Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 322 The Iron-Blooded King
"Your Majesty, I think what Duke Zheng said makes sense. The reform of the royal family should be considered in the long run, but the laws established by our ancestors cannot be disrupted. The princes and royal family members with titles cannot stay in the capital for too long, otherwise there may be great disasters. The most important thing now is that the princes have come of age. We should establish the Crown Prince Palace as soon as possible, enfeoff the princes, and let them leave the capital as soon as possible."

At this time, Chu Liangcai, the Minister of Rites, also echoed what was said. In his heart, he actually didn't care about the royal family reform, and he even cared less than the royal family members themselves.

After all, for the royal family, if the Ming Dynasty really perished, they, as members of the Zhu family, would naturally lose everything. But for the civil servants, the loss of the Ming Dynasty was not a big deal, as at most they could become ministers of the new dynasty. What was scary was that the princes would stay in the capital, causing unrest in the world, and might even deprive the civil servants of their power to rule the world.

Zhu Houzhao did not expect that when he proposed the reform of the royal family, the court officials would lead him to the issue of the crown prince.

Zhu Houzhao glared at Chu Liangcai with disdain and said, "What I am discussing now is the reform of the royal family, not the crown prince. Your political remarks are irrelevant. Meng Chun, how did you select officials in the Ministry of Personnel? I will dismiss you from your post!"

Chu Liangcai regretted his slip of the tongue and accidentally offended the emperor, so he was dismissed from his post on the spot. For a moment, he had to retreat in disappointment.

Zheng Yue, the Minister of Dali Temple, also felt a little uneasy, but he believed that what he said was correct. It was against the rules for the princes to stay in the capital instead of settling down in their fiefdoms.

Zhu Houzhao just glared at Zheng Yue and said nothing more. He didn't want to waste time fighting these pedantic civil servants. He only asked Zhu Taihan's name, title, age, etc., and then nodded and said:
"It's rare that you can come up with such a suggestion. I think it's feasible. As you said, the Imperial Clan Court will confer titles according to the regulations. A prince is limited to five sons, a county prince is limited to three sons, a general is limited to two sons, and those below the general are limited to one son. Sons beyond the limit will not be given titles or salaries, but only a crown and belt of honor!"

Zhu Taihan did not expect that Emperor Zhu Houzhao would accept his proposal so easily. He was so excited that he forgot how dangerous his current situation was. He had a mentality of realizing his ambitions and continued to say:
"Your Majesty, I believe that reforming the royal family should not only limit the number of people who can inherit the title, but also have the following strategies:
The first is to limit the number of concubines;

The second is to open up the ban on the royal family's occupations, just like opening up the ban on the four classes of people, allowing royal family members to engage in farming, business, artisanship, and scholarship, so that they can contribute to the country;
The third is to strictly investigate the fake royal family members and prohibit the phenomenon of having children randomly and marrying without permission;
Fourth, it is stipulated that the court shall spend a certain proportion of the salary of the royal family as a permanent rule. No matter how large the number of royal family members is in the future, the royal family expenses shall be distributed according to this proportion. If the royal family members are too large, and the increase in royal family expenses is not large, then the royal family salaries shall be reduced so as not to favor one over the other. If the court's income increases in the future and the increase in the amount of royal family expenses is large, then the royal family salaries can be increased equally! "

After Zhu Taihan finished his vivid description, Zhu Houzhao smiled.

But the faces of some court officials and royal family members were even darker. It was obvious that the several suggestions made by Zhu Taihan based on his own experience of life as a royal family member could effectively change the problem of the court's high expenses in supporting royal family members.

In particular, the fourth article is of the greatest significance, as it limits the expenses of the royal family to a certain proportion, which undoubtedly fixes the burden of the court in supporting the royal family at a certain level.

In this way, even if the number of royal family members continues to increase in the future, the burden on the court will not increase. Of course, this will also be equivalent to reducing the treatment of royal family members in disguise in the future.

However, in the eyes of many court officials, it would be fine if these suggestions for royal family reform were put forward by civil officials, but it would be inappropriate if they were put forward by a vassal king.

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 all true and insightful. It's a blessing for the country to have such a wise king, but it's a pity that he is not your Majesty's crown prince."

Zhu Taihan was very happy when he saw the Minister of Personnel Meng Chun praising him. He felt that this was an affirmation of himself by the court.

However, Zhu Houcong could not help but smile at this time. He knew the world and human nature better than Zhu Taihan. He had to admit that Zhu Taihan, as a classmate with whom he had studied in the palace for several years, had more ideas about serving the country, but he was also obviously more bookish.

Zhu Houcong believed that Zhu Taihan's behavior today had obviously dissatisfied many court officials. After all, which vassal king would dare to get involved in such matters? Isn't this tantamount to slapping the faces of the civil servants, or waiting for the civil servants to say that he has ambitions?

Zhu Houcong knew that although Meng Chun seemed to be praising Zhu Taihan, he was actually trying to kill him. The most taboo thing in the court was that the princes were more virtuous than the emperor and the crown prince. Now that Meng Chun said this, naturally some court officials who were afraid of the princes would become even more dissatisfied with the outspoken Zhu Taihan, and Zhu Houzhao's princes would also be dissatisfied with Zhu Taihan.

"Uncle Wang, is Zhu Taihan really as wise as Meng Tianguan said?"

The second prince Zhu Zaijie asked Zhu Houcong who was beside him.

Zhu Houcong smiled and said, "Your Highness, I don't know this uncle either. Meng Tianguan said he is virtuous, so he must be a virtuous king."

"The emperor seems very satisfied with his proposal."

Zhu Zaijie said this, and Zhu Houcong just smiled slightly. He knew that the fate of his former classmate Zhu Taihan would definitely be grim, and he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Zhu Taihan.

As for the royal family reform, Zhu Houcong himself naturally knew that it was necessary, but he knew that as a vassal king, it would be better for him not to interfere no matter how the reforms were made.

Zhu Houzhao could understand what Meng Chun meant and knew that Meng Chun was trying to flatter Zhu Taihan, but he was not afraid of Zhu Taihan's intention. After all, Zhu Taihan's suggestions were indeed good. But Zhu Houzhao could feel that the pressure to reform the royal family did not come from the princes and royal family, but from the civil servants in the court.

"Issue an imperial decree, order Zhu Taihan to be the head of the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau, Prince Xing Zhu Houcong to be the left chief of the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau, and the eldest son Zhu Zailei to be the right chief of the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau, in charge of the reform of the Imperial Clan. The relevant reform matters shall be drafted into a memorial and submitted to the Cabinet. The Cabinet shall make a decision, and the Imperial Clergy shall draft an imperial decree and issue it to the Ministry of Rites. Then, starting from next month, the memorial shall be used as an example!"

After Zhu Houzhao's words, Gu Dayong took the order and left to prepare a memorial from the officials of the Imperial Household Department to appoint Zhu Taihan, Zhu Houcong and Zhu Zaile as officials of the Imperial Clan Court.

However, Zhu Houzhao's decree still surprised the ministers and was difficult to accept, because Zhu Houzhao's doing so meant allowing the descendants of the royal family to participate in politics.

Zhu Taihan was both surprised and happy at this time. He was surprised that he, a prince, was directly appointed as the first-rank clan leader by the Emperor. He was happy that the Emperor asked him to be in charge of the clan reform, which obviously meant that he wanted to use him.

Zhu Taihan hurriedly accepted the order. Unlike other princes, he was still willing to do some real work.

Zhu Houcong was actually shocked at this time. He didn't expect that even though he was so low-key, he would still be named by the emperor and appointed as Zuo Zongzheng to assist Zhu Taihan in carrying out the royal family reform. Isn't this just putting himself on the fire?

Zhu Houcong stood up hesitantly and said, "Your Majesty, I have been ill recently and wanted to ask for permission to return to Anlu Prefecture to recuperate. Now, Your Majesty wants me to serve as Zuo Zongzheng to assist Prince Fenglin in reforming the royal family. I am afraid I am not up to the task."

Zhu Houzhao showed an unhappy look on his face. He naturally knew that Zhu Houcong was definitely not Zhu Taihan. As a power-seeking emperor who became the emperor in the original history and manipulated all officials in the palm of his hand, how could he be willing to be his pawn and be used by him.

However, it was precisely because Zhu Houzhao knew that Zhu Houcong was quite strategic and was even better at fighting with civil servants that he let Zhu Houcong serve as Zuo Zongzheng to assist Zhu Taihan. Because Zhu Houzhao could see that Zhu Taihan was an idealist theorist. If the royal family reform was to be successful, there must be a practical person who was good at fighting against opponents and could do it with ease, and Zhu Houcong was obviously the most suitable candidate.

"You are assisting Prince Fenglin, and you have the eldest prince to help you. You are not asked to lead troops to fight, so it is not hard work. As a prince of the court, you have been cultivated by the royal family for so many years. How come you are unwilling to make even the slightest contribution to the Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Houzhao asked in a serious tone.

"Father is right, uncle. You were in good health to begin with, but now you are a little weak. Maybe it's because of the pills you took. Now is a good time for His Majesty to share your worries and contribute to the court. Why would you refuse? Besides, you can work with me, so why not?"

Zhu Zailei said something that made Zhu Houzhao realize that Zhu Zailei and Zhu Houcong had a good relationship, but what surprised him even more was that Zhu Houcong of this era, who was not an emperor, actually still liked to make elixirs.

"Lei'er is right. As a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, you should not be too obsessed with alchemy. If you are really interested in alchemy, you can try to refine new chemical products. It is naturally a good thing to benefit the people and strengthen the country."

Zhu Houzhao also gave some advice at this time. He knew that although Zhu Houcong in history was well versed in the mind of emperors and had independent control over the world, he did cause a palace coup because of his obsession with Taoist alchemy, and even caused the court to waste a lot of money because of his obsession with Taoism.

Now, Zhu Houcong was just a prince, but he was still obsessed with this, and he obviously wanted to live forever. But even if he was the emperor, he couldn't restrict Zhu Houcong's freedom to pursue immortality, so after persuading him a few times, he didn't persuade him anymore, and 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 himself knew that he was doing some absurd things under the guise of practicing Taoism and refining elixirs just to protect himself. After all, the identity of a vassal king has always been very sensitive, and if he did not have some unprofessional hobbies, it would be difficult for him to stay in the capital.

But now, Zhu Houcong also knew that if he refused the emperor again, he would probably be demoted to a royal title and returned to Huguang to become a Taoist priest. Moreover, he had refused politely at the beginning in order to show the civil officials and princes of the dynasty, so that these courtiers and princes would know that he was different from Zhu Taihan, and that he had no aspirations, let alone ambitions.

"Now that I have accepted the emperor's appointment, I am forced to do so. The civil officials and the princes should not have any grudges against me." Zhu Houcong thought so, and then he saluted and said, "Thanks to your majesty for your favor and the respect of the eldest prince. Although I am dull in talent, I am willing to serve the court!"

When Zhu Houzhao saw that Zhu Houcong agreed, he nodded. The eldest prince Zhu Zailei also smiled slightly and looked at Zhu Houcong meaningfully.

Zhu Zailei also received the imperial edict. He could feel that among these royal family members, the imperial uncle next to him was obviously not an ordinary person.

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 for Zhu Taihan just now, but he didn't expect that His Majesty really reused Zhu Taihan and made him the first-rank clan leader! In charge of the clan reform! Meng Chun was really worried that the clan members would rise up and interfere in the government, squeezing out the power of the civil officials. Zheng Yue, the chief judge of the Dali Temple, also had this idea at this time, and he stood up directly.

"Your Majesty, the affairs of the royal family have been under the management of the Ministry of Rites. Now rashly appointing officials from the Imperial Clan Court and letting the Imperial Clan Court manage the affairs of the royal family is undoubtedly allowing the royal family to participate in politics. If this continues, the royal family may monopolize power, which is not good for the country!"

"The royal family's participation in politics is not the same as commanding the army. The consequences are not as serious as you think. In the Ming Dynasty, except for the Ming Emperor who has the power to monopolize power as stipulated in the Constitution Outline, no one can monopolize power! If the royal family monopolizes power in the future, it must be because of the emperor himself. And the royal family can monopolize power. Isn't it possible that a powerful official in your court can monopolize power?"

Zhu Houzhao asked coldly, and then said: "No one can predict the future, but at least for now, the reform of the royal family must be carried out. You are the chief minister of the Dali Temple, and your duty is to review judicial cases. There is no need to say more about internal affairs."

"Yes!"

When Zheng Yue heard Zhu Houzhao say this, he could only reply awkwardly. He couldn't help but glance at the cabinet ministers. He didn't understand why the cabinet ministers didn't offer any suggestions.

In fact, it's not that Zhang Cong didn't want to offer his opinions, he just felt that he had nothing to offer, because the emperor let Zhu Taihan be in charge of the royal family reform but still let the cabinet decide. It was obvious that he still regarded the cabinet as the highest decision-making place for internal affairs. As the chief minister of the cabinet, why should he be so tactful? And as Your Majesty said, whether it is the royal family's monopoly, the power of powerful ministers, or the power of eunuchs, they are all related to the emperor. As long as the emperor is competent, these things will not happen.

Zhang Cong is now only observing the eldest son Zhu Zailei. He really wants to see whether the eldest son Zhu Zailei can display his talents in participating in the reform of the royal family this time. If he can display his talents, he really wants to propose to the emperor to appoint a crown prince as requested by all officials. But if not, he still has to think carefully about which is more important, the ability of the crown prince or Confucian etiquette.

Xia Yan and Wang Shouren, like Zhang Cong, were looking at the eldest prince Zhu Zailei.

"The realms of these court officials are different. The lowest level ones are useless except for making money. The better ones can still get things done. The more far-sighted ones, like Zheng Yue from the Dali Temple, can even think that the royal family will participate in politics and divide the power of their civil servants. The most far-sighted ones can think of the position of crown prince. No wonder Zhang Fujing and others can become cabinet ministers. You see, they are only eyeing the eldest prince now."

Xu Jie secretly complained a few words in his heart, as if he already understood what kind of court official he was.

Yan Song happened to turn around and saw Xu Jie at this time. Seeing a hint of smile on Xu Jie's face, he couldn't help but think, "This man is standing at the bottom of the steps where I am standing, but his eyes are fixed on the positions where the ministers are standing. I wonder if he is fearless or has something in mind?"

Xu Jie also noticed Yan Song. He knew that Yan Song had made great contributions to solving the famine problem, but he did not think that Yan Song would one day be able to become the prime minister of the cabinet by promoting sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Zhu Houzhao naturally had no idea what his court officials were thinking. Now his mind was still on the royal family reform. Although he knew that the court officials were still focusing on the issue of appointing a crown prince, Zhu Houzhao himself knew that if the system was not changed, it would be of no avail even if a virtuous crown prince was chosen to ascend the throne.

"Now that the reform of the royal family is on the agenda, let's talk about how to make the reforms. As for the royal family, I think it is not appropriate for them to leave the capital to become fiefs, and those who have already become fiefs should not stay in other places. I don't need to explain the reasons. You all know how much you have done to deceive the people and break the law in your own fiefdoms!"

After Zhu Houzhao said this, the royal family members and civil and military officials below were all shocked and could not help whispering to each other.

Zhu Houzhao struck the bell and chimes: "Silence! If you have any opinions, just raise them directly. Anyone who whispers will be punished for disturbing the court!"

The royal family and civil and military officials all fell silent.

"Your Majesty, ordering the princes to return to their vassal states is the ancestral system, and the ancestral system cannot be changed. Leaving the princes in the capital may cause chaos in the world!"

At this time, Cao Huai, the Left Vice Minister of Rites, stood up and said something, and then he burst into tears and kept shaking. He seemed to be afraid that his words would make the Emperor Zhu Houzhao angry, but he couldn't just sit there and do nothing, so he prostrated himself on the ground with a cry of emotion.

"I have already said that if we follow the ancestral system, the princes should still hold military power. It is precisely because of this that I have reached a consensus with all the ministers. The ancestral system is not suitable for the times and should be changed. The Constitution also stipulates this. The rulers of the Ming Dynasty should keep pace with the times and dare to innovate. They should not punish reformers with death on trumped-up charges. But now you are talking to me about the ancestral system and saying that keeping the princes in the capital may cause chaos in the world. Then I ask you, Prince Anhua and Prince Ning did not stay in the capital, so why did they still rebel?"

After Zhu Houzhao asked this, Cao Huai did not answer.

At this time, Zhang Cong stood up and asked, "Your Majesty, if the royal family stays in Beijing, it will naturally involve the issue of migration. I would like to ask, how should the royal family's local properties and land be handled?"

"Convert all of them into silver dollars, and order local government offices to survey the land. Those belonging to royal family members will be converted into silver dollars and given to each clan member. If the land was looted by these clan members, it must be returned to the people." After Zhu Houzhao said this, Zhang Cong did not say anything more. He knew that doing so would definitely cause great harm to the interests of the royal family members, because the amount of land occupied by these clan members was not small, and it was tax-free, and their annual income was not small. Now that all of it was sold at a discount to the court, it was obvious that the royal family members suffered a great loss.

"This is the land that our ancestors gave us. Your Majesty, you cannot take it back!"

At this time, a prince stood up and said something indignantly, directly bringing up all the previous emperors.

"The world belongs to me. Do I need your consent if I want to take it back? Tell me your title and name." There was no other way. The Zhu family had too many relatives, and Zhu Houzhao did not know all of them. Therefore, when he saw this clan member stand up to express his opposition, he asked.

"Prince Zhu Xin of Jin," the prince replied.

Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "Decree that Jin Wang Zhu Xin has defied the majesty of heaven and offended the emperor, and he will be stripped of his title and demoted to a commoner!"

Zhu Xin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly slammed the table and pointed at Zhu Houzhao: "You are going too far! Are you trying to force us to rebel?!"

"Why don't you go back and rebel!"

Zhu Houzhao said this and winked at Qi Jingtong, who understood and walked towards Zhu Xin. Just as Zhu Xin was about to ask Qi Jingtong what he wanted to do, a sword pierced his abdomen, and blood splattered out immediately.

The royal family members and civil and military officials present were all pale with fear. None of them expected that His Majesty the Emperor would suddenly kill the Prince of Jin.

Zhu Houzhao seemed to be fine and asked, "Is there anyone else threatening me with rebellion?"

All the princes lowered their heads.

Imperial power is above heaven!
No one dares to offend!
Zhu Houzhao smiled coldly and said only one sentence: "Prince Jin Zhu Xin threatened to rebel and was suspected of treason, so he was executed!"

Having said that, Zhu Houzhao only continued to order: "Cabinet!"

At this time, the cabinet's chief minister Zhang Cong, the second minister Xia Yan, the third minister Wang Shouren, and the fourth minister Wang Tingxiang all stood up and said, "I am here!"

"Tomorrow I will issue an imperial decree to the governors of all provinces, ordering them to immediately survey the land of the royal family and hand it over to the chief officials of each prefecture. All the land of the royal family will be converted into silver dollars for the royal family to use for their own use. All the fields will be turned into official fields. The land of the ancestral graves will be managed by the officials, and the price will be based on the local market price in the 30th year of the Zhengde reign. The officials and guards of each royal palace will be managed by the Royal Family Bureau, and their salaries will be paid by the court. The royal family is not allowed to keep private servants! The servants they hire must be registered with the Royal Family Bureau."

After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, the cabinet officials received the order.

The rest of the clan members all looked horrified. It was impossible for them to say that they had no complaints against Zhu Houzhao, but the blood of Prince Jin Zhu Xin was still flowing on the ground, so they did not dare to say anything more.

Zhu Houzhao did not think that doing so was cruel, nor did he feel that it was a pity for the Jin Wang family. He clearly remembered that in history, the Jin Wang family had surrendered when Li Zicheng invaded Shanxi, and finally surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. The Ming court had used the hard-earned money of the Han people to nourish their wealth and prosperity for so many generations, but they did not even have the courage to hang themselves. Now it would be meaningful for him to kill them to establish his authority.

Zhu Houcong did not sleep well all night. He could not help but secretly feel lucky that he finally agreed to the emperor's appointment today, otherwise he would have ended up like the Prince of Jin.

But Zhu Houcong had to admit that the current emperor was a truly iron-blooded monarch. He had executed two princes in a row since returning to Beijing. If he thought about it carefully, even though he was a prince, he was still as lowly as a grass in front of the emperor. The emperor held the legislative and judicial powers, the military power, and had the support of the people. If he wanted to kill him, it would only take a word.

Zhu Houzhao knew that by doing so, more people under him would be afraid of him in their hearts, and even wish for his death. After all, as long as a iron-blooded king like him was alive, they would live in fear.

But Zhu Houzhao had to admit that as a person in power, sometimes he had to be ruthless and had to kill people, because people are only willing to compromise when their lives are threatened, and facts and reasoning will not work.

Thanks to my book friend for his reward of one pound of sugar and 100 Qidian coins. The novel has now reached one million words. Keep up the hard work!
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(End of this chapter)