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

Xining Marquis Song Yude nodded in agreement. Everyone saw this. For a 28-year-old man to be in that state, it showed how heavy the burden of the court was.

Emperor Chongzhen had said so much and felt that he had made his meaning clear, but after waiting for a long time, he found that many nobles and relatives did show sympathy, but it was just sympathy, and there was no other expression.

Seeing that Emperor Chongzhen didn't say anything, Zhang Shikang felt secretly anxious. He wondered what was wrong with this guy. Could it be that he still had some illusions about the nobles?

Your Majesty does not understand human nature at all!

There are many people who can share wealth with you, but how many can share adversity with you?

After pondering for a long time, Emperor Chongzhen finally gave up the glimmer of hope in his heart and once again turned his attention to the sons of nobles that Zhang Shikang was very optimistic about.

Sun Dasheng clenched his fists.

"As you all know, the court has been arguing over the issue of the three taxes recently, and I am very uneasy about it.

If the three taxes are imposed, more people will inevitably be displaced. They will have no way to survive and will only become a source of soldiers for bandits.

I have thought over and over again, and I have decided that the suppression and training funds must not be levied. I feel guilty about what the Earl of Chengyi said just now. When I was in trouble, I forgot that you all were by my side.

Therefore, I hope that all of you can donate generously to help me and the Ming Dynasty overcome this disaster.

This move can not only comfort the heroic spirits of your ancestors, but also set an example for all officials in the world.

As long as the salary problem can be solved, I intend to rebuild a strong army, and then the children of all the nobles will have a future.

I hope you will help me!"

After saying this, Emperor Chongzhen picked up the wine, expressed his respect to all the nobles, and then drank it all in one gulp.

See the picture poorly.

The nobles were a little confused for a moment. After all the talk and fuss, they actually wanted them to donate money.

They sympathized with the emperor, felt sorry for him, believed that they, the emperor and the country shared the same fate, and approved of the emperor's regard for their offspring.

but!

This does not mean that they are willing to donate their property. They also do not think that their current wealth has anything to do with the court or their own titles and preferential treatment. They believe that it was all earned through their own hard work.

The father-in-law Zhou Kui snorted coldly and said softly to Chengguogong Zhu Chunchen:

"I thought they were really kind enough to invite us to dinner, but it turns out they were just after our money."

Zhu Chunchen did not dare to respond. After all, he was surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs, and who knew if there were any spies of the emperor. Zhou Kui was the father-in-law of the emperor, so no matter how he tried to commit suicide, he would not really die. But he did not want to take the risk.

He was not panicking at all. It was a fundraising event, and the emperor had done it once a few years ago. Who would be stupid enough to donate his own property?

It's nothing more than pretending to be showing an attitude. You have one thousand taels and I have eight hundred taels. We are all poor and we really don't have any extra money. If Your Majesty forces me, I can only sell my ancestral home.

No matter how false the lie was, other colleagues would not expose it. When it came to protecting their own family property, no matter what conflicts they had in the past, the attitudes of civil and military officials were surprisingly consistent.

Zhu Chunchen didn’t think this time would be any different from the last time. Anyway, he didn’t want to be the first one to take action.

To put it bluntly, the so-called first bird to stand up is the person who will set the tone for the fundraising. Others can add or subtract a little based on their own titles, as long as it makes sense.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhang Zhiji wanted to stand up and set an example, but was stopped by Zhang Shikang. Zhang Shikang shook his head slightly and motioned to wait a moment.

He felt that it was not enough and he had to let the bullet fly for a while longer.

Emperor Chongzhen was very disappointed with the performance of his noble relatives, so he had to follow Zhang Shikang's plan and go directly to where the children of nobles gathered.

He looked at this group of energetic young people and said meaningfully:

"At a time when the country is in danger, I would like to relax the restrictions on granting titles."

As he spoke, he patted Xu Wenyuan on the shoulder as a reward, then walked up to Sun Dasheng and gave him an appreciative smile. Both of them were delighted.

The destructive power of these words was great. The Ming Dynasty was very strict in conferring titles. It was even clearly written in the Ming Dynasty laws that only those with great military merits could be granted titles, and the titles could not be inherited.

So much so that, apart from a number of titles bestowed by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Chengzu during the founding of the country and the Jingnan Rebellion, the number of hereditary titles bestowed by the dozen or so emperors that followed could be counted on one hand.

"Now there are bandits at home and the Jiannu outside, there are many wars to fight, I just want you to do your best and help me donate money.

Maybe I can be knighted in the future, sharing the honor with your fathers!"

Chongzhen's previous words were mostly addressed to the nobles themselves, but this time he was speaking to the children of the nobles, and his words were already clear.

I will give you what I should give, but whether you can seize the opportunity depends on your father. Of course, it mainly depends on you.

How could the young sons of nobles have ever resisted such temptation? They were both highly valued and given titles. In addition, Emperor Chongzhen stood among them. It was obvious that he valued them more than their fathers.

Excitement and anticipation filled the minds of these young people, making their hearts beat faster and their cheeks flush.

Zhang Shikang stood up and bowed to Emperor Chongzhen.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Shikang, the son of Duke Ying, am willing to donate money to the country to help Your Majesty tide over the difficult times!"

Since the core of the problem has shifted to the children of nobles, Zhang Shikang feels that if he stands up, it will be more representative than if his father stood up.

Zhu Chunchen glanced at the British Duke Zhang Zhiji and had a vague sense of foreboding.

"How much silver can Mr. Zhang donate?" Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen smiled as if he was basking in the spring breeze.

"Your Majesty, I can pledge... 420,000 taels of silver!"

Hiss—as soon as these words were spoken, all the nobles and relatives present were in an uproar, and many of them could no longer control their expressions.

Four hundred and twenty thousand taels! Even the Marquis of Taining, who had the most business among the many marquises present, might not be able to come up with that much.

This... this is really a good start. Many people's expressions changed and became gloomy when they looked at the Duke of England.

"Rebellious son! How can our family have so much silver? Even if you sell your father, the Duke of England's family can't raise so much silver. Don't talk nonsense!"

Duke of England Zhang Zhiji stood up and pointed at Zhang Shikang in anger.

"Dad, you are lying, we clearly have it at home, my mother told me so herself!

Dad, are you reluctant to fight for a good future for your son?

I am your son, am I not as important as those rotten silver in your eyes?"

Zhang Shikang looked at his father with an expression of disbelief, disappointment, loss and even a hint of anger.

"You...you...you are such a rebellious son! You are going to piss me off to death!"

Zhang Shikang's logic was clear and his words were sharp. Everyone could tell at a glance that he was not lying. Zhang Zhiji was speechless and pointed at his son, stammering and not knowing what to say.

"Duke Ying, is what Zhang Shikang said true?"

Emperor Chongzhen stared at Zhang Zhiji. If he still did not know how to handle the current situation despite such conclusive evidence, he would definitely be charged with deceiving the emperor.

Zhang Zhiji looked at Emperor Chongzhen, who seemed to be struck by lightning, then looked at his colleagues around him, and finally closed his eyes and said:

"Your Majesty, it is...it is true."

Emperor Chongzhen felt relieved upon hearing this and said immediately:

"Good! Duke Ying is indeed worthy of being the most sensible minister of our dynasty, and Zhang Shikang has not brought shame to the heroic spirits of his ancestors!

Zhang Shikang, the son of the Duke of Ying, stepped forward to be conferred the title.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Shikang, greet you." Zhang Shikang showed an excited expression.

"Zhang Shikang, the son of Duke Ying, is young and promising, gentle, frugal and modest. In times of crisis, he stood up for the country, even at the cost of his own family. He has inherited the spirit of his ancestors, and I am very pleased.

The country needs such talents. I recommend you to be the commander of the Beijing Camp. I hope you will live up to my trust and set an example for the nobles and their children."

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Shikang, thank you for your grace. I am willing to die for you!"

……