Chapter 265: New System of Suzerainty and Vassalage

Zhu Houzhao immediately spoke up and lifted the vassal ban policy.

As soon as this was said, the ministers were in an uproar.

Although this was indeed beneficial to the current situation, how could His Majesty the Emperor agree?

For a moment, the eyes of Yang Tinghe, Wang Ao and others moved back and forth on Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao.

They couldn't figure out what this Zhongshan Hou had just said to His Majesty the Emperor, which prompted His Majesty the Emperor to change his mind and directly agree to this request that would pose a hidden danger to the royal family!

Unfortunately, looking at the postures of Tang Hao and His Majesty the Emperor, it was clear that they were not going to speak.

The ministers would not ask for trouble by asking the two of them.

Since His Majesty the Emperor had agreed, the rest of the things would be much simpler.

Under the auspices of Yang Tinghe, the ministers quickly formulated a new set of vassal policies.

First, according to what Zhongshan Hou said, the last three levels of the clan ranks were cut off, that is, the three levels of the four hundred stone lieutenant of the state, the three hundred stone lieutenant of the state, and the two hundred stone lieutenant of the state were abolished, and the clan year-end bonus was set up instead. In name, the salary expenses of these three lieutenants were used as bonuses.

Second, regarding the evaluation of the year-end bonus for the clan, combined with the opinions of the ministers and the proposal of Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao, the year-end bonus for the clan was evaluated mainly from the three aspects of fertility rate, contribution rate, and crime rate.

These three restrictions can actually ensure that the vassal kings and clan members are obedient.

Third, the policy of lifting the vassal ban was lifted, or slightly modified. For example, the vassal kings could temporarily leave the fiefdom after applying to the court, whether to go out for fun or to visit friends. As long as they get the consent of the court, the vassal kings and clan members no longer have to be trapped in the fiefdom for life as in the past, which is the same as restricting the people's road permits.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the rules drawn up by these ministers and fell into deep thought.

There is nothing much to say about the first step. Cutting three levels of the eight levels of the royal family's title can directly greatly reduce the financial pressure of the Ming Dynasty in the future.

The three lieutenant levels at the back are the bulk of the royal family's salary, and it is also the way for the royal family princes to keep having children and then ask for money and food from the court!

This second step was still proposed by the savages, linking interests with policies, forcing those princes to manage their own branches and cooperate with the court to implement various policies.

Once this policy is implemented, the royal family princes will no longer be the enemy of the royal family, but the biggest ally to help the royal family consolidate the rule of the court!

This is also the original purpose of Emperor Taizu Gao's enfeoffment of the kings in the past!

Enfeoffment of the kings to screen the royal family, isn't that the result that Emperor Taizu Gao wanted to see back then?

However, he used it in the wrong place. He shouldn't have handed over the local military power to a group of princes!

Now, Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao has also proposed such an idea, but this time, he chose to use interests to tie the clan members to the royal family!

The fertility rate is linked to the interests of the clan, so there is really no need for the court to introduce policies. The main line of the prince will find ways to control it, and he, the emperor, does not need to worry about it at all!

To ​​put it simply, the more children a prince's branch has, the more people will share money with them every year!

When it comes to the main line of the prince, if they want to get more clan year-end bonuses, they must control the fertility rate of the branches under their command!

It doesn't matter if you have too many children and can't afford to raise them yourself, the problem is that it will affect the fertility assessment of our large branch!

When the clan's year-end bonus is deducted, everyone will not get any money at the end of the year, and won't they all have to starve?

Yes, the first three generations had a small population, and maybe it was nothing, but by the fourth generation, these princes would notice something was wrong, and they would start to deliberately control the population. As long as a vassal state started to do this, its fertility rate would be excellent, thus much higher than other vassal states, prompting competition between the major vassal states!

In this way, the vassal state controls the population by itself, and the emperor and the court don't even have to come forward to be the villain. As long as the clan members carry out controlled family planning, the number of clan members of the old Zhu family will naturally not increase day by day, but will be within a reasonable range, a normal range that the court's finances can accommodate!

This is the result the court wants to see!

Raise your own children, don't think about asking the court for money and food by having children desperately!

Otherwise, when the Ming Dynasty's finances are dragged down by the birth of these clan princes, Zhu Houzhao really doesn't know whether to cry or laugh!

For example, the crime rate, this name is not very good, but there are many clan members who openly violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty!

Not to mention the distant past, most of the sons of Emperor Taizu Gao were not good people!

Emperor Taizu's second son, Prince Qin Zhu Chong, not only raped women and plundered people's property, but also abused private punishment in the Qin Palace, tying palace maids to trees and starving them to death or burning them to death. In the end, Zhu Chong was poisoned to death by three old women. Even Emperor Taizu Gao scolded him for being dead after hearing the bad news, and gave him the posthumous title of "Min"!

Emperor Taizu's third son, Prince Jin Zhu Gang, was cruel and cruel by nature. After he was enfeoffed in Taiyuan, he whipped and tore his servants apart many times. He was also a spoiled and lawless bastard who regarded human life as worthless!

Emperor Taizu's thirteenth son, Prince Dai Zhu Gui, had a violent temper and liked to kill. He killed and took money in his fiefdom, and the people suffered a lot. He took whatever he wanted and committed many crimes. He was also a beast!

Taizu's eighteenth son, Prince of Min, Zhu Yu, appears gentle and refined on the surface, but is actually tyrannical and unjust. His true nature was exposed after he became a vassal in Yunnan. He enslaved soldiers, oppressed the people, did whatever he wanted, and killed officials and civilians!

...

To be honest, Zhu Houzhao has always known about the evil deeds of these princes of the royal family.

He just doesn't want to pay attention to it, or he is too lazy to pay attention to it.

Even if he knows, what can he do?

The fact that the princes of the royal family are so corrupt is the result of the royal family's deliberate indulgence!

Even the civil officials and gentry turned a blind eye to these princes of the royal family who committed crimes. The files piled up in the Ministry of Justice are like mountains!

It is conceivable how desperate those innocent people would be before they die!

However, this matter is very sensitive, and Zhu Houzhao has always been unable to intervene!

Now there is finally an opportunity to change this situation!

Crime rate: once a member of the royal family violates the law, the crime rate will be evaluated as appropriate, ranging from poor to extremely poor to deducting all bonuses. Those royal princes who have killed people will not only be severely punished, but also the entire lineage of the princes will be punished, and the royal family's year-end bonus will be deducted.

By the same token, if the system is implemented, those princes will definitely restrain themselves for the sake of their own interests, and will also restrain the other branches under their command to avoid such evil deeds. Otherwise, once the people's dissatisfaction attracts the attention of the court, they will not get any bonuses, and can only watch the year-end bonuses being divided up by other royal vassals!

And the last contribution rate is what Zhu Houzhao really cares about the most.

After hearing so much before, Zhu Houzhao also understood a fact, that is, because of the court's vassal policy and the court's deliberate indulgence, the royal family members of the old Zhu family have become pigs who eat and wait to die!

Speaking of which, Zhu Houzhao himself is ashamed of it. It is the old Zhu family that is embarrassed, and the people who committed these evil deeds are also the royal family of the old Zhu family!

The princes of the royal family are not allowed to participate in the four classes of people and are not allowed to engage in production. This is the order set by Emperor Taizu Gao!

This point is indeed unchangeable and not easy to change. In addition, Emperor Taizong Wen’s vassal ban policy is equivalent to directly sentencing the princes of the royal family to abolition.

However, Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao proposed a different direction.

The royal family members are indeed not allowed to participate in the four classes of people, but they can have hobbies!

Those who cultivate immortality and seek the Tao, then meditate and write Taoist classics!

Those who meditate and worship Buddha, then promote Buddhism and save all living beings!

Those who like painting, then draw geomancy maps and learn from Li Daoyuan!

There are also brave and warlike people like Zhu Dangluo, who can be named in the army. When encountering war, the court can recruit them to fight, which can be regarded as giving royal family members an opportunity to gallop on the battlefield!

Zhu Houzhao can imagine that once this contribution rate is implemented, it will definitely cause an uproar in the various royal palaces!

He just wanted to tell these princes of the royal family that as long as they could maintain the positive image of the old Zhu family and make contributions to the people, the court would not be stingy with rewards. The contribution rate evaluation they should give would naturally be excellent, and the annual bonus they should give would not be less!

In the long run, the people would naturally be grateful to the old Zhu family and spontaneously support and support them. The benefits brought by this move were simply too great. It was a truly beneficial policy for the country and the people!

Countless thoughts filled his mind, and then they became clear one by one.

The wonderful thing about this series of plans proposed by the savages was that the court gradually transferred the power to control the royal family to the main veins, and controlled the branches under their command through these princes' main veins. Through the interests, these princes were forced to manage the branches under their command. It was a stroke of genius!

After thinking for a long time, Zhu Houzhao finally spoke.

"Regarding the assessment of the year-end bonus for the royal family, we need to add another aspect, that is, the graduation rate!"

"Include the royal education of the royal children in the assessment and evaluation. If the assessment rate does not meet the standard, the corresponding bonus will also be deducted!"

Hearing the emperor's words, all the officials changed their faces.

This request is very reasonable.

After all, paying close attention to the issue of royal education can also cultivate excellent royal children. This is what Emperor Taizu Gao has been doing in the past, and it is in line with the ancestral law.

But the problem is that the emperor's doing this reveals an obvious political signal, so the court officials and gentry may have to go to the royal palaces in various places to serve as officials in the future.

Wang Ao, the Minister of Personnel, asked: "May I ask Your Majesty, will the officials in the palace be evaluated based on this assessment?"

"Of course!" Zhu Houzhao sneered: "Don't tell me about the "unwritten system of selecting officials" anymore. This is just the selfishness of you court officials!"

"In the future, the palace education of the royal children will be included in the bonus assessment, and the performance of the palace officials will also be included in the assessment of the Ministry of Personnel. Those who perform too poorly will be directly dismissed from office and their reputations will be removed. Those who perform well can be promoted to the six ministries and hundreds of departments, based on this!"

Wang Ao was relieved when he heard this.

As long as the officials can be promoted, then it can be accepted.

In addition, the palace education is included in the bonus assessment, and those royal children have to start studying seriously. In this way, the teaching work of the palace officials will be much easier.

You study hard, I teach seriously, and then you get the bonus, and I get promoted with qualifications. This is a good thing of mutual benefit.

The ministers had no objection to this, and this one was quickly passed.

Only Yang Tinghe was frowning. He always felt that Tang Hao and His Majesty the Emperor were planning something.

Previously, His Majesty the Emperor was still hesitant about lifting the feudal ban, but after listening to the advice of the Marquis of Zhongshan, his attitude changed drastically and he tried his best to promote this matter. Now he wants to include the education of the royal palace in the assessment. It is clear that he wants to revive the royal family of the Ming Dynasty and cultivate talents!

But what's the point of this?

These royal children cannot participate in the four people's occupations. Even if they are excellent and outstanding, there is no...

Wait!

Something seems to be wrong!

A light flashed through Yang Tinghe's mind, and the next moment his face gradually turned pale.

He was about to speak up to oppose this matter, but Zhu Houzhao no longer gave him a chance.

"In this case, let's summon the princes to Beijing!"

"I intend to hold a royal family meeting to implement this new system of royal family and vassalage. The Ministry of Rites is responsible for preparing this matter and summoning the princes of various branches to Beijing!"

Zhu Houzhao stood up and looked at the ministers, then patted his forehead.

"There is one more thing. Zhu Danglu, the Prince of Guishan in Lu, is brave and good at fighting. He has made great military achievements for the court. He was promoted to a guerrilla general and entered the Beijing Army to assist the Marquis of Zhongshan in training soldiers!"

"Let's stop here today. I'm tired!"

After saying this, Zhu Houzhao waved his hand.

Yang Tinghe's face was uncertain for a while, but he still didn't dare to disobey the order of His Majesty the Emperor, so he could only leave the hall unhappily.

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Wang Ao, the Minister of Personnel, quickly caught up with Yang Tinghe, who had a gloomy face.

He just noticed the face of the cabinet chief minister, and seemed to have noticed something wrong, so he immediately caught up with him.

"Prime Minister, what happened?"

"The reform of the feudal policy is indeed a good thing that benefits the country and the people!"

"The court's financial expenditure has been greatly reduced, and the people are no longer suffering from the oppression of the feudal lords. Is there any problem?"

Yang Tinghe stopped and asked solemnly: "Brother Jizhi, have you ever thought about why His Majesty wants to include the education of the royal palace in the assessment?"

"Maybe it's because of what Wang Jianzhi, that bastard, said that made His Majesty pay attention?" Wang Ao answered tentatively.

In order to solve the big problem of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Jianzhi, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, directly told the truth, which put the civil officials and gentry in a passive position and also aroused the anger of Wang Ao and others.

This behavior is a model of selfishness without considering the overall situation!

Yang Tinghe shook his head and whispered: "What about Zhu Danglu? He became a general!"

Wang Ao was startled when he heard the words, and then he reacted.

"You mean, His Majesty is going to use a large number of clan members?"

"It's very likely!" Yang Tinghe sneered: "If I guess correctly, this is the evil plot of Zhongshan Marquis Tang Hao!"

"He deliberately used that game to intimidate the ministers, let them see the hidden dangers of clan salaries, and then started to promote the reform of the clan and vassal measures. The situation has developed step by step according to his strategy. I'm afraid that Tang Hao's real purpose is to bring clan members into the court!"

Bring clan members into the court? !

Wang Ao's face changed instantly, and then he shook his head.

"How is this possible?"

"How could His Majesty agree?"

"In this case, wouldn't it be a threat to the throne..."

"Brother Jizhi, don't you understand yet?"

Yang Tinghe sighed: "In His Majesty's eyes, the real threat to the imperial power is not the royal princes, but the civil officials and gentry!"

"Your Majesty listened to what the Marquis of Zhongshan said and deliberately led the royal forces into the court, just to let the royal princes compete with the civil officials and gentry in the court, so that His Majesty can take the opportunity to take back the imperial power and break the situation where the civil officials and gentry control the government!"

"These royal princes have been suppressed by the civil officials and gentry since Tianshun. Now they have such a good opportunity to enter the court and take power. They can't wait to beat the civil officials and gentry to death!"

"Zhu Dangqi is the best example. The royal princes can naturally see the political signals revealed by His Majesty the Emperor!"

"I'm afraid that after the royal meeting, there will be an extra force in this court!"

Wang Ao was stunned when he heard this.

In order to deal with the civil officials and gentry, His Majesty actually wants to bring the power of the royal family into the court?

Isn't he afraid of... playing badly?

What if the royal family and the court officials secretly collude, then the throne...

For a moment, Wang Ao was in a state of confusion. When he came to his senses, he found that Yang Tinghe had left.

The new cabinet chief was also in a state of confusion at this moment, because he encountered the same problem as the old chief Liu Jian.

Is it loyalty to the emperor or loyalty to oneself?

The cabinet chief is the leader of the gentry, but also the emperor's teacher!

He Yang Tinghe never thought that the day of facing a choice would come so quickly!

However, no matter how Yang Tinghe chose, he could no longer stop the development of the situation.

When Zhang Yong arrived at the Prince of Lu's Mansion with the decree day and night, the fourth generation of Prince of Lu, Zhu Yangzhu, suddenly burst into a loud and arrogant laugh.

Just now, his son Zhu Dangqi, who he had high hopes for, was appointed as a guerrilla general by the court and was ordered to enter the Beijing Army to assist Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao in training troops!

This also means that the court's ban on the princes and royal family... has been lifted!

At the same time, Zhang Yong also brought good news that His Majesty is about to convene a royal family meeting and summon all princes to Beijing!

In other words, Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao actually did it!

That lawless and reckless man, with his own strength, successfully removed several mountains that Emperor Taizu Gao and Emperor Taizong Wen had placed on the princes and royal family, giving these nobles a chance to regain power!

Zhu Yangzhu put on the prince's crown with high spirits, and then took Zhu Dangchu in a luxurious carriage and headed straight for the capital!

"Son, remember this day!"

Zhu Yangzhu looked at Zhu Dangchu with a grim face.

"Those damn civil officials and gentry, it's time to pay the price for their previous actions!"

"From now on, we, the nobles of the old Zhu family, will regain power and no longer be pigs who eat and wait to die!"

Zhu Dangchu heard this and moved lazily to respond.

Compared to fighting for power, he cared more about his martial arts.

"Father, why can't I beat Lord Tang?"

"He can kill you with one hand!"

"..."