Chapter 153: Wei Zhongxian Arrests Wang Wenyan

Zhu Xu had been peacefully studying during this period, yet he still occasionally heard matters from the court, listening to the struggles of **xing and others, shaking his head inwardly. The infighting within the Donglin Faction never ceased; they still hadn't realized that Wei Zhongxian was no longer simply a court eunuch.

Day after day passed, and Zhu Xu rarely left the palace anymore. Apart from studying, he would go to Kunning Palace to play with the little Princess. The little Princess now had her own title: Yongning.

March was still somewhat cold. Zhu Xu sat across from Empress Zhang, watching the little Princess in her arms, who was staring at him with big eyes, a cheerful smile on her face as she waved her little hands at him.

After amusing her for a while, Zhu Xu looked at Empress Zhang and asked in a casual, chatty tone, "Sister-in-law, I heard that Brother Emperor intends to limit the stipends of the imperial clan?"

Empress Zhang raised her head and glanced at Zhu Xu, an indescribable look in her eyes: "What, are you short on silver?"

Zhu Xu coughed once, putting on airs as he said, "Having silver in hand is always a good thing."

Empress Zhang rolled her eyes at him in exasperation, then said, "It was Uncle Prince Ping who brought it up to the Emperor when he last entered the palace for an audience."

This matter of limiting clan stipends had actually been raised long ago by Censors and the like at court, but because it involved not only the imperial clan but also palace expenditures, it had always been much ado about nothing and quietly dropped.

This Uncle Prince Ping was naturally a front Zhu Xu had pulled out to take the heat. If an outsider proposed it, there would be suspicion of targeting, but when one of their own family raised it, they'd have to think it over seriously, wouldn't they? Even if they couldn't limit it entirely, restricting a portion would still be a very considerable saving.

Hearing this, Zhu Xu nodded without changing his expression. Empress Zhang hadn't said the outcome, which clearly meant Zhu Youxiao hadn't made a decision yet.

This decision was actually very difficult. Emperors of the Ming dynasty had never been particularly blessed with offspring, but those princes—each and every one of them was extremely prolific. This had caused the imperial clan to gradually swell in size, and combined with the 'captive-breeding' policy, the silver paid out to them kept increasing, reaching an extremely alarming level.

If one were to describe this level, it would be: higher than military expenditures!

Since the Three Great Campaigns of the Wanli era, Ming tax revenues had sharply declined, and various methods of increasing income and reducing expenditure kept appearing at court.

Increasing income meant raising taxes, with the main targets being the common people. When the people could bear no more, they added the salt tax. In short, it basically came down to these two things.

But there were many ways to reduce expenditure. This limitation of clan stipends was one, as was **xing's flexible reform of the appointment system, and the abolition of the Weaving Bureau. The most famous of all was the abolition of the postal relay stations during the Chongzhen era.

In short, in this era, any number of absurd things could happen.

Zhu Xu felt helpless just thinking about it. The realm still depended on those surnamed Zhu to guard it; no matter how hard things got, one couldn't make things difficult for one's own family. He feared this move of his would once again flow eastward like spring water, coming to nothing.

After spending over an hour at Kunning Palace, Zhu Xu walked out.

Stretching as he walked, he muttered, "Life has been so boring lately."

"Your Highness," Cao Huachun said, following beside Zhu Xu and catching his meaning, "perhaps we could leave the palace for a stroll?"

"Leave the palace?"

Zhu Xu didn't have much enthusiasm for leaving the palace right now, mainly because there was no particular purpose. The recreational activities available these days were far too few.

After walking a few steps, Zhu Xu suddenly turned his head and said, "Oh, right—how is the matter of Zhangjiakou progressing?"

Cao Huachun was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Word came from the maternal uncle's side not long ago; they are still coordinating."

Zhu Xu's brow furrowed slightly, and he gave a small nod.

Zhangjiakou was a very special place. In the future, most of the Eight Great Merchant Houses of the Manchu Qing would rise from here. Although the various Mongol tribes now all feared Nurhaci and frontier trade had decreased, it remained an irresistibly tempting piece of fat.

Zhu Xu walked while pondering, then said, "Tell Uncle to find a way to secure control of it. Paying some price is acceptable."

The Ming dynasty suffered natural disasters year after year, and times were hard; the various Mongol tribes had it even worse. The Later Jin still relied considerably on raiding southward, so this horse market wouldn't die out anytime soon.

Cao Huachun acknowledged with a "Yes," then added, "Your Highness, Ruan Dacheng has resigned from office and returned to his hometown."

Zhu Xu smiled upon hearing this. Although Ruan Dacheng had thrown in his lot with Wei Zhongxian, he was ultimately still of Donglin origin—how could he withstand their pressure? Managing to hold out for a month and salvaging some face was already good enough.

At court, the winds and waves remained treacherous and unpredictable.

**xing refusing to leave didn't mean others would let him go. Fu Kui and others kept submitting memorials, adopting a posture of not stopping until **xing was toppled. This naturally drew the attention of the 'evil faction,' who hated **xing to the bone, and so they casually joined in the trend.

**xing and Gao Panlong ultimately had too much prestige, and with the Grand Secretariat and the Emperor firmly protecting them, for a time they could not be brought down.

But this only enraged them further.

East of the city, the Wei residence.

A crowd of people urged Wei Zhongxian on, each one burning with righteous indignation.

"Eunuch Wei, the Donglin Faction has bribed court eunuchs—the Grand Secretariat's evidence is all collected, but we have nowhere to appeal!"

"Exactly! The Emperor clearly favors **xing and the others. No matter how hard we try, it's like punching cotton."

"Eunuch Wei, this is the time for you to help us. Otherwise, **xing will keep throwing his weight around at court, harming the state and the people, and we can do nothing about it!"

Wei Zhongxian listened to their words with an indifferent expression, but his mind was rapidly calculating. The matter of Zhou Jianzong had given him a taste of victory. Every time he thought of Zhou Jianzong dying in prison while bearing the crimes he had pinned on him, his heart pounded thump-thump-thump, excitement he could hardly contain.

Wei Zhongxian listened to them speak for a good while, and only at the end did he say coldly, "Do you truly have evidence?"

"We do!" Xu Dahua, seeing Wei Zhongxian's interest stirred, quickly said, "Wang Wenyan is nothing but a quack doctor—everything was bought with money. He's bribed quite a few people, including Grand Secretary Gu, and also Xiong Tingbi. As long as he confesses, it will inevitably drag down **xing and the others!"

Wei Zhongxian's face turned several degrees colder upon hearing this, and he said, "Don't bring up Gu Bingqian or Xiong Tingbi. Hand the other evidence over to me."

A flicker of confusion passed over Xu Dahua's face, but he quickly said, "Very well, Eunuch Wei, rest assured—the evidence is all conclusive. Wang Wenyan will have no room for rebuttal!"

Wang Wenyan was very famous within the Donglin circle, because he had been the mastermind behind bringing down the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions back in the day. That the Donglin Faction enjoyed its current glory was largely due to his contributions. This was also why a commoner like him could rise to the position of Secretariat Drafter in the Grand Secretariat!

That very night, Wang Wenyan was seized by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and thrown directly into the Provost's prison.

In the dungeon, Wang Wenyan was bound hand and foot, and before him stood three men at no great distance.

Vice Guard Commander Tian Ergeng, Assistant Guard Commander Xu Xianchun, and Guard Chiliarch Fu Yingxing.

These three were all stalwarts of the eunuch faction. The first two were among the 'Five Tigers,' and Fu Yingxing was Wei Zhongxian's nephew.

Tian Ergeng toyed with a silver-white dagger in his hand, looking at Wang Wenyan with a faint expression that grew increasingly ferocious: "Lord Wang, with all this evidence, don't you want to offer some explanation?"

Wang Wenyan's face was grim. His early years had indeed not been particularly glorious, and in recent years he had been especially careful, but in the end he had still left himself exposed—especially in the Xiong Tingbi case. After he had bribed the inner court, Xiong Tingbi had broken his promise. If a strict investigation were truly launched, he would indeed be in trouble.