How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 120 Close the Gates, Release the Feudal King! (First Update)
In the Qianqing Palace, lunch had just been served.

A round table made of huanghuali wood stood with embroidered stools at each corner. Emperor Chongzhen sat in the center, Empress Zhou to his left, Consort Tian to his right, and Consort Yuan to his left. On the table were only a few seasonal dishes: a bowl of milky-white crucian carp soup, a plate of stir-fried chicken, a dish of pickled cucumbers, and a plate of freshly steamed white flour buns, all steaming hot. Emperor Chongzhen was clearly in a good mood, a smile on his face, and with a pair of ebony chopsticks inlaid with silver, he was placing a piece of tender, fatty fish belly into Empress Zhou's bowl.

"Your Majesty, please try this. The fish soup is especially delicious today."

Empress Zhou smiled gently and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty." She was of a dignified nature, and even when she was happy, her joy was only revealed in the corners of her eyes and brows.

Emperor Chongzhen then placed a chopstick of pickled cucumber on the plates of Consort Tian and Consort Yuan, saying, "You two eat too, don't be shy."

Consort Tian, ​​being the youngest and most lively, clapped her hands and said with bright eyes, "His Majesty just said he would take us to Tsinghua Garden, is that true? My sister Yuan and I are so bored in the palace!"

Consort Yuan nodded repeatedly, her face filled with undisguised anticipation.

Emperor Chongzhen laughed heartily: "A ruler's word is law! In a couple of days, once the Prince of Xiangyuan and the Prince of Lingqiu are settled, I will take you there. I heard the lotus flowers in Qinghua Garden are in full bloom, so let's go boating on the lake and relax."

Empress Zhou carefully ladled half a bowl of soup for Chongzhen and placed it in front of him, saying softly, "Your Majesty, since you are going to Qinghua Garden, why not invite your sister-in-law to come along? She is all alone in Cining Palace, which is rather lonely."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen's smile deepened: "The Empress has thought things through. It is appropriate to invite my sister-in-law to go with us. I remember that my sister-in-law's father, Zhang Guoji, also has a villa near Qinghua Garden. It would be a good opportunity for the father and daughter to reunite and have a chat."

Consorts Tian and Yuan were overjoyed upon hearing this, and chattered excitedly about what clothes to bring and what snacks to prepare.

Looking at this rare moment of warmth, Chongzhen felt a slight relaxation in his tense heart. Everything was going smoothly; the Liaodong military governorships were initially stabilized, the southward migration of the Datong imperial clan was proceeding in an orderly manner, and the imperial treasury was gradually becoming fuller. Even the food in the Qianqing Palace seemed to taste better than usual.

He had just picked up the soup bowl, ready to take a sip, when suddenly a series of hurried footsteps came from the corridor outside, approaching quickly and chaotically.

Emperor Chongzhen frowned almost imperceptibly.

Xu Yingyuan, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, practically tumbled in, abandoning all decorum, and knelt down on the ground not far from the table, panting heavily, his voice trembling:
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! The court council... the court council has stirred up trouble!"

The warm atmosphere inside the hall froze instantly.

Empress Zhou and Consorts Tian and Yuan all stopped eating and looked at Xu Yingyuan in surprise.

Emperor Chongzhen put down his soup bowl, the smile on his face vanishing without a trace: "What's the panic! Is the sky falling? Explain yourself, what happened?"

Xu Yingyuan swallowed hard, trying to calm his breathing, and spoke rapidly: "Reporting...Reporting to Your Majesty! This servant was ordered to listen to the court discussion...Wei Zhaocheng, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites...he...he proposed to restore the guards for those vassal kings who are willing to 'fill the Sichuan Basin'!"

"What?!" Chongzhen suddenly stood up, causing the round stool made of rosewood to move back an inch, making a harsh scraping sound.

Actually, he had already planned this in his mind!

For no other reason than that he knew many of the old-established princes were incredibly wealthy! Far surpassing the impoverished princes of Datong. Take, for example, the Prince of Zhou in Kaifeng, renowned for his immense wealth. Historically, when Kaifeng was besieged, Prince Zhu Gongxiao of Zhou simply emptied his own treasury and provided millions in silver to reward the army defending the city! Such generosity far surpassed the meager wealth of Prince Zhu Naijun of Dai.

And what about the King of Qin in Xi'an, the King of Jin in Taiyuan, the King of Chu in Wuchang, and the King of Shu in Chengdu? Didn't they all possess mountains of gold and silver? Even the King of Fu in Luoyang, who was spoiled by his own father, had his treasury filled with gold and silver treasures.

If these princes could contribute silver to help the court, even if it was just to take over the task of suppressing the rebellions of the local chieftains in the southwest, or to take on the responsibilities of several border towns in Shaanxi (such as the Hexi Corridor and Xining Garrison), the pressure on Emperor Chongzhen's shoulders would be greatly reduced!

This thought had been swirling in his mind for quite some time. However, the matter was of utmost importance; a prince in command of troops had been a major taboo for the court ever since the Yongle Emperor's Jingnan Rebellion. He had been waiting, waiting for his prestige to rise higher, for the situation to stabilize, and ideally, for the deadly "Jisi Incident" to be weathered, before finding a pretext to carefully and cautiously break through this barrier.

But I never expected this!
Someone actually poked a hornet's nest for him!
He was just a minor official in the Ministry of Rites!
Emperor Chongzhen took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and asked in a deep voice, "Wei Zhaocheng? Which faction is he from? What did the others say in the court meeting?"

Xu Yingyuan hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this Wei Zhaocheng is a member of the Donglin faction. What's even more... what's even stranger is that during today's court discussion, Vice Minister Qian (Qian Qianyi), Vice Minister Li (Li Banghua), and Junior Minister Hou (Hou Xun)... all sided with him! They all said that what Censor Wei said was not without reason and could be discussed in detail!"

Emperor Chongzhen was stunned.

Are they all taking sides?

If it were just Wei Zhaocheng jumping out alone, it might be that this kid was trying to figure out what the higher-ups wanted and gain a reputation for "loyalty." But for the entire Donglin Party leadership to chime in... that just doesn't feel right!

What do they want to do?
Emperor Chongzhen's mind raced, but a playful smile slowly crept onto his lips.

interesting!
really interesting!
He sat back down on the stool, tapping his fingers lightly twice on the smooth rosewood tabletop, producing a soft, rhythmic sound.

"Xu Yingyuan".

"The slave is here!"

"Go," Chongzhen's voice regained its calm, "and convey my imperial edict: Grand Secretary Huang Lijie, Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong, Minister of War Wang Zaijin, Minister of Revenue Bi Ziyan, Vice Minister of Rites Qian Qianyi, Vice Minister of War Li Banghua, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites Wei Zhaocheng, Duke of Yingguo Zhang Zhiji, and Marquis of Wuqing Li Chengming, shall immediately come to the Wenhua Hall for an audience."

He paused, then added, "Let... Fat Old Man (Yang Sichang) and the newly appointed top scholar Niu Jinxing also go."

"This servant obeys the decree!" Xu Yingyuan dared not delay, got up, bowed, and withdrew. The hall returned to silence, but the food seemed to have cooled down a bit.

Empress Zhou looked at Chongzhen with concern: "Your Majesty..."

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand, a smile returning to his face: "It's alright. You may continue your meal. I'll go and meet with these... loyal ministers."

In the afternoon, at the Wenhua Hall.

The palace doors were wide open, but there was little wind, and the air was somewhat stuffy. Emperor Chongzhen sat on his throne, waving a plain folding fan in his hand. His gaze swept over the faces of the officials standing solemnly below the steps, finally settling on Wei Zhaocheng, the censor of the Ministry of Rites, who stood at the very end.

Wei Zhaocheng was in his forties, with a fair complexion and a short beard. At this moment, he lowered his head and stood with his hands down, appearing quite respectful.

"Minister Wei," Emperor Chongzhen began, his voice low and tinged with curiosity, "during the court meeting, you proposed restoring the guard system for the 'Crossing the Rivers' princes. I find that intriguing. Tell me, what are your thoughts?"

Wei Zhaocheng was surprised that the emperor had called on him first. His heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty! I believe that the southwestern regions of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan are mountainous and densely forested, with numerous chieftains who are prone to rebellion and unpredictable. Although the She'an Rebellion has been temporarily quelled, the remnants have not been eliminated, and the hidden dangers remain. If the court only sends officials and foreign troops to guard the area, it will consume countless amounts of money and grain, and the reach will be too far to be effective in the long run."

He paused, stealing a glance at the emperor's expression. Seeing that Chongzhen was listening attentively and showed no displeasure, he grew bolder and continued, "The Imperial Ancestral Instructions state that princes may establish guards to protect the imperial family and guard key locations. Now, the princes of Shaanxi have received the emperor's favor for generations. At this time when the dynasty needs capable men, if they are loyal to the country and volunteer to be stationed in the strategically important areas of Sichuan and Guizhou, and are allowed to rebuild their guards, firstly, it would alleviate the burden on the court and save military expenses; secondly, the princes' hereditary rule and deep-rooted power would deter villains and secure the borders forever! This is a win-win strategy, therefore I dare to offer this suggestion!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and then turned his gaze to the others: "What do you all think?"

Huang Lijie, as the Grand Secretary, stepped forward first, his brows furrowed: "Your Majesty! It is a grave taboo for the dynasty to allow vassal kings to command troops! Since the Jingnan Rebellion, the court has implemented a policy of weakening the power of vassal kings for a century, which has brought us to our current peace. If we rashly reinstate the system of guards, it may embolden the vassal kings and repeat the mistakes of the Seven Kingdoms of the Han Dynasty and the regional military governors of the Tang Dynasty! I believe this is absolutely unacceptable!"

Wang Zaijin immediately followed up, his voice booming: "What Grand Secretary Huang said is absolutely right! Military power is the foundation of the nation, how can it be lightly granted to a vassal king? The matter of Sichuan and Guizhou should be dealt with by using the imperial army, which is organized and managed, to suppress and appease the enemy, and to proceed gradually. How can we adopt such a poisoned remedy!"

Bi Ziyan also said in a deep voice: "The difficulties faced by the Ministry of Revenue are common knowledge. However, if the princes hold military power and become too powerful, their expenses will far exceed those of the regular army established by the court! Moreover, once they become too powerful to control, the consequences will be endless! I agree with the words of Lords Huang and Wang!"

The three members of the Imperial Party unequivocally opposed it.

Chongzhen turned his attention to Qian Qianyi, Li Banghua, and others.

Qian Qianyi felt the emperor's gaze and quickly chose his words carefully: "Your Majesty... what Wei Jishi said may have some merit. However... this matter is of great importance, and a single move can have far-reaching consequences. I believe that even if it is feasible, it must be strictly limited."

Li Banghua quickly added, "Minister Qian's words are quite correct. We also made it clear during the court discussion that there are three indispensable conditions for restoring the guard: First, the prince must volunteer voluntarily, and the relocation of the garrison must be to a strategically important location that cannot be left to the prince; second, the prince must be known for his loyalty and law-abiding behavior, with no history of misconduct; third, the establishment of the guard must be strictly regulated, with the personnel, provisions, and garrison location all approved and controlled by the court, and it must never be allowed to become a state within a state!"

Hou Xun echoed, "Exactly! Without these three limitations, this strategy is absolutely impossible!"

Emperor Chongzhen listened, and his mind was perfectly clear.

Those guys from Donglin are definitely up to no good!

Do they really want to restore the vassal states? They're clearly using this as a pretext to divert attention and dig a pit for Emperor Chongzhen! These "three restrictions," while seemingly comprehensive, actually set extremely high thresholds—willing to go to dangerous places? Loyal, law-abiding, and without a bad record? And they have to apply voluntarily? After these three screenings, how many vassal kings will be left? Perhaps in their view, in the end, not a single vassal king will volunteer.
However... Chongzhen believed that among the current princes, at least one had guts!

A meaningful smile appeared on Chongzhen's face: "What you all said makes sense. I know that Mr. Huang, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Bi are deeply concerned about the country. Mr. Qian, Mr. Li, and Mr. Hou have considered things thoroughly and proposed the 'three limits,' which are also wise words for governing the country."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "This matter concerns ancestral laws and the very stability of the nation; it cannot be ignored. Let's do this..."

Emperor Chongzhen turned to Huang Lijie: "Mr. Huang, you take the lead and compile all the discussions of the ministers in today's court meeting, especially Minister Wei's plan, Minister Qian and others' 'three limits', as well as the opinions of the ministers, whether they agree or disagree, into a detailed report and submit it to the Emperor. I want to review it all."

He emphasized, "Remember, it's 'each's' opinion. Everyone must write down what they said. I want to know the attitude of each of my ministers on this matter concerning the foundation of the nation!"

This is the "proof"! A word spoken before the emperor is not to be taken lightly, especially when it is written in black and white. As long as the Donglin Party members left a note in their memorial supporting the restoration of the regional military governorships, Chongzhen could then begin to push for it.

In any case, the stances of "Huang Jili," "Zhang Xianzhong," and "Bi Chuqiong" are quite flexible. When the time is right, the court can pass the resolution to "restore the vassal states," and then the matter can be implemented legitimately.

Huang Liji's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the emperor wanted to leave a written record. So he immediately bowed and replied, "Your subject... obeys the decree."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, were there any other important matters discussed in today's court meeting?"

Sun Chengzong, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Vice Minister Li of the Ministry of War mentioned that urgent dispatches from Joseon are arriving in droves, and it seems that the Jurchens intend to turn their entire force eastward and launch a large-scale invasion of Joseon! This matter has also been discussed in court."

Emperor Chongzhen said "Oh," his brows furrowing slightly, about to ask more questions.

Suddenly, another series of hurried boot sounds came from outside the hall!
Xu Yingyuan came running, carrying an urgent report with feathers stuck in it. His face was even more grim than before, and he practically rushed into the hall.

"Your Majesty! Urgent report from Liaodong and Dengzhou-Laizhou! The Jurchen army... the Jurchen army has crossed the Yalu River and is launching a full-scale invasion of Korea! The Korean capital... is in imminent danger!"

(End of this chapter)