How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 86 Zhang Zhiji: I Want to Be Zhang Xianzhong, I Want to Be Zhang Xianzhong (Sixth Update)
February 3rd, Tsinghua University, Yihai Hall.

The hall was heated by an underfloor heating system, making it unbearably warm. Yet, many of the ministers sitting inside felt a chill run down their spines.

Minister of Personnel Huang Lijie and Vice Minister of War Li Banghua spoke first, giving a detailed account of yesterday's court meeting regarding the thorough investigation of the Dai princes and the reorganization of the Beijing garrison.

Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in casual clothes, leaned back on his throne, listening quietly with no expression on his face.

When Huang Lijie mentioned the need to thoroughly investigate the Prince Dai's Mansion and its seven affiliated Princes' Mansions, Chongzhen suddenly sighed and leaned forward.

His face showed just the right amount of grief, and his voice became somber: "The Prince of Dai has rebelled, and I am truly heartbroken."

The ministers below immediately held their breath, lowered their eyelids, and adopted a solemn expression of empathy.

Emperor Chongzhen raised his hand and pressed his fingertips against the corner of his eye, which was dry. He continued, "The thought that the minor clans under the Prince of Dai might also be implicated makes me feel even more distressed."

He paused, then raised his voice slightly, with an undeniable resolve: "But I am the Emperor! The safety of the nation rests on my shoulders, and I cannot stand idly by while the Prince of Dai's lineage plots rebellion against foreign powers! Therefore, I have no choice but to punish the guilty Prince of Dai and other princes. This... this is also stipulated in the Imperial Ancestral Regulations of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" A chorus of agreement immediately rose from below.

"Your Majesty, for the sake of the nation, has made the painful decision to sacrifice your beloved possession; you are truly a wise ruler!"

"Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations! We offer our congratulations to the Great Ming Dynasty!"

Amidst the chorus of praise, the sorrow on Chongzhen's face slowly faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression. He sighed again, as if moved by his own emotions, yet also genuinely worried.

“But,” he changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, “the Prince of Dai and the seven princes below him are the leaders of the thousands of clans within Datong City. Now that their leaders have been deposed, it’s inevitable that the people below will harbor resentment, won’t they?”

The hall became much quieter instantly.

Chongzhen seemed oblivious, continuing his speech as he lightly tapped the armrest with his fingers: "Several thousand generals and lieutenants are gathered together, each harboring resentment... and Datong is a crucial border town, right next to Mongolia. What if something goes wrong, what if something goes wrong?"

After this question was asked, the Yihai Hall fell completely silent.

Even Huang Lijie, the most staunch leader of the "Imperial Party," lowered his head, staring at his toes, refusing to respond to the conversation.

Was it not enough that they had dealt with the eight princes in Datong City? They also wanted to target the "generals" and "lieutenants" below them who lived a meager life and received only a few bushels of rice throughout the year.
That's several thousand people! And they're all surnamed Zhu! Who can bear such a bad reputation?

The civil officials, whether they were from the Imperial Party or the Donglin Party, all tacitly chose to remain silent. The Imperial Party members had just paid their fines and felt they were "innocent and free of guilt," and did not want to get involved in this mess anymore; the Donglin Party members felt they were innocent and had no need to play the villain.

The scene froze for a moment.

Chongzhen's gaze slowly swept over the faces that were feigning ignorance, without urging them, just watching quietly.

He knew perfectly well that only a truly loyal minister could solve the problem of the Ming Dynasty's overabundance of imperial relatives.
Just then, someone in the elite train moved slightly.

Duke Dingguo, Xu Xigao, stood up, bowed to the throne, and said, “Your Majesty’s wisdom is profound! Gathering several thousand generals and lieutenants in Datong City is indeed extremely risky. If some villains were to incite them and collude with foreign enemies, the consequences would be unimaginable. After all, Prince Dai… uh, the guilty prince Zhu Naijun, did indeed collude with Hudun Tuhan.”

He paused for a moment, then spoke more clearly: "Therefore, I believe that dispersing some of the imperial clan members from Datong to various places to prevent them from gathering and causing trouble is the safest and best course of action!"

Emperor Chongzhen's face remained expressionless, but a faint hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He gave a soft "hmm," as if talking to himself.

“A new title…that’s a good idea.” He pondered. “My imperial power allows me to grant them new titles. However, the cost will probably be considerable. The journey, the transportation, and the cost of settling down will all be expenses.”

He raised his eyes, as if seeking everyone's opinion: "Moreover, are those members of the imperial family who have lived in Datong for generations willing to leave their homeland? What if trouble arises?"

Xu Xigao was speechless for a moment; he hadn't had time to think about the details yet.

But he's started, and that's enough. On the other side, Zhang Zhiji, the heir of the Duke of Yingguo, suddenly realized what was happening, cursing inwardly, "That old bastard from the Xu family beat me to it," but he stood up without hesitation.

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Zhiji's voice was even louder than Xu Xigao's. "I believe that there must be many members of the Datong imperial clan who have served the Prince of Dai's mansion and participated in many illegal activities! Even if they were not directly involved in treason, they still exploited the people and oppressed the common people, which is tantamount to supporting a rebellious prince. Their crimes should not be lightly forgiven!"

He glanced at Chongzhen, and seeing that the emperor was listening intently, he became even more energized, his tone becoming increasingly impassioned: "The court should thoroughly investigate and severely punish such people! How can we shrink back just because they are numerous? Your Majesty, I am willing to be the vanguard!"

He understood perfectly well what the value of nobles lay in the word "loyalty"! The Emperor now needed someone to play the villain, someone to "dedicate loyalty," and his Duke of Ying's mansion had to be that "Zhang Xianzhong"!
Emperor Chongzhen looked at Zhang Zhiji, nodded, and muttered to himself, "This Zhang Zhiji is quite good at 'offering loyalty'... Hmm, shall I call you 'Zhang Xianzhong' from now on? No, no, that nickname sounds unlucky..."

He pondered the matter, but said aloud, "What the heir of the Duke of Yingguo said makes sense. However, launching a large-scale imperial prison and implicating too many people is not a blessing for the country."

He paused for a moment, as if he had made a decision, and his voice became clearer: "How about this? I will not let Tian Ergeng and Xu Xianchun question those generals and lieutenants one by one. I will give them a chance to prove their innocence."

All the ministers pricked up their ears.

"As long as they take the initiative to submit a memorial requesting a new title and stating that they are willing to bear the costs of relocation, I will grant them special permission to leave Datong and be relocated to another place."

Emperor Chongzhen spoke slowly, but with an undeniable air of authority: "Of course, they can't go just anywhere. Let them go to Nanjing, Yangzhou, Nanchang, Suzhou, and Hangzhou—these are the prosperous and peaceful places."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the ministers below softened slightly. The places the Emperor had chosen were indeed quite good; they were offering a way out, not forcing them to their deaths.

Before they could even catch their breath, Chongzhen continued, "If any of these families are destitute and in dire straits, I... can lend them some silver from the imperial treasury to help them settle down."

The senior officials nodded subconsciously, feeling that the emperor was ultimately benevolent.

But Chongzhen's next words made everyone instantly understand the emperor's true intentions.

"The borrowed silver doesn't need to be repaid. It can be deducted from their future stipends year by year."

The hall was completely silent.

Stop their stipends!
After going through such a long and complicated process, the Emperor's ultimate goal was to get rid of the burden of stipends and rice for the thousands of members of the Datong imperial clan!
Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue who had been mostly silent, suddenly brightened up. As the person in charge of the national treasury, he knew all too well how enormous and bottomless the imperial family's stipends were, nearly bankrupting the finances of Shanxi and the central government.

He immediately seized the opportunity, stood up and said, “Your Majesty is kind and compassionate towards the imperial relatives, which we admire! However, if this is stopped... if the resettlement expenses are deducted from the stipends, how will the imperial relatives who have been relocated to various places make a living in the future? Although Nanjing and Yangzhou are good places, without rice to cook, there is a risk of trouble!”

This is the most crucial question. Without the stipend, how will these old nobles, who are incapable of carrying anything heavy, survive in the new place? Are they really going to starve to death? It would be better for them to stay in Datong.

All eyes were once again focused on Emperor Chongzhen.

Emperor Chongzhen seemed to have been waiting for this question. His face showed no sign of difficulty, and he calmly uttered a startling statement:
"The Zhu family members have hands and feet, how come they can't survive?"

His gaze swept over the shocked faces of the audience, and he slowly, word by word, said: "I hereby permit all members of the imperial family who voluntarily leave Datong to engage in various professions, including scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, and they may... participate in the imperial examinations!"

"Om..."

Despite their best efforts to restrain themselves, a murmur of surprise and commotion still rose from the audience.

crazy!

The Emperor is about to break the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty"!

Were members of the imperial family allowed to engage in professions related to the four classes of people? Were they allowed to participate in the imperial
This...this is simply...

All the ministers were speechless for a moment, staring in disbelief at the young emperor on the throne.

Even Zhang Xianzhong dared not continue to "dedicate himself" anymore.
(End of this chapter)