How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 124 The Emperor Guards the National Gate, the Prince Guards the Customs (Second Update)
Inside the barbican of Deshengmen, Emperor Chongzhen stood reined in his horse.

The early spring breeze carried a chill, causing his white silk robe to flutter in the wind. Behind him, several high-ranking officials, including Grand Secretary Huang Lijie, Minister of War Wang Zaijin, and Minister of Revenue Bi Ziyan, stood silently.

Before them, four thousand imperial guards were filing out.

The infantry carried brand-new muskets and 13-foot-long spears, the muzzles and tips gleaming coldly. The cavalrymen controlled their strong horses, the armor plates whirring. Further back were the mules and horses pulling bronze cannons. The column moved swiftly in silence, the only sounds being the footsteps, the hooves, and the wheels grinding against the stones, forming a chilling torrent as it passed through the gates of the barbican and onto the official road for the expedition.

Chongzhen's gaze followed the torrent until the last troop of infantry disappeared into the shadows of the gate.

He turned slightly to look at the two people standing beside the horse.

The first was Yang Sichang, the Imperial Commissioner for Pacification of Korea and Supervising Censor of the Army Aiding Korea, with a plump and resolute face and an imperial sword hanging at his waist. The second was Xu Qinian, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Guards, dressed in cloth armor and with sharp eyes.

"Minister Yang, Consort Xu," Emperor Chongzhen's voice was not loud, but extremely firm. "This trip to Korea is of great importance. Have you all remembered the imperial decree?"

"Your Majesty, we will remember!" the two bowed and replied.

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the distance, seemingly piercing through mountains and rivers to land on the top of Han City.

"Korea is not a foreign country, but a bulwark of our Great Ming, a kingdom under heaven! King Yi Jong of Joseon is a prince conferred by the Great Ming!" He paused, his tone turning stern, "This journey is to 'welcome and protect' him, to 'guard him'! If he understands the bigger picture, he will naturally move to Ganghwa Island respectfully. You should escort him well and preserve his dignity."

His gaze swept over the two of them.

"If he remains obstinate and defies the imperial decree..." Chongzhen's voice was as cold as ice, "You need not hesitate! Xu Qinian!"

"The slave is here!"

"The Imperial Guards are my personal troops! Minister Yang wields the Imperial Sword and acts on my behalf! Any Korean king or minister who dares to obstruct the king's orders will be executed on the spot! Prince Yi Jong, if he dares to disobey..." Chongzhen said, word by word, "You will 'invite' him onto the ship for me! Tie him up, and take him to Ganghwa Island! Do you understand?"

"This servant understands!" A ruthless glint flashed in Xu Qinian's eyes.

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Yang Sichang clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice steady.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at them, his expression softening slightly. He said in a low voice, "Minister Yang, this matter must be handled swiftly! If the Jurchens get there first, even these four thousand soldiers might not be able to rescue the King of Joseon from among ten thousand troops..."

He paused briefly, his voice even lower: "If that's the case... let's settle for second best. Ganghwa Island is where the Joseon royal family sought refuge and went into exile. Let's find a close relative and install a successor! We must keep the 'King of Joseon' on the island to command the resistance against the invaders!"

"Your Majesty understands!" Yang Sichang's heart skipped a beat, knowing that this was a last resort. The matter hadn't even reached that point yet, and he'd already brought up this last resort. This Emperor was truly responsible; when it came to getting things done for him, he was bold and decisive!

Finally, Emperor Chongzhen looked at Yang Sichang and said solemnly, "After the Jianghua Island matter is over, return quickly! I cannot do without you by my side."

In fact, Emperor Chongzhen sent Yang Sichang on this mission so that he could achieve great merit, thus paving the way for further advancement, such as promotion to Vice Minister, and eventually Grand Secretary Yang. He was still not entirely satisfied with the current candidates for Grand Secretary and the Nine Ministers. However, even promoting trusted confidants required following proper procedures to ensure public acceptance.

Yang Sichang felt a surge of warmth in his heart and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail your trust! I will return as soon as the matter is completed!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, said nothing more, and turned his gaze to the official road ahead.

Yang Sichang and Xu Qinian bowed again, mounted their horses, and rode out of the city with their entourage and guards, disappearing into the dust and smoke of the departing army.

Emperor Chongzhen watched until the last banner disappeared from sight. He silently thought: Quickly! It must be quick!
Standing slightly behind Chongzhen's horse, Yang Hao, dressed in a worn blue official robe and with his head bowed, heard every word of the conversation between the emperor and Yang and Xu. His head was lowered, his heart filled with turmoil.

This young emperor... he's truly ruthless, cruel, and incredibly capable! He dared to openly declare, "We'll tie him up if we have to," and even ordered his ministers to carry it out... his sense of responsibility and ruthlessness far surpasses that of his grandfather, the Wanli Emperor.

Yang Hao thought to himself: Those yangban ministers in Joseon, besides being born into privilege, are masters of factional strife. Whether they're pro-Ming or pro-slavery is essentially a matter of factional struggle for them. As long as the Ming army is tough and resolute enough, there will always be "pro-Ming" factions in Seoul who will jump out to cooperate… provided, the Later Jin cavalry doesn't arrive too quickly!
Therefore, the key to Seoul's "capturing King Lee" this time is one word—speed!

At this moment, Emperor Chongzhen's voice also rang in Yang Hao's ears: "Yang Physician, you should go too... Remember to be diligent and conscientious, and don't miss the opportunity to redeem yourself through meritorious service!"

Yang Hao, who had just received the official position of Assistant Minister of War in charge of Korean affairs, hurriedly accepted the imperial decree, climbed onto a mule cart, and, accompanied by two guards, chased after Yang Sichang and Xu Qinian.

Emperor Chongzhen withdrew his gaze and said to Xu Yingyuan, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Director of the Eastern Depot, who was standing on the other side: "Xu Yingyuan, prepare to proceed to Qinghua Garden. The Prince of Xiangyuan and the Prince of Lingqiu must be getting impatient."

"This servant obeys the decree," Xu Yingyuan replied, bowing.

At noon, spring was in full bloom in Tsinghua Garden, and the lake in front of Yihai Hall rippled gently.

Emperor Chongzhen had changed into a plain white robe and sat upright in the main seat of the hall. Empress Zhou, Consort Tian, ​​and Consort Yuan sat beside him. Empress Yi'an, Zhang Yan, and her father, Zhang Guoji, were also present. Below the hall, Prince Xiangyuan, Zhu Chengxuan, and Prince Lingqiu, Zhu Shi, were awkwardly performing the grand salute.

"Your subject... Zhu Chengyi (Zhu Shi) pays respects to Your Majesty. Pays respects to the Empress, all Your Majesties, and Empress Yi'an..."

Although the mourning period for Emperor Tianqi had ended, the two were still wearing worn-out plain white robes. Prince Xiangyuan, Zhu Chengxuan, was a thin old man with deep wrinkles on his face, as if carved by a knife. Prince Lingqiu, Zhu Shi, was younger, a chubby young man, and was sweating with nervousness.

They stole glances at Emperor Chongzhen on the throne, thinking to themselves: This emperor... he looks too young, still like a child. But when it comes to ruthless tasks like confiscating property, relocating princes, lending money, collecting fines for crimes, and forcing people to cultivate land for redemption, he shows absolutely no mercy. He's so young and already like this... what will he be like when he grows up?
"Rise, Your Highnesses, and please take a seat," Emperor Chongzhen said gently, with a smile in his voice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The two men thanked the Emperor and rose, carefully sitting on the lower embroidered stool with half their bottoms on it.

"You must be tired from your journey south?" Chongzhen asked casually. "How many people did you bring with you?"

Zhu Chengxuan hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I... brought my family and servants, about forty people."

Zhu Shi quickly replied, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty brought more than thirty men."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen frowned almost imperceptibly, then shook his head: "Too little! Too little!"

The two kings' hearts skipped a beat: Too few? These few dozen people, with all their food and drink along the way, have almost emptied the little savings they brought from Datong! Still think it's too few? We can't afford to feed more than that!

Chongzhen ignored their thoughts and turned his gaze to Li Chengming, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Clan Court and Marquis of Wuqing, and Zhang Zhiji, the heir apparent of the Duke of Yingguo, who were sitting beside him.

"Marquis Wuqing, Minister Zhang," Chongzhen began, "You two princes are going to guard the customs and protect the coastal borders for me. You only have a few dozen old and weak men with you, how can that be enough? We need to increase the number of guards! We need at least three or four hundred strong men to protect you properly and to show the majesty of the imperial family. What do you think we should do?"

"To guard the customs?"

"A bulwark for the sea frontier?"

Zhu Chengxuan and Zhu Shi were completely bewildered and even more panicked. The ancestral precepts clearly forbade princes to govern the people, let alone command troops! This… was a grave taboo!
Zhu Chengxuan, steeling himself, said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty's great favor has moved us to tears! However... however, ancestral rules stipulate that princes..."

Emperor Chongzhen cursed inwardly, "He just knows how to bring up ancestral rules," but on the surface he remained gentle and raised his hand to interrupt him: "Uncle, you misunderstand. When I said 'garrison,' I did not mean that you would manage local officials, much less command troops and govern the people."

He leaned forward slightly and patiently explained, “This ‘customs’ is a newly established government office, which is in charge of taxation for overseas trade. I intend to set up the ‘Jianghai Customs’ in Songjiang Prefecture, where my uncle Xiangyuan’s fiefdom will be located; and the ‘Minhai Customs’ will be set up in Quanzhou Prefecture, where my uncle Lingqiu’s fiefdom will be located.”

The matter of setting up a customs post was naturally handled by the Yunnan Provincial Administration of the Ministry of Revenue. However, if the Ministry of Revenue dragged its feet and didn't do it, once the seven princes had completed their enfeoffment, these seven princes could secretly report to the emperor, exposing the rampant smuggling in the southeast, with large quantities of sugar, tea, silk, and porcelain being transported to the Jurchen territory in Liaodong. At that time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Guard could intervene.

If things still can't be resolved, someone might plot to assassinate the emperor. These "beggar kings" of the Ming Dynasty may not have any real power, but if they were really killed by local powerful figures, well, the so-called powerful figures in the southeast wouldn't be able to protect them!

Looking at the still bewildered faces of the two kings, he continued, "The duties of the two royal uncles are mainly twofold."

"Firstly, manage the docks, shops, and warehouses under your princely residence well. I will have people help you acquire these properties at the port. The profits will be used to cover the princely residence's expenses, and secondly..." Chongzhen smiled, "it will also help you repay the interest on the 'settlement silver' I lent you as soon as possible, won't it?"

The two kings felt a pang in their hearts; that "debt of gratitude" with a monthly interest rate of three-tenths was truly something they could never repay!
"Secondly," Chongzhen said, his tone slightly stern, "keep an eye on the customs for me. Customs revenue is crucial to the national treasury and cannot be neglected. If any cunning individuals are found to be colluding with maritime merchants to evade national taxes and enrich themselves at the expense of the public... your two uncles may secretly report this to me! This would be a great service!"

What? A secret report? Snitching? Zhu Chengxuan and Zhu Shi were completely dumbfounded.

Running dockside shops? They have no idea what to do with that! Don't lose all your capital and end up as the beggar king of the Ming Dynasty!
As for keeping an eye on customs and secretly reporting on them, isn't that interfering in local affairs? They wouldn't dare do that! They'd just get themselves thrown in jail in Fengyang!

The two looked at each other, their faces pale.

Seeing their stunned expressions, Chongzhen's smile deepened, and he gently reassured them, "My two uncles need not worry. How could I let you toil alone? Everything has been arranged."

He pointed to Li Chengming and Zhang Zhiji: "The Imperial Clan Court, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Imperial Horse Administration will all be arranged for you. They will carefully select the personnel for the Guard Division. They will also arrange for capable managers and accountants. Once you arrive at your destination, there will be Cui Chengxiu, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, and Zhou Yingqiu, the Coastal Inspector. They will be waiting for you in Songjiang, Quanzhou, and other places to assist you in settling in. They will take care of all your properties, docks, and shops."

It turns out everything was arranged long ago! Not only have the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Imperial Horse Administration, and the Imperial Clan Court in the capital been mobilized, but even the three lackeys sent by Chongzhen to the south, Cui Chengxiu, Zhou Yingqiu, and Tian Ji, have already received Chongzhen's imperial decree and have begun making preparations in Southern Zhili, Fujian, and Guangdong for the prince who will be guarding the customs.

Emperor Chongzhen thought to himself: "You can just focus on being a signboard, collecting rent, and keeping an eye on things for me. It doesn't matter if you can't write reports. I know best how to prepare complaint materials!"

If there's anyone foolish enough to harm you because you "reported" him... I will definitely avenge you, and while I'm at it, I'll confiscate his property and take it all back with interest! Ah, I'm starting to look forward to it.
Finally, Emperor Chongzhen said, "My two uncles, please stay in Qinghua Garden for a while. Once the Guard Command is established and all matters are arranged, we will escort you south to Songjiang and Quanzhou. When you arrive there, Cui Chengxiu and Zhou Yingqiu will be there to meet you. You don't need to worry, just live your lives in peace."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chengxuan and Zhu Shi felt somewhat relieved. Although the future remained uncertain, at least they wouldn't have to face the unfamiliar "customs" and "market" alone. The two quickly rose and once again kowtowed to express their gratitude.

(End of this chapter)