Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 140: Sequence of Succession to the Throne
"Your Highness, Xiao Wang feels that he is too high."

Zhou Wang Zhu Ju immediately stood up and said astonishingly: "It's enough to be in the same county."

Ning Wang Zhu Quan stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, Xiao Wang did not think carefully just now, so he hesitated and did not express his position."

After hearing what King Zhou and Ning said, Chu King Zhu Zhen had no choice but to stand up and answer: "Your Highness, the young king was worried that he would not be able to take on the important task of governing the country after the founding of the country, and would live up to the expectations of Emperor Taizu, so he hesitated."

Zhu Gaoxu had to stand up, raised his hand to signal the three of them to take their seats, and then said to the other Liubu Tang officials who did not raise their hands: "Do you agree that the vassal status should be the same as the Zhili Prefecture?"

Those officials who had not raised their hands just now stood up one after another, including Zhang Wei, the Minister of Personnel, and Zheng Ci, the Minister of Rites.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Everyone, please sit down and speak. If you want to speak later, you can raise your hands and sit down to speak. There is no need to get up again."

"I am waiting to thank Your Highness."

All the princes and ministers said respectfully.

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhang Zhen, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and said, "What objection does Zhang Shangshu have?"

"Your Highness, I feel that it is inappropriate for the vassal state to be in the same province or prefecture." Zhang Yan replied.

Zhu Gaoxu asked: "Why?"

"Your Highness, at the beginning of the establishment of the vassal state, the territory may only be one city, but after a few years, the territory can be expanded to ten cities or even a hundred cities."

Zhang Wei said respectfully: "Therefore, I think that the status of the vassal state in the court can be adjusted in time according to the size of the territory and population of the vassal state. If the territory is small and the population is small, it will be in the same county. If the territory is wide and the population is large, it will be in the same prefecture. If the territory is as wide as several prefectures and the population is as large as one million, then they are in the same province."

"What Zhang Shangshu said is not unreasonable."

Zhu Gaoxu first confirmed Zhang Yan's idea, but then changed the topic and asked: "But, after the founding of the country, I am afraid that it is inappropriate for all my uncles to be the same county magistrate, right?"

Zhang Yan immediately said: "I am just talking about a family, your highness will listen to it for the time being."

Zhu Gaoxu looked around at the crowd and said: "In that case, the status of the vassal state will first be determined as the same province."

He paused and then continued: "Now let's discuss the last issue, which is also the broadest issue, that is, the power and responsibility of the vassal state."

"Please discuss with each other first. After a quarter of an hour, I will send someone to send you a questionnaire. At that time, just follow the format on the questionnaire and truthfully fill in your true thoughts."

Zhu Gaoxu added: "The questionnaire is anonymous and will be transcribed by a special person after the meeting. It is anonymous. You can speak freely and don't have to worry too much."

"I respectfully obey the instructions given by His Highness the Crown Prince."

The princes and ministers said in unison.

A quarter of an hour later, Changsheng led a dozen young eunuchs, all holding a stack of questionnaires in their arms, to the Wuying Hall and distributed the forms to the attendees.

This is not the first time that everyone has come into contact with this new type of questionnaire.

In the past, Zhu Di also sent people to distribute questionnaires. This significantly improved the efficiency of meetings, and some people dared to say things they usually dare not say.

The questionnaire is divided into two sides. The front is the power dimension of the vassal state. From right to left, there are more than thirty categories such as legislation, justice, administration, taxation, coinage, recruiting soldiers, waging war, mining, enfeoffing titles and granting land. .

The reverse side is the dimension of responsibilities and obligations of the vassal state. From right to left, there are more than 20 categories such as paying tribute, paying taxes, accompanying in battles, implementing various court systems, and obeying various court laws.

"May I ask Your Highness the Crown Prince, after the vassals were established overseas, did the names and inheritance of the lords of the vassal states follow the old system?"

Zheng Ci, the Minister of Rites, was more concerned about the issue of etiquette. He saw that the etiquette on the questionnaire mainly focused on sacrifices, so he couldn't help but raise his hand and ask.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Naturally, we will follow the old system. The head of the country is called the king, and the deputy is called the prince. As for the succession of the throne, it should be carried out in accordance with the "Ancestral Instructions" revised by the emperor."

"Your Highness, I would like to ask, after the princes establish their kingdoms overseas, what will happen to the princes and princes of the vassals?"

Zheng Ci hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to stand out for once and asked bravely.

As soon as these words came out, the princes of Wu, Zhu Yunzhen, and several princes' sons of Qin King Zhu Xi, as well as several princes' sons of Zhou Wang Zhu Ji, who were sitting in the crowd of kings, all raised their heads. ear.

"Shouldn't we follow the princes to the overseas vassal states?" Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zheng Ci and asked in surprise.

Zheng Ci deliberately turned his head and glanced in the direction of Wu Commandery Prince Zhu Yunzhen, and said meaningfully: "Exploring overseas is the time to employ people. However, some Commandery Princes are young and may not be able to go far across the ocean to help the imperial court change its title. do one's best."

"Thank you Zheng Shangshu for the tip."

Zhu Gaoxu then said: "This matter is due to the boy's inconsideration. After the meeting, I will report it to the Holy Father."

"Your Highness is being too modest. I was just doing my duty."

Zheng Ci stood up in a hurry, bent down to salute, and said respectfully.

After half an hour.

Zhu Gaoxu ordered people to summarize the contents of the collected questionnaires and form 130 eight outline clauses, which were copied into a memorial.

There are [-] articles of power granted to the vassal state and the king, and the rest are articles of responsibility and obligation.

In order to avoid causing ambiguity or misunderstanding, he went through it item by item with the ministers present.

Finally, Zhu Gaoxu ordered his people to gather the details and annotations of each clause together and attach them to the back of the memorial with the outline clauses.

By the time the meeting ended, it was already close to the end of the hour.

that evening.

Qianqing Palace.

dining room.

"Gao Xu can always surprise people!"

Zhu Di spread out the memorial and said with a smile: "In just half a day, the contents of the "Regulations" were preliminarily drawn up. It is really beyond my expectation."

"It's not all the child's fault. Thanks to the questionnaire that can avoid too many arguments, as well as the kings and the six officials who were prepared in advance."

Zhu Gaoxu took a sip of egg soup and said.

Empress Xu put a piece of braised duck meat into the white jade porcelain bowl in front of Zhu Gaoxu, and said softly: "Don't just talk to your father, eat something."

"Yes." Zhu Gaoxu responded first, and then ate the duck meat.

Zhu Di was fascinated by the more than 130 outline clauses in the memorial.

Article [-]: The status of each vassal state is equivalent to a province under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.Article [-]: The administrative and military institutions established by each vassal state must obey and accept the management and deployment of the imperial court. Anyone who violates this will be guilty of conspiracy.

Article [-]: Each vassal state can appoint officials on its own without reporting to the court for appointment.

Article [-]: Each vassal state enjoys the right of final judicial adjudication and does not need to appeal to the imperial court.

Article [-]: All government offices and no one under the imperial court shall interfere with the affairs managed by each vassal state in accordance with the law.

Article [-]: The imperial court is responsible for managing foreign affairs related to the vassal state, and at the same time, it can authorize the vassal state to handle relevant foreign affairs in accordance with the law.

Article [-]: Each vassal state must abide by and use the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who violates them will be expelled from the state.

Article [-]: After the prince of each vassal king inherits the throne according to law, he must send envoys to the court to request a title, otherwise it will be regarded as committing rebellion.

Article [-]: All vassals use the Ming Dynasty Tongbao and Baobao banknotes uniformly, and private coinage is strictly prohibited. Violators will be guilty of conspiracy.

Article [-]: Each vassal state shall uniformly use the Chinese language, Chinese characters, and the Chinese calendar, wear Chinese clothes, perform Chinese rituals, regard the Ming Dynasty as the Zhengshuo, and use the reign name of the Ming Dynasty emperor to commemorate the year. Anyone who violates this rule shall be expelled from the country.

Article No. 11 states that each vassal state has the right to independently develop foreign lands, but they are not allowed to attack each other. Violators will be expelled from the country.

Article No. 12: If each vassal state encounters an invasion by a foreign enemy, it must unite its front and jointly resist the enemy. Anyone who violates this rule will be removed from the country.

Article No. 13: After each vassal king comes to the country, he must first establish three successors in accordance with the provisions of the "Huang Ming Ancestor Instructions", and send these heirs to the imperial ancestral school to study and cultivate themselves. When they come of age, they will marry the right one according to the ancestral system. The daughters of court officials below the fifth rank are the official wives, and they are not allowed to divorce their wives privately, otherwise they will be expelled from the country.

……

"Bring over the "Ancestral Instructions" that your grandpa Huang personally revised for the last time during his lifetime."

After Zhu Di read the eight outline clauses of the first draft of the "Zongfan Regulations" in one breath, he remembered something, so he gave instructions to Zhu Gaoxu who was sitting next to him.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu wiped his hands with a towel, took out the precious "Ancestor's Instructions" from his arms, and handed it to Zhu Di respectfully and gently.

This "Huang Ming Ancestor Instructions" has Zhu Yuanzhang's revised handwriting. It is the final version of "Ancestor Instructions" in the Hongwu Dynasty. It is also the only "Ancestral Instructions" in the world that was personally revised and annotated by Zhu Yuanzhang in his later years.

The latest version of "Huang Ming's Ancestral Instructions" published by the General Affairs Department is a copy of this "Ancestral Instructions".

At this time, Zhu Di eagerly opened "Ancestral Instructions", turned to the middle page from memory, and read it carefully several times.

Then, he gently folded the page, carefully handed it to Zhu Gaoxu and said, "Gaoxu, take a look at this rule that your grandpa Huang has revised."

Zhu Gaoxu took the "Ancestral Instructions" and read it carefully.

The "Ancestral Instructions" revised for the last time during Zhu Yuanzhang's lifetime stipulates that the succession of the overseas vassal throne is the same as the succession of the imperial throne. Two basic criteria must be followed, and the successor must be selected according to seven sequences.

One criterion is "If there is a direct descendant, there will be a direct descendant, but if there is no direct descendant, there will be an elder; if there is no direct descendant, there will be no elder."

Another principle is that "a long-term king in a country is a blessing to the country."

The seven major sequences of succession to the Ming Dynasty are as follows.

The first sequence is the legitimate sons and grandsons. That is, when a great emperor dies and there is no heir in the court, the oldest of the crowned and crowned legitimate grandsons must be crowned prince or grandson; "Born from a concubine's mother, she cannot stand even though she grows up."

The second sequence, concubines and concubines, means that when a great emperor dies and there is no heir apparent or crowned legitimate son or grandson, the oldest among the concubines and concubines must be crowned crown prince or crown grandson.

The third sequence, the legitimate and concubine brothers, that is, when a great emperor dies and there is no heir apparent, and no crowned prince or grandson, the older brother must eventually succeed the younger brother. The oldest brother who has been crowned and crowned by the legitimate mother must be the eldest brother. The crowned brother of the emperor; born to the concubine's mother, although he cannot stand; if there is no crowned brother from the legitimate mother, the crowned and oldest brother born from the concubine's mother must be designated as the crowned brother.

The fourth sequence, cousins ​​and cousins, that is, when the great emperor dies and there is no heir, there is no crowned legitimate son or grandson, concubine or concubine, or legitimate brother or concubine. The oldest of the brothers must be crowned and the oldest. The nephew or grandson is the crown prince or the emperor's grandson, in the order of first by direct descendants and then by concubines; if there is no crowned nephew or grandson born from a brother, the oldest crowned nephew or grandson born from the grandfather's cousins ​​shall be the crown prince or grandson. The grandson is the crown prince or the great grandson of the crown prince, and the order is first the direct descendant and then the concubine.

The fifth sequence, cousin, that is, when the great emperor dies and there is no heir in the dynasty, and there is no crowned legitimate son, grandson, concubine, cousin, or cousin, he must be crowned in the line of legitimate grandmother. And the oldest cousin is the emperor's brother, in order of first direct line and then concubine; cousins ​​in the line of concubines and grandmothers cannot be established even if they are older; if there is no crowned cousin in the line of direct grandmothers, the line of concubines must be established. The crowned and eldest cousin is the crown prince, in order of first by direct descendants and then by concubines.

The sixth sequence, the imperial uncle, that is, if there is no qualified heir in the first to fifth sequence, the crowned and oldest of the direct imperial uncles must be established as the emperor's uncle; the emperor's uncle from the concubine will not be able to establish him even though he is older; if there is no Among the crowned direct imperial uncles, the oldest among the crowned imperial uncles must be designated as the imperial uncle.

The seventh sequence, side cousins, that is, if there is no qualified heir in the first to sixth sequences, the oldest nephew or grandson among the great-grandfather's cousins ​​who has been crowned will be the crown prince or the crown prince. ; If there is no crowned nephew or grandson born from the cousins ​​of the same great-grandfather, the oldest crowned nephew or grandson born from the cousins ​​of the same great-grandfather shall be the crown prince or crown grandson; in any case mentioned in this sequence All things should be done according to this principle, in the order of first the direct descendants and then the concubines.

In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang specifically stipulated that the descendants of the clan who are not among the seven succession lines are not qualified to inherit the throne.

In addition, the age of the heir at the time of succession must not be less than twelve years old and not more than sixty years old, and he must be in good health at the time of succession.

In the rules of succession to the throne, "crowned" refers to those who have reached the age of 12, held the crowning ceremony in advance, and assumed the responsibility of a royal child. This is based on the fact that King Wen of Zhou was crowned at the age of [-].

Those who are qualified to inherit the throne but voluntarily give up their right to inherit, or are demoted to common people due to breaking the law, or those who are born with diseases, do not have the right to inherit the throne.

As for those descendants, nephews, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other clans who are unwilling to adopt the lineage of Emperor Daxing, they are deemed to have voluntarily given up their right to inherit the throne.

In the blank space at the bottom of the above content, Zhu Yuanzhang added two sentences with his imperial pen.

The first sentence is "The regulations on succession to the throne of overseas vassals are the same as the regulations on succession to the throne mentioned above."

The second sentence is "All princes, grandsons, great-grandsons, and great-grandsons of the emperor, starting from the age of six, must enter the main hall to study, learn Confucianism, Legalism, and the ways of imperial service, which can take as little as six years and as many as nine years. , before you can end your enrollment.”

"Grandpa Huang is far-sighted and has already considered the succession of overseas vassal kings."

Zhu Gaoxu sighed in surprise after reading this section of "Ancestral Instructions".

Zhu Di nodded and said, "Yes, your grandpa has far-reaching vision."

In April of the 31st year of Hongwu's reign, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that his time was running out. While issuing an edict to recall Zhu Gaoxu, who was in charge of military affairs in Peiping at the time, he came up with many ideas.

One of the many ideas was to change the feudal vassals and establish a country outside of China.

Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware of the weaknesses of human nature, and made some revisions to the "Ancestral Instructions" in order to prevent future generations from fighting for power and profit.

After he handed the revised "Ancestral Instructions" to Zhu Di, he died of illness within a few days.

After Zhu Di succeeded to the throne, he was busy consolidating the imperial power. In the first two years, he did not read through the "Ancestral Instructions" carefully and word by word.

This time, when the vassals were renamed overseas, he was undecided and wanted to seek inspiration from the "Ancestral Instructions". Unexpectedly, he saw a lot of regulations on clan children revised by Zhu Yuanzhang himself.

So, he took advantage of dinner tonight to give Zhu Gaoxu the "Ancestral Instructions" and asked Zhu Gaoxu to read it carefully.

When Zhu Di was reading the first draft of the "Ancestral Regulations", he saw the succession of overseas vassal kings, and remembered the regulations on throne succession in the "Ancestral Instructions", and then asked Zhu Gaoxu to take out the "Ancestral Instructions" to confirm.

"Okay, you two can discuss it after dinner, otherwise the food will be completely cold."

Queen Xu added a bowl of egg soup to Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Di respectively, and said with concern.

PS: I have a headache, which may be caused by staying up late. Please correct me if there are any typos.

(End of this chapter)