After a burst of laughter, Li Shimin pointed at Song Yingxing and said, "Look, this is my harvest! This man is immensely talented, and you've made him a mere judicial officer. Don't blame me for poaching your talent! I want this man, and I'll be taking him back to the Great Tang when I leave."
Zhu Youjian cast a curious glance at Song Yingxing, whom he had never met before. However, regardless of how outstanding the man was, he was no longer his concern. Zhu Youjian was well aware of this, even if it was a realization born from being beaten. The crucial point was Li Shimin mentioning his departure, which was undoubtedly excellent news for Zhu Youjian. Anyone who was beaten three times a day would likely react this way.
He smiled obsequiously at Li Shimin, "As long as our Great Ancestor Taizong likes him, does Your Majesty have any instructions for this humble Emperor?"
At this moment, Wang Chengen brought tea from a side hall. Li Shimin took a sip, his eyebrows raised, and beckoned to Song Yingxing. "Artisan Master Song, come, come, taste this. This is what tea is. Don't drink your 'gaosui' anymore!"
Song Yingxing looked stunned, not daring to approach the imperial throne. Previously, he hadn't fully believed Li Shimin's identity, so he was relatively calm. But now, having received confirmation from the current emperor, the presence of two emperors before him was overwhelming.
"Go on! Ancestor Taizong wants you to go, aren't you going?" Du Shi, seeing this, nudged him and urged him on.
Finally, Song Yingxing ascended the imperial steps and carefully accepted a cup of tea poured by Li Shimin himself. He touched the cup to his lips, then set it down, smiling sheepishly. "Your Majesty Emperor Taizong, please understand, this Mingqian Longjing is as valuable as gold. 'An ounce of tea is an ounce of gold,' as the saying goes. With my humble salary, how could I afford to drink this?"
Hearing this, Zhu Youjian instantly became tense. He quickly explained, "Great Ancestor Taizong, please don't misunderstand. Even if this Emperor wanted to buy this tea, the inner treasury wouldn't have the funds. This is all tribute from the southern regions."
Li Shimin glared at him, "Look at your pathetic state! What's wrong with an ounce of tea being worth an ounce of gold? As long as you have the ability to ensure the people of this Great Ming live good lives, let alone buying it to drink, I wouldn't say a word even if you bought it to soak your feet! But if you continue to ruin this empire like before, you won't even deserve 'gaosui', let alone drink this!"
Zhu Youjian wished he could slap himself. He should have just watched from the sidelines; why did he have to come out and explain?
Grand Secretary Fan Fucui looked at Li Shimin with deep gratitude. Seeing Zhu Youjian's embarrassed state, he stepped forward two paces and cupped his hands. "Your Majesty Emperor Taizong, what you said is true. In the future, this old minister and my colleagues will assist Your Majesty in revitalizing the Great Ming. Also, the results of the confiscations ordered by Duke Fang have been released. Does Your Majesty Emperor Taizong wish to hear them?"
Li Shimin was very interested in this matter and looked at him expectantly. "Hmm? Tell me, let me hear how much wealth those parasites have amassed by profiteering!"
"Reporting to Your Majesty Emperor Taizong, a total of 110 million taels of silver and 3.2 million taels of gold were confiscated! Stored grain amounted to 50 million piculs, and land reached 21.4 million mu. Residences, collectibles, and treasures were valued at 20 million taels!" Fan Fucui recited the confiscated wealth as if listing his own treasures, reporting the findings from the days the group had been in the south.
Fang Er was also startled by the numbers. Li Zicheng had only managed to find seventy million taels of silver from officials' homes after entering Beijing. If the numbers Fan Fucui reported were all converted to money, at a grain price of two taels per picul, that would be 100 million taels! At five taels per mu of land, that's another 100 million taels! Added to the 3.2 million taels of gold, it totaled nearly 400 million taels of silver, more than five times what Li Zicheng had obtained!
"How can it be so much?" he asked in surprise.
Fan Fucui stroked his beard and smiled, "This is all thanks to Duke Fang's metal detector! Many of those officials buried their silver deep in their ancestral lands. But with the metal detector, once the guards from the Imperial Guard and the Eastern and Western Bureaus went there, they could find it no matter how deeply it was hidden."
"Holy cow!"
"Chongzhen was so poor he was bleeding! These parasites managed to get this rich. Not executing them would be an injustice to the broad masses!"
"How were those officials dealt with?" Fang Er pressed.
Fan Fucui replied, "Reporting to Duke Fang, they have all been imprisoned in the Imperial Guard dungeons. According to your previous instructions, anyone who embezzled more than sixty taels of silver will be sentenced to flaying and dismemberment. Those with less than sixty taels will be exiled to Liaodong to serve as soldiers, never to be employed again."
Fang Er didn't need to ask further. It was highly unlikely anyone would be exiled. "They all embezzled; who would only embezzle ten or eight taels?"
The eight women, including Liu Rushi, who had been standing in the hall listening to their conversation, widened their eyes in disbelief upon hearing that so many officials had been investigated. Earlier, by the Qinhuai River, Fang Er had mentioned that the Great Ming was so poor it couldn't even pay military salaries. Yet now, the confiscated wealth had reached such a staggering sum! And all of this had been orchestrated by Duke Fang, who had been relatively quiet these past few days. Thinking back to Fang Er's actions by the Qinhuai River, the women couldn't help but cast admiring glances at him.
This scene was precisely what Li Shimin, seated on the throne, observed. He instantly felt as if he had chugged a bottle of eight-year-old aged vinegar; it was incredibly sour. So, he stood up from the throne and said to Wang Chengen, "It's getting late. I've been traveling for several days and want to rest early! Da Suan Ban, go and prepare a place for me to stay."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian's heart sank. Great Ancestor Taizong actually intended to stay overnight in the palace. Thinking about the historical records of Li Shimin, he wondered if he had designs on his empresses and consorts? "Great Ancestor Taizong, this is unacceptable! This humble Emperor's consorts' appearances are likely not to your taste, Your Majesty. Do you think...?"
Li Shimin was momentarily stunned, and when he realized what Zhu Youjian meant, he immediately kicked him in the stomach. "You, you profiteer, how can you be so vile! When did I say I wanted your consorts to serve me?"
Although Zhu Youjian was kicked, the great stone in his heart settled firmly. At least his imperial crown would not turn green! "Hehehe, this humble Emperor misspoke. I beg Great Ancestor Taizong not to be angry."
Suddenly remembering that the group had brought eight women with them when they entered, he said to Wang Chengen, "Great Eunuch Wang, hurry and prepare my sleeping quarters for Great Ancestor Taizong, and attend to the Ancestor and all the Grand-Mothers for their rest."