Old Zhu was in a good mood, enthusiastically studying his retirement and his successor. For a workaholic like him, even after retiring, it was impossible to truly relax.
Just then, Zhu Biao walked over with a gloomy expression, as if something serious had happened.
Zhu Biao handed the memorial to Old Zhu, and sat down angrily. Old Zhu snorted coldly and then handed the memorial to Zhu Xiong Ying.
As the Crown Princess's maternal uncle, Lan Yu did his utmost to protect the Crown Prince's position as heir apparent. As the core of the top-notch military group that Zhu Yuanzhang had assembled for Zhu Biao, Lan Yu also surprisingly and prematurely crippled the Northern Yuan's administrative capabilities.
The threat from the Northern Yuan has decreased significantly; in fact, it could be said that the threat is diminishing.
This time, his contribution was indeed significant, and he is certainly worthy of being granted the title of Duke.
However, he is also a 'typical' martial artist, prone to arrogance and complacency, and his domineering and arrogant attitude has long been evident. This time, however, he has become even more arrogant and domineering.
In fact, Lan Yu had previously kept many slaves and adopted sons, taking advantage of their power to act tyrannically. He had also forcibly seized farmland from the people of Dongchang, and when questioned by the censor, Lan Yu was furious and drove the censor away.
This time, on their return to the capital, they arrived at Xifeng Pass at night. The guards failed to open the gate in time, so Lan Yu ordered his troops to destroy the pass and break in!
Moreover, having achieved a great victory at Buer Lake and captured countless prisoners, perhaps out of pent-up frustration or perhaps out of elation, he seized the Yuan emperor's concubine, causing her to commit suicide out of shame!
Such behavior was certainly intolerable, whether it was the act of sending troops to destroy the passes or the act of seizing the Yuan emperor's concubine. Actually, in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, seizing the Yuan emperor's concubine wasn't a big deal. Such women were usually bestowed upon meritorious officials. But Lan Yu's direct seizure was problematic.
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Biao and said, "Lan Yu is, after all, your brother-in-law. Although he has committed illegal acts, you should still rely on him."
“I’ll go out of the palace tomorrow. He’s a confidant of Father, but such illegal behavior is not a good thing.” Zhu Xiong Ying thought for a moment and then spoke up. “Father may not be able to say anything, but I can say something. We should give him a warning.”
Old Zhu asked, "How do you plan to knock it?"
“He probably doesn’t have any ulterior motives, he’s just had it too easy,” Zhu Xiong Ying said. “He only has one daughter, who is now Uncle Eleven’s wife. How about this, if Aunt Eleven has a second son in the future, send him to the Lan family.”
Old Zhu was taken aback, and said unhappily, "How can our Zhu family bloodline be treated like this?!"
"He has no children, so he acts recklessly and has taken in a lot of adopted sons," Zhu Xiong Ying said irritably. "Give him an heir and let him think it over. The eleventh uncle's second son should also be a prince in the future. But when I ascend the throne, I will definitely grant him a title. A hereditary duke is not bad."
Old Zhu was displeased and said irritably, "Ying'er, our 'Imperial Ancestral Instructions' do exist. The second son of a prince and his sons born out of wedlock, upon reaching the age of ten, are all granted the title of Prince of the Second Rank. If the rank is lowered, it wouldn't be your eleventh uncle's turn!"
"Grandpa, I still want to tell you these things," Zhu Xiong Ying said, and continued, "Grandpa will soon be twenty-five years old. Royal descendants enjoy special privileges, are not bound by ordinary laws, and are not under the jurisdiction of local governments. This is nothing special."
Old Zhu listened, while Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "However, the princes' residences, clothing, and military cavalry are only one rank lower than the emperor's. Their titles are hereditary and cannot be changed, and all dukes, marquises, and ministers must pay their respects to them. When my grandson ascends the throne, will he greet his imperial uncles first, or will they bow to me?"
Old Zhu smiled smugly and continued, "We have a rule: when meeting the Emperor in ordinary clothes, one should kowtow three times but not bow! After the audience at the Fengxian Hall, the proper etiquette between ruler and subject is observed, with five bows and three kowtows! After the audience, the King sits facing west, while the Emperor, in ordinary clothes, observes the etiquette between family members, with four bows without bowing, and the King receives the bows while seated. Although this is the etiquette between family members, the distinction between ruler and subject is still very clear!"
This is Zhu Yuanzhang (Emperor Zhu), he had many things to worry about. His imperial ancestral precepts were clearly laid out, with the intention of having his descendants follow his rules. Even if he wasn't a sage ruler, preserving the empire would certainly not be a problem.
Including generational names, among Zhu Xiong Ying's descendants, only Zhu Xiong Ying's name does not meet Zhu's generational requirements.
To say it wasn't the only one is possible, as Prince Jingjiang, Zhu Shouqian, didn't follow this rule. However, this Zhu grand-nephew was the grand-nephew of the late Zhu, the grandson of Zhu's elder brother.
“Grandfather, let’s not talk about the stipends of the imperial clan for now. The imperial clan does not have to pay taxes, and can even collect taxes, fish taxes, and salt shops in the local area. This is unacceptable. Moreover, the imperial court bears the burden of the imperial clan’s birth, old age, illness, death, marriage, and funeral. This is a real problem.”
Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "Grandfather, I also know that when the dynasty was founded, you and the ministers discussed this. In the former Song and Yuan dynasties, the rulers were weak and the ministers were strong. The court could not obtain the protection of the imperial family. Therefore, taking the previous dynasties as a lesson, we decided to establish the imperial family. However, our Ming dynasty has treated the imperial family too well."
The power of the current regional princes has reached its peak, and they can even preside over local military affairs, which is a bit excessive.
Zhu Xiong Ying quickly calculated, "A prince's annual salary is 50,000 shi of rice and 25,000 guan of paper money. He is also granted a farm, which yields 1,500 shi of grain and 2,000 guan of paper money annually. Grandfather, if my imperial clan continues to be managed and cared for, a hundred members are not too many, but what about a thousand or ten thousand? What about a hundred thousand or a million? This is just the annual salary; marriages will be another huge expense!"
Old Zhu's face was stern with displeasure; he didn't want his descendants to suffer.
Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "My royal family now numbers no less than a hundred people. If we have two more generations, it will be more than a thousand. My father already has four sons and three daughters. My second uncle has three sons and one daughter, my third uncle has five sons and one daughter, and my fourth uncle has three sons and five daughters. My tenth uncle also has offspring! My royal grandfather, this is only two generations!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
