Di Ming

Chapter 341 "My lord, the lady has returned!"

After bestowing titles upon Zhu Yin, another imperial edict was issued, granting Zheng Guowang the title of Earl of Yongnian, a hereditary title.

Like Zhu Yin, the process quickly progressed to the step of changing into the count's crown and robes.

Zheng Guowang was invited into a side hall. Two palace maids and a fire-wielder stepped forward and said:

"This servant will help the lord change his clothes."

Zheng Guowang frowned slightly, but quickly composed himself and said calmly, "You may all leave. I will change my clothes myself."

The palace maid and the fire servant were taken aback, looked at each other, and said again, "This servant will help the master change his clothes."

Zheng Guowang said in a deep voice, "Step back!"

"Yes!" Seeing that Zheng Guowang was a little unhappy, the palace maid and the fire servant didn't dare to say anything more and quickly withdrew.

Zheng Guowang was quick and efficient. She changed her clothes in no time, clearly used to changing herself without the help of servants.

She had just finished dressing when officials from the Ministry of Rites came to urge her to come.

Zheng Guowang breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the main hall feeling refreshed.

Next, they were granted carriages and horses.

Zhu Yin was a marquis, and was rewarded with a four-bearer sedan chair with a silver roof and black canopy, the chair's cover made of plain satin. It was drawn by horses with blue manes, silver saddles, and blue saddlecloths. There were also a comfortable carriage and a light carriage, with red wheels and black canopies, the carriage carriages painted with cloud patterns.

The ceremonial guard consists of a pair of Qingdao flags, a pair of banner swords, two pairs of halberds and spears... The ceremonial guard can be carried by sixteen people.

Then, sacrificial vessels were bestowed as a reward.

Zhu Yin was bestowed with five sets of sacrificial vessels, including five ding (tripod cauldrons), four gui (food containers), three jue (wine vessels), and two zun (wine vessels), but no jade objects. According to regulations, only dukes could use jade gui (jade tablets) and jade bi (jade discs) as sacrificial vessels.

Then came the rewards following the conferment of titles. This was the highlight of the conferment process. The nobles of the Ming Dynasty didn't rely on stipends, but rather on estates and land grants.

An official from the Ministry of Revenue read out: "...Jiangning Marquis Zhu Yin is granted 800 qing (80,000 mu) of land in Wulong County and Pengshui County, Fuzhou, Sichuan..."

"...Zheng Guowang, the Earl of Yongnian, was granted 500 qing (50,000 mu) of land in Handan County and Quzhou County, Zhili Province..."

Upon hearing this, all the officials wore expressions of amusement. The 80,000 mu (approximately 5,333 hectares) was the foundation for the marquis's grant of land.

In other words, the estate that the emperor bestowed upon Zhu Yin was only the starting amount for a marquis's estate, with no additional grants.

When the emperor conferred the title of Earl of Yongnian upon Zheng Guifei's father, Zheng Chengxian, it was merely a non-hereditary title, yet he still granted him 250,000 mu of land. Although the title did not pass to his son after Zheng Chengxian's death, the land was not reclaimed and remained part of the Zheng family.

In the tenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Li Wei, the father of the Empress Dowager and Marquis of Wuqing, submitted a memorial requesting an increase in the number of noble lands, asking for 400,000 mu.

The Li and Zheng families owned numerous estates, all located in fertile areas of Zhili province.

Although Zheng Guowang was only granted 50,000 mu of land this time, which seems less than Zhu Yin's, his father had already received 250,000 mu when he was granted the title of Earl of Yongnian. This 50,000 mu is actually an extra amount.

More importantly, Zheng Guowang's fiefdom was located on the edge of Yongnian County, not far from Beijing. This meant that the Zheng family's hundreds of thousands of acres of land had become a contiguous area spanning multiple prefectures and counties.

However, Zhu Yin's fiefdom was not located in the capital region, nor even in Jiangnan, but in the remote Fuzhou, Sichuan!

Moreover, Fuzhou has a special location.

To control the southwestern chieftains and oversee river transport and taxation, the emperor also stationed a garrison eunuch named Zhang Zhong in Fuzhou. Zhang Zhong was the emperor's trusted servant, and was said to be insatiably greedy. Given that Zhu Yin's estate was located there, he was likely to be subject to extortion.

To put it bluntly, if Zhu Yin were to personally visit Juetian Manor, it would take him two or three months to make the round trip.

Many ministers couldn't help but feel indignant on Zhu Yin's behalf, and secretly complained about the emperor's poor treatment of him.

When Zhu Yin heard that his fiefdom was in Fuzhou, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Eighty thousand mu of noble lands sounds like a lot, but it's considered small among marquises. And it's in the far southwest. That godforsaken place, inhabited by Han and Miao peoples, surrounded by local chieftains, and with complex ethnic customs. The Jin emperor really treats me well.

Zhu Yin also knew that historically, when the Prince of Fu was enfeoffed, he was granted 40,000 hectares of land. However, there was really no land left in Henan, so in the end he actually received 20,000 hectares (two million mu).

The Duke of Wei's mansion in Nanjing occupied 500,000 mu of land in Suzhou Prefecture alone.

Nowadays, which noble family in the Ming Dynasty doesn't own vast tracts of land spanning multiple prefectures and counties? In addition to the officially granted lands, they also have "land granted through petitions" and lands donated as a form of patronage.

...

After the imperial grant of land, the Court of State Ceremonial, on behalf of the emperor, bestowed upon Zhu Yin and Zheng Guowang three hundred taels of silver, fifty bolts of tribute silk, ten jars of imperial wine, a jade ruyi, and other imperial items such as Duan inkstones, Xuan paper, Huzhou brushes, and Huizhou ink.

It seems that the emperor's grace is boundless.

However, there was one very important thing that was not bestowed as a reward: the construction of a marquis's (earl's) mansion!

According to the Ming Dynasty system, noble titles were extremely prestigious and rare, and could only be granted through military merit. Once a title was conferred for merit, an imperial edict would be issued to the Ministry of Works to order the construction of a mansion to be passed down through generations.

The absence of an imperial residence surprised the officials, but it wasn't entirely unexpected.

According to the system, although the regular salaries of nobles were distributed by the Ministry of Revenue's Treasury, the rewards given to nobles did not go through the national treasury, but rather through the emperor's private treasury.

Imperial residences were not part of one's salary but rather a reward, and therefore had to be paid from the imperial treasury. These imperial residences, built as a favor of the emperor, were to be passed down through generations and could not be transferred or sold.

The original intention of this design was to bind the interests of nobles with titles with the emperor, making them the emperor's most steadfast supporters.

However, the Marquis's and Earl's mansions are not ordinary mansions. The two mansions were built according to the prescribed standards, and nowadays it would be impossible to do so without two hundred thousand taels of silver.

The emperor was reluctant to spend that much money, so of course he saved it.

The officials were speechless when they thought about this.

Isn't the Emperor being too stingy? I heard that the imperial treasury already has more than eight million taels of silver in reserve, yet he can't bear to part with two hundred thousand taels?

Conferring titles is a major event, concerning the fate of the nation; it cannot be taken lightly. As the saying goes, "Titles are used to govern merit, and rites are used to establish order; when both are given equal importance, the nation's destiny will be secure."

Since a title has been conferred, expenses that shouldn't be cut shouldn't be cut. To save on the imperial treasury, the construction of a new official residence was cancelled, setting a precedent. What will happen in the future? Will the title still carry the weight it once did?

Fortunately, both the Zheng and Zhu families owned mansions in the capital. Otherwise, would these two men, a marquis and an earl respectively, have had to live in humble dwellings or even rent houses?

That's outrageous.

With this, the investiture ceremony was considered complete.

Next, the Ministry of Rites will request an imperial decree to confer the titles of Lady of Jiangning Marquis and Lady of Yongnian Earl, respectively, upon Zhu Yin's wife Ning Caiwei and Zheng Guowang's wife Han Su'e, both of whom will be granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady.

The two were also required to submit a written letter of thanks to Heaven, expressing their gratitude for the Emperor's benevolence.

The Ministry of Rites also planned to build merit archways and erect monuments in Jiangning County and Yongnian County.

These are all things that should be included in the question, so let's leave them aside for now.

After the investiture ceremony concluded, Zhu Yin and Zheng Guowang, following protocol, requested to enter the palace to express their gratitude. Soon, an imperial edict arrived, stating that the Emperor was unwell and that a distant bow was sufficient; a face-to-face audience was unnecessary.

...

Outside the Meridian Gate, Zhu Yin, dressed in brand-new marquis's robes and hat, boarded a marquis's carriage drawn by a pair of blue-maned horses, with a fourth-rank official leading the way and ceremonial guards on both sides.

This is the public appearance after being granted a noble title. It means returning home in grand style, using the noble's robes, carriage, and ceremonial guards, for all to see along the way.

Never be presumptuous and try to keep a low profile by sneaking home.

The purpose of doing this was, of course, to demonstrate the emperor's benevolence, the court's emphasis on meritorious officials, and to encourage the people to serve the country.

Zhu Yin was dressed in a red silk robe with a square collar and a brocade sash with cloud and crane patterns. He wore a six-beam sable crown, held an ivory tablet, and had gold lion embroidered patches on his chest and back. He also wore a gold-inlaid jade rhinoceros belt.

With the carriages and ceremonial guards standing solemnly, it looked quite impressive.

Upon reaching West Chang'an Street, the roadside was teeming with onlookers, shoulder to shoulder. Many people trudged through the snow-covered roadside, eager to catch a glimpse of Mr. Zhihu's sixteen conferments of marquis titles.

Because there were so many onlookers, even the police from the Five Cities Garrison were mobilized to maintain order and prevent a stampede.

"Marquis of Jiangning!"

"Mr. Chikorok!"

"That's Lord Xingjun!"

Many people couldn't help but shout, and many street shops voluntarily set off firecrackers.

One woman even shouted a few words before suddenly losing consciousness and everything went black.

"Little lady!"

"The young lady has fainted!"

"Ah—" another young woman screamed and fainted as well.

The young women were very excited, as were the scholars. Many scholars sighed with regret, yearning for such a path.

Among the crowd, a handsome man in his thirties looked at Zhu Yin in the carriage and couldn't help but say:
"I have long heard of Zhu Zhihu's heroic youth and extraordinary talent; truly, seeing him in person is far better than hearing about him. His fame has spread far and wide! A man should live like this, a man should live like this!"

"Alas, I, Sun Chengzong, have failed the imperial examinations time and again. When will I ever be even a fraction as good as Mr. Zhihu? I can't even dream of walking on snowy plains or being within arm's reach of the Dragon Sands, but at least I can serve the country like a dog or a horse."

One of the scholars beside him said, "Brother Zhisheng, Mr. Zhihu was ennobled sixteen times, and the whole world looks up to him. Is this really a good thing for him?"

The man who called himself Sun Chengzong was taken aback, and frowned, saying, "Brother Cunzhi, aren't you overthinking this?"

The other party chuckled softly: "Who can know what the future holds? Hehe, Brother Zhisheng, your courtesy name is Zhisheng, and the Marquis of Jiangning's courtesy name is Zhihu, meaning to bind a tiger with a rope. Could it be that Brother Zhisheng is Mr. Zhihu's nemesis?"

"Hahaha!" Sun Chengzong burst into laughter. "You, Gao Panlong, are always spouting nonsense and wild tales! If your words reach Mr. Zhihu's ears, what will he think of me?" "What will he think?" Gao Panlong stroked his beard. "Everyone says that Mr. Zhihu is a man of refined taste and an open mind. Do you really expect him to take it seriously?"

“I met Zhihu in Nanjing a few years ago. He was only twelve years old then, but he was as bright as the moon and as gentle as a breeze. However, I knew him, but he didn’t know me.”

As the two were talking, Zhu Yin's entourage had already passed by.

Gao Panlong stared at Zhu Yin's retreating figure for a long time before saying, "Ten years from now, where will you be?"

A barely audible sigh escaped his lips, and Sun Chengzong couldn't help but glance sideways.

"Brother Cunzhi, are you worried about Zhu Zhihu?" Sun Chengzong asked. "He is a man of great talent and a blessing to the nation. How could he fall so easily?"

Gao Panlong's gaze was deep and unfathomable as he said in a low voice, "Brother Zhisheng, have you perhaps forgotten Zhang Jiangling? Since ancient times, if one's merits are too great, it might overshadow the ruler..."

Sun Chengzong waved his hand, "Don't say anything more, you'll only bring trouble upon yourself. We're all over thirty, just scholars, not even provincial graduates, so let's not talk about these things."

What he didn't know was that he had already passed the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) last year.

However, due to the alteration of history caused by the time traveler, he did not pass the imperial examination last year.

Gao Panlong couldn't help but look bitter when he heard Sun Chengzong's words.

Yes, even at over thirty, he's still just a scholar.

In the seventeenth year of the Wanli reign, he participated in the provincial examination in Nanjing, and took the autumn examination in the same year as Zhu Yin. As a result, Zhu Yin passed with top honors and became famous throughout Jiangdong. As for him, he was full of confidence before the examination, but failed afterward.

Last year, they failed again.

Gao Panlong could not possibly have known that he had already passed the provincial examination in Yingtian County, Southern Zhili Province, in the seventeenth year of the Wanli reign.

Unfortunately, because he was a time traveler, he failed the exam that year.

The provincial examination required both ability and luck; neither could be lacking. The two men missed their original historical opportunity, and who knows when they would pass it again. Perhaps they would never pass it in their lifetime.

What would the two think if they knew that Zhu Yincai failed the imperial examination?

...

Zheng Guowang lived in the eastern part of the city, and her entourage would walk home along East Chang'an Street.

She had expected a large crowd to watch her investiture ceremony on East Chang'an Street, but to her surprise, the usually bustling street was deserted.

Zheng Guowang's expression immediately turned ugly.

Of course she knew what was going on. People from East Chang'an Street must have gone to West Chang'an Street to watch Zhu Zhihu's entourage.

Ice and fire...two extremes!

A sense of powerlessness washed over Zheng Guowang, and he couldn't help but feel disheartened.

Young Tiger, when are you going to stop suppressing me? With you around, even if I were granted the title of Earl, it wouldn't matter.
However, thinking of the pirate queen Hai Mingyue, her mood improved considerably.

Hai Mingyue's pirate fleet will surely become a pawn in his quest for glory!
As long as she can persuade the Emperor and the court to cooperate with Hai Mingyue, she can take the lead in this matter, influence Hai Mingyue through the court, and then influence the court through Hai Mingyue.

He manipulated events skillfully, skillfully navigating both the court and the seas with ease.

This is the power and achievements of a true man!

I don't just want to be an earl, I want to be a marquis of Jin, a duke of Jin! I want to be among the nine ministers, and even become the prime minister!
Sister, with me here, you won't fear your beauty fading or your love waning, nor will you worry that His Majesty will favor the new and fall for the old. Because outside the palace, you still have me!

I want the world to know that I, Zheng Guowang, rely on true ability. Even the imperial relatives of the Ming Dynasty can be as powerful and influential as those of the Han Dynasty, leaving a lasting mark on history, striking fear into the hearts of foreign tribes, and making the barbarians weep!

Chang Xun, you wait. Your uncle will do everything in his power to make you the crown prince! But you must also strive to prove yourself, for your father, for your mother, for the Zheng family, and for me!
Thinking of this, Zheng Guowang clenched her fists. She looked up at the sky and saw a ray of sunlight pierce through the clouds, making the clouds sparkle.

"Fourth Master, we've arrived at the manor."

Her thoughts were interrupted by the attendant's words. She looked ahead and, sure enough, saw the Zheng family's tall archway.

The area beneath the archway was packed with people, all members of the Zheng family. Firecrackers and drums resounded, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

At the front of the crowd stood a beautiful woman dressed in a red satin jacket; she was his wife, Han Su'e.

Behind Han Su'e were several concubines.

Upon seeing his wives and concubines, including Han Su'e, Zheng Guowang's heroic spirit vanished instantly, and he felt as if he were in an ice cellar.

No! No! I am a man! I am a man! I want to be an official! I cannot lose my position and power!

Zheng Guowang was on the verge of tears. When she saw her wives and concubines, she felt pain, guilt, fear, and embarrassment... She almost fainted.

Why! Why? God, how unfair you are to me!

"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord!" Han Su'e smiled sweetly, leading several concubines as she gracefully stepped forward.

"Congratulations, Fourth Master..." Inside and outside the archway, a dense crowd of six or seven hundred people knelt.

Zheng Guowang sat upright in his carriage, looking at Han Su'e with a cool gaze, his tone carrying an indescribable meaning, "Madam, you've had a hard time."

Han Su'e's eyes filled with sorrow as she tried to hold back her tears, and she smiled, "Husband...you've worked so hard!"

...

Meanwhile, Zhu Yin returned to Straw Hat Alley amidst a welcoming crowd, where Ning Qingchen and the others, along with their families, were already waiting at the door.

Many family members shouted, "Alright! Alright! From now on, Master is a Marquis! Our family is now a Marquis's mansion!"

Firecrackers, songs, dances, and drums rang out one after another, creating a lively atmosphere.

Upon entering with great joy, Yunniang immediately began preparing for the midday celebratory feast to receive the guests who had come to offer their congratulations.

Zhu Yin entered the inner courtyard of Hanzhang Terrace, took off his flamboyant marquis's robes and changed into a casual fur coat before speaking to Ning Qingchen.

Ning Qingchen was curiously examining the various investiture documents when she suddenly said, "Little Tiger, this says our fiefdom is in Sichuan? That's so far away."

“It is very far.” Zhu Yin sat down and picked up a cup of tea. “Eighty thousand mu is not much for a marquis. The key is that the place is where Han people and ethnic minorities live together, and the situation is very complicated.”

“Our family is rich and doesn’t care about manors. Besides, these days, noble manors aren’t exactly desirable.”

At this moment, Zhu Yin was not thinking about how poorly the emperor had treated him; he was thinking about the harm caused by the Ming Dynasty's aristocratic manor system.

"Why ducks?" Ning Qingchen asked, resting his chin on his hand with interest. "Could you explain?"

Zhu Yin took a sip of tea and said, "The nobles of the Ming Dynasty were actually the happiest class. They were both rich and free. They had economic and political privileges, but unlike the princes and royal families who were deprived of their freedom, they were not treated like pigs in a pen."

“Before the orthodox era, nobles held real power, so they were strictly restricted. Noble estates were managed by the prefectures and counties, with local officials responsible for collecting rent and transporting it. Nobles were not allowed to interfere directly. Tenants were also registered by the government, and nobles only collected rent according to a fixed amount of three to five dou per mu. They were not allowed to levy privately or add extra taxes.”

"During that period, nobles could only send stewards to supervise their estates to prevent local officials from embezzling or misappropriating funds."

Ning Qingchen said, "If that's all there is to it, it's not bad either."

Zhu Yin shook his head and said, "But the situation changed during the Zhengtong era."

"During the Zhengtong era, nobles gradually lost real power in the court, but their privileges in the local areas increased. This was also a kind of political compromise. The nobles handed over real power to civil officials who had passed the imperial examinations. In return, the civil officials recognized the privileges of the nobles."

"Nobles were permitted to appoint their servants as estate managers, bypassing local officials to collect rent directly. County and prefectural officials could no longer manage the noble estates on their behalf, and could only compile an annual register for reference."

"During the Zhengde reign, the government was allowed not to interfere with the tenant farmers of the nobles, which led to the tenant farmers becoming the private servants of the nobles."

"During the Jiajing reign, the old Taoist priest issued another decree: the officials shall not interfere with the estates of meritorious officials and their relatives."

Ning Qingchen said, "Now it's the Wanli era, a hundred years after the Jiajing era. Isn't it more serious now?"

Zhu Yin rolled his eyes. "Jiajing was Wanli's grandfather, and he's only been dead for less than thirty years. How could it be a hundred years?"

"The situation is indeed more serious now. Noble estates are completely autonomous, and nobles have set up 'estate land offices' to arbitrarily increase land rents, interfere in local government affairs, and even bully and expel state and county officials, set up tax checkpoints privately, and resist the law with armed force."

Ning Qingchen said, "So arrogant? Isn't that a state within a state? Like the Confucius Mansion?"

Zhu Yin nodded. “Now the estates of nobles are like states within states. Nobles have set up private courts, and as the saying goes, ‘If a commoner disobeys, he will be beaten to death.’ Therefore, Gu Yanwu said that the prefectures and counties have no right to interfere with the estates of nobles, which is like a feudal state. The people fear nobles more than they fear bandits.”

"The tenants of noble families were not registered in the local government and county census. They became the private servants of the noble families, known as estate servants, and were never allowed to leave the register for generations, thus becoming hereditary slaves. A large part of the population in the Ming Dynasty was in the hands of noble families."

"You know Xu Xiaobai's family, right? The Duke of Wei's manor. They have a thousand guards in Nanjing, all armored and armed, and the governor of Yingtian dares not interfere. That's why Sun Piyang rebuked the noble manor for 'having the name of an official government but the reality of one.'"

Ning Qingchen asked, "Then do noble estates pay taxes?"

"Pay taxes?" Zhu Yin sneered. "The noble lands are exempt from all taxes, not even a single grain. The 'requested lands' outside of the noble lands only pay a symbolic one liter of rice per mu, which is only one-tenth of the regular tax for civilian lands."

"During the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the imperial court faced financial difficulties. The court attempted to levy taxes on these powerful and wealthy individuals, but this was met with resistance from the group. As a result, the court could only impose additional taxes on ordinary people. This led to the situation where 'those who owned land were exempt from taxes, while those who did not own land were heavily taxed.'"

"The imperial family, nobles, officials, gentry, eunuchs, and temples—these six groups alone account for half of the country's land, and with the imperial estates, they account for more than half. However, very little tax is levied on these lands."

Just as Zhu Yin was speaking, Yunniang came in and reported, "My lord, the lady has returned!"

"Sister is back?" Ning Qingchen's face immediately lit up with joy.

The words had barely left his lips when a familiar and melodious voice chuckled:

"I've come all the way to the Marquis's mansion! Could it be that I've entered the wrong place?"

P.S.: Please vote for me with your monthly tickets, thank you! Readers who skipped through Chapter 325, "The Oriole Catches the Butterfly, A Shocking Event," should definitely go back and read it. That chapter is a long and very important one. Skipping to the later chapters without reading that will significantly worsen your reading experience and make the rest of the book feel disjointed.

(End of this chapter)