I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 242 Annual stipend of two hundred shi! Royal family member: We're not giving birth to children, we're giving birth to nothing but silver!
The fourteenth day of the first lunar month, in the afternoon.

Shen Maoxue sent the letter of apology, which he had personally written and had the Tuman Khan copy, to the Tuman tribe.

The reason he wrote it himself was...

This is because the Tuman people's apologies would inevitably be evasive and lack substance, failing to satisfy him.

In his apology letter, Shen Maoxue stated—

The assassination and provocation by the Tuman people in the capital was an extremely heinous crime committed by a group of warlike Tuman people. It was disrespectful to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and a disruption of the orthodox Confucianism of the Ming Dynasty. The Tuman Khan promised that such an incident would never happen again and solemnly apologized on behalf of the entire tribe, compensating the Ming Dynasty with goods worth 500,000 taels of silver.

The apology letter did not mention the open market.

On the surface, Shen Maoxue's promise to open two markets to the Tuman tribe is unrelated to this incident.

The market was a benevolent policy implemented by the Ming Dynasty to alleviate the suffering of the common people on the border, rather than something that the local tribes paid 500,000 taels of silver for.

In short: In this negotiation, the Ming Dynasty wanted both substance and face.

If the Tuman Khan dared to change even a single word in the apology letter, Shen Maoxue would tear it to shreds and then make the other party copy it again.

Zhang Juzheng has indicated that if the other party is unwilling to apologize and pay compensation, the Ming Dynasty can fight them first and then talk.

The Ming Dynasty at present has the strength to do so.

Moreover, the Anda tribe will certainly assist the Ming Dynasty.

If the perpetrators are not severely punished this time, foreigners will surely come to the capital to assassinate them in the future.

……

into the night.

When Tuman Khan saw the letter of apology written for him by Shen Maoxue, he was furious.

boom! boom! boom!
He kicked over the charcoal brazier beside him and broke a leg of the large animal-hide chair in front of him, but the letter of apology in his hand remained intact.

He didn't dare to tear it at all.

"I, the clan leader, will absolutely not sign such an apology letter that has caused my clan to lose face!"

No sooner had the Tuman Khan finished speaking than a soldier reported that Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang were organizing troops to fire cannons outside the city.

Setting off cannons at night was clearly intended to intimidate the Tuman tribe.

Black Stone Charcoal, standing to the side, said quietly, "Chieftain, the sooner we send the letter of apology, the better for us. Usually, when we plunder the people on the border of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming court might turn a blind eye. But this time, they assassinated their emperor and prime minister. In their anger, they might really start a full-scale war against us. In addition, that old bastard Anda is also insulting us to the leaders of various tribes. Later, I suggest that you also write a letter of apology to Anda. Otherwise, the surrounding tribes will isolate us!"

These words were like a needle pricking a fuming pufferfish; Tuman Khan immediately deflated.

Immediately, Tuman Khan quickly wrote it down.

"Send it away, send it away quickly!" Tuman Khan said, extremely annoyed.

He had always held the belief that "those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose," but this time he had clearly kicked a rock.

With the Ming Dynasty's determination and the assistance of the Anda tribe, it would be no difficult task for the Tuman tribe to disappear from the world within six months.

……

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, in the afternoon.

Zhang Xueyan, Li Chengliang, Qi Jiguang, and Shen Maoxue sent a joint memorial, along with a letter of apology from the Tuman Khan, to the capital by fast horse.

Dealing with the Tuman tribes in this way is far more valuable than simply "harassing them once and then beating them up."

……

It was the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, near dusk.

The memorial and letter of apology were sent to the capital, and the young Wanli Emperor was overjoyed after reading them.

He hadn't expected Zhang Xueyan and his group to be so efficient, and even more unexpectedly, they hadn't reduced the compensation by a single coin, but instead had come up with a high compensation of "six hundred thousand taels over ten years".

He even felt he wasn't asking for enough.

Maybe if we ask for a million taels, they'll grit their teeth and agree.

If, after the market opens, the other side still dares to invade the territory of the Ming Dynasty and plunder the property of the people, the Ming Dynasty can immediately close the market.

This agreement, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will at least bring ten years of peace to the Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Wanli was thrilled and rewarded Zhang Xueyan and the other three with generous gifts. After discussing with the cabinet, he decided to allocate 50,000 taels of the 60,000 taels of silver that the Tuman tribe paid as compensation each year to the national treasury, and the remaining 10,000 taels as military expenses for Liaodong and Jizhou.

Subsequently, the imperial court drafted a contract and sent it to Liaodong. Once the contract was signed, the northern border would be peaceful.

……

On the twenty-first day of the first lunar month, at dawn, civil and military officials gathered at the Huangji Gate.

This was the first regular court assembly after the annual leave in the seventh year of the Wanli reign.

Under Zhang Juzheng's arrangement, the young Wanli Emperor delivered a very long speech.

He first affirmed the achievements of various government departments in the new policy reforms last year, and then encouraged officials to work together to complete the national land survey task by the end of this year.

Afterwards, Zhang Juzheng, on behalf of the cabinet and the six ministries, supplemented Wanli's words.

On the one hand, it reminded officials to prevent the resurgence of land annexation and concealment; on the other hand, it emphasized that all government departments must cooperate closely and avoid internal strife.

Subsequently, Yin Zhengmao announced to the officials the annual revenue and expenditure of the Taicang Treasury last year, as well as the silver used for military supplies, grain, and commercial tax collection.

Shen Shixing then gave a brief report on the progress of the civil service examinations in the private sector last year, the publication of books, and the compilation of the manuscript for "Wanli Minjian".

A morning assembly quickly boosted the morale of the officials.

……

On the 22nd day of the first lunar month, at dawn, Shen Nian arrived at the Ministry of Revenue.

Upon entering, one sees a stone placed under the screen wall at the entrance, with a line of large characters carved on it: "To cultivate the fields, one must work diligently for three hundred days."

These words were obtained by Yin Zhengmao from the young Wanli Emperor and carved on stone.

This year was very important for the Ministry of Revenue.

Whether the nationwide land survey could be completed depended almost entirely on the overall coordination of the Ministry of Revenue.

Liu Sijie, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, held a mobilization meeting at the Ministry, demanding that officials in the Ministry of Revenue, in the coming year, refrain from taking concubines, holding weddings for their children, and committing any offenses that could lead to suspension or dismissal...

In short: This year, one must hand over everything to the Ministry of Revenue and to the national land survey.

……

On the 23rd day of the first month, just as officials in the capital were striving for progress...

A memorial of impeachment was sent to the Office of Transmission, to the Grand Secretariat, and to various government offices in the capital.

The reason this memorial spread so quickly was because its author was Hai Rui, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and a powerful figure in the Ming Dynasty.

After Hai Rui went on tour to inspect the censors throughout the country, he rarely submitted memorials, because the censors were all afraid of him and dared not neglect their duties.

Hai Rui generally did not submit memorials, but when he did, it was always about a major issue.

This time, Hai Rui was not impeaching the censors, nor the heads of the three local departments or the governors, but members of the Ming imperial family.

Hai Rui and Xu Jing, the censor of Shandong Circuit, jointly impeached: Since the first year of the Wanli reign, according to incomplete statistics, more than 600 members of the imperial family from the Dewang Mansion in Jinan Prefecture, Tai'an Mansion, Ninghai Mansion, Linqing Mansion, Jicheng Mansion, Qingping Mansion, and Ningyang Mansion had married without authorization and illegally occupied their annual stipends.

According to the Ming Dynasty's etiquette system, when a member of the imperial clan reached the age of fifteen, each princely residence could apply for a title for them and request marriage. Then, by imperial decree, a spouse would be selected, and after verification by the imperial censor, a title would be granted and marriage would be permitted.

The reason for such elaborate ceremonies and the prohibition against members of the royal family from marrying without authorization was to prevent them from illegally embezzling their annual stipends.

According to the Ming Dynasty's hereditary nobility system, each generation would be demoted one rank, and once they reached the rank of Fengguo Zhongwei (the lowest rank for members of the imperial clan), they would not be demoted again.

The salary of a Fengguo lieutenant was 200 shi per year. Although the court has reduced it, it was still about 100 shi, which was equivalent to about 100 taels of silver.

When members of the royal family get married, they don't have children, but rather money.

In order to obtain more annual stipends, some members of the imperial clan not only had a lot of children of their own, but also included illegitimate children, adopted children, and even sons and adopted children of servants who did not meet the qualifications for being granted titles.

These imposters, posing as members of the imperial clan, married without authorization, bypassing the inspection of the imperial censors, and used their personal influence to obtain titles for their family members. Once the deed was done, the court could not possibly settle the score later.

Six hundred people, their annual salary is sixty thousand taels of silver.

And they don't have to do anything.

In the Ming Dynasty, the annual income of ordinary farmers was around ten taels, while that of tenant farmers and low-level artisans was around five taels.

This shows that the members of the imperial family were nothing more than vampires of the Ming Dynasty.

Hai Rui's impeachment of members of the imperial clan for unauthorized marriages and embezzlement of their stipends was not aimed at the imperial clan members of Jinan Prefecture alone, but at all imperial clan members throughout the country.

Hai Rui and Xu Jing, the censor of Shandong Circuit, suggested that, starting from the first year of the Wanli reign, all members of the imperial clan who married without prior notification, regardless of whether it was genuine or not, should be stripped of their titles and honors and never reinstated.

The reason for starting in the first year of the Wanli reign was that if the previous emperor's reign were investigated, then the Jiajing reign would also need to be investigated, which would involve tens of thousands of people, causing too much impact. Moreover, according to the established system, matters from the previous reign should not be changed.

Even if we only investigate the period after the first year of the Wanli reign, we can probably find around five thousand people.

Five thousand men, an annual salary of five hundred thousand taels of silver, and expenses to be paid every year, is an enormous sum, equivalent to half a year's military expenses in Liaodong.

……

Cabinet value.

The three Grand Secretaries, Zhang Juzheng, Yin Zhengmao, and Shen Shixing, gathered together, and on the table was a joint memorial signed by Hai Rui and Xu Jing.

Yin Zhengmao said excitedly, "Finally, someone dared to expose this matter. No wonder it's Hai Gangfeng!"

Shen Shixing frowned slightly.

"Grand Secretary Yin, all the officials in the court know that members of the imperial family are fraudulently claiming quotas to receive annual stipends. The reason no one dares to mention it is twofold: firstly, the annual stipends allocated by the court in recent years have been insufficient; secondly, if the imperial family were to cause trouble, it would be difficult to control the situation. They have already compromised on the land issue, and if their annual stipends are reduced further, they might cause a disturbance!"

"Hmph! So what if they cause trouble? Some members of the royal family are already just names; they should have been registered as commoners long ago! Otherwise, if they continue to reproduce like this generation after generation, the national treasury will probably be completely drained by them!"

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard lightly.

"Your Majesty should be aware of our thoughts, but since this involves the imperial family, we, as subjects, should still consider Your Majesty's opinion. Perhaps we should let Your Majesty decide on this matter!"

Yin Zhengmao and Shen Shixing both nodded.

If the young Wanli Emperor's decisions differ from those of the three, the court officials will naturally speak out.

Immediately, Zhang Juzheng picked up his pen and wrote on the draft paper: "This matter involves the imperial family, and we ministers should not say too much. Please Your Majesty consider it carefully before making a decision."

Zhang Juzheng's use of the phrase "think thrice" was extremely clever; it was actually a reminder to the young Wanli Emperor that he must prioritize the overall situation.

Around noon, after the daily lecture.

Inside the Wenhua Hall.

Emperor Wanli saw the joint memorial submitted by Hai Rui and Xu Jing, the censor of Shandong Circuit, as well as the draft proposal from the cabinet.

He frowned, unsure of what to do.

Emperors Jiajing and Muzong, and even the young Wanli Emperor, all showed some favoritism towards members of the imperial clan, willing to use state funds to support them, since these people all shared the surname Zhu.

Just then, the British Duke Zhang Rong requested an audience.

Zhang Rong is a descendant of the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign, holding hereditary public office and representing the elite nobility. Currently, he is mainly in charge of the Left Army Commandery and has also presided over court sacrifices on several occasions.

Despite holding a high position, he wielded little real power in the court, though the young Wanli Emperor trusted him greatly.

"Xuan!"

A short while later, Duke Zhang Rong of England strode into the Wenhua Hall.

Seeing that there was only one eunuch and the recorder of the emperor's daily life in the hall, he took out a memorial and said, "Your Majesty, the members of the imperial clan in Jinan Prefecture know that they have been impeached by Hai Qianshi and Xu Jing, the censor of Shandong Circuit. They have asked me to submit a memorial to defend themselves."

If members of the imperial clan do not wish to submit memorials through the Office of Transmission, they may have them forwarded by senior officials.

"Bring it here!"

The young Wanli Emperor opened the joint memorials from these princes defending themselves and began to read them carefully.

Before long, his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

These feudal lords were also full of grievances.

They claimed that the court forbade their sons to engage in the four professions (scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants), but in recent years their annual stipends have been decreasing. In addition, in line with the court's land survey policy, they have handed over a large amount of land. Some of the imperial clans' off-line branches are struggling to make ends meet and have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

They also claimed that of the more than 600 people Hai Rui reported, only more than 200 were imposters. The court could revoke the titles of the imposters, but if the sons who truly deserved the titles were also stripped of them, their lives would be even more difficult.

They felt it was right to continue the bloodline of the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty. They felt that the annual salary allocated by the court was insufficient and that they were not allowed to engage in any livelihood activities. Therefore, they could only look for loopholes in the rules.

After expressing their grievances, the princes began to recount Zhu Yuanzhang's series of policies, with each emperor recounting his policies towards the princes. Finally, they spoke at length about the contributions their ancestors had made to the Ming Dynasty, and how the Zhu family members were now about to starve and freeze to death on the streets.

Between the lines, tears and snot flowed, filled with grievances, poverty, and helplessness.

After reading it, the young Wanli Emperor turned to look at Zhang Rong, the Duke of England.

"Duke of England, do you think I should follow the request of the Imperial Advisors and strip all princely sons who have married without authorization of their titles and ranks?"

Duke Zhang Rong of England hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, supporting the imperial clan is an ancestral system of our Great Ming Dynasty, but it has now become a heavy burden on local finances. I believe that the solution is to address the problem rather than simply punishing the imperial clan. As for the specific method, I have not yet come up with one. I suggest that the entire court discuss and deliberate on this matter.”

The young Wanli Emperor paused for a moment and said, "Let's discuss this matter at the regular court session three days from now!"

The young Wanli Emperor's tone carried a hint of helplessness.

He still wanted to treat the imperial relatives and vassals kindly and punish them lightly, otherwise he would have no face to face his ancestors. However, Zhang Juzheng's proposal of "think thrice" forced him to consider the bigger picture.

(End of this chapter)