How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 281: Hold on Firmly, There Will Be a Way

The rain in the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign still hadn't stopped.

As darkness fell, only a few lamps were lit in the West Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, casting a dim, yellowish light.

Emperor Chongzhen sat under the lamp, looking at Fang Huazheng and Gao Yigong before him. Gao Guiying stood in the shadows beside him, her hand on her dagger. Hong Chengchou had received a secret imperial edict a day earlier and quietly left the capital for the south.

“Huazheng,” Chongzhen began, his voice hoarse from days of toil, “Hong Chengchou is gone. Now it’s up to you and Yigong.”

"This servant is here." Fang Huazheng hurriedly bowed.

"Your subject is here!" Gao Yigong replied, clasping his hands in a fist salute, his voice booming. He was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, exuding the fierce aura honed on the battlefield.

Emperor Chongzhen picked up a handwritten edict bearing his seal from his desk and handed it to Fang Huazheng: "This is my edict. Use it to withdraw 50,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Treasury, and also bring a silver note from 'Lu Shengfeng' for 450,000 taels."

After saying this, Chongzhen winked at Gao Guiying, who immediately picked up a shoulder bag and handed it to Fang Huazheng—inside were nine silver notes from Lu Fengsheng, each worth 450,000 taels, which she had obtained from Liu Yueying that morning! Each note was worth 50,000 taels! Such large denomination notes could not be used in the market; they were only used for settlements and large remittances between money shops and banks.

Moreover, the banknotes already specify the payee's account. They can only be deposited into Lu Shengfeng's designated account in Huai'an. Even if Fang Huazheng absconds with the banknotes, they will be nothing more than a few pieces of waste paper.

Fang Huazheng accepted the money with both hands and carefully put it into his pocket. He knew that this was the life-saving money prepared by the Emperor, and also the source of his confidence for this trip south.

"You will set off first thing tomorrow morning to catch up with Hong Chengchou." Chongzhen stared at Fang Huazheng. "When you arrive in Huai'an, he will be in charge of the river works ahead, and you will be in charge of the money and grain behind. When you see him, it will be as if you see me. If there are any urgent needs for money in the river works, up to 500,000 taels, you can make your own decisions without having to report to me. Just report afterward."

He paused, his tone heavy: "This concerns the lives of millions of people. Half of my trust rests on you."

"This servant understands! I will certainly not let Your Majesty down!" Fang Huazheng felt a weight on his shoulder.

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and turned his gaze to Gao Yigong: "Yigong, your sister is here, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Gao Guiying's gaze also fell on her brother.

"Take a detachment of soldiers from the Hetao region with you," Chongzhen said, showing great trust in this "brother-in-law of the emperor." "Tomorrow you and Huazheng will travel together. Walk quickly and catch up with Vice Minister Hong. Your men will ostensibly protect the imperial envoy's entourage, but secretly, keep a close eye on me!"

Gao Yigong clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Please give your orders, Your Majesty!"

“Hong Chengchou is going to check the accounts and inspect the dikes; he’s bound to touch the rotten parts of the local government.” Chongzhen tapped his fingers on the table. “If anything happens, I want you to draw your sword immediately! Arrest those who need to be arrested, suppress those who need to be suppressed! Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, understand?”

"Your Majesty, I understand!" Gao Yigong replied resolutely. "Your Majesty, rest assured, with me and the brothers in the Hetao region here, we will never allow any villains to get close to Minister Hong and Eunuch Fang!"

"Good!" Chongzhen stood up, walked to the two men, patted Fang Huazheng on the shoulder first, and then patted Gao Yigong on the strong arm. "One of you is in charge of finances, and the other is in charge of troops. Keep a close eye on Huai'an for me! Defending Gaojiayan is to defend half of the Ming Dynasty. Go, prepare tonight, and set off tomorrow morning!"

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Fang Huazheng and Gao Yigong withdrew.

Only Emperor Chongzhen and Gao Guiying remained in the warm pavilion.

The sound of rain outside the window seemed even denser.
Ten days later, at Qingjiangpu Wharf in Huai'an Prefecture.

Amidst the misty rain, seven or eight official boats docked one after another. As soon as the boats came to a stop, it wasn't the officials who disembarked, but three hundred cavalrymen.

These men, exuding a chilling aura from the frontier, silently seized control of the key points of the dock.

The dark-faced man leading the group was Gao Guiying's elder brother, Gao Yigong. He was now a member of the imperial family, his sister was a favored concubine who was inseparable from the emperor, and he himself held the title of Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, commanding a troop of Hetao cavalry—he and this troop had just entered the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, knew no one, and even if someone wanted to bribe them, they wouldn't know where to start!

The River Conservancy Governor Li Ruoxing, along with his officials, had been waiting. When he saw the cavalry, his eyelids twitched, and the smile on his face stiffened.

At this moment, Hong Chengchou and Fang Huazheng disembarked from the boat one after the other.

"Minister Hong, you must have had a long journey!" Li Ruoxing quickly led his men to greet him and pay their respects.

Hong Chengchou's face remained expressionless as he returned the greeting slightly: "Thank you for waiting so long, Minister Li. It's raining heavily, let's go into the city first."

Officials escorted the imperial envoy's entourage into the city. Li Ruoxing leaned closer and tentatively asked, "Minister, who are these military officers...?"

Hong Chengchou glanced at the silent cavalry behind him and said in a flat tone, "These are General Gao's men. They have been on the frontier for a long time and know a bit about fortifications. His Majesty specially sent them here to guard against any unforeseen circumstances."

Li Ruoxing's heart skipped a beat. "Just in case?" He smiled, but his heart was pounding. He wondered who the "unexpected event" was.

The welcoming banquet was held at the river management office. Hong Chengchou and Fang Huazheng sat in the main seats, while Gao Yigong stood behind Hong Chengchou with his hand on his sword, like a door god. During the banquet, Li Ruoxing and several other river management officials vied to toast each other, all patting their chests and saying that the river works were stable.

Hong Chengchou only touched his lips slightly, while Fang Huazheng didn't touch a drop of wine, his eyes only darting around the faces of those officials.

After the banquet, Hong Chengchou said he was tired from his journey and needed to rest. Li Ruoxing and the others had no choice but to take their leave.

The rain lessened early the next morning.

Hong Chengchou didn't disturb anyone. He only took Fang Huazheng, Gao Yigong, and a few old river workers from Beijing and rode straight to the Gaojiayan embankment.

By the time Li Ruoxing received the news and rushed there, Hong Chengchou was already standing on the embankment.

The rain soaked the loess soil on the embankment. Hong Chengchou squatted down, dug away the surface mud, and found that the soil underneath was lighter in color and crumbled when pinched.

An old river worker took out an iron rod and stuck it in several places. When he pulled it out, some of the soil was hard and solid, while some was mushy and mixed with grass roots. "Your Excellency," the old river worker said, his voice trembling, pointing to the mushy mud, "this...this is a 'core-covered dike'! The outside is smooth, but the inside is all rotten! How can this stop the water?"

Hong Chengchou's face turned ashen in the dim light. He walked to the storage area, grabbed a burlap sack, and tore it open with a single pull, revealing blackened, moldy hay inside. The piled-up wooden stakes crumbled at the slightest touch.

Fang Huazheng's face darkened. Gao Yigong's hand rested on the hilt of his knife.

Hong Chengchou suddenly turned around and stared intently at Li Ruoxing, who had just run onto the embankment.

"Minister Li!" His voice wasn't loud, but it sent chills down one's spine. "Is this the 'impregnable fortress' you described in your newspaper?"

Li Ruoxing stared at the mud and moldy sacks, her face turning deathly pale. Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to her knees in the mud: "Minister... this humble official... this humble official failed in his duty..."

"Oversight?" Hong Chengchou sneered, no longer looking at him. He knew that Li Ruoxing was an honest official, just a bit muddle-headed and not paying attention to details. In the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, such an official was actually considered good.

How can we govern the Ming Dynasty well if we are with this bunch of fools and corrupt officials?
Hong Chengchou turned to Fang Huazheng and Gao Yigong and said, "Return to the city!"

That night, the imperial envoy's residence was brightly lit.

Hong Chengchou, Fang Huazheng, and Gao Yigong sat around the table.

"The situation is worse than we thought," Hong Chengchou said in a low voice. "Gaojiayan is rotten to the core."

Fang Huazheng nodded and took out Chongzhen's secret edict from his pocket: "His Majesty has decreed that in urgent situations, expediency may be exercised. Minister Hong, look... this is the secret edict! In addition, His Majesty has prepared 500,000 taels of silver for the project, which has been deposited in Lu Shengfeng Bank in Huai'an and can be withdrawn at any time!"

Five hundred thousand taels?

Hong Chengchou was also shocked when he heard this number!
Is the Ming Dynasty that wealthy now? That's right, the imperial court has been able to pay officials their full salaries for over a year now.
Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou suddenly saw hope! Although Gaojia Dam was dilapidated, the water level wasn't high yet, and there was still time. As long as he poured money into it, hiring people and buying materials to raise and reinforce the dam, and at the same time carefully inspected the existing dam structure, opening it up and filling it with mud, and preparing enough strong men, straw bags, and bales to seal it off at any time, there should be hope.

Now Hong Chengchou spoke with confidence: "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken! Eunuch Fang, please do two things immediately."

"Please speak, Minister."

"First, go find Cui Chengxiu. He's in charge of salt affairs in Huai'an and is under investigation. Tell him that the Emperor is giving him a chance to redeem himself by transferring all the salt workers under his command to serve him!"

"Secondly, order the eunuch in charge of the Yangzhou Maritime Trade Office to requisition all the sacks, ropes, timber, and shovels that can be found in Guazhou Town! Then, have him immediately send people to the markets of Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Songjiang to buy as much as they can!"

"Alright!" Fang Huazheng stood up. "I'll get on it right away!"

Hong Chengchou then looked at Gao Yigong: "General Gao!"

"The general is here!"

"Bring your men to bring that Magistrate Chen, who is in charge of Gaojiayan, and several of his key clerks to your military camp! Keep them under separate guard, and no one is allowed to see them without my written order!"

"Understood!" Gao Yigong clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around and strode out, his armor clattering.

Hong Chengchou sat alone in the hall, listening to the rain outside. He knew that the problem had been identified and the money was available. But whether they could clean up the mess before the flood depended on how quickly things would proceed from all sides.

The tranquility of the night in Huai'an was broken by this commotion.

Fang Huazheng knocked on Cui Chengxiu's door late at night. Cui Chengxiu was both shocked and frightened when he heard it was a secret imperial edict. He only breathed a slight sigh of relief when he heard that something had happened at Gaojiayan: "Please report back to the Minister, Your Excellency. I will handle it well! All salt workers must assemble immediately and be ready for duty!"

Then, Fang Huazheng personally rode to Yangzhou.
Gao Yigong's cavalry stormed into Chen Tongzhi's residence, dragged him out of bed, gagged him, and took him to the military camp outside the city.

Hong Chengchou's personal guards carried his invitations all over Huai'an, "sweating" officials, gentry, salt merchants, and the heads of the canal transport troops stationed in Huai'an to the Waterway Management Office.

That night, countless people in Huai'an City had their peaceful dreams disturbed.

When the news reached Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen was having dinner.

He listened to Fang Huazheng and Hong Chengchou's urgent message over 600 li, his face expressionless, and slowly put down his chopsticks.

Hong Chengchou reported the details of the "Baoxin Embankment". Fang Huazheng secretly wrote a letter detailing the arrests, the mobilization of salt workers and supplies, while Gao Yigong secretly reported the chaos in Huai'an City.

"I understand," Chongzhen said, uttering only three words.

All of this was within his expectations. He hadn't really rectified the officialdom in the south in recent years; it remained the same as before.

This "Gaojiayan Dam case" may be a breakthrough.

He walked to the window and looked at the continuous rain outside.

Gao Guiying came over and draped a coat over him.

“Hong Hengjiu and Fang Huazheng have made their move,” Chongzhen said in a low voice. “Cui Chengxiu is quite sensible.”

"Can we hold out?" Gao Guiying asked.

Emperor Chongzhen remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "If we can hold it, we must hold it!" He turned around, his gaze piercing through the rain, as if looking south: "Because I have already taken away the time they spent cutting corners and doing shoddy work! I have also saved up the money for the large-scale river works. Now, it depends on whether Hong Chengchou can make good use of my money!"

(End of this chapter)