It's up to us?
Listening to the emperor's words, the vassal kings were a little confused.
The emperor had done so much just to reduce the feudal vassal, so why did he say he could retain his title now?
Seeing the confused looks on everyone's face, Chongzhen said softly: "Have you ever heard that a gentleman's glory will decline after three generations?"
Upon hearing this, the vassal kings frowned and fell into thinking.
Looking at this scene, Chongzhen's mouth twitched. These vassal kings were really being raised like pigs. They didn't know anything, and each generation was getting worse.
But not all of them. For example, four people including Fu Wang Zhu Changxun, Rui Wang Zhu Changhao, Hui Wang Zhu Changrun, and Gui Wang Zhu Changying looked thoughtful.
They were all the first generation vassal kings entrusted by Wanli. They had a father who was the most shrewd in the Ming Dynasty. Naturally they received a good and strict education in the capital, and they were naturally better than the vassal kings of countless generations in literature. Much better.
"Prince Fu, please tell me!"
"yes!"
King Fu stood up and said: "Your Majesty, this sentence comes from the 22nd section of "Mencius: Chapter 2 of Li Lou", the glory of a gentleman will decline in three generations, and the glory of a villain will be cut off in five generations.
The great righteousness means that the good legacy of the gentleman will stop after three generations, and the bad legacy of the villain will have no influence after the fifth generation.
By extension, it means that the benefits and blessings brought by a gentleman's hard work to build a foundation will affect up to three generations. After three generations, he will decline and eventually become a commoner.
The bad things of villains will not affect future generations for at most five generations, and the future generations of five generations will be reborn.
There is a folk saying: You can't be rich for three generations, and you can't be poor for five generations. This is what it means. "
After King Fu finished speaking, he stopped making any sound, and his eyes flashed. He seemed to know the emperor's way of handling the matter.
After hearing King Fu's explanation, the vassal kings also knew what the emperor meant, but they had to confirm it after all.
"Your Majesty, I think I understand what you mean. In the future, the vassal king will only be passed down to three generations?"
"Your Majesty, does the third generation mean ministers, sons, and grandsons? The sons of grandsons can only be county kings. There will be no vassal kings in the future. There will only be county kings, Zhenguo, auxiliary country, Fengguo general, Zhenguo, and auxiliary country. , Lieutenant Fengguo?"
"Probably not. Since the vassal king is passed down through three generations, then the county king, the general who governs the country, etc. are all like this, right? In the end, there is only Lieutenant Fengguo?"
"It shouldn't be wrong. Even if he is Lieutenant Feng Guo, his salary is two hundred dan, and it still can't solve the problem!"
"Your Majesty's purpose in reducing the vassal status is to prevent the court from having too many nobles and burdens. Just lowering the rank will not solve the problem!"
"Everyone, are you mistaken? His Majesty said three generations, not three generations!"
"Three lives? How many years in one life?"
"I do know this. "Lunheng·Xuanhan": Confucius said that one life is thirty years."
"Yes, it is recorded in "Shuowen Jiezi": Thirty years is one life."
"I seem to have seen a story about Zhang Yong and Fu Lin in "History of Song Dynasty: Biography of Zhang Yong", which roughly means a period of thirty years."
"So, the vassal king can last for ninety years? This is not unacceptable!"
"No, I always feel that it's not that simple. Since Your Majesty has cut off the vassal, it's impossible to keep it for such a long time. Have you forgotten that Your Majesty said that it's up to us to retain the position of vassal king?
If it is every thirty years, then it has nothing to do with us! "
…
Listening to the vassal kings muttering in low voices, Chongzhen coughed lightly: "I guess it's almost the same, but I have made new regulations for this lifetime.
The life of each feudal king is different, depending on your ancestors. "
It's okay if I don't say it, but when I say it, all the feudal kings are even more confused.
What does this have to do with our ancestors?
In confusion, Chongzhen continued: "Everything I say next is based on the "Regulations on Suspensions and Vassals" promulgated in the 44th year of Jiajing."
"For example, the line of King Qin has been passed down through ten generations and thirteen terms, totaling 267 years. On average, a vassal king has been in power for eighteen years.
Another example is the line of Daiwang, which has been passed down through nine generations and nine terms, totaling 237 years, with an average reign of twenty-four years.
The average reign time of each lineage is the lifetime of your lineage, which means that the vassal king can only be king for so long.
Since you started to seize the throne for three generations, your great-grandson will be the king of the county. I say this, you understand it! "
After hearing this, all the vassal kings were startled for a moment, then suddenly realized.
They now understand what the emperor said, that the throne of the feudal clan depends on them, and they are waiting here.
Then they fell into thinking, and they were calculating the average length of reign of their own lineage.
Among this group of vassal kings, several vassal kings were a little confused. These people were King Fu, King Hui and others.
King Fu looked at his three younger brothers and said softly: "Your Majesty, what should I do?"
"you?"
Chongzhen smiled and said: "The four uncles are all princes canonized in the 29th year of Wanli. If this is the case, then counting from the 29th year of Wanli, it is now twenty-nine years. Each of you is of the same lineage as the twenty-ninth year." For this life!"
"I thank you, Your Majesty!"
The four of them immediately bowed and saluted without hesitation.
Twenty-nine years is higher than 90% of the vassal kings present, which is not bad.
After a while, seven or eight vassal kings stood up, and one of them said solemnly: "Your Majesty, if according to your calculation, some of our vassal kings have been in power for longer than the average time, how do you calculate it?"
Chongzhen looked deeply at the vassal king who made the noise, and then at the several vassal kings behind them who had the same problem, and said meaningfully: "I am only talking about whether the vassal throne can be retained, not that you can continue to be the vassal king. ?”
"Besides, considering what you have done, I am extremely merciful by not killing you. Do you still want to continue to be the vassal king?
If I promise you, will the people of the world agree? "
"I would like to add that the three generations are not calculated based on the number of years. For example, your next successor will be the second generation.
Taking twenty years as one life, if the reign lasts for fifteen years, then the third life will be passed on. The third life will still be twenty years, and the five years missing from the second life will not be added.
If the second incarnation is still in good health after twenty years in office, I'm sorry, but I have to abdicate and give way to the third incarnation. Do you understand what I'm saying? "
Not only the several vassal kings who came forward, but also the vassal kings who did not come forward also fell silent, and their faces became gloomy again.
If the emperor calculates it this way, their respective royal palaces can only be passed down for two generations, which means that their respective vassal palaces will be abolished in thirty or forty years.
This was nearly half the time limit they had just discussed, which was unacceptable to them.
Chongzhen looked at the vassal kings with a smile on his lips.
His plan is not said to be the optimal solution, but the key point is that it can reduce the number of feudal kings without causing too much turmoil.
