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

Chapter 178 The Emperor's Heart is as Hard as Iron
As the sun sets in the west, the golden afterglow filters through the windows of the warm pavilion, casting long shadows on the smooth, mirror-like gold-brick floor.

The secret meeting inside the pavilion, one that would be recorded in history, has finally come to an end.

Bi Ziyan and Fan Jingwen bowed and took their leave. Their steps were much heavier than when they arrived, yet they contained an unprecedented strength.

Their backs were soaked with sweat time and time again, and were now ice-cold, but a raging fire was burning in their chests, a fire that could start a wildfire.

Wang Chengen, who had been standing silently outside the palace gate like a statue, quietly led the two officials.

He bowed slightly, a gentle and humble smile on his face, but his peripheral vision inadvertently swept over the slightly tired figure in the hall.

The emperor sat alone behind his desk, not reading any memorials or doing anything else. He simply rested his head on one hand, leaning slightly forward as if he were closing his eyes to rest.

The sunlight shone on his profile, making his deep and weary expression, which seemed out of place with his age, stand out even more clearly.

Over the past year, Wang Chengen has witnessed countless such scenes.

He clearly remembered how timid and uneasy the newly enthroned emperor was. At that time, facing Wei Zhongxian's overwhelming power and the contemptuous or indifferent gazes of the court officials, he was like a lamb that had strayed into a pack of wolves, walking cautiously and treading on thin ice.

At that time, Wang Chengen was filled with worries.

No one expected that everything would change.

From the moment he took control of Wei Zhongxian, it was as if a sleeping dragon had suddenly awakened within the young emperor's body.

The Shanxi merchants and grain merchants were raided and their families wiped out; the Liaodong, Xuanda, and Jinyiwei and Beijing garrison were reorganized; the "Da Ming Yue Bao" newspaper was launched; military officials from humble backgrounds were promoted; and secret edicts were issued to local governors and viceroys... Each and every one of these events was earth-shattering.

Wang Chengen himself had no idea how much inner struggle and sleepless nights this young emperor had gone through behind his seemingly resolute and ruthless facade.

All he knew was that every time he served the emperor ginseng tea late at night to refresh him, he saw those bloodshot yet frighteningly bright eyes, and the mountain of manuscripts on the emperor's desk, repeatedly revised with vermilion ink.

The cowardice has long since faded; now, the Emperor's heart is as firm as iron!
Lost in thought, Bi Ziyan and Fan Jingwen had already followed him out of the warm pavilion. A cool breeze blew outside the hall, and both ministers involuntarily shivered.

Fan Jingwen was still immersed in the enormous shock, his mind a mess, and he simply followed Wang Chengen's footsteps in silence.

After a brief adjustment to the changes in light and temperature, Bi Ziyan stopped. He subconsciously turned around and looked through the palace door at the solitary figure sitting alone at the table.

At that moment, an indescribable bitterness and heartache welled up in Bi Ziyan's heart.

He didn't look at Fan Jingwen again, but turned his gaze to Wang Chengen beside him, his voice low and trembling slightly.

"Eunuch Wang."

"What are your orders, Lord Bi?" Wang Chengen stopped, still maintaining his humble demeanor.

"Your Majesty... is this how you always are?" Bi Ziyan's gaze remained fixed on the figure inside the palace gate. "Is it because you work so tirelessly day and night for the affairs of the state?"

He wanted to use the word "hard work," but when the words came to his lips, he felt that the word was too light and could not describe the enormous exhaustion he had just felt, as if it were burning away all of a person's spirit!
Wang Chengen slightly raised his eyes and looked at the Minister of Revenue who was about to take control of the empire's finances and stir up a huge wave. He saw the genuine concern and sorrow in the old minister's eyes. It was not a subject's pretense towards the monarch, but a heartfelt empathy.

Wang Chengen remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Yes." His voice was soft but clear. "Lord Bi, what you saw today is the norm. Sometimes His Majesty summons as many as twenty people a day. From dawn to late at night, there is almost no rest."

Bi Ziyan's heart clenched painfully.

I meet about twenty people a day!
Each of these could be the beginning of a major decision concerning the national economy and people's livelihood. The effort and information required to handle them are simply unimaginable to ordinary people.

He thought of himself.

As the governor of Tianjin, he felt quite proud of himself for his diligent daily administration, which had brought order to the region, facilitated trade and travel, and ensured the well-being of the people.

Looking back now, all I did was patch things up within a rotten, established framework. It was like a butler cleaning up a dilapidated manor, never considering that the manor's foundation was about to collapse.

But the emperor wanted to raze this dilapidated courtyard to the ground and rebuild a magnificent palace unlike any he had ever seen before on the ruins!
What I did in the past could hardly be considered as sharing the burdens of the ruler.
The officials throughout the land, like myself, probably thought their efforts to share the burden were insignificant compared to the emperor's grand vision of transforming the world. Not only could they not share the burden, but their shortsightedness, their conservatism, and their conflicting interests became the biggest obstacles on the Ming Dynasty's path forward.

Upon thinking of this, Bi Ziyan felt a surge of intense guilt and self-reproach.

He glanced once more at the emperor in the hall, then turned back and said to Wang Chengen in an almost pleading tone:
"Eunuch Wang, please...remind His Majesty from time to time that his health is of utmost importance and that he must not overwork himself."

His voice was sincere and heavy, “The Ming Dynasty can do without anyone now. If we lose an old minister, the Ministry of Revenue will have a new Minister; if we lose Lord Fan, the Censorate will have its own Censors. But… but if His Majesty’s health is even slightly compromised, then everything we have planned today, all the flames of hope we have seen…”

"Perhaps, it will come to an abrupt end."

This is his deepest fear.

This unprecedented reform had only one foundation: the emperor himself.

It does not rely on any faction or any powerful clan; it depends solely on the emperor's groundbreaking ideas and unquestionable iron fist.

Wang Chengen listened to Bi Ziyan's heartfelt words and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

That smile contained a mixture of relief and helplessness, as well as a hint of pride unique to someone close to the emperor.

“I understand Lord Bi’s intentions, and I thank you on behalf of His Majesty.” Wang Chengen sighed, “But… in this world, I’m afraid no one can persuade His Majesty.”

Upon hearing this, Bi Ziyan could only manage a wry smile.

Yes, how could an emperor who dares to say, think, and do even "suppressing a rebellion only requires place names" be persuaded by a few words of "take care of your health"?
The two looked at each other in silence, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.

Looking at the excited yet confused expressions on Bi Ziyan and Fan Jingwen's faces, Wang Chengen hesitated for a moment. He felt that there were some things he should tell these two ministers who were about to assume important responsibilities.

He took a half step forward, lowering his voice even further, as if he were telling a secret known only to the three of them.

"Actually... there is another reason why His Majesty works so hard."

Bi Ziyan and Fan Jingwen immediately perked up their ears.

Wang Chengen slowly said, "Because, just like today, after you two officials met with the Emperor and went back with your assignments, there are many things and procedures that you two officials will probably have to come back to communicate and exchange ideas with His Majesty again and again after you return."

“Because…” Wang Chengen’s tone carried an indescribable complex emotion, “The things His Majesty raised, let alone you two, most of the civil and military officials in the court probably haven’t even heard of them. If you don’t understand, you naturally have to ask; if you can’t see clearly, you can only repeatedly come to His Majesty to argue, discuss, and… ask for instructions.”

"So, His Majesty is not just issuing a decree, he is also... teaching everyone how to walk a path that no one has ever walked before."

Wang Chengen's words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly cleaving through the last fog in Bi Ziyan's mind!
He suddenly realized!
Yes!

He had studied diligently for decades, passing the imperial examination and becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). His life was filled with ups and downs in officialdom, eventually rising to the position of governor. Now, he was to take charge of the Ministry of Revenue. He considered himself, even if not the most intelligent person in the world, certainly no ordinary individual!
However, he also had to admit that in the warm pavilion just now, in the emperor's description of the "new Ministry of Revenue" and the "Great Ming Treasure Notes General Bank" plan, there were many things that he found completely incomprehensible at first glance.

He understood the principle of "officials and gentry paying taxes together, and the poll tax being incorporated into the land tax," but he didn't know how to forcefully push aside the vast sea of ​​gentry with weapons. A slight misstep in determining the appropriate measure and timing could lead to widespread chaos and war.

He understood the literal meaning of the "audit storm" in the "Department of Budget and Revenue," but he didn't know how to build a completely new system that could audit the accounts of all government departments. The intricate web of relationships and exchanges of interests involved was enough to deter any seasoned official.

Not to mention that "Da Ming Bao Chao Zong Xing" (Great Ming Treasure Notes Headquarters)!

What "dragon ticket", what "national debt", what "mandatory exchange order"... each of these terms felt like an alien object hitting him, making him dizzy and disoriented.

As Bi Ziyan thought of this, he felt a surge of heat rush to his eyes. He turned his head and met Fan Jingwen's equally trembling gaze.

At that moment, the same thought arose in both of their minds: all the rumors and speculations about the emperor that they had heard in the past seemed insignificant and laughable.

For the first time in their lives, they truly understood this emperor who bore the weight of the entire Ming Dynasty's two capitals and thirteen provinces on his shoulders!

(End of this chapter)