Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 332 Zhu Ying has arrived, and his power shakes the vassal kings!
When the imperial edict to reduce the power of the feudal lords arrived.

Each of these vassal kings harbored some degree of resistance in their hearts.

Originally, he was a king who guarded a region.

They held absolute power in their fiefdoms, but now, with the issuance of an imperial edict, they have lost their military power, leaving them only with the authority to command eight hundred guards in the royal palace. Furthermore, they have lost even the power to appoint and dismiss officials within their fiefdoms; all official transfers now require the approval of the Ministry of Personnel of the imperial court.

This is tantamount to abolishing their monarchy.

They later became kings in name only, holding only a nominal title.

"Father."

“Besides this, I also have a problem.”

"Even if Father Emperor wants to punish me or kill me, I will still speak out."

At this time.

Another vassal king couldn't help but step forward, his face also filled with dissatisfaction.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at it calmly, without any ripples in his expression.

This prince was none other than Zhu Fu, the seventh son of the Prince of Qi.

If Zhu Ying saw him, he would understand him, because his cruelty was not much different from Zhu Shuang's; he was equally cruel and even harbored rebellious intentions.

This is also recorded in history.

"They seized our military power and abolished our administrative authority."

"Now you've even abolished our tax exemption rights; all our authority has been stripped away by your decree," said Prince Qi, Zhu Fu, with intense dissatisfaction.

"My father is unjust."

“My elder brother is indeed the eldest son of the legitimate wife, the crown prince, and the future of the Ming Dynasty belongs to him.”

'But we are also sons of the Emperor, and this inheritance should also be given to us.'

"Even a small corner of the fiefdom, is Father Emperor unwilling to give it up?"

"We are the Emperor's sons, why does he show such favoritism?" After Zhu Fu jumped out, another vassal king stood up and shouted with great resentment.

He was Zhu Gui, the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang and the Prince of Dai.

same.

He's no good either.

Especially for the people within his territory, he was extremely cruel and tyrannical.

Now that someone had taken the lead, he, who was already short-tempered, naturally couldn't stand his ground.

"Thirteenth Brother is right."

"My father is unjust."

“They are both sons of the Emperor. The elder brother is the Crown Prince, and the future of the Ming Dynasty belongs to him, but the Emperor cannot show too much favoritism.”

“We are all sons of the Emperor.”

"The reason why Father Emperor has changed so much and is targeting us must be because of Zhu Xiong Ying. He must have slandered us."

"It's all because of Zhu Xiong Ying."

Zhu Tan, the tenth son of Prince Lu, also stood up and spoke loudly.

"First they stripped us of our royal power."

"They seized the right to tax exemption."

"Now they've even come up with this so-called 'equalization of land tax and poll tax,' which means we can't avoid taxes. We have so much land and we have to pay taxes, but those landless commoners don't have to pay taxes. How are we supposed to find people to farm?"

"It's unfair, Father Emperor is unfair!"

"Zhu Xiong Ying, he shouldn't have come back."

"Father, this is the fiefdom you promised us, why are you going back on your word?"

……

this moment.

The entire Wenyuan Pavilion was filled with noise.

Fifteen vassal kings.

Four people have already spoken out, and several others are echoing their sentiments.

See this scene.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression remained relatively calm, but his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were on the verge of exploding in rage.

Zhu Biao, watching his younger brothers' behavior and listening to their words, also had a look of disappointment in his eyes.

"These are only the first generation of feudal kings who have been enfeoffed. The emperor is still alive, and they dare to be so dissatisfied."

"If my father were to pass away one day and I were to ascend the throne, would they truly obey me?"

"Even if I can suppress them, it will inevitably cause waves."

“U.A. is right.”

People change, and the human heart is unpredictable.

"The policy of enfeoffing princes was a real major drawback."

now.

Zhu Biao completely agreed with what Zhu Ying had suggested.

original.

He felt that Zhu Ying's policy of weakening the power of the princes was too hasty, but now it seems that it was not hasty at all, but rather that many of these princes had already developed a mindset centered on their own interests, and even dared to disrespect the central court.

If Zhu Yuanzhang had not personally issued the decree, they might not have obeyed at all and would have certainly obstructed it in every way.

The fact that even Zhu Biao had such thoughts shows just how terrible his younger brothers' performance was.

This time!

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly spoke: "Have you finished?"

The words fell.

All the vassal kings looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, seemingly waiting for his explanation and answer.

"Boss."

"Have you seen the ugly faces of your younger brothers?"

"Originally, we felt somewhat reluctant to reduce the power of the regional military governors and take away their tax exemption rights."

"But now it seems."

"We were wrong to enfeoff princes back then."

Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly, though he did not erupt in thunderous rage, his words were filled with boundless chill.

"It backfired."

Zhu Di, standing in the first row, changed his expression. As someone who was most perceptive of people's hearts, he naturally understood the coldness and anger in Zhu Yuanzhang's voice.

"The Ming Dynasty has only been established for twenty-four years."

"We enfeoffed your brothers as princes in the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign, less than thirteen years ago, and they've already grown powerful enough to compete with you."

“They feel that the favors we bestow upon them must belong to them.”

"Reducing the power of the feudal lords was truly the right thing to do."

"It was indeed the right thing to keep them out of military power."

“If we let them continue like this, once we leave, they will become lawless, they will hold military power, and they will rebel.”

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke coldly, his voice growing colder and colder, and a suffocating pressure enveloped the entire hall.

this moment.

Zhu Gang and his men, who had originally been the ones to stick their necks out, also changed their expressions drastically. They naturally understood the meaning behind Zhu Yuanzhang's words.

This person is truly enraged.

"Father, calm down."

"Your subjects have absolutely no intention of rebelling."

Zhu Di hurriedly knelt down and shouted loudly.

The princes dared not hesitate and knelt down, shouting in unison, "Father, please calm your anger!"

But Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of paying attention to them; his gaze fell on Zhu Biao.

After a long time.

Zhu Biao sighed, a look of pity on his face: "Father is right."

"It is my son who overestimated people's hearts, overestimated the corrupting influence of power, and overestimated the brotherhood among the royal family."

"There is no brotherly affection among the royal family."

"Only self-interest matters, only personal interests matter."

"They don't care about the fundamental interests of the country at all."

"This time, my son understood too."

“This was an imperial edict issued by Father himself, and they are already complaining. If I were to ascend the throne and issue the same edict in the future, I wonder how many of them would rebel.” Zhu Biao’s voice also turned somber.

now.

The layout of the main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion suddenly changed drastically.

In the past.

Whenever Zhu Yuanzhang was truly angry with them, Crown Prince Zhu Biao would act as a peacemaker, appeasing Zhu Yuanzhang while also protecting his younger brothers.

This was the case before they took up their fiefs.

But today.

The situation seems to have completely changed.

Zhu Biao was also disappointed in them.

Or.

Their performance today was excessive.

They have overstepped their bounds of imperial power, and even more so, they have overstepped their own status as subjects.

Perhaps it was Zhu Biao's past leniency that made them forget their place. Speaking of place...

Zhu Biao was not only their elder brother, but also the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.

And they were subjects.

They were subjects.

Their actions today are still an overreach.

"My older brother has changed too."

Zhu Di was greatly alarmed, and he naturally understood the meaning behind Zhu Biao's words.

This clearly shows that Zhu Biao was also disappointed in them.

"Big brother."

"You...you're exaggerating."

“Your Majesty, we brothers would never dare to rebel or overstep our bounds,” Zhu Gang said hastily, somewhat flustered.

Although he was reckless, he realized that he had really offended Zhu Biao this time, which was not a good thing.

"original."

"When discussing the reduction of the power of the vassal kings, both my father and I were somewhat cautious, and even hesitant."

"But seeing your performance today, I can see the true nature of people's hearts and the true nature of the ruler and his subjects."

"Aren't you asking questions and saying that Father Emperor is unfair?"

"Then today I will tell you as the eldest brother and as the Crown Prince."

"Why did Father Emperor strip you of your military and political power!"

"Why should we abolish your tax exemption rights!"

There is only one root cause.

"You do not know how to cherish, how to exercise restraint, or how to restrain yourselves."

"You have taken advantage of your right to tax exemption and your control over the military and political power within the fiefdom. You have used trickery and force to seize the people's land and property, thereby accumulating wealth and oppressing them without restraint."

“You have taken over military and political power, installed your cronies, and disregarded the law.”

“From now on you will be of high status, oppress the people, and be cruel and tyrannical.”

"This is the foolish thing some of you have done for the king," Zhu Biao said angrily, his voice filled with both anger and disappointment.

Seeing Zhu Biao's furious expression.

The faces of all the vassal kings below changed drastically. They knelt on the ground, completely at a loss for words.

This was also the first time they had ever seen the gentle and refined Zhu Biao erupt in such fury.

This really angered Zhu Biao.

"You keep talking about the Zhu family's rule."

"But have you ever truly cherished or valued this Zhu family's empire?"

"In the Han Dynasty, the same system of enfeoffing princes was implemented, but in the end, it was the princes who brought chaos to the country."

"Since ancient times."

"Whenever a prince is enfeoffed and sent out, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the country."

"I was originally thinking about how to make it up to you and let you live in peace, but now it seems that there is no need for that."

"From now on, you will all be ordinary, powerless vassal kings. That way, you won't cause any trouble for my Great Ming Dynasty," Zhu Biao said coldly, his tone devoid of any trace of kindness or pity for these vassal kings.

Upon hearing Zhu Biao's pronouncement of the verdict...

The faces of the princes in the hall all turned extremely ugly.

because.

Zhu Biao was completely disappointed in them and would no longer grant them any favors.

The reduction of the power of the regional military governors was now a foregone conclusion.

perhaps.

This is something they brought upon themselves.

If they hadn't shown such resistance upon arriving at the Wenyuan Hall, but instead had complied with Zhu Yuanzhang and his son, perhaps Zhu Biao wouldn't have been angry.

But what they are showing now is their ambition.

Ambition born of unwillingness to accept defeat.

This was naturally intolerable to the imperial power.

now.

An eerie silence filled the main hall.

All the feudal lords knelt on the ground, their fate seemingly sealed.

This time.

Those scheming vassal kings essentially ruined their own future.

Outside the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Apart from the Imperial Guards on duty.

Zhu Ying stood by the palace gate, listening quietly.

He's been here for a while now.

When the Imperial Guards were about to salute, Zhu Ying told them to dispense with the formalities and remain silent.

Zhu Ying was listening to the vassal kings express their discontent at that moment.

After all.

Zhu Ying also wanted to see if the old Zhu father and son would be too tolerant of these vassal kings.

Zhu Ying was very satisfied with the result.

"Zhu Gang really is being too clever for his own good."

"The more greedy and persistent they appear, the more wary Old Zhu and his men become."

“There are other troublemakers out there, and none of these guys are easy to deal with.”

"Zhu Di, he's still pretending. He hasn't said a word from beginning to end, just waiting for someone else to make the first move. He's really deep in thought. But if I don't completely suppress you this time, then I'm not Zhu Ying." Zhu Ying sneered inwardly.

We are naturally pleased with the situation here.

And this time!
The silence in the main hall continued.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent.

Zhu Biao looked furious.

All the vassal kings knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a word.

"His Majesty has not only abolished your tax exemption rights, but also your royal titles."

“From now on, the support provided to members of the royal family will also change.”

Zhu Ying's voice came from outside the main hall.

Hear the sound!

All the princes turned their gaze toward the palace entrance. The moment they saw Zhu Ying, dressed in the robes of a prince, they immediately recognized him.

When Zhu Di saw Zhu Ying again, he felt an indescribable sense of tension.

after all.

Of all the princes, he was the one with the most problems.

Zhu Ying may have already anticipated his previous rivalry with Zhu Ying.

This is something you can't escape.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone.

Zhu Ying slowly walked into the main hall.

As he passed by the various vassal kings, he didn't even glance at them, showing utter indifference.

However, his gaze softened slightly upon seeing Prince Ning, after all, he had some dealings with Zhu Quan back in Da Ning.

"Father."

"Your subject is not convinced."

"There is no resurrection from the dead."

"Zhu Xiong Ying from back then is already dead. Even if many things have been verified, is he really Zhu Xiong Ying?"

"Perhaps he is just a commoner who is posing as royalty."

After watching Zhu Ying walk away.

King Zhu Fu of Qi stood up and said with great skepticism.

But his words trailed off.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao's expressions changed, and anger surged within them. However, they were even more worried, and their gazes turned to Zhu Ying in unison.

But the moment their gaze fell upon him.

Zhu Ying stopped walking.

Turn around slowly.

Just for a moment.

Zhu Ying leaped several meters in one step, instantly appearing in front of Zhu Fu. He grabbed Zhu Fu's neck and easily lifted him up.

"what……"

Zhu Fu struggled frantically, his face turning red.

This scene.

This also caught all the vassal kings in the hall completely off guard.

……

(End of this chapter)