Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 169 People's Hearts and Imperial Rewards
"Second..."

Lai Zongdao was completely focused, awaiting new orders.

If the first thing today has caused such a huge upheaval, what will the second thing be?
Zhu Youjian's gaze slowly swept over the assembled officials below the steps, and his voice rang out calmly:
"I have discovered that the current imperial court has issued many rewards to the Jurchens."

He paused, as if giving everyone time to reminisce.

"In the second year of the Tianqi reign, it was said that 'whoever captures the chieftain of the slaves will be granted the title of Duke, and whoever captures the chieftain's son will be granted the title of Marquis, and both titles will be hereditary.'"

"In the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, the reward was further enhanced, stating: 'Any civil or military official who is able to annihilate the slave chieftain and recapture Liaoyang shall be granted the title of Duke, following the precedent set by the Qian Kingdom of Yunnan, and shall be allowed to govern Liaoyang hereditarily.'"

It is also said: "Those chivalrous heroes and assassins who can secretly purchase slave chieftains and return them to their homeland will also receive hereditary titles and fiefdoms."

Zhu Youjian read it aloud sentence by sentence, his tone flat, as if he were merely repeating the text in the archives.

Many officials in the hall nodded slightly; they had all heard of these rewards, and they were practically common knowledge.

To be granted the title of Duke or Marquis and to be allowed to guard Liaoyang for generations—what an incredible honor! Enough to drive any warrior in the world mad.

However, just when everyone thought the emperor was simply reiterating the rewards to boost morale, Zhu Youjian suddenly changed his tone and let out a long sigh.

"but……"

He paused for a moment, a complex and unfathomable emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Is this reward really useful?"

"When I was in the Yongwei Camp, I also encouraged them with rewards of dukes and marquises, and at first I felt that the morale of the army was greatly boosted."

"However, I participated in the military reviews and drills every day and had heart-to-heart talks with the generals and officers. Only then did I realize that this immense wealth and honor had become a joke in their eyes."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was shocked.

Before the assembled officials could recover from their shock, Zhu Youjian nodded slightly to Gao Shiming beside him.

"Gao Banban, you speak."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Gao Shiming stepped forward, took out a thin booklet from his sleeve, and slowly addressed the assembled officials:
"The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs has been ordered to review past rewards and honors."

"In the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing's reign, Japanese pirates were a menace. The court issued a decree: 'Whoever can capture and kill Wang Zhi and present him to the emperor will be granted the title of Earl, rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver, and appointed as the head of the camp and the prefecture.'"

Gao Shiming's voice echoed in the quiet hall. He raised his eyelids, glanced around at everyone, and then continued:
"Hu Zongxian, then Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili, used spies to capture Wang Zhi."

"However, Hu Zongxian was later implicated in the Yan Song case and imprisoned, so this title was never awarded."

"In the forty-first year of the Jiajing reign, Hu Zongxian wrote a poem in prison: 'A precious sword is buried in a wrongful prison, a loyal soul lingers among the white clouds,' and then committed suicide by drawing his sword."

"It was not until the seventeenth year of the Wanli reign that Emperor Shenzong exonerated him and restored his official titles and ranks."

After the first story was told, there was already some commotion in the hall.

Gao Shiming ignored these reactions and continued with his straightforward narration.

"In the 20th year of the Wanli reign, during the war to aid Korea, the imperial court offered a reward: whoever could capture and kill the two traitors, Kanpaku Hirai Hideyoshi and the sorcerer monk Genso, and present them to the emperor would be richly rewarded."

"Although we won this battle, we did not capture the two traitors, so it is normal not to discuss granting them titles."

"In the same year, Bo Bai rebelled in Ningxia. The court offered a reward: whoever could kill Bo Bai and his son Bo Chengen would be granted the title of Marquis or Earl for generations."

"In this battle, Bo Bai hanged himself, and Bo Cheng'en surrendered. However, the rewards for the marquis and earl have not yet been fulfilled."

"In the twenty-seventh year of the Wanli reign, Yang Yinglong, the chieftain of Bozhou, rebelled. The rewards were re-established. Regardless of whether they were Chinese or locals, anyone who killed the rebels and rendered meritorious service would be rewarded with a hereditary title."

"In this battle, Yang Yinglong also hanged himself. However, the hereditary title reward has not yet been bestowed."

After Gao Shiming finished reading, he closed the booklet and silently retreated to Zhu Youjian's side.

An eerie atmosphere enveloped the entire Wuying Hall.

These things may be unknown to the young officials, but which of the Grand Secretaries, Ministers, and nobles present did not know them?

However, knowing something is one thing, but having it laid bare in front of the entire court of officials is quite another.

What's even stranger is... this is a problem with Your Majesty's grandfather and great-grandfather!

Is it really a good idea to talk about this face to face?

During the Ming Dynasty, while civil officials had a say in whether or not a title could be conferred, ultimately it depended on the emperor's attitude.

The civil officials, to some extent, were merely finding suitable reasons for the emperor's decisions. You might say that the aforementioned people and events were of little merit and therefore unworthy of recognition.

When the new emperor ascends the throne, his relatives have not made any contributions. At the very least, they will be granted the title of Earl, and in a few years, they may even be granted the title of Marquis. What is that?

What about Wei Zhongxian's faction, which directly held the titles of Duke of Ningguo, Marquis of Dong'an, and Earl of Anping?

The new emperor's remarks, though not mentioning the ancestors in a single sentence, were in fact a blatant betrayal of them.

Those veteran officials who had served since the Wanli era felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this.

The new emperor's words were truly...

It’s such a joy!
"Boom, boom."

Zhu Youjian tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk, pulling everyone's thoughts back to reality.

He waited until the hall was completely quiet before slowly speaking.

"In governing the people and managing subordinates, nothing is more righteous than the law; in enacting laws and providing education, nothing is greater than rewards and punishments."

"To hang oneself on a pedestal will destroy the prestige of the nation!"

"If there is an emergency and a critical situation, what use is it to hastily offer a reward, whether it be a marquis or earl, or even a duke, or even a million in gold?"

"Once the matter is settled, the title is also gone. Who in the world will still believe in such a lucrative reward?!"

"In the end, it's nothing but a piece of paper!"

His eyes were sharp as he scanned everyone.

"Therefore, the second matter to be discussed with the Ministry of Rites today is this matter of bestowing titles!"

"What was done in the past has not been done; I will do it now!"

"The rewards of the past have not yet been distributed; now I will distribute them!"

"I will restore the prestige of the dynasty, so that all the people of the world can see my sincerity in rewarding merit and my determination to save the country!"

Zhu Youjian's gaze finally fell on Lai Zongdao.

"Since the Jiajing era, in every battle for which rewards were publicly issued, the Ministry of Rites was instructed to reconsider the merits and ensure that every reward was given and every reward was carried out!"

"Since most of the officials and their families are no longer alive, their descendants can be found to receive the reward on their father's behalf."

"If their fathers did not reward them, their descendants will inherit their merits. Whether it is a hereditary title, a noble title, or a duke, marquis, or earl, I will not hesitate to do so!"

"Could the Ministry of Rites possibly handle this matter?!"

Lai Zongdao raised his head, finally coming to his senses after the excitement of being remembered in history.

This was the first time he had ever scrutinized the young monarch on the throne so intently.

He was filled with mixed emotions: admiration for the monarch's charisma, regret for the past administration, but above all, an unprecedented sense of responsibility.

This is not a hot potato; it is a tremendous responsibility to save the nation and win back the hearts of the people!
Lai Zongdao took a deep breath, stepped out from behind the desk, and gave Zhu Youjian a very solemn bow.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites can handle this matter!"

His voice was firm and powerful, without the slightest hesitation.

"it is good!"

Zhu Youjian burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"The task of restoring the prestige of the dynasty then falls to you, Minister Lai!"

He turned to Gao Shiming: "Give the order!"

Gao Shiming bowed and accepted the order, then quickly walked down to Zongdao.

Lai Zongdao stretched out his hands and solemnly accepted the weighty imperial decree.

After receiving the two orders, he was completely convinced.

Human nature, human nature!
This emperor was simply born to be an emperor!
(End of this chapter)