"My son, Cixing, respectfully wishes my father to be in peace!"
"My son Cijiong, I respectfully wish my father to be in peace!"
Zhu Cixiang, who had been seriously ill just now, recovered immediately after learning that he still had the title of emperor. At this time, he had followed his brother Zhu Cijiong to Nantai Island and saluted Zhu Youjian who was enjoying Qingqi Dance.
"Good morning!" Zhu Youjian looked in a good mood and said to the two of them with a smile, "Sit down, one of you is the emperor and the other is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. He will be the emperor in more than four years, so why are you doing this? There is no need to be so reserved in front of the Father.”
"Thank you, Father."
"My son, I would like to thank my father for giving me a seat."
There is no need to be formal, but the due etiquette must be fulfilled. So the two brothers thanked each other respectfully, and then sat down grandly.
At this time, Zhu Youjian said to Tian Yuchen, the eunuch next to him: "I don't want to watch the little Japanese people dancing anymore. Let them retreat... This Qingqi dance is nothing more than that. It cannot be compared with the dance of Orchid from the Western Regions." !" He turned back to Zhu Cihong and said, "Boss, this Qingqi Dance Troupe was brought by Lao San from Japan. It would be troublesome for him to take it back, so why not give it to you... Now you two brothers But the love between brothers is deep!”
"My dear father, thank you for the reward." Zhu Cixi still thanked him respectfully.
He didn't dare to offend Chongzhen now - Zhu Cijiong was supposed to have contacted a lot of brothers who were kings in three or four years, and then worked together to persuade Chongzhen to retreat. But now it was advanced because of Zhu Cixiang's gaffe. As a result, because he was the only one speaking, the weight was insufficient, and because Chongzhen was still 55 years old and had not reached the "retirement age", so in the next four years or so, Zhu Cixiang could not speak. You have to be a dutiful son.
"Boss, did the third child tell you about inner Zen?"
"I've said it." Zhu Cixiang said, "My son will definitely live up to my father's expectations and will govern the world to ensure peace and prosperity for the country and the people."
Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said: "What does the peace of the country and the people mean to you and me? Boss, you and I are all under the destiny of Emperor Taizu Gao, and are the emperors who are truly ordered by heaven. How can we just be satisfied with this? When he is in power, the country is peaceful and the people are safe? We should seek long-term peace and stability for future generations! Why do we have to let our Ming Dynasty continue for another 300 years?"
Not to mention, this Zhu Youjian is quite ideal!
However, Zhu Cixi knew that it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to continue for another 300 years. This year is 1666 in the Western calendar. How many years would it be if we added 300 years? The Ming Dynasty Guozuo could only add another 283 years at most, and if it was a little less, it would only be 245 years...
"What my father said is absolutely true." Zhu Cixiang still agreed with Zhu Youjian, "I also hope that the Ming Dynasty will have long-term peace and stability."
Chongzhen asked: "Then do you know how to ensure that the Ming Dynasty can continue to be peaceful and stable for a long time?"
"This..." Zhu Cixiang thought for a moment, "The Ming Dynasty is the property of the emperors. It is the emperors who rule the world. If the emperor is wise and powerful, the world will naturally be peaceful. If the emperor is unclear and weak... there will be long-term peace and stability. It’s impossible.”
The business of an emperor is ultimately to be governed by men! Moreover, the feudal system of the Ming Dynasty was inherited from the Song Dynasty. The powerful ministers and vassal towns have been labeled as politically incorrect, which is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Therefore, the rise and fall of a country depends on the emperor's family or even the emperor alone.
Zhu Yuanzhang divided the Thirteen Sai Kings among them, with the purpose of using the power of one family to take charge of the rise and fall of the world. It is a pity that his layout was completely destroyed due to Jianwen's reduction of vassals and Zhu Di's troubles, which made the Ming Dynasty embark on the path of scholar-bureaucrats controlling the government again.
However, the scholar-bureaucrats' approach to controlling government affairs meant that the world had no masters - monarchs who grew up in deep palaces were often still in their early years, with young rulers running the country. Moreover, most of the queen mothers came from humble backgrounds and did not have the power and talents of their natal families to use. The scholar-bureaucrats and civil servants in the court were not from powerful clans. They were basically non-commissioned officers with little influence.
Therefore, the Ming Dynasty had a situation where "the world has no master", and the central government's control over the local areas was naturally getting weaker and weaker... And under the influence of the imperial examination system, there were no powerful clans in the core territory of the Ming Dynasty. Even the Donglin Party members who were praised to the heavens by later generations are nothing more than a group of literati who talk nonsense.
As long as the emperor or the crown prince can personally go to the southeast to take charge, these talkers will not dare to resist... If someone is armed with a knife and a musket, how can you blow someone to death with your talk?
As for the generals and soldiers in the nine-border territory in the north, they are better than the literati in the south, so Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing to suppress them nearby.
But Zhu Cixiang knew that this situation of northern military power and southern wealth, strong north and weak south, was coming to an end with the advent of capitalism and the Age of Discovery.
Once the southeastern country enters the era of industrial revolution, how can the group of feudal lords outside the Great Wall and outside the mouth of the north be the opponents of industrial workers and machine industry?
However, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to survive until the Southeast entered the era of industrial revolution, it could only establish two centers in the north and south... And it was not easy to ensure that these two centers could operate smoothly before the era of industrial revolution. of.
Zhu Cixiang glanced at Emperor Chongzhen and saw that he looked satisfied, so he continued to say to him: "But if you want to produce a wise king from generation to generation, you must also ensure that your eldest son can become a wise king, and you must ensure that the wise king lives long enough. In fact, It’s not easy either.”
Zhu Youjian smiled and said, "It's not difficult. I will definitely live a long life. Your life is not short either. The rich man's appearance also makes him live a long life. The three generations of us together can continue the Ming Dynasty for at least a few years." Fifty years!”
Does he also know about this? If it is true as he said, there will be nothing to worry about in the next fifty years. As long as he and the old man are still there, they will definitely be able to maintain the situation. The rich man is also quite capable, so he should be able to stabilize it... The problem now is to train the successor of the rich man.
Zhu Cixiang thought for a while and then asked: "What about fifty years from now?"
Zhu Youjian looked at his son and asked with a smile: "Boss, what do you think?"
Is this an interview? Zhu Cixiang thought to himself: You have to answer well!
"Father," Zhu Cixiang thought, "the wealthy son has two legitimate sons. I can teach them well, but I can't control my life or death!"
Zhu Hehao and his first wife are Wu Ake, Wu Sangui's daughter. Ake is a stunning beauty, and she has practiced martial arts since she was a child. She has a very good relationship with Zhu Hehao, and having children is not a problem. But who can guarantee that the eldest son born between the two of them will live until the wealthy king retires at the age of 60?
If you die in your 40s these days, it’s not considered a short life, right?
Zhu Cixiang thought to himself: Zhu Youjian obviously knows the lifespan and abilities of himself and the local tycoon... This is the premise for the continuation of the north-south dual center system he designed.
But after the rich king...
"Father, I feel that the world cannot be governed entirely by kings and people. Otherwise, once the king or the prince dies prematurely, the world will be in chaos."
Isn’t there a substitute heroine? Zhu Youjian said: This is your old method!
Zhu Cixiang said: "My son, I think we still have to make an agreement with the people, the nobles, the clan, and the world!"
Well? Agreement? Why is it different from the previous life?
"How do we make this appointment?" Zhu You asked.
Zhu Cixiang thought for a while and said: "You can refer to the Mongolian Kuritai Conference. We also summoned representatives of the clan, nobles, and provincial tax conferences to come to Beijing to make a contract, and publicly announced the father's decision to meditate and The future retirement and succession of the Ming Emperor, as well as the method of selecting and training heirs, and how to choose a new heir in the event that the heir dies prematurely.
In addition, the treaty should also regulate the rights and obligations of the emperor, princes, subordinate princes, distinguished ministers, military households, and civilians, striving to ensure that the superiors and subordinates can live in peace, the monarch and his ministers can be united, and the succession of the throne can be orderly... "
Zhu Cixiang originally wanted to create a Ming Dynasty version of the "Bill of Rights". The reason why he did this was certainly not because he had become more conscious after staying with the bourgeoisie for a long time. But because he has no military power, he cannot be the DC monarch of the Ming Dynasty!
So this "Bill of Powers" is actually used to restrain Chongzhen and the local tycoons...
