0p0 Chapter 376 Forced Donation
Chapter 376 Forced Donation
Chapter 376 Forced Donation
Kong Zhenyun looked at the silver notes in his hand with a mournful face, feeling heartbroken.
Kong's wife asked in confusion, "Master, didn't you already donate three hundred taels of silver? Why do you need to donate so much more?"
"Alas..." Kong Zhenyun sighed and said helplessly, "Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog, was assassinated, and his wives and concubines went mad trying to avenge him. They called for donations of silver, and I also donated. The Emperor was probably overjoyed to see the silver, and then he published the list of donors."
Kong's wife frowned and asked, "What's wrong with that? The Emperor wants the people to know about those who donate a lot, and he's praising them for it. There's nothing wrong with that!"
"What do you know!" Kong Zhenyun said with a wry smile, "When the people saw the donation list, they found that it was all merchants, and they started to complain that the officials of the court were not patriotic! My colleagues and I are all helpless. Does not donating money mean we are not patriotic? We have no choice but to donate in order not to be labeled as unpatriotic."
Kong Zhenyun pointed to the latest issue of the Hanshan Weekly and said with a wry smile, "Then the list of donors was published. When the people saw that the silver donated by civil and military officials was less than that of ordinary merchants, they immediately became furious."
"Three hundred taels of silver is not enough?" Kong's wife asked in surprise.
"Sigh..." Kong Zhenyun sighed and said helplessly, "You have no idea how much silver those merchants donated. Especially the former henchmen of that mad dog Wang Wenzhou, each of them donated at least tens of thousands of taels of silver!"
"Ah! So much!" Kong's wife was heartbroken, because the silver notes her husband held totaled twenty thousand taels of silver, which was all their family's savings. Although her husband was a high-ranking official, he had always been honest and incorruptible, and the Kong family really didn't have much silver.
"Master, you can't donate all the silver!" Kong's wife quickly advised.
"We have no choice but to donate!" Kong Zhenyun said with a wry smile. "You don't know! Yesterday, a group of young students from the Fushe Society held up banners in front of Grand Secretary Wen's house and cursed him, saying that Grand Secretary Wen was not patriotic. It was all because Grand Secretary Wen donated two thousand taels of silver."
Kong's wife complained, "How can these people be like this? Does donating less money mean they're unpatriotic?"
Kong Zhenyun said helplessly, "The common people all think that officials appointed by the court are rich. I am honest and upright, and my salary is not enough to cover the expenses of my household. I rely on my family for subsidies. Of course, even if officials do not embezzle, they can still make some money. I just disdain doing so. I do not accept any of the old customs and practices in officialdom, such as ice tribute, charcoal tribute, and other special gifts."
"Master, you can't just donate all the money in the house!" Kong's wife was very puzzled as to why her husband would do such a thing.
Kong Zhenyun shook his head with a wry smile and said helplessly, "The students of the Fushe Society have spoken up. No matter which minister it is, if they donate too little, they will protest in front of their mansion. I can't afford to lose face like that!"
……
The civil and military officials were all uneasy because of the forced donation incident. Things had come to this point, and they had no choice but to donate silver, but they dared not donate. If they donated too much, they were afraid that people would find evidence to accuse them of corruption, otherwise how could they have so much silver? If they donated too little, the people would not agree, and they would be drowned in the spittle of the people.
Thus, the ministers in the capital staged a farce, selling land, houses, and real estate one after another. By doing so, they could not only prove their innocence but also demonstrate their loyalty to the emperor and their patriotism, as well as their willingness to share the emperor's burdens.
Zhu Youjian looked at the account book and couldn't stop smiling. He asked himself, if he had asked the ministers to donate money, they wouldn't have donated so much silver. It was truly an unexpected success.
Two days have passed, and donations from various places have been quickly compiled. The donations from the public, mainly from the Hanshan businessmen, totaled more than 40 million taels of silver. Officials donated 100,000 taels of silver for the first time, and in the past few days, young students have taken the lead in urging donations. Zhu Youjian estimated that the officials would not donate less, and it would be at least tens of millions of taels of silver.
"Wang Wenzhou is truly my generous benefactor! Even after being stabbed and falling into a coma, he still managed to raise so much silver for me. With this silver, the revival of the Ming Dynasty is just around the corner!" Zhu Youjian said with a smile. "Wang Chengen drafted an edict to immediately cease the collection of the three taxes."
"This old servant obeys the decree!" Wang Chengen quickly replied.
Zhu Youjian said with a smile, "I suddenly thought that if Wang Wenzhou had been born a few years earlier, with him by my side to assist me, my Great Ming Dynasty would not be in such a state of disarray as it is now."
Wang Chengen chimed in, “Indeed! Although Lord Wang has a lot of flaws, his ability to make money is truly unparalleled. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have imagined that Lord Wang could earn tens of millions of taels of silver in just over a year. Our Great Ming only has an annual income of over four million taels.”
Zhu Youjian nodded and said, "Who says otherwise! By the way, has the assassin who killed Wang Wenzhou been caught?"
Wang Chengen shook his head and said with a wry smile, "After Lord Wang was assassinated that day, the scene was very chaotic. His subordinates, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and others acted separately. Because they were not under each other's command, conflicts broke out, allowing the assassin to escape by chance."
Zhu Youjian frowned and asked, "Wang Chengen, who do you think wants Wang Wenzhou dead?"
Wang Chengen smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Wang has made too many enemies; all the civil and military officials wish him dead. This old servant also feels that this matter could not have been done by the Tartars. The Tartars are begging for peace with the Ming Dynasty, so why would they assassinate Lord Wang in this matter?"
"Yes!" Zhu Youjian said, "That's what I think too. You must hurry up and investigate this case thoroughly to give Wang Wenzhou's wives and concubines an explanation. Although Wang Wenzhou is unrestrained, his wives and concubines are all models of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. We cannot let loyal people be saddened and shed tears!"
"This old servant obeys the decree!" Wang Chengen hurriedly replied.
Zhu Youjian thought for a moment and then said, "Issue my oral decree, instructing Kong Zhenyun to inform the Tartar envoys that our Great Ming is terminating peace talks and to immediately order them to leave the country."
"Your Majesty, the Tartar delegation includes a prince and a high-ranking official. Why don't we detain them?" Wang Chengen asked.
"When two countries are at war, envoys should not be killed. How can our Great Ming, a land of propriety, do something that will make us a laughingstock of the world?" Zhu Youjian said coldly.
Wang Chengen dared not offer any further advice. He felt that if Wang Wenzhou were here, he could surely persuade Zhu Youjian to detain Haoge and the others. Perhaps only Wang Wenzhou in this world could convince the emperor to change his mind.
……
Shengjing.
When Huang Taiji learned that Wang Wenzhou had been assassinated, he was so angry that he vomited blood.
Huang Taiji was deeply distressed. Not only were his empress and imperial concubines in Wang Wenzhou's hands, but his eldest son and trusted minister Fan Wencheng were also in the Ming Dynasty. The consequences of Wang Wenzhou's assassination were obvious; the Ming Dynasty would certainly not continue peace talks. Moreover, whether Hauge and Fan Wencheng could return safely was still uncertain.
Huang Taiji frowned deeply. This must be Dorgon's doing! Dorgon, my dear brother! You disregard the safety of my Great Qing Dynasty and have been trying to force me to hand over military power to you under the pretext of war! Dream on!