How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 115 This isn't usury, it's a debt of gratitude! (Second update)

Just as the two lovable princes, Zhu Chengxuan, Prince of Xiangyuan, and Zhu Shi, Prince of Lingqiu, had gritted their teeth and made up their minds to leave this godforsaken place of Datong, even if they had to beg for food all the way, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside. Yuan Chonghuan's trusted advisor burst in, his face pale: "Master! Eunuch Wei... Eunuch Wei is here! He's already outside the ceremonial gate!"

The two princes jumped to their feet, their legs trembling. Oh no! They were now secretly meeting with the governor, a grave taboo for princes to "hand over official duties"! While there might be some extenuating circumstances, they'd run into Wei Zhongxian, that living devil… They had to run, run away through the back door.

Before they could even take a step and run away, the curtain was lifted with a "whoosh," and Wei Zhongxian's pale face peeked in, all smiles on his face. He even cupped his hands in greeting first: "Oh, Prince Xiangyuan and Prince Lingqiu are here too? What a coincidence!"

Zhu Chengyi and Zhu Shi were so frightened that they stammered, "Eunuch Wei... I... I'm here to..."

Wei Zhongxian interrupted with a smile: "This old servant understands! The two princes must have come to discuss the important matter of their new titles with Governor Yuan! This is a serious matter, a very important matter! We can't just speculate on things ourselves and break the rules of the court, can we?" He glanced at their pale faces and drew out his voice, "If they were to communicate with the government in private... then things would be very complicated, wouldn't they?"

"It wasn't in private! It definitely wasn't in private!" The two princes shook their heads vigorously, cold sweat streaming down their temples.

The princes of the Ming Dynasty were sometimes quite pitiful; even a "private relationship with the government" could be used to punish them!
The "Imperial Appointed Governor" Yuan Chonghuan quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "Eunuch Wei, you are wise. The two princes are very understanding and have decided to set off for the south immediately. All the properties in Datong, whether farms or shops, will be handled by the Imperial Clan Court and the Datong Governor's Office without delay!"

Zhu Chengxuan and Zhu Shi nodded frantically, tears welling in their eyes, their hearts bleeding. That was the wealth accumulated by their ancestors over two hundred years! Handing it over to the Imperial Clan Court and the Provincial Governor's Office might legally yield a small sum, but what about all that their ancestors had painstakingly seized? It was probably all gone, all gone!

Wei Zhongxian gave an "Oh," as if he had just remembered, and slowly asked, "Then... have you princes prepared enough for the travel expenses to the south, and the expenses for settling down and building mansions in your new fiefdoms? You can't expect the court and the imperial treasury to subsidize everything, can you? The court... is in a difficult position too!" He paused, looking at the two princes' expressions that froze instantly, "You two princes, can you really just leave like that? On the way... please don't let the dignity of your imperial lineage be compromised."

Zhu Cheng's throat was dry, but he forced himself to say, "If we can...we'll save where we can..."

"At worst, we'll beg for food!" Zhu Shi was so anxious that he started talking nonsense.

Begging is not easy these days!

"Save money? Beg for food?" Wei Zhongxian raised an eyebrow, his voice suddenly rising, "How can that be! How can the descendants of the founding emperor be reduced to begging for food? If word gets out, where will the imperial family's face be? Where will His Majesty's face be? Where will the founding emperor's face be?"

The two princes were almost brought to tears by this bullying. They're not allowed to save money? They're even forbidden from begging? Even our great-grandfather wasn't forbidden from begging back then! This is outrageous!
Just then, Wei Zhongxian suddenly clasped his hands in a fist salute to the void, his face changing to a solemn expression of gratitude for the Emperor's grace: "Your Majesty is wise! You are compassionate towards your relatives! You have long thought of the two princes!" With a wave of his hand, a servant behind him immediately presented a wooden tray covered with yellow silk. Wei Zhongxian unveiled the yellow silk and took out a scroll of bright yellow satin imperial edict.

"Your Majesty's grace!" Wei Zhongxian's voice boomed, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Considering the loyalty and patriotism of the two princes, and their voluntary requests for further titles, this imperial decree grants a special loan of 50,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Treasury—50,000 taels each for the Xiangyuan Prince's residence and the Lingqiu Prince's residence! This will be used for travel expenses to the south and for settling in their new fiefdoms! No principal needs to be repaid, only interest."

Fifty thousand taels?!

Zhu Chengxuan and Zhu Shi could hardly believe their ears. Overwhelmed with joy, they were dizzy with surprise, their knees buckling as they were about to kneel in gratitude. Fifty thousand taels! No need to repay the principal! Your Majesty… Your Majesty is truly benevolent!
Wei Zhongxian smiled and offered a gesture of support, then continued, "The imperial edict says that this fifty thousand taels... is His Majesty's grace. The principal does not need to be repaid!" Seeing the two princes' tearful expressions of gratitude, he suddenly changed the subject, "However... interest is still required."

"Interest...?" Zhu Cheng was taken aback.

“Yes,” Wei Zhongxian smiled like a Maitreya Buddha, “three-tenths profit.”

Zhu Shi breathed a sigh of relief and tentatively asked, "Three percent annual interest?" Three percent annual interest would only amount to 1,500 taels a year, which was not a small amount, but he could manage if he gritted his teeth.

Wei Zhongxian shook his head, held up three chubby fingers, and gently shook them: "Monthly interest, three percent."

"Three percent monthly interest?!" Zhu Chengyi exclaimed in shock, his hand trembling so much he almost knocked over the teacup beside him. Three percent monthly interest! That's thirty-six percent interest a year! With a principal of fifty thousand taels, the interest alone would amount to eighteen thousand taels a year! This... this is even worse than rolling on a donkey's back! They went to their new fiefdom, unfamiliar with the place and the people. Building the palace, acquiring estates, bribing officials—everything costs money! Where would they get the silver to repay eighteen thousand taels every year?

What is this if not usury?!

Seeing the two princes' ashen faces, Wei Zhongxian's smile deepened, carrying a sincere "I'm doing this for your own good" attitude: "Princes, don't worry about not being able to repay. His Majesty has made arrangements, and I guarantee you'll be able to pay it back!" He took a step closer, lowering his voice, but it carried a heavy weight, "The most important thing right now is to quickly submit a memorial to express your gratitude and acknowledge this 'debt of gratitude'! This is the right thing to do! This is true loyalty to the emperor and the country!" He deliberately emphasized the words "debt of gratitude".

This is an act of kindness from the Emperor!
You don't want our gratitude? What do you want? Are you planning a rebellion?
At this moment, Yuan Chonghuan, the "pie-in-the-sky governor," suddenly offered a seemingly real promise: "Your Highnesses, don't worry about not being able to repay the debt. Even if you can't, it's the Emperor who's anxious, not you two. Think about it carefully: before you repay the 100,000 taels of imperial treasury money you owe the Emperor, are your positions of power truly secure? If the Emperor doesn't care about you two, would he really give up on this 100,000 taels?"

After thinking it over, the two princes from the Zhu family realized they were right!

The Emperor lent them 100,000 taels of silver, so they can't be sent to the high walls of Fengyang!
How will they repay their debts if they're sent behind bars?
"Borrow! I'll repay the debt of gratitude to the Emperor!" Zhu Shi gritted his teeth and finally made the wisest decision of his life.

The elderly Prince Zhu Chengxuan of Xiangyuan was also determined: "I have already borrowed and can never repay the debt of gratitude I owe the Emperor. Let my sons and grandsons repay it slowly!"

……

A few days later, in Datong Prefecture, inside Heyang Gate.

The carriages of Prince Zhu Chengxuan of Xiangyuan and Prince Zhu Shi of Lingqiu moved slowly out of the city gate, like two winding scars. Leading the way were several worn-out mule carts, barely covered by faded blue cloth curtains—a token of respectability for the princes and their families. Following behind were broken carts and wheelbarrows piled with chests, bundles, and even pots and pans. Servants and maids, wearing worn-out cotton-padded coats, followed along, their faces filled with bewilderment and exhaustion. Several young princes, held by their wet nurses, cried loudly in the cold wind.

Although the two princes had already submitted a memorial to express their gratitude for the "debt of gratitude to Emperor Chongzhen," they had not yet received the money. They would have to wait until they arrived in Beijing, met Emperor Chongzhen, and said "thank you" in person before the usurious loan, which would be impossible for generations to repay, could be approved. So for now, they were still leaving in a rather disheveled state, not at all dignified.

The sparse procession seeing them off consisted mainly of royal generals, lieutenants, and their families who hadn't yet left. They crowded along both sides of the main street inside the city gate, dressed in faded, worn-out green robes, their faces sallow and emaciated, their eyes vacant as they stared at the two groups that resembled refugees. A deathly silence of fear and helplessness filled the air. No one spoke; only the creaking of wheels on the ground and the intermittent cries of children could be heard.

General Zhu Mingan, the Protector of the Nation, watched the last dilapidated carriage disappear outside the city gate, let out a long sigh, his voice dry like sandpaper: "I had to leave sooner or later... leaving later or leaving sooner or later is the same." He suddenly turned his head and said to several familiar members of the imperial clan beside him, "I will submit a memorial tomorrow! I beg His Majesty to grant me a new title! To leave this cage of Datong!"

General Zhu Naizheng immediately chimed in, "That's right! Let's go! We can't stand this godforsaken place for even a day longer!"

"Leave? You make it sound so easy!" Zhu Chongyao, an older lieutenant from Fengguo, said with a bitter face. "What about the travel expenses? What about the money for settling down? Once we get to Jiangnan, we'll be unfamiliar with the place and the people. Will we starve?"

Zhu Mingan's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice: "Didn't you hear what the Prince of Xiangyuan and the Prince of Lingqiu said? His Majesty... lent them a 'debt of gratitude,' fifty thousand taels from each of them! Three percent interest per month!"

"Fifty thousand taels? Three percent monthly interest!" A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, followed by a deeper despair. Fifty thousand taels! These impoverished members of the imperial family couldn't scrape together five hundred taels even if they sold everything they owned! How could they borrow it? How could they repay that dreaded debt with a three percent monthly interest rate?
Just then, the rapid sound of galloping hooves broke the oppressive atmosphere at the city gate. A troop of cavalry in gleaming armor, bearing the character "麻" (meaning "hemp") on their flags, charged out of Heyang Gate like a whirlwind, their iron hooves kicking up clouds of dust. The riders on horseback all had cold, stern expressions, exuding a murderous aura.

"The Ma family's iron cavalry! Where are they headed?"

"Where else can they go? Eunuch Wei is about to cross the border again!"

"Have you heard? The main force of the Chahan tribe is less than a hundred miles from the border wall! Eunuch Wei has mustered his troops and is going out to fight Hudun Tuhan in a decisive battle!"

"A final battle? My God... if this really starts..."

The news swept through the crowd like a cold wind, instantly turning the faces of all the imperial clan members even more ashen. Wei Zhongxian was going to fight the Mongols to the death outside the walls! Inside the walls… could there still be peace? The suspected collaborators with the Tartars had to be suppressed with utmost urgency—these were their own clansmen who had betrayed the emperor! This Datong city was likely to become a complete prison, no, a powder keg that could explode at any moment!

As Zhu Yuanzhang's unfortunate descendants watched the dust kicked up by the Ma family's iron cavalry disappear at the end of the official road, they looked back at the lifeless, walled city of Datong. On their sorrowful, wrinkled faces, only utter despair remained. They couldn't bear to stay in Datong for even a moment longer!
"Borrow!" roared one of the descendants of the founding emperor. "Everyone borrow! I refuse to believe that His Majesty can drive all the descendants of the founding emperor in Datong to their doom."

(End of this chapter)