I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 282 Drawing fire from the bottom of the cauldron

Chapter 282 Cutting Off the Fire from Underground

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Old Wen, you're too kind. Alright, I'll come to your residence tonight."

"I'll take my leave now." Wen Tiren cupped his hands in greeting and strolled back leisurely.

Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Wen Tiren must have ulterior motives for doing this.

Wang Wenzhou played mahjong with Chen Yuanyuan in his arms for a while, and it was already noon.

Wang Wenzhou said to Zhang Zhiji, "Let's stop fighting. It's time for lunch. I'll go ask those idiots if they want to eat."

Zhang Zhiji laughed and scolded, "Boxin, you're so kind as to provide them with food."

Wang Wenzhou said seriously, "We're all colleagues, how can I let them go hungry?"

Zhang Zhiji shook his head with a wry smile. Given Wang Wenzhou's character, the officials were going to be in trouble again.

The officials are truly suffering; they are all drenched in sweat, parched, and have no water to drink. From yesterday until now, a total of one and a half days, many are nearly driven mad by Wang Wenzhou's torment. It's simply inhuman; it's unbearable.

Wang Wenzhou said loudly, "Fellow colleagues, how is your discussion going? Is there anyone who agrees to negotiate?"

"Wang Wenzhou, stop dreaming!"

"How could we possibly surrender our sovereignty and humiliate our nation?"

"A true man is neither corrupted by wealth nor subdued by power..."

One by one, the officials declared with righteous indignation that peace talks were impossible!

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Don't be so stubborn! Let's consider a more reassuring approach. Peace talks are beneficial to the country and its people."

"Wang Wenzhou, stop talking! It's no use saying more!"

"Wang Wenzhou, don't even think about making us traitors!"

“Alright!” Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and said, “I won’t say any more, it’s already noon. Yesterday at noon, I didn’t prepare any food for you, and the Emperor reprimanded me when he found out. Although we all have different positions, we are all doing this for the good of the country, and I apologize to you all.”

After Wang Wenzhou finished speaking, he bowed deeply to all the officials.

"Huh?" Everyone was puzzled. What was wrong with Wang Wenzhou, this blockhead, today?

Wang Wenzhou instructed the eunuch who had followed him, "Quickly, prepare lunch for the gentlemen."

Soon, the eunuchs distributed lunch to the officials, each person receiving a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and a small dish of side dishes.

Wang Wenzhou said with a slight apology, "My fellow colleagues, I am really sorry. The national treasury is empty, and even His Majesty is being frugal. Although lunch is a bit meager, it is enough to fill your stomachs. Please enjoy your meal."

Qian Qianyi was extremely thirsty, so he quickly picked up the soup and drank it down in large gulps.

"Pfft..." Qian Qianyi spat it out. Wang Wenzhou was really too mean! There was a lot of salt in the soup, and it tasted both salty and bitter.

Wen Tiren guessed that Wang Wenzhou wasn't being kind. Although he was a little hungry, he didn't touch the food Wang Wenzhou brought. He licked his dry lips, shook his head with a wry smile, and thought to himself, "If things go wrong, the officials might really be forced to compromise by Wang Wenzhou's torment."

Wen Tiren planned to ally with Wang Wenzhou to oust his political rival, Qian Qianyi. As for peace talks, he wasn't actually opposed to them, but he didn't want to be the first to express his agreement. In such matters, whoever expressed their agreement first would be considered a traitor. Once more people agreed, Wen Tiren wouldn't mind following the crowd.

Moreover, as the Grand Secretary, his plan was that if Wang Wenzhou won, he would persist until the very end before compromising, thus avoiding leaving a bad reputation.

In fact, many officials shared this thought. It's just that no one wanted to be among the first, because whoever bowed down first would be criticized.

Wang Wenzhou had just started eating when Wang Chengen rushed over and said, "Lord Wang, His Majesty has issued an edict: Wang Wenzhou, come to see me immediately."

Wang Wenzhou frowned. If Chongzhen was in such a hurry to find him, something must have happened.

Wang Wenzhou led Chen Yuanyuan to the Imperial Study. As soon as they entered, Zhu Youjian threw the memorial in his hand onto the table and said angrily, "Take a look!"

Wang Wenzhou glanced down and saw that the memorial was from Lu Xiang-sheng. It stated that the Ministry of Revenue had cut off his logistical supplies, leaving his troops with only four or five days' worth of provisions. If the Ministry of Revenue did not provide more provisions, it might lead to a mutiny.

Wang Wenzhou frowned and said irritably, "These civil officials are so shameless! They're trying to force me to abdicate!"

Zhu Youjian shook his head with a wry smile and pointed to another memorial, saying, "This is Hong Chengchou's memorial. The content is similar, also urging for grain supplies."

Wang Wenzhou smiled bitterly. The main force of the Ming Dynasty was now controlled by these two men. Lu Xiangshan was in charge of military affairs in Jiangbei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan and Hubei, and managed the Ming army outside the Great Wall, while Hong Chengchou was in charge of the troops inside the Great Wall. One was responsible for suppressing bandits, and the other was responsible for resisting the Tartars. The civil officials had made their move, and with one move, they had cut off the Ming army's supply lines.

Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and then said, "Wen Tiren just spoke with me. He wants to marry his granddaughter to me. I think he will be on our side. Brother Zhu, let's hold on for a few more days. We can't let all our previous efforts go to waste."

Zhu Youjian said with a worried look, "That old fox Wen Tiren will definitely not make a statement too soon. He will only make a statement when the time is right. Time is of the essence, so hurry up. If we really cannot force the officials to agree, we will let it go for now."

"Damn it!" Wang Wenzhou smiled bitterly. "Chongzhen, can't you hold on a little longer?" In his timeline, Chongzhen was far too easily discouraged. When Li Zicheng reached Beijing, he could have easily fled to Nanjing. At that time, the Ming Dynasty still had half of its territory and hundreds of thousands of troops.

Of course, Chongzhen didn't abandon the city and flee because he was forced to by the civil officials. Just like peace talks today, the civil officials don't want to leave a bad name, so they all disagree. Even if Chongzhen wanted to negotiate, he couldn't implement it.

"Brother Zhu, don't worry, give me a few more days, and I guarantee I'll torture all the officials until they wish they were dead, so they'll have no choice but to submit! I'll talk to Wen Tiren again tonight and see if I can get his help." Wang Wenzhou quickly encouraged Chongzhen.

Zhu Youjian pointed to a pile of memorials on the ground and said, "I have some regrets. Do you know what these memorials are saying?"

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "They're probably all impeaching me, right?"

"Hmm!" Zhu Youjian nodded, smiling wryly, and said, "That's right, they're all impeaching you, saying all sorts of things. I am the emperor, and everyone says the emperor's word is law, but I can't even make decisions on matters of state!"

In the early Ming Dynasty, it was almost entirely a monarchical autocracy, with the emperor holding immense power. Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the position of prime minister, the representative of ministerial power. After the Tumu Crisis, the imperial power gradually weakened due to the deaths of too many nobles.

Originally, Emperor Chongzhen's elder brother, the carpenter Zhu Youxiao, strengthened imperial power by relying on the eunuch faction. However, after Chongzhen ascended the throne, he directly killed Wei Zhongxian, who was loyal to the emperor. From then on, the power of the ministers almost surpassed that of the emperor.

In Wang Wenzhou's timeline, Emperor Chongzhen reigned for 17 years, during which he changed more than a dozen chief ministers, with a total of over 50 people entering the cabinet as prime ministers. Although the "prime ministers" changed so frequently, no matter how much infighting there was among the civil officials, their interests remained aligned. Regardless of who was the chief minister, none of them would blindly obey Emperor Chongzhen.

Wang Wenzhou frowned deeply. It seemed that he had to win this struggle, otherwise, even Chongzhen could not protect him.