Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 70 A great harvest
Zhu Changgan held a stack of letters from the Eight Great Families to the outside world in his hand, and sneered at the nobles, "Go on, keep talking!"

"These people who sell out their country for personal gain, smuggle strategic materials, and provide intelligence to the Jian Nu, are complete traitors. You say that you are serving the country and the public, devoting your life to the country until your death... As ministers of the Ming Dynasty, do you have eyes on your buttocks?"

"Wang Chengen, all the officials who cleared the Shanxi merchants are recorded in the files. Let the Royal Guards investigate thoroughly to see if they were involved."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Chengen replied solemnly.

The entire Hall of Supreme Harmony suddenly became eerily quiet.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Tian Weijia's Adam's apple rolled, he swallowed hard, and looked at the Minister of Justice Zheng Sanjun, meaning: You are really right.

They are treasonous, collaborating with the enemy, stealing and selling military weapons, and deliberately leaking military intelligence... How can we protect them?
Xue Guoguan, the Left Vice Minister of Rites, had a fine layer of sweat on his forehead and his eyelids were twitching. He had just been hesitating whether to submit a memorial to protect Fan Yongdou and others.

The memorial was hidden in his sleeve. When Wang Chengen thought of this, he couldn't help but exclaimed that it was a close call.

He was just about to stand up.

The muscles on Huang Shijun's face twitched a few times, but he didn't stand up and say a word. It was too late to say anything now.

"..."The face of Zheng Sanjun, the Minister of Justice, was extremely ugly, and it happened again.

The evidence is solid!

The entire court was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Fan Yongdou and other Shanxi merchants have been in the capital for many years. Officials from various departments have more or less received preferential treatment from them, and many of them have even accepted huge bribes from them, but at this moment no one stood up to speak for them.

There is no other reason, it's just that their crime is too bad.

Once you get it on you'll be covered in fishy smell.

"Wow, wow, wow~"

The only sound in the entire hall was the sound of Zhu Changgan flipping through papers. The Jinyiwei took action, and the Dongchang supervised the confiscation of all the properties headed by the eight major Shanxi merchants. The list formed a thick stack.

房间300间，田地1500倾，银铺21间，当铺36间，铁器铺25间，粮铺13间，绸缎庄8间、客栈6间、烟酒12间、客栈7间、酿酒铺6间、皮毛铺子12家……

6000 taels of pure gold, 100 large gold ingots of 70 taels each, 100 silver ingots of 5600 taels each, 9 silver ingots, and 15 copper coins.

There were more than 600 kilograms of Liaodong ginseng, more than 120 jade articles, and more than 100 strings of pearls and agates.

There were 8 large rubies, 15 large sapphires, 18 gold bowls, 82 silver bowls, 1400 pieces of silk and satin, 650 fox skins, 950 sable skins, more than 6000 other skins of various coarse and fine sizes, 3600 pieces of bronze and tin wares, 1 pieces of precious porcelain, and more than 15600 pieces of iron wares.

There were 12 gold-carved beds, 600 pieces of new clothes for all four seasons, 606 family members, 600 women, and 18000 employees.

The number and variety of items were so great that Zhu Changgan was dizzy.

He read until the last few words, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Equivalent to 1700 million taels of silver!"

He looked through the collection again and found that the most items were confiscated from the Fan family. In addition to money, the three grain shops opened by the Fan family near Zhengyangmen and the amount of grain stored in the warehouses in the capital were also astonishing, reaching 15 shi of rice.

The total amount of rice in other grain shops was about 12 shi.

Zhu Changgan angrily cursed: "No wonder the people in the capital would say that there is an old God who sends down millions of grains. If it doesn't rain for three years, there will be 10,000 tons of grain..."

“It’s really fat!”

Come to think of it, just from Luo Yangxing's house, more than one million taels could be seized.

The huge Shanxi merchant family has been engaged in smuggling and selling out the country for decades, constantly accumulating wealth.

Coupled with their collusion with senior officials in the court, their wealth has snowballed over the years.

Zhu Changgan then looked at the confession signed and sealed by Fan Yongdou and others handed over by Li Ruolian, and only then did he realize that Fan Yongdou and others were planning to go north to make a deal with the Jiannu in a while.

That's why they stockpiled a large amount of food and military supplies.

This time, by accident, the batch of supplies was seized by the Jinyiwei before it was even transferred out.

Zhu Changgan clenched his fingers and cursed coldly: "Little Ice River, the people of the Ming Dynasty have nothing to eat and drink, and these giant rats are not only eating their own fat intestines, but also frantically transporting food to the border and selling it to the Jian Nu."

"Somebody come!"

The guards rushed in from outside.

Zhu Changgan sneered at the people kneeling in the court, "According to the list of officials who have been found to be colluding with traitors, drag them outside the Meridian Gate and chop them off!"

"Yes!"

"In the fourth year of Chongzhen, the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief Guan Shouqin accepted two houses from Fan Yongdou, which were worth 4 silver coins. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, Fan Yongdou gave Guan Shouqin a maid and two silverware shops..."

Before Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief Guan Shouqin could finish reading the evidence, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, and was dragged away by the guards.

"Zhang Bi, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of War, accepted a shrine in the outer city from Fan Yongdou, which was equivalent to 5600 taels of silver. In the eighth year of Chongzhen, Fan Yongdou donated taels of silver in the name of a gift to your brother-in-law..."

"Your Majesty, please spare my life!" Zhang Bi, the right vice minister of the Ministry of War, quickly knelt on the ground and shouted at the throne trembling all over.

"The doctor of the Ministry of Rites accepted 6,400 taels of gift money from Wang Dayu, and the Wang family once gave a pawnshop to your eldest son..."

"Yang Ruxue, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works..."

People were dragged to the Meridian Gate one after another, and beheaded in public.

The wind was howling, and the corpse lay lying in front of the Meridian Gate. Thick blood flowed through the cracks in the stone bricks. The people gathered around and exclaimed in surprise.

"Those who could attend the morning court were all high-ranking officials, yet they were killed just like that!"

"Of course he is a high-ranking official of the fifth rank or above, but what good is he? He was still killed by His Majesty!"

"What happened? Why did they kill the minister again?"

"Didn't they say last time that the heads of the six ministries encouraged the officials below to deceive the emperor? Does anyone know if it was them?"

"Why are you guessing that? It will definitely be mentioned in the Ming Times tomorrow..."

"That's right. Then wait until the news comes out tomorrow and you'll understand everything."

Above the main hall,

One by one, the court officials were dragged out. Some of them cried and begged the emperor for mercy, some were as dead as dead wood, and some were so scared that yellow liquid flowed down their trouser legs...

The Minister of Rites Huang Shijun felt increasingly cold and frightened.

It was not because Huang Shijun himself had accepted bribes. On the contrary, he had never accepted a penny from Shanxi merchants. Even during festivals or happy events at home, he strictly disciplined his family.

Do not let them accept any valuables, and if discovered, they must be returned.

What shocked him was that so many people in the court had accepted bribes from Shanxi merchants, including some third-rank officials.

In an instant, one-third of the people in the court were dragged out.

As civil servants and scholars, they have always advocated not accepting bribes, not making friends with eunuchs, being loyal and respectful to their superiors, being honest and not slandering, doing things appropriately, being happy to do good deeds, being respectful and yielding, and being wholeheartedly dedicated to the country and the public.

Therefore, these civil servants were able to stand on the moral high ground and persuade the emperor with the teachings of sages and the laws of ancestors to make him submit.

Moreover, their large numbers create a wider and more powerful public opinion atmosphere.

But now... so many people accept bribes and have terrible moral character.

How can we still talk about the teachings of sages and the laws of our ancestors?
Should the emperor follow the example of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and kill all these corrupt officials?
Zhu Changgan looked at everyone and sneered in his heart, "Gentlemen, I believe that acts of treason should lead to the extermination of the family, but now we are only eliminating the influence of the Shanxi merchants in the capital. The remnants of Shanxi where their family is located..."

Before he finished speaking, someone stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the Shanxi merchants betrayed their country and colluded with the enemy, stealing and selling military equipment. I beg Your Majesty to punish them severely."

Liu Zhifeng, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, followed closely and stood up, "Your Majesty, you are a traitor to your country and you should be exterminated according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty..."

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

"..."

Many of the remaining officials stood up and submitted petitions in indignation.

Zhu Changgan looked at everyone and felt amused. He had to admit that the acting skills of this group of civil servants were really good. If they were in later generations, they would all be talented actors.

"Then let's follow your advice and summon Jinyiwei Commander Li Ruolian to the palace."

The eunuch shouted outside, "Summon Jinyiwei Commander Li Ruolian to the palace!"

Not long after, Li Ruolian walked in quickly from outside.

Zhu Changgan glanced at everyone and said slowly, "Just now, the ministers requested to confiscate the property of Shanxi merchants and exterminate their clans. You should send someone to Shanxi."

"And escort the confiscated proceeds back to the capital." "Yes, Your Majesty!"

After Li Ruolian received the order and left, Zhu Changgan slowly put away all the documents and said nonchalantly: "I am full of thoughts of loving my ministers like my own sons, working diligently and loving the people...but why are there so many treacherous ministers in the court?"

"I should reflect on myself, and you should reflect on yourself even more!"

"The Ming Dynasty wants people who have not accomplished anything, but only know how to talk nonsense, collaborate with the enemy and betray the country, and bark wildly." Zhu Changgan stood up and said, "I am tired, let's leave the court."

Even after the emperor walked away, the faces of all the civil and military officials in the court were still turning blue and purple.

Zhu Changgan's last few curse words were like a blunt knife, stabbing the lungs of these scholars and officials who read the books of sages.

……

When Zhu Changgan returned to the Qianqing Palace, the Imperial Kitchen had already prepared breakfast.

"Your Majesty, Hui merchant Shen Shiheng and others have been waiting outside the palace gate for a long time." Wang Chengen said in a low voice as he placed breakfast on the table.

"Oh, that's great. Bring me some bowls and chopsticks so I can dine with them."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Not long after Wang Chengen went out, he brought in a few Hui merchants from outside.

"I, Shen Shiheng, kowtow to Your Majesty. Long live His Majesty! Long, long live His Majesty!"

"Get up, you've arrived just in time, have breakfast with me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Several Hui merchants' Adam's apples rolled, and they swallowed hard, then stood up trembling with excitement.

The emperor ate alone, sitting at a table filled with food.

The person who is rewarded can only eat standing in front of a separate table. Even if he is not hungry or does not want to eat, he must finish the meal and say, "It tastes really good."

"Don't be so stiff, eat, try the food in the palace."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The Huizhou merchants were also nervous at this moment. When they woke up in the morning, they heard people say that the court had taken action against the Shanxi merchants.

Confiscating property and exterminating the entire clan.

The Shanxi merchants were so prosperous before that the Huizhou merchants could not catch up with them. But now they are collapsing. How can they not be afraid?
"I asked you to come here this time because I want you to help me stabilize the price of grain."

"Your Majesty, it is an honor for me to serve the Ming Dynasty." Rice merchant Shen Shiheng knelt down with the bowl in his hand, "I am willing to donate all my grain."

"No, I don't want you to donate." Zhu Changgan smiled and shook his head, "I just want you to lower the rice price to the level before the grain price soared."

"Not only you, I will also take out 50,000 dan of grain to stabilize the grain price."

"This..." Shen Shiheng and several other Huizhou merchants stared at the emperor with doubt in their eyes, "Your Majesty, I am really willing to donate."

Zhu Changgan looked at them meaningfully, "Why, I made a promise, and you want me to take it back?"

"No... I dare not!" Shen Shiheng and others' faces turned green. They knelt down again and kowtowed like crazy.

Zhu Changgan waved his hand to let them stand up, "Have your meal first. After the meal, I will discuss a business deal with you."

By the time Zhu Changgan finished eating, Shen Shiheng and others had already finished their bowls and were waiting.

The so-called business is naturally the shops sealed up by Shanxi merchants, various gold and silver jewelry, cultural relics, and a large number of precious medicinal materials... The number is large and the coverage is wide, and they want to cash in these things.

After much thought, it seems that only this group of Huizhou merchants can take it down.

When these Huizhou merchants came out of the palace, their faces were flushed and they could not hide their inner excitement.

"I've made a comeback. This time I've really made a comeback..."

Shen Shiheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "When Shanxi merchants fall, Huizhou merchants will thrive. This time we must seize this opportunity to establish our position as Huizhou merchants in one fell swoop."

All the shops and precious medicinal materials that the emperor took out were what he envied.

You have to know that they were suppressed by the Shanxi merchants before, and almost all the shops in good locations were controlled by the Shanxi merchants. Now they were suddenly sealed up by the imperial court.

The first people the emperor thought of were them. They naturally understood what this meant.

It will no longer be about emphasizing Shanxi merchants and suppressing Huizhou merchants, but about emphasizing Huizhou merchants and suppressing Shanxi merchants!
"But your majesty told us about fair competition and bidding to buy the store. Why didn't I understand?"

"I didn't quite understand it, but His Majesty asked us to go back and gather all the Huizhou merchants. It seems that in addition to us Huizhou merchants, there are also merchants from Zhejiang and Huguang who will bid together."

"Fair competition is fair competition. Are we Huizhou merchants afraid of them?"

The bidding was naturally proposed by Zhu Changgan. In addition to the Huizhou merchants, he also allocated some shares to merchants from Zhejiang and other places, allowing them to bid against each other to purchase the sealed shops and valuables.

……

With the participation of Huizhou merchants and the release of grain from the Shanxi merchants' grain shops, there were initially a large number of people queuing up at each grain shop, but they found that the granaries were sufficient and that the price adjustment was not just for one company, but for the entire capital city.

Soon, the price of grain in the capital was stabilized.

Zhu Changgan looked over the list of confiscated goods from Shanxi merchants again and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

More than 1700 million taels, plus 1200 million taels from the imperial treasury.

Nearly 3000 million taels of silver.

In addition, there were 50 shi of grain and 15600 pieces of ironware.

The Jinyiwei have already set out to Shanxi to confiscate property and exterminate clans. When they come back, they will surely bring back a large sum of money and grain... Ever since Zhu Changgan came to power, he has always had an extreme desire for money.

I was extremely hungry for money and food...but now, I felt like I was suddenly choking.

Zhu Changgan concentrated, and blue characters appeared in front of him again.

"Name: Zhu Changgan"

"Main quest: Save the Ming Dynasty Completion: 101/10000"

"The Ming Dynasty's national fortune value: -8666, (the people are living in dire straits, the national fortune is negative, and natural and man-made disasters continue.)"

"The Ming Dynasty has lasted for 55 days"

「Modern lifespan bonus: 55 days」

「Funding reward: 1506849.3 yuan」

The progress bar doubled in an instant, the national fortune value also increased by more than 100, and the national destiny also almost doubled.

Zhu Changgan's breathing was a little heavy.

The Ming Dynasty fell due to financial collapse, which was simply the result of holding on to money and not spending it.

It is conceivable that when you spend all this money, there will inevitably be a real surge in value.

Zhu Changgan's eyes suddenly lit up, "From today on, the situation has changed...!"

……

At this time in Xiangyang City, Chongzhen was carrying writing brush, ink, paper, inkstone, knife, curtain, hammer, candle... and was about to take the first imperial examination in his life.

Today, Chongzhen took the initiative to block the voice from Zhu Changgan.

To prevent failing the exam due to influence from the imperial court.

"Come here..." After the officer searched him roughly and found nothing, he broke the candle into pieces.

Then he said bitterly: "You can go in now!"

As for the person behind Chongzhen, the official smiled and nodded, "Mr. Liu, you are here."

The student gave the officer a sleepy look and walked straight inside.

Chongzhen frowned and turned his head to look back, but heard someone in front of him shouting: "What are you looking at? If you don't want to take the exam, go back early."

"Why didn't he search and just go in?"

The officer frowned and glanced at him, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't ask about. Is this something you think you can ask about?"

Just as Chongzhen was about to speak, he heard someone inside shout, "The time is almost up, those who haven't entered yet, hurry up and enter."

He looked behind him and saw many people walking anxiously inside. He could only grit his teeth and bear it while looking for his own examination room.

(End of this chapter)