The days when I ransacked the house in Jinyiwei

Chapter 247: The Clan’s Concubine Restriction Order and the Life Extension Tower

In the late Hongzhi Dynasty, the power of civil servants was able to overwhelm the clan by one or more heads.

The emperor is the biggest backer of the clan.Civil servants didn't even look down on the emperor, let alone the clan?

In the 17th year of Hongzhi's reign, it was Frost's Day.

The weather suddenly turned cold, and the early morning frost filled the courtyard in front of Fengtian Gate.Civil and military officials have put on winter clothes.

Even so, the biting autumn wind still makes people feel chilly on their necks.

Emperor Hongzhi came to Qianguangting in a carriage with eight people, and hundreds of officials knelt to greet him.

A tall and powerful Han general knelt down in front of the eight people.He carried Emperor Hongzhi on his back and walked to the dragon throne.

Xiao Jing and several eunuchs and young eunuchs helped Emperor Hongzhi to the dragon chair.

Chang Feng in the military attaché class was particularly sad to see this scene.

Only 18 years ago, the emperor was still a high-spirited young emperor.Now he is as weak as an eighty-year-old man.

You know, the emperor is only 35 years old this year!Four years younger than Chang Feng.

It must be said that Emperor Hongzhi was a diligent emperor.Even if he is so ill, he still does not miss morning and afternoon pilgrimage every day.

Start early.

Emperor Hongzhi said: "I plan to build a life-extending pagoda outside Chaoyang Gate. The cabinet will draft an edict. Zhang Yong, the eunuch of the ceremony, and Li Xing, the eunuch of the internal affairs department, will supervise the construction."

"Oh, the money comes from the internal transportation warehouse. It doesn't cost one or two dollars."

It is not too much for a terminally ill emperor to build a pagoda to pray for God to extend his life.

What is being built is a pagoda, not the Epang Palace.It only costs tens of thousands of taels of silver to survive.And the money is still used.

Chang Feng was the first to leave: "The emperor respects heaven and loves the people. God will definitely send blessings and bless my great emperor long live!"

"I, Changfeng, requested to go to the Yanshou Pagoda construction site to carry wood and stone bricks. I will try my best as a minister."

The clothes are not as good as new, and the people are not as good as old.Ever since Emperor Hongzhi was still the crown prince, Chang Feng had always been by his side.

Chang Feng is Hua En's great-grandson. Whenever he saw Chang Feng, Emperor Hongzhi would think of his benefactor Hua En.
Chang Feng volunteered to work as a coolie at the longevity tower construction site, which greatly moved Emperor Hongzhi.

Emperor Hongzhi was about to praise Chang Feng a few words.Liu Jian, the chief assistant of the cabinet, was the first to go out.

Liu Jian said something that has been recorded in the history books: "Your Majesty, the affairs of Buddha, Laos, ghosts and gods are of no benefit to the world and are harmful to the people. In this temple, there are groups of Buddhists and Taoists looking at each other, and there are no people who are fasting and worshiping. The rewards are useless and the wealth of the world is wasted." , the power of the world is exhausted, the situation is extremely exhausted, and it cannot be increased. Please take back your previous orders and stop building pagodas and temples!"

As soon as Liu Jian said this, the two elders Li Dongyang and Xie Qian came out: "I second the proposal!"

Officials from the six ministries and officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology came out one after another: "I second the proposal!"

Long live!A wise king who was close to his virtuous ministers but a distant man, worked hard to rule the country, and created a prosperous era. When he was terminally ill, he even built a pagoda to pray for longevity, but his "virtuous ministers" opposed it.

"Wise ministers" are not unreasonable.They were just safeguarding their principles: the court of the Hongzhi Dynasty was governed by both monarch and ministers.We cannot let the emperor have the final say!No matter whether what the emperor proposed is reasonable or not.We must have a fight.

The civil servants of the Ming Dynasty were the earliest gangsters.

The wide courtyard in front of Fengtian Gate formed a one-sided situation.All civil servants opposed the construction of pagodas by Emperor Hongzhi.

Emperor Hongzhi was extremely disappointed. Under the pressure, stars appeared in his eyes and he almost fell off the dragon chair.Fortunately, Xiao Jing had quick eyes and quick hands and helped him.

The Crown Prince Zhu Houzhao couldn't stand listening anymore and shouted loudly: "Do the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty still have conscience? My father's body was exhausted by the government!"

"His old man just wants to build a pagoda! You just block it, no one is filial to you!"

"Mr. Li, Mr. Xie, don't you teach filial piety, loyalty, propriety, justice and shame all day long? Where is your filial piety? Where is your loyalty?"

Emperor Hongzhi interrupted Zhu Houzhao: "Don't talk nonsense!"

Zhu Houzhao's face was full of grievance: "Father."

Emperor Hongzhi repeated: "Don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense."

"What the nobles said is absolutely true. I was wrong. Every bit of national and internal money is the people's fat. I should not be good at building construction."

"I will not mention the construction of the pagoda again."

After Chang Feng heard this, he felt sad for the kind, honest and weak emperor.

What kind of court is this, what kind of ministers are this!

"Jun Chen" has become "Chen Jun", and the minister is above the king.Emperor Hongzhi may be able to leave a good reputation in the history books for his monarch and his ministers to govern together and do good things.But it cannot change the fact that ministerial power trumps imperial power.

Taizu and Taizong knew well that the coffin might not even be able to hold it down!
After the morning meeting, Chang Feng returned to Jinyiwei with a full stomach of anger.

He made a decision to help Emperor Hongzhi build the pagoda.

At this moment, Liu Long, a concubine of the Hanlin Academy, entered Chang Feng's duty room in a grand manner.

When Liu Long saw Chang Feng, he didn't even bother to bow his hands, let alone kneel down.He put his hands behind his back and looked domineering.

This person was the top student in Hongzhi's 12th year, and Liu Jian's most valued student.With Liu Jian in the background, he didn't take Chang Feng seriously at all.

The emperor's power was weak, and the emperor's head slave naturally lacked the power to intimidate civil servants.

Liu Long said: "Liu Shoufu ordered you to go to the cabinet to check the room immediately."

"Life", give it back "immediately"?This is what a boss says to his subordinates.

When did the commander of the emperor's personal army become a subordinate of the cabinet?

Chang Feng had a calm look on his face. He could only endure what ordinary people couldn't bear, and he was a man: "Oh? Liu Shoufu didn't say anything?"

Liu Long turned around and left without saying a word.There is no respect for Chang Feng at all.

Zhang Cai from Qianhu on the side said: "Master Chang, do you want to check Liu Long's background? I really want to see if this arrogant bastard has ever done anything illegal."

Chang Feng said: "Check! Not only do we have to check him, we also need to check three generations of him. I want to see if Liu Shoufu's feet are pure white lotus flowers."

Zhang Cai asked: "Are you still going to the cabinet?"

Chang Feng said: "Go. Of course I want to go. If my prediction is good, the thing I have planned for a month will have a result today."

Half an hour later, the cabinet was on duty.

Chang Feng stood in front of the three pavilion elders.

Liu Jian took a sip of tea and glanced at Chang Feng: "There are rumors in the capital that the clans are liaising with each other, saying that the clans are going to come out to manage politics and reduce the power of the cabinet. Is there such a thing?"

Chang Feng lied: "Yes, Beizhen Fusi has eyes and ears in all the vassal kings. This is true."

Liu Jian asked: "Who is the leader?"

Chang Feng smiled slightly: "It's hard for me to say. I am a domestic slave of the Zhu Ming royal family, and those feudal princes and clans are also my masters."

Liu Jian frowned: "So, you are going to protect the feudal prince's family?"

Chang Feng said: "I dare not."

Xie Qian interjected: "Why don't you dare? Is there anything that Jin Yiwei Chang Butcher doesn't dare to do?"

Chang Feng sneered: "Oh, to protect the clan of the vassal prince will make you three pavilion elders, six ministers and nine ministers enemies. Now the emperor wants to give you three points. How can I, a domestic slave, dare to ask for trouble?"

Xie Qian said: "You know the current affairs." Li Dongyang smoothed things over: "Chang Tongzhi always pretended to be the common people in his heart. The support of the feudal princes and clans accounted for more than [-]% of the imperial government's financial expenditure for a hundred years."

"Chang Tongzhi is sensible, so naturally he will not stand with them."

Chang Feng said: "I said, I don't dare to stand with them."

"As for what Mr. Li Ge said, the vassal king's clan spends a lot of money to support it, which is a major drawback of the court. I agree with you."

"In the clan system, the eldest son ascends to the title of nobility. The concubine is demoted to a first-class title."

"The prince's concubine is granted the title of king of the county. The concubine of the prince is granted the title of general of the state. The concubine of the general of the state is granted the title of general of the auxiliary state. The concubine of the general of the auxiliary state is granted the title of general of Fengguo. The concubine of the general of Fengguo is granted the title of lieutenant of the state. The concubine of the lieutenant of the state is granted the title of lieutenant of the state. , the concubine of the Lieutenant of the State of Fu was granted the title of Lieutenant of the State of Fengguo"

"During the Hongwu period, there were only 58 members of the clan with noble titles. By the Yongle period, the clan population increased to 120. By this dynasty, the number of clan members reached 800!"

"This does not include the princess, princess, county lord, county lord, county lord, township and county and their honored guests."

"In another hundred years, I'm afraid the number of clan members will increase to hundreds of thousands or millions! The imperial government's finances are far from enough to support the clan."

Chang Feng's words resonated with Mr. Sange.

Xie Qian praised Chang Feng for the first time: "Chang Feng, you still have some knowledge."

It's really the butt that determines the head and title.Before Xie moved into the pavilion, he called Chang Feng "Chang Ye", but now he calls him by his first name.

Li Dongyang said: "If we rashly cut off the support of the clan, I'm afraid things will change. For the sake of the overall situation, we cannot do this for the time being."

Liu Jian nodded: "Yes. Although after the Yongle Dynasty, the power of the vassal kings became increasingly weak. But many vassal kings still have military guards."

Chang Feng ostensibly sided with the cabinet this time.He actively provided advice and suggestions to the cabinet in dealing with the clan.

Chang Feng said: "The food must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road must be walked step by step. It is obviously impossible to cut off the clan's support all at once."

"It's better to do this. First limit the number of people in the clan who can attack the nobles."

"King Qingcheng, one of the vassal kings of the Jin Dynasty, gave birth to more than 90 children. The imperial court only granted 43 titles of general to his concubines to his concubines."

Li Dongyang echoed: "Among the vassal clans, the Jin clan has the most children. The governor of Shanxi reported a while ago that the Jin clan needs 77 shi of food a year to support them."

Chang Feng grasped the key point: "There are loopholes in the clan system of the Ming Dynasty. The clan's head wife and concubines are all sons and grandsons of the dragon, and they can ascend to the title. There is only one wife in the clan, but concubines can be accepted."

"For example, King Qingcheng had dozens of concubines."

"If you can control the number of concubines in the clan, you can control the number of concubines in the clan."

Liu Jian looked at Chang Feng with a strange look.He thought to himself: Chang Feng has been a favorite in the Hongzhi Dynasty for nearly 20 years, so he is indeed capable.Seeing things can grasp the key.

Li Dongyang said: "What Chang Tongzhi said is absolutely true! Limiting the number of concubines in the clan is a good way!"

Chang Feng has figured out the temperament of the civil service group, and the civil service group has unknowingly become the target of Chang Feng's use.

Of course, it would be unfair to say that the civil service group is a dark mess.They dealt with the clan not only because Captain Crow spread rumors, but also for the sake of the country and the country.

A few days later, under the leadership of the cabinet, more than 200 civilian officials from the DPRK and China jointly submitted a memorial.

The memorial suggested that Emperor Hongzhi should issue an edict: "Except for the principal concubine, every vassal king should have no more than four concubines; the generals of the Zhenguo and the auxiliary states should have no more than three concubines, except the principal wives, and the generals of the Fengguo should not have more than three concubines. The lieutenant of the state except Gongren, the lieutenant of the auxiliary state except the pleasant person, the lieutenant of the state of Feng except the anren, there are no more than two concubines each."

Emperor Hongzhi would definitely approve the memorial signed by hundreds of civil servants.

This is the famous "clan concubine restriction order" in the 17th year of Hongzhi.

In a sense, the clan's concubine restriction order may have allowed the Ming Dynasty to continue for several decades more.

Chang Feng, the man behind the concubine restriction order, hides his merits and fame.

A few days later, Chang Feng’s old Taishan Liu Bingyi passed away.The three elders of the cabinet actually ordered someone to send birthday gifts.

Liu Bingyi was greatly surprised. After the birthday banquet, he asked Chang Feng: "Xian son-in-law, the cabinet has always been at odds with you. Why did they give me birthday gifts this time?"

Chang Feng smiled and said: "I recently helped them come up with an idea, and the originally tense relationship has eased."

Liu Bingyi advised Chang Feng: "Now the power of the cabinet is greater than that of the emperor. You are right. As an official, you must learn to hide your strength and bide your time."

Chang Feng smiled and said: "Next I will do something that will make them unhappy."

What Chang Feng was talking about was building a longevity tower for Emperor Hongzhi.

On this day, several builders of temples, Taoist temples, and pagodas came to Jinyiwei.

Chang Feng treated these builders with courtesy. After everyone drank a few cups of tea, Chang Feng began to talk about the topic: "How much silver will it cost to build a nine-story pagoda?"

The leading builder asked: "That depends on how the materials are used. What is the scale?"

Chang Feng said: "To tell you the truth. This pagoda was built for the emperor. The specifications are far higher than ordinary pagodas."

After hearing this, many builders offered their advice and suggestions.Then they estimated the cost, which roughly required about 6 taels of silver.

Chang Feng got this amount and immediately went to Liu Jin to discuss it.

Chang Feng got straight to the point: "I plan to help the emperor build the Life Extension Tower."

Liu Jin frowned: "It's unlikely. The civil servants are opposed to the emperor building the pagoda. The emperor has agreed."

Chang Feng said: "You are wrong. The civil servants are opposed to the emperor using money from the inner treasury and the national treasury to build the pagoda. What if the silver from the pagoda was voluntarily donated by the ministers?"

"The ministers donate money to the emperor to build pagodas and pray for a longer life. This is filial piety! Don't the civil servants talk about filial piety as the first thing every day?"

Liu Jin thought for a moment and extended his thumb: "High! It's really high! Congratulations, little uncle!"

Chang Feng said: "You immediately organize a charity in the palace and collect donations from the eunuchs. I am in the factory guards and the army, collecting donations from the Tiqi and generals."

"The inner palace and the army raised money to fulfill their filial piety to the emperor. I guess those civil servants would not miss the word 'filial piety' and would definitely donate money generously."

"In this way, we will have the money to build the Life Extension Tower!"

On that day, Liu Jin held a charity event in the palace.When Queen Zhang learned of this, she took the lead in donating 3000 taels of silver.

The queen took the lead, and the eunuchs and concubines naturally donated money enthusiastically.

Chang Feng also started charity work among factory guards and the military.Factory guards and military lieutenants also donated money enthusiastically.

Cabinet value.

Liu Jian discussed the matter with Li Dongyang and Xie Qian.

Liu Jiandao: "By donating money to build the Life Extension Tower, we are fulfilling our filial piety to the Emperor. We cannot lose to those eunuchs and Qiu Ba."

Li Dongyang echoed: "Yes. The Ming Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety and brotherhood. When it comes to fulfilling filial piety, we officials who were born in the second rank of Jinshi cannot lag behind others."

Xie Qian also said: "Let's do this. The cabinet issued a document and ordered the civil servants in Beijing to immediately raise money."

In just three days, civil servants, military generals, and eunuchs donated a total of more than [-] taels of silver.The construction of the longevity pagoda to pray for Emperor Hongzhi started smoothly.

Chang Feng achieved his goal again.

From the two events of "clan concubine restriction" and "building a longevity tower", Chang Feng figured out an idea.

This lesson is: don’t conflict head-on with the civil service group.It is necessary to be cowardly and submissive, and use clever means to make the behemoth of the civil service group work for oneself.

(End of this chapter)