When the two were discussing the clan issue, Zhang Juzheng came. He entered the door and bowed politely, and greeted Zhu Zaiyu with each other. There was no need to elaborate.
Zhu Yijun took a closer look at Zhang Juzheng and saw that his temples were gray and his cheeks, which were still smooth and plump when he was on the platform, were sunken. Only his eyes were still bright and he was in good spirits.
Unable to bear it, Zhu Yijun ordered Wei Chaodao: "Bring some snacks - give the old gentleman a copy of the Shaqima prescription that Tong Chizhong donated a few days ago, and let the old gentleman take it back later."
After speaking, he smiled at Zhang Juzheng and said: "Tong Chizhong accompanied me to practice riding and shooting a few days ago, and he gave me his recipe for making snacks. It is called Shaqima in Jurchen language. It tastes very good. I will try it later, sir."
Zhang Juzheng thanked the emperor and then admonished him: "Your Majesty, he is not of my race, so his mind must be different. Nurhaci is not the Yingyang Commander, and has no qualifications to serve as an imperial commander. Why should he be accompanied by a sharp weapon? If there is any difference, Change, regret is too late!”
Zhu Yijun listened seriously and said to Zhang Juzheng: "What the old gentleman said is that I want to show my trust in the Jurchens. It's true that Meng Lang was a little bit arrogant. It won't be like this in the future. Then Tong Chizhong heard that the imperial court was going to conquer Burma and asked me to fight. Several times, I was still hesitant to lead troops and horses into battle."
Zhang Juzheng smiled after hearing this and said, "I thought I might as well agree to this. The Jurchen cavalry has been fighting for the country in Ningxia, Jizhen and other places for several years, and has made many meritorious services, and the court is generous with rewards."
"For the domestication of eagles and dogs, it is better to gradually develop habits for them. In the Battle of Burma, we might as well let some of them mix with the Han soldiers to fight together. After a few years of this, the Jurchen soldiers became familiar with the Chinese language and mixed with the Han soldiers. , the institutional system was gradually abolished - this is the way to turn Hu into Han."
Zhu Yijun listened and nodded in agreement. Then he pointed to the snack plate and tea brought by Wei Chao and said: "Old sir, have a try."
Zhang Juzheng thanked him, picked up a piece of Shaqima and ate it. Then his eyes lit up and he said: "This dim sum is delicious, no less delicious than Suzhou dim sum."
Wei Chao hurriedly handed over the Shaqima recipe and said with a smile: "Master Zhang, take the recipe back and try to make it in the kitchen at home. If you can't do it well, I will send someone from the imperial kitchen to teach you."
Zhang Juzheng looked at Wei Chao indifferently, just nodded, then turned to Zhu Yijun and said: "The emperor summoned his ministers, but I don't know why?"
Zhu Yijun pointed at Zhu Zaiyu and said: "I am talking to Prince Zheng about the shortcomings of the clan in this dynasty. Let the old gentleman also listen. Alas, this clan's chronic disease will end up in Hu Di?"
During the Jiajing period, Zhang Juzheng had already paid attention to the clan issue of the Ming Dynasty, and had discussed plans with Zhu Yijun many times. He had already known this in his mind. When the emperor asked about it in front of Zhu Zaiyu, he organized his words and said:
"Your Majesty, in the early days of the Kingdom, the people were not as numerous as they were in the early days of the Kingdom. Today, the situation is a thousand times that of the early days of the Kingdom. In Henan, where Prince Zheng's Mansion is located, there are now seven princely mansions, thirty-nine princely mansions, more than 600 generals, and an incomparable number of lieutenants and honorable guests. count."
"In the second year of Wanli, the Ministry of Rites counted the clans in the world. The newly made jade certificates totaled more than 62,000 clan members. Although the annual salary of the prince and the lieutenant varied, if they were all paid in full, the average per capita would be 300 shi. This item would require The expenditure is 18.6 million shi, and based on the four years of Wanli, the national grain tax will have to be paid annually."
"Therefore, arrears are unavoidable - from the beginning of King Sejong's reign to the present, the imperial court's arrears of grain and rice have exceeded 282 million dan, and this hole cannot be filled no matter what."
Because he didn't know what Zhu Zaiyu said to the emperor, Zhang Juzheng said this because he was afraid that the emperor would suddenly become soft-hearted and say that he wanted to make up for the arrears of grain and rice after hearing that his relatives were poor, so he first silenced the emperor with his words.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun shook his head and smiled bitterly, and said to Zhu Zaiyu: "It's really difficult for me to run this family! I couldn't bear it after hearing the miserable situation of the clan. But the national affairs are so complicated, and the food and money have to be carefully calculated to survive. It's really sad. people."
After hearing this, Zhu Zaiyu said: "Your Majesty, I think it is better to relax the restrictions on the clan and let them make a living on their own. Otherwise, the population will multiply and the burden will become heavier and heavier."
Zhang Juzheng heard that Prince Zheng's son was not here to fight famine, and his favorable impression of him suddenly soared. He smiled and said to Zhu Zaiyu: "Your Majesty, I have seen you deeply! Your Majesty, my ministers' wishes are the same as those of your son. The generals and clans below still have to do it." Open up the ban on industry, commerce, peasants and soldiers and make a living on your own, otherwise this knot will never be untied!"
Zhu Yijun said: "I want to lift this ban, firstly, it violates the ancestral system, and secondly, I fear that the clan will be ridiculed for treating it harshly."
After hearing this, Zhang Juzheng thought to himself: "When did you care about ancestral system? That's new!" Seeing Zhu Yijun not looking at himself but looking at Zhu Zaiyu when he spoke, he felt enlightened and gritted his teeth and said:
"Your Majesty, when Taizu Chengzu established the system, how many people did the clan have? Nowadays, there are so many clans that it is impossible to count! The poor clan lacks food and gathers people to shout, insulting and filing lawsuits; and many of them call in treacherous thugs, and those who do not succeed! It won’t work if we don’t change the ancestral system at this time!”
This was said so loudly that Zhu Zaiyu was stunned as he listened. He thought to himself: "No wonder outsiders say that Zhang Juzheng has monopolized power and has overwhelming power over hundreds of officials. He is indeed a great man!" He couldn't help but look at Zhang Juzheng with admiration.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun patted the table and said: "Okay! It seems that we can't change this ancestral system. I also agree with what the old man said. However, excluding those who make a living by themselves, last year's annual salary was 5.5 million dan. , the court is overwhelmed, old gentleman, what are your ideas?"
Zhang Juzheng almost spit out a mouthful of old blood, gritting his teeth secretly in his heart. At this moment, I couldn't back down, so I had to bite the bullet and said: "Your Majesty, please give me an order to express your favor! When Taizu established the foundation, the total number of princes, princes, and generals was only fifty; but today, the number of princes alone has exceeded sixty , there are thousands of county kings! Except for those who have committed crimes and are exterminated by the country, the princes of our dynasty are hereditary. If the prince has a son, he will be granted the title of county king. The number of county kings is increasing day by day. If the county prince has a son, he will be granted the title of general, lieutenant, etc., and the number will continue to be tens of thousands. These please There are also a large number of promiscuous concubines and peanuts in the seal - the root of the clan problem still lies with the prince!"
The so-called children born from concubines are children born between a clan and a foreign wife or a prostitute - something that is prohibited by this clan law. However, since the clan law of the Ming Dynasty was abolished, it is difficult to prohibit such situations.
"Therefore, if you want to solve the clan problem, you can only use the grace order!" After Zhang Juzheng said this, he raised his hand to wipe the sweat with his sleeve, and ate another piece of Shaqima to calm his shock.
Before the emperor could speak, Zhu Zaiyu shouted from the side: "Okay! The words of the chief minister are right! Your Majesty, I also think that in order to solve the clan problem, I have to extend my favor - otherwise this knot will not be solved!"
When Zhang Juzheng heard what Zhu Zaiyu said, a mouthful of Shaqima got stuck in his throat, and his face turned red from holding it back. Wei Chao hurriedly stepped forward to help him calm down and let him take another sip of tea before swallowing it.
Seeing Zhang Juzheng like this, Zhu Yijun tried hard to hold back his laughter. He showed hesitation on his face and said: "This... the ancestral system has been changed too much. The vassal system is the imperial tributary. Also, with such poor treatment, the country may suffer from weak branches."
He then looked at Zhu Zaiyu and said, "Princes of the Zheng family are the princes granted by Renzong. Now that the prince agrees with the order of favor, isn't he afraid that future generations will poke his back?"
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