Chapter 91: King and Minister
As Zhu Youtong expected, the news that Zhu Yuhuan wanted to enthrone the two eldest princesses as kings was opposed by many ministers.
A princess is a princess, and a prince is a prince. If the two are conflated, who knows how many princes will oppress the people in the future. Not to mention, if a princess is also granted the title of prince, wouldn't she also be included in the imperial succession? Wouldn't the princess's children also be eligible to inherit the throne? If so, the royal bloodline will be in turmoil, and I'm afraid it will be exploited by those with ulterior motives, which will lead to chaos throughout the country!
Even if Zeng Heling mediated this time, he was unable to reconcile the relationship between the emperor and his ministers. Even Xu Yun and Yu Qian, who had always supported the emperor's opinions, said nothing, while the former expressed his opposition. As for the remaining Chen Xun and Xue Xuan, they both clearly opposed the emperor's opinions.
Zhu Yuhuan had anticipated the current situation a long time ago. She was not surprised and was very calm.
Even in modern times, how many people, from the wealthy to ordinary people, can truly allow their children to inherit their property equally?
Not to mention that in the ancient patriarchal system that had lasted for thousands of years, daughters' inheritance rights had long been excluded. Letting the royal family take the lead in breaking this system was to encourage ordinary people to follow suit.
To some extent, Zhu Yuhuan was betraying his own class.
But it's not that no one supported Zhu Yuhuan. For many families with only daughters, if they did not adopt a son, the family property would be taken back by the clan.
If a daughter has the right to inherit family property, she can avoid more risks invisibly.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Zhu Yuhuan sat at the head of the table, surveying his cabinet ministers. He said, "Kong Yanjin's concubine, Li, has brought her grandson, Kong Hongxu, to the capital, claiming that her ancestor, Kong Kexu, led other members of the Kong clan to humiliate orphans and widows, and to seize the property of Duke Yansheng. I have ordered the Dali Temple and the Jinyiwei to assist in the investigation. Has there been any result?"
Xue Xuan immediately stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the Dali Temple has sent people to interrogate Li and her grandson Kong Hongxu."
"The Imperial Guards have already gone to the local area to verify. Besides the internal strife within the clan, I have something else to show you."
After saying that, Song Cuilian beside Zhu Yuhuan had already delivered the report results of the Jinyiwei to the Prime Minister Zeng Heling. Zeng Heling hurriedly took it, glanced through it briefly, and his face became heavy. He just suppressed his anger and raised his hand to hand the report to Chen Xun beside him.
Chen Xun thought that this was a memorial from the Jinyiwei to the emperor, and as a subject, how could he just read it casually? He carefully glanced at Zhu Yuhuan's expression, and seeing that she looked normal, he began to read the contents.
Xu Yun was standing by and seeing the expressions of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, he could guess that this was probably not a good thing.
As expected, it was full of Jinyiwei investigating how the Kong family oppressed local people, occupied people's land, colluded with officials, and raped women. They were evil and had no conscience.
Seeing the silence, Zhu Yuhuan looked indifferent. He then asked, "You are all scholars, having studied for years to gain the opportunity to serve as officials. I believe that everyone has always kept in mind the motto of 'Establishing a mind for heaven and earth, establishing a life for the people, carrying on the lost teachings of the past sages, and bringing peace to the world for all eternity.' Tell me, is this what the descendants of Confucius should do?"
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.
Not to mention the Kong family, even ordinary officials, are there no ones who abuse their power for personal gain and pervert the law? It's just that they have not been held accountable.
"How can a Kong family like this be worthy of Confucius, and how can they be worthy of Taizu, who bestowed upon them the title of Duke of Yansheng?" Zhu Yuhuan sneered. "They constantly talk about rites and ethics, yet in private they wilfully violate laws and regulations, committing crimes. I must ask, who are these rites and ethics meant to constrain? You are ministers, answer me!"
Naturally, there was no answer to this question, so everyone remained silent.
No wonder the Emperor had previously sent Duke Yansheng to preach in Fengyang, the Central Capital, and he hadn't returned yet. Duke Yansheng had submitted a petition, but the Emperor rejected it, saying he was instead asked to write a book summarizing the essence of Confucianism. He hadn't even been assigned any staff, perhaps because he had been waiting for this day.
Kong Yanjin was not on good terms with his clansmen, and as the head of the family, he was not in Qufu. The remaining orphans and widows would naturally cause trouble with their clansmen. The emperor could uproot the entire Kong family by simply taking advantage of the situation.
The emperor must have disliked the Kong family for a long time, and now he is thinking of enthroning the two eldest princesses as vassal kings. If the "legacy" of the Kong family is not eliminated, depending on their toughness, it is unknown what Zhu Yuhuan, the Yuanguang Emperor, will become in the future.
But these people became the court officials today by reading "The Analects of Confucius" and studying Neo-Confucianism. Following the emperor to beat up the fallen dogs of the Confucius Mansion would indeed be suspected of overthrowing themselves, which is difficult for most people to do.
"The teachings of Confucius have endured for millennia, not because of his descendants, but because he possessed 'reason,' and therefore 'the Way.' The reason Confucius' teachings are still so today is due to the teachings of his students. What has his descendants got to do with them?" Zhu Yuhuan said with a half-smile, "If future generations make mistakes, how can the sage be blamed? I will certainly build a temple for the sage and pass on his teachings, but I will never give scum the opportunity to tarnish his teachings."
Xu Yun had already figured out the emperor's reason for this. He gritted his teeth, stepped out of the line, and saluted, saying, "As the saying goes, 'The emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people.' Your Majesty dealt with blood relatives according to the law, beheading the commoner Zhu Huixuan. How much more so for these people in the Kong Mansion who have dishonored the sage Confucius's reputation and wasted the royal family's hopes! I believe Your Majesty should deal with them according to the laws of the country. I implore Your Majesty not to forgive those who dare to violate the laws just because of your reputation as a sage!"
If the emperor's reputation is ruined, how can he, a minister who supported the emperor, have a good reputation? If he wants to die, he can only die on this boat!
Xue Xuan, the former Supreme Court Justice, also spoke up, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. The words of the sage are certainly reasonable, but if our descendants break the law, that is an even greater crime! Before the law of the land, the Kong family has no special privileges! If we fail to deal with them according to the law, we are condoning the abuse of power and chaos within the Ming Dynasty!"
Zeng Heling, the only person allowed to sit during the cabinet meeting, also stood up and said, "You two are both right. Your Majesty, please handle this impartially and uphold the laws of the land."
Half of the people in the cabinet have already agreed. Chen Xun, Shang Lu and Yu Qian have not made a clear statement, but they obviously do not intend to dig deeper.
Although the Kong family endorsed the legal correctness of the emperor's promotion from princess to emperor, according to the emperor's wishes, one thing should be dealt with separately and those who should be dealt with should still be dealt with.
Moreover, not long ago, there were rumors among the people that the emperor had some communication with the heaven, so it rained to avoid the locust plague. In addition, the "Taibai visible during the day" theory provided by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory for Zhu Yuhuan's enthronement was much more reliable than the Confucian family's "speaking the truth to people and lies to ghosts".
Zhu Yuhuan got the answer he wanted, and then asked, "Has the decree for the title of king been drafted?"
Zeng Heling couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he heard this.
The others exchanged glances, and finally Yu Qian stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider."
Zhu Yuhuan was not angry, nor did he sneer. He just looked at Yu Qian and said, "Go on."
Xu Yun was a little frightened when he saw this, but he didn't know what to say.
Yu Qian showed no fear at all and said, "The princes have the power to establish their own government offices and command troops. Although this has been reduced since Emperor Taizong, if we establish two more princes, we will increase their annual salary by another 20,000 dan from now on. Moreover, if Princess Yongqing surrenders..."
Zhu Yuhuan added: "Prince Ji."
Yu Qian paused for a moment, then continued, "If Princess Yongqing's children inherit the throne, this annual salary will surely be passed down to their descendants. Your Majesty should invest state funds in the people's livelihood and government. Princess Yongqing and Princess Changde currently receive an annual salary of 2,000 dan (approximately 2,000 dan), which does not affect the dignity of the two highnesses. Your Majesty, please consider this."
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at the people around him and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?" Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhu Yuhuan finally spoke, "You should understand my intention of linking the Kong family with this matter."
The Confucius Mansion can be abolished, but Neo-Confucianism, which is based on Confucianism, is one of the important links maintaining the existence of the country and the monarch. As long as the emperor holds power, it is impossible to completely abolish Confucianism.
Not to mention that Kong Yanjin once cited Confucius's teachings, citing "benevolence", "propriety and righteousness" and "people-centeredness" as reasons, and added that "the wise change with the times, and the knowledgeable make decisions based on circumstances", and repeatedly emphasized "the world belongs to the public" and "select the virtuous and capable", successfully creating a hodgepodge of theories to prove the legitimacy of Zhu Yuhuan's ascension to the throne as a princess.
Therefore, the emperor only investigated and punished the Kong family, but still built a temple for Confucius. Later, he ordered people to recompile Confucius's teachings, obviously wanting to nationalize the right to interpret the "words of the sage."
"I know what you are worried about. You are afraid that I will replace Prince Ji and his descendants, and Prince Ji will restore the Song Taizong's affairs."
Yu Qian said solemnly, "Your Majesty has adopted the eldest son, but has never appointed him Crown Prince. If you act rashly, I'm afraid the court officials will be uneasy and may want to support someone else to usurp the throne, leading to chaos in government and preventing the officials from fulfilling their duties."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and said, "But this matter also concerns my legitimacy. If I, as the only princess in this dynasty, ascend the throne, and no other princesses are equal to the princes or vassal kings, let alone what future generations will think, if the crown prince ascends the throne one day, will he want me to become 'Daizong' or 'Huidi'? How will the ministers who supported me in ascending the throne then react?"
In a year, the Zhu siblings would officially leave the palace to study. They would eventually learn that the emperor and they were not blood relatives. If they did not strengthen the legal basis for the emperor, and if others interfered and tried to overturn the verdict, regardless of whether the new emperor would recognize the guilty commoner Zhu Qizhen, they would all become useless people who were scapegoated.
How could Xu Yun not understand this, but he was the youngest and had the least experience here, only slightly better than Shang Lu, so it was really difficult for him to say anything at this time.
Zhu Yuhuan glanced at the group and said, "I intend to serve you as wise rulers and loyal ministers. I'm not afraid of being left exposed in the wilderness, but I don't want you to be left in desolation."
Zeng Heling understood best the weight of Zhu Yuhuan's words. If there were no other people present, he would probably have burst into tears.
Chen Xun cautiously stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty and Lord Yu both have their reasons. I think it would be better to have a double celebration: confer the title of queen on the two eldest princesses and the crown prince on the eldest son..."
"Prince Ji has already served as a loyal follower of the emperor. This time, he and Prince Li traveled south together to secretly investigate the people's livelihood on my behalf. They also submitted a memorial. It is common sense for him to be enthroned as a prince." Zhu Yuhuan paused and said, "As for what Yu Qing said, it does make sense. The treatment of vassal princes should be re-regulated. After four generations, the ranks of princes, county princes, generals guarding the country, and generals assisting the country will have little connection with the main clan and can make a living on their own. That way, everyone will be happy."
After she finished speaking, Song Cuilian came out with a memorial and said, "This is the memorial written by Han Shanggong. From now on, the treatment of the princes and their descendants will be based on this. Please review it, my Lords."
Everyone looked at each other, and finally Zeng Heling took it. He saw that the content of the petition was detailed. It seemed that there were no major changes to the vassal system left by Zhu Yuanzhang, but the descendants of the vassal kings after four generations were classified as civilians. The titles of General Fengguo, Lieutenant Zhenguo, Lieutenant Fuguo, and Lieutenant Fengguo were abolished, and these descendants of the Zhu family were allowed to make a living as common people.
Once this decree is issued, it will kick many princes and sons of vassal states out of the ranks of those who receive annual salaries.
"From the date of this decree, titles that have been inherited for more than four generations will not be abolished and rice will be provided as usual. For those whose titles have not been inherited for more than four generations, according to this decree, they will not be allowed to request royal titles below the rank of General of the State."
Once the number of people receiving annual salaries as stipulated by regulations decreases, the annual salaries issued by the court will naturally decrease as well. It can be said that as long as this policy can be implemented, it will be a major burden reduction for the entire country.
If it were in the past, everyone might have worried that such a policy would be difficult to implement, but Zhu Yuhuan held a military exercise in Huailai and ordered the execution of Zhu Huiyan, who was originally a prince. No one dared to provoke the emperor at this juncture, not to mention that the princes now had been spoiled by Zhu Di and had no ability to fight back against the emperor.
Seeing they were silent, Zhu Yuhuan continued, "I intend to order Prince Luo Zhu Qiyu to go to Henan to be a vassal, and his mother, Consort Xuanmiao Xianfei, to go with him. This is a triple blessing, very good."
The cabinet ministers were all shocked, and only then did they understand that the emperor wanted to change the title of the original King of Qing.
Prince Ji, Prince Li, and Prince Luo are indeed three happy events...but what about the Crown Prince?
Seeing their surprised expressions, Zhu Yuhuan continued, "Don't worry, I have an heir. Not only do I have an heir, I have two. I know this very well."
After hearing this, several people understood the emperor's hidden meaning. He was trying to appease them and said that the emperor would consider the succession to the throne between Zhu Shuyuan and Zhu Jianshen.
After all, Emperor Zhu Yuhuan came from a family of "selecting the virtuous and capable".
Chen Xun sighed inwardly and said, "The Minister of Rites, Hu Yi, is already old, and the left and right assistant ministers are still inexperienced and incapable of handling such a heavy responsibility. I'm afraid the ceremony will be inappropriate. It would be better to wait until Your Majesty has chosen a Crown Prince of your choice and then enthrone him together."
Zhu Yuhuan knew this was their bottom line, so she continued, "Then let's put Han Shanggong's memorial to the test later." She waved Song Cuilian away, then continued, "Now that the Dürburt and Dzungar tribes have submitted petitions requesting tribute, I intend to send Prince Luo to negotiate. I need an official from the Ministry of Rites to accompany them, as it will serve as a form of training."
"yes."
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