How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 107 Princes: Your Majesty, we are innocent, we are good princes (27th update)

In the first year of Chongzhen's reign, in the fourth month, at the Prince Dai's Mansion in Datong.

Inside the Yin'an Hall, seven princes sat in a row. Each had a grand chair, looking quite dignified. But the princes' faces were all deathly pale.

The eldest, Prince Xiangyuan, Zhu Chengxuan, had a completely white beard, and his hands were trembling violently. Prince Lingqiu, Zhu Shi, was younger, but he too bit his lip, not daring to look out. The others—Prince Xuanning, Zhu Naixuan; Prince Xichuan, Zhu Junbai; Prince Guangling, Zhu Nailian; Prince Lucheng, Zhu Naiquan; and Prince Shanyin, Zhu Naijia—were in similar situations, barely daring to breathe.

They were "invited." Wei Zhongxian gave the order to have them witness the search and confiscation of the Prince of Dai's residence.

Outside the palace, in the square, there was a flurry of activity.

Wei Zhongxian, Liu Wenzhong, Tian Ergeng, Xu Xigao, and Zhu Guobi sat in a row on the steps outside the hall. A long table was placed in front of them.

Below the steps, the Imperial Guards, the servants of dukes and marquises, and the standard-bearers of the Datong Governor's Office were mixed into teams. Four men per team, keeping an eye on each other, they divided the work into sections and rushed into the various courtyards of the Prince of Dai's mansion.

"Bang!"

"Wow!"

"Be gentle! Can you afford to pay for a broken head if you fall?"

Shouts, the sounds of rummaging through boxes and cabinets, and the clanging of objects blended together in a cacophony.

Boxes of goods were carried out and piled up in the square. Gold and silver utensils, jewelry and jade, antiques and calligraphy and paintings, leather goods and silks... they dazzled the eyes in the sunlight.

Wei Zhongxian's shrill voice drifted into the hall from time to time:

"Be thorough with everything for our family! Register each item carefully!"

"Keep your hands clean! We'll search you later! Hiding even one item will get you beheaded! Those who don't will be rewarded!"

"Everyone, stay alert! There are still several more places to raid! In Datong City, there are plenty of princes' mansions and generals' mansions!"

These words were like knives, stabbing repeatedly into the hearts of the princes in the hall.

"Waaah..." Someone couldn't hold back and started sobbing softly. It was Prince Guangling, Zhu Nailian, who was the most timid. His crying caused Prince Lucheng, Zhu Naiqian, who was next to him, to also wipe away his tears.

Yuan Chonghuan sat on the other side of the hall, looking at the cowardly state of these imperial nobles, and sighed inwardly. Is this the character of the descendants of the founding emperor? Have they lost all backbone? How can they be expected to "protect" the court? They're terrified just because their own property is being confiscated. If the Tartars were to invade, how could they be expected to defend Datong?
He coughed, cleared his throat, and spoke, trying to keep his voice gentle: "Your Highnesses, there is no need to be overly worried."

The princes looked up at him with tearful eyes, as if they had grasped at a straw.

"His Majesty is benevolent," Yuan Chonghuan said, feeling a little guilty, but he still had to continue to offer promises. "As long as the princes can prove their innocence and distance themselves from the Dai princes' rebellion, their titles will naturally remain secure."

Prince Zhu Chengyi of Xiangyuan asked tremblingly, "Minister Yuan... how can you prove your innocence?"

Yuan Chonghuan said gently, "The first method is to prove that your family has absolutely no connection with the crimes committed by the Dai prince. For example, that you have not encroached on military farmland, have not had any dealings with those unscrupulous merchants who smuggle goods and travel abroad, and have not..."

Before he could finish speaking, the princes' faces turned even paler. They had everything that Governor Yuan had mentioned.

"How...how can we prove our innocence?!" Prince Xuanning, Zhu Naixuan, slapped his thigh in frustration. "The Prince of Dai is the head of the main lineage. How can we princes not have social interactions during festivals, weddings, and funerals? The fields and shops are even more intertwined...this...this is impossible to explain!"

"Yeah yeah!"

"This is how to do!"

"Injustice!"

The princes started crying again, even more pitifully than before. Just now they felt they had been wronged, but now they seemed to think they deserved their fate!

Prince Zhu Naijun of Dai and Duke Zhu Chunchen of Cheng conspired to commit treason by communicating with foreign tribes! Zhu Chunchen was caught in Prince Zhu Naijun's residence, and the evidence is irrefutable! They occupied military farms together with Prince Zhu Naijun and engaged in smuggling to the border. The fact that these princes were so close to each other violated the prohibitions against vassal states!

Of course, the laws of this dynasty have long been lax, and if the princes' residences are a little friendly, no one usually cares. But now, if we investigate, they'll be unable to clear their names even if they jump into the Yellow River! No, they're not qualified to jump into the Yellow River; only the Prince of Fu and the Prince of Zhou from Henan are allowed to do so!

Yuan Chonghuan, the "Great Philanthropist," quickly raised his hand: "Your Highnesses, do not panic! Do not panic! There is a second way!"

"What method?" King Lingqiu, young and impatient, asked eagerly.

Yuan Chonghuan scanned the crowd, lowering his voice: "My lords, you are all of the Dai clan, connected by blood. You all now reside in this city of Datong. Below me alone, there are over a hundred generals, and thousands more lieutenants and members of the imperial clan..."

The princes listened, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Yuan Chonghuan continued, "...With so many members of the imperial family gathered in this important border town, if someone with ulterior motives were to raise an army and incite rebellion... how could the Emperor sleep soundly in the capital?"

The princes were stunned. They looked at each other, all finding it absurd.

More than a hundred generals? One or two thousand lieutenants and their families?

It sounds like they could muster tens of thousands of troops. But they themselves know that most of those generals and lieutenants are dirt poor, some can't even afford to eat, let alone have any fighting ability. Try to get them to rebel? They probably wouldn't even be able to break through a city gate!
"Lord Yuan, this... what are you talking about!" Prince Zhu Chengyi of Xiangyuan cried, tears streaming down his face. "We are all law-abiding and virtuous members of the imperial clan, with absolutely no disloyal intentions! Your Majesty, please see the truth!"

"Yes! Your Majesty is wise!"

"We are innocent!" Yuan Chonghuan waved his hand. "I understand the princes' intentions, and the Emperor understands them too. But... public opinion is a fearsome thing, and many voices can melt metal. Besides, what about Eunuch Wei..." He gestured towards the outside of the hall.

Outside the palace, Wei Zhongxian was pointing at several Imperial Guards and yelling, "Are you blind? Didn't you see the jade disc under that box? Bring it out for us! This jade disc is so big, it must be used to carve an imperial seal!"

The princes trembled with fear.

"Minister Yuan! Save us!" Prince Zhu Naijia of Shanyin cried out.

Yuan Chonghuan felt that the time was right and he couldn't frighten them any further. If he really scared them to death, he would have a hard time explaining himself. So he smiled and said, "If the princes really want to prove their innocence and seek peace, I have an idea."

"Please enlighten me, Your Excellency!"

"Say it quickly!"

Yuan Chonghuan lowered his voice even further: "You... can request to be promoted yourself."

"Gengfeng" means to change one's fiefdom.

"Another title?" The princes looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Yes,” Yuan Chonghuan nodded, “Leave Datong and disperse. Once you leave and disperse, you won’t be able to stick together as one, and the Emperor will naturally feel at ease.”

The princes' eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.

"Where can we go after leaving Datong?" asked Zhu Junbai, the Prince of Xichuan.

Yuan Chonghuan's face darkened, and his voice also became somber: "If we let Eunuch Wei investigate... he will definitely find something. At that time, I'm afraid we'll only be able to go to one place."

"where?"

"The high walls of Fengyang!"

The princes gasped. The high walls of Fengyang! That was where the criminals were imprisoned! A living hell! For the starving princes, perhaps there was still food to eat, but they were princes after all.

“But if you submit your own petition requesting a different title, that would be a way to prove your innocence,” Yuan Chonghuan said, his tone becoming enticing. “His Majesty is benevolent and, out of consideration for our kinship, will surely show leniency. Perhaps… he will send you to a prosperous place like Jiangnan to live a peaceful life as princes.”

"Jiangnan?"

"Go to Jiangnan?"

The princes were stunned, thinking they had misheard. Jiangnan? A land of fish and rice, a paradise on earth? These princes, who had been confined to the harsh border towns for generations, never dared to dream of such a place!
Looking at their shocked yet hopeful faces, Yuan Chonghuan added, "Your Highnesses, think about it. Besides the high walls of Fengyang, is there any place in the world worse than Datong? What's so good about it? It's plagued by drought and poverty. Tartars invade from time to time, and there are frequent mutinies among the soldiers. Submit a petition for a higher title to prove your innocence! This is the only way out, and also... a path to wealth and honor."

The hall was deathly silent. Only the shouts of people moving things, Wei Zhongxian's sharp reprimands, and the clinking of gold and silver objects could be heard from outside.

The princes' hearts were torn apart by the words "Fengyang" and "Jiangnan".

"Jiangnan," Prince Zhu Nailian of Guangling murmured to himself, a glimmer of light suddenly appearing in his tear-streaked eyes. He abruptly stood up, wiping away his tears, and said, "Minister Yuan! I... I wish to submit a memorial! I beg Your Majesty to grant me a new title! I am innocent! I am a good prince!"

His shout was like a floodgate being opened.

"I, the Prince of Lucheng, also wish to submit a memorial!" Prince Zhu Naiquan of Lucheng stood up immediately afterward, his voice trembling. "I am utterly loyal to Your Majesty and have no disloyal intentions whatsoever! I beg Your Majesty to grant me a further title!"

"The same goes for me!" Prince Zhu Naijia of Shanyin said to Yuan Chonghuan, "I am willing to leave Datong to prove my innocence!"

Prince Xuanning (Zhu Naixuan), Prince Xichuan (Zhu Junbai), and Prince Lingqiu (Zhu Shi) all rushed to declare their innocence.
"Xiao Wang is innocent!"

"Xiao Wang is a good king!"

"I beg Your Majesty's mercy to grant me a new title!"

"I am willing to go to Jiangnan. No, I am willing to follow Your Majesty's arrangements and go anywhere, as long as I leave Datong!"

Finally, even the eldest prince, Zhu Chengxuan, shakily stood up, supporting himself on a chair. Yuan Chonghuan quickly stepped forward and offered a helping hand: "Your Highness, there's no need for that."

Zhu Chengqian, tears streaming down his face, his voice choked with emotion, said, "I, Yuan Zhongcheng, also wish to submit a memorial to Your Majesty, begging you to consider my advanced age and allow me to leave this bitter and cold place and find a peaceful place. I am innocent!"

In an instant, all seven princes in the Yin'an Palace admitted defeat, repeatedly saying "innocence," "good king," and "please grant them a higher title."

Yuan Chonghuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the scene before him.

The pie has been drawn up.

A gentle smile appeared on his face, and he said repeatedly, "Good, good! Your Highnesses are very understanding and righteous. I will certainly report the truth to His Majesty! Please sit down, please sit down quickly!"

Outside the hall, Wei Zhongxian's shrill voice still rang out: "Hey you! Be careful! That's a Jun ware from the former Song Dynasty! If you break it, you won't be able to pay for it even if you sell your whole family!"

(End of this chapter)