Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c6.s6.8

v1.c6.s6.8

The Delhi exchequer was empty, the secret hoards of the palace had been carried away by the Persian conqueror, the provinces were withholding their tribute and the managers of the Crown-lands their due revenue. Thus the Court of Delhi was faced with starvation. In trying to squeeze money out of the nobles, Amir Khān precipitated the crisis. He advised the Emperor to enforce the old rule of escheating the property of deceased nobles. Badr-ud-din, a son of the wazir Qamruddin, having recently died leaving property worth 12½ lakhs of Rupees, Amir Khān on behalf of the Emperor demanded from the wazir the rent-roll of the jāgirs of his late son, with a view to resuming the grant. The wazir sent him a note of warning, saying, "If in recompense for his servants' sacrifice of their lives for him, the Emperor resumes their jāgirs, what hope of promotion and support can his hereditary slaves, devoted to him till eternity, have?" To this Amir Khān replied insolently, "So long as the shadow of my master rests on my head, I am prepared to confront Gabriel and Michael, not to speak of two lords like you and Asaf Jāh"! (Shākir, 84.)