Let the disciples of the sect participate in the sect's mansion?
Several vassal kings were stunned for a moment, but soon came to their senses.
Sure enough, it was impossible for the emperor to completely give up his defense against the feudal king.
In fact, many vassal kings had been quite resistant to the establishment of sects since the beginning, feeling that although the emperor did not say so explicitly, he was actually leaving hostages in the capital.
Now that these words came out, they immediately connected the two things together.
The original setup of the Zongren Mansion was actually very simple. There was one Zongren Ling, one Zongzheng on the left and one Zongzheng on the right, and one person each on the left and right Zongzheng. They were all held by the clan. Under the jurisdiction was the Experience Department, which contained a number of scribes and officials who were responsible for daily operations. Writing of official documents.
However, if we continue to think along what the Emperor just said, then the Zongren Mansion must be expanded.
In this case, the future clan mansion may be divided into two parts. One part is the original setup. The clan order coordinates the overall situation. Zuo Zongzheng and Zuo clan are responsible for clan affairs. The remaining You Zongzheng and You clan are responsible for the clan affairs. Responsible for the feudal king's participation in maritime trade.
Because of the complex affairs, some disciples of the sect will be recruited temporarily, and these people may or may not be counted in the sect's mansion.
However, one thing that is certain is that if they want to participate, they will definitely stay in the capital for a longer period of time.
And once this matter is spread, in order to gain more benefits and voice, each vassal king actually hopes that his children can stay in the capital.
In this way, the emperor achieved the goal of keeping these children in the capital. The vassal king knew this, but still rushed to send them away. This not only satisfied the vassal king's request, but also further strengthened the control of the vassal. Force, I have to say that the emperor’s thoughts are profound...
At this thought, the vassal kings present were secretly surprised. Could it be that the emperor was planning the affairs of Zongxue back then for today?
Once again frightened by the emperor's foresight, the kings calmed down to think about it, and slowly let go of their original worries.
If it is true that the emperor had already begun the layout as early as the time of Zongxue, then at least it means that letting the Zongren Mansion participate in maritime trade is not a test for them, but a part of the emperor's strategy. .
If so, then it is undoubtedly a good thing for them.
All dynasties have been reducing vassal states, and the vassal kings in each dynasty have different methods of dealing with the reduction of vassal states. However, without exception, in this process, the emperor and the vassal kings were in an antagonistic relationship competing for power. Therefore, , if you are not careful, there may be a fight.
After the Battle of Jingnan, the vassals had actually lost their threat to the imperial court. However, the vassal kings were still very wary of the various laws and policies of the imperial court. On the other hand, the vassal princes were actually very wary of the imperial court. With a vigilant heart, he was afraid that if he did anything, he would cause the family to be wiped out.
The emperor and the vassal princes were originally related by blood, but they could not escape this curse in all dynasties. It was not a coincidence of fate.
Because of this, the emperor's plan today moved the vassal kings present even more...
Of course, the emperor was still on guard against the feudal king, but amidst this precaution, more importantly, the emperor was still considering the situation and placement of the feudal king.
From Zongzhuang to Huangzhuang, and now to sea trade, while strengthening the control over the lord, on the other hand, they are also loosening the shackles on the lord. These two results are almost impossible to achieve at the same time, but miraculously began to converge in the same direction. This kind of thinking, I have to say, is beyond the reach of others!
Putting aside their worries, the kings looked at each other, and King Zhou spoke.
"Your Majesty has foresight and cares about his relatives. On behalf of all the vassals and clans, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Majesty for your grace. Please rest assured that I will do my best to serve the court in the future to thank Your Majesty for your kindness."
Soon, the kings were sent away, but Hu Hui was left behind.
When the people in the palace were almost gone, Zhu Qiyu's eyes fell on the eldest uncle, and he looked at him thoughtfully. From the beginning, Hu Xi's expression was very complicated. He was concerned about the clan's participation in sea trade. He seemed to have something to say about this matter, but in the end, he said nothing.
After a moment of silence, Zhu Qiyu took the lead in breaking the atmosphere and asked.
"Uncle Da Zong, do you think my method is inappropriate?"
"I don't dare."
Shaking his head gently, a complicated look flashed across Hu Hui's face. Different from his usual calm and indifferent appearance, Hu Hui, who was now standing in the palace, had a hint of depth on his body. After a moment of silence, he heard a sound from his mouth. If there is a sigh, if there is nothing, say.
"I just feel that... I can't see the way forward clearly."
These words seemed to be answering Zhu Qiyu's question, but they also seemed to have something else in mind.
However, Zhu Qiyu did not care about the possible deep meaning of these words, but continued.
"I know that the power of the vassal king has always been a worry for Emperor Taizong. However, on the other hand, unlike Emperor Jianwen, Emperor Taizong valued friendship. He was afraid of the power of the vassal king, and he also cared about the relationship between his brothers, so he could not be ruthless and try his best. Therefore, this matter of cutting off vassal vassals has always been weighing on Emperor Taizong's mind and he was in a dilemma."
Hu Hui was silent, seeming to have recalled something, but did not answer.
Of course, Zhu Qiyu didn't need him to answer the question. He stood up from the throne, walked slowly down the imperial steps, and came to the palace door. He looked at the water-washed sky outside the door and said.
"Emperor Taizong is like this, and so am I!"
"Before, I discussed with the eldest uncle how to reform the vassal affairs, but we put it aside without using it. Perhaps the eldest uncle also complained about me in his heart."
As soon as these words came out, Hu Bi did not remain silent any longer. He who had been silently following the emperor shook his head slightly and spoke.
"I have never complained against Your Majesty..."
"oh?"
Zhu Qiyu turned around, quite surprised.
Hu Hui is not a person who likes flattery. With his status, even if he is facing the emperor, there is no need to flatter him.
He didn't say 'dare not', but said 'never', which was indeed a bit unexpected for him.
Seeing the emperor's eyes looking over, Hu Hui smiled bitterly. Then, the wrinkles on his face deepened several layers and he sighed softly.
"Your Majesty has your Majesty's difficulties. How can I not know this?"
Then, Hu Hui rarely took the initiative to speak and said.
"Previously, His Majesty established a ancestral school and an imperial village, and now he has ordered the ancestral mansion to take the lead and lead the vassal kings to participate in maritime trade. The old minister knows that your Majesty is thinking about how to provide vassal princes with royal family services without affecting the court. Let’s find a way out.”
"Children of various sects who come to Beijing to receive education from an early age are bound to be loyal to the imperial court. Although Huangzhuang is under the jurisdiction of the vassal king, it is actually controlled by the local government. In addition, the mining tax eunuch is responsible for the operation. The lord's unruly behavior in the vassal area, the imperial court Then you can get the news as quickly as possible.”
"As for this clan... Your Majesty, are you worried that someone in the court will hinder sea trade?"
That's all for the previous words, but as soon as the last sentence came out, Zhu Qiyu was suddenly moved, and looked at Hu Hui with a bit more surprise.
"Da Zongbo today... really surprised me!"
With a smile and sigh, Zhu Qiyu turned around and looked at the blue sky in front of him with his hands behind his hands, his expression a little complicated.
It has to be said that Hu Hui's vision is definitely the best in the entire court. None of his years have been in vain.
Mutual trading and sea trade, these two things can be said to be the two things that Zhu Qiyu values most after he ascended the throne. With over a hundred years of experience, it is no exaggeration to say that these two things are related to the Ming Dynasty.
So in this case, he must face a problem, that is, how to ensure that there will not be a situation where people will die and the government will cease.
Everyone has to die, even if he lives again, Zhu Qiyu doesn't think he will be an exception. After his death, the Ming Dynasty will have a new emperor, who may be wise or foolish. He doesn't know, can't predict, and can't guarantee it.
In this case, he must find a way, even if a different emperor comes, he will still not shake these two policies.
So, under what circumstances will these policies not be shaken by the emperor?
The answer is, make it powerful enough on its own!
The status of the vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty was extremely special. They had no real power, but they were almost unassailable in terms of status and privileges.
No matter how brainless the emperor is, it is impossible to drive out all the vassal kings.
In fact, it is not difficult to just let the vassal kings participate in maritime trade, and there are many methods. Whether it is tacit consent or, as the vassal kings just said, directly giving them some royal merchant quotas, the effect can be achieved.
However, Zhu Qiyu wanted far more than that. He also hoped that the power of the vassal king could become the basis for ensuring the long-term continuation of maritime trade policies.
To achieve this goal, he needed the vassal king to have institutional access to maritime trade, and the clan mansion was the most suitable.
Since it is through the Zongren Mansion, the feudal princes do not need to consider that their participation in sea trade will be liquidated by the court one day in the future, so they can boldly invest manpower and material resources in it.
At the same time, such a large amount of trade can, on the one hand, accommodate a large number of religious disciples to enter and find a way to make a living, and on the other hand, it can provide the court with a large amount of tax revenue like a mutual trade. With both, The status of the Zongren Mansion in the court will rise.
On this basis, the political gains and economic benefits brought by maritime trade will make the feudal clan the strongest moat to safeguard maritime trade policy.
Once the heir king wants to pursue maritime trade, he will inevitably face the collective opposition of all the vassal kings. Therefore, once this situation is formed, as long as the Ming court is still an emperor named Zhu, it will be impossible Can bear such a lot of pressure.
In fact, Zhu Qiyu had already considered this plan. He had asked King Dai to prepare the groundwork for the opening of the sea just for now.
However, what he didn't expect was that the one who finally saw through his intentions would be Hu Hui...
"Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?"
Zhu Qiyu had a complicated tone and sighed softly, but soon he calmed down, turned to look at Hu Hao, hesitated for a moment, and said.
"Uncle Zong, if the clan government wants to participate in sea trade, then it will definitely not be like now, with only clan orders and clan members. If I select some of the kings who are permanent residents in Beijing to manage the clan affairs, and lead them from afar , what do you think, Uncle Zong?"
These words were obviously somewhat probing. After hearing this, Hu Hui was stunned for a moment, and then his brows furrowed.
The emperor's words were tactful, but with his eyesight, how could he not see that these words had a deeper meaning?
The so-called selection of some vassal princes, Lizong, and people's affairs is just a pretense. The real focus lies in the "resulting from afar". If you think about it more deeply, the emperor's words are probably intended to be used among the current princes.
You must know that as the princes grow older, according to the usual practice, they should become feudal princes. However, if they have errands for the clan's mansion, then they can stay in the capital as a matter of course.
From the perspective of the court, this move has both advantages and disadvantages, but if... Hu Xi thought for a moment, shook his head and said.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Zongren Mansion will have important matters in the future, and since all the vassal kings will be involved, it is natural to select an older vassal king who can be convinced by all the vassal kings to serve as the errand of the Zongren Mansion. Emperor Taizu The purpose of enfeoffing the kings is to vassal the country. If the kings stay in the capital for a long time, something might happen, so please think twice."
The biggest characteristic of an old fox versus a young fox is that no one can tell the truth.
Hu Hui's words were obviously an objection, but his objection was so straightforward and the real reason was obviously not as simple as what he said.
Zhu Qiyu looked at Hu Hui, who was opposite him with a twinkle in his eye, and finally stopped talking. Although Hu Hui's words were cryptic, he could tell that the other person's last words were actually a pun.
When kings stay in the capital for a long time, they are afraid that something unexpected will happen. Where will the unexpected events come from?
Maybe it was the place. After all, the kings were for the sake of the vassal state. Without the vassal king in charge, it was possible that something had happened in the place.
But what's more important is actually another point, that is... seizing the direct descendant!
Throughout the dynasties, the struggle for the throne was fought openly and secretly, with swords and swords flashing. However, the succession of the emperor in the Ming Dynasty was very smooth. Although there was the Jingnan Campaign and the Han Dynasty Rebellion, the former was due to Jianwen and the reduction of the vassal, and the latter was quickly extinguished, and the court Above, the debate about the reserve position has always been based on etiquette, law and ethical order, and there is no real controversy.
The biggest reason for this situation is actually that the princes will change the vassal system when they are older. Except for the prince, all the princes have been driven away to their fiefdoms. They cannot return to the capital once every few years, so how can they talk about seizing the legitimate sons? Things?
Hu Xi directly said that he would choose the older kings to stay in the capital, and also specifically emphasized that if the kings stayed in the capital for a long time, something would happen. The implication was that Zhu Qiyu wanted to let the adult princes stay in the capital to participate in the fight for the heir. To put it bluntly, However, I still don’t trust him to shake his position in the East Palace.
So, after taking a deep look at the other party, Zhu Qiyu didn't say anything more, because he knew that under the current situation, it was useless to say anything. Even if he wanted to do this, he could only do it later. Looking for a chance...
(End of chapter)
