hiss...
Who is Chongzhen's grandfather?
Zhu Yijun, Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, had the reign name Wanli.
The longest-reigning emperor in the Ming Dynasty was also the most money-obsessed emperor, bar none.
If you talk about other emperors, these ministers will definitely not believe it. When it comes to Wanli, few people don't believe it.
After all, people have long spread rumors that Emperor Wanli hid money in the palace.
Wei Zaode was the first to react. Although they were in awe of the idea of strange powers and chaotic gods, they could not take it seriously unless they did something practical.
"Your Majesty, do you know where the money is hidden?"
Chongzhen glanced at him, turned to Wang Chengen and said: "Wang Chengen, there is a kiln behind the Yangxin Hall, and the silver is buried in it. You should arrange for someone to dig it immediately, and you will find it even if you dig three feet into the ground."
"I obey... I obey the order!" Wang Chengen was very excited. At this time, he had already forgotten the etiquette of the palace and rushed out at a trot.
As Wang Chengen left, the Huangji Hall fell into a brief silence.
Everyone is waiting.
Chongzhen sat on the dragon chair, feeling calm.
Wanli's possession of two million taels of silver was recorded in history books, but Chongzhen didn't know about it.
Why doesn't he know?
This is a riddle in history that cannot be solved.
Yangxin Hall is less than 500 meters away from Huangji Hall. Wang Chengen called all the nearby eunuchs and even the Jin Yiwei to dig the ground.
Not long after, Wang Chengen ran back with a silver in his hand and smiled: "Your Majesty, according to your instructions, I dug out the silver in the cellar behind the Yangxin Hall. Although I don't know the specific amount, I roughly estimate that it is at least one million taels." above!"
Wow...
There was a sound of exclamation in the court.
This is not just a matter of money, but also involves the theory of ghosts and gods.
The ancients were all superstitious and would rather believe in such things than believe in them.
Wang Chengen immediately knelt down on the ground, first stretched out his hands piously to the sky, then kowtowed heavily and said: "God bless the Ming Dynasty, my emperor is holy!"
Following his lead, all the courtiers knelt down one after another.
"God bless the Ming Dynasty, my emperor is the Ming Ming!"
Before the courtiers could stand up, Chongzhen pointed at Wang Zhengzhi's nose and said, "Wang Zhengzhi, what else do you have to say?"
Wang Zhengzhi was stunned. The money was like a sharp knife piercing his heart, making him lose the strength to resist.
He knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "I am guilty...I voluntarily donated all my family property and begged Your Majesty to spare my family."
"What crime?"
"I am guilty of corruption!"
Chongzhen sneered, "I gave you a chance!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down!"
"Your Majesty! Mr. Wang was confused for a moment, please spare him."
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Wang Shilang should not be greedy for money, let alone deceive Your Majesty. Please spare him for the sake of serving the court for many years."
Seeing that Chongzhen wanted to attack Wang Zhengzhi, Wei Zaode, Zhang Jinyan, and Zhu Chunchen knelt down to plead for mercy. They knew very well that if Wang Zhengzhi was convicted, they would be the unlucky ones.
Under their leadership, half of the ministers in the court knelt down.
As more and more people came to plead for mercy, the anger in Chongzhen's heart became increasingly difficult to calm down.
These scholars keep saying they are for the Ming Dynasty, but they do everything for themselves.
Han Feizi said in "Five Moths" that among the five major moths that destroy a country, scholars rank first.
Among the scholars, Confucian scholars were the most important.
What are the core ideas of Confucianism?
Is it benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trust, forgiveness, loyalty, filial piety, brotherhood?
No!
It's a double standard!
They shout these slogans, but what they do is exactly the opposite.
Because the final interpretation is in their hands.
Take Sun Chuanting as an example. In the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, the slaves entered the pass to plunder. He and Hong Chengchou led 50,000 Qin troops to Beijing to serve the king.
Although the process was tortuous, King Qin's mission was finally completed.
Although this merit won't lead to a promotion, it can't reduce the punishment, right?
The results of it?
His strategy of not fighting lightly, being strict on defense, and waiting for opportunities to counterattack has been questioned. In addition, he requested to resign due to deafness due to wind and cold.
The two things combined made Chongzhen lose trust in Sun Chuanting.
Finally, Sun Chuanting was arrested and imprisoned.
This stay lasts for three years!
What about the benevolence spoken by those Confucian scholars in the court? Where is righteousness?
Why don't you see them begging for peace for Sun Chuanting?
The courtiers all know this truth, but they don't say it for fear that they will be implicated.
After this incident, the relationship between monarch and ministers, especially between the emperor and the generals, became increasingly unstable.
The country relies on farmers for tax revenue and soldiers on battlefields.
However.
No one in the court looked out for the interests of the peasants and soldiers.
Instead, they tried their best to exploit them.
So farmers didn't want to farm, and soldiers didn't want to join the army.
National power began to decline.
Half of the responsibility for the demise of the Ming Dynasty was the objective laws of the feudal dynasty. The other half of the responsibility lies 50-50 between Chongzhen and these Confucian scholars!
and.
Chongzhen knew very well that these people did not really admit their mistakes, but just wanted to survive.
After thinking about this clearly, Chongzhen said angrily: "The king's heart!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is here."
Wang Zhixin was standing nearby watching the excitement, and was startled by the sudden shout. He cautiously looked at Chongzhen out of the corner of his eye, and was relieved when he saw that the other party's anger was not on him.
"Go and accompany Commander Wu. Check all the officials whose names I just read out. Anyone who does not match what they said will have their homes confiscated directly without asking for orders. You should supervise each other and be sure to verify clearly that the confiscated property Submit it to the Ministry of Household Affairs. If there are any mistakes or omissions in protecting the people, they will be rectified on the spot!"
"Yes...yes!" Wang Zhixin trembled and kowtowed, following Wu Mengming and quickly escaping from the Emperor's Palace.
He had a premonition.
The Chongzhen who wiped out Wei Zhongxian back then is back.
No, even more ruthless than before. That time he only targeted Wei Zhongxian's eunuchs, but this time the emperor targeted everyone!
He was glad that he donated money, but at the same time he was a little scared, because he still had a lot of property.
As Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin disappeared, Chongzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At the critical moment, we have to rely on Jinyiwei and Dongchang.
The imperial power of the Ming Dynasty was not a single one, and was subject to restrictions in many aspects.
Take the military for example.
In addition to the Yongwei Camp in the capital, the only military forces that Chongzhen could mobilize on his own were Jinyiwei and Dongchang.
Other troop movements require several key procedures.
First, the emperor needs to complete discussions with the cabinet, the cabinet drafts an imperial edict, and the cabinet and the chief ceremonial officer seal and sign it respectively.
Then the royal eunuch of the inner palace took the imperial edict token and went to the Ministry of War to mobilize troops.
After the Ministry of War confirmed that it was correct, all personnel and materials were allocated according to the order, and then handed over to the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion.
A certain governor confirmed that it was correct and led the troops to fight.
If any link is missing, other departments will ignore it. This is also an important reason why eunuchs cannot rebel even if they are powerful.
No matter how great their power is, it is not as powerful as the imperial power.
What the emperor couldn't do, let alone what the eunuch couldn't do.
Seeing Wu Mengming and Wang Zhixin retreating, Wang Zhengzhi despaired.
He couldn't understand why Chongzhen suddenly changed his personality. Before I was indecisive, now I am cutting through the mess with a sharp knife.
He looked at the chief minister of the cabinet blankly and put his hope in him.
Chongzhen made it very clear that all officials named would be investigated.
The status of these people is more noble than the last.
There are Wei Zaode, the chief assistant of the cabinet; Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Chengguo; Zhang Jinyan, the minister of the Ministry of War; and Fan Jingwen, the minister of the Ministry of Industry.
