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

Chapter 226 Using idle talk to ruin the country and selfishness to harm the people

The overwhelming stench of blood from Songjiang Prefecture traveled upstream along the Wusong River and reached Suzhou Prefecture, plunging this magnificent city, renowned throughout Jiangnan, into a deathly silence.

The canal, once bustling with pleasure boats, music, and tourists, is now deserted. Only the wolf-tooth warships belonging to the Five Military Commands patrol back and forth like silent behemoths. The imperial flags with the character "Zhu" hanging at the bow flutter in the humid wind of Jiangnan, like a death knell.

Outside Suzhou city lies Zhenliu Shushi Villa.

This place was originally the villa of a wealthy salt merchant in Suzhou, covering hundreds of acres and displaying the utmost luxury.

But at this moment, it was surrounded by elite soldiers of the Beijing Garrison and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps. Every soldier's eyes were as cold as ice in Liaodong, and the murderous aura of someone who had survived a hundred battles made all eyes that tried to spy on it retreat.

This is the temporary palace where the emperor resides.

Wen Zhenmeng, dressed in plain clothes, knelt quietly on the bluestone slab outside the main hall, motionless.

He had been kneeling here for a full hour.

The sun overhead grew increasingly scorching, and sweat soaked through his inner shirt, sticking stickily to his back, but he felt no heat whatsoever.

Wen Zhenmeng could clearly hear the crunching sound of soldiers stepping on the ground outside the courtyard wall. The sound had a cold rhythm, as if they were not stepping on the ground, but on the hearts of all the gentry and officials in Suzhou.

There seemed to be a faint, sweet, fishy smell lingering in the air.

Wen Zhenmeng knew this was not a misperception.

That smell came from Songjiang Prefecture, the smell of blood and water mixed with the vapor from the canal after hundreds of heads had fallen.

This smell is a silent warning, more intimidating than any words.

At this moment, Wen Zhenmeng was experiencing a fierce internal struggle.

He recalled his days in the capital, sitting down with Qian Qianyi, Qian Longxi and others to discuss philosophy and criticize current affairs, how spirited and energetic they were.

They believed that their words and deeds were upright, and that their thoughts and ideas were all for the greater good of the nation and the well-being of all people.

But now, in the eyes of the current emperor, the three words "Donglin Party" are a mark of original sin and a synonym for parasites of the country.

At the beginning of the year, he used the excuse of his elderly mother's serious illness to resign and return to his hometown, but in reality, he wanted to avoid the increasingly strange turmoil in the imperial court.

He thought it was a wise way to protect himself, but now he realized that in front of that all-knowing young emperor, such behavior was no different from that of a foolish thief who covered his ears while stealing a bell.

He had resigned himself to death.

He lived a life of integrity and self-discipline, never taking a penny from anyone and never harming anyone, confident that he had nothing to be ashamed of before heaven and earth.

But once caught up in the situation and implicated by the name "Donglin," one is left speechless and unable to defend oneself.

Wen Zhenmeng only sought death, hoping that it would appease the emperor's anger and prevent the Wen clan from being implicated; that would be the greatest blessing.

Just as his mind was racing and he was gradually falling into a deathly silence, Tian Ergeng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, slowly walked out.

Unlike the effeminate eunuchs in the palace, Tian Ergeng exuded a fierce and ruthless aura forged in the military and incarceration.

His gaze, like two knives freshly dipped in blood, fell upon Wen Zhenmeng, causing even this top scholar, who remained unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, to involuntarily feel a chill in his heart.

"The emperor summoned me."

Tian Ergeng's voice was devoid of any emotion, as if he were announcing a sentencing decision that had nothing to do with him.

Wen Zhenmeng took a deep breath, suppressing the trembling in his heart, and walked with heavy but dignified steps into the room that would determine his life or death.

Inside the main hall, the fragrance of sandalwood wafted through the air, yet it could not suppress the suffocating aura of imperial power.

The young Zhu Youjian, dressed in a black casual robe, stood in front of a huge map of Suzhou Prefecture, studying something intently, as if the map held the secrets of the entire world.

Wen Zhenmeng dared not look up at the emperor's face. As soon as he entered the room, he went around the screen, knelt down, and touched the ground with his forehead. His movements were so perfect that they could be written into the "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty".

"Your Majesty, I, Wen Zhenmeng, have associated with scoundrels and deceived Your Majesty. My crimes deserve death! I beg Your Majesty to... punish me!"

He offered no explanation, nor did he harbor any illusions. He poured all his dignity and pride into this single kowtow, humbling himself to the dust.

Wen Zhenmeng awaited the wrath of thunder.

However, what he received was a question that was completely unexpected.

"Minister Wen," the emperor's voice was calm and even, without even turning to look at him, "I have heard that you are a descendant of Wen Tianxiang, the Duke of Xin?"

Wen Zhenmeng was suddenly stunned, and all the words of self-reproach he had prepared were stuck in his throat. He couldn't keep up with the unpredictable train of thought of the Emperor, and could only subconsciously answer, "Your Majesty, this sinful subject is... the eleventh generation descendant of the Duke of Wenxing."

"Ah."

The emperor responded, finally lifting his head from the map and turning around. Instead of telling him to rise, he slowly walked up to him and looked down at him.

"I have read your memorial. During the Tianqi era, you submitted a memorial entitled 'Memorial on Diligent Governance and Education,' in which you directly accused Wei Zhongxian of wreaking havoc on the court and causing the late emperor to become a puppet ruler. I know that Wei Zhongxian took your memorial out of context and slandered you before the late emperor, saying that you compared the emperor and father to a puppet, and that he wanted to put you to death."

Outside the Meridian Gate, you were flogged eighty times, your blood staining the Imperial Street. Did you utter a single word in defiance? I heard that after your punishment, your skin was torn and bleeding, yet you still defiantly cursed the traitors, ultimately being banished from the capital. Such integrity does not tarnish the name of Duke Xin; truly, it reflects the spirit of your ancestors!

Wen Zhenmeng's heart sank suddenly.

"I have also heard that you are an honest and upright official. Your colleagues in the Hanlin Academy all praise you as a true lecturer, saying that when you give lectures, you always sit upright, cite classics, and are meticulous in every detail."

Cold sweat began to pour from Wen Zhenmeng's back.

"I also know that you failed the imperial examinations ten times before finally becoming the top scholar in the country. Such perseverance is truly rare in this world."

Every word of praise from the emperor was not a compliment, but rather a form of flattery intended to kill!

Wen Zhenmeng would rather the emperor list his crimes and berate him mercilessly than suffer this slow, insidious torture!
He knew that the higher the emperor praised him, the heavier and more unbearable the fatal blow would be!
Finally, Zhu Youjian bent down and helped him up with his own hands, even with a gentle smile on his face, and made his final summary.

"I know that you are a good person and a good official. You are a gentleman."

These words completely shattered Wen Zhenmeng's mental defenses. His legs went weak, and if the emperor hadn't been supporting him, he would have collapsed to the ground again.

Sure enough, the next moment, the emperor released his hand, and the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a chill as cold as a northern blizzard.

"but!"

The voice suddenly rose in pitch, like an ice pick piercing Wen Zhenmeng's eardrum!

"You, and all those so-called gentlemen of Donglin you represent, share a common, fatal flaw—misleading the country with empty talk and harming the people with selfish motives!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhu Youjian suddenly turned around and slammed his finger heavily on the location of "Suzhou Prefecture" on the map!
"Your first sin is the abuse of tax policy for personal gain!"

“You all come from Jiangnan, and you vehemently oppose increasing commercial and mining taxes in the imperial court, claiming it is ‘not to compete with the people for profit’!”
What a fine example of not competing with the people for profit!

"I would like to ask you, Wen Zhenmeng, who exactly are these 'people' you speak of? Are they the wealthy merchants who own vast tracts of silk and thousands of looms, making a fortune every day? Or are they the self-sufficient farmers in the north, burdened by heavy land taxes, forced to sell their children and even resort to cannibalism?!"

"Your refusal to compete with the people for profit means that the imperial taxes can only be like a mountain, pressing down on the poorest farmers! This forces them to have their land confiscated, their families destroyed, and ultimately, they become homeless and rise up in rebellion!"

Tell me, where exactly does the root of the problem lie—the refugees in Henan, the famine in Shaanxi, the mutiny in Liaodong?! Isn't it precisely in the selfishness of you gentlemen from Jiangnan, who only care about your own pockets and disregard the fate of the nation?!

Wen Zhenmeng's face turned ashen, his lips trembled, and he tried to explain, but couldn't utter a single word.

The emperor gave him no chance to catch his breath and continued to question him sternly:
"The second deadly sin—the emptiness of scholarship!"

"You admire the philosophy of mind and talk about the unity of knowledge and action, yet you know nothing about the practical matters of national welfare and people's livelihood! I ask you, how should the Yellow River be dredged? How should troops be trained in Tianjin? How should the national treasury be accounted for? How should the canal transport be improved? You know nothing about any of these questions!"

Besides quoting classical texts and engaging in empty talk about benevolence and morality, the imperial court is filled with attacks on dissidents and the elimination of opposing factions! The nation is in such a state of decay, and the state is on the verge of collapse, all because these courts are filled with learned scholars like you, who are utterly devoid of any practical ability!

"The third deadly sin—forming cliques and eliminating dissidents!"

"You keep proclaiming that you take the world as your responsibility! What a fine world you claim to be! Let me ask you, besides this prosperous Jiangnan region, do you still have the barren northwest? Do you still have the icy and snowy Liaodong region?!"

"Shaanxi is suffering from a severe drought, with corpses littering the fields. You refuse to increase commercial taxes by even a fraction to provide relief to the victims, instead accusing the court of competing with the people for profit! Liaodong is bitterly cold, and the soldiers are fighting valiantly despite lack of food and clothing, yet you still indulge in partisan strife!"

At this point, Zhu Youjian slammed his hand on the imperial desk, his eyes flashing with a terrifying light!
"In the end, your empire is nothing more than a small plot of land belonging to the gentry and powerful families of Jiangnan! You are not disciples of the Holy Emperor, you are true traitors to the country!"

Wen Zhenmeng prostrated himself in terror.

He wanted to refute, to roar, to quote classic texts to tell the emperor, "We scholars learn the ways of self-cultivation, family harmony, national order, and world peace!"

However, he couldn't utter a single word. His lifelong pride in his vast knowledge and his unwavering adherence to the sage's way proved utterly vulnerable before the emperor's words, like a castle on paper or a candle in the wind!
Because every word the Emperor just spoke was like a merciless carving knife, scraping away the gilded veneer of "serving the country and the people" that the name "Donglin" had adorned, and dissecting the layers of moral rhetoric upon which they relied, ultimately revealing the pale and weak skeleton of selfishness hidden deep within, a selfishness that even they themselves were unwilling to acknowledge.

In particular, there have been changes in Liaodong.

It was a sharp sword hanging over the heads of all the court officials.

The emperor before us, in just over a year, transformed that bottomless pit that had swallowed up billions of dollars and grain from the Ming Dynasty into a peaceful and tranquil border town!
This undeniable fact is more powerful and persuasive than any eloquence!

The invisible mountain formed by those words crashed down, not only crushing Wen Zhenmeng's mental defenses, but also seemingly shattering the moral edifice built by generations of scholars behind him, crushing all his ideals and self-confidence into dust!

Wen Zhenmeng's face was ashen, his eyes were vacant, and he muttered to himself, unable to utter a single complete rebuttal.

Seeing his distraught appearance, the raging anger in Zhu Youjian's chest gradually subsided, like a giant wave crashing against a reef, turning into a long sigh.

He knew that his words had been too harsh and his words too forceful.

The Ming Dynasty, now terminally ill, cannot be blamed on just one group of people.

Zhu Youjian walked over and personally handed a cup of warm tea to Wen Zhenmeng's trembling hands. His tone softened, carrying a hint of weariness and self-reflection: "Wenqing, get up and sit down."

Seeing that Wen Zhenmeng was still in a daze, Zhu Youjian said in a hoarse voice: "That's right, the Donglin Party is wrong, the officials and gentry of the world are wrong, but I, and my ancestors of the Zhu family, are also wrong!"
For twenty years, Emperor Shizong neglected court affairs, devoting himself to Taoist practices, leading to the collapse of the court and the rise of powerful ministers. For thirty years, Emperor Shenzong neglected his duties, greedily plundering the land, allowing mining supervisors and tax collectors to run rampant in the countryside, squandering the wealth left by Emperors Taizu and Chengzu—this is the second point. My elder brother, disliking politics, entrusted the reins of the nation to a eunuch, resulting in a catastrophic disaster—this is the third point! My ancestors were all immoral! Only then has this empire fallen into such a state!

These words were like a thunderbolt from the heavens striking Wen Zhenmeng on the head!
He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror. "Your Zhu family is guilty too?!"
Unexpectedly, the emperor changed the subject, saying, "I know what you're thinking."

"You must think that I am an absolute tyrant because I killed officials in Shaanxi, killed princes in Henan, and now I am wreaking havoc in Songjiang."

Wen Zhenmeng held the teacup in his hands, his fingertips trembling slightly, and dared not respond.

Zhu Youjian said to himself:

"If I go to Shaanxi and follow your method of opening granaries and distributing grain layer by layer, I ask you, if a shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain is transported from the capital to Xi'an, then distributed from Xi'an to the prefectures and counties, and finally reaches the disaster victims, how many dou (another unit of dry measure) will be left?"
Which of those officials wouldn't try to take advantage? I killed those corrupt officials, confiscated their property, and used their grain and money to distribute food directly to the disaster area!

"I killed the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Fu. They occupied the most fertile land in the land, and the grain and silver stored in their treasuries were enough to allow a million famine victims in Shaanxi to safely get through the entire winter! I killed them, but saved a million lives!"

"As for why I decided to implement a unified grain tax system nationwide, and why I overruled public opinion to reopen the sea ban..."

Zhu Youjian's gaze returned to the enormous map, his eyes becoming deep and distant.

"The unified tax collection system is meant to make those corrupt officials who have concealed countless acres of land through deceitful means and bribery return every penny of the people's hard-earned money they have swallowed! My taxes must be fair!"

"And lifting the sea ban will open up a completely new source of wealth! My Great Ming is vast and rich in resources. Silk, porcelain, cotton, tea—aren't they all rare treasures that attract the covetous eyes of foreign lands? I want to earn real gold and silver from the West and the East to enrich the national treasury of my Great Ming, to support my army, and to provide relief to my people! Instead of just focusing on the few grains of rice in the bowls of my people, as in the past! I want the wealth of the Great Ming to originate from all corners of the world, not just from one place!"

Wen Zhenmeng's throat bobbed, and he swallowed back his words of advice. Instead, he asked cautiously in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty... even if... even if the late emperor made mistakes, the root cause of the court's current state of decline is still the corruption of officials and the loss of popular support! If we can clean up the officialdom and reduce taxes and levies, the country will naturally be well-governed. Why... why resort to such... ruthless and dangerous tactics?"

He was still unwilling to give in.

Zhu Youjian shook his head, and like the most patient teacher, began to explain the most basic arithmetic problems to his top-scoring student.

"Wenqing, I ask you, what is the annual revenue of the national treasury?"

Wen Zhenmeng was taken aback, then honestly replied, "Without additional levies, the total amount of money and grain in the country would be less than five million taels of silver."

"Five million taels," Zhu Youjian repeated, his voice icy. "How much does the Liaodong border army spend in a year?"

"...At least three or four million taels, and if there is a major war, the amount is incalculable." Wen Zhenmeng's voice lowered.

"Then let me ask you again: Shaanxi is suffering from a severe drought, with the land parched and people fleeing everywhere. If relief is to be provided, how much grain and money is needed?"

“This…” Wen Zhenmeng’s forehead began to sweat. “Your Majesty… Your Majesty does not know the details, but… but it is by no means a small number.”

"Let me tell you!" Zhu Youjian's voice suddenly rose, and he held up a finger. "If we want to prevent a million disaster victims from starving to death and from rebelling, we need at least three million shi of grain, plus two million taels of silver to facilitate transportation! Wenqing, tell me, where will this money come from? Will it come from the national treasury, which has less than a million taels left? Or will it fall from the sky?!"

Wen Zhenmeng's lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

He wasn't unaware of these issues; rather, all the officials in the court were subconsciously avoiding them!
Because there is no solution!

Zhu Youjian stared intently at him and continued, "If the national treasury is empty, I will have no choice but to impose additional taxes, squeezing them from the people! But the more I squeeze, the poorer the people become; the poorer they become, the more they will rebel! The more they rebel, the more the court will have to send troops to suppress them; the more troops we have to send, the more taxes we have to impose! Wenqing, tell me, isn't this a dead end?! A dead end that will not be resolved until the ship of the Ming Dynasty is completely sunk?!"

“But…but Jiangnan is prosperous! If we can make Jiangnan pay taxes and perform corvée labor as a whole…” Wen Zhenmeng grasped at the last straw.

"Well said!" Zhu Youjian slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump.
"Why did the decree that mandated unified tax collection become a mere scrap of paper once it left the Forbidden City and reached Jiangnan? Who was obstructing it? It was those princes and royal families who were considered part of the nation! It was those wealthy merchants who monopolized the canal transport, salt and iron, and textile manufacturing, who claimed to be sharing the nation's burdens but were unwilling to contribute even a single penny to their own businesses!"
Even more so, in your eyes, those gentry and wealthy households who read the classics but try every means to donate land, enjoying thousands of acres of fertile land without paying a single penny!

"They are the true scourges of the nation! The common people are nothing but fish to be sucked dry and then drained of their marrow! If I don't take action against them, am I really going to stand by and watch war rage, bandits roam the land, and ultimately repeat the events of the Yuan Dynasty, with everyone jumping into the sea clutching the tablets of sages?!"

Every word struck Wen Zhenmeng like a heavy blow to the heart! His proud philosophy of governing the world and benefiting the people seemed so naive and even laughable in the face of the emperor's brutal and ruthless calculations.

All his benevolent policies were based on a wealthy national treasury, but now, that premise of a national treasury simply doesn't exist!
Zhu Youjian's tone finally softened, tinged with a strange sorrow: "I would not wish to kill one person to save ten thousand. But if I do not kill those one or two, then millions, even tens of millions, will die!"

The emperor slowly walked to the window, gazing at the bright spring scenery of Jiangnan outside, but his voice carried a hint of desolation and solemnity from the north.

"Wenqing, I am telling you this not to convict you, nor to force you to submit." His voice calmed down, no longer possessing the thunderous power of before, but rather like that of a teacher discussing an unsolvable problem with his most valued disciple.

"Because I know you are a descendant of Wen Wenshan, and you have his bloodline of loyalty that shines through history. I have also read your memorials and know that you are truly upright and just in your official duties and personal conduct, and that you still have a strong sense of righteousness in your heart. Therefore, I am willing to speak frankly with you."

The emperor turned around, his gaze as deep as the sea, and looked directly into Wen Zhenmeng's eyes.

"What I have said and done today is seen by the world as heresy and tyranny. My hands are stained with blood, and my methods do not conform to the benevolent governance described in the classics. But..."

Zhu Youjian paused, his gaze sweeping over him like a cold lightning bolt, and asked, word by word, "Among the court officials and scholars of the realm, how many have truly considered the plight of this crumbling Ming Dynasty?!"

These last words, though without command or threat, weighed heavily on Wen Zhenmeng's heart.

“…Your subject is guilty,” Wen Zhenmeng replied in a hoarse voice, his throat bobbing.

The emperor glanced at him indifferently, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "I have said all I need to say."

Wen Zhenmeng bowed deeply, expressed his gratitude, and took his leave.

When he walked out of that oppressive palace in a daze, the sunlight outside was so bright that he could hardly open his eyes.

His steps were unsteady, one foot deep and one foot shallow, as if his soul had left his body and was floating in mid-air, coldly scrutinizing this walking corpse-like shell.

The emperor's piercing questions echoed in his mind like demonic whispers, eventually culminating in the statement: "If not, the nation will perish."

For the first time in his life, Wen Zhenmeng began to have complete doubts about everything he had firmly believed in during the first half of his life.

Is the way of the sages wrong?
No.

It teaches people to be good, to be polite, to be honest officials, and to have integrity and moral character.

But why would a group of the most principled, upright, and courteous gentlemen stand by and watch this country head towards the abyss?

Was the emperor wrong?
wrong.

He was too ruthless in his killings and cruel in his methods, treating scholars and officials like dirt.

But why is it that these blood-stained hands saved millions of lives in Shaanxi and drove back the fierce army in Liaodong?
Before Wen Zhenmeng had even stepped out of the manor gates, or even taken more than a hundred steps, the answer had already appeared in his mind.

There's no need to go back and think about it, let alone think about tomorrow.

Because he was different from the other officials and gentry in Jiangnan in one big way—he had personally witnessed the devastation in the north! He had seen the land scorched and barren, people exchanging children to eat, and those numb, desperate faces that didn't even have the strength to cry.

That hellish scene had been a haunting nightmare in his mind, and now, that nightmare overlapped with the emperor's cold words.

Wen Zhenmeng finally understood. Perhaps it wasn't that he was unwilling to think about it before, but rather that, faced with the emperor's overwhelming and ruthless reality, he simply couldn't find, and was no longer able to find, any reason to oppose it for himself and his companions!
The so-called competition with the people for profit is the greatest injustice when the people are reduced to wealthy merchants from Jiangnan, while the starving people across the land are ignored!

"well--!"

A long sigh seemed to release all the obsessions and pride of half a lifetime.

Wen Zhenmeng stopped, turned around, faced the direction of the temporary palace, straightened his clothes again, and performed a deep bow and kowtow.

No need to wait until tomorrow.

He must go back now and immediately gather his people.

Instead of holding a meeting to discuss, it was announced that from this moment on, the Wen family would unconditionally, without reservation, and with all their might support all the new policies implemented by His Majesty the Emperor!
(End of this chapter)