Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Bang—Emperor Chongzhen slapped the imperial desk, the anger on his face could no longer be contained.

"Who told you that gentry and landlords don't have to pay taxes?"

Wang Chengen was also feeling very nervous, thinking that this kid actually compared the Emperor to a monkey and must have finally made the Emperor unhappy.

If you continue talking nonsense, even your father can't save you.

Emperor Chongzhen was really angry, but from his tone, it seemed that his anger was not directed at Zhang Shikang.

“Originally, the gentry and landlords should pay, but Your Majesty should know that in our Ming Dynasty, anyone with a meritorious title, even if he is just a scholar, is exempt from the tax.

Your Majesty may ask, the gentry and landlords do not necessarily have any official title, and most of them do not have the talent to take the imperial examinations, but others do!

Why not just entrust the land to people who have made achievements and give them some money?

Thus, a pleasant deal was reached, they achieved a win-win situation, and the national treasury got nothing.

This is called, there are policies from above and countermeasures from below. "

Zhang Shikang was a little confused. No way, no way, His Majesty doesn’t even know about this?

This is unbearable, so should he continue to say it?

"Wang Daban, is this true?" Emperor Chongzhen asked Wang Chengen with a cold face.

Yang Sichang had said that before, and although Emperor Chongzhen felt that things were not that simple, he did not expect it to be the case.

But Wang Chengen, like him, stayed in the palace every day, so how could he know the real situation of the lower-class people?

"Your Majesty, I don't know either. I will go and ask Commander Luo of the Imperial Guard."

The Dongjishichang has now lost its supervisory power, and the only ones who have information in this regard are the Jinyiwei.

"Eunuch Wang, it would be best if you could send someone down to take a look. Of course, it would be best if you go there in person and quietly.

Jinyiwei, haha, can you trust them?"

Zhang Shikang sneered.

He now gradually understood that Emperor Chongzhen was not stupid, but he was blind.

"Even if that's true, they haven't committed any crime, so why do they have to go there secretly? How can the Jinyiwei be unreliable?"

Emperor Chongzhen seemed to understand something, but still asked.

"Ha, if you go there with a big fanfare, there will definitely be no investigation. Jiangnan is a rich place, with money, women, whatever you want, they have it.

It's unbearable. Tsk tsk, a playboy like me would definitely not be able to bear it if I went there.

It would be easy if you really had no desires or demands, but the situation outside is not peaceful. Bandits and robbers will always find ways to prevent the real news from getting back.

As for the Jinyiwei, they do a good job. There are two of them standing outside my house, squatting there every day.

But there was none at the entrance of Yangge Office, nor at the entrance of Lord Cai of the Ministry of Rites.

Your Majesty, please think about it again. Regarding such an important matter as levying the three additional taxes, why did the nobles remain silent, and only the civil officials were discussing it?

My father is such a high-ranking official, but he doesn't want to get involved. Why?"

Zhang Shikang didn’t say much, so you can figure it out yourself. This is really a famous double standard.

Emperor Chongzhen did not say anything, but the anger on his face was about to overflow. He recalled everything that had happened over the years, stood up and paced in the hall.

Five years ago, he ordered the Imperial Household Department to check the garrisons. When they arrived at Changping Garrison, the warehouse of Changping Garrison was on fire. When they arrived at Jizhen, the warehouse of Jizhen was also on fire. All the files were burned.

Finally, when they reached the outside of Shanhaiguan, the delegation was completely wiped out by a group of Jiannu cavalry who had sneaked in from nowhere. While they were investigating, they found that the people were gone.

In the end, the matter was left unresolved.

Two years ago, Chen Tingzhi, the censor of the Censorate, impeached the Minister of Personnel Huang Shijun for taking bribes and even took possession of the account books of Huang Shijun's mansion. Chongzhen ordered the Jinyiwei to investigate, but after three months, they found nothing.

Such things have happened too many times in recent years. Every time, a large number of court officials pleaded for mercy. After all, the world still depends on officials to govern, and Emperor Chongzhen finally chose to believe.

Thinking about it now, I'm afraid those things are not that simple.

Emperor Chongzhen certainly knew that almost none of those nobles were clean, but he turned a blind eye to them out of consideration for the friendship with his ancestors.

Just monitor the nobles and make them shut up, and then the court officials can do whatever they want...

They...they all kept me in the dark!

The civil officials are guilty, and the nobles are also guilty!

You all lied to me!

Emperor Chongzhen walked more and more hurriedly in the hall, and his expression became more and more out of control. When he reached the imperial desk, he slapped the memorials on the table and scattered them all over the place.

Seeing this, Wang Chengen, who was at the gate of the palace, quickly fell to the ground and dared not say a word.

Zhang Shikang was sitting on the small wooden stool, feeling a bit confused. How did his defense break?

You didn’t say anything?

In his impression, the emperor should be like Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, deep and expressionless, and even his words would be cryptic, leaving the court officials to guess for themselves.

The emperor in front of him showed all kinds of changes on his face in a short while. He was far inferior to Jiajing in terms of cunningness.

What is certain is that the historical records saying that Emperor Chongzhen was suspicious by nature are definitely nonsense, at least not at the beginning, otherwise he would not have broken down when he found out he was deceived.

He also heard from his father that from the time Chongzhen ascended the throne to the eleventh year of Chongzhen, there have been only four chief ministers in the cabinet.

If it is true that the historical records show that dozens of cabinet ministers were replaced in the 17th year of Chongzhen, it means that the frequent replacement of cabinet ministers also occurred in the last few years of the Ming Dynasty.

This further proves that Emperor Chongzhen trusted his cabinet ministers very much at the beginning. It was not that he was suspicious by nature, but he was just afraid of being deceived.

Alas, how pitiful! The emperor of the Ming Dynasty was fooled for eleven years.

Seeing Emperor Chongzhen squatting on the steps with a distraught look, Zhang Shikang expressed deep sympathy.

After an unknown amount of silence, Zhang Shikang's butt was numb from sitting on the small wooden stool. Chongzhen suddenly said absentmindedly:

"Is there still hope for my Ming Dynasty?"

It was unclear whether he was asking a question or talking to himself, but he looked extremely painful and Zhang Shikang couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to be so discouraged. There are still six years left. It is not too late."

After Zhang Shikang finished speaking, he realized that he had made a mistake and quickly added:

"As long as Your Majesty stops adding burdens to the people, the bandits will be wiped out sooner or later."

But Emperor Chongzhen obviously heard it and asked:

"You mean, my Ming Dynasty only has six years left?"

"Ah? Did I say that? I am just a playboy. How can I take a playboy's words seriously?"

Zhang Shikang was not panicked at all.

Emperor Chongzhen thought so at first, but he reacted immediately.

"No! If you are really just a playboy, how come you know so many things?

If you are really just a playboy, why are you telling me these things? Even your father refused to tell me. "

Emperor Chongzhen said a lot of things in one breath, and the more he spoke, the more he felt that Zhang Shikang was not a simple person. This was not something a dandy boy should know, nor was it something a dandy boy could know.

Zhang Shikang was panicked now.

"My father told me this."

"Then why didn't your father come and tell me?"

"My father is afraid of death."

"Then you're not afraid?"

Zhang Shikang: “…”

Zhang Shikang was stumped by the question of Emperor Chongzhen. In order to avoid being suppressed, he had to use his dandy tactics again.

"Of course I am afraid of death, but how could Your Majesty treat a playboy like me with such disrespect?

I didn't commit any serious crime. At most, I broke Zhu Zhengliang's leg."

Unexpectedly, Emperor Chongzhen's next words directly broke Zhang Shikang's defense.

"Then how do you explain the money you raised for me?"

Emperor Chongzhen directly appointed General. Seeing Zhang Shikang dumbfounded, he also revealed a long-lost smile.

You still say you are just a dude?

……