Chapter 9: The Vicious Cycle of Money and Military Power

Page 1 of 3

Zhang Yan burst into tears!

The Empress of the Tianqi Emperor, who had ruled with maternal grace for seven years and possessed a stern character, finally could no longer hold back.

She had entered the palace through eight grueling trials in the first year of Tianqi’s reign, and by April had been crowned Empress. Though she bore the esteemed title of the mother of the nation, the grievances she endured over these seven years far outweighed the outward appearance of her illustrious position.

First, her father was wrongfully accused by the Ke family and Wei Zhongxian, nearly losing his life unjustly. Then, after becoming pregnant, she was harmed by the same Ke family and Wei Zhongxian, resulting in a stillbirth and her permanent infertility.

Her husband, though respectful toward her, was cold and distant. Even when aware of the harm done to her, he never pursued the perpetrators, and ultimately died under mysterious circumstances.

“To lose a child early and a husband in middle age”—there are few tragedies greater than this in a lifetime.

Watching Zhang Yan’s anguished sobbing, Chongzhen sighed inwardly; as her imperial brother-in-law, he understood all too well the cruel twists of her fate.

At this moment, the hatred and torment weighing on her heart finally found release, encapsulated in the simple yet profound address: “Imperial uncle.”

According to protocol, he was now Emperor. Even if Zhang Yan was his imperial sister-in-law, she should not address him with a common family term.

But she did, which meant that in this instant, Zhang Yan saw him as an ordinary family member.

Empress Zhou grasped Zhang Yan’s hand, her eyes moist with tears as she comforted her: “Sister-in-law, please stop crying. Now His Majesty is devoted and capable, with the virtues of Yao and Shun. He will surely restore the glory of the Great Ming. The Ke family and Wei Zhongxian will be executed without fail.”

After crying for some time, Zhang Yan gradually calmed down and knelt before Chongzhen, her eyes swollen and red, to express her gratitude.

Chongzhen quickly stopped her: “Sister-in-law, we are family. No need for such formalities. Unless it is an important occasion, these rituals are unnecessary. You are tired, and watching you so exhausts me as well.”

“Feng’er, stay here and keep Sister-in-law company. I have urgent matters to attend to.”

Rising, Chongzhen spoke briefly to Empress Zhou, then paused at the doorway and lowered his voice: “Do not let today’s events be spread abroad. We must not alert the enemy.”

Both women nodded. Chongzhen trusted that even without his warning, they would not recklessly gossip.

As Chongzhen’s imperial carriage departed Ciqing Palace, a eunuch hurried around the corner toward the Directorate of Ceremonial.

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

After bowing, the messenger reported immediately: “Your Highness, His Majesty remained in Ciqing Palace for nearly half an hour. Upon entering, he dismissed all attending eunuchs and palace maids. Outside, Fang Zhenghua stood guard, so we could not learn what His Majesty was doing inside. But when he emerged, his face was radiant with smiles and his spirits greatly revived!”

“Return to your post and keep watch. Any movement from His Majesty must be reported immediately!”

Inside a room, Wei Zhongxian and Wang Tiqian exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with strange expressions.

Page 2 of 3

After a while, Wang Tiqian whispered, “Master Shang, could His Majesty have been with Empress Yi’an…”

He did not finish the sentence, but Wei Zhongxian understood perfectly.

After some thought, Wei Zhongxian said, “Tiqian, go outside the palace and select some stunning beauties to present to His Majesty.”

Fearing Tiqian might not understand, he added, “Like Emperor Muzong or Emperor Guangzong…”

“Master Shang is brilliant!” Wang Tiqian applauded in admiration.

Emperor Muzong, Zhu Zaihou, long indulged in aphrodisiacs and nightly revelries, ultimately dying of exhaustion; Emperor Guangzong, Zhu Changluo, was likewise debauched and died at 38 after taking the eunuchs' potent tonic “Red Pills.”

If the Emperor had just been with Empress Yi’an, it proved his lustful nature—a weakness they could exploit to achieve certain ends.

If the Emperor was addicted to women and dissipating his energy, they could gradually turn him into a puppet.

If he was not lustful, then gifting him a few exquisite beauties would still delight him greatly. Either way, it was a win.

Back at the East Warm Pavilion, Chongzhen was unaware of Wei Zhongxian’s schemes. He took from the treasury the half-finished “Sustainable Development Plan for the Great Ming” he had been drafting the night before. After reviewing it thoroughly, his eyes were full of helplessness.

The plan’s implementation depended on ministers cooperating and the court united in purpose—something clearly impossible given the current situation.

Therefore, he realized he must control the military. If they obey, fine. If not, they must be eliminated.

But controlling the military required money. The capital’s garrison was unreliable; dispatching troops from the nine border armies and local forces would drain vast sums. Creating a new army himself would also cost heavily.

All problems boiled down to money and provisions—and massive amounts of both.

As a man from the future, he knew exactly where the Ming’s wealth had gone. Corrupt officials and merchants held vast riches. The fall of the Ming was largely the responsibility of ninety percent of its officials and merchants.

Seventeen years later, Li Zicheng sacked Beijing and seized seventy million taels of silver; Dorgon extracted another thirty million. Though those amounts might not be available now, raising thirty to forty million taels was still plausible.

The eight major Shanxi merchants could probably be seized for tens of millions of taels; Jiangnan likewise could provide tens of millions; even the Kong family of Qufu might yield one to two million taels.

The imperial clan and princes like the Prince of Fu had also been confiscated, likely adding tens of millions more.

But to confiscate these estates and families, one must have military power. Without it, these forces would unite, and the Ming would fall years earlier, with himself likely perishing as well.

To command the military, one must have money; to reform and confiscate estates requires military power; military power demands money…

Page 3 of 3

As for sending Wei Zhongxian to deal with the eight Shanxi merchants, the thought flashed briefly—this problem was far too complex to be resolved by one action.

“Damn it, this is truly an unsolvable mess.”

He even considered opening silver mines. As a man from the future, he knew the locations of China’s eight great silver mines—such as Tongbai in Henan, Fengning in Hebei, and Lianjiang. Any one of these mines could supply the treasury for decades.

But he abandoned the idea. First, mining was difficult and time-consuming; second, there was no trustworthy personnel to manage it—if the current people tried, they might report no findings publicly while mining privately; third, simply increasing silver supply could cause inflation. It was better to stimulate the market and get money circulating.

As a man from the future, he could manufacture glass, mirrors, soap, perfume, liquor, lime, cement, fine salt, and more—but if he created such products in the morning, the formulas would be leaked by afternoon, only benefiting others.

Chongzhen rubbed his aching eyes. “Enough. Eat one bite at a time, walk one step at a time. First, take down a few people and seize some money to raise the Tengxiang Four Guards. After that, things will be easier.”

“Has Wang Cheng’en returned?”

Just as Chongzhen spoke, Wang Cheng’en entered.

“Your Majesty, I have returned!”

She handed over a memorial: “Your Majesty, here is the list of assets seized from Chen Derun’s household last night: 120,000 taels of silver, 500 acres of fertile land, five shops and estates, and numerous rare antiques and paintings. Overall, the total is estimated at no less than 250,000 taels of silver.”

Chongzhen glanced over the list but showed no change in expression. Almost all great eunuchs and officials in the Chongzhen era were corrupt.

“Convert all assets to silver as soon as possible!”

A border soldier’s yearly salary was 18 taels; 200,000 taels would only pay 10,000 troops for one year.

The exact number of infantry was unknown, while the Tengxiang Four Guards at full strength numbered 22,400. Just for them, the annual salary would be 500,000 taels.

Far from enough.

Setting down the list, Chongzhen asked, “Has Li Ruolian arrived yet?”