories that didn't belong to him.

The chaotic scene, the fragmented words, the endless panic and despair, were like a grand and decaying tide, threatening to completely engulf and tear apart his foreign soul.

Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian—no, he should now refer to himself as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial "I").

He lay on the dragon bed with his eyes closed, his eyelashes trembling slightly in the dim light, like butterfly wings being blown by a strong wind.

This body is still very young, seventeen years old, an age in later generations when one wouldn't even be qualified to get a driver's license, yet it is already tasked with piloting a dilapidated giant ship called "Da Ming"... whose hull is riddled with holes.

A strange fragrance filled the air, a blend of top-grade ambergris and precious sandalwood, calm and mellow, with a touch of the comforting decay unique to royalty.

If it were an ordinary person, they might be captivated by this atmosphere that represents the ultimate wealth and luxury in the world.

But for him, a soul who had just "died" in the bloody battlefield of the 21st century's business world, this taste was more like a reminder.

Remind him what a magnificent yet dangerous prison this place is.

His consciousness was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil; after a violent struggle and evaporation, it gradually merged with this body and this memory.

Letter to Wang Zhu Youjian.

younger brother of Emperor Tianqi (Zhu Youxiao).

My elder brother has passed away, and his will stipulates that the throne should be passed to him!
He moved cautiously from the Prince Xin's mansion into the empty Forbidden City and ascended the cold dragon throne.

The young predecessor in my memory was filled with fear of the future.

He feared the eunuch named Wei Zhongxian, the deeply entrenched Donglin Party members who called themselves "gentlemen," the escalating war in Liaodong, and the sporadic famines that had begun to appear in Shaanxi and other areas... He feared everything!
He, the "Ye Xuan" who transmigrated from another era, had long since forgotten what fear was after experiencing countless life-or-death struggles within the group he led.

He only knows how to evaluate.

Assess risks, assess assets, assess liabilities, assess all available resources!

"An interesting start."

His consciousness uttered a cold, self-deprecating murmur in his mind.

Asset appraisal:

Identity: Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, theoretically the holder of the highest authority. This is his only and most powerful trump card.

Health: Young body, no bad habits, and enough time and energy to squander.

Liability assessment:
The national treasury is as empty as a ghost.

Military: Rampant corruption, combat effectiveness is worrying.

The civil service group: The Donglin Party was dominant, skilled in empty talk, and fond of factional strife. They had no interest in solving practical problems and were even an obstacle to them.

The eunuch clique: Led by Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch faction wielded immense power, with henchmen throughout the court and the country. It was the biggest hole in this shattered ship, and also... the sharpest knife.

External environment: The Later Jin dynasty was eyeing the country covetously, and bandits were already brewing.

Natural disasters: During the Little Ice Age, severe droughts and floods occurred in turn.

Conclusion: This is a standard balance sheet of a company on the verge of bankruptcy liquidation. Any rational CEO, upon receiving such a report, would immediately file for bankruptcy protection and abscond with the funds!
Unfortunately, he had no choice.

The dragon throne is both the pinnacle of power and the guillotine of fate.

Taking a step back is like falling into an abyss!
He slowly and laboriously opened his eyes.

What comes into view is the enormous dragon-shaped caisson ceiling of the Qianqing Palace's sleeping quarters. The exquisitely carved dragons coil on the beams of golden nanmu wood, with a large copper cloisonné enamel "Xuanyuan Mirror" held in their mouths.

The mirror faintly reflected the candlelight in the hall, and also vaguely reflected his pale and unfamiliar face.

His face still carried the immaturity of youth, yet a natural sorrow lingered between his brows—a sorrow that belonged to the original Zhu Youjian.

But those eyes had changed.

"Your Majesty, you're awake?"

A soft voice sounded by the bedside, filled with cautious concern.

Zhu Youjian did not turn his head immediately; his gaze remained fixed on the mirror above his head.

He is adapting, adapting to this new identity, adapting to this entirely new perspective that requires looking down on everything and scrutinizing everything.

In the company, he was a hunter.

Now, he is a shepherd.

Do not,
Perhaps more accurately, he was a shepherd who took over a decaying pasture—

The sheep were weak, while the sheepdogs had turned into hungry wolves!

"water."

He spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, with a hint of youthful clarity, but his tone was frighteningly calm, devoid of any emotion.

"Slave, you obey!"

The voice responded immediately, followed by a soft rustling of fabric and footsteps.

Zhu Youjian then slowly turned his head to look at the bedside.

A eunuch, bowing low, hurried back, carrying a warm, white jade cup in both hands.

He kept his head down, not daring to even glance at the dragon bed out of the corner of his eye, his movements revealing a deep-seated respect and...fear.

Information about this person automatically popped up in Zhu Youjian's memory bank.

Wang Tiqian?
No, those were Wei Zhongxian's men.

This is... Wang Chengen.

A person who, in the original history, would have accompanied Emperor Chongzhen to the end of his life under that crooked tree on Coal Hill.

An asset that can be defined as “loyal”.

Wang Chengen knelt by the bed and raised the jade cup high above his head.

Zhu Youjian did not immediately go to take it; he simply watched him quietly.

The bedchamber was quiet; so quiet that you could hear the soft crackling of the candlelight and Wang Chengen's slightly rapid breathing, a sound born of tension.

Time seemed to be stretched at this moment.

Every second felt like a heavy millstone grinding against Wang Chengen's nerves.

He didn't know why the new emperor remained silent, or why he was just looking at him like that.

That gaze was different from yesterday's fear and unease, and also different from the weariness and indifference of the Apocalypse Emperor.

It was a gaze he had never seen before.

Calm, yet carrying a sense of oppression that seems to penetrate the heart.

The Emperor's eyes changed!

This was the only thought in Wang Chengen's mind.

His hand, holding the cup, began to tremble slightly.

"Wang Banban," Zhu Youjian finally spoke again, his voice still calm, "Do you think the sky will ever brighten?"

This abrupt and incomplete statement is like a stone thrown into a lifeless pond.

Wang Chengen's heart sank.

Is this... the new emperor expressing his despair? Or is he testing him?
Countless responses flashed through his mind in an instant, from eulogies and flattery to impassioned rhetoric... but when he met Zhu Youjian's eyes, he found that he couldn't utter a single word.

Any hypocritical words seemed utterly ridiculous before those eyes. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty, and answered in a voice that was almost trembling yet incredibly firm:

"Your Majesty... As long as the Emperor is alive, Heaven will always be there."

It was not said that dawn would break.

Rather, it means: Heaven has always been there.

This is a very clever answer, expressing loyalty without making unrealistic promises.

A glint of light flashed in Zhu Youjian's eyes.

well.

Loyal, and not stupid.

This is a high-quality asset.

He slowly reached out and took the glass of water. The water was at the perfect temperature, neither too hot nor too cold.

He slowly took a sip to moisten his dry throat, then handed the cup back.

"Help me up."

Wang Chengen felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly put down his cup and carefully helped Zhu Youjian sit up.

He could sense that although His Majesty was thin, the strength coming from his arms was steady and powerful, not at all like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.

Zhu Youjian leaned against the soft pillows at the head of the bed, his gaze sweeping over the luxurious yet empty bedroom.

This is the heart of the empire's power, the epicenter of the storm.

And now, he needs a knife.

A knife that is fast enough, dirty enough, and frightening enough, will cut through this impenetrable chess game for him!

He looked at Wang Chengen, who immediately lowered his head as if listening to sacred teachings.

Where is Wei Zhongxian?

Zhu Youjian asked the question as if he were asking someone insignificant.

When the emperor uttered the name "Wei Zhongxian," Wang Chengen's body visibly stiffened—a reaction stemming from instinctive fear.

Throughout the Forbidden City, and even throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, who doesn't know the weight of these three words?

That is the embodiment of power, the King of Hell who has the power of life and death.

He was the Ninth Prince, whom even Emperor Tianqi had to address as "Eunuch Minister".

Wang Chengen's breath hitched for half a second. He answered in an even lower voice than before, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth:
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Wei...he...he has been waiting outside the palace. He's been waiting since the third watch last night."

From the third watch of last night until now?
They had been kneeling for three or four hours.

What a fine old dog! It has a keen sense of smell. Knowing that its new master has ascended the throne, it immediately ran over, tucked its tail between its legs, and offered its pledge of allegiance.

In Zhu Youjian's mind, the image of Wei Zhongxian's face, filled with malice and flattery, came to mind.

In the original history, Emperor Chongzhen spent several months patiently plotting and ultimately brought down Wei Zhongxian, ordering him to commit suicide.

The court and the public cheered for this, and scholars throughout the land rejoiced, believing that with a wise ruler in power, a peaceful and prosperous era was approaching.

madness.

How stupid!

A cold, mocking glint flashed in Zhu Youjian's eyes.

What is the most fatal thing for a company on the verge of bankruptcy?
It wasn't because of a greedy and domineering COO, but because of a complete breakdown in cash flow!

Wei Zhongxian was greedy, but he also "generated revenue" for the empire.

He cracked down on the Jiangnan gentry group behind the Donglin Party and levied commercial taxes. Although some of this money went into his own pocket, at least a portion flowed into the national treasury to maintain the minimum expenditure of the border troops!

And what happened after Wei Zhongxian was killed?
The Donglin Party members immediately abolished commercial taxes upon taking power, colluding with the gentry group to completely block the flow of national finances.

They shouted "Let the people rest," but in reality, they meant "Let the gentry and wealthy merchants rest," while placing all the burdens on the lowest-level farmers.

The end result was that the imperial court couldn't collect money, the border troops couldn't get their pay, and the peasants couldn't survive, so they had no choice but to rise up in rebellion!

Cutting off the only source of cash flow and then hoping to fill the financial hole with "benevolence and morality" is such a naive act of political suicide.

Therefore, Wei Zhongxian could not be killed.

We absolutely cannot kill them, at least not now!

He wasn't a cancer in the company; he was the only "debt collector" the company could use before it went bankrupt.

A good leader does not eliminate tools, but rather controls them!
"Make him kneel."

Zhu Youjian said calmly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Wang Chengen was taken aback and didn't dare to ask any more questions. He simply replied respectfully, "This servant obeys."

Zhu Youjian said nothing more. He lifted the brocade quilt and stepped barefoot onto the cold, smooth gold brick floor.

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head.

But this chill made his modern mind clearer than ever before.

He slowly walked to the window and pushed it open.

The cold morning wind, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood, blew in.

Is that... the smell coming from the direction of the execution ground... or the smell of the Forbidden City itself?
He raised his head and looked eastward.

On the horizon, a sliver of grayish-white morning light was struggling to tear through the thick, lead-like clouds.

The sun has not yet risen.

The whole world was in a state of chaotic dawn.

……

Outside the hall, a eunuch's high-pitched and drawn-out voice announced something. The sound seemed to be filtered by an invisible wall, becoming somewhat muffled by the time it reached the hall, yet it still pierced the eardrums clearly:

"Wei Zhongxian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, requests an audience outside the palace—"

The sound echoed in the empty palace.

Zhu Youjian stood by the window, his back to the palace gate, motionless.

His shadow was stretched long in the morning light, cast on the smooth, mirror-like gold bricks.

That figure looked slender, yet it resembled a mountain.

Wang Chengen knelt on the ground, his head bowed even lower, not daring to even breathe.

He could sense that a silent contest that would determine the future of the Ming Dynasty had quietly begun inside and outside this palace.

a long time.

Zhu Youjian finally turned around slowly. He looked in the direction of the palace gate, and for the first time, a cold and excited glint of a hunter flashed in his calm eyes.

He addressed Wang Chengen as if he were addressing the old dog kneeling outside the palace, and even more so as the entire corrupt empire, issuing his first real order as the Chongzhen Emperor!

"Let him in."

(End of this chapter)