150 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, except for the previous generations of emperors who worked hard to govern, they can be said to have their own absurdity afterwards. But no matter how stupid the emperor was, they had the idea of ​​reducing the vassal states. It was nothing more. It was completely because the Ming Dynasty's policy of treating vassal kings was too weird.

The Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's implementation of the feudal system was mainly considered in several considerations.

First, he had a serious mentality in his own small peasantry and always believed that his family was more reliable than outsiders, and that the whole world should serve his Zhu family. He did not live well when he was a child and had a thin relationship, so he hoped that his Zhuzi and Zhu grandson would live more comfortably. Therefore, he imitated the feudal system of the Western Han Dynasty and granted his sons to various fiefdoms, hoping that they could defend the capital.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang learned more or less some of the experiences and lessons of the Han and Jin dynasties, and only gave military power to the vassal kings, but there was no administrative power. But at that time, the vassal kings all followed their father to conquer the world, and they were brave and resourceful. Those who guarded the border, such as the vassal king Zhu Dining and Zhu Quan, who were guarding the border, had more than 100,000 troops, and they fought with the Mongols all day long. The combat effectiveness was far from comparable to those young masters and soldiers in Nanjing. Therefore, once the central government lacked sufficient control, it was very easy to cause trouble.

Secondly, choosing the feudal system actually has the element of maintaining "Chinese orthodoxy". You should know that when the Ming Dynasty was first established, many areas in the northwest no longer spoke Chinese dialect or used Chinese characters. In order to enhance national cohesion, the Ming Dynasty must pay special attention to the etiquette system.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang's death did not care about so many descendants. Zhu Di directly deprived the vassal kings of all military power and allowed them to retain some of their guards. However, as compensation, the treatment did not change much.

Now the princes of the capital strictly follow the system of inheritance of the eldest son. If the prince dies, his eldest son will inherit the title of prince, and the other sons will inherit the title of prince, and the same is true for the death of the prince... There are a total of ten levels, decreasing layer by layer. However, the reduction to the last level of the Fengguo Lieutenant will remain unchanged, and their descendants will always be Fengguo Lieutenant, which will always be different from the common people.

Such a policy has led to an increasing number of royal families. Zhu Yuanzhang only appointed more than twenty princes at the beginning, but to this day, the royal family population is as high as 100,000. When Zhu Houcong ascended the throne, he received memorials from officials from Henan and Shanxi provinces, clearly stating that their current fiscal retained income is no longer enough to pay the salaries of local royal families.

The young man who lived in Anlu for a long time was very shocked, and he didn't even know how he could spend so much money just a vassal king? Of course he didn't know that after all, King Xing was not a clan, and other vassal kings near Huguang were all out of character and cold. Several were even removed from the title because they didn't like to have children. But the others were not the case. King Qing of Shanxi alone gave birth to more than 90 children and 140 grandchildren. These royal families gathered together and emptied the Ming Dynasty's finances alive!

Whether it is the people, officials also complain about this. The main reason is that Zhu Yuanzhang, you just let your relatives eat meat, but civil and military officials cannot even drink soup!

The low salary and differences in salary of officials in the Ming Dynasty can be said to be unprecedented. Even if you were young and became an official for ten years, you have made many great achievements and admired him in the officialdom. When you were fifty or sixty years old, your salary was still not as much as that of the prince. Even if you were the last lieutenant of Fengguo, your salary was three times that of the county magistrate. Zhu Yuanzhang once visited the Grand Secretary in a private visit, but he saw no one. There was only a ragged beggar squatting on the ground and painting the wall. He was immediately displeased and thought that he had come but no one was greeted. As a result, the "beggar" stood up and said tremblingly to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I am your Grand Secretary."

So don’t blame the corrupt officials everywhere in the Ming Dynasty. If you don’t accept some filial piety, you will really not be able to support your family. In this atmosphere of "not worrying about few people but not worrying about unevenness", the official atmosphere is getting worse and worse.

This time, Zhu Houcan chose the royal family to start the operation, not because he had the idea of ​​taking action, but because he had been ascending the throne. He didn't tell anyone about this, and just discussed it with Xian Ruxing. After watching the shocking expenses of the royal family, Xian Ruxing also felt that he had to change it.

But how to change is ultimately a problem. Zhu Houcan himself was promoted from the vassal kings. If he proposed to reduce the vassal kings, it would have a certain meaning of slapping the right hand. Besides, they were all Zhu Di's team. The excuse for Zhu Di to launch the "Jingjian" back then was to oppose the vassal kings. Neither from the perspective of his ancestors or himself, he could not act rashly.

It just so happened that Jiajing was disgusted with Wang Qiong and planned to deal with him. Xian Ruxing knew very well that the Secretary of Wang Shangshu was, so he proposed to throw out a branch to see if the other party was able to meet him. Wang Qiong was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue at this time, so it was the best place for him to come forward, so today's appearance.

Wang Qiong did not disappoint the two. He had been a local official and had been in the Ministry of Works and War. He was very familiar with the specific aspects of the royal family. The beginning started with the expenses of the royal family over the years and lasted for two consecutive rebellions by the vassal kings, one by one, from big to small. It made people feel indignant after hearing this and wished to put these borers on the ground to rectify the law.

However, even so, some people still stood up to oppose it. Among them, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites was the most popular. He directly stated that the example of the royal family was stipulated by Zhu Yuanzhang in "The Instructions of the Emperor Ming Ancestor". Now His Majesty relies on the book "The Instructions of the Emperor Ming Ancestor". If you don't even listen to the etiquette of the ancestors, where is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty?

Although many times, civil officials in the Ming Dynasty gave people the impression of being selfish and focused on pulling their legs, this time they were not for the sake of individuals. The main reason was that before Zhu Yuanzhang died that he had made a word that he could not change. The key was that he was not like Song Tai and Zu. The rules given by the descendants only had a big framework, and later generations could fill in them in as they pleased. Zhu Yuanzhang's book, from inheritance of the throne to food, clothing, housing and transportation, was taken care of in all aspects, and was meticulous and could not be detailed, making people have nowhere to write. In this case, whoever changes it will be a bad reputation for it for thousands of years.

In addition, Zhu Di also made a bad start. Even throughout the Ming Dynasty, although the vassal kings were basically rebuilt, there were still King Ning and others coming out from time to time. Who advocated the reduction of the vassal states? If there was a "Jingnan" again, wouldn't that be a sinner in history?

However, Wang Qiong seemed to be determined to move the royal family this time, and immediately retorted: "Now the royal family needs eight million stones per year, while the imperial court earned only four million stones per year last year. If you throw it away, you will also pay the salary, military pay, and border defense expenses. I will ask you, where will the money come from if you don't move? □□ The last words are the foundation of the country, aren't these not the foundation of the country!"

"Okay, Wang Dehua, don't use the treasury to block me. The imperial court has been deficit for a year or two. I have been sewing the ground so long ago. As the saying goes, "Respect the Heaven and the Ancestor". Now you are urging Your Majesty to change the law of your ancestors. In the future, the world will pay attention to it. Can you bear it for Your Majesty?"

Wang Qiong sneered. At this time, he had completely lost his previous sleekness. He had been an official for nearly forty years. For the first time, he showed his sharpness and made an output to others. "Okay, since you think the "Emperor Ming Zushu" is not allowed to be violated at all, then I ask you, "Okay, the ancestors asked to measure the land every ten years. When was the last time the imperial court cleared the land? Why didn't you ask about this? Isn't it because you have too many private fields in your home and are worried about being exposed!"

"I know that the lowest number of people present is also the fourth rank, and they have long lived without their salary. Even if the court is in deficit, it doesn't matter. It's not bad that you can't pay any silver rewards. After all, it won't be short of yours. But Wang asked everyone to touch their conscience. We are officials in the court, are we really just for money?"

Everyone: Although the words "..." are correct, why is it so wrong to say it from your Wang Qiong?

No matter what others thought, Wang Qiong had completely let go, and even scolded himself when he got crazy! At the end of the talk, he even burst into tears and was moved.

Seeing him like this, the officials were quite moved. For a moment, all kinds of opposition became much less. In fact, they were not unclear about the harm of the royal family to the court, but how to say it, this kind of person who cuts his flesh with a blunt knife was not painful at first, but when all the hidden dangers were superimposed in the late Ming Dynasty, it was too late to change.

Zhu Houcong, who had been watching coldly on the stage, seemed to be moved. He slapped his legs hard despite the emperor's majesty and said loudly: "Okay! The court actually has such a righteous and virtuous man. Since this is the case, I don't want to hide behind me and be the foolish monarch who cherishes his reputation!"

"As far as Wang Shangshu said, re-arrange the issue of land taxes for the royal family and the hereditary replacement of titles!"

"Your Majesty Ying... Uh?" Wang Qiong was about to thank her, but suddenly she was stunned.

No, what he said is different?

Although Wang Qiong had to make the first decision for the emperor to break the hidden danger of the royal family, he was not stupid. He knew that land and inherited titles were the foundation of the feudal system. If it moved, more than 100,000 people would have to fight with him.

In fact, Wang Qiong only suggested reducing the royal family’s fortune and stopping some unnecessary expenses, such as repairing houses, marrying wives and having children every year, etc., so although the vassal kings will feel a little uncomfortable, they will not react too much, but what is going on now?

Zhu Houcon on the dragon throne did not give him time to react and continued: "After the court comes, the Ministry of Rites and the Cabinet will immediately draft the "Regulations on the Vocational Law" and then submit it to me for inspection. It is of great importance. You must be careful and do not let down Wang Shangshu's loyalty!"

"I didn't..."

"I obey the order!"

Before Wang Qiong could speak, all the officials bowed together, and his faint defense was immediately drowned in the huge sound.

After the court, Wang Shangshu, who had always been alone, was surrounded by people. Even the Minister of Rites who had previously quarreled with him, walked over and said with respect to him: "Brother Dehua, I admit that I had misunderstood you before and thought you were just a greedy person. I didn't expect that you were truly noble. If you solve such a stubborn disease, you will be the number one hero in the dynasty!"

"It's so righteous! Put life and death aside!"

"Brother Dehua, I'm convinced you today!"

"All righteousness! Famous scholar!"

Wang Qiong, who has been a corrupt official for life and was forced to become a clear stream in his sixties: "..."

No wonder people around him reacted so much. Not to mention the infamy that might be borne by violating the ancestral teachings, the vassal kings alone are not easy to get along with. For example, officials in the court have also had conflicts with each other, but they rarely have any sacks to engage in assassination. The main reason is that they are not able to make a mistake. Even if they lose the political battle, they will be demoted and fined. If they are discovered by others, they will not only have bad reputations, but also have a high chance of going to prison. Therefore, even if they treat Wang Zhen's party, which indirectly killed their whole family, the Ming officials chose to fight openly.

But it is not certain that the vassal kings in other places are all relatives of the royal country. They are used to being arrogant and domineering on weekdays. Even if the officials are killed, they will bite them right and refuse to admit that the emperor can still make them pay for their lives. In addition, it is difficult to chase the murderer thousands of miles away, so it is not uncommon to do anything.

At this moment, if you don’t know that you were fooled by the emperor, Wang Qiong has been in vain for so many years. He sighed and cheered up. Instead, he did not retreat, but instead joined the retreat team that was discussing the reduction of the vassals. Wang Qiong understood that those who are ministers are not afraid of being exploited by the king, but are afraid that the king will not use it.

Seeing that he was so good at doing this, Zhu Houcong put the previous affairs aside and gave Wang Qiong a escort to protect him without leaving any steps to avoid being harmed by a traitor.

...

The action to cut down the vassal states is in full swing. Under the consultation of all officials, the court planned to send a group of people to various fiefdoms, clear the fields of the vassal states, and investigate the specific situation of the vassal kings. They selected loyal and kind people with small official positions but good reputations, and they would never be bribed by others with strong character.

In this way, everyone who had been busy for more than ten days finally had a rest, but something happened after that.

On that day, Yuan Zonggao had just stood up after processing the last document in his hand. He suddenly felt dizzy and became unconscious when he saw that he was dark.

Everyone stepped forward and touched him. His body was so hot that it was obviously cold. The imperial doctor took a few bowls of soup and the fever still remained unabated. He notified his family to prepare for the funeral.

In the end, Xian Ruxing took a fever-reducing medicine from the space and finally rescued Mr. Yuan from the brink of death.

When he got a little better, he dragged his sick body to find Xian Ruxing to thank him. Xian Ruxing quickly helped the person up and said helplessly: "What are you doing sir? You and I have known each other for so long. Do you need to go there for such a small thing? Besides, you are not cured, and you will be exposed to the wind again."

"Nothing is a trivial matter. Taoist priest saved Yuan's life." Yuan Zonggao said sincerely. He had a good temper. On the same day, Xian Ruxing and Zhu Hougui were making trouble in front of him, and he watched silently. Now that he entered the court, he was planning for Jiajing all the way. It can be said that besides Xian Ruxing, he was the courtier Zhu Hougui trusted the most.

It is precisely because of this that Zhu Houcong went through a lot of hardships and gave him a green light all the way, and finally carried the person to the position of Minister of Rites. As soon as he entered the cabinet, something happened. During his fainting, the little emperor was so anxious that he could not help but call Xian Ruxing over.

Xian Ruxing also had a good impression of Yuan Zonggao. Now that he has just recovered from a serious illness, he is still a little unhappy and can't help but worry: "It's already July now. According to the principle, there shouldn't be such a severe cold, but there is too much ice used by Wenyuan Pavilion to cool down?"

Wenyuan Pavilion is the office space for the pavilions. Although the cabinet is already the center of the entire Ming Dynasty's power, the place where they live is extremely shabby. There are only three rooms for people to use. Except for the Prime Minister who can be a separate room, the remaining pavilions have to share a table. The main Wenyuan Pavilion was actually a place for royal books, and there are also a large number of classics in it. It is good to be able to free up these.

"No, no, no, it's Yuan who is greedy for the cold and keeps blowing at the wind." Yuan Zonggao was a little shy. He was so old that he almost died because of the temporary pleasure. Obviously, he was not very glorious.

"It's so hot now, even if you blow a gust of wind, it won't be enough." Xian Ruxing shook his head, looked at the other party a few times, and noticed that although he was not short, his body was very thin, his lower abdomen was slightly protruding, and his body was loose. He was calculating in his heart and said directly: "Sir, please forgive me for saying that you have not exercised for a long time and are already weak. It was okay in Anlu before, but the capital was so hot, and with the workload, it would be easy to be sub-healthy."

Yuan Zonggao was slightly stunned by her words, but Taoist priests of this era knew more or less the skills of nourishing qi and refining their bodies. Xian Ruxing could bring back his dying self and was definitely more proficient in this area. So he asked quickly: "What is this sub-health?"

"It just looks okay on the surface, but in fact there are many problems in the body. Middle-aged men who are sub-healthy may lead to swelling, hair loss, shortness of breath..." Xian Ruxing glanced at him and added, "Is there still a thing to do?"

Yuan Zonggao was creepy. In fact, no man was not afraid of hearing these two words, so he hurriedly said, "What should I do!"

"Sir, don't panic," Xian Ruxing said calmly: "Let me wait for me to find a way to strengthen my body. Just practice according to it, pay attention to your diet, and you will not take long to adjust it."

"Please, Master!" Yuan Zonggao thanked me solemnly, turned around and left with great worries.

After he left, Xian Ruxing went to the Leopard Room to find Xuan and his man.

Although the surface is smooth and unreliable, Xuan Yi is the head of the Taoist temple. When he was young, he also traveled around and made a name for himself. He can easily learn all kinds of Taoist skills. He didn't even think about Xian Ruxing asking him for his body to strengthen his body.

"This is all the internal martial arts of my sect. Some of them are a little difficult. If you want to get started when you are old, I recommend this book. As long as you persist for a year and a half, your physical fitness will be improved a lot. Not to mention anything else, it is just climbing a mountain, and climbing to the middle section in one breath is no problem!"

"Really or not?" Xian Ruxing knew that Xuan Yi had real skills, but seeing that he was so generous, he still couldn't help but question it.

Miaole next to him couldn't bear to see someone questioning his master, and immediately spoke: "Of course it's true. My master was greedy the day before yesterday and wanted to taste the fruits on the trees in the palace. He climbed three trees in a row, and he..."

Before he finished speaking, he was kicked out by the angry old fat man.

After looking at Xuan Yi's figure and recalling the height of the tree, Xian Ruxing chose to believe the other party.

So, Yuan Zonggao, in accordance with Xian Ruxing's instructions, began his exercise plan three times a day in the morning, noon and evening. Perhaps because he was scared by those two words, Yuan Shangshu planned to firmly execute the order. He practiced boxing every day and was unable to move, and even took time to dance a few times when the cabinet was handling government affairs.

Yang Yiqing smiled and said, "Xiao Yuan, don't think you are the youngest here, I didn't expect to cherish your life the most. As a result, I fainted a few days ago and scared us old men. I heard that you didn't even go home when you first came, and you were in the cabinet. Don't work so hard, your health is important. But we also want to thank you. If it weren't for your Majesty, you wouldn't have made up your mind to rebuild and expand Wenyuan Pavilion."

It turned out that he was sick from beating Yuan Zonggao. Jiajing came to the cabinet for inspection and was immediately shocked by the arduous working environment. Then he paid for it himself and repaired several compartments. Although it was still simple and shabby, at least the cabinet masters could have their own separate desks.

"What does your Majesty have to do with me?" Yuan Zonggao's face turned slightly red, he shook his head with a stern look. Then he invited Yang Yiqing to exercise with him, and even brought out Xian Ruxing's sub-health theory.

Yang Yiqing felt funny after hearing this. He had really been on the battlefield to kill enemies, so he naturally would not take these three-legged kung fu seriously, but he still thanked him: "I am so old and I don't have the time to think about these things. You can work hard on your own." After that, he laughed and left.

They didn't avoid others when they spoke. Soon, the officialdom was spread by the immortal master Xian Ruxing to Yuan Ge Lao. After practicing, they could not only strengthen their bodies, but also restore their strength to the man!

Since taking a pill to cure Yuan Zonggao, everyone's eyes looked different when Xian Ruxing looked. Many people used to think that he was just a liar who was sexually responsible, and he had some means to make money by dying. However, now they found that he was really capable, and his attitude was much more respectful for a moment.

So soon, a steady stream of people went to Yuan Zonggao's mansion to ask for secret books, and it became increasingly fierce. In the end, most of the officials in the court began to practice martial arts and box.

Xian Ruxing didn't care much at first, after all, these were all temporary, and everyone calmed down when the limelight passed.

However, she came here for nothing and wanted to talk to Zhu Houcan. As a result, she found that Zhu Houcan was solemn and had a serious expression on her face. When she saw Xian Ruxing, she instantly stiffened in place.

Xian Ruxing: “…”

My eyes were filled with pity. The child was only seventeen. Did he have any trouble with that aspect so early?

Zhu Houxiang looked at her with eyes, her face suddenly turned red, and she stuttered: "No, I'm not..."

"Okay, I understand." Xian Ruxing comforted: "You are young and have some things that are too urgent. When you encounter problems, it is best to go to the doctor to see it. If it really doesn't work, I can help you arrange for someone outside the palace." She vaguely remembered that in history, Jiajing was indeed having a difficult child. There were only two sons living to adulthood in total, but then again, it was also very strong to give birth to children after eating heavy metals for more than 40 years.

Seeing that her eyes began to be empty, Zhu Houcong knew that this guy didn't know what he was thinking, and said angrily: "I'm fine! It's so good!"

Immediately, I felt a little depressed, "I just want to exercise and get a little bit more flesh." He was always worried that he was knocked down by a weak chicken Yang Shen.

Xian Ruxing took out his ears, it was true, it was fine, it was fine if it was okay, why did you yell so loudly? Look at the boy, and gestured at the figures of the two of them, and was surprised to find that the other party was taller than him. You must know that Xian Ruxing was not short in any lifetime. Although he had no weight in his time traveling, he felt that he was 1.7 meters tall. In this era, he could be called a female giant. Considering that the other party was just seventeen now and seeing that his posture would be longer, he couldn't help but speak: "What are you anxious about? It's normal to draw now. When you pass twenty, your body will become thicker. Maybe you will miss your youth at that time."

That's not true, Zhu Houguang rolled his eyes. He wished he would grow up tomorrow, at least he had to look older than Xian Ruxing...

Even the emperor started to exercise, let alone others. The fitness boom in the capital was even outside. Now many academies have become more and more ill-equipped to strictly grasp the six arts of gentlemen. For a time, the Confucian scholars were in great pain, but gradually, they also found that their bodies were indeed much harder. You should know that the imperial examination was also very hard at this time. Often, students couldn't stand the exam and were lifted out halfway through the exam. This was indeed helpful.

Just as everyone was exercising enthusiastically, a piece of news broke out and the government and the public were talking.

The officials sent to Qingzhang land in the vassal king's territory have returned, and they have been carried back.
Chapter completed!