My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 204 Father, do you want to do something big?
After walking a few steps, Ni Yuanlu heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

"Master Ni, please stay!"

He turned his head when he heard the voice and saw Xue Guoguan walking towards him.

However, Xue Guoguan looked a little strange at this moment. His face was unnaturally pale and his eyes were full of fatigue. It was obvious that he did not sleep well last night.

Then, Ni Yuanlu instantly remembered that Xue Zhiqi had come to ask for leave this morning, and he immediately understood.

Needless to say, Xue Guoguan must have already known about this year's summer tax.

So, Ni Yuanlu first looked around cautiously. Seeing that no one was approaching, he looked at Xue Guoguan with a complicated expression and whispered:
"Mr. Xue, it seems you already know about this."

Xue Guoguan pulled a wry smile from the corner of his mouth, nodded slightly, and sighed:
"To be honest, I didn't expect things to turn out like this. Now, even I don't know what to do."

Hey!
Ni Yuanlu also sighed deeply and said with a worried look:

"I originally thought that after the commercial tax reform, there would be no more major problems with national tax collection. However, I didn't expect such a big mistake to occur in this year's summer tax collection."

"If this is really investigated, I, the Minister of Revenue, will bear a great deal of responsibility. I hope that Elder Xue will speak well of me in front of His Majesty and the Crown Prince."

"Don't let an old man like me end up with his head and body separated!"

Xue Guoguan hurriedly comforted him:

"Master Ni, you're joking. This isn't your fault alone. This is a problem that has persisted for over two hundred years in the Ming Dynasty. It's not something that can be easily changed by one person. So what's your fault?"

When Ni Yuanlu heard this, he did not feel comforted at all, but just sighed helplessly again.

The taxation system in the Ming Dynasty had been rotten for almost two hundred years, and it really had nothing to do with him as the Minister of Revenue.

But in this court, not everything can be explained by reason.

Anyway, whenever there is a problem with taxation, everyone will inevitably point the finger at the Ministry of Revenue, that is, him, the Minister of Revenue!

Afterwards, the two chatted for a few more words and then walked towards the cabinet side by side.

Along the way, both of them were silent, only the sound of footsteps echoed dully on the stone road.

When they arrived at the cabinet, the other three cabinet ministers were already waiting there.

But at this moment, the atmosphere here was also extremely depressing.

There is no doubt that everyone who can appear here is a smart person. They noticed early on that the officials of the Ministry of Revenue looked strange today, and secretly guessed that there might be some problems in the Ministry of Revenue.

Calculating the time again, it seems that it is just the time to collect summer taxes. Needless to say, there must be a problem with taxation.

After Ni Yuanlu sat down, Cabinet Minister Zhang Zhifa couldn't wait to ask:
"Master Ni, to cut a long story short, is there something wrong with this year's summer tax?"

At this point, Ni Yuanlu had nothing to hide.

Then he said solemnly:

"My Lords, the tax revenue reports from the provinces arrived yesterday. However, the amounts are truly pitifully small: only 5 million dan of rice, 1 million dan of wheat, 700,000 taels of silver, 100,000 taels of gold, and a few other items."

After hearing Ni Yuanlu's words, the cabinet ministers present looked at each other in disbelief.

Obviously, none of them expected the amount of summer taxes this year to be so small.

It is no exaggeration to say that this amount of tax is far from enough to support the army, let alone pay the salaries of officials throughout the country.

Everyone instantly realized the seriousness of the matter, but for a moment they didn't know what to say.

Because everyone knows that the reason this happened was ultimately due to the tax evasion by the gentry of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, this includes some of them!

It is no exaggeration to say that more than half of the civil and military officials in the court were involved.

After all, who among those who can serve as an official in the capital doesn’t have hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of acres of land in his hometown?
And these lands never have to pay taxes!

Precisely because there were too many officials involved, no one dared to speak first.

But soon, everyone turned their attention to Xue Guoguan.

After all, the emperor and the crown prince were not around, and there was no one to supervise the country, so Xue Guoguan, the chief minister of the cabinet, had now become the "talking man" of the Ming Dynasty.

This kind of life-threatening matter can only be left to him to make the decision!
Xue Guoguan sat there, feeling uneasy as he was being stared at by everyone.

He knew that all these were waiting for him to speak!

If I don't speak up, I'm afraid these people will wait until dark!
Thinking of this, Xue Guoguan smiled bitterly in his heart, and then continued:

"Everyone, regarding the issue of the summer tax, I believe everyone is aware of the reasons, so I will not elaborate on any more unnecessary nonsense."

"I currently have two suggestions."

"First, report this matter immediately to His Majesty and the Crown Prince, and ask them to decide how to deal with it!"

"Secondly, the Cabinet will immediately issue a document ordering all provinces to pay the missing taxes as quickly as possible."

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cabinet Minister Zhang Zhifa said:

"Master Xue, His Majesty and the Crown Prince are already on their way back to the capital. We might as well keep this matter a secret from them for now and discuss it after they return."

"In the meantime, how about the cabinet urging the provinces to pay the missing taxes?"

"Maybe we can collect more taxes then. That way, His Majesty and the Crown Prince won't be too angry when they return to the capital!"

However, upon hearing this, Xue Guoguan flatly refused:
"No! This is absolutely not allowed!"

"How could such a serious matter be concealed from His Majesty and the Crown Prince?"

"Your Majesty and the Crown Prince must be informed immediately, and quickly!"

As he spoke, Xue Guoguan's eyes intentionally or unintentionally swept towards Wang Chengen who was standing beside him.

At this time, Wang Chengen was still standing not far away with an expressionless face, like a silent sculpture.

But what no one noticed was that just as they were talking, a barely perceptible sharpness flashed in Wang Chengen's eyes.

At the same time, Zhang Zhifa reacted suddenly and shuddered instantly.

Oops!

How could I have forgotten about this eunuch?

Although Wang Chengen got along well with them on weekdays and could even be said to be very cooperative, he was still a eunuch and the emperor's slave after all.

If Wang Chengen told the emperor and the prince what he had just said, he would definitely be in trouble!
Even if his starting point is indeed good, the emperor and the prince may not think so!
Thinking of this, Zhang Zhifa nodded quickly and said:

"Master Xue is absolutely right. This matter really shouldn't be kept secret from Your Majesty and the Crown Prince. I was simply being foolish."

After saying this, he pretended to remember something, then looked at Wang Chengen and said with a smile on his face:
"Eunuch Wang, I just spoke carelessly. Please don't take it to heart."

Wang Chengen smiled slightly and said:

"Master Zhang, you're joking. I didn't hear anything just now. I only saw that the adults were wholeheartedly thinking about the world and His Majesty."

Zhang Zhifa finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

However, what he didn't know was that Wang Chengen had already secretly memorized what he had just said.

When Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang returned to Beijing, he would report all these words to them in detail.

As a eunuch, he knew clearly who his real master was.

After this happened, no one opposed the two suggestions put forward by Xue Guoguan!
Although everyone appeared calm on the surface, their hearts were churning, and they secretly sighed that Xue Guoguan, the old fox, was indeed worthy of his reputation.

At first glance, these two suggestions may seem plain and simple, but upon closer inspection, they are full of subtleties.

First, it was equivalent to throwing such a hot potato to Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang.

No matter what decisions these two make in the future, the cabinet ministers can cleverly stay out of it, neither having to take responsibility for the decision nor incurring resentment from others.

Secondly, issuing a document urging the provinces to pay the taxes they owed was the cabinet ministers' way of expressing their attitude to Chongzhen and the crown prince.

That means they have tried their best to collect the taxes, and whether they can collect them or not is not their fault.

In this way, even if Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang returned to Beijing, they would not be blamed too much!
The matter has come to an end after being discussed to this point.

Inside Wenyuan Pavilion, the atmosphere began to relax.

Then, when Ni Yuanlu was about to stand up and say goodbye, Xue Guoguan cleared his throat and said:

"Everyone, this elder has something else to say."

"Originally, I shouldn't have said these words, but after repeated consideration, I still feel that I should remind you all."

Ni Yuanlu, who had already stood up, froze in his tracks upon hearing this, and then slowly sat down again.

Immediately afterwards, all eyes were cast towards Xue Guoguan like searchlights.

Xue Guoguan looked solemn at this moment and spoke slowly:
"Everyone, you and I are both ministers of the Ming Dynasty. We hold high positions in the court and are considered the highest-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty."

"Therefore, when it comes to matters as important as taxation, which is crucial to the nation's well-being, we must not allow ourselves to be tainted by any stain."

"After you return, please make sure to conduct a thorough investigation. If there is any tax evasion in the family, please handle it as soon as possible."

"Otherwise, once these things are exposed when Your Majesty and the Crown Prince return triumphantly, it will be difficult to resolve them."

"To be honest, early this morning, I sent my son back to my hometown to pay off all the land taxes owed from the first year of Chongzhen until now."

"The claim that the gentry don't pay taxes may fool others, but it shouldn't fool you, right?"

"So don't be so optimistic about this kind of thing!"

"I hope you all take care!"

As soon as these words came out, it was like a bomb exploding in everyone's heart.

The faces of everyone present turned extremely ugly in an instant. After all, who among them didn't have a wealthy family and a lot of land?
There are quite a few lands of several thousand or even tens of thousands of acres, and these lands have always been tax-free!
Originally, this was a secret known to everyone.

Unexpectedly, Xue Guoguan was merciless and exposed the shameful secrets in everyone's hearts so nakedly in front of everyone.

What’s even worse is that there’s a dead eunuch standing next to him!
If he heard this, wouldn't that mean Chongzhen knew about it?
However, the people present were no ordinary people. They were all veterans who had been working in the officialdom for many years.

They all know that taxation has always been a major issue concerning the safety, prosperity and decline of the country.

Now the southern gentry were so bold that they had messed up the tax collection. When Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang learned of this, they would surely be furious. Moreover, the court had just won a great victory in Liaodong, and the prestige of Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang was at an unprecedented height.

At this critical juncture, if we want to discipline the southern gentry, it will definitely not be a small matter.

By then, it’s likely that not just one or two people will die, but a large number of them.

As for the cabinet ministers and the six ministers, I am afraid that none of them will be able to stay out of it by then!
After all, one of the charges for which former cabinet chief Zhou Yanru was sentenced to death was tax evasion.

How dare they forget this lesson from the past?

Thinking of this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, and the idea of luck that they had secretly harbored in their hearts was completely extinguished in an instant.

For a moment, everyone was silent and just bowed to Xue Guoguan to express their gratitude.

Then Ni Yuanlu stood up and said goodbye.

The cabinet members also started to get busy. Xue Guoguan wrote a letter himself, then carefully sealed it and asked the Jinyiwei to deliver it to Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang as soon as possible.

That night, the night fell like a huge piece of black silk, covering the capital city.

After returning home, the cabinet ministers, the six ministers and some senior officials began to get busy.

They instructed their family members or close associates to leave for their hometown overnight to pay all the taxes they owed over the years.

These officials knew that although it would be painful to take out such a large sum of money at once, after all, this was wealth accumulated over many years.

But compared with one's life and property, this money seems insignificant.

Faced with life and death, they had to make such a choice.

Two days later, the afterglow of the setting sun was like a thin layer of golden gauze, spreading over a town.

At this moment, the town was full of soldiers setting up camps. Tents were rising from the ground, and the aroma of food could be smelled from time to time. The whole scene was extremely lively.

It is obvious that this is the victorious Ming army!
At this time, Zhu Cilang was in a carefully decorated room.

Inside the room, the candlelight flickered, casting his shadow on the wall, sometimes long, sometimes short.

Zhu Cilang's face was stern, and his eyes fell on the secret letter box presented by the Jinyiwei in front of him.

He frowned slightly, and a sense of foreboding arose in his heart.

His intuition told him that something big must have happened in the capital again.

The next second, Zhu Cilang reached out to open the box and took out the secret letter inside.

By candlelight, Zhu Cilang glanced at the contents of the secret letter.

A moment later, his eyes were instantly filled with rage, as if he wanted to set the secret letter on fire!
Zhu Cilang never expected that at this critical juncture, those southern gentry would still be so bold as to openly evade taxes.

The next second, the corners of his mouth suddenly rose slightly, revealing an icy sneer.

"Do these people really think I'm easy to bully? Very good, very good!"

"I will definitely let them know who has the final say in the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Cilang's voice was deep and powerful, with an unquestionable majesty, which made the Jinyiwei in front of him feel their hair stand on end.

Then, Zhu Cilang turned around without saying a word and strode towards the room where Chongzhen was.

At this moment, Chongzhen was having a meal in the room, and the room was filled with the aroma of food.

Seeing Zhu Cilang coming in, Chongzhen showed a gentle smile on his face, and raised his hand to signal:
"Hello, come eat something with me."

Zhu Cilang did not say anything, but just sat quietly in front of Chongzhen, but he had no intention of picking up his chopsticks, because he really had no appetite at the moment.

However, he didn't want to spoil Chongzhen's mood for dinner, so he planned to wait until Chongzhen finished eating before telling him about this.

However, Chongzhen was not stupid. When he saw Zhu Cilang's gloomy face, he immediately noticed something was wrong.

Then, he put down his chopsticks and asked with a puzzled look:
"Why, did something happen again?"

Zhu Cilang hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Something did happen in the capital, but let's wait until your father finishes his meal before we talk about it. If we tell you now, your father might not be able to eat."

When Chongzhen heard this, his curiosity was instantly aroused, and he also felt a little uneasy.

His hand, which had originally picked up the chopsticks to pick up the food, was suspended in mid-air. After a pause, he slowly put it down.

"Just tell me what's going on. If you don't, I won't be able to eat."

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang no longer hesitated, but he still said nothing. Instead, he handed the letter in his hand to Chongzhen.

Chongzhen took it curiously, and as soon as his eyes fell on the letter, his expression suddenly became serious.

After reading the contents of the letter, Chongzhen's face became ferocious.

Then, Chongzhen shouted angrily:

"Damn it, how dare these guys?"

As he spoke, he stood up suddenly, and the amplitude of his movement was so large that he almost overturned the table in front of him.

The furious voice still echoed in the house.

"The entire country's tax revenue for half a year is only this little? With this little tax revenue, let alone feeding the army, we can't even pay the court officials their salaries!"

"Damn it! How dare they humiliate me like this?"

"Am I still the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty? Do they still take me seriously?"

"What a bunch of damned parasites! I'm going to kill them all! I'm going to exterminate all nine generations of their clan!"

Chongzhen's voice became hoarse with anger, and the roar seemed to shake the roof apart.

The young eunuchs around were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and trembled, even Fang Zhenghua knelt on the ground.

But Chongzhen was still like a mad beast, pacing back and forth in the room rapidly, his steps were quick and heavy.
His eyes were full of anger and unwillingness!

Chongzhen had always known that there were problems with the country's taxation and that the gentry were evading taxes, but he never imagined that these people would be so bold and presumptuous.

He had just experienced a great victory in Liaodong and was happily thinking about returning to Beijing and working with Zhu Cilang to improve the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes and currency to revitalize the Ming Dynasty's economy.

Unexpectedly, the gentry in the south suddenly gave him a warning.

This is simply trampling on the dignity of the emperor!
Thinking of this, Chongzhen could no longer suppress the anger in his heart that was like a volcanic eruption.

He suddenly stopped in front of a table, raised his fist high, and smashed it down with full of anger.

There was a loud bang, and the table could not withstand the powerful impact and broke into pieces.

Chongzhen's arm was cut open by the sharp wooden thorn, and bright red blood flowed out instantly.

Seeing this scene, Fang Zhenghua, who had been kneeling beside him and not daring to breathe, was instantly startled and shouted in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you are injured."

The next second, he hurried forward to support Chongzhen, and then shouted to the young eunuch kneeling on the ground:

"What are you still standing there for? Go get the doctor!"

Fortunately, the emperor brought several imperial doctors with him on this expedition, otherwise he would not know what to do in this situation.

When seeing this scene, Zhu Cilang was somewhat confused.

He didn't expect that Chongzhen would be so angry that he smashed a table with one punch.

He even injured his arm!
But in this instant, a flash of inspiration seemed to flash through his mind, and a brilliant idea suddenly emerged.

Then, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, changing his previous solemnity into a sly smile.

Then he looked at Chongzhen and said:
"Father, do you want to do something big?"

At this moment, Chongzhen was still like an erupting volcano, as if it would erupt at any time.

After hearing what Zhu Cilang said, a hint of doubt instantly appeared in his eyes full of anger. It was obvious that he didn't understand what Zhu Cilang meant.

Even Fang Zhenghua who was standing by was confused.

Not
The emperor is injured. It’s fine if you don’t care, Prince, but why are you still laughing?

Even if there was indeed a rebellion before, it couldn't be so blatant, right?
But Zhu Cilang had no time to pay attention to other people at this moment. He still looked at Chongzhen with a sly smile and said:
"Father, just now, an idea suddenly occurred to me."

"If this idea is implemented, it will definitely thoroughly clean up the gentry of the entire Ming Dynasty."

"When the time comes, not only will they have to pay back the taxes they owe this year, but they will also have to pay back the taxes they owed to the Ming Dynasty over the years!"

As Chongzhen listened, his face, which had originally turned red with anger, now showed a hint of anticipation.

Then he didn't care about the injury on his hand and asked impatiently:
"Tell me, what's the idea?"

Fang Zhenghua, who was standing by, saw Chongzhen's arm still bleeding, and hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, your arm is still bleeding!"

Chongzhen was extremely anxious at this time, so how could he care about the injury on his arm?

Then he said impatiently:
"This little injury won't kill you! Stop talking nonsense!"

Then, he looked at Zhu Cilang expectantly, as if waiting for his answer.

Fang Zhenghua had no other choice, but he couldn't just watch Chongzhen's arm bleed.

He could only tear off his clothes and cover the wound on Chongzhen's arm!
Zhu Cilang originally wanted to persuade Chongzhen to treat his bleeding arm first, but now seeing Chongzhen so anxious, he did not wait any longer.

Zhu Cilang continued:
"This time, the gentry in the south dared to evade taxes in this way. After returning to Beijing, we must take action against them."

"But given the current situation, there's not enough reason to take action. At most, we'll just raid a few gentry's homes and exterminate a few of their clans."

"It is far from achieving what I want!"

"So, we must make this a big deal, and the bigger the better, so that we have enough reason to catch them all in one fell swoop!"

As Chongzhen listened, his brows furrowed again.

He still didn't quite understand what Zhu Cilang meant.

What do you mean by at most they would raid the homes of a few gentry and exterminate a few of their clans?
Isn't this enough?
(End of this chapter)