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

Chapter 137 Looking at this king? Why don't they go look at the King of Hell?!

In August, Xi'an is sweltering with heat.

The sun hanging in the sky was less a radiant light and more a colossal furnace, relentlessly scorching the cracked earth.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of dust and decay; inhaling it felt like being rubbed raw by scalding sand.

However, inside the Qin King's mansion, it was a completely different world.

Huge blocks of winter ice were carried by palace servants to the four corners of the palace. A chilling aura silently spread, completely isolating the world outside, struggling on the brink of death, from the palace. The ground was as smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting the intricate dragon and phoenix carvings on the beams and pillars. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of fine ambergris mixed with chilled fruits, a luxurious scent that brought both peace of mind and numbness.

Prince Zhu Cunshu of Qin was reclining on an ivory couch covered with a silk mat made from the tribute of Jiangnan, his eyes half-closed, enjoying the gentle leg massages from two stunningly beautiful maids.

He was in a bad mood.

Very bad.

Since yesterday, the entire city of Xi'an has been shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

First, the entire city was placed under martial law, so that not even a fly could get out. Those damned Imperial Guards roamed around like mad dogs.

Then this morning, Governor Sun Chuanting read out a completely incomprehensible "Edict of Self-Reproach" in front of all the officials and people in the city.

Zhu Cunshu didn't understand, and he was too lazy to understand.

He didn't understand what his young cousin, sitting on the cold dragon throne in Beijing, thousands of miles away, was trying to do.

Is the emperor guilty? The entire country belongs to your Zhu family, what crime have you committed?

The national treasury is broke? If it's broke, just raise taxes and confiscate property. Why apologize to those peasants?

They even said something like "I hope my Zhu clan relatives can generously open the royal purse," which is just making grand pronouncements from a distance of 108,000 miles away. It's an absolute joke!
He, Zhu Youjian, was the emperor, and he, Zhu Cunshu, was also a direct descendant of Emperor Taizu Gao!
For over two hundred years, the Qin Prince's Mansion has received both the imperial taxes and local tributes.
You want to get money out of him now? Dream on!

"Your Highness," the chief steward of the Prince's residence bowed, approaching cautiously like a frightened shrimp, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead, "Outside...outside everyone's saying that His Majesty is benevolent, but alas, the national treasury is empty and cannot provide relief from the disaster. Now, the survival of millions of people in Shaanxi depends...depends on you, Your Highness..."

Zhu Cunshu suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of violence flashing in them.

"Look at me?" He sneered, sitting up straight as the silken satin slipped from his shoulders, revealing his pale but slightly bloated chest. "Why don't they go see the King of Hell?"

"A bunch of ungrateful wretches! When my ancestors were guarding this land, their ancestors were probably still starving somewhere! They eat my Qin territory, use my Qin territory, and now they want me to empty my coffers to support them? That's wishful thinking!"

He waved his hand impatiently: "Where's Sun Chuanting? What's that emperor's lackey up to?"

The chief clerk's voice lowered even further: "Your Highness, after Governor Sun proclaimed the imperial edict, he returned to the Provincial Administration Commission's office and there has been no further movement. However... however, the number of disaster victims gathering at the entrance of the yamen is increasing, and they are all... all looking towards the Prince's residence..."

Zhu Cunshu's face grew increasingly grim; he knew, of course, what this meant.

Sun Chuanting's move of attacking the bull from afar was brilliant. The emperor played the role of a benevolent ruler in the capital, while Zhu Cunshu could only play the role of a stern, nouveau riche in Xi'an.

He was furious, yet he also felt that this was nothing more than a political game far removed from reality.

He refused to believe that he, a hereditary prince, could be forced to his death by an emperor far away in the capital and a governor right in front of him.

Just then, a report came from outside the door, the voice trembling slightly: "Your Highness! Governor Sun Chuanting of Shaanxi... is requesting an audience outside the residence!"

coming!

A glint flashed in Zhu Cunshu's eyes, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth. What he feared most was not Sun Chuanting coming, but rather that Sun Chuanting would not come and instead exhaust him with public opinion outside.

Since he dared to step into the gates of this Prince's mansion, he shouldn't expect to leave easily.

"Let him in." Zhu Cunshu lay back down lazily, adjusting to the most comfortable position, his tone contemptuous. "I want to see how he plans to empty his pockets to me."

Zhu Cunshu was determined to show Sun Chuanting, and the emperor who seemed to be everywhere even though he was far away in the capital, who was the real master in Xi'an and in the Prince of Qin's mansion!

……

When Sun Chuanting entered this suffocatingly luxurious hall, he was still wearing the same crimson second-rank official robe he had worn that morning when the imperial edict was proclaimed, with barely visible dust still clinging to it.

He did not change his clothes, as if he intended to use this official robe, which represented imperial law and the emperor's power, to confront this state within a state that occupied the Guanzhong Plain.

He was followed by two eunuchs carrying trays, and there was no one else behind him.

Sun Chuanting walked straight into the hall without glancing to the side, and bowed deeply to Zhu Cunshu at the head of the table in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Your subject, Sun Chuanting, Governor of Shaanxi, pays his respects to Your Highness."

Zhu Cunshu squinted at Sun Chuanting, a cold smile playing on his lips, and slowly picked up the chilled plum juice beside him and took a sip.

"Lord Sun," he began lazily, drawing out his words, "this morning you were quite the showman, reading the imperial edict aloud in front of the entire city at the yamen gate. What's this? Now you've come to my residence to interrogate me, or... to beg for food?"

These words were extremely harsh, and the maids and eunuchs in the palace were so frightened that they held their breath.

Sun Chuanting seemed oblivious to the humiliation in the words. His face remained calm as a still well, but his bloodshot eyes held a chilling melancholy.

"I have come here today not to question you, nor to beg for anything." He paused, his voice echoing clearly in the empty hall. "I have come on Your Majesty's orders to fulfill my duty as a human being and to deliver a letter home."

"A letter from home?"

Zhu Cunshu was stunned. He had imagined countless possibilities: Sun Chuanting might righteously accuse him, he might earnestly advise him, or he might make a subtle threat. But he never expected that the other party would utter the words "family letter".

Sun Chuanting didn't say much, but simply turned to the side. A eunuch immediately stepped forward, holding a tray high in his hand. On the tray was an ordinary wooden box without any decoration.

Another eunuch stepped forward and carefully opened the wooden box, taking out a scroll wrapped in cloth and presenting it with both hands.

The chief secretary quickly took it and presented it to Zhu Cunshu.

Zhu Cunshu unfolded the letter with suspicion. The paper was ordinary bamboo paper, and the handwriting was not the neat and formal style of the official script. Instead, it was somewhat hasty and messy, as if the writer's emotions were turbulent and he could not control himself.

However, when his gaze fell upon the opening title, his heart skipped a beat uncontrollably.

"To my cousin Cunshu for perusal:"

There was no self-proclaimed emperor title, no majestic aura of ruling the world, only a few simple words that were almost humble.

"Your brother Youjian, in the Forbidden City of the capital, gazes upon the western Qin region with a complex mix of emotions. This place is the Qin land of my Zhu family, and this city is the Xi'an of my Zhu family. Yet now, upon hearing of the tragic state of Shaanxi, I see corpses piled up everywhere, and cries of anguish echo across the land. It is no less than hell. As the ruler of the world, seeing this tragedy, my heart is burning with anguish."

"The imperial edict is my explanation to all the people under heaven as the emperor. This letter to my family is my heartfelt words to my cousin as a member of the Zhu family."

"Our Zhu family has been in this predicament for over two hundred years since the founding of the dynasty by our founding emperor. When have we ever faced such a crisis? The Jurchens are eyeing us covetously from the outside, while refugees are rising up everywhere from within. The empty treasury is not because I am unwilling to replenish it, but because years of warfare have already depleted it. I have ordered all the imperial relatives and nobles in the capital to donate. I have also emptied my own treasury. However, for these millions of disaster victims, it is but a drop in the ocean."

“Brother, we are both descendants of the founding emperor. When the founding emperor enfeoffed the princes, his intention was to secure the borders and protect the imperial family. Now that the imperial family is in turmoil, how can the borders be defended? The people are the foundation of the nation; water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If we do not save the people of Qin today, they will all become our enemies tomorrow. At that time, if the skin is gone, what will the hair cling to?”

“Today, I am not forcing my cousin to comply with the obligations between ruler and subject, but only out of brotherly affection. Please open your treasury and save your fellow villagers. Every grain of rice represents the benevolence of the Zhu family; every tael of silver represents the virtue of the Zhu family. If you can help me through this crisis, in the future, the history books will record the virtuous Qin vassal, and his legacy will be as enduring as the nation’s.”

"I do not ask for much, but only that my cousin have a heart that loves the people and a heart that remembers our ancestors. I look forward to your reply."

At the end of the letter were three words: "Brother, Youjian." There was no imperial seal, only a small personal seal.

Zhu Cunshu finished reading the letter and remained silent for a long time.

Inside the main hall, it was so quiet that you could hear the dripping sound of melting ice.

This letter was even more venomous than the "Imperial Edict of Self-Reproach," as it brought everything back to the level of family matters.

The emperor had already made his point so clearly, his attitude had become incredibly humble.

If he doesn't agree, it would mean he's even blatantly refusing a letter from his cousin, the emperor, who is far away in the capital, thus confirming his guilt of being "disloyal and unfilial."

A surge of anger, feeling betrayed, rose in Zhu Cunxu's heart.

Zhu Cunshu's face instantly turned a deep liver color, and a surge of anger and humiliation at being outmaneuvered almost made him jump off the ivory couch.

But after all, he was the master who had lorded it over others in this palace for half his life, and his rage lasted only a moment before being forcibly suppressed by his deep-rooted arrogance.

He immediately calmed down a little, and a voice in his heart sneered: The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, what can you do to me?
You, Zhu Youjian, are indeed the emperor, but can your hand reach into my heavily guarded Qin Prince's mansion from the capital, a thousand miles away?

Even if your edict of self-reproach can make the entire city cry and wail, what good will it do?

This Xi'an Prefecture still belongs to my Qin vassal state!
A letter from home, and Sun Chuanting, and you think you can destroy the two hundred years of accumulation of my Qin Prince's Mansion in one fell swoop?
Idiot's dream!

Once he understood this, Zhu Cunshu's last trace of apprehension vanished, replaced by a playful, cat-and-mouse game.

He took a deep breath and instantly forced a deeply sorrowful expression onto his face. His acting skills were so superb that even the high-ranking officials in the palace would feel ashamed of their own.

"Sigh..." Zhu Cunshu sighed deeply, carefully folding the letter as if it were a rare treasure.

He looked up at Sun Chuanting, his eyes even welling up with tears: "Lord Sun, it's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that... the palace has no surplus food! There are hundreds of people to feed, and expenses are flowing out like water. It looks splendid on the outside, but it's empty inside! I... am powerless to do anything about it!"

He winked at the chief clerk.

The chief clerk understood immediately and took out a prepared gift list from his sleeve, announcing loudly, "Although His Highness's treasury is tight, out of consideration for His Majesty's wishes, he is willing to donate all he has to the court. The gift is: three hundred taels of silver and three hundred shi of high-quality rice!"

Three hundred taels! Three hundred bushels!
The number, uttered by the chief clerk, carried an almost comical sense of humiliation. It was not only a way to dismiss a beggar, but also the most blatant contempt for that "weeping letter from home."

After the chief clerk finished reading, he cautiously looked at Sun Chuanting, waiting for him to accept this "gift" with anger, disappointment, or helplessness.

However, Sun Chuanting did not display any of the aforementioned expressions.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze meeting Zhu Cunshu's again. In the depths of his calm, still eyes, it seemed as if a storm was brewing.

“Your Highness.” Sun Chuanting’s voice suddenly turned cold and unfamiliar, as if he were a different person. “It seems that you did not understand His Majesty’s letter.”

Then, with his other hand, he took out another scroll from the inner pocket of his official robe.

This scroll is wrapped in bright yellow silk, with white jade ends.

The moment this scroll appeared in the main hall, the temperature in the entire room seemed to drop by more than ten degrees.

Zhu Cunshu's fake smile froze instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

That was... an imperial edict!
　There are more, but they're still on their way.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)