Emperor Mingzheng wanted to break this situation, while Yangzhou wanted to maintain it. So what could Yangzhou use to maintain it?
King Guanghuai.
Prince Guanghuai, whose fiefdom is in Liangzhou, is far from Yangzhou, but he has troops, horses, and ambitions. He is now suppressed by his brother, Emperor Mingzheng. However, the Queen Mother favors the youngest son and once made Emperor Mingzheng swear not to kill his younger brother, Prince Guanghuai. In the Queen Mother's view, since he has won the world and sat on the throne, he should let his younger brother take care of other things. The youngest son is just a king in a distant place, and she only sees him once a year, so it is natural for her to love him more. With this kind of protection, both openly and covertly, only considering brothers, not the relationship between monarch and subject, Prince Guanghuai violated the rules and regulations many times, but because the Queen Mother intervened, nothing happened. Prince Guanghuai's ambition grew bigger and bigger.
But Prince Guanghuai had soldiers, horses, and rice, but no money. Emperor Mingzheng's policy towards Prince Guanghuai was to keep him alive, but not too well. He had no money. Although Yangzhou was a traditionally large grain-producing state, the grain it produced was barely enough to feed the people in his fiefdom. Without money, he couldn't sustain his army in the long run. But Prince Guanghuai managed to keep himself alive, thanks to the money Yangzhou provided.
The advantage of this monolithic system is that taxes are almost always paid according to the business community's instructions. Emperor Mingzheng couldn't find fault, and for many years, the taxes paid to the court were less than 40% of the required amount. Yangzhou also took a similar share, around 30%, to support Prince Guanghuai.
Only when the two tigers fight can Yangzhou be at peace. Yangzhou will not give Guanghuai Wang more. Once Guanghuai Wang can recruit soldiers and expand his power, then Emperor Mingzheng will overturn the table. However, maintaining these troops may be acceptable. What Yangzhou wants is balance, not a quarrel.
Emperor Mingzheng had a vague idea from the information passed on by the petty official that Yangzhou might be colluding with Prince Guanghuai. If Yangzhou could be taken down, Prince Guanghuai's source of support would also be cut off. If his younger brother behaved well, he would not do anything to him for the sake of the Empress Dowager's reputation.
In addition to Prince Guanghuai, Yangzhou was also interested in grain transport and fire bombs.
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