Chapter 270: Imperial Clan Meeting

The main hall of the Qianqing Palace.

The clan meeting was held as scheduled.

Old vassal kings such as Qin Wang Zhu Weizhuo, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, etc., and new vassal kings such as Xing Wang Zhu Youluo, Yi Wang Zhu Youbin, etc., are all here at this moment.

They have been in Beijing for almost half a month, and they have roughly understood the intention of His Majesty the Emperor to hold the clan meeting this time, so the kings are very excited at this moment. After all, being able to regain power means that they don’t have to be a waste who eats and waits for death.

For example, Qin Wang Zhu Weizhuo, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao and other vassal kings, these old vassal kings have been passed down to this day, and I don’t know how much suppression and torment they have suffered. Today, they finally see the opportunity to regain power.

And new vassal kings such as Xing Wang Zhu Youluo, Yi Wang Zhu Youbin, they are also very excited. After all, the lessons of the old vassal kings are vivid, and no one wants to live their desperate days that can be seen at a glance.

If there is a choice, no one wants to be a waste who eats and waits for death.

Soon, His Majesty the Emperor came in high-spirited, followed by only two people.

One was Chen Kuan, the eunuch who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department, the first eunuch in the inner court, and the internal minister in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

The other was Tang Hao, the hottest new noble in the Zhengde Dynasty, the Marquis of Zhongshan, who was in charge of the war soldiers of the Beijing Army!

Chen Kuan was fine, an old eunuch who was about to retire, and the kings didn't care much about him.

But Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan, put enough pressure on the kings.

There was no way, the Marquis of Zhongshan stood behind His Majesty the Emperor, like an insurmountable high wall, which made people afraid.

Not to mention that the Marquis of Zhongshan held a knife in his hand, with a stern face, as if he dared to chop anyone who dared to disobey the emperor's will, which made the originally excited kings quiet down immediately.

"Your Majesty, I am here to see you!"

The kings didn't have time to think about it, and all stood up and knelt down to salute.

Some of the nervous ones even knocked over their chairs, which was extremely irritating in the hall.

Zhu Houzhao came to the dragon throne and waved to everyone, saying: "My dear ministers, please sit down!"

"We are all descendants of Taizu, so there is no need to be so polite, and all etiquette should be simple!"

Hearing this first sentence, the anxious kings finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At least from this sentence, it is not difficult to see that His Majesty the Emperor has no intention of killing them, and they can return to their fiefdoms safely after the clan meeting.

Chen Kuan became the recorder of the meeting. Today's clan meeting will determine the future pattern of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Houzhao spoke first: "I summoned you to Beijing to hold the clan meeting for only one purpose!"

"That is, the civil officials and gentry have usurped the power of the divine weapon and have controlled the government for many years. I, the emperor, am about to be hollowed out by them!"

"I think about it, only my own family will help my own family, so I summoned you to Beijing to discuss this matter!"

As soon as this was said, the whole audience was in an uproar.

No one expected that His Majesty the Emperor would be so blunt and rude, and the first sentence he spoke was aimed at the civil officials and gentry!

After Zhu Chenhao had a secret talk with His Majesty yesterday, he had already gained the benefits of the Guanglu Temple Minister, and he understood why the Emperor asked him to be the Guanglu Temple Minister, so he immediately jumped out and cursed at the civil officials and gentry.

"It's simply outrageous!"

"These civil officials and gentry have controlled the government for many years, and they dared to usurp the divine weapon after Your Majesty ascended the throne!"

"This Ming Dynasty is the Ming Dynasty of my old Zhu family, and this world is also the world of my old Zhu family. What do they want to do?"

"Do you really want to completely hollow out my old Zhu family and turn it into a puppet emperor like the former Song Zhao family?"

As soon as Zhu Chenhao spoke, the anger in the hearts of the kings was also mobilized.

To be honest, the vassal ban policy formulated by Emperor Taizong was not so strict at the beginning. After all, Emperor Taizong still left some face for the royal family and vassal kings.

It was during the Tianshun period that those civil officials and gentry completely took control of the government. They intensified the implementation of the vassal ban policy and even tried every means to suppress the princes of the royal family!

These princes present were all princes and the main clans of the various branches of the old Zhu family. In order to ask for the salaries they deserved from the court, they had to deal with these civil officials and gentry, and they were infuriated on weekdays!

At this moment, Zhu Chenhao's words really ignited the anger in the hearts of the kings.

A very simple sentence, why?

It was my old Zhu family who expelled the Tartars and restored China, not you gentry!

Why has the government power been controlled by you gentry now?

Even when we asked for the salaries we deserved, we were repeatedly made difficult by you damn dogs?

Do you really think you are the master of the Ming Dynasty?

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said nothing when he saw this.

At this moment, he realized that Zhu Chenhao was really a good knife!

As long as he was given some sweet treats, this villain would really dare to charge forward!

The kings talked about it and cursed the civil officials and gentry.

Zhu Houzhao then said quietly: "I can change the policy of vassal ban, or even abolish it!"

"But the civil officials and gentry will definitely not agree. They will find ways to stop me, so I need your help!"

"Whether it is money or manpower, if you want to lift the vassal ban and want to serve as an official in the court, you must show enough sincerity and show enough chips for me to confront the civil officials and gentry!"

After Tang Hao's reminder, Zhu Houzhao also gave up the idea of ​​continuing to be servile with these vassal kings.

Instead of pretending to be confused and continuing to waste time with these vassal kings and conspirators, it is better to directly attack and clarify the exchange of interests!

Do you want to return to power?

Can!

But you have to take out your chips in exchange!

His Majesty the Emperor's meaning was so obvious that all the kings were shocked by his straightforward words.

The courage and courage of this Zhengde Emperor are really... very different!

In order to stabilize his position in the heart of His Majesty the Emperor, and also to stabilize his soon-to-be-acquired Minister of Guanglu Temple, Zhu Chenhao immediately jumped out to express his position.

"Your Majesty, if you are loyal to your Majesty by eating your salary, you should share your worries with your Majesty!"

"I am willing to respond to your Majesty's call and donate 50,000 taels of silver to the imperial court free of charge. If the imperial court needs any of my descendants, I will send them to the imperial court immediately!"

Hearing this, the kings felt itchy with hatred.

Is this Zhu Chenhao fucking crazy?

Fifty thousand taels of silver as soon as you open your mouth?

That’s fifty thousand taels!

At worst, one tael of silver can buy two shi of rice!

Fifty thousand taels of silver can buy at least 100,000 shi of rice!

This damn place is full of real food!

Zhu Chenhao's words were equivalent to setting a standard for the kings.

The old vassal kings who have been handed down for hundreds of years offer 50,000 yuan in silver. The other old vassal kings cannot give less than 30,000 yuan at least, and these new vassal kings cannot give less than 10,000 yuan. Otherwise, they are rejecting the exchange of benefits from His Majesty the Emperor!

Who is it not good to refuse, His Majesty the Emperor?

I don’t know how he died!

However, it’s not that they don’t want to take the money, it’s that they really don’t want to take it!

Not all vassal kings were like Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, who wantonly annexed fields and plundered people's wealth.

Fifty thousand taels of silver can literally kill them. Could it be that this exchange of interests has emptied all the family's wealth, and in the end the whole family has to drink the northwest wind?

Seeing that the kings were hesitating, Zhu Houzhao also understood that these guys were difficult to deal with, and they were all masters who could not see the rabbit before the hawk, so he spoke directly and praised Zhu Chenhao in public.

“Prince Ning’s loyalty is a lesson!”

"I am conferred the title of Minister of Guanglu Temple!"

Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao!

Lord Guanglu Temple!

Upon hearing this, the kings immediately became excited.

This is the Minister of Guanglu Temple!

One of the little nine ministers of the imperial court!

Did His Majesty the Emperor really give it away like this?

The key is that once this decree is issued, the vassal ban policy will be in vain!

Why can't we engage in the work of the four peoples?

Didn’t you see that Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao became the minister of Guanglu Temple?

This is the strongest political signal, and no one can refute it!

Confirming His Majesty the Emperor's attitude and determination, all the kings were excited for a moment.

So after Zhu Chenhao, Lu King Zhu Yangzhu also jumped out and said in a deep voice: "What King Ning said is absolutely true. The clan is one and should share the worries of the king!"

"My lineage of Lu Fan is willing to donate 50,000 taels of silver. Outstanding members of the clan such as Zhu Dangqie, no one dares to refuse to obey any call from the imperial court!"

After hearing this, the kings suddenly came to their senses.

By the way, there is also Zhu Dangqi, who is brave and good at fighting. At this moment, he has been promoted to a guerrilla general and entered the Beijing camp to take charge of the Beijing army's soldiers!

The clear example is before their eyes, and the kings understand that they have no way out, so they can only choose to take a gamble and exchange profits for the opportunity to regain power.

Furthermore, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao and Lu Wang Zhu Yangzhu have already expressed their stance. If they don't express their stance, they will be going against His Majesty the Emperor!

And this is the general trend, and it is also a practical action that the clan will take together in order to regain power. Anyone who dares to back down and refuse at this time will not only arouse the jealousy and suspicion of His Majesty the Emperor, but will also be squeezed and suppressed by the vassal clan!

The "clan as one body" mentioned by King Zhu Yangzhu of Lu is no joke!

So all the kings spoke one after another. The old vassal king gritted his teeth and offered 50,000 taels of silver, the mid-level vassal king offered 30,000 taels of silver, and the new vassal king only offered 10,000 taels of silver with a bitter face.

Even Xingwang Zhu Youqi, an honest man, was forced to offer 10,000 taels of silver. Even though he knew very well that his family did not have that much, he had no choice but to protect himself. He thought about going back immediately after the clan meeting was over. Selling property to raise the money.

Anyway, His Majesty the Emperor intends to let him stay in the capital in the future, so there is no need to keep the Anluzhou family property.

In the end, these vassal kings donated a total of nearly three million taels of silver.

After roughly estimating this figure, even Zhu Houzhao, the Ming Emperor, couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.

At this moment, he was not at all happy, but instead felt a sense of fear!

Because these three million taels of silver are not clean money, but the flesh and blood money obtained by these clan kings who have been plundering the people's fat and anointing for many years and absorbing the local people's money!

Three million taels of silver!

It’s almost as much as the imperial court’s annual tax revenue!

One can imagine how many people these feudal kings harmed in their own fiefdoms!

Fortunately, the savages made such a move in time and made the court aware of the dangers of the vassal clan. Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty would sooner or later be dragged down by these blood-sucking insects!

Zhu Houzhao suppressed the fear in his heart and took the next step.

"Very good, I have seen your sincerity."

"However, I cannot allow you all to enter the court in a short period of time. This is impossible, and civil servants and gentry will not agree!"

"So for the time being, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao will be appointed as Guanglu Temple Minister, Xing Wang Zhu Youju will be appointed as Libu Zuoshilang, and they will stay in the court of the capital to make suggestions and discuss state affairs!"

The kings were disappointed when they heard this, but they could understand it.

Appointing two princes to the court was already the limit of His Majesty the Emperor.

If there were more, the civil officials and gentry would surely be in an uproar!

Anyway, they have been paid, and the vassal ban policy has been lifted, so it doesn't really matter whether they enter the court or not.

What's more, with Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao and Xing Wang Zhu Youju, two princes of the royal family serving as officials in the court, representing the interests of the princes of the royal family, their future life will be much better, and there may even be a chance to completely lift the vassal ban and regain control of the military power.

Only Prince Lu Zhu Yangzhu was disappointed. He thought that the Emperor would at least give him an official position. After all, his son was already an official. But he, as a father, gave 50,000 taels for nothing, but got nothing. How could he bully others like this?

Zhu Yangzhu could only look at Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao with a face full of resentment. The latter ignored this "resentful woman" expressionlessly.

This guy could not be among the candidates at all, because Zhu Yangzhu had held a large-scale gathering for promiscuous parties. If the Emperor reused such a guy, he would be slapping himself in the face.

"Secondly, it is the new system of vassalage!"

"You should read this manual carefully and remember it firmly in your heart to restrain the children of the clan in your own vassal. If anyone dares to violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty again, not only will the entire vassalage not have a bonus, but I will also severely punish the main vein of the vassalage, and I will never show mercy!"

New system of vassalage?

The kings were not surprised by this.

After all, the Emperor was going to lift the vassal ban, so he would naturally formulate a new system of vassalage.

But what does the Emperor mean by bonus?

Is there a bonus to be won in the future?

When the kings thought of this, they immediately opened the book with excitement.

In the end, they were not happy for a few seconds. When they saw the new system of vassalage in the booklet, their faces turned green.

Is this so excessive?

Cut our salary for no reason?

The salary of the five levels of the royal family cut in the front, plus the salary of the three levels of the royal family cut in the back, will be used as the year-end bonus of the royal family. At that time, it will be uniformly distributed according to the performance of the royal family.

Originally, the annual salary of the prince was 10,000 dan, the annual salary of the county king was 2,000 dan, the annual salary of the general guarding the country was 1,000 dan, the general supporting the country was 800 dan, the general serving the country was 600 dan, the lieutenant guarding the country was 400 dan, the lieutenant supporting the country was 300 dan, and the lieutenant serving the country was 200 dan.

Now that the new vassal system is being implemented, the annual salary of the prince will be cut in half, leaving only 5,000 dan, and the salary of the county prince will be 1,000 dan...

This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is the salary of the three levels of lieutenant, which is the bulk of the salary of the royal family!

Among the princes present, except for the newly promoted vassal kings, the other vassal kings are very clear.

Otherwise, why would they call on the children of the vassal to have children like crazy?

It's because there is money and food to be taken!

As a result, now the big head is gone, and the salary is cut in half!

What does His Majesty mean?

It's too much!

Seeing that the vassal kings were about to get angry, Zhu Houzhao said lightly: "The royal family's year-end bonus will be issued at the end of each year, according to the four aspects of the new system of the vassal states!"

"For this first year, the royal family's year-end bonus is temporarily set at 500,000 taels of silver. After all, it's not easy for you. You have read the assessment system carefully, so don't say I didn't warn you!"

As soon as this was said, the whole audience was in an uproar!

Year-end bonus for the royal family!

500,000 taels of snowflake silver!

Upon hearing this number, the eyes of all the princes turned red instantly!

That's 500,000 taels of snowflake silver!

One tael of silver can buy more than two shi of rice!

500,000 taels of silver means at least one million shi of grain!

All of them will be distributed to the royal family members as year-end bonuses!

On average, except for some vassal states that were excluded from the bonus qualification, each of their princes can at least get 50,000 shi of grain!

My God, your majesty's hand is too big, isn't it?

Even if the salary is halved, but with the final 50,000 shi year-end bonus, it is more than five times more than before!

In this way, although the salary of the royal family has been cut in half, and the royal family rank has been cut by three levels, if the final year-end bonus is added and averaged, the salary of the royal family has not been reduced, but increased several times!

This is a great gift!

A generous gift that all the princes can't refuse!

His Majesty is indeed one of our family members, and he is still on our side in his heart!

For a moment, the princes were overjoyed and accepted the reduction in their salaries.

Just flipping through the booklet and taking a closer look, the smiles of the princes became a little stiff.

Hiss...

Fertility rate, contribution rate, crime rate and graduation rate.

If any of them is not up to standard, the year-end bonus will be gone.

There are even special notes on it, if the four indicators are too low, especially the crime rate, not only will the year-end bonus this year be gone, but the qualification to participate in the year-end bonus in the future will also be cancelled as appropriate, which means that the year-end bonus next year and the year after may be gone. In addition, the court will severely punish the princes of the royal family who violate the law, and will never be lenient!

The fertility rate is not so difficult to deal with. The kings did not take it seriously. At most, they just asked their descendants to take care of their own crotches. After the children were born, they had to raise them themselves. The court only helped to raise three children, including a boy and a girl. Who would be willing to have children? However, this indicator is still relatively easy to achieve.

And this contribution rate is relatively easy. There are many examples listed above. For example, the princes and royal family can compile ancient books. If they compile a book, their contribution rate will be increased. These are tasks that can be completed as long as they spend time. For example, Zhu Danglu, the King of Guishan in Lu, fought for the country on the battlefield and made meritorious contributions, which directly raised his contribution rate to the maximum.

Speaking of which, this item is also relatively simple.

There is also a graduation rate, which is purely to urge the children of the royal family to study and cultivate virtue. In the future, the court will organize a unified assessment for the children of the royal family of the right age. Those who are not good at literature or martial arts, and those who are too dandy and useless, may even be directly deprived of their royal family status. This punishment also makes the kings feel a chill in their hearts!

Only the last item of the violation rate makes the kings look solemn.

If there are princes and royal family members who take human lives lightly, they will be directly disqualified from the three-year year-end bonus once verified.

Ah, this... is so strict!

The kings are a little worried.

That was a large amount of silver and grain. If it was gone, the annual salary would be cut in half. How would the whole family survive?

For a moment, the kings did not dare to take it lightly anymore.

It was necessary to complete these four indicators and strictly restrain all the members of the royal family of their own branch, especially the behaviors recorded in the crime rate. They must not have any, otherwise they would break the legs of those bastards!

After all, they have paid the money. If they fail at this last step, they will have nowhere to cry!

Zhu Houzhao looked at the princes whose faces changed, and there was a cold light flashing in his eyes.

Once these two steps are implemented, the hidden dangers of the royal family princes will be half solved.

But the three-step strategy proposed by the savages still has a third step!