So he wanted corrupt officials investigated?
Once they finished investigating, His Majesty would probably be the only person left at court!
Besides, how were they supposed to investigate? If they went after someone they had a quarrel with, they would be accused of settling personal scores. If the trail led to their own allies, that would be another dilemma.
If things went badly, they might even be accused of forming factions for private gain.
And everyone knew that His Majesty loathed factionalism above all else. This assignment was a scalding-hot potato!
Watching the expressions shift on the two men's faces from above, Zhu Youjian continued, "I will not overturn an entire boat with a single blow. For now, leave anyone with less than five hundred thousand taels of silver at home alone!"
Five hundred thousand taels!
Towering waves surged through Luo Yangxing's heart. How high-ranking would an official have to be to possess that much? The Embroidered Uniform Guard no longer enjoyed its former glory. If he offended any one of them, who would care that he took orders directly from the emperor? They would bring him down first. Yet the emperor had only just given him a warning, and Luo Yangxing dared not openly defy his wishes.
"What? Is there a difficulty?"
With that light glance from the emperor sweeping over them, neither man dared utter a single word of refusal. They immediately cupped their hands and accepted the order.
"Investigate thoroughly for me. But if I learn that you dared shield even one or two of them-"
"Your subject would not dare!" "Your servant would not dare!" the two men hastily replied.
"Likewise, if you handle this well, I will reward you. Even generations of wealth and honor are not beyond my power to grant. Do you understand?"
Give them a blow with a stick, then offer a sweet date-in other words, PUA. Having come from the twenty-first century, Zhu Youjian carried it out with practiced ease.
"We understand!" the two men hastily answered again. Then Cao Huachun asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, under what pretext should we investigate the wealth in their residences?"
"A pretext?" Zhu Youjian gave a sly smile. "Some will require one. Others will not!"
Confusion showed on Cao Huachun's and Luo Yangxing's faces. Just as they were about to ask, they heard Zhu Youjian slowly recite, "There is no need to alert the Count of Jiading Zhou Kui. His silver is in an underground chamber in his garden. Simply dig it out! There should be around seven hundred thousand taels!"
Recalling the accounts in the history books, Zhu Youjian added casually, "Chen Yan has a cellar packed with silver. Take it directly! Xue Guoguan has a hollow wall in his study, with silver inside. Take it directly!"
As Zhu Youjian named them one after another and revealed an intimate knowledge of their hiding places, Cao Huachun and Luo Yangxing grew even more alarmed. How did the emperor, who had never left the palace, know all this?
Could His Majesty have sources of information besides the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot? The realization immediately drenched Luo Yangxing in another cold sweat.
"Do not alert them. Once you have taken the silver, deliver it straight to the Imperial Treasury." Ignoring Luo Yangxing's shifting expression, Zhu Youjian continued, "Then there are those who require a pretext, such as Qian Qianyi and Han Jing. In the thirteenth year of Wanli, when they sat the imperial examinations, they bribed the court, each paying forty thousand taels of silver, just to buy the top scholar's title!"
Something from the thirteenth year of Wanli-and now, in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, he was still digging up old accounts. His Majesty meant to wipe them out to the last man!
Besides, Qian Qianyi had already resigned and gone home. Were they supposed to chase him all the way to Nanjing for the money?
While Luo Yangxing was still pondering this, he heard Zhu Youjian ask, "What is the punishment for cheating in the imperial examinations?"
Cao Huachun glanced at Luo Yangxing. Seeing him standing there in a daze, he stepped forward and answered, "Flogging and exile!"
"Then that is what we shall do!" Having said this, Zhu Youjian looked at Luo Yangxing and continued, "Also, the eight great merchants in Shanxi bearing the surnames Fan, Wang, Jin, Liang, Tian, Zhai, and Huang have been privately trading goods expressly prohibited by the court with the Jurchens. Select elite men from the Imperial Guard and find out exactly where they trade, where their warehouses are, where they hide their silver, who protects them locally, and who has taken their money. Investigate in secret. Do not beat the grass and startle the snake!"
Luo Yangxing bowed and assented, even more astonished inwardly. It was one thing for His Majesty to know what happened in the capital, but how did he also know about the Shanxi merchants' smuggling and collusion with the enemy? Moreover, he clearly already had definite evidence. Who exactly had supplied His Majesty with this information?
To Zhu Youjian, the Eight Great Shanxi Merchants of the late Ming were like an abscess clinging to Great Ming's bones. They sucked Great Ming's blood, only to nourish the Jurchens with it, trading grain, money, and even firearms. In the end, when the Jurchens entered the pass, they still enjoyed wealth and honors piled high as clouds. It was both lamentable and laughable.
At this point, the Eight Great Shanxi Merchants were surely a colossal force. They did not merely cling to the Jurchens; their connections at court were certain to be tangled and intricate. He would have to prepare his fallback carefully before catching them all in one net.
"Oh, one more thing." Just as the two men were about to withdraw, Zhu Youjian spoke again. "You both know that I intend to negotiate peace with the Jurchens, do you not?"
Zhu Youjian had not kept his discussion with Yang Sichang private. Besides being an intelligence agency, the Embroidered Uniform Guard also served as the emperor's personal troops, overseeing his ceremonial escort and bodyguards.
While they discussed affairs inside the hall, a senior officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been standing outside. Zhu Youjian did not believe that the man would fail to report something so important to Luo Yangxing.
Sure enough, Luo Yangxing's face paled. Out of habit, he wanted to deny it, but after reconsidering, he admitted it.
"If you know, then you know. I never intended to keep it from you." Zhu Youjian continued, "This third task is for you to select men from the various guards and get this news to Huang Taiji's ears as quickly as possible!"
"Yes, your subject obeys!" Luo Yangxing unconsciously let out a breath of relief and hastily bowed in assent.
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