Chapter Twenty-Two: I Had Headaches When I Was Broke—So Why Do I Still Have One Now That I’m Rich?

Soon, someone in the crowd finally spoke up.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I am wronged! I know nothing of these matters; I am loyal to His Majesty and Your Highness!"

Once someone took the lead, the others began to cry out as well.

"Your Highness, I have been loyal and devoted, and I would never dare harbor thoughts of rebellion! I implore Your Highness to investigate clearly!"

"My loyalty is as clear as the sun and the moon; I would never commit treason!"

"My loyalty can be witnessed by the heavens! I beg Your Highness to investigate!"

...

In an instant, all the nobles present began to profess their loyalty, many even weeping and wailing. The morning’s events had been terrifying enough, yet as evening approached, an even more harrowing situation had arrived! If they were even slightly implicated with the Duke of Cheng, their entire clans would be wiped out.

First, the Duke of Ying had backstabbed them by reporting them to the Emperor and the Crown Prince for pocketing military pay. Then, the Duke of Cheng had backstabbed them, trying to drag their entire clans down with him. Had these damned dukes all gone mad? Every noble present cursed them silently in their hearts.

Zhu Cilang swept his gaze over the crowd and continued coldly:

"You nobles have been treated well by the Ming Dynasty for nearly three hundred years, granted three centuries of glory and wealth. Yet, instead of repaying this, you have taken incessantly, feeding on the blood of the Ming like parasites! And that is not all—now you want to rebel, do you? Do you truly believe my Imperial Father dares not slaughter you all?"

As soon as Zhu Cilang finished speaking, everyone present was gripped by fear once again.

"Your Highness, I am truly innocent; I would never dare harbor such rebellious thoughts!"

"I beg Your Highness to look clearly—my loyalty is as clear as the sun and the moon!"

"I am wronged!"

...

At this moment, the nobles knelt on the ground, weeping until their noses were runny. They could not comprehend how the gentle and refined Crown Prince they once knew had transformed into this. He spoke of slaughtering them at every turn.

Seeing the weeping nobles before him, Zhu Cilang’s mood eased slightly. However, he had no intention of letting them off so easily. Did they think paying a bit of money would make this go away? They were dreaming.

He continued:

"I will give you all a chance. Within three days, you are to assemble five thousand soldiers for me to replenish the Capital Garrison. I want five thousand elite troops! If anyone tries to pass off the old, weak, sick, or disabled to make up the numbers, then prepare to meet your doom! Whether you use your household servants, retainers, or even your own sons to fill the ranks, I only care that I see these five thousand men. This is the final opportunity my Imperial Father and I are granting you. Of course, if any of you wish to rebel, you are welcome to try—I will be waiting for you!"

After saying this, Zhu Cilang ignored them, flicked his sleeves, and departed.

Not until his figure had completely vanished from sight did anyone tremble to their feet. Then, someone couldn't help but complain:

"Five thousand men? Where are we supposed to find that many? My manor only has thirty or so retainers and servants; how is that enough?"

"Not enough? If it's not enough, use your own sons! Do you really want your entire clan wiped out?"

"Stop kneeling, all of you! Go and assemble the men, or we really will be exterminated!"

...

Amidst the bickering, the nobles soon dispersed. By this late stage of the Ming Dynasty, every noble household kept a number of retainers and servants—some had a dozen or so, others hundreds. These men were the primary culprits behind the embezzlement of military pay; they worked in the households during peacetime and showed up only when the Capital Garrison needed inspection to fill the ranks and collect pay. Because they were raised by the nobles, their physical fitness was far superior to that of the average soldier. Furthermore, they required almost no training and could be sent directly into battle!

Zhu Cilang naturally could not let such a good source of troops go to waste, which was why he had issued such an order. With the servants and retainers from the other noble estates, assembling ten thousand should not be a problem. Once they were gathered, he would disperse them throughout the Capital Garrison, and after some minor training, they would become new soldiers for the capital.

Returning to the palace, Zhu Cilang reviewed the list of confiscated assets brought earlier by Luo Yangxing. If he added the wealth just collected to what the Duke of Ying and others had already voluntarily surrendered, the inner treasury now held over fifty million taels of silver. Beyond that, there were over three million taels of gold and more than two hundred chests of rare treasures. It sounded like a lot, but it wouldn't last long.

Zhu Cilang could already anticipate that at tomorrow’s morning court, the Ministry of Revenue would be asking him for money. There was no help for it; the imperial court had been in arrears on official salaries for too long—capital officials were owed about four or five months, and regional officials were owed more than half a year. The military pay for the Nine Frontiers was also in arrears. On top of that, there were constant disasters across the land, and disaster relief required vast sums! Furthermore, he had to provide funds for Sun Chuanting to train troops in Shaanxi and to support Hong Chengchou, who was far away in Liaodong!

Each of these matters required money. After all, one could not expect officials to work on an empty stomach, nor could soldiers fight while starving, nor could disaster victims be left to die of hunger.

Zhu Cilang felt a headache coming on. He felt it when he was broke, and he felt it when he had money—what was this? It seemed there still wasn't enough! Since that was the case, it was time to move against the Eight Great Imperial Merchants of Shanxi...

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang said:

"Ma Bao, go call Wang Qinian here."

"As you command, Your Highness!"

Ma Bao replied and turned to leave. Before long, Jinyiwei Thousand-Man Commander Wang Qinian appeared before Zhu Cilang.

"Your subordinate, Wang Qinian, pays his respects to the Crown Prince!" Wang Qinian bowed respectfully.

Although Wang Qinian was a Thousand-Man Commander of the Jinyiwei, he had never been valued. Furthermore, the civil and military officials at court had repeatedly advised the Chongzhen Emperor not to rely too heavily on the Jinyiwei, which led to Wang Qinian being further marginalized. His subordinates had a hard time; because they couldn't get their pay, many had left to find other ways to survive. Before meeting Zhu Cilang, his unit of a thousand men had actually dwindled to a mere two hundred. But with Zhu Cilang’s various forms of support, his ranks were now fully filled. Naturally, these men were all loyal to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang looked at Wang Qinian and said:

"Rise. You can be considered one of my followers who helped secure the throne; there is no need to be so restrained in the future. In recognition of your merit, I intend to promote you to Commander-in-Chief of the Jinyiwei, and all your subordinates shall be promoted by one rank as well."

The ranks of the Jinyiwei, from highest to lowest, were: Commander, Deputy Commander, Assistant Commander, Pacification Commissioner, Thousand-Man Commander, Deputy Thousand-Man Commander, Hundred-Man Commander, Trial Hundred-Man Commander, Banner Head, and Junior Banner Head. At the very bottom were the ordinary Jinyiwei guards.

By promoting Wang Qinian from Thousand-Man Commander to Assistant Commander, Zhu Cilang had effectively elevated him two full ranks.