Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 105 The world is in chaos, and the people have become thieves.

Sun Chuanting was about to speak, wanting to say something like, "We should use swift and decisive measures to suppress it as soon as possible to avoid causing a major disaster."

Just then, Zhu Youjian saw through his thoughts and suddenly waved his hand to interrupt him.

The emperor's expression changed.

The domineering aura that looked down upon the world and the icy coldness that seemed to know everything receded like the tide, replaced by an almost overflowing sense of pity and sorrow.

“Sir,” his voice suddenly became very soft, “do you think what I’m about to say is that I’m going to kill them all?”

Sun Chuanting was stunned.

Without waiting for his reply, Zhu Youjian took out a file from the black lacquered wooden box, the handwriting of which was already somewhat blurred.

"This is the file of the civil unrest in Chengcheng County in the seventh year of the Tianqi reign."

He didn't let Sun Chuanting see it, but instead, like a storyteller, he recounted it himself in a slow and subdued tone.

"Chengcheng is one of the poorest counties in Shaanxi, with barren soil and heavy taxes. People couldn't survive and fled, but even so, the government continued to press for taxes and collect the 'three taxes.' Do you know what a saying circulates among the people of Shaanxi?"

Zhu Youjian looked at Sun Chuanting and said, word by word:

"The people of the four directions look to the clear sky as a sea of ​​suffering."

Sun Chuanting's breath hitched.

"The people have been driven to the brink of despair. Rather than be beaten to death in court, they would rather rise up in rebellion and seek that faint glimmer of hope!"

Zhu Youjian's voice trembled slightly.

He suddenly raised his head, staring intently at Sun Chuanting.

"In the official histories of all dynasties, those who wrote about popular uprisings were all 'bandits, thieves, and sorcerers,' and people were portrayed with such fervor that they wished they could devour their flesh and sleep on their skin. But I tell you," Zhu Youjian's voice suddenly rose, "they were not bandits, they were a mirror!"

"A mirror that shows where the roots of my Great Ming are rotten!" Zhu Youjian's voice was no longer steady, but trembled uncontrollably.

"When the Ming Dynasty came to my hands, it was already riddled with problems! Eunuchs held power, and factional strife caused internal strife! Imperial relatives, nobles, and gentry seized land like hungry wolves, forcing countless people to become homeless! People had no land to cultivate, yet the court imposed an additional three taxes on Liaodong, draining the pond to catch all the fish! And then this rare natural disaster struck, leaving the land barren for thousands of miles!"

He took a step forward, almost pressing Sun Chuanting right in front of him:

"Don't forget, even the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Taizu Gao, was forced into rebellion by officials!"

"When ordinary people would rather risk their lives in rebellion than remain obedient subjects, it means that it's not them who are rotten..."

"It is my empire! It is this entire court that is rotten to the core!!"

The last few words resounded like thunder in the Wenhua Hall.

This time, Sun Chuanting did not kneel down.

He stood there, frozen in place like a stone sculpture eroded by wind and rain for a thousand years. His eyes contracted violently, then slowly widened, and finally turned into a deathly gray.

Daigo empowerment!

Silence spread through the hall.

Sun Chuanting frantically rehearsed the emperor's words in his mind.

Money and grain, officials, imperial relatives, nobles, gentry, public sentiment, natural disasters, foreign threats... every point and every link confirms the emperor's judgment.

He tried to find a reason to refute it, to find a glimmer of hope to break the deadlock, but in the end he found that every path he deduced led to a bottomless cliff.

For a long, long time.
"Your Majesty's wisdom is boundless."

Sun Chuanting raised his head and looked directly at the young emperor, his eyes filled with a resolute determination that disregarded life and death.

"While I was in Daizhou, I studied state affairs day and night. What I saw and heard was that the disease had become a deep-seated problem. Conventional methods and medicines were ineffective and would only prolong the time until it was too late to save the patient."

His voice paused, each word sounding as if it had been ripped from his chest.

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and cannot see the way out of this predicament. I only know that without swift and decisive measures, all will be lost. Your Majesty, I humbly request your guidance on how to proceed in this situation."

Sun Chuanting's voice echoed in the empty hall, every word filled with a do-or-die determination. He was like a drawn sword, just waiting for its wielder to point it at its target.

Zhu Youjian stared at him, the flames surging in those young eyes transforming at that moment into a sharpness that pierced the heart.

"I hereby order you to leave the capital immediately to oversee all affairs in Shaanxi, and assume the following duties..."

The emperor paused slightly here, as if gathering strength for the thunderbolt that was about to be unleashed.

"...Governor of Shaanxi!" These words seemed to possess the force of a thousand pounds, instantly shattering all of Sun Chuanting's thoughts. He froze on the spot, his mind blank, only his pupils contracting sharply at this completely unexpected appointment.
Governor of Shaanxi!

His original official position was the fifth-rank official, the Director of the Bureau of Merit Evaluation, while the Governor of Shaanxi was a second-rank official.

This is practically an ascent to heaven that defies ancestral rules and divine laws!
From a righteous official in the capital to the highest-ranking official in the local government who holds supreme military and political power!
The fervent ambition that had just been ignited was instantly overwhelmed by immense fear.

"His Majesty!"

Sun Chuanting almost instinctively knelt down again, "Your Majesty, please don't! I beg Your Majesty to rescind your order!"

He raised his head, his face full of anxiety and earnestness, and stated his reasons in as fast as he could:

"Your subject is young and lacks virtue, unfit for this heavy responsibility! With limited experience, how can I command respect by suddenly being promoted to such a high position? The officialdom in Shaanxi is complex and intricate, and I, a mere scholar, fear I will find it difficult to manage!"

"Your Majesty's move is an overreach of authority, which may discourage the officials of the realm! The laws of our ancestors and the regulations of the court are the foundation of the nation. To break the rules for one of my own will surely invite criticism from both the court and the public, and will damage Your Majesty's holy reputation!"

"Moreover, Shaanxi is in such a state of decay that it is almost a dead end, and it is not something that can be easily reversed by human effort! If I fail in this matter, I will not only fail to live up to Your Majesty's grace, but I also fear that it will destabilize the court and cause the fire in Shaanxi to burn even more fiercely! I... would be guilty even if I were to die ten thousand times!"

His words came from the bottom of his heart, and each reply revealed a mature politician's clear understanding of reality.

Zhu Youjian was not angry, not even a little impatient. He listened quietly, then stepped forward and helped Sun Chuanting up.

“What you say, sir, is entirely reasonable. But…” Zhu Youjian’s eyes became unusually firm, “Rules are for governing the world, not for the Ming Dynasty to perish! If everything is done step by step according to the rules, then what awaits me and this country is only destruction!”

He pulled Sun Chuanting to the huge map hanging on the wall, pressed his finger heavily on the word "Shaanxi," and spoke in an icy tone.

"Look here, sir! Refugees are rising up everywhere, corpses of the starved are littering the fields, the government troops are incompetent, and the garrisons are in disarray! The entire north is like a patch of withered grass, just waiting for a spark! If the rebellion in Shaanxi is not quelled quickly, once the spark spreads, the whole country will be in chaos! At that time, what use will the rules and ancestral systems we speak of be?"

Zhu Youjian turned around and looked directly into Sun Chuanting's eyes, his gaze filled with deep approval.

"In the past, you refused to collude with the eunuch faction, preferring to resign from your post rather than compromise your principles as a subject and a person. Many people think that lowering your standards can get you something in return; but that's not true. Your standards determine what you ultimately possess!"

The tone shifted abruptly, leaving no room for discussion in Zhu Youjian's voice; only the absolute will of the emperor, whose words were law, remained:

"What I need is not a mediocre official who follows the rules, but a firefighter who can handle things for me! Of all the officials in the court, I only trust you, Sun Chuanting! You can, and you must, take on this responsibility for me!"

Seeing the confusion still in Sun Chuanting's eyes, Zhu Youjian knew that trust and orders alone were not enough.

He pointed to the map, his tone leaving no room for argument: "I have already laid out the rules for this operation. I will tell you, and you will listen. After you have listened, if there are any additions, you may speak frankly. Once you take office, boldly implement this strategy. If any mistakes are made, I will take full responsibility!"

"First punch, to save your life!"

Zhu Youjian extended a finger and pointed it towards the sky outside the palace.

"I have ordered that the first batch of grain be urgently allocated from the granaries seized from Shanxi merchants and grain merchants in Jiangnan and transported to Shaanxi! After you take office, you should immediately open granaries and distribute grain in the most severely affected areas such as Yan'an Prefecture, Qingyang Prefecture, Yulinwei and surrounding areas, and set up soup kitchens!"

"I don't need you to solve the problem immediately. I just want these people who are on the verge of starvation to have some porridge to drink as soon as possible, so they don't starve to death in droves! I will continuously raise funds and provisions for you afterwards!"

"Second punch: Take control!"

He extended his second finger.

"I will immediately issue an edict to exempt Shaanxi from all taxes owed this year and in the past! All additional levies, including the 'Liaodong tax,' 'suppression tax,' and 'training tax,' will be suspended! Moreover, I will let the whole world know that anyone who dares to demand even a copper coin in taxes from the disaster victims at this time will have their life taken!"

"At the same time, you must immediately organize all able-bodied men to participate in work relief! Repair water conservancy projects, reinforce city walls, and repair roads! The work is provided by the court, and the food is provided by the court! I want them to have something to do and food to eat, so that they can regain their dignity as human beings, instead of scrambling for food like wild dogs! When the refugees have a livelihood and the people have something to rely on, they will naturally not become bandits!"

"The third punch: Hematopoiesis!"

Zhu Youjian's voice grew increasingly impassioned, "If we rely solely on the imperial court's aid, the Ming Dynasty will be drained sooner or later! Therefore, to survive and stabilize, we must also be able to survive on our own! Once the disaster situation eases, the imperial court will lend them seeds, farming tools, and even oxen! We will systematize the water conservancy projects you built during the work-for-relief program to thoroughly enhance Shaanxi's drought resistance capabilities! This is the fundamental solution!"

With three punches, a progressively detailed disaster relief plan was clearly presented to Sun Chuanting.

He certainly knew that these three punches could not immediately cure the deteriorating situation in Shaanxi; they were more of a life-saving remedy, a delaying tactic to buy time for the Ming Dynasty to quell the chaos.

The emperor knew, and Sun Chuanting knew, that even the most perfect plan would inevitably face numerous flaws in reality when it was implemented, requiring constant revision and supplementation.

But that's enough!
It was like a bolt of lightning that pierced through endless darkness, allowing Sun Chuanting, who had been groping in despair for so long, to see for the first time the possibility of saving Shaanxi—even if it was just a possibility!

Sometimes, it is this tiny glimmer of hope that allows people to survive and persevere!
Excitement and exhilaration welled up in his heart, but after the initial excitement, the extremely pragmatic Sun Baigu ultimately prevailed.

A cold and fatal reality quickly surfaced in his mind: this was the root cause of why all beautiful blueprints ultimately became worthless.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Sun Chuanting looked up to meet the emperor's burning gaze and asked a question that could shatter all hope:

"Your Majesty's plan is indeed comprehensive! But... what if those who implement it are outwardly compliant but inwardly disobedient, embezzling funds and grain? The fact that less than one-tenth of the disaster relief funds remain is the real root cause of the failures of disaster relief throughout history!"

(End of this chapter)