Xiao Feng suddenly slowed down his tone: "Actually, I believe that the princes will not think so. It's just that King Zhou speaks so openly that it can easily be misunderstood."
The princes unanimously agreed with Xiao Feng's opinion and dragged the defeated leader back to the team and pushed out the second king Qing.
Although King Qing is not as sophisticated as King Zhou, he is still in his prime and has a flexible mind. At least he will not make such a big mistake that may lead to the execution of his entire family.
In order to restore the decline of the princes, King Qing took the lead.
"Xiao Feng, you said that correcting the mistakes in the ancestral law is a great filial piety, you are right in this matter.
But you must first prove that the clan method specified by Taizu is wrong. Only correct if there is a mistake. What should be corrected if it is correct? "
pretty! Don't you, Xiao Feng, want to argue that it's okay for the emperor to modify the ancestral law? Then we will argue with you about what's wrong with the ancestral law.
From the perspective of the common people, and even the perspective of the court, this clan method is completely wrong.
But from the perspective of the rulers of feudal society, there is nothing wrong with it. This is a matter of opinion.
It’s difficult to explain this matter clearly! Prince Qing just wanted to pick an issue that was unclear, fish in troubled waters, and disrupt the court debate.
As long as the debate ends, it can only be business as usual. This tactic is like a sparring game. I have a long health bar and I win when I run out of time!
Xiao Feng nodded and said sadly: "In fact, when Taizu established the clan law, he already realized that this law would have flaws over time.
Taizu was far-sighted and had actually left inspiration for future generations to modify. It is a pity that future generations failed to understand Taizu's profound meaning. "
Um? Is Taizu so smart? The princes all expressed disbelief and asked Xiao Feng to provide evidence.
Xiao Feng smiled and said, "Emperor Taizu has twenty-six sons in total, and he has granted twenty-five vassal kings. Each of these twenty-five vassal kings occupies a fiefdom, right?"
The princes nodded one after another. Their land was inherited from their ancestors. This must be correct.
Xiao Feng added: "However, with the wisdom of Taizu, he would have thought that according to the clan's method, the position of the prince would definitely be passed down, unless he had no heirs or would be expelled from the country due to serious crimes, right?"
The princes nodded again. This is inevitable. Among the prince's sons, one will inherit the throne and the rest will be named county princes. Who calls our father's father the emperor?
"Taizu must also have thought that if every emperor has more than one son, then the other sons will also be named princes. In other words, the number of princes is constantly increasing, right?"
This is nothing to argue about, that’s right! The princes nodded collectively.
"The number of princes is constantly increasing, and each prince has a fiefdom. As long as the territory of the Ming Dynasty remains unchanged, if this continues, each prince's fiefdom will become smaller and smaller, right?"
Um? The princes stopped nodding this time.
Prince Qing thought for a while: "This has not happened yet. The Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, and the princes only occupy the land of one mansion. It is not like this."
Xiao Feng smiled: "It's only less than two hundred years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Our Ming Dynasty will last for eternity. Do you agree, princes?"
This time the princes learned a lesson and nodded quickly, for fear of being suspected of cursing the Ming Dynasty.
"So, even though it hasn't happened now, it will definitely happen in the future. What's more, in addition to princes, there are a large number of county princes who also have fiefdoms and titles, right?"
Prince Qing finally couldn't help it anymore: "Xiao Feng, what do you want to say after all this talk? Even if you are right, our fiefdom will become smaller and smaller, so what?"
Xiao Feng nodded: "Fiefdom is a reward given to the prince by the clan law, right?"
The princes nodded, this must be right, they must admit that all benefits come from the head of the family, otherwise they will be regarded as picking up the bowl to eat meat and putting down the chopsticks to scold the mother.
"Salary is also a reward given to the prince according to the clan law, is that right?"
Is not this nonsensical? Definitely yes! Nod nod.
"The prince is more
With more and more people coming, the land and cities are no longer enough, and the fiefdom will naturally become smaller and smaller.
As the clan's population increases and money and food are no longer enough, the salary will naturally become less and less, right?
Prince Qing was stunned for a moment: "No! How can salary and fief be the same? There is nothing we can do if the fief becomes smaller, but salary cannot be changed!"
Xiao Feng smiled and said, "Why can't the salary be changed?"
Prince Qing was stunned again: "Because...because this is determined by the clan law..."
Xiao Feng patiently explained to him again: "The fiefdom is determined by the clan law, and so is the salary;
The fiefdom was a reward given to the clan by Long Live, as was the salary; the fiefdom would become smaller as the number of people increased, and the salary would naturally become smaller as the number of people increased.
Couldn't Prince Qing understand such a simple truth? Or maybe Prince Qing has some other reasons, why not tell him? "
King Qing was unreasonable, but he was really dissatisfied. Why are the hard-core crops of our clan members reduced by just a few words?
King Qing suddenly had an idea, and he shouted excitedly: "The truths you just said are actually all nonsense! Listen to my truth!
With more princes, the Ming Dynasty would not need to reduce its fiefdoms as long as it expanded its territory! There are more clans, and as long as the Ming Dynasty gets more wealth, it does not need to reduce its salary!
As a court official, you don't know how to assist Long Live to open up new territories, become rich and powerful, but instead care about the few grains of rice in the clan bowl. What do you want? "
The princes had all been crestfallen by Xiao Feng's truth. Unexpectedly, Prince Qing suddenly had a flash of inspiration, his character exploded, and he spoke such a wonderful truth!
This truth not only breaks Xiao Feng's theory of limited resources, but also firmly stands on the moral high ground, making Xiao Feng unable to refute it!
Do you dare to say that opening up new territories is wrong? Or do you dare to say that being powerful and bright is wrong?
Zhao Wenhua looked at his godfather with conviction: "My godfather, you are indeed amazing. None of these princes really got it for free!"
Yan Song lowered his head, feeling very proud. Although these princes have no real power, they do have face. As long as Xiao Feng is defeated by them, he will definitely be weak in the court in the future!
Therefore, Yan Song coughed and took the opportunity to retaliate: "What King Qing said is true. As a courtier, you should help the king become rich, powerful and wise, and expand the territory."
Xiao Feng looked at Yan Song, then at Prince Qing, and shook his head slowly, with a very sad expression on his face, as if his son had become a prodigal.
"Unexpected, unexpected, you...you...
Wansai worked hard to make the Ming Dynasty prosperous. He not only took care of state affairs, but also practiced Taoism and prayed for the country. Which emperor should be as tired as him?
what about you? If you don’t become a householder, you don’t know how expensive firewood and rice are! All I wanted to do was eat and drink, and I didn’t care that my family was almost exhausted!
Is it so easy to expand territory? Is it that simple to become rich and powerful? The words came out as soon as your upper lips touched your lower lips, with no regard for the life and death of your family members!
Not to mention long live, even if I am in charge of a Xiao Mansion that is as small as possible, it is very rare for me to die.
Great wealth for my family! He does nothing every day and only chases and screams for bones. After chewing the bones, there is still no meat!
Apart from eating, I only think about my lower body! As long as it's a pillar-shaped thing, there's nothing it won't hug! It won't even let go of the horse's legs, and the dog is so courageous that it doesn't want its life! "
The words made both the prince and Yan Song change their expressions. Although Xiao Feng said the words in two parts, anyone who was not a fool could hear that he was criticizing Sang and Huai.
But they didn't get angry, because when they were pulled apart by Xiao Feng, they suddenly realized that the nonsense they just said seemed to be what Xiao Feng said!
Jiajing's face was as dark as water, he raised his eyelids slightly, and the cold light in his eyes swept towards the princes.
What, if you have more people, I have to fight for your territory so that I can share it with you?
Don't you fucking know you fight with your head in your belt? Do you think I have lived too long?
Didn’t you know that I just went on a military expedition last year?
Wealth, power, and wisdom are easy to say. You bunch of losers, why should you tell me that wealth, strength, and wisdom are words? How difficult is it for me? You know
Shit!
Wait, are they implying that I am mediocre? What a courage!
The more Jiajing thought about it, the angrier he became, and finally couldn't help but snorted coldly.
Although the main hall was large, it was completely silent at this time. Everyone could hear Jiajing's cold snort clearly.
Yan Song was the first to react and hurried back: "Long live, long live your efforts and foresight, as everyone knows. The Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, the country is rich and the people are strong, all this is due to the Holy Ming.
The old minister is incompetent. Although he assists the Ming Dynasty, he does not allow the Ming Dynasty to make further progress. The old minister is ashamed! "
King Qing was so frightened that he knelt down: "Long live, don't listen to Xiao Feng's instigation! I have no such intention! Long live Mingjian!"
After Xiao Feng sighed, he pretended to wipe away the non-existent tears and asked with a long sigh.
"In that case, princes, do you agree that it is not easy to be the master? Do you agree that Long Live is already very hard?"
The princes gritted their teeth and nodded. Because they nodded so frequently, some of them already showed signs of motion sickness, and retched twice with their mouths open.
"So the princes also agree that opening up new territories and becoming rich and powerful is not something that can be achieved overnight?"
The princes nodded dumbly, not daring to disagree.
"So the princes also agree that the fiefdom, like the salary, will decrease with the number of people?"
The princes paused for a moment, looked at each other, and finally nodded helplessly.
You can't explain the truth, so you can't just play a rogue in the court. In full view of everyone, is this rogue so easy to play?
Prince Qing gritted his teeth and wanted to make a final struggle: "Xiao Feng, how much weight do you want to lose? You can't starve all the clan members to death, right?"
Xiao Feng smiled and said: "The clan members are all descendants of dragons and phoenixes, so naturally they cannot be wronged. The salary is based on grade and the number remains the same. It just changes the form."
Prince Qing felt that this kid had not held it in well, so he gritted his teeth and said, "How do I change the form?"
Xiao Feng said calmly: "Not based on head, but based on quota. Among the prince's sons, one of the princes will inherit the throne and be granted the title of a county prince. The other sons will not have titles and will be raised by the prince himself.
By analogy, among the sons of the county king, one prince will inherit the throne, and then one will be granted the title of general. The rest have no title and are raised by the county king.
The sons of General Zhen Guo, one inherits General Zhen Guo, and the other becomes General Fu Guo..."
Before Xiao Feng could finish the analogy, all the princes jumped up and shouted, pumping their fists and shouting. Some even knelt down and cried to Jiajing.
"Rebellion, rebellion, rebellion! You are trying to make my Tian family extinct! Long live, Xiao Feng is so treasonous that he will punish the nine clans!"
Jiajing took a deep breath and said calmly: "Today's meeting will be held, and everything has not yet been decided, so please don't worry, princes.
Since ancient times, you should not be afraid of arguing if you have reason. Xiao Feng naturally needs to explain the truth clearly. Princes can also argue with reason, but there is no need for this. "
Huang Jin curled his lips, trying to scare Banzai with the excitement of the crowd? What do you think? The great ritual discussion back then was much more exciting than this group of people. Are you afraid of it?
When the princes saw that the agitated crowd was not effective against Jiajing, they had no choice but to target Xiao Feng again.
Regardless of the fact that he had been demoted from the lead debate, King Zhou couldn't wait to return to the stage. He went one-on-one with King Qing, pointing at Xiao Feng and angrily scolding him.
"Xiao Feng, tell me, by doing this, do you want to cut off the bloodline of my Tian family?"
Xiao Feng shook his head decisively. He was not a fool. How could he admit to such a crime?
"Is the prince exaggerating? A prince's annual salary is 10,000 dan. How many sons can't you raise? What's more, the country is helping you raise two!
Among the lords in the court, the salary of Yan Shoufu is the highest, which is only a thousand dan, while the rest of the lords have a few hundred dan. No one wants to cut off their descendants, so why can't the prince do it?
Could it be that the prince wanted to threaten Banzai that if Banzai made changes to the clan law, the prince would be sterilized? "
King Zhou was trembling with anger. At his age, even if Jiajing doubled his salary, let alone reducing his salary, he probably wouldn't be able to give birth.
King Danqing
When people reach middle age, it is the time when they work hard to sow seeds, so they naturally have more say in this. He gritted his teeth and pointed at Xiao Feng.
"Xiao Feng, even if you don't want the clan to have no descendants, but if you want the clan to actively reduce the number of people and have fewer descendants, you are very cruel!"
Xiao Feng looked at Prince Qing with a smile and suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, Xiao Feng has something unclear and would like to ask Your Majesty for advice."
When the two sides were at war with each other, Xiao Feng suddenly became so polite. King Qing immediately became more vigilant and answered calmly.
"If you have something to say, just say it! If you have something to say...just let it go!" ap.
Xiao Feng nodded: "Why do princes want to have so many sons?"
Prince Qing was stunned and looked back at the other princes. They all looked confused and didn't know how to answer this question.
Seeing that his relatives and friends were unable to support him, King Qing had no choice but to use offense as defense: "Since ancient times, it is natural to have more children and more blessings, and to continue the incense. What do you mean by what you want to do?"
Xiao Feng smiled and said: "Your Majesty, as a prince, is already second only to Banzai and above tens of thousands of people.
Isn’t such great blessing enough? Do you want more children and more blessings? What kind of blessing does the prince want that makes him work so hard to have more sons? "
Prince Qing wanted to rush forward and cover Xiao Feng's mouth. Why the hell do you seem to be plotting rebellion no matter what I do?
Xiao Feng felt that rebellion was not terrible. The question was, would Jiajing, who was sitting on the dragon throne, have such an idea?
For the emperor, a few thoughts are enough!
"You're farting, you're talking nonsense! I am loyal to Long Live, and the sun will tell you! I will never go crazy and think about undue blessings!"
Xiao Feng nodded: "Your Majesty, I also believe that you are loyal to Long Live!"
Prince Qing was spitting wildly to express his loyalty. He almost bit his tongue due to Xiao Feng's affirmation. He sucked in the cold air and looked at Xiao Feng suspiciously.
"you believe?"
Xiao Feng nodded: "I believe you. Since you want more children and more happiness, but you are also loyal to Long Live, it means that the happiness you want more does not come from Long Live.
Ah, I understand, the more blessings Prince Qing wants comes from other princes. Could it be that Prince Qing wanted to annex the fiefdoms of other princes?
This is possible. If any prince is unlucky enough to be expelled from the country, and Prince Qing is very lucky, I may be able to give you the fiefdom! "
Prince Qing slowly turned around and looked at his brothers, who also looked at him suspiciously.
No, no, no, you really don’t have this idea, do we? We definitely didn’t believe it at first, but now we feel so guilty looking at your expression!
Prince Qing confessed hoarsely: "No, no, I have never had such an idea!"
Xiao Feng scratched his head in distress: "My lord, you really confused me.
Your blessing has reached its peak. Unless you rebel or annex other princes' fiefdoms, you can't have greater blessings.
Then you are still striving to have more children and more happiness. What kind of happiness are you pursuing? "
King Qing shed tears. He wiped his tears and humiliatedly admitted that he was wrong. There is no such thing as having many children. He had never thought about having many children.
Although it is humiliating to admit that I was wrong, it is better than admitting that I want to rebel. To say the least, it is better than admitting that I want to steal the brothers' homes.
Xiao Feng looked at him with a smile: "Your Majesty, let me ask again, why do you want to have so many sons?"
