Zhu Xiong Ying was about to go crazy. Old Zhu's simple thinking was really not wrong; it was the mindset of an old farmer—the belief that many children bring many blessings. Moreover, as royalty, they naturally didn't need to worry about not being able to afford to raise children; having more children was certainly a good thing.

Helpless, Zhu Xiong Ying could only continue, "Grandfather, you surely understand what your grandson means."

Old Zhu stopped pretending to be confused and said irritably, "Can't you reduce the stipends of our clansmen after we've passed away?"

"Grandfather, I can certainly change it later, but there are some things I don't want to hide from you. You know what I'm thinking," Zhu Xiong Ying said to Old Zhu. "Let's settle things, is that alright?"

Seeing Zhu Xiong Ying nod, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "If the dynasty only had twenty or so princes, it could certainly afford it. But the number of princes in the Ming Dynasty is approaching thirty. By the time our grandsons grow up, there should be forty or fifty princes."

Old Zhu nodded. He had many children, easily reaching the quota of more than twenty princes.

“Grandfather, a prince’s annual grain yield is 4,800 shi. In our Great Ming Dynasty, the combined yield of summer wheat and autumn millet in the north is only two shi, and the grain yield per mu in the south is just over three shi. It takes about 1,500 mu of land to support a prince. This does not include the 4,800 bolts of silk and 450 jin of cotton. If it is a prince, it would take 3,000 mu of land to support him.”

Looking at Old Zhu, Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "Ten princes would require 30,000 mu of land, and fifty princes would require 150,000 mu! This is only three generations. If it's five generations or even more, then the number of princes in our Great Ming Dynasty will far exceed one hundred. At that time, it will take four or five hundred thousand mu of land to support the annual stipend of a prince."

Old Zhu muttered to himself, "I remember a couple of years ago, the land area of ​​our Great Ming Dynasty also reached 400 million mu."

The Ming Dynasty's land area already exceeded 400 million mu, so it seems that the prince's small share is not too large. At least, that's what Emperor Zhu thought; it shouldn't be a big problem.

Zhu Xiong Ying spoke up and continued, "What about the Princes of the Second Rank? The title of Prince is hereditary, inherited by the heir apparent, and the rest are all Princes of the Second Rank. My second uncle has six sons, five of whom are Princes of the Second Rank. My third uncle has seven sons, one of whom is a Prince of the Second Rank. We won't talk about my fourth uncle for now, but my fifth uncle currently has seven sons, and it looks like he could have twenty."

Although King Zhou enjoyed hiking, medicine, and botanical research, he was also quite prolific at fathering children. I reckon he might have been no less prolific than Emperor Zhu.

Zhu Xiong Ying said helplessly, "Grandfather, let's calculate a little less. If we count each imperial uncle, eight male members isn't much, is it? That would add more than 150 princes. A prince is entitled to 700 shi of rice and 60 qing of land. This amount might not be less than the salary of a prince. A prince's heir is his son, and the rest of his sons are all generals who govern the country, with 600 shi of rice and 50 qing of land!"

Old Zhu still didn't quite agree, saying, "So what? In two or three generations, will they eat up our empire?"

"Grandfather, everything is fine now, but after five generations, the imperial clan will number over ten thousand!" Zhu Xiong Ying said helplessly to Old Zhu. "And that doesn't even include the stipends for princesses and noblewomen; they're still quite a lot!"

Old Zhu was a little annoyed, turned over and ignored Zhu Xiong Ying. "What should we do then? Should we just give up?"

“We should manage, but not like this. Managing everything from birth to old age, sickness, and death is not acceptable,” Zhu Xiong Ying said. “Wealth and status are certainly necessary, but not like this. Moreover, I think that if we eventually reduce the military power of the princes, we should allow members of the imperial family to enter the court and make a living. We can’t let them all be left with nothing to do.”

Old Zhu sat up abruptly, staring at Zhu Xiong Ying, "Aren't you afraid the imperial clan will cause trouble?"

"How much trouble could it cause?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked with a smile, puzzled. "Besides, there are talented people among the imperial family. My fifth uncle is very fond of medicine. If he were to compile a medical manual, it would be a legacy that would last for generations. If he doesn't want to stay in his fiefdom, then so be it."

Treating members of the imperial family like pigs was not something Zhu Xiong Ying wanted to see. He didn't approve of the treatment of the Ming dynasty's imperial family, or even the treatment of the Manchu Eight Banners descendants in history; those were lessons learned.

However, one thing is certain: the treatment of members of the imperial family will definitely be reduced. This is mainly because the treatment given by Emperor Zhu was too good. Throughout history, no one has ever taken such good care of members of the imperial family!