I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 136 Zhu Houxuan’s Position
The smile on Zhu Houzhao's face disappeared all of a sudden, and he looked at Zhu Houxun in astonishment: "What's wrong? Do you think the position of Minister of Revenue is too low? Let's just do this position first. When you have made achievements, I will promote you to a higher rank. Then it won't be impossible for you to become the Prime Minister of the Cabinet."

“Stop, stop, stop!” Zhu Houxuan felt his head hurt even more. “It’s not that it’s too low, it’s that it’s too high.”

"The position of Minister of Revenue is not that high, right? Brother, you are a prince, which is already a super-rank. The Minister of Revenue is only the second rank. It is already a concession for you to be the Minister of Revenue with your identity. How can it be considered a high position?" Zhu Houzhao said dissatisfiedly.

"Brother Emperor, I am only nineteen years old this year. At the age of nineteen, I became the Grand Tutor, in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and in charge of the household registration and financial affairs of the world. It is really shocking!" Zhu Houxuan said helplessly.

"So what? In ancient times, there were countless famous ministers who were younger than you and held high positions. If they could do it, you can do it too. Besides, the current Minister of Revenue does not have your talent. When he encounters problems, he has no way out except shouting 'Your Majesty, please open the treasury more'!" Zhu Houzhao said indignantly.

Zhu Houxuan was even more speechless. Asking him to be the Minister of Revenue was definitely a bad move and he was definitely unwilling to do it. He knew in his heart that Zhu Houzhao's temper had come up again and he wanted to show his power as an emperor in front of him, so he had to find a good official position for his younger brother.

But Zhu Houxun felt that this was extremely unnecessary, and Zhu Houzhao would definitely face tremendous political pressure if he did so.

First of all, it was a serious violation of the ancestral system for princes to hold important positions. Although there were princes holding important positions in the early Ming Dynasty, this possibility was completely eliminated after the Jingnan Campaign.

If Zhu Houzhao forced himself to do so, it would firstly cause unrest among the princes and vassals in various places; secondly, it would arouse hostility and vigilance among the civil service group.

Once this door is opened, the minds of the princes and vassals in various places will certainly become active. If the Prince of Jing, a distant relative born out of wedlock, can become the Minister of Revenue, then so can we. They will surely all want to work for the court. What reason does Zhu Houzhao have to stop them? Even if he can stop them by force, it will definitely arouse resentment and dissatisfaction among the royal family.

The position of Minister of Revenue has been controlled by civil servants since the founding of the country. Giving this position to Zhu Houxuan would definitely arouse the vigilance of the civil servants: Your Majesty, you have appointed Prince Jing as the Minister of Revenue today. Will you appoint other members of the royal family to other important positions next?
There are only so many official positions in the Ming Dynasty. Every time one is missing, it will undermine the lifeblood of the civil servants, let alone an important position like the Minister of Revenue. If other members of the royal family also come to snatch the positions of the civil servants, the civil servants will become anxious and fight to the death.

Even if Zhu Houzhao assured the ministers that he would only appoint Zhu Houchun, a member of the royal family, as the new emperor, he would certainly be hated by all the civil servants in the court.

Even if Zhu Houxuan really became the Minister of Revenue, what political achievements could he make in this situation where all the civil servants in the court were very hostile to him? It is estimated that there would be people trying to trip him up every day, and he would be caught up in all kinds of political struggles. He would have no energy to do his job well and would eventually leave in disgrace.

If he wants to achieve results in a position like the Minister of Revenue, he will have to win over a large number of civil servants, compromise with other civil servants or make political deals. This may achieve results, but in the long run it will definitely arouse the emperor's suspicion. What do you want to do as a vassal king by winning over a group of civil servants?

Never overestimate the moral integrity of an emperor, there are not many good people in this position.

But then again, although Zhu Houzhao's idea was a bit stupid, he was still moved by the love it showed for his younger brother.

With Zhu Houzhao's political wisdom, he must have realized how much pressure he would have to bear if his idea really came true, but he still had to do it.
Seeing that Zhu Houxun had remained silent, Zhu Houzhao tentatively said, "Since you think the position of Minister of Revenue is high, how about becoming the Vice Minister of Revenue?"

The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is of the third rank and is the deputy of the Shangshu, which is equivalent to the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Royal brother, I cannot make full use of my abilities in the Ministry of Revenue. We need to consider this matter carefully." Zhu Houxuan said helplessly.

"Then let's discuss it. Brother, what position do you want?"

Zhu Houxuan sighed in his heart. After his quick tour of Qizhou, Zhu Houzhao still didn't understand how to develop industry. But it was true. How could industry be so easy to develop?

"Brother Emperor, my strength lies in my good management and expertise in business and industry, so we must find a way to make use of my strengths," Zhu Houxuan said patiently.

Zhu Houzhao nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

"What I'm thinking is to combine all my industries in Qizhou with my royal brother's various industries. Then I will manage these industries specifically, make them bigger and stronger, and provide my royal brother with a steady supply of silver and money." Zhu Houxuan slowly expressed his thoughts.

Zhu Houzhao was very excited. He was so envious of the industries in Qizhou, and this would really give full play to Zhu Houxuan's abilities. However, he immediately said, "As an elder brother, how can I take my younger brother's industries? I can't have these industries for nothing. At least, let's agree on a share ratio."

Zhu Houxuan was amused by Zhu Houzhao's expression, "Brother, why should we divide our things between you and me? Besides, what's the use of having so much money? I can't spend all the annual salary, and money is just a number to me."

Zhu Houzhao was silent after hearing this. He really wanted these properties but was too embarrassed to accept them.

"Let's put it this way. We brothers both have the ideal of conquering the Mongols. After we conquer the Mongols together, we can talk about the shares of these industries. By then, I guess my brother won't be short of money." Zhu Houxuan really didn't want to talk about shares with Zhu Houzhao. It was meaningless to talk about shares with a creature like the emperor. "Then let's do as my brother said!" Zhu Houzhao agreed reluctantly on the surface, but he was very excited in his heart.

"But my brother should also have an official position of a high enough rank. Let's build a new government office and call it the Imperial Household Department. The Imperial Household Department will be in charge of the industries you just mentioned. My brother, you will be the general manager of the Imperial Household Department, and your official rank will be the first rank!" Zhu Houzhao became more and more excited as he spoke. He felt that his idea was simply great.

Zhu Houxun almost spat out blood after hearing this.
The head of the Imperial Household Department? Why does this title sound like a eunuch's? And it seems that the Qing Dynasty also had this title.

"Royal brother, no need. You don't need to confer any official position on me. Really not." Zhu Houxuan quickly refused.

"How can that be? You have paid so much, how can I be stingy with an official position?" Zhu Houzhao became anxious.

"Brother, I am a vassal prince. It is against the ancestral system for a vassal prince to serve as an official. This will definitely cause opposition from the civil and military officials in the court. Brother, you will definitely be under tremendous pressure because of this. I don't want you to be under pressure because of this. It's enough to help you. I don't care whether you have an official position or not." Zhu Houxuan refused firmly.

"Brother, you..." Zhu Houzhao was very moved when he heard it, but he became more anxious.

"Don't say any more, my royal brother." Zhu Houxuan interrupted him directly, "If my royal brother doesn't agree to me, I will stay in Qizhou and never go anywhere else." Zhu Houxuan knew Zhu Houzhao's temper very well, so he went straight for the winning move.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you, brother." Zhu Houzhao only felt a warm current flowing in his heart, which made him feel very comfortable.

He suddenly realized the deep meaning of Zhu Houchun's actions: if Zhu Houchun did not become an official, he would not violate the ancestral system, nor would he touch the sensitive nerves of the civil servants. In this way, he would encounter very little resistance in asking Zhu Houchun to go to Beijing to help him, and there would be no political pressure.

When Zhu Houzhao thought of this, he was even more moved. This brother was so thoughtful and always considered him.

In fact, Zhu Houxuan really didn't want the industries he managed to be incorporated into the Ming Dynasty's bureaucratic system, as this would cause a lot of trouble.

He would definitely not be the only commander in chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there would definitely be many lower-level officials. He would definitely want to arrange his own team to take up these positions, but none of his team had any achievements, so they could not be officials in the Ming Dynasty. Even if he forced his team to take up these positions, it would definitely touch the sensitive nerves of the civil servants. Can they become officials without passing the imperial examination or being favored by the emperor? And they would probably be a group of lowly craftsmen, the civil servants would definitely not be happy about this, because the imperial examination system was the lifeblood of the civil servants, they would definitely fight to the death!

If civil servants were allowed to serve as low-level officials in the Imperial Household Department, there would inevitably be the problem of laymen guiding professionals, and Zhu Houxuan would not be able to lead this team.

Moreover, being incorporated into the Ming Dynasty's bureaucratic system means that the Ming Dynasty's bureaucrats can influence the industries he controls through the bureaucratic system, which is something he does not want to see.

Therefore, breaking away from the Ming Dynasty's bureaucratic system and establishing his own system was his best option.

Next, Zhu Houxuan elaborated on his idea in detail. He would use these industries to form a business organization - the Ming Royal Group, and he would serve as the president.

Zhu Houzhao naturally agreed to all of them.

After talking about all this, Zhu Houzhao felt extremely excited. The results of today's discussion had far exceeded his expectations.

He excitedly grabbed Zhu Houxuan's hand and said, "From now on, all economic matters will be handed over to you. I will go and build a strong army, just like your lyrics, 'I will lead the horse, you will carry the burden', let's overcome all difficulties and welcome the sunrise."

Zhu Houxuan was also very moved. Horses symbolized war in ancient times. Zhu Houzhao was really relieved to hand over the economic power to him.
But Zhu Houxuan is not a person who plays by the rules.

A surprised expression appeared on his face. "You are leading a horse? Wasn't it Zhu Bajie who led the horse in Journey to the West? So you are Zhu Bajie!"

The Cunxin Hall suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
After a while.

"You are the Zhu Bajie! Stop! Don't run!"

Today, 5000 words, I will finish writing this plot in one go



(End of this chapter)