Chapter 322 The Iron-Blooded King
"Your Majesty, I think that Duke Zheng's words are reasonable. The reform of the royal family should be considered in the long term. However, the ancestral law must not be disturbed. Those who are in the vassal and royal family cannot stay in the capital for a long time. Otherwise, there may be serious disasters. The most important thing now is the princes. Now that he has reached adulthood, he should establish the Eastern Palace as early as possible, entrust the princes with titles, and order them to leave the capital quickly and join the feudal clan. "
At this time, Li Ke also echoed Chu Liangcai, saying that in his heart, he actually didn't care about the reform of the clan, even more than the other members of the clan.
After all, for the clan, if the Ming Dynasty really died, the Zhu family would naturally have nothing. But for the civil servants, it would not be terrible if the Ming Dynasty was gone. The worst thing is that they would be ministers of the new dynasty. The vassal kings' stay in the capital caused unrest in the world, and may even take away the power of their own civil servants to rule the world.
Zhu Houzhao did not expect that when he mentioned the reform of the clan, the courtiers would lead him to the matter of the crown prince.
Zhu Houzhao glanced at Chu Liangcai with a look of disdain: "What I am discussing now is the reform of the clan, not the crown prince's matter. The political remarks are not relevant. Meng Chun, how do you choose the officials in the Ministry of Civil Affairs? Let's dismiss them!"
Chu Liangcai regretted his mistake and accidentally touched His Majesty's brow. He was dismissed from his post on the spot. For a moment, he had to retreat angrily.
Zheng Yue, the minister of Dali Temple, also felt a little embarrassed, but he believed that what he said was right. It was against the rules for the vassal king to stay in the capital without being a vassal.
Zhu Houzhao just glared at Zheng Yue and didn't say much. He didn't want to waste time fighting with these pedantic civil servants now. He only asked Zhu Taihan's name, surname, title, age, etc., and then nodded:
"It's rare that you can come up with such a suggestion. I think it's feasible. As you said, from now on, the clan will be ennobled according to the regulations. Princes are limited to five sons, county kings are limited to three sons, auxiliary generals are limited to two sons, and auxiliary generals are limited to one son. , the son who exceeds the limit will not be given a title, only a crown and a body! ”
Zhu Taihan did not expect that Emperor Zhu Houzhao would accept his proposal so easily. He was very excited for a while, and completely forgot how dangerous his current situation was. He had a mentality of ambition, and he only continued:
"Your Majesty, I believe that reforming the clan should not only limit the number of people who can seize the title, but also include the following strategies:
The first is to limit the number of concubines;
The second is to open up the ban on the clan's profession, just like the ban on the four peoples, allowing the clan to engage in agriculture, business, craftsmanship, and scholars, so that it can benefit the country;
The third is to strictly investigate counterfeit clans and prohibit arbitrary collection of children and unauthorized marriage;
The fourth is to stipulate that the imperial court pays a certain proportion of the salary for the clan support as a permanent rule. No matter how large the number of clans is in the future, clan expenses will only be allocated according to this proportion. If the clan is too large and the proportional increase in clan expenses is not large, the clan's expenses will not be increased by a large amount. The salary and salary should all be reduced, so as not to favor one over the other. If the imperial court's future income increases and the amount of expenditure given to the clan increases proportionally to a larger amount, then the salary and salary of all clans can be increased! ”
After Zhu Taihan finished speaking vividly, Zhu Houzhao smiled.
But the faces of some courtiers and clan members turned darker. It was obvious that several suggestions put forward by Zhu Taihan based on his own experience in clan life could effectively change the problem of the court's high expenditure on raising clan members.
In particular, Article 4 is of the greatest significance. It limits the royal family's expenses to a certain ratio, which undoubtedly fixes the burden of raising the royal family on the court at a certain level.
In this way, even if the number of clans continues to increase in the future, the burden on the court will not increase. Of course, this is equivalent to a disguised reduction in clan benefits in the future.
But in the eyes of many courtiers, it would be fine if these suggestions for clan reform were proposed by civil servants, but if they were proposed by a vassal king, they would be somewhat inappropriate.
At least that's what Meng Chun thought at this time. He couldn't help but stand up and say: "Your Majesty, I think what King Fenglin said is true knowledge and insight. It is a blessing for the country to have such a virtuous king, but it is a pity that he is not your Majesty's crown prince."
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Zhu Taihan was very happy when he saw Meng Chun, the Minister of Civil Affairs, praising him. He felt that this was an affirmation of himself by the imperial court.
However, Zhu Houcong couldn't help but smile slightly at this time. He knew the world and people's hearts better than Zhu Taihan. He had to admit that Zhu Taihan, as his classmate who had studied with him in the palace for several years, although he had more thoughts about serving the country. , but obviously more scholarly.
Zhu Houcong believed that Zhu Taihan's behavior today had obviously made many courtiers dissatisfied. After all, how could a vassal king act blindly in such a matter? Isn't this equivalent to slapping the civil servants in the face? It is also not equivalent to waiting for the civil servants to say that they are ambitious. ?.
Zhu Houcong knew that Meng Chun seemed to be praising Zhu Taihan, but in fact he was praising Zhu Taihan. The most taboo thing in the court was that the vassal king was wiser than the emperor and the crown prince. Now that Meng Chun said this, it naturally made some courtiers who were wary of the vassal king even more dissatisfied with the outstanding Zhu Taihan. It also made Zhu Houzhao's princes dissatisfied with Zhu Taihan.
"Uncle Wang, is this Zhu Taihan really as wise as Meng Tianguan said?"
The second son of the emperor, Zhu Zaijun, asked Zhu Houcong beside him.
Zhu Houcong smiled and said: "Your Highness, I don't know about this uncle Wang. Meng Tianguan said that he must be a virtuous king."
"Father seems to be very satisfied with his proposal."
Zhu Zaibian said something, and Zhu Houcong just smiled slightly. He knew that his former classmate Zhu Taihan would definitely have a bad fate in the future, and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Zhu Taihan in his heart.
As for the reform of the clan, Zhu Houcong himself naturally knew that it was necessary to reform the clan, but he knew that as the vassal king, no matter how the reform was made, it would be better for him not to participate.
Zhu Houzhao could hear what Meng Chun meant and knew that Meng Chun was trying to kill Zhu Taihan, but he was not afraid of Zhu Taihan's intention. After all, Zhu Taihan's opinions were indeed good, but Zhu Houzhao could feel that the pressure to reform the clan did not come from the vassal clans. , but from these civil servants in the court.
"In passing the decree, Zhu Taihan served as the clan official, Xing Wang Zhu Houcong served as Zuo Zongzheng, and the eldest son of the emperor Zhu Zailei served as You Zongzheng. They were responsible for the reform of the clan. The corresponding reform matters were drafted and submitted to the cabinet for a resolution. The Superintendent of Ceremonies will draft a decree and issue it to the Ministry of Rites, and then from next month onwards, it will be submitted as an example!”
After Zhu Houzhao said that, Gu Dayong went away with the order and prepared a memorial for the officials of the Supervisory Committee to appoint Zhu Taihan, Zhu Houcong and Zhu Zailei as officials of the Zongren Mansion.
However, Zhu Houzhao's decree still shocked the ministers and found it difficult to accept it, because doing so meant that Zhu Houzhao would allow the descendants of the clan to participate in politics.
Zhu Taihan was surprised and happy at this time. He was surprised that he, a county prince, was directly appointed as the first-class clan order by His Majesty the Emperor. He was happy that his Majesty asked him to take charge of the clan reform, which obviously meant to reuse him.
Zhu Taihan hurriedly accepted the order. Unlike other vassal kings, he was still very willing to do something serious.
Zhu Houcong turned pale in surprise at this time. He didn't expect that he would be named by His Majesty for being so low-key, and he would be appointed as Zuo Zongzheng to assist Zhu Taihan in the clan reform. Isn't this putting himself on the stove to roast?
Zhu Houcong stood up with some hesitation: "Your Majesty, my brother has been ill recently. I wanted to request an order to return to Anlu Prefecture to recuperate. Now that your Majesty has asked me to serve as Zuo Zongzheng, I will assist King Fenglin in reforming the clan. I may not be able to do the job."
Zhu Houzhao showed a displeased look on his face. He naturally knew that Zhu Houcong was definitely not Zhu Taihan. As a manipulative emperor who became the emperor in the original history and controlled all the officials in applause, how could he be willing to be his own pawn and be used by him? .
However, it was precisely because Zhu Houzhao knew that Zhu Houcong was very strategic and good at fighting with civil servants that he asked Zhu Houzhao to serve as Zuo Zongzheng to assist Zhu Taihan, because Zhu Houzhao could see that Zhu Taihan was an ideal theorist and wanted to make the imperial family reform successful. , there must be a man of action who is good at fighting opponents and is comfortable with it, and Zhu Houcong is obviously the most suitable candidate.
"You are assisting King Fenglin, and you have the eldest son of the emperor to help you. You are not asked to lead troops on an expedition. It is not considered tiring work. As a prince of the imperial court, you have been cultivated by the royal family for so many years. Why, you don't even make any contribution. Are you willing to go out for the Ming Dynasty? ”
Zhu Houzhao asked in a serious tone.
"Father is right, uncle, your health was not bad before, but now you are a little weak, maybe it is because of the bad pills you took. Now is a good time for Your Majesty to share your worries and contribute to the court. Why should you refuse, and You can also do things with your nephew, why not!”
Zhu Zailei said something that Zhu Houzhao could hear. The relationship between Zhu Zailei and Zhu Houcong was not bad, but what surprised him even more was that Zhu Houcong in this era did not regard him as an emperor but still liked to make alchemy.
"Lei'er is right. As the vassal of the Ming Dynasty and Prince Xing, you should not indulge in the art of alchemy too much. If you are really interested in the art of alchemy, you can try to refine new chemicals that can benefit the people and strengthen the country. It’s also a good thing.”
Zhu Houzhao also gave some advice at this time. He knew that although Zhu Houcong in history was well versed in the emperor's mind and ruled the universe, he did cause palace troubles because of his addiction to Taoist alchemy, and even caused the imperial court to become corrupted because of his addiction to Taoism. A lot of money was spent.
Nowadays, Zhu Houcong is just a prince, but he is still obsessed with it. He obviously wants to live forever. However, even if he is the emperor, he cannot restrict Zhu Houcong's freedom to pursue immortality. Therefore, after a few words of advice, he did not persuade him any more. He just continued to ask: "Do you still want to go back to Anluzhou to recuperate and practice Taoism?"
Zhu Houcong admitted that he did believe in Taoism, but only he knew that he did ridiculous things under the guise of cultivating Taoism and refining elixirs to protect himself. After all, the identity of the vassal king has always been very sensitive. If he didn't have some hobbies that were not doing his job, it would be difficult Stay in the capital.
But now, Zhu Houcong also knew that if he refused the emperor again, he was afraid that he would really be demoted to the rank of king and return to Huguang to become a Taoist priest. Moreover, his initial refusal was just to show off to the civil servants and princes of the dynasty, so that these courtiers The princes knew that they were different from Zhu Taihan. They had no ambitions, let alone ambition.
"Now that I have no choice but to accept the emperor's appointment again, the civil servants and princes should not have any grudges against me." After Zhu Houcong thought this, he cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your majesty's favor and the respect of the eldest son of the emperor. Although my talents are dull, I am still willing to do my best for the imperial court!”
Zhu Houzhao nodded when he saw Zhu Houcong agreed. The eldest son of the emperor, Zhu Zailei, also smiled slightly and gave Zhu Houcong a meaningful look.
Zhu Zailei also accepted the order. He could feel that among these royal clans, the uncle beside him was obviously not simple.
Meng Chun wanted to say something, but he didn't dare to say it. He didn't believe that Emperor Zhu Houzhao didn't understand the implication of his praise of Zhu Taihan just now, but he didn't expect that His Majesty would really appoint Zhu Taihan as the first-class clan order! Preside over clan reform matters! Meng Chun was really worried that the clan members would rise as a result, interfere in government affairs, and squeeze out the ruling power space of civil servants. Zheng Yue, the chief minister of Dali Temple, also had this idea at this time and stood up directly
"Your Majesty, the affairs of the clan have already been managed by the Ministry of Rites. Now you have rashly appointed officials of the clan and asked the clan to manage the affairs of the clan. This will undoubtedly make the clan participate in politics. If this continues, the clan may have exclusive power, which is not a blessing for the country!"
"The clan participates in politics rather than the military, and the consequences are not as serious as you think. In the Ming Dynasty, except for the Ming Emperor who has the exclusive power stipulated in the Constitution, no one can have exclusive power! If the clan has exclusive power in the future, it must be the emperor himself. Moreover, the clan may have exclusive power. Isn’t it possible for your courtiers to have exclusive power?”
Zhu Houzhao asked coldly, and then said: "No one can predict the future, but at least for now, clan reform must be carried out. You are the chief minister of Dali Temple, and your duty is to review judicial cases. Internal affairs matters do not need to be discussed again." Talk a lot.”
"Yes!"
When Zheng Yue saw what Zhu Houzhao said, he could only reply with a sneer. He couldn't help but glance at the cabinet ministers. He didn't understand why the cabinet ministers didn't put forward their opinions.
In fact, it's not that Zhang Cong doesn't want to raise opinions, he just feels that he has nothing to raise, because the emperor put Zhu Taihan in charge of the imperial family reform, but still let the cabinet make decisions. Obviously, he still regards the cabinet as the highest decision-making place in internal affairs. As the cabinet Why is the chief minister so indifferent? Moreover, as His Majesty said, whether it is the exclusive power of the clan, the exclusive power of powerful ministers, or the exclusive power of eunuchs, it is all related to the emperor. As long as the emperor is competent, these things will not happen.
Zhang Cong is only observing the emperor's eldest son Zhu Zailei now. He really wants to see if the emperor's eldest son Zhu Zailei can use his talents in participating in the reform of the clan. If he can use his talents, he really wants to see if he can use his talents to participate in the reform of the clan. The officials requested that the emperor establish a prince as early as possible, but if he could not do so, he would have to think carefully about the relative importance of the prince's ability and Confucian etiquette.
Xia Yan and Wang Shouren were looking at Zhu Zailei, the eldest son of the emperor, just like Zhang Cong.
"The realms of these courtiers are different. The lowest ones have no use except making money, while the better ones can still do things. The more far-sighted ones like Zheng Yue of Dali Temple can think that the clan will divide them by joining politics. The most far-sighted civil servants can think of the position of crown prince. No wonder Zhang Fuking and others can become cabinet ministers. You see, they are only focusing on the eldest son of the emperor."
Xu Jie secretly cursed a few words below, as if he already understood what kind of courtier he was.
Yan Song happened to turn around and saw Xu Jie at this time. When he saw a smile flashing at the corner of Xu Jie's mouth, he couldn't help but think: "This man is standing under the steps where he is, but his eyes are fixed on where the cabinet ministers are standing. I don't know. Fearless or determined? ”
Xu Jie also noticed Yan Song. He knew that Yan Song had made a great contribution in solving the famine problem, but he did not think that Yan Song would one day become the chief minister of the cabinet by promoting sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Zhu Houzhao naturally did not know the thoughts of his courtiers. Now his mind is still on the reform of the clan. Although he knows that the courtiers' minds are still on the matter of establishing a prince, Zhu Houzhao himself knows that if the system is not changed, even if the system is not changed, he will choose a virtuous prince. Ascension to the throne would not help.
"Now that the reform of the clan is on the agenda, let's talk about how to reform it specifically. Regarding the clan, I think it is not suitable for people to leave the capital to join the feudal clan, and those who have already joined the feudal clan outside are not suitable to stay in other places. The reason does not depend on me. Say more, you know how much you have done to deceive the people and bend the law in your domain!”
When Zhu Houzhao said this, the clan and civil and military officials below were all horrified, and all of them could not help but whisper.
Zhu Houzhao struck the bell: "Quiet! If you have any opinions, please raise them directly. Anyone who whispers will be punished for disturbing the court!"
The clan and civil and military officials all fell silent.
"Your Majesty, ordering the vassal king to become a vassal is an ancestral system. The ancestral system cannot be changed. If the vassal king is left in Beijing, the world may be in chaos!"
At this time, Cao Huai, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood up and said something, and he started crying bitterly and trembling non-stop. He seemed to be afraid that his words would make Emperor Zhu Houzhao angry, but he couldn't do it without eating in the corpse position, so he immediately He prostrated on the ground with a loud voice.
"I have long said that if we follow the ancestral system, the vassal king should still control the military. It is for this reason that I have reached a consensus with all the ministers. There are times when the ancestral system is inappropriate and it should be changed. The outline of the constitution also stipulates this. Emperor Ming rulers should keep pace with the times and dare to innovate , Reformers must not be punished with death for unfounded charges, but now you actually talk to me about the ancestral system and say that if you keep the vassal king in the capital, you may cause chaos in the world. Then I ask you, King Anhua and King Ning did not stay in the capital. Why still rebel? ”
When Zhu Houzhao asked, Cao Huai did not answer.
At this time, Zhang Cong stood up and asked: "Your Majesty, the clan's stay in Beijing will naturally involve the issue of migration. I dare to ask, how to deal with the clan's local property and land?"
"All the money will be converted into silver dollars, and the local governments will clear the land. Those belonging to the clan will be converted into silver coins and given to the clans. If the clans took it by force, they will be forcibly returned to the people." After Zhu Houzhao said this, Zhang Cong said no more. He knew that doing so would definitely harm the interests of the clans, because these clans occupied a lot of land, and they were all tax-free, and their annual income was not small. Now they are all sold to the court at a discount, which is obviously a loss to the clans. Very big.
"This is land given to us by past emperors. Your Majesty, you cannot take it back!"
At this time, a prince stood up and said something indignantly, and directly moved all the previous emperors out.
"The world belongs to me. Do I need your consent if I want to take it back? Tell me your title and name." There is no way. There are too many relatives in the Zhu family, and Zhu Houzhao doesn't know all the princes and kings, so when he sees this After a clan member stood up to express their objection, they asked.
"Jin Wang Zhu Xin," the vassal king replied.
Zhu Houzhao nodded: "Publish the decree, Jin King Zhu Xin despised the power of heaven, rebelled against the emperor, expelled the king and demoted him to a commoner!"
Zhu Xin was stunned for a while. He suddenly slapped the table and pointed at Zhu Houzhao: "You are bullying others too much! Are you trying to force us to rebel?!"
"You should go back and rebel!"
Zhu Houzhao said something and winked at Qi Jingtong. Qi Jingtong walked towards Zhu Xin knowingly. Just when Zhu Xing was about to ask Qi Jingtong what he wanted to do, an Xiuchun knife pierced his abdomen, and blood immediately splattered out.
The clan members and civil and military officials present turned pale with fright. They did not expect that His Majesty the Emperor would suddenly kill the King of Jin directly.
Zhu Houzhao suddenly seemed okay and asked: "Is there anyone else who threatens me with rebellion?"
All the feudal kings lowered their heads.
The imperial power is greater than the sky!
No one dares to offend!
Zhu Houzhao smiled coldly and said only: "The King of Jin Zhu Xin threatened to rebel and was suspected of treason, so he was executed!"
With that said, Zhu Houzhao only continued to give instructions: "Cabinet!"
At this time, the first assistant of the cabinet Zhang Cong, the second assistant Xia Yan, the third assistant Wang Shouren, and the fourth assistant Wang Tingxiang all stood up: "I am here!"
"Tomorrow, I will issue an edict to the governors of each province, ordering each province to immediately clear away the clan land and hand it over to the governors and historians of each province. All the clan land will be converted into silver coins for the clan members to use for their own use. All the fields will be converted into official fields. The land of the ancestors' tombs will be assigned to a special secretary. Management, the price is based on the local market price in the 30th year of Zhengde. The guards of each prince's palace are all managed by the clan, and the salary is paid by the imperial court. The clan is not allowed to keep private individuals! The servants hired must be registered with the clan."
After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, the cabinet and other officials accepted the order.
The rest of the clan looked horrified. It was impossible to say that they had no complaints against Zhu Houzhao, but the blood of Jin King Zhu Xin was still flowing on the ground, so they did not dare to say anything more.
Zhu Houzhao did not feel that this was so cruel, nor did he feel sorry for the Jin Wang family. He clearly remembered that in history, the Jin Wang family surrendered when Li Zicheng invaded Shanxi, and finally surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and were used by the Ming Dynasty as Han people. His hard-earned money has nourished his wealth for so many generations, and he doesn't even have the courage to hang himself. Now it makes sense to kill him to establish his authority.
Zhu Houcong had not slept well all night. He couldn't help but secretly feel lucky that he had finally agreed to the appointment of His Majesty the Emperor. Otherwise, he would have suffered the same fate as King Jin.
But Zhu Houcong had to admit that His Majesty the Emperor is truly an iron-blooded king. He has executed two princes in succession since he returned to Beijing. Thinking about it carefully, even though he is a prince, he is still as humble in front of the Emperor. His Majesty the Emperor has control over It has legislative and judicial power, as well as military power, and has the support of the people. If you want to kill yourself, it is just a matter of words.
Zhu Houzhao knew that what he did would definitely make more people below him fear him in their hearts, and even wish that he died. After all, as long as an iron-blooded king like him was alive, they would be trembling with fear.
But what Zhu Houzhao has to admit is that as a person in power, sometimes he has to be iron-blooded and kill people, because people are really only willing to compromise when their own lives are threatened. It does not make sense to present facts and reason.
Thank you to the book friend for tipping me 100 starting coins per pound of sugar. My novel has 1 million words. Keep up the hard work!
(End of chapter)