I Talked Chongzhen into Giving Up, and Made Wei Zhongxian Suffer

Autumn, the seventh year of the Tianqi reign.

Zhu Youquan discovers that he has transmigrated and become a prince of the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor's own younger brother, no less.

At the time, Emperor Chongzhen has been pushed into taking the throne and is learning on the job as he strives to restore the empire to glory.

The Later Jin grows stronger by the day, watching like a tiger poised to pounce. Jiaozhi, Japan, and Korea are all stirring with ambition...

Disasters strike year after year across the land. The people turn to banditry and rise up in revolt!

Chongzhen: “The border garrisons need military funds, and the treasury is emptier than my pockets. Can you do anything?”

Zhu Youquan: “If corrupt officials are running the show, then we can get rich by confiscating their estates. Those scholar-officials have grown fat for years. Why leave them alive, to celebrate the New Year?”

Chongzhen: “The court is burdened with long-standing abuses, and our ancestral laws hold the Ming back in many ways. What should we do?”

Zhu Youquan: “Start by abolishing the ancestral rules and lifting the maritime bans. Beyond the Ming lies wealth in every direction: grain, spices, pearls, jade, gold... There's more than we could ever use!”

Chongzhen: “But... where does that leave my dignity?”

Zhu Youquan: “Just say Eunuch Wei did it. What does it have to do with Your Majesty?”

Wei Zhongxian: “I'm the one doing all the dirty work, so why do I feel like His Majesty is getting richer by the day?”

The Donglin Party: “The eunuch faction controls the court, and we can't get our hands on a single coin!”

The officials: “The court is a complete mess, so why does the whole realm seem more peaceful by the day?”

The Later Jin: “Please, Ming emperor, work a little harder! At this rate, we can't fight the Ming anymore!”

Zhu Youquan thinks the emperors of the Ming Dynasty should lie flat a little more?