There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 331 Continuing the Family Genealogy (Update the map)
The Eight Yao were more reserved than the Zhong Miao before them; they did not allow the King of Han to marry their Yao women.

Of course, it's also possible that they don't know they can do it this way.

Zhong Miao knew this because he had been cooperating with the Han Dynasty for a long time. The Yao people of Ba Pai had only come to the Han Dynasty this year, and their understanding of the Han Dynasty was basically based on the liaison envoys sent by the Yao people of Hunan, as well as their firsthand experience after meeting the King of Han.

I know absolutely nothing about anything else, I've never heard of it.

The Yao people in Hunan knew this, but they deliberately kept it a secret for as long as possible, because they wanted the Han king to marry their Yao women first.

Nie Yu had just won over the envoys of the Eight Yao tribes, unaware that his harem was already being coveted by the various ethnic minorities under his rule.

Not to mention the ethnic minorities, even the Han gentry who had been thoroughly subdued by the Han Dynasty were subtly inquiring about when the King of Han would begin the imperial concubine selection.

Although the King of Han is not yet the emperor, the imperial examinations have already been reopened, and the selection of candidates for the imperial concubines should not be far off.

The Han Dynasty is currently at its peak. Jiangxi has been completely taken over, and Anhui is within easy reach. Moreover, once the entire southern Anhui region is conquered, Nanjing will be just a stone's throw away.

Once Nanjing is captured, the Prince of Han should ascend the throne.

At that time, not only will these gentry be thinking about it, but even the civil officials under the King of Han will be thinking about urging the King of Han to quickly select candidates to enrich the harem and reproduce the royal offspring.

After receiving the envoys from the three parties, Nie Yu immediately summoned his ministers for a meeting.

Liu Jun asked first, "Your Majesty, is it because that Wang Nangxian is so ugly that it makes Your Majesty uncomfortable?"

Nie Yu shook his head: "No, that Zhong Miao maid was the personal attendant of Wang Nangxian Wang Acong, so she carried a portrait of Wang Acong. I have seen it, and it may not be exactly the same as the real one, but she is not ugly in the portrait, and even quite beautiful (the records say that this fairy is exceptionally beautiful, so I used it)."

Gu Jing then asked, "So, you're too old and not suitable?"

Nie Yu said, "The other party also told me that Wang Acong is only twenty-two years old this year, twenty-three in the traditional Chinese age reckoning, two years younger than me, so he is not considered too old."

Lu Zhihong and the others exchanged glances, then stepped forward and asked, "Then why is Your Majesty hesitating? Marrying a Zhongmiao woman would allow you to take over the three prefectures of southeastern and southwestern Guizhou. Your Majesty should prioritize the affairs of the state and not discriminate against Zhongmiao women."

Nie Yu said, "I have no prejudice."

Wang Ruoyu smiled and said, "Since there is no discrimination, then please accept it, Your Majesty! In this way, Your Majesty has already taken two women from other tribes as concubines. In the future, you can use this as an example to win over other minor tribes by taking concubines as a way to appease and win them over."

Another reason is that it can enrich the Han King's harem, but Wang Ruoyu didn't mention this.

After Wang Ruoyu finished speaking, the other ministers followed suit and offered their advice.

If one truly wanted to object, they should have objected long ago when the Han King took in the concubine of the Tu Miao people from Hefeng.

The remaining people have completely gotten used to it, and even regard the Han King's harem as a political bargaining chip for the country. They can settle the various ethnic minorities and expand their territory without any cost by taking in a concubine. Where else can they find such a good deal?

Nie Yu remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement.

He wanted to set an example by not indulging in pleasures, but the actual circumstances simply didn't allow it.

From the moment he established his kingdom, the harem ceased to be his home and became a political institution subordinate to the state.

The Tu Miao people of Hefeng can be seen as a beginning, but also an inevitable outcome. Even without the Tu Miao people of Hefeng, Nie Yu would still have taken other concubines, and he wouldn't have been in a hurry to become king. As a great general, he would certainly have married and taken concubines.

Nie Yu couldn't quickly change the national structure or the values ​​of the people and officials. Rebellion was a risky affair, and if he didn't take wives and concubines, his subordinates wouldn't truly trust him to follow him.

Alright, it's not the first time, let's just leave it at that!
Nie Yu then spoke to his ministers about the methods of governing the Yao people of Guangdong and the Miao people of Guizhou.

After listening, Gu Jing thought for a moment and said, "The Yao people of Bapai can follow the example of the Miao people of western Hunan and gradually build schools for them to teach their children to read. However, necessary intervention is also required. The Yao elder system can be preserved, but our Han Dynasty should also send supervisory officials to Bapai Yao. These supervisory officials do not need to directly interfere in the affairs of Bapai Yao, but only step in to resolve disputes that cannot be resolved or even internal conflicts."

Lu Zhihong said, "I think Minister Gu is right. We can refrain from interfering with the internal management of the Bapai Yao, but we cannot completely ignore it. According to the Bapai Yao, they often have armed conflicts among the villagers over water and seeds. If we let them fight like this, it will only increase casualties and hatred."

Nie Yu nodded slightly: "Yes, that's something I didn't expect. Then we'll add a supervisor. At the same time, a town can be set up at the foot of the Bapai Yao mountain, and some Han people and Yao people who have come down from the mountain can live together. If there is a fight among the Bapai Yao, the supervisor will be responsible for mediating. If the mediation fails, they can be sent down the mountain to seek help from the government, just like the Tu Miao in Hefeng. But the supervisor must never interfere in the internal affairs of the Yao people."

Wang Ruoyu then said, “Your Majesty, the Yao people of Bapai can be dealt with in this way. Other Yao people in Guangdong, such as the Guoshan Yao, can also be gradually educated. However, the Zhongmiao people in Guizhou must be dealt with first. If we send Zhongmiao envoys, Wang Nangxian will not be able to completely control them. Moreover, some of the Zhongmiao rebel armies have already formed ‘fake chieftains’ who are similar to local chieftains. Therefore, once the Zhongmiao submit to our Han, we should immediately send a large army to take over the cities and then use force to distribute the land of the ‘fake chieftains’ to the Zhongmiao and Han people, thereby winning their hearts and dividing them.”

Finally, Wang Ruoyu's eyes turned cold: "If necessary, we should even be prepared to go to war with them!"

There's no way around it; the Zhongmiao are different from the Bapai Yao. The Bapai Yao use the Yao elder system to ensure internal democracy and prevent the emergence of Yao landlords.

However, Zhongmiao lacked the Yao Lao system and had been rebelling for several years, occupying too much land. It was inevitable that some would succumb to temptation and quickly become corrupt and degenerate. The ministers advised Nie Yu to marry Wang Nangxian in order to take over Zhongmiao's three prefectures, but even if the "fake chieftains" of Zhongmiao's rebel army didn't rebel, they would still pose a problem for the Han dynasty's rule once they received these territories.

The Han will definitely deal with them, and if nothing unexpected happens, there will inevitably be some bloodshed, or even a few battles.

Therefore, it is necessary to prepare troops to go to Guizhou in advance, as well as enough officials, so that management can be seamlessly transferred after the battle.

Nie Yu said, "What Wang Qing said makes sense. The Ministry of Personnel should prepare the officials, and the Ministry of War should prepare the logistics for the war."

While they said they were going to prepare for war, in the initial stages of taking over Zhongmiao's territory, the focus would definitely still be on stationing troops.

Once the Han dynasty has gained sufficient control over the region, it will be able to take action against Zhong Miao's "fake chieftains."

Gu Jing suddenly said, "Your Majesty, these things can be done later. Right now, there is something more urgent!"

Nie Yu asked, "What is the most urgent matter?"

Gu Jing replied, "Please, Your Majesty, continue the Nie family genealogy!"

"..."

Nie Yu asked calmly, "Who sent you to ask this?"

Gu Jing immediately knelt down, disregarding etiquette: "Your Majesty, please understand, I was not instructed by anyone, these are all my own heartfelt words!"

Nie Yu did not stop Gu Jing from kneeling down, but stared into his eyes and saw that they were open and fearless.

After a long while, Nie Yu finally raised his hand and said, "Get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Gu Jing slowly stood up, his back already soaked with sweat.

He was not instructed by anyone, and what he just said was his true feeling.

Continuing family genealogies was not something only large, successful families would do; emperors throughout history also did it.

However, the genealogy of a monarch is generally called the Jade Register.

The King of Han was not an emperor, so he could not be called the Jade Register; he should be called the Genealogy.

Of course, the emperor's revision of the family genealogy was not for the purpose of knowing who his ancestors were. The real purpose was to strengthen the legitimacy of the regime and to ensure the order of the imperial lineage.

For example, after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Laozi (Li Er) was posthumously honored as Emperor Shengzu of Tang, which enhanced the legitimacy of the Tang regime.

The Song dynasty was even more impressive, creating a deity named Zhao Xuanlang and honoring him as Emperor Shengzu of Song. This Zhao Xuanlang was also known as Zhao Gongming, the God of War and Wealth.

(As an aside: Now you know just how outrageous the Kangxi Emperor was!)

When the Ming Dynasty was founded, the historians originally planned to recognize Zhu Xi as Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestor, but Zhu Yuanzhang refused, believing that such a thing was illusory and that it would erase his own great achievement of starting with a bowl.

Following tradition, the Qing Dynasty posthumously honored Bukuri Yongshun (Bukuri Hero) as their ancestor.

The Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Volume 1, states: "The first ancestor, Bukuri Yongshun, was born to a mother named Fukulun. It is said that he conceived after being touched by a red fruit. As he grew older, he quelled the rebellion of the three clans and was honored as a Beile by the people. He lived in Eduoli City, in the wilderness of Emohui, east of Changbai Mountain, and called his tribe Manchu. The Manchus began from this point."

The term "Manchu" here is a transliteration of the Jurchen people. Huang Taiji's approach was to transform Manchuria into a clearly defined political group, thereby reducing the resistance of the Han people in the areas under his rule.

Now, Gu Jing, the Minister of Rites, has proposed that the Han Dynasty continue its family genealogy. His political motives are self-evident.

"I need to consider this matter further. You may all leave and continue with your work!" Nie Yu did not give an immediate reply.

The ministers breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't matter that the King of Han didn't agree; as long as he didn't refuse, there was still room for maneuver.

They've almost gotten used to serving as civil officials for a founding emperor like the King of Han. Although they can earn a title of meritorious service and have their names recorded in history, the pressure they endure is genuine.

What the King of Han needs to do is to be decisive and uncompromising; the cabinet will be his rubber stamp when necessary.

……

(End of this chapter)