Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 6 This country is sick, sick from top to bottom.

Although a minor hiccup was resolved, the main problem remained unresolved. The budget of two million taels for constructing the imperial mausoleum still could not be raised.

To curry favor with Zhu Youjian, Wei Zhongxian suggested increasing taxes, but this was opposed by the court officials, and Zhu Youjian, following their advice, dropped the suggestion. While increasing taxes could temporarily boost revenue, it was unfair to the poor, but in a truly urgent situation, it was unavoidable.

But building a tomb is hardly an urgent matter. Zhu Youjian wasn't so foolish or incompetent as to use the lives of the living to flatter the dead. The Chinese nation certainly needs ancestor worship, but this should be out of respect for ancestors and to carry on their legacy; fanatical faith that degenerates into the worship of ghosts and gods is entirely unnecessary.

The characteristics of ghost and spirit worship include human sacrifice, elaborate burial, and treating the dead as if they were alive. But once someone is dead, they are dead. No matter how luxurious the tomb is, it is meaningless except for being excavated by later generations, so that "I can have one of everything in the Forbidden City, and I can build one if the Forbidden City doesn't have one."

If the imperial court levied an additional tael of silver, seven-tenths would be taken by the lower levels, leaving only three coins in the national treasury. Therefore, Zhu Youjian (Emperor Zhu Youjian) would not easily raise taxes. If the common people could at least have enough to eat, would they rebel?
"The affairs of the state are difficult, so your Ministry of Works should build the underground palace of the imperial mausoleum first. The upper part of the mausoleum can be built later when the national finances are more comfortable," Zhu Youjian said.

"Your Majesty, this is against propriety and will damage the face of the court!" Minister of Rites Lai Zongdao objected with great distress.

"The dignity of the imperial court?! The people can't even afford to eat, the imperial court can't pay the soldiers' salaries, and it can't even pay your own salaries. What dignity do you have?! Or does your Ministry of Rites have extra money to coordinate something?!" Zhu Youjian said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Your Majesty, I am ashamed!" Lai Zongdao knelt down without saying a word, but he was not intimidated by Zhu Youjian and insisted that he could not let Zhu Youjian get away with this matter.

Waiting for the imperial court's finances to be more abundant?! That might fool a child, but when has the imperial court ever been financially comfortable? For decades, it has been living beyond its means. If the mausoleum isn't built now, it will never be built.

Then he, as the Minister of Rites, would be forever nailed to the pillar of shame in history.

At Lai Zongdao's insistence, many officials from other departments, including ministers, stood in the middle with their official tablets to remonstrate, and even the nobles who had been feigning death jumped out. Zhu Youjian was shameless and didn't care much about funerals, but in the eyes of people of that era, it was a matter of utmost importance in life.

If they, as subjects, cannot even ensure the late emperor rests in peace, what right do they have to talk about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism? The court loses face, the emperor loses face, and they also lose face.

Zhu Youjian stood up from the throne, and as if to signal a move, all the officials, whether they had stepped forward or not, knelt down. Zhu Youjian was somewhat taken aback. The Six Arts of a Gentleman, including rites, were incredibly complex. Even officials in the Ministry of Rites couldn't understand them without consulting books, let alone the emperor himself.

Although Zhu Youjian also desired power, such superficial gestures were meaningless. Seeing his officials kneeling, Zhu Youjian did not perceive it as a sign of submission, but rather as a collective act of defiance.

"If you all act so uniformly, won't I become all alone?!"

"Stop kneeling, get up, all of you." Zhu Youjian sat back down in his chair, feeling utterly drained. He had just stood up to offer a gesture to this group of people, but they all knelt down without even raising their heads. Who was he trying to impress? It was as if his spell had been interrupted, and he was feeling incredibly frustrated.

"You can't come up with the money, and you're unwilling to cut the budget. What are you going to do? You have to come up with a solution. Anyone can raise a question."

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtiers fell silent again. This didn't mean they had no ideas; they simply didn't want to be the first to speak up. Zhu Youjian understood this mentality, and breaking the deadlock was simple: just call out names.

"Minister Xue, the plan and budget for the imperial mausoleum were proposed by your Ministry of Works. Why don't you tell us what solutions you have?" "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works can postpone this year's river dredging work and allocate approximately 20 taels of silver for the construction of the imperial mausoleum," Xue Fengxiang said, bowing.

Good heavens! The other ministers looked at Xue Fengxiang in surprise, their eyes filled with astonishment. They never expected that the Ministry of Works would actually cut its own flesh. This was outrageous.

River dredging?! Are you kidding me? Aside from local officials eager to improve their positions and actively raising funds and manpower, and local gentry bickering over their own land, who would expect the Ministry of Works to contribute money and effort to flood control?! Do you think this is the Hongwu or Yongle era? This 200,000 taels of silver just came from the pockets of officials of all ranks in the Ministry of Works? That Xue fellow really has guts; isn't he afraid of being torn apart by his subordinates when he gets back to the yamen?!
"Ministry of Revenue," Zhu Youjian continued, calling out names.

Guo Yunhou said with a bitter face, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is really short of money. Last year, the Taicang granary revenue was 3.98 million taels of silver, but in the first half of this year, it only received 1.37 million taels of silver. The nine border garrisons owe 2.9336 million taels of military pay, the Beijing garrison owes 500,000 taels of pay, and in addition to the established practice of the Six Ministries, Three Offices and Five Temples, the unpaid salaries of officials in the capital and officials of all ranks in the country, the total shortfall exceeds 6 million taels. Your Majesty, I really can't calculate this account."

"Well, you'll get used to it. That's how it is with money. A Minister of Revenue who doesn't complain about being poor isn't a good Minister," Zhu Youjian comforted himself.

"Zhang Juzheng, I'll curse your mother!" Zhu Youjian tried hard to maintain his composure, but his heart was already filled with rage.

If it weren't for that idiot's Single Whip Law, would the Ming Dynasty be in such dire straits now?!
Zhu Yuanzhang maintained a million-strong army without spending a single penny. Even if the garrison system collapsed, couldn't he have switched to conscription? What's the point of recruiting soldiers?! What good is it except to fatten up those parasites and create a bunch of warlords?!
The Single Whip Law abolished in-kind taxes, subjecting the people to secondary exploitation and handing over monetary hegemony—it was utterly foolish. Can you eat silver? What's the difference between it and toilet paper like paper money? National prosperity requires resources and manpower, not this pile of scrap metal!
Converting rice paddies to mulberry fields meant exchanging the blood and tears of the nation for foreign silver. The result was a devaluation of silver and soaring inflation, meaning the country gained nothing and foreigners essentially profited at its expense. Is a trade surplus something to be proud of?

The Nine Borders Black Hole swallows millions of taels of silver every year, but what is the result? It accelerates the devaluation of silver in the region, and the lives of the people in the Nine Borders do not improve at all. They suffer more and more every day. Food prices soar, and the meager amount of silver they receive is not even enough to support their families!
The country was sick; it was sick from top to bottom. Zhu Youjian knew this; he knew the Ming Dynasty was in terrible shape, but he could only hope that this wrecked ship could sail a little further. However, even with this mental preparation, facing these problems head-on was still very difficult for him.

"Ministry of Justice." Zhu Youjian sighed and continued calling out names.

“Your Majesty,” Feng Jiahui of the Ministry of Justice said in a hoarse voice, “our Ministry of Justice has always been a poor department. Salaries have not been paid in full for several years. Last year…”

"Ahem." Wei Zhongxian suddenly pretended to cough, and the two Imperial Censors north of the Danchi in the Hall of Supreme Harmony immediately turned their gazes to Wei Zhongxian. However, after secretly glancing at the emperor's expression, the two exchanged a glance and put down their pens.

Feng Jiahui was taken aback, looked at Wei Zhongxian, and then changed the subject, saying, "Your Majesty, my Ministry of Justice will try its best to squeeze out eight thousand taels of silver."

Wei Zhongxian's face darkened, and he could only lean closer to Zhu Youjian and whisper, "Your Majesty, this old servant has saved up some silver over the years. When the late emperor passed away, this old servant was heartbroken and wept every day. The thought that the late emperor could not rest in peace makes this old servant ashamed. Therefore, this old servant is willing to offer 100,000 taels of silver to build a mausoleum for the late emperor."

Zhu Youjian glanced sideways. Good heavens, the key point isn't the amount of money, but that Wei Zhongxian is offering a pledge of loyalty, voluntarily bringing forward evidence of his embezzlement, laying his cards on the table.

"Wei Banban, you're very thoughtful," Zhu Youjian said, nodding.

With a sigh of relief, Wei Zhongxian realized that walking into a trap required immense courage. The emperor's decision to have him accompany him meant that he had been accepted, and the emperor would no longer pursue the troubles he had committed. He could finally sleep peacefully, as he had been waking up from nightmares these past few days.

(End of this chapter)