Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 888

Feeling the resentful gaze of King Min, Hu Min's face was expressionless, but he couldn't help sighing in his heart.

He knew the content of the memorandum, and when he saw it, his eyelids twitched and he was terrified.

Yes, this memorial was not written by him, or in other words, it was only written by him.

As King Min guessed, since Qin Tianjian made a prediction, or more accurately, the emperor thought that there would be a catastrophe in the next few years, Hu Wei was called into the palace.

At first, he wondered how much this kind of matter had anything to do with him as a minister of rites, but it turned out that it had a lot to do with it!

This time, the emperor set his mind on the clan!
In fact, during this period of time, the lower yamen has been preparing various specific matters for disaster relief, and the six departments have not been idle.

Shen Yi of the household department still has two brushes. After receiving the emperor's will, in just a few days, he took an inventory of the current situation of the treasury and the surrounding grain storage. He also had a basic inventory of the financial situation of various places. .

But the result is that it is not ideal!
The foundation of the national treasury is still too weak. Originally, after the civil engineering work, the imperial court should recuperate. , is still tight.

If we want to deal with famine years, then it is not impossible to think of ways, but if there are consecutive famine years, I am afraid that there will be difficulties.

In the final analysis, it still depends on how serious the so-called "disaster situation" is.

After that, Hu Shangshu realized that there was something wrong with the emperor, and every time he looked at him, he was thoughtful.

Later, one day at last, the emperor called him into the palace and told him.

"Uncle Dazong, I have a memorial here, Uncle Dazong, take a look..."

Then, Hu Wei saw a copy, the secret submitted by 'himself'!

This shit, to this day, Lao Shangshu still looks depressed when he thinks about it.

He has been an official for 50 years and has served five emperors, but he still sees them all at once. He himself does not know the memorial he submitted...

But depression is depression. After reading it, Hu Wei knew that he was definitely guilty of this blame!
It's fine if it's an ordinary pot, but the one in front of me is really a big pot...

So of course, Mr. Hu had to take a step back.

Isn't Prince Min in the capital an excellent match?
He showed a sincere smile to the fat prince in front of him, Mr. Hu hoped to make him feel that they were on the united front.

However, this sincere smile fell into Zhu Huixun's eyes, but no matter how he looked at it, he felt a little malicious.

Not long after, after reading the memorandum, Zhu Huixun couldn't help frowning tightly, and said.

"Your Majesty, the vassal is the screen of the vassal of the country. If the Ministry of Rites rashly changes the politics of the vassal, it may cause opposition from the clan. Your Majesty, please think twice."

"Oh? Uncle thinks the measures are inappropriate?"

Hearing this, the emperor raised his eyebrows and asked.

Zhu Huixun pondered for a moment, glanced at Hu Ming, and finally spoke.

"Your Majesty, I think that measures such as emphasizing sectarian studies in the memorandum, setting up subject selection, curbing worship, removing redundant posts and other measures are not too difficult. However, some of these measures may violate the precepts of the emperor's Ming ancestors, and it is difficult to pass the imperial court."

"In addition to this, measures such as strict protection of surveys, establishment of a worry system, prudent marriage, and severe punishments may be difficult for the clans to accept, especially the matter of the establishment of Zonglu, which is even more difficult."

"The old minister believes that this matter still needs to be considered."

Zhu Huixun said it euphemistically, but in fact, he basically rejected the memorial completely.

Although it is said that this memorial was "uploaded" by Hu Wei, the person who knows the content best is Zhu Qiyu.

In fact, all the content in this memorandum was thought out by him alone.

The suzerain and vassal issue is one of the chronic diseases of Ming Dynasty!

It can be said that the reason why the Ming Dynasty collapsed in the end was the huge burden of the clan, and it was a huge responsibility.

Zhu Qiyu had a clear understanding of this point.

Therefore, the reform of suzerain vassals must be carried out sooner or later.

However, originally, Zhu Qiyu didn't plan to start the reform of suzerain vassal at this time. He just set up Zongxue at the beginning of his ascension to let the children of various prefectures come to study, so as to pave the way for future reforms.

But even so, it was still under heavy pressure.

If Zhu Qiyu hadn't called all the kings to the capital in advance, I'm afraid it would really not be so easy to pass.

But now, this memorial to the vassal reform is much more radical than Zongxue, so it's no wonder Zhu Huixun would say such a thing.

The content of this memorandum can be roughly divided into nine articles, the so-called emphasizing religious studies, setting up subject selection, making worship and sweeping, dismissing redundant posts, strictly protecting surveys, setting up worries, prudent marriage, strict punishment, and determining Zonglu.

Basically all aspects involved.

To sum it up, it's actually quite simple. The first few items are considered good things for the clan. Emphasizing Zongxue, setting up subject selection, needless to say, is to strengthen the status of Zongxue, and at the same time open the way for low-level clans to become officials.

These two items were mentioned when Zongxue was established before. Of course, until now, they have not been fully implemented.

But the latter two are a bit more difficult.

The system of worship and the removal of redundant positions are two measures that complement each other. The so-called removal of redundant positions does not remove the official positions of the palace, but the distant clan. Combining the system of worship and sweeping, the eldest son is responsible for worshiping and sweeping the tomb, inheriting the main line, while the rest of the clan will only keep their names, remove their clan salary and privileges, and make them no different from ordinary people.

Theoretically speaking, these two measures, combined with emphasizing Zongxue and setting up subject selection, can be regarded as barely finding a way out for the low-level clan, but...

"Since that's the case, let's talk about it one by one."

"The malpractice of suzerain and vassal has already appeared at the beginning. The clan's family's annual salary is heavy, and the place is unsustainable. If things go on like this, it will definitely become a big disadvantage. Therefore, the reform of suzerain and vassal is imperative!"

Facing Zhu Huixun's worries, Zhu Qiyu simply blocked his way out.

Since you want to change, you can't hesitate.

The reason why Zhu Qiyu didn't come forward in person was because if he did, there would be no buffer between him and the clan, and the conflict would easily intensify.

However, this does not mean that his reform heart is not firm.

There was no one else here, so he didn't need to hide it.

Seeing this situation, Zhu Huixun's chubby face was wrinkled into a bun. He didn't expect that the emperor was so determined.

How can this be good?

However, Zhu Qiyu didn't care about him, but continued.

"Emphasis on Zongxue, setting up subject selection, system of worship and sweeping, and removal of redundant positions are to find a way out for the middle and low-level clans. Nowadays, although there are not many clans in my Ming Dynasty, as time goes by, the clan's descendants will multiply. , will inevitably increase.”

"The imperial court's tax revenue is limited. If things go on like this, it will not only cause a burden to the imperial court, but also the clans will gradually lose their money. So this is not only for the imperial court, but also for the clan's own sake."

This……

The clan of the Ming Dynasty now has about 8000 to [-] people on the register. Although this number is quite a lot, given the supply of the imperial court, the burden is not particularly heavy.

Although some low-level clans are not living well, they are not so unsustainable.

Of course, what the Son of Heaven said made sense. In the future, with the reproduction of offspring, it will definitely be difficult to get Lumi.

But after all, isn't this still far away?

Such tossing at this time, I am afraid that it is much more difficult than solving the problem when it really arises.

and……

"Your Majesty, forgive me for speaking bluntly. If Lumi, the distant branch of the clan, is removed, it will inevitably make the lives of the clans difficult. Although the clan's children are accepted in the establishment of the clan, not everyone has the opportunity to enter the clan. Moreover, the exam of the clan is strict. , even if you can successfully complete your studies, it will be difficult to successfully enter the imperial court."

"So, this move can easily become a dead letter in the end, and it will only make the low-level clan suffer."

By now, Zhu Huixun could see it.

The emperor called him here because he wanted to take action against Zong Fan.

That being the case, what should be said must be said.

He won't be stupid enough to fight against the emperor, but if he says that the stupid emperor can do whatever he says, then he won't last long.

Zhu Huixun himself is a vassal king, so of course he knows where the clan's long-standing malpractice lies and what the situation it is in.

Therefore, he can naturally see that emphasizing religious studies, setting up subject selection, making worship and sweeping, and dismissing redundant posts, the most important one actually falls on the final dismissal of redundant posts.

Abolishing the Lumi privilege of the distant clan will greatly reduce the pressure on the court.

This is the purpose of the Son of Heaven.

However, if you really want to achieve this goal, the conditions given by the emperor are obviously not enough, let alone...

"Besides, Your Majesty's forgiveness of offences and dismissal of redundant posts violates the precepts of the emperor's ancestors."

The grandson of the prince of Fanjun is awarded an official position, the son is awarded the general of Zhenguo, the grandson is awarded the general of Fuguo, the great-grandson is awarded the general of Fengguo, the great-great-grandson is awarded the lieutenant of Zhenguo, the fifth grandson is awarded the lieutenant of Fuguo, and the sixth grandson is awarded Fengguo lieutenant.

This is in black and white, written in Huang Ming's ancestors' instructions.

The so-called dismissal of redundant posts is almost blatantly violating the precepts of the emperor's ancestors.

In fact, this is also the biggest difficulty in suzerain-vassal reform.

Emperor Taizong said that it was difficult for Jing to succeed to the throne, and his banner was to set things right. Therefore, many rules set during the Hongwu period could not be changed.

One of the most important ones is not to cut down the feudal clan!

Or to be more precise, at least you can't cut down the vassal for no reason on the surface, you can only weaken the power and influence of the vassal king on the sidelines, but you can't do it if you want to go to war.

Otherwise, Emperor Taizong's own legal system of succession would be shaken.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty could not cut down the vassals. At most, they could only punish the vassal kings when they made mistakes. Otherwise, they would move the fiefdoms, let the vassal kings "voluntarily" hand over to the guards, prohibit going out of the city for hunting, and a series of specific measures.

Strictly speaking, it is the remote clans that are dismissed from redundant positions, so it cannot be regarded as the reduction of the feudal clan.

but……

What he said was so direct that Zhu Huixun himself was a little frightened, so after he finished speaking, he hurried to make amends.

"Your Majesty clearly understands that I know His Majesty's long-term plans for the clan. However, if this proposal comes out, it may cause misunderstandings. If there are people who don't know His Majesty's true intentions, they will use the emperor's ancestor's instructions, which may disturb the clan and turmoil the government and the public. , Your Majesty, please think twice."

To put it bluntly, this matter is not only in terms of reputation, but also in terms of actual operation, it is quite difficult.

As long as the clan became an official, it was only in the Hongwu era, but it was very rare.

Developed to the present, in the political structure of Ming Dynasty, there is no place for the clan. Once the clan enters, it will definitely violate the interests of some people.

This is actually the biggest difficulty!

Among other things, it is very difficult to pass the examination of the Ministry of Officials. Even if you try your best, the number of places you can get is bound to be pitifully small.

So this approach, in Zhu Huixun's view, is actually very unrealistic.

However, Zhu Qiyu obviously thought about this issue in advance, pondered for a moment, and said.

"Uncle, Taizu set the emperor's precepts at the beginning, so that the descendants of the Zhu family can continue to be stable and protect the community. I think that as long as this original intention is not violated, there is nothing wrong with changing some details according to the times. What does uncle think?"

As soon as these words came out, the two people present were shocked.

Although the emperor's words are euphemistic, the meaning revealed in these words is actually very simple...

The ancestral system is not immutable!

This was the first time that Zhu Qiyu expressed this opinion in front of his ministers, even in private, even though he only expressed a little bit of it.

However, it still surprised Hu Wei and Zhu Huixun.

The two looked at each other, and both saw the complicated emotions in each other's eyes.

If this word spreads, it is conceivable that there is no way to know how much trouble it will cause...

"Besides, the Ministry of Rites has submitted the memorial, so my uncle can also attend..."

But then, Zhu Huixun had no time to be surprised.

Because what the emperor said next, completely made him understand what he was here for today.

The emperor looked at him quietly and said softly.

"Being an official is only one way. I received a memorial a few days ago, saying that there are generals in the local area who sell salt privately, and that there are township lords and local gentry united to buy and sell cloth and silk. These things are all against the order. , However, I also know that the clans sometimes live poorly, and those who can forgive, naturally should also forgive."

"It's just that, in the long run, it's not a solution, what does my uncle think?"

Ah this...

Zhu Huixun's eyes widened. For this sake, if he still couldn't understand what the Son of Heaven meant, he wouldn't have to stay in the capital.

Strictly speaking, clansmen are not allowed to engage in any occupations, but regulations are regulations, and reality is reality.

Just like many clans would invade the fields privately, naturally there are also many clans who can do business in private, the better ones do ordinary business, and the more courageous ones rely on the status of the clan to sell salt and tea .

This kind of thing is just a matter of tacit understanding. As the emperor said, it is not too much trouble, and they are all relatives. If we really want to deal with it, a bunch of intercessors are not worth it.

So most of the time, the court doesn't care.

However, it doesn't matter, but the meaning of the emperor is obviously that he wants to turn this action from the dark to the clear. To put it bluntly, the emperor wants to...

"I dare you, Your Majesty wants to create a career for the clan?"

(End of this chapter)