On the tenth day of the ninth month of the twenty-first year of Emperor Chongzhen’s reign, one month after the conclusion of the mining cases, the Emperor received a letter from Wang Zhixin, Director of the Eastern Depot.
The letter contained only one item: an inventory of the assets seized from the Xu residence.
Wang Chengen stood beside Emperor Chongzhen, holding the letter with both hands as he read aloud: "Excluding landholdings, the Xu residence yielded 51,245 taels of gold, 726,587.2 taels of silver, and an assortment of cultural artifacts, calligraphy, paintings, jewelry, jade, real estate, shops, furniture, and grain, which altogether are valued at 797,426.84 taels of silver. Additionally, there are the vessels..."
Chapter 649