Zhu Yunying smiled but didn't speak. In his earlier years, he might have felt a little pressure, but that was when he was still young and naive. As he grew a little older, Zhu Yunying stopped taking Lady Lü and Zhu Yunying seriously, and treated their petty actions as a joke.
This is also why Zhu Yunying is so magnanimous now, and he doesn't treat Zhu Yunwen and Lady Lü differently.
“The members of the imperial family all have their own ideas,” Zhu Yunying said. “It’s common for brothers to turn against each other in ordinary families over inheritance. We all know about the things that happened in my fifth uncle’s family, whether it’s the Prince of Qin or the Prince of Jin. But I feel that this trend is not good.”
Zhu Su was clearly quite serious at this moment, and it seemed that the emperor was very displeased with the petty thoughts of the imperial clan members.
Zhu Yunying continued, “Our Great Ming treats the imperial clan very well. We also know that the imperial clan is somewhat unwilling to abolish the feudal system. We have no choice but to accept it. Our Great Ming does not need the imperial clan to be stationed in the provinces to consolidate military power. If we do not abolish the feudal system now, we will inevitably have to do so in the future. I'm afraid that things will not be as peaceful as they are now.”
Zhu Su felt that there was some truth to what Zhu Yunying said.
When they took up their fiefdoms, it was in order to seize military power from the military officers and protect the Ming Dynasty.
However, a review of historical records shows that the vassal kings often caused some unrest in their territories, which seems to be an unavoidable occurrence. Even though the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty did not have the same absolute control over military and political affairs as the vassal kings of the Western Han Dynasty, they still possessed a certain degree of power, which made it normal for the emperor to be wary.
As for the reduction of the power of the princes, Zhu Su was not really happy about it, but he had no choice but to accept it.
Even though he knew it was Emperor Zhu Yunying's will, while on the surface it was Emperor Hongwu's decision.
Not only would they not dare to provoke Zhu Yuanzhang, but even in front of Emperor Yingshi, Zhu Su and others wouldn't dare to say much. The abolition of their fiefdoms was simply a matter of accepting it. At least this nephew emperor would grant them wealth and honor, and the imperial clan would still enjoy a life of comfort and high status.
Ultimately, it was the emperor's ruthlessness that made it impossible for the vassal kings to even entertain the slightest thought of resistance when facing him.
Zhu Yunying continued, "My grandfather was incredibly lenient towards the people of the Ming Dynasty. Citizens of the Ming Dynasty could have their crimes reduced by one degree if they held the Great Proclamation. My grandfather did this so that the people would know the law and the officials would know how to enforce it. Although some scholars say that there are often exceptions to the law or that it is too harsh, this is also to make people aware of what is to be feared and not dare to break the law easily."
The Great Proclamation could be considered a form of legal education in the Ming Dynasty. Although it had its shortcomings, it was still a step forward. As for the opposition, it was probably because people felt that the Great Proclamation infringed upon their interests.
Zhu Yunying continued, “The Great Proclamation and the Great Ming Code also used severe punishments to reform the world, so the orders were obeyed as easily as the wind blowing through the grass. The laws and regulations of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty were lax, and there was a lot of corruption, powerful landlords oppressing the people, and local ruffians causing trouble in the villages. It is not to say that they were all swept away, but these problems were much better.”
Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Su listened quietly. They might know some things, but as princes with sensitive identities, they might not know as much as they thought. In fact, their understanding of court affairs was less than that of some civil and military officials.
Zhu Yunying's expression remained serious as he said, "However, my imperial grandfather is also afraid of troublemakers causing disturbances, so there are many regulations. Lawsuits between the military and civilians must be filed from the bottom up, and anyone who dares to overstep the bounds or cause chaos will be punished. If it is slander or false accusation, it will be severely punished without leniency."
Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Su seemed to understand that civil and military officials, as well as ordinary people, were protected by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. However, these members of the imperial clan also needed to be restrained. Although the Imperial Clan Court was in charge, many matters could not be handled solely by the Imperial Clan Court.
Ultimately, it was because the treatment of the imperial family members in the Ming Dynasty was too good, which made some of them feel emboldened.
If it were just a spoiled brat like Zhu Yunwen, it wouldn't be such a big problem; the Ming Dynasty didn't need every member of the imperial clan to be wise and virtuous. However, it was still necessary to restrain the imperial clan members and prevent them from committing evil deeds.
If the emperor starts to take things seriously, the lives of these members of the imperial family may not be as easy as before.
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