Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

As evening fell and the sun began to set, its afterglow bathed the entire palace, making the glazed tiles gleam golden in the sunlight.

Inside the Wuying Hall, the fire in the stove flickered, casting long shadows of Zhu Jian and Wang Chengen.

"Your Majesty! Li Banghua has just arrived in the capital after traveling day and night!" Wang Chengen said in a low voice, bowing beside Zhu Jian.

Zhu Jian put down his pen, which was busy reviewing memorials, slowly stood up, and stretched: "Arrange for Li Banghua to stay in Wei Zhongxian's vacant residence! I'll change into civilian clothes before I go to see him!"

Wei Zhongxian's residence was located in Dongchang Hutong, east of the palace. After his death, the residence was sealed off for ten years. Now, Zhu Jian is preparing to reopen it as his "special palace" in the capital.

Before long, Zhu Jian and Wang Chengen changed into civilian clothes and left the palace through the Donghua Gate, followed by more than ten Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) confidants.

"Cheng'en, where is Li Ruolian of the Embroidered Uniform Guard now?" Zhu Jian asked as he walked.

"Your Majesty, Li Ruolian is in the East Chamber!"

"A sinecure?"

"His relationship with Eunuch Cao doesn't seem to be very good..." Wang Chengen said truthfully.

After listening, Zhu Jian made no comment, but stopped and beckoned to the eunuch beside him: "Go! Summon Li Ruolian to Wei Zhongxian's residence as well!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The young eunuch bowed after receiving the order, then turned and walked quickly toward the Imperial Guards.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the sun had completely set.

The inky sky was already filled with stars.

Under the cover of night, Zhu Jian arrived at Wei Zhongxian's courtyard.

Li Banghua and the eunuch, who were waiting in the hall, heard someone enter the courtyard and hurriedly went out to check.

On both sides, more than ten people carrying lanterns were seen surrounding Zhu Jian.

When Li Banghua recognized the visitor as the emperor, he immediately kowtowed and bowed, saying, "This humble subject, Li Banghua, greets Your Majesty!"

Prosecutor Zhu strode forward and gently helped Li Banghua to his feet: "Enter the courtroom!"

Led by a young eunuch, the group arrived at the main hall. Zhu Jian slowly sat down on a freshly polished official's hat chair, which creaked under its weight.

Zhu Jian extended his arm and gently pressed his hand down, gesturing for Li Banghua to sit down as well. He then said, "Banghua, I have a request to make!"

Upon hearing the emperor utter the word "request," Li Banghua, who had just sat down, immediately rose and bowed, saying, "This humble subject dares not accept Your Majesty's request! If Your Majesty has any instructions, this humble subject will certainly do your utmost!"

Li Banghua is now without official position and is unemployed, so he can only refer to himself as a commoner.

"I own two million mu of imperial estates, all near Beizhili, but these estates have not served any purpose. I would like to invite Banghua to manage them!" Zhu Jian said, looking at Li Banghua.

"The imperial estates have always been managed by the inner court; it might not be appropriate for me to go and serve as an official...!"

Li Banghua was concerned about the eunuchs in the palace. If he went there rashly, not only would the management policies not be able to be implemented, but he might also be impeached.

"Sit down and talk!" Zhu Jian gently pressed his hand down. "I know your concerns. The affairs of the imperial estates will still be registered by the inner court, but you will be responsible for their actual management! As for manpower, recruit displaced people. If any eunuch in charge of the estates obstructs you, Cao Huachun will handle it for you!"

Li Banghua was taken aback upon hearing this: "Cao Huachun?"

Zhu Jian said with a hint of regret, "Cao Huachun is no longer with the Directorate of Ceremonial. The reorganization of the imperial estates was the last thing he did for me before retiring!"

Cao Huachun was the chief attendant of Emperor Chongzhen (Zhu Youjian) before he ascended the throne. He came from the Prince Xin's residence. After Chongzhen's death, he rushed to the capital and submitted a memorial to Emperor Shunzhi, requesting that Emperor Chongzhen and his empress be properly buried.

Based on these factors, Prosecutor Zhu still trusted Cao Huachun, but given the circumstances, he had no choice but to let him go so that the inner court could be reshuffled. This was a necessary measure...

"Then I, a humble citizen, will assist Eunuch Cao!" Li Banghua agreed without hesitation.

He was quite supportive of Zhu Jian's idea of ​​using imperial estates to settle displaced people. However, someone had previously raised this issue in court, but the emperor hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, and it was eventually dropped.

Now that the emperor has changed his mind, he will certainly be supportive.

Zhu Jian: "This is not about assisting Cao Huachun, but about you taking the lead. The eunuchs registered in the imperial estates will not manage anything. The other eunuchs in charge of the estates can be replaced. If anyone commits a serious crime, Cao Huachun can directly convict and behead them!"

"This humble subject is willing to go!" Li Banghua said, then stood up and bowed.

"Two million mu of land, I estimate, can accommodate 300,000 people. Although it's a drop in the ocean, it's always good to be able to provide for some!"

Then, changing the subject, he said, "I think we should plant a large quantity of drought-resistant crops, such as sorghum, in the spring?"

Sorghum can be considered the best drought-resistant crop. It is not only drought-resistant but also resistant to locust plagues. Its only drawback is that it has very low economic value. It is edible, but the taste is not good. As for its yield, it is slightly lower than that of wheat and millet.

Although millet is drought-resistant, it is not resistant to locust plagues, so Zhu Jian felt that sorghum was the most suitable crop for the current situation.

After listening, Li Banghua pondered for a moment and said, "This humble subject thinks it's acceptable!"

Li Banghua suddenly felt that the emperor in front of him was somewhat unfamiliar. In his mind, he had always thought that the emperor's priority was to quell the rebellion and ensure the army's pay. Although the imperial estate could only produce a few hundred thousand taels of silver a year, in previous years the emperor had taken it all to fund the military and the palace expenses. But now the emperor wanted to use it all to settle the people.

"The imperial estates are tax-free, and all their produce is used to settle displaced people. If anyone occupies them, Cao Huachun should go and demand compensation and order them to vacate. If they refuse, they can be dealt with according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty!"

Having said that, Zhu Jian took out a pre-written imperial edict from his sleeve and handed it to Li Banghua: "This imperial edict only has the four words 'As if I were personally involved' on it. Use it well!"

Zhu Jian did not give Li Banghua an imperial sword, because there was a precedent of Yuan Chonghuan using a sword to behead Mao Wenlong, so Zhu Jian replaced it with an imperial edict.

Whether Li Banghua arrests the person or confiscates their property, as long as the person is not dead, there is room for maneuver.

Upon hearing this, Li Banghua bowed deeply and kowtowed: "This humble subject obeys the decree!"

Zhu Jian stepped forward and gently helped Li Banghua up: "I cannot yet appoint you as Governor-General of Zhili. I'm sorry to have troubled you..."

Zhu Jian did not appoint Li Banghua to any official position, but simply allowed him to lead the matter as a commoner. This was because appointing him would trigger factional infighting and impeachment within the court, and with spring planting approaching, it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble by making him endure some hardship for now…

Li Banghua firmly replied, "This humble subject can share Your Majesty's burdens and serve the country diligently; why would I need an official position?"

Zhu Jian patted Li Banghua on the shoulder without saying a word.

Just then, a young eunuch hurried into the room, bowed, and announced, "Your Majesty, Li Ruolian has arrived!"

"pass!"

Chief Prosecutor Zhu slowly took his seat at the head of the table, gesturing for Li Banghua to sit down as well, and waited for Li Ruolian.

Before long, Li Ruolian arrived alone in the main hall, bowed deeply, and said, "Your subject Li Ruolian pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"waived!"

"Ruolian, tomorrow, select a few trustworthy men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to accompany Banghua to Baoding!"

"As you command!"

Then Zhu Jian looked at Li Banghua: "If anything happens, you can send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to report to me!"

Li Banghua nodded slightly and said, "Yes!"

Zhu Jian turned slightly to the side, his gaze falling on Li Ruolian again: "This courtyard will be under your management. Tomorrow, I will appoint you as the Vice Commander, in charge of the Northern Garrison Prison!"

"After you take office, re-elect five hundred elite guards and completely replace the current personnel of the Northern Garrison!"

Li Ruolian is loyal and upright. If he were placed in the position of commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he would definitely clash with Wang Dehua's Eastern Depot. Therefore, Zhu Jian put Li Ruolian in charge of the imperial prison.

Firstly, to prevent others from framing those in the imperial prison; secondly, to minimize conflict with the Eastern Depot, since Wang Dehua's Eastern Depot was also under his control...

"As you command!"

Li Ruolian bowed and said, "Prefect Luo, please, Your Majesty, issue your decree!"

Li Ruolian had conflicts with people in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but the biggest conflict was with Luo Yangxing. Without an imperial decree, Luo Yangxing would not cooperate with him to reshuffle the Northern Garrison. At most, he would not cause him any trouble because of the imperial decree, which was also his concern!

"Luo Yangxing has been accused of embezzlement and bribery; the Eastern Depot will arrest him tomorrow. Rest assured, you can reorganize the Northern Garrison Command. Report any matters directly to me!"

As soon as Zhu Jian finished speaking, Li Ruolian immediately kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Banghua, Ruolian, you two can rest here for the night. I'm returning to the palace!" Zhu Jian said, then turned and led Wang Chengen and several eunuchs out of the residence.

After Zhu Jian returned to the palace, he constantly reviewed the memorials submitted by the cabinet in order to familiarize himself with the current situation of the Ming Dynasty and to more meticulously analyze the factional struggles.

Just then, Wang Dehua, shrouded in darkness and carrying a lantern, arrived alone outside the east wing of the Wuying Hall.

Seeing the flickering firelight in the room, she called out softly, "Your Majesty! This servant, Wang Dehua, requests an audience!"

"Enter!"

Upon hearing the sound, Wang Dehua placed the lantern aside, gently pushed open the door, stepped into the room, then turned and closed the door, bowing respectfully: "Your Majesty! This servant has finished tidying up!"

He stepped forward and placed a folded piece of white paper on the table in front of Prosecutor Zhu.

Zhu Jian then opened the blank sheet of paper, which recorded more than a dozen crimes committed by Zhou Kui, the father-in-law of the emperor, including encroaching on land, abusing his power to accept bribes, and accepting bribes.

These clauses are all of varying degrees of severity, a common problem among powerful relatives of the emperor, and nothing particularly heinous.

Seeing this, Zhu Jian finally felt relieved. He did want to punish Zhou Kui, but he couldn't kill him. The emperor's father-in-law was involved with the empress and the crown prince. If he were executed, it would confirm that he was heartless and ungrateful. Therefore, Zhu Jian wanted to confiscate his family property as a punishment, so that all parties could save face.

For a moment, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and the candlelight cast flickering light on Zhu Jian's face.

After a moment, he asked sternly, "Are these true? Have you fabricated any charges?"

Wang Dehua: "Your Majesty, it is true, there is no frame-up! Every case has witnesses and physical evidence!"

After listening, Zhu Jian nodded slightly, then crossed out half of the charge on a piece of white paper and handed it to Wang Dehua: "Have your people in the Censorate leak this to the upright officials. Your people must not impeach me!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Dehua was startled and quickly whispered, "This servant obeys the decree."

"You'll lose your head if you mess this up!" Prosecutor Zhu warned.

Wang Dehua suddenly felt a cold sweat break out on his back, and bowed deeply, saying, "Yes!"

Go!

"This servant takes her leave!" Wang Dehua took two steps back, opened the wooden door of the small room, stepped out of the room, closed the wooden door again, wiped the sweat from his temples as he walked away, and left quickly.

Three days later, at dawn, thick clouds blocked out the sunlight.

A cold wind blew through the capital, bringing a chill to the air.

Inside the palace, a commotion arose as a large group of imperial guards from the Eastern Depot arrived outside the Imperial Treasury, pulling boxes laden with gold, silver, calligraphy, and paintings, to complete the handover procedures.

After arranging everything, Wang Dehua went to the east wing of the Wuying Hall: "Your Majesty, the money embezzled by Wang Zhixin and Luo Yangxing is being transferred to the Imperial Treasury!"

At that moment, Prosecutor Zhu was eating millet porridge when he heard Wang Dehua's voice. He stopped what he was doing and asked, "How much?"

Wang Dehua, bowing slightly, stood to one side: "Cash, gold, antiques, paintings, land, etc., after conversion, are estimated to be worth 150,000 to 160,000 taels!"

Zhu Jian put down the half-bowl of millet porridge he was holding: "How much did you leave?"

Wang Dehua: "I left 30,000 taels to pay the owed salaries and reserve bonuses for the Eastern Depot!"

Zhu Jian nodded slightly, thinking that Wang Dehua was reliable in handling matters, having completed the task in just a few days without causing any trouble.

"Leave me ten thousand taels of silver, and move the rest to the Eastern Depot. You can decide whether to increase their salaries or use the remaining funds as rewards!"

After saying that, Zhu Jian picked up the remaining half bowl of porridge and started drinking it.

If this money were given to the army, it wouldn't even make a ripple, but if it were given to the Eastern Depot, it would greatly enhance the Eastern Depot's operational capabilities. Therefore, Zhu Jian planned to first feed the Eastern Depot and get it moving.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dehua knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling, "This servant thanks Your Majesty on behalf of the bastards of the Eastern Depot!"

Previously, Zhu Jian had said he would hand these two over to the Eastern Depot, but Wang Dehua did not dare to actually keep them both.

Only the unpaid wages and some money for expanding spies in Liaodong were left behind; the rest were all escorted to the imperial treasury.

"Go, reduce the Eastern Depot's operational capacity and focus on the Jurchens in Liaodong, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and other forces! Also, keep a close watch on whether there are any Jurchen spies in the court and the capital!"

Zhu Jian valued intelligence far more than Emperor Chongzhen (Zhu Youjian).

Emperor Chongzhen (Zhu Youjian) focused his intelligence efforts primarily on internal matters, monitoring his own army, while Zhu Jian (Zhu Youjian) did the exact opposite, focusing his attention on the enemy.

"This servant obeys the decree!" After slowly leaving the east wing, Wang Dehua hurried to the inner treasury and took all the silver to the Eastern Depot.

In Wang Dehua's mind, as long as there was money, the Eastern Depot's information channels were countless, and they could spy on anything they wanted. Even finding out which concubine's palace Huang Taiji stayed in was within their grasp...

After Wang Dehua left, Zhu Jian had the dishes and chopsticks on the table cleaned up, and then instructed, "Have Li Ruolian take the ten thousand taels of silver that I withheld!"

"Yes!" the young eunuch replied after clearing away the dishes.

Zhu Jian also needs to improve the Northern Garrison Command under Li Ruolian's control, to better serve the Emperor's father-in-law and other important figures detained in the Imperial Prison, so that no one might die a violent death there...

After the arrangements were made.

Zhu Jian then had the officials of the Office of Transmission send over the memorials to see if any stubborn upright officials would impeach the emperor's father-in-law.

In Zhu Jian's mind, these upright officials loved to gain a good reputation.

It's perfect for use as a firewall.

There's a fundamental difference between directly issuing an edict to punish the emperor's father-in-law and the upright officials who impeached him, and being forced to punish him.