There were two types of titles in the Ming Dynasty.

One is the royal title

There are princes, dukes, generals guarding the country, generals supporting the country, generals serving the country, lieutenants guarding the country, and lieutenants supporting the country, etc.

The other is the title given to meritorious officials and relatives of the emperor.

When the Ming Dynasty was first established, five ranks of nobility were listed to confer titles on meritorious officials and relatives of the emperor.

Later, the titles of son and baron were abolished, leaving only the three ranks of duke, marquis and earl.

There are also two types of titles for meritorious officials and relatives of the emperor: one that can be inherited (with a hereditary certificate) and one that cannot be inherited (without a hereditary certificate).

Most of the meritorious titles can be inherited, but the relative titles basically cannot be inherited.

Whether it can be inherited depends on the size of the military merit, and the hereditary title awarded for military merit can only be passed on to healthy descendants, not to disabled descendants.

The relatives who can obtain the title include the prince consort himself, the father and brother of the empress, empress dowager, and grand empress dowager.

In addition, there is another type of people who can obtain the title: descendants of Yanshenggong.

Chongzhen really wanted to give Qin Liangyu the title, so when Wang Jiayan, the left vice minister of the Ministry of War, made the suggestion, he nodded slightly.

Wang Jiayan, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of War, then said: "In view of Qin Liangyu's merits, I think she should be granted the title of marquis."

This caused an uproar in the court.

Since ancient times, men have been superior to women, so the controversy caused by conferring titles on women can be imagined.

The censors of the Metropolitan Censorate were the first to speak out. Someone stepped out with his hands clasped, saying, "This is inappropriate. Qin Liangyu is a woman, and she is also the chieftain of Shizhu. She should not be given a title. Even if she is given a title, it should not be a marquisate. She should be given an earldom like Huang Degong, Wu Sangui, Tang Tong and others."

The censors' action was not to look down on Qin Liangyu, but to remind Chongzhen to strike a balance.

When Li Zicheng invaded the capital, Chongzhen conferred titles on generals to encourage them to come to Beijing to defend the country. Wu Sangui was conferred the title of Pingxi Bo, Zuo Liangyu was conferred the title of Ningnan Bo, Tang Tong was conferred the title of Dingxi Bo, and Huang Degong was conferred the title of Jingnan Bo.

Among these people, Tang Tong was the first to arrive, and Wu Sangui was the second.

Regardless of whether they played a role or not, they were credited for serving the king.

The merit of recovering the lost territory is great, and the merit of serving the king is equally significant.

What is worrying is not the scarcity but the inequality!

If a good balance cannot be struck, other generals may easily develop rebellious mentality.

It cannot be seen on the surface and will only become apparent when the war begins.

"I second the motion."

"I second this motion."

With the reminders from the censors, all the civil and military officials in the court calmed down and stopped talking.

The cabinet's deputy minister, Fan Jingwen, stepped out of the line and said to the imperial censors, "Everyone, what's wrong with a woman? Wu Zetian was a woman, right? In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, she changed the era name and proclaimed herself emperor. She is the only female emperor to date."

"The practice of conferring titles on women has existed since ancient times, but it is a very long time ago, so long that we need to trace it back to the Han Dynasty more than a thousand years ago."

Upon seeing this, the ministers held their breath and stared with serious expressions.

Chongzhen was also intrigued by Fan Jingwen's words and looked at him intently.

Fan Jingwen coughed lightly and continued, "Looking through the history books of ancient and modern times, there are four women who have been granted titles. They are Di, Marquis of Lu, Wuming, Marquis of Yin'an, Lü, Marquis of Linguang, and Tong, Marquis of Ying."

Marquis of Lu Di was the mother of Xi Juan, a founding hero of the Western Han Dynasty. After Xi Juan died without a child, Liu Bang transferred the title of Marquis of Lu to his mother.

Yin'an Hou Wuming was Liu Bang's second sister-in-law.

Linguang Hou Lu was the sister of Empress Lu.

The Marquis of Ying was the wife of Xiao He. In the Biography of Xiao He in the Book of Han, only one character "Tong" was recorded in her name, and it is not known whether it was her name or surname.

"The Han Dynasty was the orthodox dynasty in the Central Plains. They could confer titles on women then, so why can't they do so now? Could it be that the Ming Dynasty is less magnanimous than the Han Dynasty more than a thousand years ago?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the court fell silent.

The censors also lowered their heads and stopped objecting.

How to object?

This statement is too profound, and if you continue to oppose it you will be attacked personally.

With Fan Jingwen's help, everyone stopped objecting.

Chongzhen saw this and said leisurely: "I think Qin Liangyu can be conferred the title of Duke. Please think about what title would be more appropriate."

Duke?

This sentence caused a commotion in the court, but the court officials did not say anything. After all, this was the emperor's right.

"I think he can be conferred the title of Duke of Anguo!" an official from the Ministry of War stepped out and said.

"Not appropriate," an official from the Ministry of Rites objected. "Although there are cases of repeated use of titles in our dynasty, it is rare. In the first year of Tianshun, Emperor Yingzong bestowed upon Huichang Bo Sun Zhong (Zhu Zhanji's father-in-law) the titles of Taifu and Anguo Gong, so it is inappropriate to use the title of Anguo Gong."

As the topic unfolded, everyone began a heated discussion.

Due to the problem of repeated use, the titles of Duke of Anguo, Duke of Zhongguo, and Duke of Baoguo were successively denied.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with reusing the title, but Chongzhen didn't want to repeat it.

After all, this is the first title he has been awarded since he traveled through time, and it is the Duke!

After discussing for a while, Chongzhen said, "What do you think of the title of Duke Qin?"

"May I ask if your majesty is the Qin of the King of Qin?"

"Yes, it's the diligence of the king."

......

After correcting the ministers' misunderstanding, Chongzhen slowly spoke: "Qin Liangyu has worked hard for the country all her life. She has not only served the king diligently, but also worked hard. The title of Duke Qin Guo is well deserved."

"Your Majesty is wise and we admire you." The court officials began to flatter him.

After accepting the flattery of the ministers, Chongzhen put his hands behind his back and said with a serious face: "Draft an imperial decree. Qin Liangyu has made great contributions and is granted the hereditary title of Duke of Qin."

After the court meeting ended, the cabinet and the inner court's seal and ribbon supervisors became busy at the same time.

The Cabinet was responsible for drafting imperial edicts, and the Seal and Ribbon Bureau was responsible for producing the imperial edicts required for the title and the hereditary certificates required for succession.

Ten days later.

The imperial envoy set out from Beijing with the imperial edict and headed straight for Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.

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