The ancestors of the Duke of Cheng, Zhu Chunchen, were deputy thousand-man commanders under the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di. They were granted the title of Duke of Cheng for their meritorious service, a title to be inherited throughout the ages. While not wealthier than the entire nation, his fortune was dozens of times larger than what remained in the treasury of the Great Ming Dynasty.
However, Zhu Chunchen offered Emperor Chongzhen no hope. He knelt and said, "Your Majesty... my ancestors have enjoyed imperial favor for generations and held the title of first-class duke. Although my family estate is vast, the rebel bandits are approaching, and I have already distributed my assets to my servants so they might flee for their lives. At present, there is less than five hundred taels of silver in my residence—hardly worth mentioning, hardly worth mentioning."
As these words left his lips, a chill fell over the Huangji Hall.
Zhu Chunchen’s meaning was clear: he would rather give his money to his servants than contribute a single cent to Emperor Chongzhen.
Emperor Chongzhen looked out at the civil and military officials, his face ashen. "Are the words... spoken by you all the truth?"
Wei Zaode, seasoned and crafty, kowtowed and replied, "The soldiers of the capital's Three Great Camps are owed eight months of pay, and the officials of the court are missing no less in their own salaries."
"For the matter of raising funds, I implore Your Majesty to find another way!"
"I implore Your Majesty to find another way!"
Ha!
Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Wu Mengming. Seeing him nod, he turned his gaze back to the gathered officials. The gloom that had previously clouded his face was gone, replaced by a cold sneer.
"If you are all lying, would that not constitute the crime of deceiving the Emperor?"
The officials chuckled inwardly.
And what if it were?
The empire was in desperate need of talent; did Emperor Chongzhen dare to kill them? The Great Ming Dynasty was finished. As long as they kept their lives, when Li Zicheng arrived in Beijing, they would remain court officials.
"Your Majesty!" Wei Zaode kowtowed once more. "We have labored for the country and the people for half our lives. We would not dare deceive you. We hope Your Majesty will appreciate our loyalty."
"Well said, Senior Grand Secretary," Emperor Chongzhen said, clapping his hands.
The others exhaled, thinking they had dodged a bullet, only to notice a sinister, wicked smile playing on the corners of the Emperor’s mouth.
"Good! Very good!" Emperor Chongzhen slammed his hand onto his desk. "Since you all claim to be speaking the truth, if I discover anyone is lying, do not blame me for being ruthless."
A few of them were stunned for a moment, then returned to silence. It was just a hollow threat; even a three-year-old knew how to do that.
"Wu Mengming!" Emperor Chongzhen’s voice turned chillingly cold.
"I... am here!" As the commander of the Brocade Guard, Wu Mengming was bold, but today, looking at the expression on Emperor Chongzhen’s face and hearing the tone of his voice, a chill ran down his spine.
"Did you note down everything I just said?"
"I... I did!"
"Lead a team yourself to search the residence of Wang Zhengzhi of the Ministry of Revenue. If you find more than one hundred taels of silver in cash, you need not report to me. Confiscate his entire estate immediately. Once the assets are tallied, send them to the Ministry of Revenue, and take his family to the Imperial Guard Prison to await judgment."
The officials, who had been gloating only a moment before, instantly changed their expressions upon hearing the Emperor's words.
Wang Zhengzhi, in particular, was panicked. As the dignified Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and a third-rank official of the Imperial Court, how could his household possibly contain less than one hundred taels of silver?
His earlier words had been nothing but a display of misery to avoid payment.
But with so many others performing the same act, why was his house the only one being searched?
Wang Zhengzhi first looked toward Wei Zaode, but seeing no reaction from him, he immediately sought a strategy.
A moment later, he calmed down, kowtowed, and bowed. "Your Majesty, I do not know what crime I have committed that warrants my home being ransacked."
"I ask Your Majesty to enlighten me!"
Wang Zhengzhi knew perfectly well that if Emperor Chongzhen seized his assets and arrested him without a stated crime, the officials in the court could drown him in their spit.
If he wanted to punish someone, fine. But the justification had to be sufficient.
This was the fundamental rule of the political game, one that even an Emperor could not violate. Otherwise, the court would descend into chaos, and the Emperor would be branded a foolish tyrant by the historians, bearing an eternal stigma.
And ever since ascending the throne, Emperor Chongzhen had cared most about his reputation!
Emperor Chongzhen smiled coldly. Before he could speak, Li Banghua, the Censor-in-chief of the Censorate, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I impeach Wang Zhengzhi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, for two crimes."
"First, the crime of corruption. Wang Zhengzhi’s family was impoverished, yet after seventeen years of holding office, his estate exceeds one hundred thousand taels. That money must have been obtained through corruption."
"Second, the crime of forming a faction. He has colluded with the Cabinet to form a clique, excluding those who disagree with him, and has spread falsehoods to disrupt the government."
"I request that Your Majesty punish him!"
"I second this!"
"I also second this!"
Led by Li Banghua, the members of the Censorate knelt in a row, one after another demanding the punishment of Wang Zhengzhi.
Wang Zhengzhi’s face turned ghastly. He had not expected Li Banghua to take the initiative to attack. Everyone knew he was a trusted confidant of the Senior Grand Secretary, Wei Zaode, and the intent behind this impeachment was self-evident.
Before he could retort, he saw Emperor Chongzhen smile faintly and say, "Censor Li, your words are too severe."
???
Wang Zhengzhi and Li Banghua were both stunned.
Wang Zhengzhi was thrown into confusion by the Emperor; one moment he was going to be punished, the next the situation had reversed?
Li Banghua was even more bewildered. The Emperor himself had ordered the confiscation of Wang Zhengzhi’s assets; how could he now say it was too severe?
Could it be that the crimes arranged for Wang Zhengzhi were unreasonable?
Emperor Chongzhen said with a smile, "Vice Minister Wang claims there is less than one hundred taels of silver in his residence. If this is true, it proves he is a truly upright official and a loyal subject."
Wang Zhengzhi’s sense of foreboding grew increasingly intense.
Emperor Chongzhen continued: "If more than one hundred taels of silver are found, there are only two possibilities."
"First, the money does not belong to the Vice Minister. It might have been stolen or plundered—no matter how it was obtained, it is certainly ill-gotten gains."
"Second, the Vice Minister is intentionally deceiving me, which constitutes the crime of deceiving the Emperor."
"Wang Zhengzhi, you tell me: is it the first, or the second?"
The great hall was deathly silent. Everyone stared at Wang Zhengzhi.
"The first... the second... what I mean is, no, no, no, I..."
Wang Zhengzhi was completely dumbfounded. He had never imagined Emperor Chongzhen would have such a circuitous way of thinking.
If he answered "the first," according to the laws of the Great Ming, he would surely die.
If he answered "the second," death by a thousand cuts would be considered a mercy.
What to do? It was a dead end!
Seeing the situation was beyond repair, Wang Zhengzhi decided to play a bold hand. If Emperor Chongzhen wanted to use the officials' assets to fund the army, then he would just say it openly!
He knelt on the ground and begged, "I have been wronged. If Your Majesty is short of money, I am willing to donate my entire estate to the military! Please, Your Majesty, consider my loyalty, consider my half-lifetime of labor for the Great Ming, and spare my family!"
As he spoke, tears and snot streamed down his face, creating a truly pathetic sight.
The civil and military officials glanced at Wang Zhengzhi with disdain, then looked simultaneously at Emperor Chongzhen, their eyes filled with inquiry.
Emperor Chongzhen could raise money, but he could not do it this way. This was a matter of principle.
No one could be sure they wouldn't be the next Wang Zhengzhi.
Emperor Chongzhen let out a cold snort. He clasped his hands behind his back and said contemptuously, "You think you are worthy of subsidizing the Imperial Court? You don't deserve it!"
"The court is indeed short of money, but there are still two million taels of silver in the Imperial Treasury. How could I have fallen so low as to rely on ransacking the homes of officials to supplement the national coffers!"
As these words were spoken, the entire court was shocked!
Everyone, including Wang Chengen, was stunned.
What did two million taels of silver even mean?
Since the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen era, they had never fought such a wealthy war.
Wei Zaode feared there was a trick, so he hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, if there is money in the Imperial Treasury, why not use it sooner? That would have saved the court from such embarrassment."
Emperor Chongzhen smiled slightly. "I know you have your doubts. I was unaware of these two million taels myself. It was only last night, in a dream, that my grandfather, the Emperor, told me of them."