Who killed the Ming Dynasty?

At this point, a decadent melody drifted in from the painted boats of the Qinhuai River outside the window—the very tune of the fall of the Southern Dynasties.

The lingering notes of the zither seemed to foreshadow what was to come, adding to the sense of melancholy.

Zhang Youyu's voice suddenly turned cold:

"However, those who responded were as few as morning stars."

"Grand Secretary Xue Guoguan donated 10,000 taels of silver, claiming it was the loss of his entire fortune, and many cabinet ministers pleaded poverty and made excuses."

"The late emperor was furious and personally wrote on the memorial with a red brush: 'How can a family of noble relatives be without a sense of public duty?' This was a direct attack on the Marquis of Jiading's family."

"The emperor's father-in-law, Zhou Kui (Emperor Chongzhen's father-in-law), was seventy-two years old at the time. His mansion occupied half of a hutong, and the stone lions in front of the gate held luminous pearls from the Western Regions in their mouths."

Zhang Youyu lightly tapped the table with his fingertips.

"When the eunuch brought the imperial edict to the Zhou residence, this Grand Tutor and Father-in-law, who had been granted the title three times, was here."

"He ordered men to bring out ten camphor wood chests, filled with jingling silver ingots, totaling no more than five thousand taels—"

"It doesn't even cover the expenses he spent on tipping the opera troupe at his birthday banquet."

Upon hearing this, everyone showed disdain.

Zhang Youyu sneered, his eyes flashing coldly, and his speech quickened:

"On the nineteenth day of the third month this year, the rebel Li Zicheng broke through the capital, and the old emperor's father-in-law Zhou Kui 'died from vomiting blood due to torture'."

"Liu Zongmin, a general of the rebel leader, smashed the screen wall of the Zhou residence with a hammer."

"Three million two hundred and one hundred thousand taels of silver were taken out from a hidden compartment in the wall, along with seventy-two boxes of precious objects such as Xuande incense burners and jade cabbage."

He paused, the air in the hall seemed to freeze, and the next moment, his voice was chillingly cold:

"Even worse off were the women of the Zhou family!"

"From noble ladies to young girls...all were dragged into the military camp and subjected to all kinds of humiliation."

The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. The only sounds were heavy breathing and suppressed gasps.

The flickering candlelight cast a dim and unclear light on the fearful and uncertain expressions on everyone's faces.

Zhang Youyu's robe sleeves billowed, creating a fierce wind that sounded like cold iron falling on ice.

"Those who do not aid the nation, even if they possess immense wealth and power, will inevitably become sacrificial offerings for bandits to establish their authority."

"Those who do not yield to sincerity, though they may enjoy generations of honor, cannot escape the ironclad law of dynastic change and purge."

"Those who do not plan ahead will eventually fall into slavery and humiliation if they wait until the country collapses."

Everyone seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, while several nobles on the east side still held their necks straight, the veins on their necks throbbing in the candlelight.

After Zhang Youyu finished telling his story, the room fell silent, with only the crackling of the candlelight and the suppressed breathing of the crowd.

The incense stick had burned more than halfway, but there was still no response.

Two wealthy businessmen beside him were uneasy, like ants on a hot plate, whispering anxiously.

The elderly man rubbed his hands together incessantly inside his sleeves, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"It would be better to hoard the silver in the rockery of the West Garden..."

The younger man frowned, his gaze shifting anxiously between the elder and Zhang Youyu.

"Digging should be eight feet deep; it would be better to place a hidden Buddhist shrine there..."

Hearing the two whispering, Zhang Youyu abruptly stood up, faced the entire audience, and loudly proclaimed:

"I heard clearly what the two gentlemen were planning to dig a cellar for silver."

He stood ramrod straight, then immediately revealed the truth.

"However, this effort is futile. The rebel Li Zicheng and the Jurchens are both wolves in sheep's clothing. If Nanjing falls, how could they not know the extent of your wealth?"

A chill ran through the hall.

He stroked his beard, his voice suddenly changing:

"They will be arrested one by one and chained. Those with a million-dollar fortune will be demanded two million taels of silver, and those with two million will be demanded four million."

"If they refuse, they will brand their flesh with hot irons and nail their fingers with skewers until all their wealth is gone."

His voice was deep and powerful, making it almost suffocating for everyone.

At this moment, a portly man, seemingly wanting to save face, couldn't help but interject:

"Young Minister (a respectful title for the Vice Minister of Revenue), that may be true, but regarding this matter of contributing funds..."

Before he could finish speaking—

"Snapped!"

Zhang Youyu slammed his hand on the table, making the celadon teacups clang loudly.

He scanned the entire room and demanded sharply:

"Gentlemen, do you truly still consider your silver to belong to you?"

"These gold and silver items are only temporarily in your hands. Once the bandits breach the city, how can we allow you, the public security officers, to sit idly by and possess such wealth?"

He leaned forward, his imposing aura increasing sharply:

"If we donate money now to help pay the bills, we can still turn the tide."

"But if you are stingy and hoard your wealth, when the city falls, all your riches will be like sheep entering a tiger's mouth, falling entirely into the hands of the bandits."

The group looked at each other, their expressions hesitant.

Zhang Youyu pressed on, his tone resolute:

"Gentlemen, you are all shrewd merchants. I suppose you need no further explanation of your shrewdness?"

Jiangnan cloth merchant Wang Zongqi was seen stroking the counting rods in his sleeve, seemingly calculating the profit and loss of the warp and weft of the silk, and weighing the pros and cons of life and death.

Wang Zongxiao, a salt merchant from Lianghuai, was a wealthy merchant who once spent fifty taels of silver to cook a bowl of fried rice with eggs.

At this moment, however, he was squeezing the jade snuff bottle so tightly that it creaked, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

Zhang Youyu's expression grew increasingly solemn, and his voice, deep and powerful, continued:

"The most horrifying thing is that on the day the city falls, all your wives, daughters and relatives will become fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others, and suffer endless humiliation."

At this point, a trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly.

"When the Jurchens breached a city, they would annihilate everything, throwing infants to the ground, their tender bodies trampled into a bloody pulp under their iron hooves, their blood flowing freely and pooling in the ground."

Even the most hard-hearted will be utterly terrified!

These words were like a final, devastating blow, completely shattering everyone's defenses.

"Clang!"

Master Li was startled and dropped the teacup, spilling scalding tea all over himself, but he was completely unaware, his eyes wide open.

Manager Wang's brows were furrowed, his face was ashen, he was sweating profusely, and his lips were trembling.

"This...this is terrible..."

The merchants looked at each other, their eyes filled with fear and struggle.

Manager Zhao's voice trembled:

"Are we to agree to this donation?"

Manager Qian forced himself to remain calm and coldly snorted:

"Borrow silver to help with the military? If we can't defend the city, even our bamboo baskets will sink to the bottom of the river!"

A cacophony of voices filled the hall, creating utter chaos.

Zhang Youyu suddenly shook his sleeve, his voice booming like thunder from the heavens, shattering the clamor that filled the room:

"Under the iron hooves, how can any egg remain intact? Where the blade flashes, can any land remain untouched?"

"Gentlemen, would you rather see your wives and daughters' jewelry shattered, your blood staining the Qinhuai River, or would you rather see golden armor and silver spears guarding the city gates?"

"Is it willing to have ancestral graves desecrated and ancestral halls covered in dust, or is it to seek a memorial archway for loyalty and righteousness, hoping to protect one's descendants?"

"Should we guard the hidden silver, turning it into a death warrant, or forge it into cannonballs to shatter the enemy's courage?"

This questioning left no room for negotiation and ultimately shattered the last hesitation of some people.

"boom--!"

"Damn it! I've had enough of this nerve-wracking life!"

Shopkeeper Wu of Xin'an, his beard and hair bristling, his eyes bloodshot, suddenly kicked over the table in front of him.

Amidst the shattering of bowls and plates, he charged at the ebony table like an enraged lion, roaring:

"Money can be earned back! But what's the point of living if you've lost your wife and children, and your ancestral tablets have been smashed?"

"The Ming Dynasty must not perish!"

"Minister Gao! Junior Minister! I, Wu, hereby offer! 50,000 taels!"

That shout instantly ignited pent-up emotions.

One of the nobles trembled from the roar and abruptly stood up:

"How foolish! We who have received the emperor's favor for generations are not as courageous as a mere merchant."

"The Junior Minister's rebuke is well-deserved! This Duke... this Duke pledges 30,000 taels!"

"Even if it means losing everything, I will protect Nanjing and my family."

He strode forward and began to write.

Gao Hongtu looked at the two men with gentle eyes, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

These two men were the wealthy Nanjing tycoons he had privately met the day before.