The emperor did not tell everything. He was also preparing to make an example of someone, or to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, so that the princes would not dare to cause chaos.

As for the nobles, Zhu Chunchen's fate should be enough to deter them.

In fact, even if they rebelled, the nobles wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble. The emperor knew this very well. What was there to be afraid of with a bunch of useless people?

Other emperors could have solved the problem of vassal states. The reason why he didn't kill them was mainly because of his family ties and reputation.

We are all surnamed Zhu, descendants of Taizu, so please don't be too harsh in your punishment. If you make your relatives' families broken up and suffer from hunger and cold, won't you be known as ruthless and cold-blooded?

Zhu Youxiao did not have this psychological burden, because he was a completely different person and had nothing to do with the Zhu family.

Sun Chengzong certainly didn't know what the emperor was thinking. He still had to think about the emperor and the country. Although he had no good feelings towards the royal family and nobles who were kept in exile, he still hoped to have the best of both worlds.

Unfortunately, there was no way to satisfy both sides. Either the emperor would have to hold his nose and endure until those guys bankrupted the treasury, or the royal family and nobles would suddenly realize their mistake and start working on their own.

Obviously, the emperor was not going to endure it, that was not his character.

And hoping that the nobles would wake up is like looking for fish in a tree, absolutely impossible. Who would want to suffer hardships for free?

The two situations were irreconcilable. The emperor had thick arms and big fists, and the nobles had to admit defeat.

The emperor also gave them a buffer period. The higher the rank, the longer they could hold out. For example, from a prince to the rank of lieutenant, it would take seven or eight generations.

As for the lowest-ranking lieutenant of Fengguo, I am afraid that the crisis is imminent and he will become a civilian once he is demoted.

"Your Majesty, should the buffer period be extended to allow the vassal states time to prepare and learn?" Sun Chengzong said, "Especially for the lower ranks, as they have a large number of members and will have the greatest impact."

The emperor sighed helplessly and said, "The time left for them is not long enough. During the Jiajing period, the imperial academy was established to teach them how to support themselves. But how many of them are willing to give up their free salary?"

After a pause, the emperor continued, "I have expanded the imperial clan education system, allowing those from poor families to give up their titles and pursue other professions, and have also granted them preferential treatment. But how many imperial clans are willing to give up their titles now? Even the lowest ones."

Parasites live off the fat of the land, gaining without working, even if it means bankrupting the nation. Just like a child, if you don't let him cry, how can you wean him?

Sun Chengzong had no choice but to let them down. He raised them like pigs and they turned out to be useless.

"Your Majesty, I understand your intention." Sun Chengzong bowed and said, "I will return and carefully consider this matter, and strive to come up with the most appropriate solution. Alternatively, I can wait for Lord Yuan to return to the capital and consult him to see how and when to implement it."

Yuan Keli's talent was indeed greater than Sun Chengzong's. The emperor nodded and said, "Then let's do as you requested and postpone its implementation."

The emperor also knew that he couldn't be impatient, so he let Sun Chengzong know first because he wanted to hear his opinion. After all, Sun Chengzong was a man of that era and was more thoughtful.

Although the emperor was unmatched in long-term planning, he still could not fully understand and fathom the thinking and behavior of ancient people.

Of course, he was the emperor and didn't need to consider other people's feelings in certain matters. But there were laws to follow in terms of punishing corruption and clearing up military garrisons and paying military pay.

However, destroying the iron rice bowl of the royal family and the powerful is not in accordance with the ancestral law, and it is impossible to accuse the royal family and the powerful of any crime. If it is enforced, it will inevitably lead to criticism.

The emperor didn't care, but Sun Chengzong, as a trusted and loyal minister, didn't want his emperor and father to bear too much infamy.

In his previous efforts to quell the Liao rebellion, the emperor had already earned a reputation for greed and cruelty. But he was targeting his subjects, and even his thunder and rain were a sign of the emperor's grace. So, was he now being ruthless and ungrateful even to his own people, the Zhu family?

In fact, the emperor only showed Sun Chengzong the first option. If Sun Chengzong, Yuan Keli and others felt it was too harsh, they could still settle for the second best option.

The system of descending titles must be implemented, but there is a bottom limit for the descending, that is, after a prince is demoted to a lieutenant of the auxiliary state and a prince of a county is demoted to a lieutenant of the serving state, there will be no further descending.

No matter it is inherited by descent or by succession, only one person can inherit the title. Other sons can also pass the examination to obtain the title, but naturally it is the lowest rank of Fengguo Lieutenant.

In the history of the Qing Dynasty, this method of obtaining a title through examination was called "Kaofeng".

Obtaining a title through examination can be seen as a form of care for the royal family and vassal states, but passing the examination is certainly not that easy. This is also a means for the emperor to control the proliferation of royal family and vassal states.

A low pass rate means a lot of effort is required. If this effort is harder than self-sufficiency, it would be wise to give up.

If you want to fight for this low-level title all your life, that’s up to you. It depends on whether your savings can support you to “take the exam and get the title” for a lifetime.

Sun Chengzong took his leave. The emperor pondered for a moment before taking out the draft document and ordering the palace servants to deliver it to the "Da Ming Forum".

Public opinion should take the lead and let everyone understand how dire the national finances will become if the evils of the vassal system are not eliminated.

Taking the 31st year of Jiajing as an example, the total tax grain revenue in the country was 22.85 million dan, while the annual salary expenditure of the various royal palaces reached 8.53 million dan, accounting for 37% of the total tax grain revenue in the country, becoming the largest expenditure in the national budget.

During the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial clan population was only 58. By the Yongle reign, this number had doubled in about 30 years, reaching 127. In the eighth year of the Jiajing reign, the imperial clan population recorded in the Imperial Book of Records reached 8,203, a sixfold increase in 100 years.

By the 32nd year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing, the number had increased by about 1.5 times, reaching 10,000 people; by the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, the population of the royal family recorded in the Jade Book had reached more than 10,000 people.

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