Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 11 Am I really not as good as him?
"Tell me, what did you do today?" Chongzhen's eyes were red, the blue veins on his arms were clearly visible, and his eyes were like nails, staring at Wang Chengen.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

Wang Chengen's arm was grabbed by Chongzhen, which hurt him so much that his scalp went numb with fear at the fierceness in his eyes.

"Let's start from the morning court."

He could only hear his own voice but not the voices of others. In order to not miss anything, he asked Wang Chengen to start from the beginning.

Wang Chengen's throat rolled, he swallowed hard, and told the emperor what had happened since the morning court session.

Hearing Zhu Changgan's early retirement, Chongzhen's face turned purple with anger, "That's it? You still want to save the Ming Dynasty?"

"Stupid, ignorant, confusing right and wrong, alarmist..."

Seeing Wang Chengen stop, he immediately shouted: "I'm not talking about you, continue talking about yours."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Chengen continued to talk.
When it came to the donations from Jiading Earl, Tian Hongyu, and Yuan You, Chongzhen stood up suddenly and asked with a frown, "Who, he... I asked Jiading Earl to donate 200,000 taels?"

"How could Lord Jiading have so much money?"

Wang Chengen was stunned for a moment, "Didn't your majesty say that the Jiading Earl's family has at least one million taels of silver?"

"One million taels... How come I don't know?"

Only then did Chongzhen realize that it was not he who said it, but his uncle Zhu Changgan.

He turned his head and looked at Queen Zhou, "Queen, do you know?"

"I don't know either..." Queen Zhou's face turned pale and she lowered her head in shame and anger. She really didn't know how much money the Zhou family had.

Chongzhen was so short of money that he couldn't sleep day or night.

Queen Zhou saw it every day and felt pain in her heart.

In her opinion, how could the Zhou family possibly come up with such a huge amount of 200,000 taels?

This afternoon, her younger brother came to the palace to cry and complain. She was also thinking about begging the emperor for mercy. Just now during the meal, she made a small move to ask the emperor to go to her bedroom. In fact, she just wanted to persuade Chongzhen to be more tolerant of her father.

But after hearing what Wang Chengen said, she swallowed back all the words she had been brewing.

She knew her own background very well.

My father Zhou Kui made a living by fortune-telling and often set up a stall on Qianmen Street. He lived a very poor life.

Now that he has become the father-in-law of the emperor, he has amassed a huge fortune of one million taels. Is it excessive to donate this much?
It seems natural.

Chongzhen frowned and asked Wang Chengen, "Is the title of Marquis of Jiading given to you just like that?"

Based on his understanding of his father-in-law Zhou Kui, he was a short-sighted, money-conscious and miser.

How can a person who is reluctant to eat even one more bowl of rice donate money?

The national treasury was empty, and Chongzhen had thought about borrowing money from the noble ministers. He had mentioned this before, but no one responded.

The fastest runner among them was Earl of Jiading.

Wang Chengen recounted the entire situation in detail, leaving Chongzhen stunned.

It's so simple, taking advantage of Lord Jiading's stuttering?
After thinking for a while, Chongzhen shook his head and said, "This is not the behavior of an emperor!"

In his opinion, this was a bit of a trick, but when he thought about it, if he could get two hundred thousand taels, this trick was worth it.

When Chongzhen heard that he had deceived Tian Hongyu and Yuan You into thinking that the Earl of Jiading had claimed the title, and that they were willing to do so, he could not help but ask, "How much did Tian Hongyu and Yuan You claim?"

"One hundred thousand taels and eighty thousand taels."

Chongzhen murmured, "This adds up to 38 taels... He is really capable!"

He had to admit that although the method was not very sophisticated, it was effective.

The problem of my hair falling out every day that I worried about was solved in a short time by this emperor's uncle with nearly 400,000 taels of silver?
Silent for a long time,

Chongzhen sighed, "Wang Chengen, please continue."

"Next, it is your majesty's turn to clean up the East Depot..."

"Wait a moment." Chongzhen frowned and confirmed again: "Purge the East Factory? Why do I want to purge the East Factory?"

"Your Majesty, didn't you say that the king had two minds and wanted to take back the power of the East Factory?"

"Wang Zhixin has two minds?" Chongzhen was stunned. He had a very good impression of Wang Zhixin, otherwise he would not have let him stay in the position of the head of the East Factory for so many years.

"Your Majesty, this is the list of items confiscated from his corruption, abuse of power, and market domination." Wang Chengen handed over the list of items confiscated from Wang Zhixin again.

"This..." Chongzhen took it with half belief and half doubt, his eyes wide open as he looked at the densely packed gold, silver, jewelry, cultural relics, rare objects, real estate and land on it.

The boss opened his mouth so wide that a fist could fit in it. "How can he, a eunuch, have so much money?"

"What's the total estimated value?"

"Your Majesty, the estimated silver is 550,000 taels."

Among the eunuchs, Wang Zhixin was rich, and Chongzhen knew this, but he never imagined that he was so rich.

Chongzhen stared at the items on the list, and marks left on the papers under his fingers.

All the blood in the body was concentrated in the heart, and I felt surprised and happy.

Three hundred and eighty thousand taels, plus these five hundred and fifty thousand taels, the total is nine hundred thousand taels.

The military pay for Liaodong has finally been settled.

Suddenly Chongzhen raised his head and said, "That's not right. When you confiscated Wang Zhixin, no one pleaded for him? Didn't you encounter any obstacles?"

Wang Zhixin is a very versatile person and has close connections with the nobles and civil servants.

Chongzhen had thought about replacing him before, but found that it didn't seem to work. Every time a new person was replaced, he would be removed by the civil service group not long after.

After doing this repeatedly, I got too lazy to change it.

On the other hand, with such a person as the supervisor of the East Factory, there is a buffer between himself and the civil service group.

Sometimes, when something couldn't be resolved at the court meeting, he would privately send Wang Zhixin to find the civil servants, which made it easier to reach a consensus.

"Your Majesty, these are the memorials submitted by the ministers to criticize the king." Wang Chengen brought over a large pile of memorials.

Chongzhen picked them up one by one and examined them. The more he looked, the more surprised he became.

Kong Zhenyun, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?

Minister of Revenue Bi Ziyan?
Minister of Works Liu Zunxian?
Minister of War Yang Sichang?
Minister of Rites Huang Shijun?
Liu Yuliang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel…almost all the important officials were concerned about the king’s intention.

As far as Chongzhen knew, several of them had a very good personal relationship with Wang Zhixin and had been speaking well of him before. Why did they all report him?
Chongzhen's brows were furrowed into a shape of a "川" character. "Why...why did they want to investigate the king's heart? What happened?"

Just as Wang Chengen was about to answer, a eunuch ran in from outside.

"Your Majesty, Duke Wei's 600,000 taels of silver have been delivered. Do you think it should be deposited into your treasury?"

"Another 600,000 taels?" Chongzhen rubbed his face vigorously, his heart pounding, and his throat felt very dry. "Where did these 600,000 taels come from?"

Wang Chengen looked at Queen Zhou worriedly. How could Your Majesty be so forgetful?
What will happen if this continues?

Just at this time, the imperial physician arrived, and he quickly asked the imperial physician to come over, "Doctor Liu, come quickly, take a look at His Majesty."

As soon as Doctor Liu came up to Chongzhen with his medicine box, he was kicked to the ground by Chongzhen. "What doctor, why are you looking for me? I'm not sick. Tell me where these six hundred thousand taels came from."

"Your Majesty, why do you have to hide your illness and avoid seeing a doctor..." Wang Chengen supported Chongzhen with a worried look on his face, but he saw that Chongzhen didn't care about anything else. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Speak!"

"Yes, Your Majesty..." How will Wang Chengen design to let Qiao Yan act recklessly in the name of Wang Zhixin, attack the nobles, and cause a collective backlash from the nobles.

As a result, the nobles besieged Wang Zhixin's mansion, and later Xu Wenjue, the son of the Duke of Wei, accidentally stabbed Wang Zhixin to death.

Duke Wei came to the emperor to plead for mercy, and finally offered 600,000 taels in exchange for Xu Wenjue's stay in Kyoto.

Later, Chongzhen ordered himself to lead all the officials in the court and take Wang Zhixin's confidants to execute them one by one in front of the nobles' mansions.

Wang Chengen had not been in the palace before, and he had just returned from handling this matter.

After hearing this, Chongzhen did not move, as if he was fixed in place.

silence.

There was a long silence.

The Qianqing Palace was also eerily quiet.

The depressing atmosphere is as gloomy as water.

The pressure was so great that everyone present couldn't breathe.

Wang Chengen's heart was beating fast, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. He winked at Doctor Liu and thought to himself, "It's over, it's over... There's something wrong with your Majesty's health, and it's a serious problem."

Queen Zhou's face was also pale, and she wanted to go forward to support Chongzhen.

At this time, another eunuch came in, "Your Majesty, the memorial from the Duke of England."

"Give it to me!" Wang Chengen took it, unfolded it gently, and placed it in front of Chongzhen. Chongzhen stared at the memorial without blinking.

"I have heard that if you want a tree to grow tall, you must strengthen its roots; if you want a river to flow far, you must dredge its source; if you want the country to be safe, you must accumulate virtue and righteousness. Although I am a fool, I know this is true..."

The gist is: I have heard that if you want a tree to grow, you must make its roots strong; if you want a spring to flow far, you must clear its source; if you want a country to be stable, you must accumulate morality and righteousness. Although I am ignorant, I also know that the nobles and the Ming Dynasty will rise and fall together...

The first few sentences are just polite words, the most important ones are the last few sentences.

"I am willing to donate 200,000 taels of silver to help the Ming Dynasty overcome the difficulties."

Chongzhen looked at the memorial with his fingers shaking. He just received 600,000 yuan, and now he donated another 200,000 yuan?
why?
If the money from Earl Jiading, Tian Hongyu and Wang Zhixin only made him surprised and happy before, then now these endless memorials were like whips slapping him in the face.

Another eunuch came in, "Your Majesty, this is the memorial from Duke Chengguo."

Wang Chengen took it and placed it in front of Chongzhen.

Skim through the previous content and go directly to the last few sentences.

"Two hundred thousand taels..."

……

"Your Majesty, the memorial from Duke Dingguo."

"Two hundred thousand taels."

……

"Your Majesty, this is the memorial from Xu Xideng, Marquis of Wuding."

"One hundred thousand taels."

"Taining Hou Chen Yanzuo"

"One hundred thousand taels"

"Your Majesty, Yangwu Hou Xue Lian"

"One hundred thousand taels..."

Chongzhen watched until the end, his whole body was trembling, and his hair stood on end, "He...did they discuss this?"

Wang Chengen replied: "Your Majesty, this is what you said. When their memorials are submitted, they will be sent to the palace as soon as possible."

Chongzhen was right in asking the right question, these nobles had indeed discussed it beforehand.

From the moment Duke of Wei Xu Hongji bowed his head, a rift had actually begun among their noble families. Later, Chongzhen ordered Wang Chengen to lead all the officials to kill people in front of their house.

They knew that they could not avoid this matter.

Since you can't avoid it, you might as well express your position as soon as possible.

The Earl of Jiading was only a right governor, but he amassed a huge amount of one million taels in more than ten years.

What's more, they are old-fashioned dukes and marquises.

The throne was hereditary and deeply rooted in the court. The money, rare items, real estate and land in his family were much richer than those of the Earl of Jiading.

Fifty thousand taels, one hundred thousand taels, two hundred thousand taels... in their eyes, it was just a little bleeding, definitely not a serious injury.

That's why this scene happened.

All the dukes except the Duke of Wei donated 200,000 taels.

The Marquis has one hundred thousand taels.

The Earl has fifty thousand taels.

These count only those in Beijing. Those who are down and out are not included. Those who are not in Beijing and are guarding the border are not included.

Except for the Duke of Wei, there are four other dukes, each with 800,000 taels.

Of the twenty-three marquises, four are not in Beijing, leaving nineteen, with a total of 1.9 million taels.

Among the thirty-nine earls, nine were not in Beijing, and three were in poverty, which means there were twenty-seven of them, with a total of 1.35 million taels.

Add to that the silver donated by Zhou Kui, Tian Hongyu, Yuan You, and Duke Wei, and Wang Zhixin's property.

It amounted to more than 5.5 million taels.

"Why? Why?" Chongzhen looked at these memorials and became so angry that he could not stand and sat down on the ground.

Bitter,

Pain,

The shame and anger... surged towards him like a huge wave.

"Is it true, as he said, that the Ming Dynasty fell in my hands?"

"Is it because of my incompetence that the people of the Ming Dynasty are displaced and nine out of ten houses are empty?"

At this moment, Chongzhen felt like he was drowning in water, in so much pain that he couldn't breathe.

Just a quarter of an hour ago, he had sworn that Zhu Changgan was nothing but a brat who spoke nonsense.

But now, Zhu Changgan got 5.5 million taels of silver in just one day.

And what about yourself?

People kept shouting about the revival of the Ming Dynasty, but the Ming Dynasty had less and less money, and could not even organize a strong army. Even the Liaodong front, an important area related to the survival of the Ming Dynasty, had been in arrears of wages for a long time.

Both the officials in the court and Chongzhen himself knew clearly that the root cause was lack of money.

Everyone knows that the Ming Dynasty is short of money.

Chongzhen tried every possible way but could not get any money, so he could only distribute it to the people, which led to civil unrest and peasant uprisings.

At this point, Chongzhen actually had the idea of ​​distributing taxes and grain to the people, even if many of them died.

As long as all the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty could win a quick victory by chance, the serious threat that had been posed to Nurhaci and Huang Taiji for nearly forty years would be completely eliminated.

Chongzhen's eyes were red and his face was pale.

He worked hard to govern the country and got up at the crack of dawn, so many civil servants in the court called him "the Holy King" and he was conceited that no one could match him.

But... Zhu Changgan tore off his "Holy King" mask and stepped on the ground in just one day.

Pierce his heart of Tao.

The heart-wrenching pain was like a rope that was strangling his neck. He pushed all the memorials under the table, his eyes flashing with a beast-like light, "Am I... Am I really not as good as him?!"

"How can I be inferior to him?"

"I...I..." He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

Facts speak louder than words!

……

a long time,

Wang Chengen saw that Chongzhen's mood was gradually stabilizing, so he signaled Queen Zhou to try to persuade him.

But Chongzhen shouted: "Get out, I want to be alone for a while."

Doctor Liu was so frightened that he quickly grabbed the medicine box and ran out in two steps.

"Your Majesty..." Queen Zhou wanted to say something, but Chongzhen didn't even look at her.

"Wang Chengen, you stay."

Instead, Wang Chengen, who was walking in front of Queen Zhou, was stopped.

"Your Majesty." Wang Chengen walked forward cautiously and picked the wick a few times.

Chongzhen closed his eyes for a long time before opening them. He suddenly discovered that night had already fallen and a few stars appeared in the east, then gradually increased in number.

He looked at Wang Chengen, "Is there anything else you haven't talked about today? Or is there anything I talked about with you during the day but haven't done yet?"

Wang Chengen thought about it and shook his head, "No, but when the emperor asked me to lead all the officials to the nobles' residence, he said this was just the first step."

"Your Majesty, do you want to take this second step?"

"Ah? The second step? I..." Chongzhen was speechless.

Just as he was about to speak, his body suddenly shook.

Because the mechanical voice in my mind appeared again.

"Zhu Changgan requests to speak to you, please answer the call."

Chongzhen quickly chose to answer the call.

(End of this chapter)