Chapter 259 Game

Qianqing Palace.

Tang Hao and Zhu Houzhao were discussing in secret.

"What's the matter with Zhu Dangxu?"

Zhu Houzhao suddenly changed the subject and looked at Tang Hao with a little displeasure.

"Savage, the princes and clans are not allowed to command the army. This is a death order from Emperor Taizong Wen (Zhu Di)!"

"And to be honest, I can't set this precedent and leave hidden dangers for future generations!"

Zhu Houzhao actually said this in a more tactful way.

To put it bluntly, the old Zhu family is now divided into two major factions: the royal family and the clan princes.

The previous royal family was undoubtedly the lineage of Prince Yiwen Zhu Biao, including Zhu Biao and Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen.

However, because of Zhu Yunwen's slightly ridiculous policy of reducing the vassal states, he forcibly reduced his great country, so Prince Yan Zhu Di raised an army to quell the rebellion, entered Nanjing and ascended the throne, and the royal family became the Yan vassal lineage, and the original Zhu Biao's eldest lineage also became the clan.

Zhu Di himself was a vassal king who rebelled and seized the world, so of course he understood the threat of vassal kings to the imperial power and knew that it was imperative to reduce the power of vassal kings. However, compared with Zhu Yunwen's ridiculous policies of reducing vassal kings, Emperor Yongle's methods were much more sophisticated.

He was not in a hurry to reduce the power of vassal kings. In the early days of his reign, in order to gain the recognition and support of vassal kings and royal family, Zhu Di treated vassal kings very well after he ascended the throne.

Except for Zhu Bo, the Prince of Xiang, who had died by self-immolation, all the vassal kings who were stripped of their titles by Emperor Jianwen were restored by Zhu Di, and Zhu Su's food salary was increased by 5,000 stones. Zhu Su was Zhu Di's brother from the same mother, so he naturally cheered for Zhu Di among the vassal kings and royal family.

For a time, except for a few individuals, all the vassal kings and royal family were convinced by Zhu Di and supported him as the new emperor.

However, Emperor Yongle Zhu Di was different from his father Zhu Yuanzhang. He did not need to rely on vassal kings to guard the frontiers, because he was an emperor on horseback and had a large number of brave and skilled generals under his command. Zhu Yuanzhang made his sons kings to replace military generals in commanding troops. Zhu Di learned from the lessons of Emperor Jianwen and still used military generals to command troops and guard the frontiers. In order to strengthen his control over military generals, Zhu Di sent trusted eunuchs to serve as military supervisors.

Therefore, it was only a matter of time before Zhu Di reduced the power of vassal kings.

First, after the restoration of his title, Prince Qi Zhu Yu became more arrogant and raised assassins and people of Jianghu magic. He used guards to guard Qingzhou City and built walls to prohibit entry and exit. Zhu Di seized the opportunity to directly abolish this outspoken bird as a commoner. Zhu Yu and his three sons "all died suddenly", and the youngest son Zhu Xianhe was placed in Luzhou. The Qi vassal line has since been eliminated.

Then, Prince Gu Zhu Tan began to recruit desperate criminals, build warships, and forge weapons, but was reported by his half-brother, Prince Shu Zhu Chun. Later, Zhu Di issued an order to deprive Prince Gu Zhu Tan of his title and make him a commoner, and imprisoned him and his family in the Xin'anwei Office in Huizhou. The Gu Kingdom was abolished, and the Gu vassal line was abolished!

Of course, the wise Emperor Yongle did not directly cut off the vassal kings, but treated them differently according to their different performances. Those who did not listen to the court's control and threatened the imperial power were resolutely stripped of their titles, and those who did not endanger the imperial power were relaxed. Tolerance was given to preferential treatment. At the same time, the vassal kings such as Prince Liao Zhu Zhi, Prince Dai Zhu Gui, and Prince Min Zhu Yu were punished, their guards were deprived, their strength was weakened, and their fiefs were moved to the inland!

After a series of policies to reduce the power of the vassal states, the dream of Emperor Jianwen, who had been striving for his whole life, was finally realized by Emperor Yongle. All the vassal kings and royal family members were reduced to the level, and all the military power in their hands was returned to the court. In addition, the ancestral precepts set by Emperor Taizu Gao, these vassal kings and royal family members have since completely become pigs and wastes who eat and wait to die, and can only eat, drink and have fun and nothing else.

In Tang Hao's view, Zhu Di's policy of reducing the power of the vassal states seems slightly more "peaceful" than that of Emperor Jianwen, but in the final analysis, it is like boiling a frog in warm water and killing people with a soft knife, and it also buries a huge hidden danger for the Ming Dynasty.

The reason why he let Zhu Dangqi enter Zhu Houzhao's eyes is to promote the reform of the vassal system of the Ming Dynasty, so he naturally did not hesitate at this moment. After thinking for a while, he asked a question.

"Your Majesty, what is Emperor Taizong Wen's policy of reducing the power of the vassal states?"

"Peaceful reduction of the power of the vassal states and support for the royal family!"

Zhu Houzhao blurted out that this is the knowledge that the royal family must learn, and it is also the experience left by the ancestors to future generations to govern the country, so Zhu Houzhao can answer it immediately.

After hearing this, Tang Hao used an inappropriate metaphor.

"That's actually similar to how Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, gave up his military power with a toast. He used the court's finances to support these clan members until they were old, so that they would have no worries about food and clothing and live a life of wealth and prosperity, and ensure their prosperity for generations. All they had to do was give up their military power, and then they could live a peaceful life and wait for death, right?"

Zhu Houzhao frowned and nodded.

"But from the perspective of Emperor Taizong Wen, there is no other way. It is imperative to reduce the power of the vassal states!"

"After all, the system of enfeoffment of the kings in the Ming Dynasty was set by Emperor Taizu Gao himself. Emperor Taizong Wen naturally could not change it. He had to consider his reputation. Since the enfeoffment of the kings was a foregone conclusion, the only thing left was to make a fuss about the power of the vassal states."

"The power of the kings in the early Ming Dynasty was not small, especially the nine great kings of the frontier headed by Ning Wang Zhu Quan. Zhu Quan was enfeoffed in Daning. Daning is located outside Xifengkou and belongs to the ancient Huizhou. It is connected to Liaozuo in the east and Xuanfu in the west. It is a major military town."

Zhu Houzhao sneered.

"Zhu Quan, the Ning Wang, has 80,000 armored soldiers and 6,000 chariots. His cavalry of the three guards of Doyan are all brave and good at fighting. He has joined the kings to fight in the frontier many times and is known for his good strategy. If we say that among the vassal states, the person that Emperor Taizong Wen fears the most is this seventeenth brother!"

"Therefore, after Emperor Taizongwen conquered the world, it was impossible for these powerful vassal kings to return to their own fiefdoms, so it was inevitable to reduce the vassal status!"

I have to admit that Zhu Houzhao is a descendant of the old Zhu family after all, and he can never escape the meanness and kindness in his heart.

Tang Hao nodded, he also agreed with Zhu Houzhao's point of view.

"Peacefully reduce vassals and support the clan. Emperor Taizongwen's policy of reducing vassals lies in the word "peace", right?"

"Unlike Emperor Jianwen who directly cut off vassals by force and forcibly charged the kings with unwarranted charges, and then reduced their titles and imprisoned them, forcing the kings to alienate the royal family, Emperor Taizongwen's method was "Supporting the clan" means that the clan's salary is included in the national finance, and the national finance is used to support these clan kings and their descendants, thereby ensuring the interests of the clan kings. "

"And the price that the vassal king needs to pay is to hand over his military power honestly and exchange his military power for future wealth. From now on, he can be a rich man with peace of mind, with fine clothes and fine food, and glory and wealth, right?"

Zhu Houzhao looked at Tang Hao subconsciously, his brows furrowed and his face full of confusion.

"That's it."

"Is there any problem with Emperor Taizong Wen's plan?"

"Facts have proved that he really did it. He peacefully deposed all the kings and completely eliminated this big hidden danger!"

This is the fact. The kings have completely lost their power since Yongle and can no longer threaten the status of the royal family. This is the fact!

Zhu Houzhao didn't understand. What was wrong with this strategy?

Tang Hao felt that it was not only Zhu Houzhao who could understand these things, but also needed to use the power of the court to change this situation.

So he asked Zhu Houzhao to summon the big and small Jiuqing and other important officials in the court to play a game together.

If it had been anyone else, Zhu Houzhao would have slapped him away.

What the fuck do you have to do when you're full?

The big and small Jiuqings are all the chief seal officials of various temple supervisors. They are busy with many affairs. Where can I have time to play games with you?

It happened that the person who raised this matter was the savage Tang Hao.

And Zhu Houzhao also liked his new and unique method, so he immediately agreed.

There is no other way, you still have to pamper your own savage.

Soon the Chief Assistant of the Cabinet Yang Tinghe, the Minister of Personnel Wang Hao, the Minister of Hubu Jiao Fang, the Minister of Rites Zhang Sheng, the Minister of Punishments Wang Jianzhi, the Minister of Works Li Shan, the Minister of Dali Temple Geng Ying, the General Secretary of the Metropolitan Procuratorate Zhang Fuhua, and Tong Political envoy Cong Lan and other important officials walked into the main hall of Qianqing Palace.

Among these people, there are two new faces.

One is that Min Gui, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, was dismissed from his official position and even deprived of his official title. He could only leave Beijing and return to his hometown sadly. The rest of his life was destined to be miserable.

But he deserved it. When he chose to protect the Kong family, this so-called loyal and virtuous man had long been sorry for his skin, and Zhu Houzhao had never been used to these people.

To put it harshly, Min Gui is a "second minister". On the surface, he is an official of the Ming Dynasty. He shouts about patriarchal rituals and the righteousness of the family and the country all day long, but secretly he is mindlessly protecting the Kong family, just like the Kong family. His family is his master, so Zhu Houzhao treated Min Gui extremely cruelly and directly removed him from his career!

Without his fame and fame, Min Gui is equivalent to being deprived of his official status. He will never be able to re-enter the court as an official in this life. Moreover, without the privileges of his fame and fame, the old Min family has lost the greatest magic weapon for annexing land. You must pay taxes and do corvee honestly!

This is why it is said that fame is the lifeblood of these gentry. Once they lose their fame and privileges, they are not as good as those farmers who cultivate the fields, because they... can't!

The new Minister of Punishment is called Wang Jianzhi, which is the result of Yang Tinghe presiding over the court.

Wang Jianzhi was a native of Shanyin in Kuaiji, a branch of the Langya Wang family. He was orphaned at the age of six. He had read a thousand words in his diary, and he knew the gist of it without having to explain it. At the age of thirteen, he wrote classics and had astonishing eloquence. His family was very poor and his family was in dire straits. He was increasingly depressed. His uncle Wang Binzhi wanted him to help him work to make a living, but Wang Jianzhi refused. Wang Jianzhi chose to study hard and never leave the book.

In the 7th year of Chenghua, he passed the examination but failed in the general examination. In the 14th year of Chenghua, his ranking was not high. He was appointed as the county magistrate of the Yuan family. Later, he was appointed as the supervisory censor and governed Guizhou. He was known throughout the world for his good administration and left office. The old and the weak have been supporting and seeing off each other for dozens of miles, which is a wonderful sight.

During the Hongzhi period, Wang Jianzhi's official career was smooth. He was first promoted to the Prime Minister of Yousi of Dali Temple, and successively served as the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, the censor of Qiandu, the manager of Zijingguan and other border passes, the deputy censor of the capital, and the governor of Yunyang and Huguang.

In the first year of Zhengde, with his outstanding political achievements, Wang Jianzhi was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Punishment in Nanjing, and successively served as the right minister of the Ministry of Punishment and the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment.

First serving as the Sixth Minister of the Nanjing court team, and then being promoted to the corresponding position in the Beijing court team, this was a political phenomenon unique to the Ming Dynasty.

And if he can go one step further, that is, he can be promoted from minister to minister and officially enter the power center of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Jianzhi is such a lucky person.

In addition to Wang Jian, there is also a new face, General Secretary Cong Lan.

Compared with Wang Jianzhi, who had outstanding political achievements, the new general affairs envoy was a little mediocre.

The main reason is that Cong Lan is too young. He was a Jinshi in the third year of Hongzhi. He was first assigned to the household department, the military department and the right department. He was moved to the general affairs department to consult and left the general affairs department. He had no outstanding political achievements during his tenure. He said that, but in the end he was elected as the general envoy by the imperial court!

The scope of the Tongzhengshisi's authority is very detailed. It is responsible for accepting memorials from both inside and outside the country, and making memorials and rebuttals. The main responsibilities of the Tongzhengshisi are to receive the emperor's orders and communicate the situation of the people. In order to ensure that the situation of the people can be accurately conveyed to the emperor, Emperor Taizu Gaohuang Zhu Yuanzhang specially set up a red card for "memorial envoys". If there are major events, they can directly enter the inner court with this card. The responsibilities of the Tongzhengshisi also include: handling petitions from all sides, appeals for grievances, the sufferings of the people, and handling all complaints of injustice and lawlessness according to their priorities.

In addition, the Tongzhengshisi will also report the memorials of the subjects and the memorials submitted every morning to ensure that the information can be accurately conveyed to the emperor.

Because of this, the Tongzhengshisi was listed as the first among all the departments, before the Dali Temple, which shows the importance and expectations of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang for it.

The importance of the Tongzhengshisi is reflected in two aspects: first, as the mouthpiece of the court, the memorials of the subjects are transmitted to the emperor through it; second, it participates in court promotion.

Therefore, its highest official was ranked among the Great Nine Ministers, and was one of the few men who could directly enter the palace to meet His Majesty the Emperor.

However, due to the division and usurpation of power, the status of the Tongzhengsi gradually declined. For example, the emperor no longer ruled the country and could not report directly to the emperor; the status of the cabinet rose, and the power of the Tongzhengsi was weakened; the six departments also infringed on the authority of the Tongzhengsi; in addition, the favor of eunuchs and the expansion of the power of the secretariat also posed a threat to the Tongzhengsi, etc.

As a result, by the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the status of the Tongzhengshisi, which was a third-rank official, was not as good as the six-department Jieshizhong, which was a seventh-rank official, and the Tongzhengshi, the so-called Great Nine Ministers, became a mascot.

I am afraid this is also the real reason why Cong Lan was promoted to Tongzhengshi.

Tang Hao glanced at Yang Tinghe, and then glanced at Cong Lan, as if he had noticed something.

But he didn't think much about it, after all, Cong Lan was a well-known military and national minister in the Ming Dynasty!

Ordinary officials and court officials really don't get such a high evaluation as "military and national ministers". Since Yang Tinghe intends to promote Cong Lan to the position, it is also a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

Everyone is here, and Zhu Houzhao has become excited. He has always been a child, but he has been slightly restrained as he grows older.

Now that the savage took the initiative to propose playing games, Zhu Houzhao immediately became interested.

"My dear ministers, let's play a game together today."

Hearing this, Yang Tinghe, Wang Ao and others instinctively frowned and looked at each other.

Play games?

Playing Nima... Well, you will be beheaded.

What do you have to do? You are so busy that you are almost dizzy, and you are still here to play games with you?

What's wrong with this emperor?

After being wise for a while, he is going to be in his old ways again, right?

But since they are here, Zhu Houzhao did not give them a chance to refuse. He immediately directed Zhang Yong to lead people to draw a chessboard on the ground according to Tang Hao's game rules, and then directed these important officials in the court to stand in those small grids obediently.

Yang Tinghe took the first position without hesitation. His task was to count meters and count the square of two.

Square means square, that little two.

What is the square of twenty?

Yang Tinghe still had some basic math skills, so he got the answer immediately, which was four.

Then Wang Ao stood in the second grid behind Yang Tinghe. The square of four was sixteen.

The next important officials in the court quickly completed their tasks, but when it was the turn of the Minister of Revenue Jiao Fang, he was a little dumbfounded.

What is the square of two hundred and fifty-six?

Even if Jiao Fang asked himself that he had learned math for a while, he would not be able to calculate such a huge amount of data!

Besides, because this math is useless for the imperial examination, who would have the energy and time to work hard on this useless knowledge, so Jiao Fang was stunned for a while.

Fortunately, Tang Hao had already started calculating on the side, and if he didn't know how to do it, he could just multiply it slowly!

"Minister Jiao's square number is 65536!"

Hearing this, Jiao Fang was not happy, but his face turned green.

65536?

I'm counting your mother!

This guy is really full and has nothing to do, counting rice here?

Jiao Fang was angry and immediately said to His Majesty the Emperor: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is busy, I..."

His attitude is already very clear, and he can't waste time on these meaningless things!

He is full and has nothing to do, counting rice here, and he is asked to count 65536 grains of rice, God knows when he will finish counting!

The nine ministers behind him also began to complain. Jiao Fang had to count more than 60,000 grains of rice. Those standing in the grids behind them had to count tens of millions of rice, right?

This guy is really full and has nothing to do!

However, before Jiao Fang finished speaking, he found that His Majesty's face was as gloomy as water, and even a faint iron blue color could be seen.

So, the honest man Jiao Fang did not dare to say anything.

Other important officials in the court also noticed something strange and shut their mouths.

Zhu Houzhao stared at the rice, and finally suppressed his fear and anxiety, turned his head and looked at Yang Tinghe.

"Master Yang, do you understand?"

Understand... what?

Even though Yang Tinghe was very intelligent, he was confused at this moment.

He was called over to play games without knowing why, and now he was suddenly called by the emperor. How could he react?

However, since the emperor asked, Yang Tinghe did not dare to neglect it, and immediately thought about the deep meaning of the rice on the chessboard.

Other important officials in the court also reacted. It seemed that His Majesty was not making trouble for no reason, but was involved in something important.

But no matter how hard they thought about it, they still couldn't react.

After all, no one would think about the royal family and vassal kings when they were caught off guard.

However, there was an exception, and that was the Minister of Revenue Jiao Fang!

Jiao Fang was good at observing people's words and expressions, and had a flexible mind. He was already troubled by the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, especially this year's royal family salaries accounted for a large part of the court's expenditure. Now when he saw the grid and rice, a light flashed in his mind!

"Royal family!"

As soon as these words came out, the officials changed color!