Outside the Meridian Gate, it was so quiet that it was almost eerie.
Zhou Kui was the first to kneel down on the ground: "I beg Your Majesty to show mercy. All my life savings are in the carriage. If Your Majesty confiscates these properties, I would rather die than live."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for the fact that Empress Zhou gave birth to children for the Ming Dynasty."
"This is all my hard-earned money, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Zhou Kui's voice was so sad that no one could bear to listen.
Chongzhen waved his hand slightly: "Father-in-law, you are too serious. How could I confiscate your property? But I remember that Father-in-law said that the family is poor and has no money. Last year, he once borrowed money from Empress Zhou to get by. I wonder where all this wealth comes from?"
"Did you steal it?"
"Robbed?"
"Or are you here for greed?"
"You can choose not to speak, but the Imperial Guards' Prison can make you speak. Do you want to try?"
Zhou Kui trembled all over when he heard the word "Imperial Prison". In his eyes, the Imperial Prison was no different from hell. If you went in alive, you might not get out even if you died.
"Your Majesty, even if I have a fortune of millions, it is a gift from the royal family. How can I be said to be corrupt?"
This is a very well said sentence! The royal family has always been arbitrary in its rewards. Although the inner court has records, it is difficult to find out clearly at the moment.
"If Your Majesty does not believe me, please put me in prison and clear my name!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene froze.
Is Zhou Kui afraid of the imperial prison?
Of course I’m afraid!
but.
The Ming Dynasty ruled the country with filial piety. As long as Zhou Kui did not commit treason, Chongzhen could not send him to the imperial prison.
Because Zhou Kui was Chongzhen's father-in-law and Queen Zhou's father.
As a father, there is nothing wrong, and being wrong is also right.
You can punish, but you cannot punish.
If he really put Zhou Kui in prison on charges of corruption, this would threaten the foundation of the country.
Chongzhen had expected Zhou Kui to be stubborn, so he smiled and said, "Since the father-in-law said that all this money is a reward from the royal family, then I will not be polite. The royal family is in trouble now and needs money. I will take back these rewards in the name of the emperor and return them double when the court is rich."
Zhou Kui was completely stunned!
He was so shocked by Chongzhen's train of thought that his head went numb and his whole body went cold.
"This...this...Your Majesty is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. How...How can you go back on your word? Besides, rewards are like spilled water. How can you take them back?"
"I am the truth!" Chongzhen was too lazy to waste words with this guy, "Wang Chengen, why don't you quickly bring these carriages into the imperial city?"
"I... obey your order." Wang Chengen ordered the Jinyiwei and the factory guards near the Meridian Gate to drive the carriage into the imperial city.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Zhou Kui seemed to have no strength left. He collapsed on the ground and kept shouting "Your Majesty, Your Majesty".
He was unwilling to let Chongzhen take away his life, but he did not dare to do anything presumptuous, so he could only collapse on the ground and cry.
Seeing Zhou Kui getting more and more aggressive, Chongzhen looked annoyed. If it weren't for Empress Zhou's face and the principle of governing the country with filial piety, he would have wanted to chop him off directly.
He walked forward and whispered in Zhou Kui's ear: "The father-in-law's fortune is worth tens of millions. The carriage is only loaded with 80% at most, right? Are the remaining two halves hidden in the mansion? Otherwise, I will ask the East Factory to dig. If they can't find it after digging three feet, they will dig four feet!"
Zhou Kui shut up instantly, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar emperor in front of him, feeling fear in his heart!
He seemed to know everything.
No, he knows everything!
"It's not that I don't dare to kill you. The East Factory and the Imperial Guards have many ways to make you die quietly. I like Queen Zhou very much. The meaning of your life is to not make her sad, that's all!"
"If you continue to act so recklessly, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
In the darkness and under the lights, Chongzhen's face was dark and changing. At that moment, he was not the Son of Heaven, not the king, but a bloodthirsty beast.
Zhou Kui nodded frantically subconsciously, not daring to act rashly.
With Zhou Kui taking the lead, the other nobles gave up resistance one after another.
Even if I wanted to resist, I couldn't do anything.
The three major camps of the capital were all here, and their superior, the Governor of the Capital Camp, was Chongzhen's man.
The Wucheng Bingmasi and the Patrol Camp were also here, and the Minister of War was also Chongzhen's man.
Not to mention the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang, they only obey the emperor's orders.
A group of nobles left the Meridian Gate with stiff faces, and their figures disappeared into the darkness of the capital.
Li Banghua, the chief minister of the cabinet, asked, "Your Majesty, now that the crown prince has left, can the soldiers of the three battalions stationed outside the imperial city be withdrawn?"
"Have all the overdue military salaries been paid?" Chongzhen did not answer the question, but asked a question in return.
"It has not been distributed yet. I asked the Ministry of Revenue to first pay the salaries of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, and then I will hand over the military salaries to the Ministry of War."
The salaries of the Yongwei Battalion, Jinyiwei and Dongchang were directly distributed by the Ministry of Revenue. The salaries of the three major battalions and the Wucheng Bingmasi were first transferred from the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of War, and then distributed uniformly by the Ministry of War.
"Yes," Chongzhen nodded without objection. As the emperor's personal army, they had the qualifications and rights to do so.
"Since the court has money, there is no need to delay the payment of the salaries of the three major camps and the five city military divisions. The people from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War are here, so pay them now."
"Here?" Li Banghua was a little surprised.
“Yes, it will be sent on the spot!”
"Your Majesty...I'll arrange it right away." Li Banghua just felt that the incident happened suddenly and did not have too many doubts.
After all, the court has been in arrears of military pay for too long, so it is understandable that Your Majesty is anxious.
When the soldiers from the three camps and the five city military divisions heard that they would be paid their salaries, their previous complaints and dissatisfaction instantly disappeared.
With money, they have no worries.
When you have no money, you have only one worry: hunger!
Although you will have more worries after you become rich, you can use money to solve them.
Money can be used to buy food and feed the whole family; money can be used to buy coal for heating and create a warm home. Money can be used to buy clothes and keep the family warm and decent.
The military pay had been distributed all night long, and at midnight Chongzhen was extremely sleepy. After giving some instructions, he returned to the Qianqing Palace alone and fell asleep.
This was his first day of traveling through time.
It was a tiring but fulfilling life.
Fortunately, he slept soundly too.
While salaries were being distributed outside the imperial city, Li Ruolian was not idle either.
Since the patrol camp, the Royal Guards and the East Factory were all transferred to protect the imperial city, Li Ruo Lian's journey was very smooth. Not only did he not encounter any night patrol soldiers, he didn't even see the shadow of the Royal Guards.
He brought more than a hundred assassins to the home of former Prime Minister Chen Yan, and climbed over the wall in the moonlight.
They killed and hacked anyone they saw, and in less than two quarters of an hour the entire mansion was bathed in blood.
Thirty people were left to clean up the battlefield, and the remaining seventy-something people went to the home of Guang Shiheng, a military official.
The soldiers, who were so bloodthirsty that they were blinded by anger, climbed over the wall and charged in without any orders.
After killing the people, the group packed up their belongings as quickly as possible and then left in a hurry under the cover of night.
By the time someone noticed something was wrong, they were already gone.
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