The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Houzhao immediately spoke and lifted the vassal ban policy.

As soon as these words came out, the officials were in an uproar.

Although this is indeed beneficial to the current situation, how could His Majesty the Emperor agree?

For a moment, the eyes of Yang Tinghe, Wang Hao and others circulated back and forth on Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao.

They couldn't figure out what the Marquis of Zhongshan had just said to His Majesty the Emperor, which prompted His Majesty to change his mind and directly agree to this request, which was a hidden danger to the royal family!

Unfortunately, looking at the postures of Tang Hao and His Majesty the Emperor, it was clear that they were not prepared to speak.

The ministers would not bring trouble on themselves and asked the two of them.

Now that we have the approval of His Majesty the Emperor, the rest is much simpler.

Under the auspices of Yang Tinghe, the ministers quickly formulated a new set of vassal policies.

First, according to what Zhongshan Hou said, cut off the last three levels of the clan, that is, abolish the three levels of Zhenguo Lieutenant with 400 shi, Fuguo Lieutenant with 300 shi, and Fengguo Lieutenant with 200 shi, and replace them with The clan's year-end bonus is set up, and the bonus is nominally based on the salary expenditure of the third-class lieutenant.

Secondly, regarding the assessment of the clan’s year-end bonuses, combined with the opinions of the ministers and the suggestions of Zhongshan Hou Tanghao, we mainly evaluated the clan’s year-end bonuses from three aspects: fertility rate, contribution rate, and crime rate.

These three restrictions can actually ensure that the feudal prince and clan are obedient.

The third is to lift the vassal ban policy, or slightly change it. For example, the vassal king can apply to the court and temporarily leave the fiefdom to go out to play or visit friends. As long as the court's consent is obtained, the vassal king's clan no longer has to act like a vassal. Being trapped in a fief for life like in the past is the same as restricting the people's roads.

Zhu Houzhao looked at the charter drawn up by these ministers and suddenly fell into deep thought.

There is nothing much to say about the first step. Cutting off three ranks from the eight ranks of clan members can directly greatly reduce the financial pressure on the Ming Dynasty in the future.

The next three lieutenant ranks are the bulk of the clan's salary. They are also the source of wealth for the clan lords who have been committed to constantly having children and then asking the court for money and food!

This second step was still proposed by the savages, linking interests with policies, forcing the princes to manage their own branches and cooperate with the imperial court in implementing various policies.

Once this policy is implemented, the clan king will no longer be the enemy of the imperial family, but the biggest ally who helps the imperial family stabilize the rule of the court!

This was also the original purpose of Emperor Taizu Gao to enfeoff the kings in the past!

Isn't it the result that Emperor Taizu Gao wanted to see?

However, he used it in the wrong place. He should not have handed over local military power to a group of feudal kings!

Now Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao also proposed such an idea, but this time, he chose to use interests to tie the clan members to the royal family!

The fertility rate is linked to the interests of the clan, so there is really no need for the court to issue policies. The prince will find ways to control it himself, and there is no need for him, the emperor, to worry about it!

To put it simply, the more children a prince's branch has, the more people will share money with them every year!

When it comes to the main lineage of the prince, if they want to get more year-end bonuses for the clan, they must control the fertility rate of the branches under their command!

It doesn’t matter if you have too many children and you can’t raise them yourself, the problem is that it will affect the fertility assessment of our large branch!

At that time, all the clan's year-end bonuses will be deducted, and everyone will not get any money at the end of the year, so they all have to drink the northwest wind?

Yes, the number of people in the first three generations is small, so it may not matter, but by the fourth generation, these princes will realize that something is wrong, and they will start to deliberately control the population. As long as a feudal country starts to do this, then His fertility rate will be excellent, which will be much higher than other vassal states, prompting competition among the major vassal states!

In this way, the feudal country can control the population by itself, and the emperor and the court do not even have to come forward to be the villain. As long as the clan members carry out controlled family planning, the number of clan members in the old Zhu family will naturally not skyrocket. It is within a reasonable range, a normal range that the court's finances can accommodate!

This is the result the court wants to see!

Raise your own children by yourself, don't think about asking for money and food from the court by trying your best to have children!

Otherwise, when the Ming Dynasty's finances were dragged down by the birth of children by these clan kings, Zhu Houzhao really didn't know whether to cry or laugh!

Another example is the crime rate. The name is not nice, but there are so many members of the clan who openly violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty!

Not to mention, most of the sons of Emperor Taizu Gao were not good people!

The second son of Taizu, King Zhu Ping of Qin, not only raped women and looted people's property, but also abused lynchings in the Qin palace. He tied the palace maids to trees and starved to death and burned them to death. Finally, Zhu Ping was killed by three old women. A man was poisoned to death. When Emperor Taizu Gao learned of the bad news, he scolded him for his unjust death and gave him the posthumous title "Min"!

The third son of Taizu, King Zhu Fan of Jin, was cruel and unkind by nature. After taking over Taiyuan, he was whipped and tortured many times. He was also a spoiled and lawless bastard who regarded human life as nothing!

Zhu Gui, the 13th son of Taizu, had a bad temper and liked killing. He killed people in the feudal country to gain wealth. The people of the country were in great hardship. He took everything he asked for and committed many crimes. He was also a beast!

The 18th son of Emperor Taizu, King Min Zhu, was gentle and gentle on the surface, but in fact he was cruel and cruel. After taking over Yunnan, his true nature was exposed. He enslaved the soldiers, oppressed the people, did whatever he wanted, and killed the officials!

…

To be honest, Zhu Houzhao has always been aware of all the evil deeds of these clan kings.

He just didn't want to pay attention to it, or was too lazy to pay attention to it.

Even if you know, what can you do?

The clan king's depravity is the result of the royal family's deliberate indulgence!

Even the civil servants and gentry would turn a blind eye to these evil-doing clan kings. There were mountains of files piled up in the Ministry of Punishment!

You can imagine how desperate those people who were innocently slaughtered and persecuted would feel before they died!

However, this matter is very sensitive, and Zhu Houzhao has never been able to interfere!

Now we finally have the opportunity to change this situation!

Crime rate. Once a member of the clan openly violates the law, the crime rate will be evaluated as appropriate, from poor to extremely poor to deduction of all bonuses. Those clan princes who have taken human lives will not only be severely punished themselves, but also the entire prince lineage. If they sit together, the clan's year-end bonus will be deducted.

By the same token, if the system continues to be implemented, those princes will definitely restrain themselves for the sake of profit, and will also restrain the other branches under their command to avoid such evil behaviors again. Otherwise, once the dissatisfaction of the people attracts the attention of the court, they will not have bonuses. If you take it, you can only watch the year-end bonus divided among other sects!

And the last contribution rate is what Zhu Houzhao really cares about the most.

After hearing so much before, Zhu Houzhao also understood the fact that because of the imperial court's vassal ban policy and the imperial court's deliberate indulgence, the members of the old Zhu family have turned into pigs that eat and die!

Speaking of which, Zhu Houzhao himself was ashamed of it. It was Lao Zhu's family who was embarrassed, and the person who committed these evil deeds was also a member of Lao Zhu's family!

The clan kings are not allowed to participate in the business of the four peoples and are not engaged in production. This is the order set by Emperor Taizu Gao!

This point cannot be changed, and it is not easy to change. Coupled with Emperor Taizong Wen's vassal ban policy, it is equivalent to directly decriminalizing the clan vassal king.

However, Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao proposed a different direction.

It is true that members of the clan are not allowed to participate in the business of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, but they can have hobbies!

If you want to cultivate immortality and seek Taoism, then meditate and write Taoist classics!

Those who participate in Zen and worship Buddha should promote Buddhism and save all sentient beings!

If you like painting, then go and draw a map and learn from Li Daoyuan!

There are also people like Zhu Dangqi who are brave and good at fighting. They can have a name in the army. If there is a war, the court can recruit him to fight. This can be regarded as giving members of the clan a chance to fight on the battlefield!

Zhu Houzhao can imagine that once this contribution rate is implemented, it will definitely cause an uproar in the palaces!

He just wants to tell these clan kings that as long as they can maintain the positive image of the old Zhu family and make contributions to the people, the court will not be stingy with rewards. The evaluation of their contribution rate will naturally be excellent. The clan’s year-end bonus will not be less than a cent!

If this continues, the people will naturally be grateful to Lao Zhu's family and spontaneously support and support them. The benefits brought by this move are simply too great, and it is a real policy that benefits the country and the people!

Countless thoughts filled my mind, and then they became clear one by one.

The beauty of this series of plans put forward by the savages is that the imperial court transferred the power to control the clan down to the main lines step by step. Through these princes and main lines, they controlled the branches under their command. Through the linkage of interests, they forced these vassal kings to manage well. The branches under their command are a stroke of genius!

After thinking for a long time, Zhu Houzhao finally spoke.

"Concerning the evaluation of the clan's year-end awards, there is another aspect that needs to be added, and that is the graduation rate!"

"The royal education of the clan's children will be included in the assessment. If the assessment rate does not meet the standard, the corresponding bonus will also be deducted!"

Hearing His Majesty the Emperor's words, all the officials' expressions changed.

This request is very reasonable and reasonable.

After all, paying close attention to the education issues in the royal palace can also cultivate outstanding clan children. This is what Emperor Taizu Gao has been doing back then, and it is extremely consistent with the ancestral law.

But the problem is that by doing this, His Majesty the Emperor has revealed an obvious political signal, and then the courtiers Jin Shen will probably have to go to various palaces to serve as officials in the future.

Wang Hao, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, bit the bullet and asked: "May I ask Your Majesty, will the officials of the palace be evaluated for this assessment?"

"Of course!" Zhu Houzhao sneered: "Don't tell me anything about the "unwritten official selection system". This is just the selfishness of you courtiers!"

"In the future, the royal education of the clan's children will be included in the bonus assessment, and the performance of the royal officials will also be included in the assessment of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Those who perform too poorly will be dismissed from office and dismissed from their honors. Those who perform well can be promoted to the Six Ministries and Hundreds of Divisions, and use this as a benchmark!"

Wang Hao was relieved when he heard this.

As long as the official can be promoted, then he can accept it.

In addition, the royal education has been included in the bonus assessment, and the children of the royal family have to start studying seriously. This will make the coaching work of the royal officials much easier.

You study hard and I teach hard, and then you get bonuses and I get promotions with qualifications. This is a good thing that is mutually beneficial.

The ministers had no objections to this, and this article was quickly passed.

Yang Tinghe was the only one who kept frowning. He always felt that Tang Hao and His Majesty the Emperor were planning something.

Previously, His Majesty the Emperor was still hesitant about lifting the vassal ban, but after listening to the advice of the Marquis of Zhongshan, he changed his attitude and tried his best to promote the matter. Now he also wants to include the education of the royal family in the assessment, which is clearly to revive the Ming Dynasty. The clan cultivates individual talents!

But what's the point?

These children of the clan cannot participate in the cause of the four peoples. No matter how good and outstanding they are, it will not matter...

etc!

Something doesn't seem right!

A bright light flashed in Yang Tinghe's mind, and his face gradually turned pale the next moment.

He was about to speak out to object to this matter, but Zhu Houzhao no longer gave him a chance.

"In that case, let's summon all the kings to the capital!"

"I intend to hold a clan meeting to implement this new sect system. The Ministry of Rites is responsible for preparing this matter and summoning the princes of all clans to Beijing!"

Zhu Houzhao stood up and looked at the ministers, then patted his forehead.

"One more thing. Zhu Dang, the returned king of the Lu clan, was brave and good at fighting. He made great military exploits for the court. He was named a guerrilla general and entered the Beijing army to assist the Marquis of Zhongshan in training soldiers!"

"Let's stop here today, I'm tired!"

After saying this, Zhu Houzhao waved his hand.

Yang Tinghe's face looked uncertain for a while, but he still did not dare to disobey His Majesty the Emperor's order, so he could only exit the hall unhappy.

After walking out of the Qianqing Palace, Wang Hao, the Minister of Civil Service, quickly caught up with Yang Tinghe, who had a gloomy face.

He just noticed the expression of the chief minister of the cabinet, and seemed to sense something was wrong, so he immediately chased after him.

"Chief Assistant, what happened?"

"The reform of the vassal policy is indeed a good thing that benefits the country and the people!"

"The imperial court's financial expenditure has been greatly reduced, and the people no longer have to suffer from the feudal king. Is there any problem?"

Yang Tinghe stopped when he heard this and asked with a solemn expression: "Brother Ji, have you ever thought about why Your Majesty includes the royal education in the assessment?"

"Maybe it's because of what that bastard Wang Jianzhi said that your Majesty was attracted to it?" Wang Hao replied tentatively.

In order to solve the major problem of the Ministry of Punishment, Wang Jianzhi, the Minister of Punishment, directly told the truth, which caused the civil servants and gentry to fall into passivity, and also aroused the anger of Wang Hao and others.

This kind of behavior is an example of selfishness without any regard for the overall situation!

Yang Tinghe shook his head and whispered: "What about Zhu Dangqie? He has become a general!"

Wang Hao was startled when he heard this, and then he reacted.

"You mean, His Majesty is planning to use a large number of clan members?"

"It's very possible!" Yang Tinghe sneered: "If my guess is correct, this is the treacherous plan of Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao!"

"He deliberately used that game to shock the officials and let them see the hidden dangers of the clan's salary, and then started to promote the reform of the clan's measures. The situation developed step by step according to his plan. I am afraid that Tang Hao's real purpose is to lead The descendants of the clan enter the court!"

Introducing the descendants of the clan into the dynasty? !

Wang Hao's expression suddenly changed, and then he shook his head.

"How can this be?"

"How could His Majesty agree?"

"In this case, it does not pose a threat to the throne..."

"Brother Ji, don't you understand yet?"

Yang Tinghe sighed: "In your Majesty's eyes, the real threat to the imperial power is not the clan kings, but the civil servants and gentry!"

"His Majesty listened to what the Marquis of Zhongshan said and deliberately brought the power of the clan into the court. He wanted the clan kings to compete with the civil servants and gentry in the court hall, so that Your Majesty could take the opportunity to take back the imperial power and break the situation where the civil servants and gentry controlled the government!"

"These clan kings have been suppressed by the civil servants and gentry since Tianshun. Now that they have such a good opportunity to enter the court and take power, they are eager to punish the civil servants and gentry to death!"

"Zhu Dangqi is the best example. Naturally, the clan kings can also understand the political signals revealed by His Majesty the Emperor!"

"I'm afraid that after the clan meeting, this Fang Chaotang will have an extra force!"

Wang Hao was stunned when he heard this.

In order to deal with the civil servants and gentry, Your Majesty actually wants to bring the power of the clan into the court?

Isn't he afraid of... losing his temper?

If the clan and the court officials secretly collude, then this throne...

For a moment, Wang Hao was in a state of confusion. When he came to his senses, he discovered that Yang Tinghe had left.

The new chief minister of the cabinet was also confused at the moment because he encountered the same problem as the old chief minister Liu Jian.

Are you loyal to the emperor or to yourself?

The chief minister of the cabinet is the leader of the Jin gentry, but he is also the emperor's teacher!

He, Yang Tinghe, never thought that the day when he faced a decision would come so quickly!

However, no matter what Yang Tinghe decided, he could no longer stop the development of the situation.

When Zhang Yong arrived at Prince Lu's Mansion day and night with his decree, Zhu Yangzhu, the fourth generation King of Lu, suddenly burst into wild laughter.

Just now, his son Zhu Dangqi, who had high hopes for him, was named a guerrilla general by the imperial court and was ordered to join the Beijing army to assist Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan, in training!

This also means that the imperial court's ban on the feudal prince's clan... has been lifted!

At the same time, Zhang Yong also brought good news. His Majesty is about to hold a clan meeting and summon all the princes to Beijing!

In other words, Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao actually did it!

That lawless and reckless man, single-handedly, successfully moved away the mountains that Emperor Taizu Gao and Emperor Taizong Wen had placed on the vassal clan, giving them these days Huang Guizhou a chance to regain power!

Zhu Yangzhu put on the prince's crown clothes with high spirits, then took Zhu Dangqi into a luxurious carriage and went straight to the capital!

"Son, remember this day!"

Zhu Yangzhu looked at Zhu Dangqie with a ferocious expression.

"It's time for those damn civil servants and gentry to pay the price for their previous actions!"

"From now on, we, the nobles of the old Zhu family, will regain our power and will no longer be just pigs waiting to die!"

When Zhu Dangzhi heard this, he moved lazily in response.

He cares more about his martial arts than fighting for power.

"Father, why do you think I can't defeat Tang Hou?"

"He can crush you to death with one hand!"

"..."