Zhu Biao remembered that he had an eldest son, who should be called Zhu Xiongying. From this name, you can guess that Zhu Yuanzhang named him himself. He wanted to be both a hero and a hero, which shows his grandfather's expectations for him.
Therefore, it can be seen that even if the qualifications of his grandson are not yet certain, Zhu Yuanzhang still hopes that he can become the emperor's grandson, and hopes that the Zhu family can be smoothly inherited by his eldest son.
In fact, the full meaning of the eldest son inheritance system is "to set up a direct line for elders but not for virtue, and to set up sons for nobles but not for elders".
Zhu Biao naturally knew all the disadvantages of this system, but his benefits were also obvious, otherwise it would not have been passed down from the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty to the present. As long as there is something better than this, the emperors for thousands of years will not fail to consider it. This is indeed It is the smoothest way to exercise power.
Power seems to be a very mysterious thing. It can turn a bow-legged person with an inside-out figure into a big official step with an outside-in figure. It can turn a farmer's son into a grandfather who sits on the farmer's head and shits. It can even influence the lives and deaths of countless people.
But if you dig into its ancestral grave, you will find that the essence of power is very simple, which is consensus.
Whoever gathers more consensus will have greater power. If only three people believe in him, he will be the master of the family. If more than a billion people believe in him, he will be Gautama Buddha and Jesus.
The emperor brought together the consensus of a country, but human life is limited. He wanted to pass this consensus on, but to whom would he pass it on to so many sons?
Is it about virtue and ability? In fact, it still depends on who has the most consensus, so that the transfer of power will be smooth.
But in front of the eldest prince's gang members and his wife's family, the eldest son is wise and must hold power.
In front of the second prince's subordinates and his wife's family, the second son is a virtuous man and must hold power.
At the same time, every prince has people who support him, and behind him there are a group of people who are interested in him. If he doesn't decide on his successor early, there will definitely be a life-and-death fight. The best result will be the outstanding one. Kill the brothers as quickly as possible and restore stability to the country quickly.
The worst result is that they are all about the same ability, but in the end they are unable to do anything to each other despite their stupidity, and they forcefully destroy the country, only to be plucked by outsiders.
Zhu Biao is naturally aware of this. When he reaches this stage, he can no longer do things based on his own preferences. Everyone thinks that the emperor can do whatever he wants. In fact, it can be seen from history that some wise emperors have always compromised. , those foolish kings are actually venting the frustration of being restricted by all parties.
Moreover, ministers will also protect the eldest son's inheritance. As long as they are not connected with the interests of the prince, they are the staunchest defenders of the eldest son's inheritance.
They have never needed a wise emperor. How can you make money if the emperor is wise? How can you be corrupt and bend the law?
The most important thing is that establishing a virtuous person means that the emperor will not establish a prince immediately, and the ministers will keep taking sides. If you are not careful and fall on the wrong side, the blood of generations will be wasted. Who would be willing to do this life-threatening thing except some frustrated middle- and lower-level officials?
Even if it is the secret reserve system established by Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty, you only need to check it to clearly conclude that the inner layer is still the eldest son inheritance system.
Yongzheng died young without a legitimate son. Although Qianlong was the fourth son of a concubine, his brothers above him were all dead, so he was the eldest son. Qianlong passed the throne to the fifteenth Jiaqing. Twelve brothers above him had died early, and the remaining two were both concubines, one a nerd, and one disabled, so he was considered the most normal eldest son. Jiaqing passed the throne to his eldest son Daoguang, and Daoguang passed the throne to his eldest son Xianfeng. Xian only had one son, his eldest son Tongzhi.
Therefore, although the Qing Dynasty established the crown prince secretly, it generally followed the eldest son inheritance system.
So now Zhu Biao has no choice but to place his hope in Chang Luohua, so that she can give birth to more healthy and intelligent princes for the Ming Dynasty.
Even if there are a few mediocre descendants, as long as the internal stability of the Ming Dynasty can be ensured, external pressure will not matter at all. If it spreads with the times and the people's wisdom becomes enlightened, it will eventually evolve into a constitutional monarchy.
Zhu Biao leaned on the chair and put his feet on the desk. Only Liu Jin was waiting in the room, so Zhu Biao could relax and no longer have to follow the rules of the crown prince.
Liu Jin stepped forward and carefully took away the pen and ink, allowing Zhu Biao to straighten his legs and feet more comfortably, and walked to the door to guard it.
The wedding was not far away, and Zhu Biao had to make arrangements early. No matter what, Zhu Biao would ensure that Mr. Chang Luohua would give birth to his eldest son. Zhu Biao thought about it for a while and then went back to sleep.
Early the next morning, Zhu Biao asked Liu Jin to send the royal titles he had written to the Ministry of Rites, and then got up and went to his younger brothers.
Zhu Feng and the others are already quite old. They want to move out after becoming king. Of course, they won't go directly to join the feudal clan. After all, they are still too young, but it is inevitable to move out of the palace and live in their own palace.
The Ministry of Industry of the Royal Palace had already begun construction. When Zhu Biao arrived, the princes had already begun to study, and everyone, big and small, sat at their desks in an orderly manner.
Zhu Biao now has a total of six brothers. The youngest Zhu Shu is already five years old. Of course, he will no longer be the youngest. Three or four concubines in the harem have been diagnosed with Ximai.
In Zhu Biao's eyes, they are all a bunch of little carrots, but in the eyes of others, they are all dragons and future kings.
Zhu Fang and the other three were delighted when they saw Zhu Biao, and they immediately stood up and waved to Zhu Biao.
The rest were still young and were a little timid after being taught by Zhu Yuanzhang, and they were not very familiar with their eldest brother, so they just watched eagerly.
The teaching gentlemen came out to salute the prince, and Zhu Biao gently asked them to stand up: "Thank you for your hard work. I am here to see the princes' studies."
These people were students of the Imperial College, and they were also the first batch of disciples from aristocratic families who came to seek refuge after Zhu Yuanzhang captured Nanjing. They were also the best among them when they arrived. Zhu Yuanzhang specially invited them in to enlighten the princes.
Zhu Biao chatted with them for a few words and showed them what they expected most. The kind and graceful prince naturally made them almost cry with excitement.
Zhu Biao walked into the school and glanced at his brothers, and then started taking the exams starting from the youngest. They were all simple ones, but if you learn them, you won't know nothing at all. The two younger ones were a little fussy, but because of the Even Zhu Biao's majesty didn't dare to cry and show off.
The second, third, and fourth children have all matured a lot after going out. They also know that it is time to learn more and have made a lot of progress.
The one who learned best was the fifth eldest brother, Zhu Ji, who was indeed very talented in reading. Zhu Biao rewarded him with a jade pendant, which was enough for his younger brothers to envy.
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