The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 412 One-vote veto power
"Don't say you didn't predict what you said."

These light words were like a heavy hammer hitting the hearts of the nobles.

They are angry inside. You, Chen Jingke, have forgotten your identity, right?
Without our support, can your transformation go on?

Now you are threatening us?

He threatened us in front of so many people, showing no respect at all.

But... seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's fake smile, they were more afraid.

People who are familiar with Zhu Yuanzhang know that he was very angry.

It’s just that it’s not easy to explode in front of so many people.

The reason is that the nobles are too high-profile.

Regardless of whether they came sincerely to welcome the retired emperor back to the capital or had other purposes, they in fact formed a situation of forcing the emperor to abdicate.

No other emperor would be happy.

Zhu Yuanzhang was unhappy, and the consequences were particularly serious.

Seeing that the situation was getting awkward, Xu Da sighed inwardly and stepped out to smooth things over:
"Mr. Chen is overthinking. All the nobles are loyal to His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty..."

However, Tang He next to him didn't give him any face at all, and stood up and sneered:

"Loyal? I believe some people are loyal to His Majesty, but as for some others, it's hard to say."

His eyes were still scanning the most noisy group of nobles:
"I think there is nothing wrong with what Chen Bandu said."

"Some people just get carried away and don't know their own weight."

"I, Tang He, have made this clear. If anyone dares not to obey the imperial order, I will be the first to request to lead the army and personally destroy him."

"If you don't believe it, you can try it."

Lan Yu, who was standing aside, looked at everyone with a sharp gaze and said coldly, "And me."

"Although I am not good at naval warfare, it is still easy for me to kill you guys. If you don't believe me, just give it a try."

Lan Yu has been in charge of military law in recent years, and his power has been growing.

It is unknown how many people were punished by him, including many nobles.

Ordinary officers would feel weak in front of him.

Even high-ranking generals would feel frightened when they saw him.

When he stood up at this moment, many small nobles who were following behind and making a fuss were immediately frightened.

Xu Da wanted to say something, but was pulled back by Li Shanchang next to him:
Don't get involved in this mess.

Xu Da smiled bitterly, returned to his original position and stopped talking.

Then, Feng Sheng and others also stood up and expressed their eternal loyalty to His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty.

Anyone who dares not obey the orders of the Ming Dynasty will be killed.

Regardless of what the remaining nobles thought in their hearts, they all expressed their eternal loyalty to His Majesty.

But everyone can see that there are cracks in the noble group.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Yuanzhang could only pretend to be very pleased and express that he felt everyone's loyalty.

At the same time, he lightly reprimanded Chen Jingke, telling him not to talk nonsense and scare people.

Then there is no more.

Such a serious matter was just a "scare" in Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth, which is enough to show his true thoughts.

After this happened, the welcoming ceremony was ruined and ended abruptly.

After returning to the palace and sending all the outsiders away, Old Zhu kicked Chen Jingke in the butt:

"You bastard, if you don't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll beat you to death."

Chen Jingke yelled and rushed to the door. Before he could open his mouth, he heard Ma Niangniang's voice coming from outside the door:

"What's going on? You're even starting to fight."

Zhu Xiongying subconsciously replied, "I didn't move my hands, I moved my feet."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao: "..."

"Pfft..." Xu Miaojin, who was following behind Empress Ma, couldn't help but laughed out loud.

Madam Ma rolled her eyes at him and said, "You are such a grown-up kid, but you still don't behave properly."

But it was just a joke, which made Zhu Yuanzhang feel less angry.

He recounted what happened at the welcoming ceremony.

"Sister, tell me, is he trying to embarrass us?"

Madam Ma was also angry when she heard this and said, "Jingke, I have to say a few words to you. Can you say such things in public?"

“We’re all sneaky.”

"Now that the veil has been lifted, the royal family has become a laughing stock."

Chen Jingke was about to answer when Zhu Biao on the side spoke up:
"I think it's good that he made such a fuss. It makes many things easier to handle."

Everyone looked at him.

Zhu Biao explained: "The nobles came out in a big way to welcome my father. Everyone knows the purpose."

"Even if Jing Ke didn't make a fuss, he would have already lost face."

“I don’t know how many people are waiting to see the joke.”

"Besides, we still suffered a loss in silence. We can only endure it and cannot cause trouble for them because of it."

The reason they made it public was to welcome the retired emperor.

You can't say we are wrong, right?
If you attack us for this reason, it will bring even greater shame to your royal family.

"Jing Ke tore off this fig leaf. On the surface, it hurt my father's face, but it also gave us an excuse to vent our anger."

"Next, we can make a good use of this incident to warn the nobles."

Zhu Xiongying added: "We should also take this opportunity to formulate some common rules to restrain the princes."

"It won't lead to a situation where the great division of land becomes a disaster for the country and the people."

Zhu Biao continued, "Although we can make some rules in advance, the princes will think that we are interfering too much."

"If resistance arises from this, it will be detrimental to the implementation of these rules and may even affect the construction of the vassal plan."

"Now that Jing Ke has torn off the fig leaf, we have a legitimate reason."

Zhu Xiongying continued, "Yes, they went too far, and the Ming Dynasty made these rules out of helplessness."

"If they want to blame someone, they can only blame themselves for being too high-profile."

Zhu Biao glared at his son, interrupting Zhu Xiongying's remaining words, and then continued:
"We'll wait until they cause trouble in the closed country, and then we'll send troops to clean up the mess."

"Not only will it waste time going back and forth, it will also cause casualties among innocent people."

"I think Jing Ke tore off the fig leaf on the spot for this purpose."

Madam Ma suddenly realized something and said, "So that's how it is. I told you that Jing Ke is not the kind of person who doesn't know how to consider the overall situation."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at this and then that, and suddenly felt that he was the outsider.

However, after Zhu Biao's explanation, he roughly understood Chen Jingke's purpose, and his anger was almost gone.

It's just that I can't save my face.

Madam Ma knew him very well, and immediately said:

"Even so, Jing Ke shouldn't make the decision on his own. For such a big matter, he should at least inform His Majesty in advance."

"Hurry up and apologize to His Majesty."

Chen Jingke quickly and sincerely admitted his mistake: "I was wrong, Your Majesty, please calm down."

Zhu Yuanzhang hummed a few words and then went down the ladder.

"Since you've acted out this scene, you must have an idea. Tell me what your plan is."

Chen Jingke said with a serious expression: "We have formulated a series of systems for enfeoffment, but it is still not comprehensive enough..."

"In order to better consolidate the vassal system, and to prevent the princes from acting recklessly and harming the people."

"I think the Ming Dynasty should establish a set of fundamental laws to constrain vassal states."

Zhu Yuanzhang wondered, "What is the fundamental law? Is there any difference between it and the current Ming Dynasty law?"

Everyone looked at him curiously. Only Zhu Xiongying looked as if he understood everything. It was obvious that he had known about it for a long time.

Chen Jingke explained to them the concept of "Constitution" in his previous life, and then said:

"The laws of the Ming Dynasty are too complicated and were formulated based on the actual conditions of the Ming Dynasty."

"We cannot ask all feudal states to adopt Ming Dynasty laws. This is unrealistic."

"The fundamental law is to extract the main body of the Ming Dynasty law and formulate a basic law that can be applied to most situations."

Some rulers of vassal states have their own ideas, while others have different national conditions.

In short, once the great fiefdom began, each vassal state would develop its own set of laws.

"This fundamental law shall be uniformly enforced in all vassal states."

"When a vassal state formulates its own laws, it must not conflict with the fundamental law. Otherwise, it will be considered invalid or even regarded as treason."

Zhu Yuanzhang had completely put aside what happened just now. Hearing this, he couldn't help but say:
"Okay, this proposal for the fundamental law is very good. It is to let these people know who is the master of the world."

"We can make them princes, and we can also take them back."

Zhu Xiongying took over the conversation and raised his voice:

"Many nobles don't even know what it means to be a ruler. When they go to their fiefdoms, they will inevitably indulge in pleasure and treat the people as slaves."

"Having a fundamental law ensures they don't go too far."

"In order to ensure the implementation of the fundamental law, Ming will establish Angel Halls in each vassal state."

"The Ming Dynasty sent an envoy to stay at the Angel Pavilion..."

"The envoys do not interfere in the internal affairs of the vassal states. Their purpose is to supervise the implementation of the fundamental law and facilitate communication with the Ming Dynasty."

"Similarly, the Ming Dynasty will also establish an embassy district, where vassal states will send envoys to stay permanently."

"So that the Ming Dynasty can communicate with the vassal states in a timely manner."

Regarding the embassy system, this was a suggestion Chen Jingke had made to him a long time ago.

At that time, he had just taken charge of the Honglu Temple and formulated diplomatic rules, including the embassy system.

However, the conditions were not ripe at that time, so the idea was shelved.

Now that we are going to carry out the big division, it’s a good time to take it out and use it.

"In short, the Ming Dynasty must control the vassal states from the aspects of politics, economy, diplomacy, and military."

After hearing what his eldest grandson said, Old Zhu was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He even took out his beloved grandson who hadn't been used for a long time:

"Okay, okay, my dear grandson, what you said is good."

"Everything they have was given by the Ming Dynasty, so we must control them in all aspects."

Zhu Biao also nodded silently. In politics, there are etiquette and laws; in economy, there are treasure notes; in diplomacy and military affairs, there are vassal rules.

The control over the vassal states from the four major areas is indeed very perfect.

Chen Jingke added: "Now that there are fewer vassal states, it is easier for the Ming Dynasty to manage them."

"As the number increases, management will become very inconvenient."

"Moreover, conflicts are inevitable among the vassal states. If the Ming Dynasty were to mediate all of them, some people would inevitably be dissatisfied."

"If this continues, I'm afraid they will become resentful towards the Ming Dynasty."

"It may even cause dissatisfaction among other countries towards the Ming Dynasty."

"I think we can hold a regular meeting of the vassal states, where representatives from each vassal state can gather together to discuss various issues."

“If there are conflicts, they can also be raised at the conference and resolved collectively by all countries.”

"This way the problem is solved. Even if they are dissatisfied, they can't blame the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "In this way, they can get rid of the control of the Ming Dynasty through the meeting."

Zhu Xiongying couldn't help but say, "How can so many vassal states be of one mind?"

Zhu Yuanzhang still said unhappily: "Just in case, doesn't Jing Ke often say that when designing a system, we should try our best to avoid leaving loopholes."

Chen Jingke smiled and said, "Your Majesty is right. Therefore, as the suzerain state, the Ming Dynasty has a privilege."

"A veto power."

Zhu Yuanzhang was puzzled and asked: "A veto power? What does that mean?"

Chen Jingke said: "It means exactly what it says. Any resolution made at the meeting can be vetoed by the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Biao's eyes lit up and he couldn't help but say, "This veto power is brilliant."

"In this way, we can ensure that no one can use the conference to make decisions that harm the interests of Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Wait a minute, what if the Ming Dynasty wants to push for some resolutions?"

Chen Jingke said: "Follow the normal procedures, propose a resolution at the conference, and all the vassal states vote on it."

“A resolution can only be passed if more than a certain number of people agree.”

Zhu Yuanzhang said unhappily: "Why bother? If they don't agree, what we say won't work, right?"

Chen Jingke patiently explained: "Your Majesty, there are three reasons for doing this."

"One is to calm the hearts of the princes."

"Let them know that the Ming Dynasty will not use its status as a suzerain state to arbitrarily damage their interests."

"The second is to prevent the Ming Dynasty from not understanding the situation of the vassal states and making decisions that are detrimental to the interests of the vassal states."

"I know you won't like to hear this, but the vassal states are also people."

"If the Ming Dynasty does not consider their feelings, sooner or later it will be deserted by its friends and relatives."

Zhu Yuanzhang opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing against it.

Chen Jingke finally put his mind at ease. Old Zhu had made great progress over the years and now knew how to make choices.

In the past, he would definitely not agree.

"Third, it makes it easier for Daming to pass on the blame."

"I've already said that all decisions will be made by the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty will also bear the blame."

"Now the Ming Dynasty only has the veto power, and the decision-making power is shared by all the vassal states."

"Even if the interests of some vassal states are damaged, it cannot be blamed on the Ming Dynasty."

"They can't possibly resent the Ming Dynasty, so why not use their veto power to protect them?"

Madam Ma laughed and said, "Haha...if anyone is really so ignorant of the overall situation, he deserves to be killed."

Everyone nodded, it was indeed true.

The Congress of the vassal states adopted the principle of minority obeying the majority, and whether a resolution could be passed depended on the vote.

It is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to offend the majority for the sake of the minority.

At least the veto power cannot be easily used to protect the minority.

So, no matter what the final decision is, Ming Dynasty is a non-stick pan.

Chen Jingke continued, "As for what your majesty is worried about, what if the resolution proposed by the Ming Dynasty is rejected?"

"I can only say that as the sovereign, the resolution proposed cannot be passed."

"Either this resolution is too unreliable, so unreliable that the vassal states would rather offend the Ming Dynasty than agree to it."

"Either the Ming Dynasty is on the decline and can no longer maintain the dignity of the suzerain state."

"In this case, even if the Ming Dynasty has the power to force a resolution through, what is the use?"

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but nod his head, it was indeed true.

The suzerain state has the best of time, place and people, and as long as the resolutions it proposes are not particularly ridiculous, they will be passed.

His worries were actually completely unnecessary.

By retaining the veto power, the vassal states felt at ease and the Ming Dynasty could also guarantee its own interests.

It is the most perfect solution at present.
-
Zhu Yuanzhang and his entourage were holding a meeting in the palace, and a group of noble representatives also gathered outside the palace to discuss certain matters.

It’s just that the atmosphere on the scene was a bit tense, and it didn’t seem like a proper meeting.

Jiangxia Hou Zhou Dexing glared at Tang He and asked, "Duke Xin, what did you mean just now?"

"You are the only one who is loyal to His Majesty? Are we all traitors?"

(End of this chapter)