Not to mention anything else, just managing 15,000 soldiers requires hundreds of taels of money for food every day. If there is no income, it won't be long before the money is spent. Who can think of it at that time? Are you working hard?
Sun Chuang took the people away immediately after receiving the order, while Zhu Changwu slowly watched Zhang Jinyan's confession. But at this time, Wang Dehua, who had never spoken much, finally couldn't stand it anymore and was about to give in.
If Zhang Jinyan hadn't confessed Wang Zhixin, he should have been able to hold on for a while. But now, knowing that something will happen to the person he can rely on, why should he persist?
Wang Zhixin knew that something was wrong with him, so he should find a way to save himself. But if something happens to him, will he save himself?
The answer is yes, it will not be saved.
Without any hope, Wang Dehua finally spoke. He really couldn't bear the punishment of Ling Chi, so it was better to give himself a knife and kill him.
"I said, I said everything. I did have private contact with the Dashun Army, but I did not contact him directly. Everything was handled by Wang Zhixin, and I always followed his arrangements." Wang Dehua lowered his head and I finally told the secret in my heart, and instantly I felt a lot more relaxed.
The arrival of Zhang Jinyan became the last straw in Wang Dehua's heart, and he also called him out. Zhu Changwu struck while the iron was hot and asked where the two people's money was hidden.
Even admitting to the death penalty, at this time, of course they dare not not say it. Because if they don't say anything, I believe that the devil in front of them will not let them go easily.
Zhang Jinyan and Zhang Jinyan happily explained the place where the money was deposited. Zhu Changwu then called a Jinyi guard and asked him to go to Zhang Huan with this confession. He finally figured out that Zhang Huan was definitely a master at searching homes for money.
"Keep these two people for now. We must not let them die. We will wait until all the money is found." Before leaving, Zhu Changwu dropped these words and then went straight to Kunning Palace with the two people's confessions. .
At this time, Chongzhen was already ready to sleep.
In the evening, he drank a little wine with Queen Zhou.
Needless to say, you can tell by the look on their faces that they are probably going to have some activities tonight.
Empress Zhou was very happy. It had been many years since the emperor had been so close to her. Now, thanks to the appearance of Zhu Changwu, she felt what her husband's love was.
"Long live my lord, Queen, Master Zhu is here." Just when the two of them had just had dinner and were thinking of doing something after a short rest, Zhu Changwu came.
"Xuan." Hearing that it was Zhu Changwu coming, Chongzhen didn't even hesitate and decided to meet him.
"Your Majesty, I, my concubine, go to the back room..." Empress Zhou was ready to leave based on the idea that the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics.
"Hey, Zhu Qing is not an outsider. Besides, I have allowed him to enter the harem, so you don't have to avoid suspicion." Chongzhen smiled and shook his head.
According to the rules of the palace, except for the emperor, a normal man, other normal men are not allowed to enter the harem at night. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful, and it could destroy the family and exterminate the family.
But these are extraordinary times, and some rules are naturally not that important.
"Yes." Queen Zhou nodded happily and stayed.
Zhu Changwu came very quickly, even arriving in the main hall before Wang Chengen who led the way. When he saw Queen Zhou was there, he saluted and said, "I have met your Majesty, and I have met the Queen."
"Zhu Aiqing is here, is there anything important?" Chongzhen asked, knowing that Zhu Changwu was here at this moment, so there should be something urgent.
"There are some things. Your Majesty, please see, this is the confession given by Wang Dehua and Zhang Jinyan." He handed a dozen pieces of paper full of words to Chongzhen.
Chongzhen did not borrow Wang Chengen's hand, but reached out to take it himself, sat aside and started reading. Queen Zhou did not look at the paper offerings, but first smiled at Zhu Changwu, and then brought a cup of poured tea in front of her.
"Thank you, Queen." Zhu Changwu also smiled and accepted it. This scene was watched by Wang Chengen, making him envious.
This is tea brewed by the Queen herself, but not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy it. But looking at Zhu Changwu's appearance, he seemed to accept it calmly. He really didn't know the rules, but at the same time, it also made him envious.
While Wang Chengen's mind was racing, a sudden sound shocked his thoughts, and he saw Chongzhen angrily banging the table with his right hand. "Bastard, they are all bastards. I am so blind that I would reuse such a villain."
When he saw that Zhang Jinyan came to ask for new weapons and wanted to transfer them to the army of thieves, Chongzhen was furious.
"Your Majesty, don't be angry, otherwise you will damage the dragon's body." Queen Zhou saw it and quickly stepped forward to comfort her.
Zhu Changwu also spoke, "Your Majesty, don't be angry for these villains, it's not worth it. Besides, is it completely unnecessary to punish yourself for other people's mistakes?"
"Oh, use other people's mistakes to punish yourself. Well, that's a good thing to say. It's so right. I'm not angry, not angry. Zhu Qing, what are you going to do next?" Chongzhen felt justified after hearing this. He suppressed the anger in his heart and asked Zhu Changwu.
"Of course, those who should be killed will be killed, and those who should be caught will be captured. As for their property, which is fully sufficient, and some of the other people involved in the case that they provided, we must also try our best to arrest and bring them to justice. Oh, by the way. Your Majesty, the Queen, I have already sent someone to bring 300,000 taels of silver, which will be brought over in a moment. The money will be used to improve some conditions and food in the palace. To be honest, you will only live a hundred years, so don't be too wronged. "
Zhu Changwuhui said this out of emotion.
When I met Queen Zhou before, she always showed up after getting dressed, unlike this time when he appeared in Kunning Palace, it was a bit sudden. This also gave him the opportunity to see the private side of Queen Zhou. For example, the robe he was wearing now had a thread torn open and one corner was patched.
Oh my God, this is the mother of a country, and she is dressed like this. You can imagine how difficult life in the palace is.
After looking at Queen Zhou, and thinking about the corrupt officials below, isn't this a stark contrast?
Thinking that he had some money in his hands after ransacking his house, he planned to take some out and give them to the palace so that the palace could be improved. Speaking of which, this should be the duty of a minister.
When he heard that Zhu Changwu said that he would send 300,000 taels of silver to the palace, Chongzhen was moved at first, but then he shook his head and said: "It doesn't have to be like this. If you have money, you'd better recruit troops first. Didn't Zhu Qing say that during the day, now the capital's The troops are seriously insufficient and too dangerous?"
"Your Majesty, it's only 300,000 taels. We've gained far more than that from several house raids. For the time being, the money can still cope with the situation. Besides, after my research institute is completed and the products are made, the money will be If there is a steady stream of money, this little money will be nothing.”
"But..." Chongzhen still wanted to refuse. But Zhu Changwu interrupted him directly, "Your Majesty, even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your relatives in the palace. There are also those eunuchs and the thousand forbidden troops just sent today. They are always They need food and drink, and if Your Majesty doesn’t have money here, I’m afraid it will be difficult for them to willingly sacrifice their lives.”
"This..." Chongzhen hesitated when he heard this.
Because there was no money before, many imperial guards, eunuchs and even palace maids ran away when danger came. But if there was money, the situation should not be so bad.
"Your Majesty, Master Zhu is sincere, please just accept it." Queen Zhou had been listening and finally couldn't help but speak.
It's not that she wants the money, but she feels Zhu Changwu's sincerity. In addition, there is indeed a shortage of silver in the palace. Those imperial concubines have not been issued with money for several months. She can bear it and sell some jewelry if she can, but Those concubines are afraid that not everyone thinks this way.
"This...Okay. By the way, what's going on with the research institute Zhu Qing mentioned?" Chongzhen wanted to ask about this matter yesterday, but he always forgot about it because of other things. Now he finally asked come out.
"How should I put it? It's a place for researching things. It's similar to the manufacturing bureau of the Ministry of Industry, but it's a little different because none of our products have appeared. Well, let's wait and see when it's built. Your Majesty and the Queen will go and have a look. As for now, they are so busy that they don’t even have a factory site."
Zhu Changwu laughed and said disapprovingly. He must make money, but now he still has to protect the safety of the capital. Otherwise, no matter how much money he has, it will just be a wedding dress for others.
"Oh, well, I'll wait until you establish the research institute and I'll go take a look." I know that Zhu Changwu is right. Now is indeed not the time to talk about this. The most important thing now is to ensure the safety of Beijing. The primary task.
When Zhu Changwu came over, the main problem was to explain the situation of Wang Dehua and Zhang Jinyan.
The latter is secondary, but he is just a minister of the Ministry of War, so he is also an important minister. However, throughout Chongzhen's reign, there were countless changes in the cabinet ministers alone. There were as many as eighteen chief ministers in seventeen years, not to mention a mere minister of the Ministry of War. When he came here, he wanted to talk about Wang Dehua.
Being able to become the factory owner of Dongchang and the factory official in Chongzhen's eyes is undoubtedly highly trusted and valued. If something happens to this person, Zhu Changwu must give an explanation.
Although Zhu Changwu seems to be reckless in his actions, when he encounters dissenters, he usually arrests them without saying a word, or even kills them directly. But if you look closely, you will find that he dealt with Chongzhen's close officials in the palace, that is, the eunuchs, in a lot of ways.
