How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 116 Emperor Chongzhen's Generous Favors Are Widely Distributed, and the Wealthy Gentry of Jiangnan Pay the Bill (Daily 10,000-Word Completion)

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, yet the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, sat behind his desk, his brows slightly furrowed. Standing below him were Huang Lijie, the Grand Secretary; Sun Chengzong, the Grand Secretary; Qian Qianyi, the Right Vice Minister of Rites; Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue; Wang Zaijin, the Minister of War; Zhang Zhiji, the heir apparent of the Duke of Ying; and Li Chengming, the Marquis of Wuqing and Vice Minister of the Imperial Clan Court.

Xu Yingyuan, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, stood to one side, holding a thick memorial in his hands.

“Xu Banban,” Chongzhen’s voice carried a sorrow that seemed to be feigned, “read it.”

"This servant obeys the decree." Xu Yingyuan bowed and replied, then unfolded the memorial, cleared his throat, and read aloud: "We, your humble servants, General Zhu Chongyao, General Zhu Naixuan, General Zhu Naixin, and 273 others of Datong Prefecture, weep blood and kowtow, begging for Your Majesty's grace..."

This petition, jointly signed by lower-ranking members of the imperial clan in Datong, pleading for a change of title to preserve their lives, is filled with sorrow and grief. It laments the barrenness and poverty of Datong Prefecture, plagued by years of famine and delayed imperial stipends, leaving the imperial clan members destitute, lacking food and clothing, and some even starving to death. Hearing that seven princes have been granted permission by the Emperor to migrate south to a more prosperous land, these generals, lieutenants, and members of the imperial clan without titles, all of whom are descendants of Emperor Taizu Gao, earnestly beg the Emperor's mercy to allow them to migrate south as well, "to preserve their lives and avoid starvation."

Xu Yingyuan's voice was not loud, but it echoed clearly in the silent hall. When he finished reading, the words "weeping blood and bowing his head" and "begging for Heaven's grace" were filled with a desperate lament.

As Chongzhen listened, the look of sorrow on his face deepened. He put down the rosewood cup in his hand, sighed deeply, and slowly swept his gaze over the officials below the steps.

"Did you all hear that?" Chongzhen's voice was low and clearly troubled. "I have already agreed to lend money from the imperial treasury to help the seven princes of Datong move and settle down. I will pay for it myself; the court will not spend a single penny!"

He paused, his tone growing even heavier: "But now... there are still so many generals, lieutenants, and members of the imperial family without titles, all descendants of the founding emperor, all looking to me with pleading eyes. They too want to migrate south, they too want to survive, they too want to borrow money from me..."

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze finally settled on Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue. "Mr. Bi," he said, addressing him specifically, "you are the Grand Minister of Agriculture, in charge of the nation's finances. Tell me, what should I do?"

Bi Ziyan's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "They're here."

Of course, Emperor Chongzhen hadn't discussed with him how to "plead poverty," but did Bi the Stingy need the Emperor to teach him how to do it? Wasn't this a piece of cake? He stepped forward, bowing deeply, his voice dry yet unusually firm: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue... has no money. It really has no money!"

He said "no money" with absolute certainty, and then emphasized it again, saying "I really have no money!"
The officials in the palace, including Emperor Chongzhen, were not surprised by this answer at all. Bi's reputation for being stingy was well-deserved.

Chongzhen's face showed even greater sorrow, and he even raised his hand to wipe away non-existent tears with the corner of his sleeve: "I know... I know the Ministry of Revenue has no money! The national treasury is empty, how could I not know? But I... I cannot stand by and watch these relatives from Datong die of hunger and cold on their way south, and then become starving corpses in Jiangnan! They are all my flesh and blood, the bloodline of the Taizu Emperor... How can I bear it?"

His voice choked with emotion, filled with deep helplessness: "But... there's not much money left in my imperial treasury. The 350,000 taels I lent to the seven princes was already squeezed out by tightening my belt. Now, there are at least two thousand families of generals, lieutenants, and members of the imperial clan without titles. Even if each family only lends a hundred or two taels, that's another hole of hundreds of thousands of taels! My imperial treasury... I'm afraid it's going to be empty!"

Huang Lijie, Qian Qianyi, and others standing below silently rolled their eyes as they listened to the emperor's "pleading poverty."

Empty? Your Majesty, your Imperial Treasury is probably dozens of times fuller than the Taicang Treasury! The confiscation of the Duke of Cheng's mansion, the Prince of Dai's mansion, the Shanxi merchants' estates, the collection of silver for redemption and land… In the past few months, cartloads of silver and gold have been transported into the palace. Who hasn't seen it? The cash alone amounts to at least several million taels! Lending out a hundred or two hundred thousand taels is only two or three tenths of your savings, right? Why are you trying to emulate "Bi the Crying Poor"? The Ministry of Revenue he manages is genuinely poor!
But who dared to say such a thing? They could only lower their heads, putting on an act of "shame and speechlessness" and "deep concern for His Majesty."

Looking at the speechless predicament of his ministers below, Emperor Chongzhen sneered inwardly, but his face remained sorrowful. He sighed again, as if he had made a great decision: "Enough, enough... I know you are all in a difficult position. I... I will think of another way."

He picked up his rosewood thermos, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and his tone seemed to have calmed down a bit: "The imperial treasury... if we squeeze it out, we might be able to borrow another hundred thousand or two. At worst, I'll have the palace cut back even further."

The ministers had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to themselves, "Just as I thought," when Chongzhen abruptly changed the subject, his voice filled with deep doubt: "But the problem is—Mr. Bi, the royal army, and all my beloved ministers—tell me, how will these generals, lieutenants, and those princes without titles repay the money I lent them when they arrive in Jiangnan, a place where they know no one? I lent them real gold and silver; surely it can't all go down the drain?"

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense upon hearing this. Huang Lijie, Qian Qianyi, and the others knew perfectly well: Here it comes! His Majesty's "backup plan" has arrived! This "heartless little emperor" is going to use the same old tricks again, to give those wealthy gentry in Jiangnan a new "strength"! But what tricks will he play this time?
Emperor Chongzhen's gaze, filled with obvious expectation, slowly shifted to Marquis Li Chengming of Wuqing, who was standing in the line of nobles.

Li Chengming inwardly groaned, knowing it was time for him to "present his loyalty." He cursed under his breath, steeled himself, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report. These members of the imperial clan who have moved south are not entirely without income. According to the 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty,' the annual salary of a General of the State is 1,000 shi, that of a General of the Auxiliary State is 800 shi, that of a General of the Regent State is 600 shi, that of a Lieutenant General of the State is 400 shi, that of a Lieutenant General of the Auxiliary State is 300 shi, and that of a Lieutenant General of the Regent State is 200 shi. As long as... as long as the court can pay their annual salaries in full after the southward migration, they should be able to repay Your Majesty's travel expenses, resettlement fees, and interest without any problem."

After Li Chengming finished speaking, even he felt his words sounded incredibly unconvincing. Full salary payment? Dream on!

As expected, Chongzhen immediately turned his gaze to Bi Ziyan: "Mr. Bi, what is the Ministry of Revenue's opinion? Will the annual stipends be paid in full?"

Bi Ziyan replied without hesitation and with absolute certainty: "Your Majesty, we cannot afford it! Not to mention the full amount, even the compensation is less than one-tenth! This is the truth, and I dare not deceive you!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen not only did not get angry, but instead sneered and slammed his finger heavily on the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" spread out on his desk: "Oh? Can't afford to issue it? Mr. Bi, at this time, you don't talk about the ancestral instructions?"

Bi Ziyan, neck stiff with conviction and displaying an air of outspoken remonstrance, declared: "Your Majesty! It's not that I disregard ancestral precepts, but rather... I can no longer afford to! The empire is in such dire straits; if we continue to adhere to empty ancestral rules and forcefully distribute annual stipends, the soldiers on the nine borders will lack pay, the disaster-stricken people in various regions will lack food, and the collapse of the nation will be imminent! I... would rather betray ancestral precepts than betray the nation!" His words resonated powerfully, even earning a slight nod from Sun Chengzong: Well said, he would rather betray ancestral precepts than betray the nation! If the founding emperor knew this in the afterlife, he would surely give him a thumbs-up and praise him as a "truly loyal minister!"

Emperor Chongzhen stared at Bi Ziyan for a moment, the coldness on his face gradually fading, and finally he nodded: "Mr. Bi is right. If we can't afford to argue... then we must find a way. We would rather betray our ancestral teachings than betray the nation. If the nation is gone, our ancestral teachings are worthless!"

He sat up straight, his gaze sweeping across the room, his voice clear and powerful: "Since the annual stipends cannot be paid in full, the ancestral precepts are no longer valid in this matter. Therefore, I propose that the sons of the imperial clan from the Datong lineage who have migrated south be permitted to engage in the four professions of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants! They shall be allowed to participate in the imperial examinations and enter officialdom, just like ordinary scholars!"

These words sent a jolt through the hearts of all the officials in the hall! This meant that they were going to take advantage of the southward migration of the Datong imperial clan to push for the lifting of the restrictions on the vassal states.
Although this idea was strongly advocated in the essay question of the imperial examination, "The imperial edicts are numerous, the people of Qin and Jin are impoverished, and the Central Plains are exhausted. Given such a difficult situation, what should be done?", after Huang Zongxi won second place in the metropolitan examination with his "policy of relocating the fiefdoms to Sichuan" and became the second-place candidate in the palace examination, everyone thought that the reform of lifting the restrictions on the fiefdoms would be first implemented in the "relocation to Sichuan" project.

Unexpectedly, the emperor was already getting impatient to make the lower and middle-ranking members of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family pay the price.
Emperor Chongzhen didn't give everyone much time to think and continued, "As for the territorial restrictions on the fiefdoms... for the sake of easier management and to allow them to support themselves, I think we should use provinces as boundaries! As long as they don't leave the province where they are enfeoffed, it won't be considered a violation! What do you think?"

His words, spoken casually, were tantamount to loosening the reins on these lower-ranking members of the royal family.

The Ming Dynasty court originally imposed very strict restrictions on the imperial family. In principle, they were not even allowed to leave the city where they lived. And how big was that "city" anyway? The rule of not being allowed to leave the city effectively eliminated the possibility for members of the imperial family to engage in any of the four professions.

Huang Lijie reacted the fastest, immediately offering his loyalty in a loud voice: "Your Majesty is wise! This is a good policy that shows compassion for the imperial family and is appropriate to the times! Your subject Huang Lijie seconds this proposal! Your Majesty's benevolence extends to the imperial family, which is truly a blessing for the nation!"

His speed in "dedicating himself to the cause" was getting faster and faster, to the point that he earned the nickname "Huang Immediately".

Qian Qianyi was a beat slow, but he followed suit and quickly bowed: "Your Majesty's plan not only relieves the plight of the imperial clan and opens up a path for their survival, but also demonstrates the benevolence of the imperial family. I am deeply impressed!"

As he spoke, he was mentally calculating the potential impact of this matter on the scholars of Jiangnan, but at this moment, following the emperor's will was the top priority.

After all, he was "too cold" – and even "too cold" wasn't as tough as Liu Rushi, so it was a bit difficult to expect him to openly oppose the current Chongzhen Emperor.

Not killing scholar-officials was not an ancestral precept of the Ming Dynasty.

Sun Chengzong, Wang Zaijin, and Zhang Zhiji all expressed their agreement. Only Bi Ziyan, feigning poverty, remained frowning.

“Your Majesty,” Bi Ziyan spoke again, his tone filled with worry, “even if they are allowed to engage in the four professions and participate in the imperial examinations, this is by no means a matter of a day or two. A distant solution cannot quench an immediate thirst! They have just arrived in Jiangnan and have not yet established themselves. How will they make a living to repay the huge loan Your Majesty has provided? And how will they pay the interest…?”

Emperor Chongzhen seemed to have been waiting for this question, and his face showed an expression that said, "You've finally hit the nail on the head."

"Mr. Bi's concerns are quite valid." Chongzhen nodded, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Aren't there still government-owned lands?"

So that's how official land is!
Qian Qianyi and several other Donglin gentlemen from the south finally understood what His Majesty meant by going around in circles today: he wanted to "compete with the people for land"!

Emperor Chongzhen stood up, walked to the map of the Ming Dynasty hanging beside his desk, and pointed to the areas of Southern Zhili and Zhejiang.

“Mr. Bi, if I remember correctly, there are hundreds of thousands of hectares of official land in various parts of Southern Zhili, and tens of thousands of hectares in Zhejiang... The total amount of official land in the two provinces combined should be no less than four or five hundred thousand hectares, right? That translates to forty or fifty million mu! This is a huge asset!”

He turned around, his eyes fixed intently on Bi Ziyan and the others: "My mind is made up: the annual stipends of the Datong imperial clan who have been relocated south will be halved! Furthermore, the required number of acreages of official land in Southern Zhili and Zhejiang will be calculated based on the tax standards set during the reign of Emperor Taizu! Then, a corresponding amount will be allocated from the official land in Southern Zhili and Zhejiang to these Datong imperial clan members!"

Emperor Chongzhen's voice was resolute: "These lands will be used to pay for their and their descendants' annual stipends! From now on, no matter how many children they have, the court will not provide any additional land. Their annual stipends will be based on the output of this land! As for the clan members without titles, they will all be granted forty mu of official land in Southern Zhili or Zhejiang! This will ensure they have one shi of rice a month to eat, enough to keep them from starving! They must find their own way to make a living!"

He paused, then emphasized, "The most crucial point: the profits from these distributed lands must first be used to pay the interest on their 'debt of imperial favor'! Only after the interest is paid off will the profits belong to them!"

Emperor Chongzhen's gaze swept over the officials with their varied expressions, and finally he asked, "What do you all think of my method? If you think it's feasible, then let's discuss it in court!"

A hush fell over the hall. Huang Lijie, Qian Qianyi, and the others were inwardly utterly astonished. His Majesty's move… was far too extravagant! Using official lands in Jiangnan to settle and support the imperial family from the north… no, it should be that they were to collect rent from the Jiangnan gentry who occupied these lands, and then use most of that rent to pay off debts!
This is tantamount to cutting off a huge slice of the enormous pie of official land in Jiangnan and dividing it among the emperor and the imperial family members who fled from Datong (after repaying the debts and interest owed to Chongzhen, the rest will belong to the poor imperial family members)! The wealthy gentry and powerful families in Jiangnan who are used to taking advantage of official land... are probably going to be jumping up and down in pain this time!
Emperor Chongzhen's "favor" was distributed to the imperial family, but in the end, it was the wealthy and powerful people in Jiangnan who had to pay the price!
Looking at Qian Qianyi's complicated expression, Chongzhen felt extremely smug!

I really studied Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) diligently!
(End of this chapter)