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

Chapter 207 Chongzhen: Is it a bit too much to collect taxes from ancestors?

Looking at the hint of cunning on Zhu Cilang's face, Queen Zhou instantly understood!
There is no doubt that this must be Zhu Cilang's behind-the-scenes trick. Otherwise, how could he be so calm when his father was assassinated?

Thinking of this, Queen Zhou couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, when she thought of what Zhu Cilang had just said, she instantly squeezed out a few tears, then slowly turned to face everyone and said:
"Don't panic, Your Majesty is blessed by heaven and will be safe!"

"You should all return to the palace first. If anything happens, I will notify you immediately."

After saying this, she turned her gaze to the older maids beside her and said with an unquestionable dignity:

"Take the princes and princesses back to the palace. Do not let them out without my order!"

During the period when Chongzhen personally led the army to war, Queen Zhou was the backbone of the palace, and no one dared to disobey her orders.

This moment is naturally no exception.

So when they heard this, everyone bowed respectfully and then left the place in a hurry.

Several maids also took the princes and princesses away.

Fortunately, these princes and princesses were old and knew that now was not the time to make trouble, so they all followed and left obediently.

Immediately afterwards, just when Queen Zhou wanted to take Zhu Cilang to visit Chongzhen.

But suddenly he seemed to remember something important, and paused, then gently patted Zhu Cilang's shoulder and said:

"Ying'er, go take care of your own business first. Your mother is waiting for you in the palace!"

After saying this, Queen Zhou turned and left.

Zhu Cilang watched Queen Zhou leave without saying anything, then turned and came to Zheng Xiaomei, who looked worried and had red eyes.

When Zheng Xiaomei saw Zhu Cilang coming, she opened her lips slightly, as if she had a thousand words to say, but her throat seemed to be choked by something, and in the end she couldn't say anything.

Zhu Cilang looked at Zheng Xiaomei in front of him, his heart full of pity. He didn't say anything, but just gently held her in his arms.

Then he whispered in her ear:
"Don't worry, it's okay. I'm here for you. Go back to the East Palace first. Once I'm done with things here, I'll be back with you!"

Although only two months had passed since the trip to Liaodong, Zhu Cilang's height had grown like mushrooms after a rain to 1.6 meters, almost as tall as Zheng Xiaomei.

At this moment, when he held Zheng Xiaomei in his arms, Zheng Xiaomei truly felt a strong sense of security.

However, Zheng Xiaomei knew very well that now was not the time to talk about love. Important matters were at hand and she could not let her children's personal affairs ruin things.

So, she suppressed her reluctance and quickly and gently broke away from Zhu Cilang's arms. She raised her head and looked at him with a worried face and said:
"Your Highness, please go and see His Majesty! I will be leaving now. Your Highness, there is no need to rush back. His Majesty's safety is the most important thing!"

Zhu Cilang looked at the sensible young wife in front of him, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a gentle smile, and raised his hand to gently touch her head and said:
"Don't worry, I know what to do!"

Then Zheng Xiaomei stopped talking, turned around and left.

Just as Zhu Cilang was about to turn around and leave, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the palace gate.

I saw a figure hurriedly walking in from outside the palace gate. When I looked closely, who else could it be but Fang Zhenghua?
Zhu Cilang's eyes flashed, and without saying anything, he just gave Fang Zhenghua a silent look, then turned around and strode away.

Fang Zhenghua understood instantly and quickly quickened his pace to catch up.

Zhu Cilang walked steadily forward, but Fang Zhenghua behind him looked nervous, with beads of sweat on his forehead.

After quickening his pace to catch up with Zhu Cilang, he leaned closer to Zhu Cilang and lowered his voice, asking with some trepidation and anxiety:
"My Lord, what happened to His Majesty?"

As he spoke, he subconsciously raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

There was no way. After all, he was the one who shot the arrow. How could he not be nervous?
Although he was quite confident in his archery skills and felt that he should not make any mistakes, the matter was related to the emperor's safety after all. Even the slightest deviation would trigger a series of disasters.

Moreover, the incident happened suddenly and he was in a panic and had no time to check carefully, so he evacuated in a hurry. If he didn't ask clearly, he would not feel at ease.

Zhu Cilang smiled slightly upon hearing this, and then said:

"Don't worry, Father is fine, everything is as planned!"

Although Fang Zhenghua was unable to see the scene clearly, Zhu Cilang saw everything.

It has to be said that Chongzhen's acting skills at the time were superb, especially the shrill scream, the timing of which was just right, adding a sense of realism to the assassination.

But at this moment, Zhu Cilang seemed to suddenly remember something crucial, turned to look at Fang Zhenghua and asked:
"By the way, how's things going with Li Ruo Lian?"

Fang Zhenghua had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this and quickly replied:
"Don't worry, Your Highness. There will be absolutely no problems with Lord Li."

Then, Fang Zhenghua narrated what had just happened.

It turned out that after Fang Zhenghua succeeded, he fled all the way to avoid being "captured" by the Jinyiwei.

Until he arrived at a hiding place he had found in advance, he quickly took off his nightgown, put on his original clothes, and then transformed himself into the eunuch commander of the Western Factory that everyone feared.

Then he left the scene in a swagger.

At the same time, Li Ruolian also launched a large-scale manhunt in the capital as planned.

In short, we must make this matter a big deal!

The situation has gotten to the point where it can’t be resolved!
Zhu Cilang listened quietly to Fang Zhenghua's words, then nodded with satisfaction, because everything was under his control.

Soon, the two arrived outside Queen Zhou's bedroom.

At this moment, the entire bedroom was tightly guarded by the Jing army.

When the Jingjun soldiers saw Zhu Cilang coming, they saluted respectfully, but they could not hide the panic on their faces.

This was because they knew nothing about Zhu Cilang's plan and thought that Chongzhen was really assassinated.

But think about it, how could Zhu Cilang let so many people know about such a confidential matter?
Up to now, only a few people know about this matter, no more than ten people in total, including four young eunuchs who usually serve Chongzhen personally.

But of course, these young eunuchs have now been placed in the bedroom to serve Chongzhen.

As for the original eunuchs and palace maids in the bedroom, they have all been replaced. After all, the fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang and Fang Zhenghua strode into the bedroom.

Before he got close, Queen Zhou's slightly angry voice came from inside the house.

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking? Why do you have to take such a risk? You really terrified me!"

Then, Chongzhen's steady voice sounded:
"Don't worry, Queen. I have a deep reason for this action. This matter was decided after discussing it with Yan'er."

Obviously, Chongzhen had confessed the assassination to Queen Zhou.

Zhu Cilang was not surprised by this, and had no intention of hiding it from Queen Zhou at first.

After all, after returning to the capital, Chongzhen would inevitably spend every day with Queen Zhou, and such a thing could not be concealed at all.

Besides, Queen Zhou is his own mother, so what is there to hide?
When Zhu Cilang walked into the room, he saw Chongzhen standing by the bed, and Empress Zhou was helping Chongzhen take off his armor.

There were several eunuchs helping out, and they were the four eunuchs who had been accompanying the army before.

In addition, there was another person standing next to him, who was the imperial physician who had accompanied the army before.

The imperial physician was named Li Xinyuan, the grandson of the medicine saint Li Shizhen. However, he was not very popular in the Imperial Hospital and was often ostracized.

But it was also because of this that he was chosen by Zhu Cilang to be one of the imperial physicians accompanying the army.

Because he feels at ease when using this kind of person.

At this moment, Li Xinyuan looked at the scene in front of him with helplessness.

Because he already knew from the conversation between Chongzhen and Queen Zhu just now that the so-called assassination was actually just a plan of Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang!

And he himself was forced to join this plan.

Although no one specifically explained or warned him anything, he knew it clearly in his heart that if he dared to speak carelessly, he would surely die without a burial place!

And it is very likely that he will not die alone, but his whole family will die together!

So, what else can he do besides cooperate?

"Ying'er, what exactly are you and your father planning? How could you do this?"

Just then, Queen Zhou saw Zhu Cilang who had just come in, and couldn't help but complain again.

Zhu Cilang smiled and comforted him:
"Don't worry, mother. Your Majesty, your son and I naturally have our own considerations for doing this. You will know it in the future."

In any case, seeing that her husband and son were safe and sound, Queen Zhou's worries completely dissipated.

As for why the father and son did this, Queen Zhou actually didn't care much.

Because she knew that this matter must be related to national affairs, and this kind of thing was not something she, as the queen, could get involved in.

At this moment, Chongzhen's armor and the straw used for camouflage had all been removed.

Even the arrow was taken away and thrown aside.

Li Xinyuan approached cautiously and asked softly:

"Your Majesty, should this wound be treated?"

Although this assassination was fake and the injuries on Chongzhen's body were also fake, Li Xinyuan did not forget that Chongzhen's previous injuries were real!
And the wound hasn't healed yet!
However, upon hearing this, Chongzhen shook his head slightly, then said with a firm look:

"It's not the right time yet. Let's wait a few days! Also, find a way to make the wound look like it was pierced by an arrow so that you can deceive others."

Li Xinyuan was stunned after hearing this, but he didn't dare to say anything. He could only respond tremblingly:
"I obey your order." Then he stepped forward and started the operation.

When Queen Zhou heard this, her expression was filled with worry. She was about to speak to persuade him, but she saw Zhu Cilang gently shook his head.

Because Zhu Cilang knew that it would be useful to keep Chongzhen's wound.

Seeing this, Queen Zhou could only swallow the words she wanted to say.

But she still felt a little reluctant in her heart, so she had to turn her head away, her eyes full of heartache.

Soon, Li Xinyuan carefully repaired the wound on Chongzhen's arm according to Chongzhen's request.

He was very skilled, and after some operation, the wound in the middle looked like it had been pierced by an arrow.

However, the scratches on the upper and lower sides are still quite obvious, but this is not a problem.

After all, as long as Chongzhen himself did not reveal it, no one dared to pull off his clothes to check his wound.

After shaping the wound, Li Xinyuan sprinkled some medicine to prevent wound infection and delay healing, then picked up the gauze and carefully wrapped the wound.

During the whole process, Chongzhen clenched his teeth tightly and his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Because it really hurts.

Moreover, the wound caused Chongzhen to have trouble sleeping at night recently, but for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen could still endure this pain.

After everything was done, Chongzhen saw Empress Zhou's face full of pity and heartache, and a warm feeling came over him. He then whispered to comfort her:
"Don't worry, after tomorrow, I will have the imperial physician properly treat the wound!"

According to previous plans, Chongzhen will attend the morning court tomorrow morning.

Then, during the morning court session, he would become so angry that his wounds would tear and blood would spurt out.

In this way, all officials can feel the seriousness of the situation more clearly, thus feeling fear, and then promote the policy of equalizing the land tax and requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together.

In fact, before this, Zhu Cilang had advised Chongzhen that after the assassination, everything could proceed smoothly and there was no need for such a self-torture tactic.

But Chongzhen didn't think so. He felt that with injuries on his body, his performance in the court would be more realistic.

Therefore, Chongzhen insisted on waiting until the announcement of the equalization of land tax and the joint payment of taxes by officials and gentry before healing the wound.

Seeing that Chongzhen had made up his mind, Zhu Cilang stopped trying to persuade him.

It is obvious that Chongzhen suffered a lot in order to implement the policy of equalizing the land tax and requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together.

Suddenly at this moment, Zhu Cilang's eyes inadvertently fell on the arrow placed on the table, and an idea suddenly flashed through his mind.

He slowly turned his head to look at Fang Zhenghua and asked calmly:

"Normally, when assassins kill someone, they would coat the arrows with poison, right?"

Fang Zhenghua was slightly stunned when he heard this, obviously not expecting Zhu Cilang to suddenly ask such a question.

But he quickly came to his senses and nodded in response:

"My Lord, that is indeed the case."

Zhu Cilang raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile and said:
"In that case, go find a way to get some poison and apply it on the arrow."

When Fang Zhenghua heard this, his face turned pale as paper. His legs softened and he knelt on the ground, saying in horror:
"My Lord, this is absolutely unacceptable! How could I dare to do such a treasonous thing?"

Seeing Fang Zhenghua so frightened, Zhu Cilang seemed to realize that his request was a little inappropriate. He smiled and turned to look at Li Xinyuan who was also trembling with fear.
"There should be arsenic in the Imperial Hospital, right? It's also a traditional Chinese medicine. Go get some and apply it on the arrowhead."

"Also, getting someone to bleed some blood and creating the illusion that the arrow had just been pulled out of the arm would be very helpful."

When Li Xinyuan heard this, he groaned inwardly, but he did not dare to disobey in the slightest and could only agree to it.

"I'll go right away!"

Afterwards, Li Xinyuan walked towards the Imperial Hospital under the close surveillance of several young eunuchs and guards.

The arrow was also temporarily taken away.

Li Xinyuan knew in his heart that he certainly could not go and get the arsenic directly, as that would be too conspicuous.

He could only take some secretly under the pretext of treating the emperor's wounds, so as not to arouse suspicion.

After Li Xinyuan left, Zhu Cilang walked up to Chongzhen and said seriously:
"Father, let's start the next step of our plan."

Chongzhen nodded slightly, a pleased smile appeared on his face and he said:

"Okay, let's get started."

The next plan is not complicated, it can even be said to be very simple, which is to collect all the taxes owed by the fields around the capital.

According to the information previously found by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the fields owned by civil and military officials and nobles around the capital alone amount to at least 51,550 hectares, which is equivalent to more than 5,155,000 mu!
Chongzhen had quite a few imperial farms, approximately 21,550 hectares, which is equivalent to more than 2,155,000 mu.

Obviously, Chongzhen seems to be the biggest "gentry"!
But this is not his problem. After all, imperial farms have existed since ancient times. Which emperor does not have millions of acres of imperial farms?

And this is not important. What is important is to collect the taxes on these fields first!

Taxes must be collected from civil and military officials and nobles, and taxes must also be collected from imperial farms!
Although the taxes from the imperial farm will eventually fall into Zhu Cilang's hands, which is a bit like taking off your pants to fart, it still has to be done!

And it must be collected starting from the first year of Chongzhen!
Originally, Zhu Cilang actually planned to collect taxes from his grandfather's generation, that is, Ming Guangzong Zhu Changluo, but he finally gave up after being persuaded by Chongzhen.

After all, in Chongzhen's view, collecting taxes from his ancestors was a bit too much.
Moreover, it has been too long, the accounts have become corrupted, and there is no place to check!
Although most of the officials and nobles in the capital had already paid the taxes they owed over the years, there were still many who pretended not to pay the full amount.

So these are the people we will target next!
After receiving the additional taxes paid by these people, we will gradually expand to the southern provinces with the capital as the center.

Of course, Zhu Cilang was not going to be polite to those southern gentry!
But don't get me wrong, he did not plan to collect taxes from the generation of his grandfather, Ming Guangzong Zhu Changluo, but planned to start collecting taxes from the generation of his great-grandfather, Ming Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun!
what?
You said that it has been too long and the taxes have become a mess and there is no place to check?

Isn't this just right?
How much tax to collect and whether it has been paid before, isn't it up to Zhu Cilang to decide?

If he doesn’t make those southern gentry pay back all the taxes they owe to the Ming Dynasty this time, Zhu Cilang’s trip through time will be in vain!

At the same time, Beijing.

In less than half an hour, the news of Chongzhen's assassination spread like a gust of wind throughout the capital, causing an uproar in an instant.

From the beggars on the street to the civil and military officials in the court, everyone knows about it.

For a moment, everyone was stunned by the news.

They really couldn't imagine who was so bold as to do such a cruel thing to the emperor who had returned victoriously?

At some point, the originally clear sky suddenly darkened, and lead-gray clouds hung heavily over the capital, as if foreshadowing the coming of a storm.

Outside the palace, the atmosphere was as tense as a taut bowstring, ready to explode at any moment.

The news of Chongzhen's assassination was like a bombshell, causing many officials in the capital to fall into extreme panic and anxiety.

The first to bear the brunt was the cabinet chief Xue Guoguan!
During the period when Chongzhen personally led the army to fight, no one was appointed as regent, so Xue Guoguan, the chief minister of the cabinet, implicitly became the "regent minister"!
It is no exaggeration to say that during this period, he had the final say on all national affairs!

Now that the emperor has been assassinated, how can he escape responsibility?
At this moment, the four cabinet ministers headed by Xue Guoguan were all kneeling at the gate of the palace, waiting for news about Chongzhen.

In addition, the six ministers are also here.

There were also hundreds of officials in charge of the defense of the capital, including officials from the Five Cities Military Commission, the three camp commanders, officials from the Five Military Commanderies, the city inspectors, and so on. They were all kneeling here obediently at this moment.

Of course, there are also a number of nobles such as the Duke of England.

These people knew in their hearts that they had an unshirkable responsibility for the emperor's assassination, so without anyone urging them, they all knelt outside the palace gate, waiting for news from the palace.

The stone slabs on the ground were a little chilly, but it was nothing compared to the coldness in their hearts at the moment.

They all lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe, their hearts filled with fear and anxiety.

If Chongzhen was not dead but only injured, they would most likely be held accountable for failing to protect him.

They may face punishments such as dismissal, demotion, exile, and in serious cases they may even be executed, but in most cases their families will not be implicated.

But if Chongzhen died, then things would be serious!

Dismissal, demotion, exile and the like will become luxuries, and half of the people here will die!
And it wasn't just one person who died! The whole family, nine generations of the clan, died together!

Do you think they can remain calm?

Not long after, a eunuch informed Zhu Cilang of the situation at the palace gate.

Zhu Cilang remained calm after hearing this and was not surprised.

After all, it would be strange if they weren't afraid after something like this happened.

But then, Zhu Cilang suddenly had other thoughts.

The first three people he thought of were Xue Guoguan, Ni Yuanlu and Li Banghua.

You have to know that these three people are very old, their combined age is almost two hundred years old, and they really can't stand the shock.

The Duke of England did not seem to be in good health, and seemed to suffer from diseases such as high blood pressure. According to the original history, he seemed to have died in the past one or two years.

If these old ministers were frightened to death because of his and Chongzhen’s plan, then things would be troublesome!
After all, these people are all talented and knowledgeable people who are loyal to the emperor and patriotic.

Zhu Cilang still hopes that they can live a few more years and continue to contribute to the Ming Dynasty!

(End of this chapter)