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

Chapter 136 The Emperor Repents, and the World Is Shocked

Late at night.

Xi'an, like a giant beast whose energy had been drained by the scorching heat and famine of the day, finally fell into a deep sleep.

No human voices could be heard in the streets and alleys anymore, except for the occasional low barking of stray dogs fighting over carrion from some corner, adding a touch of eeriness to the deathly silence of the city.

Inside the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commissioner's office, however, the lights were on as bright as day.

The atmosphere inside the main hall was somber, the air so heavy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

A dozen or so imperial guards stood like silent statues on either side of the hall.

In the main hall, Zhu Youjian sat quietly in the main seat. In front of him was a large table with a military defense map of the Guanzhong region spread out on it.

Li Ruolian, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, bowed and walked quickly from outside the hall to the front. He knelt on one knee and held a stack of files wrapped tightly in kraft paper high above his head.

"Your Majesty, this is the Shaanxi Thousand-Household Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. All the intelligence we have secretly verified over the past six months is here."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, and the eunuch standing beside him immediately stepped forward to take the file and carefully placed it on the imperial desk.

The files were unpacked and divided into three distinct sections.

The first stack, the thickest, had two words written on the cover: "Officials and Gentry".

Zhu Youjian casually picked up a book and slowly flipped through it. The handwriting inside was sharp and incisive, recording the heinous crimes committed by hundreds of officials under the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commissioner and Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, as well as local gentry and powerful figures, during this severe drought.

Embezzling disaster relief funds and grain, exchanging inferior goods for superior ones, annexing disaster victims' land, taking advantage of the disaster to lend money at exorbitant interest rates... Behind each charge of crime is a detailed copy of the witness testimonies, as well as a description of the physical evidence and its storage location.

His finger slowly traced across the page, finally resting on the name of a local gentry member named "Wang Youshan".

“Wang Youshan…” Zhu Youjian murmured the name, a cold smile playing on his lips. “He had 50,000 shi of grain stored up at home, yet he beat the famine refugees who came to his doorstep to their deaths. I accept this kindness on behalf of those innocent people who died unjustly.”

His voice was very soft, but to the people below the hall, it was like a thunderclap.

The second stack of paper had the words "popular rebellion" written on the cover.

The above text uses striking red circles to mark the emerging signs of civil unrest in places like Fugu, Baishui, and Chengcheng in Yan'an Prefecture.

The activities, numbers, and names of leaders of bandits like Wang Jiayin and Wang Er were clearly marked.

The third stack of documents was only a thin volume, but its cover was made of fine Shu brocade, making it stand out. Two characters were written on it in vermilion: 【Qin Mansion】.

Zhu Youjian picked it up and opened it.

It contains records of all the evil deeds of Prince Zhu Cunshu of Qin.

From seizing vast tracts of fertile land, causing widespread displacement, to monopolizing the profits from salt and iron, encroaching on the imperial court's taxes, to intercepting grain tribute that should have been turned over to the national treasury, each and every one of these actions had already caused widespread resentment among Shaanxi officials and made life unbearable for the people. His extravagant lifestyle, with its pavilions and towers in his mansion and its excessive spending, was no secret.

If these were merely routine practices of a greedy prince, then his clansmen and servants could commit murder and seize land simply by hiding in the prince's mansion, where no one would dare to question them. If any trial conducted by the local government conflicted with the prince's interests, it would immediately face brutal interference; in some cases, even high-ranking officials were beaten in the street by the prince's guards.
Is there no law anymore?
"boom!"

Zhu Youjian slammed his fist on the imperial desk, his young eyes now devoid of any warmth.

He slowly closed the three stacks of documents, raised his head, and looked around at the civil and military officials in the hall.

"Li Ruolian".

"The minister is here."

"By imperial decree, you are hereby ordered to immediately take over the defense of Xi'an City and close all city gates. Martial law is hereby imposed throughout the city; entry is permitted, but exit is not! Anyone who disobeys this order and trespasses will be executed without exception, regardless of rank!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Li Ruolian did not hesitate for a moment, kowtowed heavily, and left to receive the order.

Zhu Youjian turned his gaze to Sun Chuanting: "Boya."

"The minister is here."

"Tomorrow, I will issue an edict to be proclaimed throughout the city and even the entire country. You know what to do then."

Sun Chuanting felt a chill run down his spine. He seemed to have a premonition of something, but he didn't ask any further questions. He simply bowed and replied, "Your subject understands."

"General Qin." Zhu Youjian's gaze finally fell on Qin Liangyu.

"The general is here!"

"I hereby order you to personally lead two thousand elite White-Spear soldiers, carrying my secret edict, to Yan'an Prefecture first thing tomorrow morning." His tone was flat, yet his words carried a cold, hard edge. "Wang Jiayin and Wang Er are nothing more than Ming subjects driven to rebellion by hunger and cold, a mere scab. But if allowed to spread, they will rot the body and wreak havoc on the region. Therefore, whether to suppress or appease them is up to you to decide."

He paused, his gaze sharpening, and his tone turning colder.

"I will only give you one piece of advice. The grain of my Great Ming is extremely precious; it is meant to save the lives of those kind-hearted people who still wish to live, not to nurture future threats. If anyone sincerely surrenders, they may be incorporated into the army or dismissed. But if there are those who are fickle and betray their country tomorrow, and fall into your hands a second time..."

Seeing the murderous intent in the emperor's eyes, Qin Liangyu tightened her grip on her sword.

"...There's no need to waste our Great Ming's grain and fodder for them anymore."

Qin Liangyu's weathered face remained expressionless as she replied in a deep voice, "This subordinate understands!"

"Lu Xiang-sheng and Sun Ying-yuan."

"Your subordinate is here!" The two young generals stepped forward in unison, their voices booming like bells.

"I hereby order you two to each lead 1,500 newly trained soldiers from the capital garrison, departing the city tomorrow and heading to Pingliang and Qingyang prefectures respectively. Control all the key passes on the official roads leading to Guanzhong. Ostensibly, this is to suppress local forces and eliminate bandits. In reality, it is to firmly encircle the entire Shaanxi province for me!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

……

The next day.

As dawn broke, an unusual tension permeated Xi'an. The long street in front of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office was under martial law by the Beijing Garrison, making it completely impassable.

Officials at all levels in Xi'an, from the Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner to the Prefect and the Assistant Prefect, were all ordered by an official document to attend the ceremony in front of the yamen before 9:00 AM.

Beneath their seemingly respectable appearances and ulterior motives lay uneasy suspicion.

Rumors circulated that several thousand troops had rushed from the capital and Sichuan, and such a large-scale operation had occurred today; it was unclear whether this was a blessing or a curse. Even more so, there were the starving refugees driven by hunger.

When they heard that the governor was going to read out the imperial edict from the capital in public, they flocked to him like moths to a flame.

They huddled together numbly, perhaps just hoping to draw a tiny bit of warmth from the crowd, or perhaps still clinging to a last, vain hope for the distant title of "Son of Heaven."

It is 9:00 AM.

Sun Chuanting, the governor of Shaanxi, walked out of the yamen with a solemn expression, wearing a second-rank scarlet official robe. Behind him were two rows of constables holding whips, as well as eunuchs from the capital.

Outside the government office, there was an instant silence.

Sun Chuanting ascended the makeshift platform. After standing still, he did not speak immediately, but turned and bowed deeply towards the direction of the capital. This action made the hearts of all the officials present sink.

Then, the eunuch respectfully handed him a scroll wrapped in bright yellow silk.

Sun Chuanting slowly unfurled the imperial edict. His eyes, bloodshot from a sleepless night, now seemed to burn with two flames of grief and indignation brought from the Forbidden City thousands of miles away.

His voice was hoarse and deep, yet it carried with exceptional clarity throughout the entire square.

"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the edict says:"

"I, with my meager virtue, have inherited this throne, and I am filled with anxiety and fear day and night, lest I fail the trust of my ancestors and the mandate of Heaven. However, since I ascended the throne, my virtue has been meager and my abilities few, and my governance has been flawed, causing me to offend Heaven and resulting in frequent disasters. Now, the entire Shaanxi province has suffered from severe drought for years, with thousands of miles of barren land and withered crops. The people have no food, so they dig up grass roots and peel tree bark to fill their stomachs; when grass roots and tree bark are exhausted, they eat the soil of Guanyin, and die from bloating. On the roads, corpses of the starved lie everywhere; in the countryside, there are even reports of people exchanging their own children to eat."

When he read the words "exchanging children to eat", Sun Chuanting's voice trembled slightly. He looked up at the numb and empty eyes below the stage, and a surge of grief and indignation rushed to his head.

"At this point, my heart is breaking! This is not a punishment from heaven, but my own fault! It is because I misjudged the people, allowing corrupt officials to harm them; it is because my benevolence was insufficient, causing wealthy families to close their doors; it is because I failed to be diligent in my duties, delaying famine relief efforts. All the people are guilty, but the guilt lies with me!"

The last sentence fell silently, yet carried immense weight, as if it instantly emptied all sound from the square, leaving only a chilling, deathly silence.

The officials, those who had long been seasoned in officialdom and whose expressions had become masks, had all the color drained from their faces.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with undisguised horror and bewilderment.

The emperor, far away in the capital, actually issued such a straightforward and poignant edict, taking full responsibility for all the blame?!

The disaster victims were stunned by these words.

That emperor, so far away and high above us... is apologizing to us, who are not even human beings?
Sun Chuanting's eyes were already red, and he forced back the tears that were about to spill out, continuing to read the most important part of the edict in his hoarse voice.

"However, regret is useless; only repentance is possible. But years of border conflicts have emptied the national treasury. I have the will to save the people, but I am powerless to reverse the situation. The treasury is insufficient to support the lives of a million people. I have failed the world!"

"Therefore, I hereby proclaim to all civil and military officials, provincial governors, and members of the Ming imperial family and relatives: This empire does not belong to me alone, but to the people, together with my great ancestor, Emperor Taizu. Now, the people are suffering, and the dynasty is on the verge of collapse. How can the descendants of the Zhu family enjoy wealth and honor while watching the people perish?"

"I am willing to share the hardships with you all and work together with one heart. I hope that officials and gentry in all regions will open their granaries and distribute grain; I hope that my Zhu clan members will generously contribute to the royal treasury. With your compassion, we can save the people from suffering; with your righteous deeds, we can ensure the eternal stability of our empire."

"The fault lies with me; let not the disaster extend to the people. This is hereby proclaimed throughout the land, so that all may know!"

"Appreciate this!"

When the last word fell, Sun Chuanting could no longer hold on. His knees buckled, and he knelt down facing the direction of the capital, banging his head heavily on the ground.

The people below the stage were initially in a deathly silence.

Then, someone cried out, "The Emperor... even the Emperor is broke..."

The cry was like a spark that instantly ignited the long-accumulated dry tinder, and the cry was as loud as a landslide and a tsunami!
Countless people knelt on the ground, weeping for their suffering, and also for the young emperor far away in the capital, who was willing to admit his mistakes to them, these insignificant ants, yet frankly admitted that he was powerless to reverse the situation!
"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Long live our emperor! Long, long live our emperor!"

"Even the emperor himself admitted his mistake, saying that the national treasury is empty... So, who can we rely on?!"

The resentment and despair that had been building up inside them began to frantically search for an outlet that was right in front of them.

Countless pairs of bloodshot eyes turned in unison towards the city center, a place of endless revelry and immense wealth.

……

At the same time, in the capital city, thousands of miles away, at Qian Qianyi's residence.

The leader of the Donglin Party was leisurely enjoying freshly arrived pre-rain Longjing tea with his friend Qian Longxi in the back garden.

“Brother Muzhai, the Prince of Fu has sent word that he is quite interested in our proposal to ‘connect with relatives and discuss the state of the court,’” Qian Longxi said with a smile, holding his teacup.

Qian Qianyi stroked his beard and smiled, about to speak, when a student rushed in from outside looking flustered, holding up a copy of the official gazette that had just been copied from the palace.

"Teacher! Your Excellency! The palace... the palace has just issued an imperial edict!"

Qian Qianyi took the official gazette, placed it on the table, and read it quickly.

The smile on his face gradually froze.

When Qian Longxi saw the eight characters “All are guilty, but the guilt lies with me”, his hand trembled violently, and he spilled scalding hot tea all over his hand without even realizing it.

When he saw that "the national treasury was already empty, and although he was willing to save the people, he was powerless to reverse the situation," the precious Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup in Qian Qianyi's hand slipped from his fingers with a "crack" and fell onto the bluestone slab, shattering into pieces.

His face turned deathly pale instantly.

"Isn't the Emperor sick?!" he murmured to himself, his voice filled with shock and fear.

Qian Longxi stared blankly at the description of the disaster in Shaanxi in the official gazette, exclaiming, "Shaanxi is suffering a severe drought... it has really come to this?! People are even exchanging their own children to eat... this... how is this possible?!"

They had never taken the disaster in Shaanxi seriously before. In their view, it was just a common trick used by some local officials to exaggerate and demand money and grain.

But now, this shocking "Edict of Self-Reproach" has been poured over my head like a bucket of ice water!
The young emperor's various schemes over the past few months flashed uncontrollably through their minds...

A bone-chilling cold suddenly rose from their hearts!

They knew better than anyone else that the current emperor always planned carefully before acting, and never made a single blunder!

So, who exactly is this "edict of self-reproach" that seems to take all the blame upon itself, this knife... meant to be wielded?

(End of this chapter)