Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian brought up the order of succession between Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan, of course, not without purpose.

The ministers also knew that the result would most likely be unfavorable to Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen, and some of them tried to protest:
"Jianwen Jun was named the Crown Prince by Taizu, so he is naturally ahead of Wu Wang Zhu Yunhuan in the order of succession."

"This matter has already been settled, why discuss it again?"

Zhu Youjian shook his head and said:
"otherwise!"

"If we don't sort this matter out, how can we re-evaluate the relationship between Emperor Jianwen and his ministers?"

"Let's start with Zhu Yunwen's ascension to the throne and discuss the gains and losses."

"Can anyone explain the order of succession between Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan?"

The ministers looked at Liu Zongzhou, hoping that he would speak out.

This was the most famous Confucian scholar in the world, and Fang Xiaoru also highly respected him.

They believed that the conclusion drawn by Liu Zongzhou was the most convincing.

Liu Zongzhou was in charge of remaking the rituals and music. Facing the gazes of the crowd, he naturally took the lead and said:
"The inheritance etiquette of the Ming Dynasty's princes, dukes, clan members, and nobles does not stipulate the order of succession between the first and second wives."

"But the law of succession to civil officials stipulates that the eldest son and his descendants should be appointed first. If there are none, the eldest son's half-brother will be appointed. If there are none, the son born to the second wife will be appointed. If there are none, the son born to the third wife will be appointed."

"According to this method, the legitimate son born to the second wife will be ranked after the legitimate son born to the first wife in the order of succession."

"But I wonder if it can be used for royal succession?"

This answer caused an uproar among the ministers present.

Because Liu Zongzhou's answer did not favor Zhu Yunwen, but rather he believed that if the system of inheritance for civil officials was followed, Zhu Yunwen's order of succession would be after his first wife's legitimate son Zhu Yunhuan.

Some civil officials knew this, but they were unwilling to admit that Zhu Yunwen was not the natural successor. Li Ruoyu, the head of the Ministry of Justice, said:
"How can the system of civil servants' inheritance be used for the succession to the throne?"

"I believe that Lord Jianwen and King Wu are both direct descendants of Taizu. Lord Jianwen is older than King Wu, so he should be ahead of King Wu in the order of succession."

Zhu Youjian smiled as if he was not smiling when he heard this, staring at the ministers and said:

"So you think the royal family is special and doesn't have to follow the etiquette and rules set for civil officials?"

The ministers did not accept this argument. If they admitted the theory of the imperial family's special status, they would have no way to restrict the emperor, and they would not even have the reason to use etiquette and law to restrain the emperor.

For a time, they were in a dilemma, not knowing whether to continue to support Zhu Yunwen's priority in the succession order or to acknowledge the theory of the royal family's special status.

Wen Tiren, the Minister of Rites, took the opportunity to say:

"The Book of Jin, Rites, says: 'The heir apparent comes first and the successor comes later, this has been the way it has always been.'"

"The first heir is superior to the second heir. This has been the truth since ancient times."

"This is also stipulated in the Ming Dynasty etiquette and law. I believe that Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen is the heir apparent, so his order of succession should be after the first heir Zhu Yunhuan."

"The reason why Taizu appointed Zhu Yunwen as the crown prince was because he was deceived by some ministers at that time."

This statement caused an uproar among the ministers. Some ministers who supported Emperor Jianwen glared at Wen Tihen, believing that he was trying to please the current emperor without any bottom line.

Right Censor Cheng Jiming said tactfully:
"Taizu is so wise and powerful, how could he be deceived by others?"

"The law of succession promotion for civil officials was established in the 16th year of the Hongwu reign. Concubine Lü was canonized as the successor consort in the 11th year of the Hongwu reign, and Emperor Jianwen was promoted to the legitimate son."

"Therefore, I think it is inappropriate to use the system of hereditary appointments for civil officials established in the 16th year of Hongwu to apply to Emperor Jianwen, who was promoted to the eldest son in the 11th year of Hongwu."

Wen Tiren disagreed with his statement and replied:
"Zhu Yunwen was canonized as the Crown Prince in the 25th year of the Hongwu reign."

"Taizu is violating the etiquette and laws that were established before. There must be treacherous officials at work."

"The ministers at that time also made mistakes by not reminding Taizu."

As he spoke, he also flipped through the "Da Ming Hui Dian" and said:

"As for the selection of a successor, it was approved in the tenth year of Wanli: if a princess of a county dies without having a child, she may apply for the selection of a successor."

"In the seventh year of Wanli, if a person already has a son, regardless of whether he is born of a legitimate wife or a concubine, he is not allowed to choose a successor. The only rule is to follow the example of a concubine who can nominate a concubine, and if there is no concubine, one can be selected to manage household affairs and raise children. It is not allowed to request the title of a second concubine."

"This is a regulation discussed by the court officials during the Wanli period to make up for the omissions in the etiquette and law."

"The prohibition on royal family members with sons to appoint a successor concubine is to avoid the emergence of a successor son and the original heirs causing inheritance disputes."

"You all opposed Consort Zheng becoming the empress in order to prevent Prince Fu from becoming the legitimate son and causing a dispute with Emperor Guangzong's succession order."

"After Concubine Chang passed away, Concubine Lu became the successor concubine, which is very similar to Concubine Zheng's desire to become the empress. You all argued for it back then, do you agree with it now?"

This left the ministers speechless and they thought of the dispute over the country's foundation.

Many of the people in the court today are the winners of the struggle for the foundation of the country. How can they oppose this etiquette?

It would be fine if there was no conflict of interest at other times, but now that my own interests are involved, I can only say sorry to Jianwenjun!

Wen Tiren won the game in the end. It was recognized by all the officials that the first heir was superior to the successor heir.

Zhu Youjian was very satisfied with this. He did not expect Wen Tiren to be so strong in combat. Having such a minister in the court really made him feel a lot more relaxed.

Therefore, in his heart, he was inclined to promote Wen Tihen to the position of Grand Secretary in the official selection next month.

Wen Tiren also had the same idea, so he worked very hard on this matter. After knowing the topic of this meeting, he collected a lot of information.

Now all of them are used and they really work wonders.

Not only was the emperor satisfied, but all the ministers had nothing to say to him and could only support his remarks on the dispute over the foundation of the country.

The Minister of Personnel Yang Jingchen also wanted to join the cabinet. He saw that Wen Tihen was shining, but his own department had a Li Ruoxing who spoke out against the emperor.

This made him think, and he suggested:
"I think we should sort out the inheritance rites and laws and determine the inheritance system."

"Let the world know who is right and who is wrong, and avoid any more disputes over the foundation of the country."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement:

"Inheritance etiquette should indeed be established to avoid inheritance disputes."

"After the founding of each domain, if the succession of etiquette and laws is unclear, there will be no telling how much trouble there will be in the future!"

"Mr. Liu, if you want to re-create the rituals and music, you must formulate a successor ritual law."

Liu Zongzhou accepted the order upon hearing it, and all the ministers agreed.

They were also fed up with the ambiguity of inheritance laws and were very supportive of this kind of thing.

Zhu Youjian then said:

"What kind of etiquette should be adopted for the succession method of this dynasty?"

"You are welcome to speak freely!"

Liu Zongzhou was the first to say:
"The system of primogeniture has been in practice since the Zhou Dynasty."

"I think the system of primogeniture should be implemented."

Zhu Youjian heard this and asked curiously:
"Is the system of primogeniture the inheritance system of the Tang Dynasty that Minister Wen just mentioned?"

Liu Zongzhou gave an affirmative answer and added:

"It's not just the Tang Dynasty that was like this. The Song Dynasty also had this inheritance system."

"The History of Song Dynasty records that the Ministry of Rites of the Ministry of Rites said: According to the ritual text, all kings, dukes, marquises, earls, sons and barons shall inherit the throne through their legitimate sons. If there is no legitimate son or he is guilty of a crime, the legitimate grandson shall be appointed; if there is no legitimate grandson, the legitimate son's half-brother shall be appointed; if there is no half-brother, the concubine's son shall be appointed; if there is no half-son, the legitimate grandson's half-brother shall be appointed; if there is no half-brother, the concubine's grandson shall be appointed. The same applies to great-grandsons and below. It is in accordance with the ritual order to pass on the legitimate son."

"This is the system of primogeniture that has existed since ancient times."

Zhu Youjian was delighted when he heard this:
"According to the system of primogeniture, the order of succession for a legitimate son and his half-brother is before that for a legitimate grandson and his half-brother." "So if Zhu Yunwen had not been named the Crown Prince, Chengzu should have succeeded to the throne!"

This left the ministers speechless. They didn't expect that this matter would be brought up again.

Liu Zongzhou said tactfully:
"That being said, Taizu is the founding emperor."

"The grandson he appointed as the crown prince will succeed to the throne without any dispute!"

Zhu Youjian remained silent after hearing this.

Just when the officials thought the emperor had accepted his fate, they suddenly heard the emperor sigh:

"It was not the Three Jins who broke the rituals, but the emperor himself who broke them!"

"Taizu violated the system of primogeniture and also violated the succession rules he had established."

"This is a violation of etiquette and law, which led to Jianwen's defeat!"

He burst into tears, as if he was sad about this.

When the ministers saw this scene, they were also moved to tears.

They were all well-read scholars and knew that what the emperor said came from Sima Guang's conclusion in "Zizhi Tongjian".

Sima Guang chose the Three Families Dividing Jin as the opening chapter of Zizhi Tongjian, and pointed out at the outset:

The fact that the Three Jins were listed among the princes was not because the Three Jins had violated the etiquette, but because the emperor himself had violated it.

It is lamented that the etiquette between the ruler and his subjects has been broken, and the world has been dominated by wisdom and intelligence, leading to the chaos of the Warring States Period.

This is very similar to the Jingnan Campaign that took place after Taizu's death, in both cases, the one with the strongest military force became emperor.

When they thought of this, they also sighed "Alas" and felt sad for the war at that time.

Liu Zongzhou even shed tears, bowed to the ground and said:
"Your Majesty has such insight, and I congratulate the whole world!"

"I hope Your Majesty will strictly abide by the etiquette and laws, and do not destroy the etiquette system."

All the ministers also knelt on the ground, congratulating the emperor for realizing the importance of etiquette and law.

At the same time, he requested the emperor to strictly abide by the etiquette and laws.

Seeing this, Zhu Youjian said solemnly:
"I ordered Mr. Liu and other knowledgeable people to revise the rituals and music. How can you not abide by the rituals and music that you have revised?"

"My dear ministers, please stand up. Let us rule the country with propriety and music and create a peaceful world!"

After asking all the ministers to stand up, Zhu Youjian ordered Liu Zongzhou, Huang Liji, Han Yu, and Yuan Keli to face east, lower their seats and face west to bow, and then gave them seats so that they could sit down and discuss the Dao.

When the ministers saw this scene, the envy and excitement in their eyes almost overflowed.

The emperor descended from his seat and bowed to his subjects, performing the ritual of lowering himself from his post. This was truly the highest honor.

The four people who were treated with courtesy kept saying "I dare not" and expressed their gratitude for the emperor's grace.

Zhu Youjian forced them to sit down, and then said:

"I just heard what you said, my dear ministers. Although my Ming Dynasty is the eldest son of the heir, it is different from the previous generations."

"In previous generations, only the eldest grandson was higher than the eldest son's half-brother. The eldest grandson's half-brother was after the eldest son's half-brother in the order of succession."

"But the system of inheritance established by Taizu stipulates that as long as the descendants are the eldest son, they will be ahead of the eldest son's brothers from the same mother in the order of succession."

"So the primogeniture inheritance implemented by Taizu is not the primogeniture system, but should be called the primogeniture system of the eldest son -"

"As long as the eldest son is from the legitimate wife's family, his succession order will be before that of the next son."

"Do you all agree with my understanding?"

Although the ministers had not studied in depth the differences between the inheritance system of the eldest son and the eldest son of the eldest son, after hearing the emperor's understanding, they thought about it carefully and nodded, and they all agreed that it was true.

It is definitely not reasonable for Taizu to choose Zhu Yunwen to inherit the throne according to the system of primogeniture, because under the system of primogeniture, only the eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying has a higher order of succession than his uncle, while Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan are both ranked behind their uncles.

Only by following the inheritance system of the eldest son of the family stipulated in the "Da Ming Hui Dian" can it be barely justified, so that the descendants of Zhu Biao, the eldest son of Taizu, can be ranked before all of Zhu Biao's younger brothers in the order of succession.

The Ming Dynasty's civil service system and meritorious service system also stipulated that the eldest legitimate son was superior to the second legitimate son and the eldest illegitimate son. The Ming Dynasty Code clearly states:

In the 26th year of Hongwu, it was stipulated that when using inheritance, the eldest son shall be the heir. If the eldest son is disabled, the descendants of the eldest son, the same great-great ...

The order of inheritance is completely based on the head of the family, so the inheritance system of the Ming Dynasty should be called the primogeniture inheritance system, which is different from the primogeniture inheritance system of the Tang and Song dynasties.

After realizing this, some people who still supported overturning the case for Emperor Jianwen could not help but get excited, thinking that they had found the source of the etiquette and laws for Emperor Jianwen's succession to the throne.

Unfortunately, it still didn't make sense for Zhu Yunwen to bypass Zhu Yunhuan. Because of the dispute over the national foundation, they had already agreed that the heir was inferior to the original heir.

Zhu Youjian lamented:
"Taizu made two mistakes in enthroning Emperor Jianwen."

"First, the system of primogeniture was changed to the system of primogeniture of the eldest son. In the rush, people in the world have not yet adapted to it and do not understand the deep meaning of it."

"Secondly, he passed over the legitimate grandson Zhu Yunhuan of the Yuan Dynasty and made the legitimate grandson Zhu Yunwen the crown prince. This is not reasonable in any etiquette or law."

"Jianwen's defeat actually stemmed from this. He was not the heir recognized by everyone in the world."

"So after he lost his moral integrity, Chengzu's campaign to quell the rebellion gained more and more support, and after he captured Nanjing, he quickly made the whole country submit."

This point was recognized by all the ministers. Why did local princes such as the King of Chu and local generals such as Song Sheng submit to Emperor Chengzu so easily?
It was because Chengzu was the leader of all the kings, and people all over the world believed that he was qualified to inherit the legacy left by Taizu.

Even many civil officials recognized the legitimacy of Emperor Chengzu's succession. Except for some ministers who were loyal to Emperor Jianwen, many officials did not react strongly.

The ministers present were all loyal to the descendants of Chengzu, and they could not object to this reason.

It is impossible for them to say that Chengzu was not qualified to succeed to the throne, and it is also wrong for them to be loyal to Chengzu's descendants.

After reaching this consensus, Zhu Youjian continued:

"Jianwen Jun was once the Son of Heaven. Chengzu acknowledged this and buried him with the rites of an emperor."

"He is the grandson of the Emperor who was canonized by Taizu. Regardless of etiquette and law, he is qualified to succeed the throne."

"The Jianwen era name should also be used again to record the deeds of Emperor Jianwen and his ministers."

Li Ruoyu and other ministers who had fought for Emperor Jianwen were overjoyed when they heard the news, because they finally heard from the emperor that he wanted to restore the Jianwen era name.

But the matter was not over yet, Zhu Youjian said to his ministers:
"But was it a mistake for Chengzu to raise an army to quell the rebellion?"

"When Jianwen was the grandson of the emperor, Taizu asked him how to treat the kings. He said:

"Take care of them with virtue, control them with propriety, if that doesn't work, then take away their land, if that still doesn't work, then depose their people, if it's even worse, then take up arms and attack them."

"But after he succeeded to the throne, he treated the other kings with impunity and disrespect, wantonly reduced their lands and abolished their people, and even forced the King of Xiang to death, and even wanted to force Chengzu to death."

"So Cheng Zu had to raise an army because he had no choice."

"When recording Chengzu's deeds like this, do we still need to use the Jianwen era name?"

"Would it be more appropriate to adopt the reign title of Jingnan?"

This caused a lot of discussion among the ministers, and many of them frowned.

Because Jingnan was just a slogan and never a reign title.

However, if Chengzu continued to use the Jianwen era name to record events after he launched his rebellion, it would seem that Chengzu was still a traitor and was rebelling against the emperor, which the current emperor would never agree to.

So the emperor proposed the Jingnan era name, which was placed on a par with the Jianwen era name, to solve this problem. (End of this chapter)