The end of the sect-vassal conference does not mean that the entire clan issue will be immediately and perfectly resolved.
The most important thing is to solve the problem of hereditary princes. The royal family must have a clan clan as a third force to balance the nobility and civil servants. Due to the psychological shadow of the Jingnan Rebellion, previous emperors completely excluded the clan from political life, which actually resulted in the self-limitation of imperial power.
Now, Zhu Yijun has allowed the clan to open factories and distribute mineral resources in the colony so that they are not completely economically dependent on Zonglu; at the same time, he has opened up the ban on imperial examinations for the clan so that they can enter the middle and lower-level administrative systems; finally, it is necessary to determine the hereditary inheritance To determine the core strength of the "royalist party" in the future.
Because of Empress Dowager Li, the hereditary replacement of King Lu was expected by everyone; because King Zhou fully supported the emperor on the vassal issue, the first King of Zhou, as Chengzu's half-brother, also gained the respect of the hereditary replacement. Rong; Although King Zheng is considered a minor sect within the clan, Prince Zheng's crown prince is the first president of the Gewuyuan, and King Zheng himself was appointed Zongzheng of the clan's mansion. No one can fault this hereditary superintendent.
In addition to the above three families, the other major sects are also very jealous of hereditary replacement. At this time, I heard what Prince Zheng said last year that the princes who reduced their own land were lucky - they sold or gave away their land, and the land they finally retained was less than 20,000 acres, and Emperor Zhu had to support him The clan members will be commended for their policies.
As a result, King Jingjiang, King Jin, King Lu, King Qin, and King Shu, who were almost called fools by their families last year, were canonized as hereditary princes by the emperor - which also made more than 20 other indifferent princes almost regret it.
In private gatherings, they did not dare to scold the emperor, but they could not avoid attacking these princes who "licked the ditch" - little did they know that the three princes of Jin, Lu and Qin did not have such a high consciousness, but were sent by the emperor to serve as ministers A warning was given quietly. Only the King of Shu and the King of Jingjiang took the initiative to reduce their land, so in the canonization ceremony, they had to be given a white band with a yellow lining and a large belt - the other princes used a white band with a red lining and a large belt.
Although the three princes of Jin, Lu, and Qin were overjoyed to exchange tens of thousands of acres of their land for a hereditary and irreplaceable king, they were also heartbroken. However, the "Order on the Enrollment of Titles" issued by the imperial court later allowed them to hold their foreheads in celebration.
On June 16, the sixth year of Wanli, the imperial court issued the "Ordinance on the Enrollment of Titles and Titles", which fixed the already reformed vassal system in a legal form.
The regulations first clarified the political status of the clan and nobles. The details are as follows: Princes are divided into two types: hereditary princes and princes; county kings are divided into three levels, and the names are simple and crude: first-class county prince, second-class county prince, and third-class county prince.
Then the clan will enter the rank of Duke Bo Zinan and follow the same path as non-clan clans. The names are the same as those of the princes, for example, the duke is directly the first-class duke, the second-class duke, the third-class duke, and so on.
When a clan descends to the third level of baron, no matter how many generations it is passed down, it will not be lowered again. Those below a marquis are lifted from the ban on marriage with nobles; above an earl, they have the authority to discuss political power at the court; above the third-class baron, they have the right to discuss political power at the local level; for this purpose, the court will set up a council, and members of the council can make suggestions for court and local policies. and opinions.
Secondly, the regulations stipulate the rules for descending the clan: for each generation of clan or nobles, the eldest son can be descended to the first class to inherit the title; the head of the family can choose another son to be demoted to the second class for the title; the rest of the sons are common people.
Even if you are demoted, you still need to take the Zongxue exam. The exam is divided into three categories: literature, martial arts, and Wuwu. You can choose any one to pass the grade before you can ascend the title; if you fail twice in a row, the eldest son will also be demoted two grades.
The distribution of Zonglu was once again stipulated: those above the level of the county king still received Zonglu as compensation for their inability to enter the administrative agencies. The remaining clans receive shares in the "clan trading company" according to their level, with titles and dividends, but no clan salary.
The regulations also stipulate that the youngest sons of clans below the county king will receive clan salary subsidies according to their levels from birth to fifteen years old. This provision is to prevent the young sons of a prodigal clan of a certain generation from having no food and clothing after the shares are sold. All honor guests (i.e. sons-in-law of the clan) will be deprived of their clan salary.
In addition to these clauses, there are also a large number of lifting clauses: In addition to the ban on imperial examinations, those from the clan who participate in the imperial examination and win the official position are not allowed to take the title of county prince, and those below the duke are free to do so; in addition to the restrictions on appointment of clan officials, those below the clan duke are not allowed to enter the cabinet or the Privy Council except Except for the prohibition on the "four people's industries" of the clan, all clan members, regardless of whether they are high or low, can support themselves in various industries such as scholars, agriculture, industry, and commerce.
The ordinance also stipulates that the capital will build palaces for all princes, and all county princes must live in the capital and participate in court meetings; the prince's original residence shall not occupy more than 7,000 acres, and the county prince shall not occupy more than 3,500 acres.
For existing land that is large and exceeds the upper limit stipulated by the court, the regulations stipulate that any land exceeding 20,000 acres is considered illegal and must be cleared before the end of the year; Redeem it at market price and use it as public land.
In this way, the entire clan reform was successfully implemented. For the hereditary prince, the family fortune is guaranteed for five consecutive generations, and the dividends from the clan business company can be passed on to infinity, and the wealth is basically unaffected; for the prince, the family fortune is guaranteed for four consecutive generations, although it decreases year by year, but there is After mastering the ambition and sense of urgency, no matter what the Duke's generation, there will be a scholar who can be an official.
The prince's time is relatively tight, but again, after the ban is lifted, the clan will burst out with huge energy - whether it is educational resources or capital, these people are the richest group in the Ming Dynasty. No matter whether they are aristocratic families or nobles, their accumulated wealth cannot be compared with that of the princes of the Ming Dynasty.
From the generals of the auxiliary country below the prince to the lieutenants of the auxiliary country, the dividends they will receive from the trading companies within five years are similar to the ancestral salary issued to them after the imperial court defaults on most of the arrears - and these five years will allow these grassroots clans to gradually adapt a transitional period for this society.
As for the slackers and criminals in other clans, there are clan regulations waiting to deal with them.
The "Regulations on the Enrollment of Titles" also stipulates the methods for obtaining titles below duke - meritorious service and military exploits. Regardless of whether they are members of the lower-level clan or ordinary people, they can theoretically obtain titles and be promoted.
And unlike the clan who used trading company dividends instead of zonglu, non-clan nobles, officials and civilians received lumi for obtaining titles - although it was not comparable to the dividends, the first-class princes also received nine hundred shi per year. Decreasing in steps of fifty stone, until fifteen generations later, the third-class baron can still get one hundred and fifty stone every year. If the population is not large, food and clothing will be stable. More importantly, the honor that a title brings to a family is the most irresistible thing for Chinese people at this time.
But unlike the clan, there is no lower limit for non-clan attacks, which means that after the third-class baron, they are common people and leave the noble team. If you want to keep your family, you must perform meritorious deeds within these fifteen generations to slow down the decline of your family - this is also a powerful incentive.
For ordinary civilians who are not officials, only those who have made amazing contributions to the country or achieved amazing achievements in a certain profession can break through the boundaries between nobles and civilians and be granted the title of baron. But this is not absolute. There is also a shortcut that allows civilians to cross class: serving as a soldier and gaining military merit.
The regulations stipulate that people below baron are civil nobility: they are divided into four levels: knight, doctor, no more, and superior. The corresponding first-level skills are twenty, ten, three, and two respectively. The corresponding land grants are one thousand acres, two hundred acres, fifty acres, and twenty acres. As the highest level of civil nobility, knighthood will become the dividing line between nobles and civilians. Without military merit, it will be difficult to become a baron - but as long as the military merit reaches the standard, this boundary can be crossed in one go, because obtaining the title of baron There are only fifty first-level skills.
As for where the land for granting came from, there are two ways. One is to use the imperial court to redeem the land of the kings; or to give twice the new land reclaimed by the Huanghuai Water Conservancy Project; or to replace it with fifty times the colonial land - in that case, meritorious service is required. Those who stayed in the colony, but fifty times the land would be a staggering figure.
Another advantage of being a civilian is that "you can transfer to another official if there is a vacancy." Sirs who have passed the general education level can be directly appointed to official positions below the county magistrate when there is a vacancy; senior officials can be directly appointed as county officials; those who have obtained civilian titles can enter the county assembly - and also have the power to discuss political affairs.
The "Ordinance on the Enrollment of Titles" is the first written new law issued by the imperial court after the issuance of the Great Reform Edict in the fifth year of Wanli. Its rigor, standardization and writing characteristics are different from all previous edicts. It not only won unanimous praise from the government and the public at that time, but also had epoch-making significance in history - from now on, the Wanli Reform has truly entered the operational stage.
As new laws were promulgated, implemented, revised, and abolished one after another, the country was finally dragged and threatened by Zhu Yijun, and embarked on a new path. At this time, the new nation is just like the fetus in Zhuang Jingjia's belly - about to make its first loud cry to the world of this time and space.
