How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 109 How much money do beggars make? I'm going to do the grand business of toll collection on the highway! (Twenty-nine)
After the morning court session ended, the officials filed out.

Emperor Chongzhen did not return to the Qianqing Palace, but went straight to the Wenhua Hall.

Huang Lijie, Wang Zaijin, Bi Ziyan, Zhang Zhiji, and Li Chengming, having received the oral order, dared not delay and arrived shortly afterward.

Inside the hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Emperor Chongzhen sat upright behind his desk, his young face expressionless, but his eyes were sharp.

"Please sit down." His voice was soft and very gentle.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The five men expressed their gratitude and sat on the embroidered stools brought by the eunuchs, their backs ramrod straight.

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze swept over the five people.

"Tomorrow's court meeting will discuss the matter of re-granting titles to the seven princes of Datong." He got straight to the point. "This matter concerns the fate of the Ming Dynasty and is of utmost importance. All of you must work together and do your utmost to ensure that the court meeting passes the resolution."

Huang Lijie, the Grand Secretary, sat at the very front.

Hearing the words "concerns the fate of the nation," his heart skipped a beat. It was just moving a few princes to Jiangnan for a meal, wasn't it? Was it really necessary?
He asked cautiously, "Does His Majesty mean... that the princes, generals, lieutenants, and those princes without titles in Datong should all be moved to Jiangnan to live off the land, in order to alleviate the pressure on the Shanxi provincial government?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly burst into laughter.

"Eat?" A playful smirk played on his lips. "That's still begging! How much money do you get from begging? What I want to do is the grand undertaking of tolling on the highway!"

"Charging fees by blocking the road?"

Huang Lijie, Wang Zaijin, Bi Ziyan, and Li Chengming all felt a sudden jolt in their hearts.

This sounds... kind of like being a robber? First beg for food, then become a robber? This approach... doesn't it sound a bit like the Zhu family's early days of starting their business?

Huang Liji braced himself, his throat dry: "I don't know... I don't know where His Majesty intends to... block the road and collect fees?"

Emperor Chongzhen leaned forward slightly and tapped his finger lightly on the imperial desk: "Go to the trading ports along the southeast coast to collect them!"

Treaty port?

Huang Lijie, Wang Zaijin, Bi Ziyan, and Li Chengming understood instantly!
The emperor intends to move all seven princes of Datong to places like Quanzhou, Ningbo, and Guangzhou, which have maritime trade!

Using the Prince's Mansion as a front, they interfered with and even promoted the establishment of the Maritime Trade Office! They also wanted these princes to keep an eye on the Maritime Trade Office!
That's a huge move! And ruthless enough!
But this isn't so easy.

Huang Lijie, an old bureaucrat, immediately realized the difficulties: "Your Majesty, the Prince of the County... according to ancestral rules, is not allowed to have guards. When they arrive at their destination, without soldiers or generals, how will they proceed? And how... will they 'charge fees'?" He almost blurted out "blocking the road" again.

Wang Zaijin, who was in charge of the Ministry of War, chimed in, "Indeed, Your Majesty. The officials under the Prince of the Commandery are of low rank, merely professors or stewards, only good for managing the Prince's palace's food, drink, and sacrifices. How could the local officials possibly take them seriously?"

Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue, was worried about money: "His Majesty has conferred the title of seven more princes, and the expenses of escorting them, settling them down, and building their mansions along the way are enormous. The national treasury... is really stretched thin."

Li Chengming, the Marquis of Wuqing and the head of the nobility, also frowned: "Your Majesty, ancestral precepts state that members of the imperial clan are not allowed to interfere with local officials. If princes go to the provinces and have conflicts with local officials, or are impeached for 'interfering with officials,' then..."

As they listed their difficulties one by one, Emperor Chongzhen remained unmoved.

He only spoke slowly after they had finished talking.

"The Prince has no guards?" He sneered. "The court can send troops to escort them south! Once they arrive, leave two or three hundred elite soldiers behind, ostensibly for 'protection,' but in reality for 'surveillance'! These soldiers will be selected by me from the Beijing Garrison and the Embroidered Uniform Guard! They will only obey my orders!"

Huang Lijie and the others felt a chill run down their spines. This was practically sending the emperor's personal guards directly into the southeast!

"The officials under my command are of low status?" Chongzhen continued, "I will send officials of the rank of commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to accompany these two or three hundred elite troops south! Ostensibly, they will assist the officials of the Prince's residence in protecting the Prince's safety. In reality, they will be my eyes and ears! They will keep watch over the border for me!"

A commander of the Imperial Guard, with several hundred elite personal guards, stationed at the Prince's residence... This carries more weight than a prefect!

"As for the ancestral rule that local authorities should not interfere?" A fierce glint flashed in Chongzhen's eyes. "Princes have the right to report directly to the Emperor! If they discover that anyone at the border is embezzling official land or military farms, evading commercial taxes, or even colluding with pirates... they can directly submit a secret report to me!"

He paused, his voice icy: "Local officials and courtiers may, of course, accuse the prince of interfering with the authorities. But ultimately, the power to decide who is right and who is wrong rests with me!"

A cold sweat broke out on Huang Lijie and the others' backs. Could it be that some emperor impersonated a prince to write a secret report for them, and then used that report to cause trouble? Chongzhen looked at them and said, word by word, "How much of the military farms and official lands in the southeastern provinces have been embezzled? This matter, if not investigated, is fine, but once investigated…it's full of holes! Anyone who doesn't want to be investigated must cooperate with the court to open the maritime trade and collect commercial taxes!"

He leaned back, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Tomorrow at the court meeting, you must raise a banner for me: the princes of Datong have voluntarily requested a change of title to prove their innocence! It is out of loyalty to the emperor and the country! Anyone who disagrees is a traitor to the imperial family! In case... trouble arises in Datong as a result, whoever opposes it will bear full responsibility! They will be thrown into the imperial prison!"

Huang Lijie, Wang Zaijin, Bi Ziyan, and Li Chengming felt a chilling murderous aura emanating from them.

The emperor has really gone too far with his words.

How could things not go wrong in Datong? If the emperor wants it to happen, it definitely will!
When the time comes, who can withstand the heavy accusation of "sowing discord among the royal family and causing chaos"?
The Imperial Prison... that's no place for a human being!

The four of them exchanged glances, and each saw fear and helplessness in the other's eyes.

"We...understand!" The four bowed in unison, their voices trembling slightly.

"Good that you understand." Chongzhen waved his hand. "Go and make preparations. Tomorrow's court meeting is a must-win situation; failure is not an option!"

Zhengxintang Teahouse is located not far from Zhengyangmen in the outer city of Beijing.

In a quiet private room on the second floor, Qian Qianyi, Li Banghua, Lu Shanji, Hou Xun, and Huang Zongxi sat around a table.

Several cups of tea were steaming, but the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Qian Qianyi recounted the news of the "re-granting of titles to the seven princes" that had been presented at court that day, and then sighed, "It seems that His Majesty is determined to move those seven princes from Datong to our southeast."

He looked at Huang Zongxi, who was sitting below him: "Taichong, you are in charge of the Maritime Trade Office in the Yunnan Department of the Ministry of Revenue. What do you think about that?"

Young Huang Zongxi frowned and put down his teacup: "Master Mu, isn't it obvious? His Majesty is eyeing the commercial taxes and maritime trade profits of the Southeast! Zhou Yingqiu has already gone to Fujian to serve as the Imperial Inspector of the Coast Guard and is in contact with that Zheng Yiguan. I have also been ordered to draft new regulations for the Maritime Trade Office... But at this time, the Seven Princes of Datong want to further seal off the Southeast seaports? Isn't this like a louse on a bald man's head?"

Qian Qianyi nodded, then looked at Li Banghua beside him: "Brother Maoshi, what do you think?"

Li Banghua was from Jishui, Jiangxi. The princes of the southeastern coast hadn't yet reached his hometown. But he was worried about something else: "Elder Mu, this matter... is perfectly legitimate. There are too many members of the Datong imperial clan, the pressure is too great. Moving a few princes out makes sense in principle. A hardline approach probably won't work."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "The key issue is that if this drags on, there will likely be even more princes being enfeoffed in Jiangdong! Our Ming Dynasty... has plenty of everything but princes! If they were all moved to Jiangnan, there would be more than enough princes to fill every county! How could we live like that? It would be utterly disgusting!"

He glanced at Huang Zongxi: "In my opinion, His Majesty just wants to collect more silver. As for the Maritime Trade Office... a little tax increase is fine, it's better than having princes crowding in."

Sitting next to Li Banghua was Lu Shanji, a native of Dingxing, Baoding, who represented Sun Chengzong, who was far away in Liaodong. He immediately chimed in, "Brother Maoshi is absolutely right! Lord Sun Gaoyang also thinks so. In any case, we can't stand up to him! It's better for the Maritime Trade Office to collect some taxes than for princes to be walking all over the place."

Qian Qianyi was still uneasy, so he looked at Hou Xun, who hadn't spoken yet, and asked, "Brother Ruogu, what do you think?"

Hou Xun was from Shangqiu, Henan. He had just been reinstated but had not yet been assigned an official position—he was still eagerly awaiting it! He stroked his beard and said slowly, "It is fine for the Maritime Trade Office to increase taxes. However, these taxes must go into the national treasury and be managed by the Ministry of Revenue, and cannot go into the Inner Transport Treasury."

He then changed the subject: "Furthermore, the bestowal of titles upon these seven princes is still a matter of debate. In our Great Ming Dynasty, with its two capitals and thirteen provinces, how many provinces are without princes? Shouldn't... the quota be shared among them?"

Qian Qianyi felt disgusted upon hearing this.

Prince who shares the burden?

Hou Ruogu's words... sound like he's treating the prince like merchandise, to be divided equally among the provinces.

By the way, you have many princes in Henan, would you like to share some with them?
This Donglin Party faction... is really getting harder and harder to manage!

He picked up his teacup, concealing the helplessness on his face.

"This matter... requires further consideration," Qian Qianyi said vaguely, his gaze drifting to the bustling street outside the window, his heart filled with gloom.

The emperor's move was aggressive and imposing.

Tomorrow's court meeting is likely to be a tough battle.

(End of this chapter)