Zhu Youxiao was quite troubled by the huge number of vassal states, and he also knew that he could not be too tough before pacifying the Liao Dynasty and the She'an Rebellion.
But this does not mean that he did not have the means to gradually reform, taking back the "imperial grant", that is, the farmland; taking back the privileges, that is, the profits from salt and iron in the hands of some vassal kings.
All of these were returned to the state, and the vassal states were only paid the prescribed salaries, forbidding them from making money elsewhere.
At the same time, Zhu Youxiao also opened clan schools, allowing the children of royal family members to attend school, and allowing royal family members to give up their titles and salaries and become civilians, engaging in occupations such as scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans.
Although the majority of vassals wanted to continue to gain something for nothing, some of them either saw through the emperor's ill intentions; or low-ranking vassals felt that their salaries could not support their families, so they would rather get a subsidy from the court and think of other ways out.
Since Emperor Jiajing introduced the "Regulations on the Imperial Clan and Vassal States", there have been strict restrictions on the inheritance of titles, land grants, daily expenses, and even the number of wives and concubines of the imperial clan and vassal states.
Yet this famous regulation proved ineffective in addressing the root cause. The crucial provision regarding "specifying children" was not even mentioned. The parasitic role of the princes' descendants remained unchanged.
Therefore, although Zhu Youxiao did not immediately implement this most critical point, he instructed the Ministry of Rites to strictly review the requests for titles and grants from the royal family and vassal states, in order to block the livelihood of the parasites.
Without official status, the vassal states could not receive support from the imperial court, and thus had no way to survive. Accepting the imperial court's arrangements and attending the vassal schools to learn some self-reliant work might be the only option to avoid starvation.
For the vassal states with official titles, especially princes and dukes who had relatively high incomes, Zhu Youxiao had previously adopted the method of borrowing money to buy shares, investing their money in bank construction, and using dividend income to make up for part of the Dai salary expenses.
Now, Zhu Youxiao was preparing to implement a fixed-salary system for the princes. No matter how many children your family had or how many relatives you had, the cost would remain fixed.
Each prince has many close relatives of the royal family. If they have no food to eat, they can go to the prince for help, and it has nothing to do with the court. When the prince is too poor to eat... well, with their family wealth, they should be able to hold on for a few years, right?
Zhu Youxiao pursed his lips sarcastically and ordered the palace servants to take his edict to the cabinet for discussion and decision.
Officials' malice towards the vassal states was not entirely unmitigated, but it was certainly ill-intentioned. Even for the sake of social stability, they were only slightly relaxed.
Zhu Youxiao also didn't think that this kind of "boiling a frog in warm water" suppression would cause any of the princes to rebel. Since Emperor Yongle reduced the power of the princes, there have been some princes who rebelled, but they were all difficult to achieve.
Furthermore, were the imperial guards that Zhu Youxiao relied on and supported merely idlers? Were the Ming army, which he vigorously organized and reformed, merely idlers? Were the disciples of the emperor who were assigned to various places through martial arts training merely idlers?
As long as he kept these three things firmly in his hands, Zhu Youxiao was not afraid of anyone who could turn the tables.
While he was thinking, a palace maid came in to report that the female doctor Yang Hanyi came to see him.
Zhu Youxiao thought about it and wondered what she wanted since it wasn't a regular inspection day for the harem. But since she was here and he had nothing to do, there was no reason not to see her.
The palace maid summoned the female doctor Yang Hanyi and Tao Yan into the palace to pay a visit.
Taoyan was still carrying the basket, and the fat cat was still lazy and ignored everyone.
The little girl has grown taller and has more strength. She can carry the basket easily. I wonder if it’s because she exercises by carrying the cat basket every day.
Zhu Youxiao said gently, "Mr. Yang, please stand up and take a seat."
After Yang Hanyi thanked him, he sat on the embroidered cushion and pondered for a moment before speaking, "Your Majesty, I heard that you summoned Fu Jiasheng from Ningguo Mansion to the palace to vaccinate the little princess against 'Taiping Pox'?"
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "It is true."
Yang Hanyi hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, although the Ningguo Mansion's Fu family's 'Taiping Smallpox Vaccine' is known to have 'no accidents,' I believe we should still be cautious."
There was once a claim that smallpox vaccination was invented in the Song Dynasty, but the technology of smallpox vaccination was actually invented during the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty.
Not only does the "Collected Explanations of the Golden Mirror of Smallpox" clearly state that "the smallpox vaccination method originated during the Longqing period of the Ming Dynasty," but Huang Baijia, the son of Huang Zongxi, a Ming loyalist, also recorded that Fu Shanglin's great-grandfather Fu Sichuan, a smallpox vaccinator in the early Qing Dynasty, was famous for his smallpox vaccination technique.
Zhu Youxiao was very concerned about the health of his children and the women in his harem. In his impression, vaccination was already practiced in ancient China.
Therefore, he asked people and learned about the "human smallpox technique" of the Fu family in Ningguo Mansion. Based on his knowledge, he believed that the "human smallpox technique" was completely reliable, although many imperial doctors expressed doubts about it.
At that time, according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, smallpox was mainly attributed to fetal toxins, the so-called "eating the blood filth of the five internal organs and lurking in the gate of life". Fetal toxins were the main cause, and external factors such as cold, heat, or fear were secondary causes. The description and nature judgment were rather confusing.
By the Ming Dynasty, there was a breakthrough in understanding. Gong Xin's "Medical Mirror of Ancient and Modern Times" proposed that although smallpox was related to fetal toxins, it might not be caused by the infection of various diseases.
During the Wanli period, the views included in "Bo Ji Xi Dou Fang Lun" compiled by Guo Zizhan had a more accurate view of the cause of smallpox, which was very close to the description of the mechanism of infection with this virus in modern medicine.
But similarity doesn't mean the same thing. The medical community as a whole still considered fetal toxins to be the main cause. With the theory behind it, the "smallpox surgery" naturally struggled to be promoted.
Zhu Youxiao summoned Fu Jiasheng to Beijing. Although his own relatives were important, the ultimate goal was to promote it nationwide and formulate regulations to completely eradicate smallpox in the Ming Dynasty.
Yang Hanyi's suggestion to be cautious was naturally well-intentioned and also due to his limited knowledge. Zhu Youxiao did not blame him.
Although he wasn't well versed in medicine, Zhu Youxiao did know some principles of immunology. He explained them to Yang Hanyi, hoping her clinic would help promote the smallpox treatment in the future.
"Your Majesty, are you saying this..." Yang Hanyi was confused by the immunity and antibodies the emperor mentioned. He widened his eyes and asked in confusion, "Is it about letting a healthy person get the disease, so that he won't get it again?"
Zhu Youxiao had to think carefully. Not being a professional doctor, he had to choose his words carefully before he could express himself clearly. "It's not that you're actually infected. It's that, after repeated culture, the toxicity of smallpox has become very low. This allows people to produce antibodies without actually getting sick."
Yang Hanyi didn't quite understand the new terms, nor did he quite grasp Wansui's theories, but he didn't know where to start.
Tao Yan blinked her big eyes, as if she had figured out something, and bowed and said, "Your Majesty, does this mean that patients who have had smallpox and recovered will not get it again?"
Zhu Youxiao's eyes lit up, and he reached out and tapped Tao Yan, smiling, "That's right. Those who have survived smallpox have antibodies in their bodies, so they won't be infected again. This is the principle of smallpox surgery. The poison doesn't make people sick, but it will induce a reaction in the body, producing antibodies, so you won't get smallpox in the future."
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