Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 75: Among the royal family members and nobles, who can be of great use?
The snow had not melted yet, and since we were going to have a banquet, we naturally couldn't hold it outdoors.

There are actually quite a few buildings in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. In addition to the main hall and the two side halls of Zhaoren and Hongde, there are also rooms on the three sides of the palace walls.

The three types of people attending today's banquet are all "loyal and loyal" members of the country.

First is the vassal state.

Among those who have survived to this day, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang left behind thirteen princes: Qin, Jin, Zhou, Chu, Lu, Shu, Dai, Su, Qing, Min, Han, Shen, and Tang; Chengzu Zhu Di left behind one: Zhao; Renzong Zhu Gaochi left behind four: Zheng, Xiang, Jing, and Huai; Yingzong Zhu Qizhen left behind three: De, Chong, and Ji; Xianzong Zhu Jianshen left behind three: Yi, Heng, and Rong; and Muzong Zhu Zaihou left behind one: Lu.

These are the twenty-five princes in the Ming Dynasty after Zhu Changluo ascended the throne.

But the vassal kings also include the princes of counties. There are too many princes of counties and they are not included in the scope of those who are required to come to Beijing for the homage this time.

The second are meritorious officials.

The meritorious officials who were conferred titles in the Ming Dynasty were mainly those in the early period, and very few were conferred titles in the middle and late period. There were 64 in the Hongwu Dynasty, 2 in the Jianwen Dynasty, 54 in the Yongle Dynasty, 4 in the Hongxi Dynasty, 5 in the Xuande Dynasty, 9 in the Zhengtong Dynasty, 6 in the Jingtai Dynasty, 15 in the Tianshun Dynasty, 8 in the Chenghua Dynasty, none in the Hongzhi Dynasty, 2 in the Zhengde Dynasty, 1 in the Jiajing Dynasty, and 1 in the Wanli Dynasty.

But after so many years, there are only fifty-three left (list attached at the end of the article).

Among them, there were five dukes, nineteen marquises, and twenty-nine earls.

In fact, there is another special duke, that is, the Duke Yansheng of Shandong.

But he represents the emperor's respect for culture and education, so he will appear at tomorrow's banquet with the civil officials.

Finally, there are the royal relatives.

According to the ancestral precepts of the Ming Dynasty, in addition to the families of the five great founding heroes, there are also the families of other Chinese relatives: the Empress' family, the Imperial Concubine's family, the Eastern Palace Concubine's family, the Prince's family, the Prince's Concubine ... and the Yibin's family.

At this moment, the Eastern Palace Concubine's family did not exist, so the large-scale Princess's family and Yibin's family were naturally not qualified to come.

In addition to Empress Dowager Li's elder brother Li Wenquan who inherited the title of Marquis of Wuqing, and Empress Dowager Wang's younger brother Wang Dong who inherited the title of Earl of Yongnian, the most eye-catching among the royal relatives at this moment was the emperor's uncle Wang Daoheng, and the son-in-law of the emperor, Hou Gongchen, who was in charge of the clan order.

First there was a long one-by-one meeting, which was all standard procedure.

Each family paid a separate visit to the new emperor.

If Zhu Changluo wants to recognize certain people, he can also ask them individually.

Among the princes, Zhu Changluo only spoke to two families.

One was the eldest son of his uncle, Prince Lu, and Zhu Changluo only said a few more greetings to him.

The other is Zheng Fan, because the crown prince of Zheng Fan has declined the title of King of Zheng for nearly ten years. He has a name that Zhu Changluo is very familiar with: Zhu Zaiyu.

"Since my uncle is determined not to do so, I can grant his wish and choose another branch of the family to inherit the title of king. I wonder what my uncle is busy with now?"

Upon hearing Zhu Changluo's words, the Chief Secretary of the Prince Zheng's Palace was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been busy with music and mathematics in recent years. Four years ago, he presented two chapters of "The Essence of Temperament and Lv", and now he is writing a book, which he plans to name "A New Book of Mathematics."

Zheng Fan's worry for almost ten years about the crown prince refusing to inherit the title and being stripped of his title finally came to an end.

The emperor agreed to choose another person to inherit the title of king.

Zhu Changluo was also very happy: "Since my uncle refuses to inherit the title of king, it would be good for him to concentrate on studying music and mathematics. I have a letter, you can take it back and give it to my uncle."

"I accept the decree..."

Seeing that the emperor really had someone give him a sealed imperial edict, the Chief Secretary of the Zheng Palace realized that the emperor had already made a decision on the matter of the Zheng vassal.

After meeting the people sent by the various royal palaces, he met the royal relatives first.

Naturally, he just went through the motions with Marquis Wuqing and Earl Yongnian, but as for his uncle, he first told him about the grace that would definitely come after he ascended the throne.

In any case, as the emperor's uncle, he could not be just a paid commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

With the precedent of Empress Dowager Li being promoted to a noble concubine and having two empress dowagers in the palace at the same time, it was natural that Zhu Changluo's mother would also be honored later, and Wang Daoheng would naturally also receive special favors and honors.

Zhu Changluo did not tell him what the favor was, but Wang Daoheng was already overjoyed.

Who could have thought that this nephew would not only become the crown prince so quickly, but also ascend the throne so quickly?
Then Zhu Changluo said one more thing about his uncle Hou Gongchen: "The son-in-law is in charge of the clan affairs office. He has signed the petition for canonization several times. I have heard of his generosity and straightforwardness many times."

"I dare not take credit!"

Hou Gongchen was the consort of Princess Shouyang, the third daughter of Emperor Longqing and the biological daughter of Empress Dowager Li.

Unfortunately, Princess Shouyang died in the 20th year of Wanli's reign, and the couple had no children.

Hou Gongchen is thirty-nine years old this year and is the clan leader of the clan affairs office.

Zhu Changluo looked at him and said slowly: "The affairs of the Imperial Clan Court are of great importance. I have stated in my edict of enthronement that I will try to revise the regulations for the Imperial Clan and the Vassal States starting next year."

"I will obey your orders." Hou Gongchen still answered calmly.

"The Third Empress is unlucky, and you have no children either." Zhu Changluo paused, and then said, "I have asked the Empress Grandmother for permission to allow you to take another concubine."

Hou Gongchen was shocked and knelt down: "I dare not!"

"It is unfilial to have no heir." Zhu Changluo said meaningfully, "I still have many things I need you to do."

Being the consort of a prince consort in the Ming Dynasty was a very ostentatious thing, but that depended on the emperor's attitude.

The princess that Hou Gongchen married was the biological daughter of Empress Dowager Li. Even though they had been married for eleven years without giving birth, Hou Gongchen could not easily make such a request.

But at this time when having no offspring was considered unfilial, the grace that Zhu Changluo spoke to him deeply touched his heart.

"I...will never be able to repay your majesty's kindness even if I die! Your Majesty, if you give me an order, I will obey it!"

"Get up." Zhu Changluo smiled, "Don't worry. How to change the clan system still needs to be discussed with the Ministry of Rites. I have some ideas, and there will be a lot of things to do in the future for the clan house. And Prince Consort Wan and Prince Consort Wang, you three brothers-in-law should get closer to each other in preparation for the future."

"I accept the decree..."

The Wan Prince Consort Wan Wei mentioned by Zhu Changluo married the fifth princess of Longqing, who is still alive. The Wang Prince Consort Wang Bing married the sixth princess of Longqing, Princess Yanqing, who passed away this year.

The Clan Court is in charge of the list of clan members, vassal states and noble relatives. Nowadays, it is customary for the son-in-law of the emperor to be in charge of the Clan Court.

Among these three princes-in-law, Wan Wei is the same as Hou Gongchen, who is already in this position and is familiar with the affairs of the clan house; but Wang Bing is both young and talented. Before he became a prince consort, his father was the deputy commander of the Nancheng Bingmasi.

Hou Gongchen had shown special favor first, so Wang Bing, who also had no son, could also count on him.

In truth, this grace merely brings into the open what they may have been doing in secret.

Taking advantage of the opportunity that he had just ascended the throne and needed to show more favor and control, Zhu Changluo did not hesitate to use these methods to win their hearts.

The plan to cultivate another industrial and commercial force besides the gentry starting from the royal family and nobles was approved by Empress Dowager Li. It was not too difficult for Zhu Changluo to get Empress Dowager Li to agree that her son-in-law could take a concubine to continue the bloodline.

Hou Gongchen has been "chaste" for more than eight years.

The princes and relatives of the emperor were all his relatives. After they had all met, it was the turn of so many meritorious officials.

Most of them are in Beijing. Those who are away from home and cannot leave their posts or are too old or sick to come in person have asked their sons who should inherit the title in the future to come.

Among these people, the five dukes or their sons, and other marquises, were mostly cowards in Zhu Changluo's eyes.

But there are two people who are extremely important now.

First is Wang Shouren’s grandson, Wang Chengxun, the Earl of Xinjian.

His current position is Commander-in-Chief of the Cao Army, and he has been in this position for more than eight years.

"Although it is winter now and the transportation has slowed down, I didn't expect you to come in person."

Wang Chengxun's face changed slightly, and he said timidly, "I have no heirs, and the grain transport business is not important, so I came to pay my respects in person. Your Majesty, please forgive me."

"Don't worry, I won't blame you for leaving your post without permission." Zhu Changluo paused and said meaningfully, "Anyway, Li Sancai is in charge of the grain transport, so your entry into the capital won't cause any trouble."

Wang Chengxun trembled slightly: "Your Majesty..."

Zhu Changluo sighed, "He doesn't even have the courage to file a complaint. Forget it, I've heard about his overbearing attitude. The grain transport affairs are divided between the governor and the chief grain transport officer, and for many years it has been the chief grain transport officer who has been in charge and the governor who has been impeaching. When it comes to you, although you have been the commander-in-chief of the grain transport army for more than eight years, Li Sancai has been gone for more than a year, and you have moved under him." "Your Majesty..."

"Since you have entered the capital, stay a few more days." Zhu Changluo waved his hand, "I will call you to make a report later."

I nodded to him first and we will talk about the specific matters of canal transportation separately later.

Zhu Changluo then summoned the last person who had been officially awarded the title of military merit since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Chengliang, Earl of Ningyuan, was 75 years old.

He had been unemployed in the capital for ten years, so naturally he could come in person.

"Your Majesty, I, Li Chengliang, kowtow to you! Long live your Majesty! Long live your Majesty! Long, long live your Majesty!"

"Flat body, give me a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me a seat. I am still in good health, so I will stand and listen to your instructions."

The young emperor looked at the brave general in his seventies who was bending over in front of him.

Still healthy?

It seems that some people have contacted him and he wants to take the initiative.

----

Note: List of Ming Dynasty officials who were passed down to the middle of the Wanli period
Duke of Wei: Descendant of Xu Da, first conferred the title in the third year of Hongwu.

Duke Dingguo: Descendant of Xu Zengshou, son of Xu Da, first conferred the title in the second year of Yongle.

Duke Chengguo: Descendant of Zhu Neng, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Duke of Yingguo: Descendant of Zhang Fu, son of Zhang Yu, first conferred the title in the sixth year of Yongle.

Duke of Qian: Descendant of Mu Sheng, son of Mu Ying, first conferred the title in the sixth year of Yongle.

Marquis Huaiyuan: Descendant of Chang Xuanzhen, the eighth-generation grandson of Chang Yuchun, and continued to be conferred the title in the eleventh year of Jiajing.

Marquis of Linhuai: Descendant of Li Xing, the sixth-generation grandson of Li Wenzhong, and continued to be conferred the title in the eleventh year of Jiajing.

Marquis Dingyuan: Descendant of Deng Jikun, the sixth-generation grandson of Deng Yu, and continued to be conferred the title in the eleventh year of Jiajing.

Marquis of Lingbi: Descendant of Tang Shaozong, the sixth-generation grandson of Tang He, and continued to be conferred the title in the eleventh year of Jiajing.

Marquis Wuding: Descendant of Guo Ying, first conferred the title in the 17th year of Hongwu.

Marquis Taining: Descendant of Chen Gui, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Marquis Wu’an: Descendant of Zheng Heng, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Marquis Zhenyuan: Descendant of Gu Cheng, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Marquis Yongkang: Descendant of Xu Zhong, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Marquis Longping: Descendant of Zhang Xin, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Marquis Cheng'an: Descendant of Guo Liang, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Marquis of Fengcheng: Descendant of Li Bin, first conferred the title in the first year of Yongle.

Marquis of Ningyang: Descendant of Chen Mao, first conferred the title in the first year of Yongle.

Marquis of Xining: Descendant of Song Sheng, first conferred the title in the third year of Yongle.

Marquis of Anyuan: Descendant of Liu Sheng, first conferred the title in the sixth year of Yongle.

Marquis Gongshun: Descendant of Wu Kezhong, son of Wu Yuncheng, he was granted the hereditary title of marquis in the first year of Hongxi.

Marquis of Yangwu: Descendant of Xue Lu, first conferred the title in the 18th year of Yongle.

Marquis Dingxi: Descendant of Jiang Gui, promoted in the seventh year of Zhengtong.

Marquis of Funing: Descendant of Zhu Qian, conferred the title in the third year of Chenghua.

Xing'an Earl: Descendant of Xu Xiang, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Marquis Chengyi: Descended from Liu Yu, the ninth-generation grandson of Liu Ji, and continued to be conferred the title in the eleventh year of Jiajing.

Earl of Xiangcheng: Descendant of Li Jun, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Xinning Earl: Descendant of Tan Zhong, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Yingcheng Earl: Descendant of Sun Yan, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Earl of Xincheng: Descendant of Zhao Yi, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Pingjiang Earl: Descendant of Chen Xuan, first conferred the title in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Anxiang Bo: Descendant of Zhang Xing, first conferred the title in the first year of Yongle.

Suian Bo: Descendant of Chen Zhi, first conferred the title in the first year of Yongle.

Earl of Guangning: Descendant of Liu Rong, first conferred the title in the 17th year of Yongle.

Wujinbo: Descendant of Zhu Rong, first conferred the title in the 20th year of Yongle.

Earl of Chengshan: Wang Cong, grandson of Wang Zhen, inherited the title in the first year of Tianshun. His father Wang Tong was first conferred the title of Earl in the first year of Yongle, promoted to Marquis of Chengshan in the eleventh year of Yongle, and had his title stripped in the fourth year of Zhengtong.

Earl of Baoding: Descendant of Liang Ming, first conferred the title in the first year of Hongxi.

Qingpingbo: Descendant of Wu Cheng, first conferred the title in the first year of Hongxi.

Marquis Chongxin: Descendant of Fei Li, first conferred the title in the first year of Xuande.

Marquis Jingyuan: Descendant of Wang Ji, first conferred the title in the seventh year of Zhengtong.

Marquis of Nanhe: Descendant of Fang Ying, first conferred the title in the fifth year of Jingtai.

Earl of Nanning: Descendant of Mao Sheng, first conferred the title in the fifth year of Jingtai.

Marquis of Huaining: Descendant of Sun Tong, first conferred the title in the first year of Tianshun.

Marquis of Fengrun: Descendant of Cao Yi, first conferred the title in the first year of Tianshun.

Marquis Huairou: Descendant of Shi Ju, first enfeoffed in the first year of Tianshun.

Wupingbo: Descendant of Chen You, first conferred the title in the first year of Tianshun.

Earl of Xuancheng: Descendant of Wei Ying, first conferred the title in the first year of Tianshun.

Earl of Zhangwu: Descendant of Yang Xin, first conferred the title in the second year of Tianshun.

Wu Jingbo: Descendant of Zhao Fu, first conferred the title in the second year of Chenghua.

Fuqiangbo: Descendant of Mao Zhong, first conferred the title in the third year of Chenghua.

Ningjin Bo: Descendant of Liu Ju, first conferred the title in the seventh year of Chenghua.

Xinjian Earl: Descendant of Wang Shouren, first conferred the title in the 16th year of Zhengde after Jiajing ascended the throne.

Ningyuan Earl: Li Chengliang, first conferred the title in the seventh year of Wanli.

(End of this chapter)