Chapter 112: In the Court
Zhao Xiaofei said to Princess Kunxing: "Okay! As long as you are happy!" Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself: You are a princess, and your fate is destined to be bumpy!
Li Zicheng's army had already reached Changping Juyongguan in February. Tang Tong, the defender of Juyongguan, surrendered more readily than anyone in history. Chongzhen ordered his men to inform all officials eligible to attend the court meeting, and Zhao Xiaofei naturally had to attend as well.
Princess Kunxing got up early and dressed Zhao Xiaofei in a formal dress. Before dawn, he was stuffed into a sedan chair and taken to the palace.
In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, all the civil and military officials, as well as the nobles of the court, took their places. Chongzhen said with a gloomy face, "The rebels are now approaching the capital. Do you have any good plans to repel them?"
After this statement was made, the ministers below became like wooden sculptures and clay figures. Everyone looked at each other, no one could do anything. Gong Yonggu, the son-in-law, came out and said, "Your Majesty! I think the crown prince should be sent to Nanjing to supervise the country!"
When Zhao Xiaofei heard Gong Yonggu say this, he also stood up and said, "I second the motion!"
The son-in-law Qi Zanyuan who was standing behind also stood up to second the motion, which made the atmosphere very awkward. The three sons-in-law all said in unison that the prince should go to Nanjing to supervise the country, as if the three of them were a party. Some other ministers looked down on them, thinking that the three were timid and afraid of the enemy. Some thought that the three wanted to be like Cao Cao, and wanted to take the prince to Nanjing to hold the emperor hostage and control the princes. Others thought that it was a feasible plan, just in case something happened to the Ming Dynasty. Most of them were noncommittal, because it was a bit difficult to escape at this time. It would be better to repel them like the previous sieges of the Jianlu, and wait for the rebels to retreat on their own. Many ministers also thought that if the Ming Dynasty could not be saved, they could try to go to the Dashun.
Left Censor-in-Chief Li Banghua stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty! I beg to differ with the opinions of the three consorts! During the reign of Emperor Yingzong, he was captured, and Empress Dowager Sun established Emperor Daizong as emperor. She ordered Yu Shaobao to guard the capital and ultimately repel the Tatars. At that time, did she ever allow the crown prince to tour the south?"
"Your Majesty! Times are different now. There is no army outside the capital to support the king. There is a plague rampant inside, and the soldiers have no will to fight. How can we resist the invaders? I think we should consider moving the capital to Nanjing now!" After Zhao Xiaofei finished speaking, all the ministers began to denounce him.
"You are a minister who has betrayed the country! If you abandon the capital at this time, the entire north will fall into the hands of bandits. Do you want Your Majesty to become a sinner for all eternity?" said the Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu.
"Yes! If we go to Nanjing, we might end up like the Southern Song Dynasty, living in a corner. By then, I'm afraid there will be no chance to recover the north!" Shao Zhan Xiang Yu said.
We second the motion! We second the motion! I second the motion too! A whole group of ministers chimed in, as if they were confident in defending the capital. Each one of them seemed like Yu Qian incarnate, or Guan Yu possessed.
"Your Majesty! I am definitely not a coward! But for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, let the prince go on a southern tour first. We can stay and live and die with the capital!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Your Highness is an excellent doctor, so let's treat the people in the Beijing camp first!" Zhu Chunchen stood up and said at this time.
After Zhu Chunchen finished speaking, he said to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty! For now, we should organize defense and give rewards to the soldiers to encourage them to fight for the country!"
Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself: You are really planning to ask the court for money, and make a fortune before surrendering!
Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu said, "Your Majesty! The silver from the southern treasury hasn't arrived yet, so there isn't much silver left to reward you!"
When Chongzhen heard about the silver, he immediately asked, "Where is Zhu Guobi? Send someone to ask him when the silver will be delivered to the capital. I remember that according to normal times, the silver should have arrived in the capital by now!"
"Your Majesty,..." Other ministers answered Chongzhen's question.
Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself: How could he be in the mood to transport silver to the capital! Last time, he extorted hundreds of thousands of taels of silver from him, and now he is busy making up for his losses! I guess your silver will never be seen!
After Chongzhen finished asking about Zhu Guobi's situation, he simply urged him to hurry up and deliver the silver to the capital. However, distant water could not quench immediate thirst, so Chongzhen said, "The country is in a critical situation now. I hope you, my dear ministers, will help me overcome this difficult time! Please donate some silver from your families. Once Zhu Guobi's silver arrives in the capital, I will have the Ministry of Revenue return it to you, my dear ministers!"
The emperor had spoken so profoundly, and the ministers fell silent again. Each one pretended to be deaf and dumb, not uttering a single word. Suddenly, the entire hall was filled with clatter, and you could hear a pin drop. Zhao Xiaofei then stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I will donate 100,000 taels of silver to support the army!"
When Zhao Xiaofei spoke, the other ministers gasped. Everyone was talking about it, thinking, "This Prince Consort is really rich. Your money is all extorted from us. Whenever our family members are sick, we go to you and the money we pay is not cheap!"
"Is there no one else who has pledged to donate except Marquis Zhongzhen?" Chongzhen said with a cold face.
"I am an honest official and have no extra money at home. However, I pledge to donate 500 taels to repay the emperor's grace!" said Zhu Chunchen.
"I pledge 80 taels!"
"I pledge 60 taels!"
"I pledge 100 taels!"
"I pledge to donate..." Each of these ministers acted as clear as water and as bright as a mirror, as if Hai Rui had been reborn. Zhao Xiaofei wanted to laugh watching them, thinking, "Just wait! When the cuckolded emperor Li Zicheng enters the capital, he'll have a feast ready for you. The nail-studded clamps will ensure you hand over the silver. And then, maybe even put a green hat on your head! I guarantee you'll be ecstatic!"
Emperor Chongzhen asked Wang Chengen to count the money, and found it was just over 130,000 taels of silver. How could this amount of money be enough to motivate the soldiers, or even to recruit strong men? Chongzhen couldn't help but frown, and the dragon robe in his hands was wrinkled.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
