Chapter Ten: The Crown Prince Is More Suited to Be Emperor Than His Majesty!
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It was true that he had drawn pay for nonexistent soldiers, but that was all he had done. The Embroidered Uniform Guards under his command were still the emperor’s private army.
Zhu Cilang said nothing, appearing to ponder something.
Before long, he suddenly walked over to Luo Yangxing, then smiled and helped him to his feet.
“Up, up. What are you so frightened of? You are Father’s most trusted subject. How could I possibly kill you?”
“You are a loyal servant of the Great Ming! I will still have to rely on you in the future!”
Loyal... loyal servant?
Luo Yangxing rose trembling, his entire body shuddering. The expression on his face was practically that of a man who had just lost his mother.
After everything he had done, how in the world could he be considered a loyal servant?
Even if he were skinned alive, it would not be unjust!
Luo Yangxing could only reply in a quavering voice:
“Your Highness, I... I truly was forced into it. If I had refused to cooperate with them, they really would have harmed my family.”
“I deserve to die!”
“I am willing to hand over all my property. I only beg Your Highness to spare my family.”
Faced with this Crown Prince—who had wanted to exterminate his entire clan one moment, then called him a loyal servant the next—Luo Yangxing felt his mind on the verge of collapse.
Zhu Cilang believed Luo Yangxing’s words, but only halfway.
He continued, “Since you are willing to surrender your property of your own accord, then this matter ends here. I guarantee that I will not pursue your past offenses.”
“Also, I only want the gold and silver. You may keep everything else.”
“Serve under me from now on, and I will not treat you unfairly.”
Hearing this, Luo Yangxing immediately felt a weight lift from his heart and hurriedly knelt again.
“I thank Your Highness! From this day forward, my life belongs to Your Highness!”
At that moment, his face was filled with the joy of a man who had narrowly escaped death.
At last, his entire clan had been spared...
Although he would have to disgorge in one stroke all the silver he had embezzled over the years, compared with his own life and the lives of his entire clan, it was nothing.
Having finished intimidating Luo Yangxing, it was time to discuss serious matters. As it happened, Wang Cheng’en had also finished copying the imperial edicts.
Several chief eunuchs stood behind Zhu Cilang, holding a stack of edicts in their hands and waiting for his next command.
“Your Highness, all the edicts have been copied and stamped!”
Wang Cheng’en reminded him softly, his face deathly pale.
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He had heard everything Zhu Cilang and Luo Yangxing had said. To be honest, it had shocked him to the core.
He had never imagined that those hereditary nobles would dare to be so brazen!
Poor His Majesty—he had been deceived all this time.
If not for the Crown Prince, who knew how much longer the emperor would have remained deceived?
From that perspective, it seemed that the Crown Prince truly was more suited to be emperor than His Majesty...
While Wang Cheng’en’s thoughts ran wild, Zhu Cilang spoke.
Pointing toward the imperial edicts, he looked at Luo Yangxing and said, “Send men at once by eight-hundred-li express to distribute these edicts. Order them to come to the capital without delay.”
“Remember, summon them in Father’s name.”
Although his rebellion had already succeeded, he was still only the Crown Prince for the time being. The edicts therefore had to be issued in Chongzhen’s name.
“Your Highness need not worry. I will send men immediately,” Luo Yangxing replied respectfully.
Zhu Cilang nodded. Then, as though he had thought of something else, he continued, “Oh, and give the Embroidered Uniform Guards under your command a warning in advance. Tell them that something major will happen during the day and that they must be prepared.”
“Also, I will make up all the salaries owed to them. In addition, each man will receive a reward of ten taels of silver.”
“I thank Your Highness on behalf of all the Embroidered Uniform Guards!”
Luo Yangxing obediently kowtowed once more. He then carefully took the stack of edicts and turned to leave.
Only after stepping out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony did Luo Yangxing let out a long breath.
Just then, a gust of cold wind swept over him. He shuddered involuntarily, only to discover that his entire body was drenched in sweat.
As Luo Yangxing departed, Zhu Cilang merely gave a signal with his eyes. Wang Qingnian, who had brought Luo Yangxing there earlier, immediately led a group of Embroidered Uniform Guards after him.
After the warning he had just received, Luo Yangxing probably would not betray him. Luo Yangxing was loyal to imperial authority—and now that imperial authority had changed hands, he had no choice but to be loyal to Zhu Cilang.
But nothing in this world was absolute. It was better to have Wang Qinian continue following him.
If Luo Yangxing showed the slightest sign of treachery, kill him on the spot!
After sending Luo Yangxing away, Zhu Cilang returned to the imperial throne and began considering what to do next.
After thinking for a long while, he still felt that making money was the most important matter.
It was true that he could currently produce one hundred million taels of silver, but who would ever complain about having too much money?
Especially at this stage of the late Ming dynasty.
He already had leverage over the hereditary nobles. It should not be difficult to squeeze tens of millions of taels of silver from them.
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Beyond that, action against the Eight Imperial Merchants had to begin at once.
The so-called Eight Imperial Merchants were the Shanxi merchants Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yunfa.
During the final years of the Ming dynasty, these eight men had continually supplied the Manchus with military provisions and various kinds of intelligence.
In the end, they earned merit in the service of the Manchus and won their trust.
After the Manchus conquered the Central Plain, they even hosted the eight men at a banquet in the Forbidden City, granting them the title of “Imperial Merchants” and bestowing special political and economic privileges upon them.
Put simply, these eight men were outright traitors who had sold the Great Ming for an excellent price!
Zhu Cilang had wanted to move against them from the moment he crossed into this world, but at the time he had been utterly powerless to do anything.
Now, however, the matter could finally be placed on the agenda.
Once the Eight Imperial Merchants were dealt with, he would not only acquire tens of millions of taels of silver, but also sever part of the Manchus’ supply and intelligence networks. That could absolutely alter the future course of the war!
There was simply too much to do tonight. It could wait until tomorrow.
For now, the most urgent matter was finding a way to deal properly with the rebellion.
In truth, Zhu Cilang very much wanted to draft an abdication edict immediately, press the imperial seal upon it, and have Chongzhen abdicate.
But when he considered what lay ahead, he ultimately set the idea aside for the time being.
The Great Ming now had to contend with Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, while also preparing for the approaching Battle of Songshan and Jinzhou.
The empire could not withstand any more upheaval.
The abdication edict would therefore have to wait. Once news of Chongzhen’s abdication spread, the entire Great Ming would surely be thrown into turmoil.
Who knew what uncontrollable events might occur then?
Given the present circumstances, stability was the wiser course.
With that thought, Zhu Cilang looked toward Wang Cheng’en.
“Prepare an imperial edict appointing me regent. As for the wording, decide among yourselves how best to write it,” Zhu Cilang ordered.
“Your servant obeys!”
Wang Cheng’en answered respectfully.
Immediately afterward, several chief eunuchs busied themselves once more...
Zhu Cilang paid no further attention to them. He walked straight out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and headed toward the inner palace.
The matters here had been more or less settled. Next, it was time to visit his father, Chongzhen—the man against whom he had just rebelled.