The Longevity Festival at the end of September has not yet arrived, but it is already an eventful spring and summer.
The oldest vassal king in Huguang, King Chu, has passed away. He can no longer go to Beijing to wish His Majesty longevity.
But now what the prominent people in Wuchang Mansion are thinking is: King Chu passed away at such a sensitive time, will there be another King of Chu in the future?
How many smart people don’t know about the many shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty? As the clan multiplied, the burden on the court became increasingly heavy.
It is said that the fifth generation of Junzizhe was killed, and the sixth generation of Chu kings all passed away.
As for the vassal king who succeeded him, how could he not make some arrangements for other vassal kings?
It happened that the Five Military Camps Incident had just happened, and the Sichuan Incident had just happened, and then the King of Chu passed away.
Everyone else was gone, and Sun Jiao, Gu Shilong, and Gu Dayong all arrived at the Prince of Chu's Mansion.
Zhu Rongchan was organizing the funeral, and Zhu Xianrong and other heirs naturally stayed at the funeral wearing linen and filial piety.
"Your Majesty, why did the prince suddenly become seriously ill and die?"
Zhu Rong had not yet been enshrined. Sun Jiao looked at him who had been groomed. Zhu Rong was well-dressed and could not see anything unusual.
In Wuchang Mansion, Sun Jiao and Gu Shilong had not dealt with Zhu Rong. Although his personality is a little weaker, he is just fifty and his body is not that bad.
If Zhu Rong was worried about the emperor's intention to reduce the vassal state because of the water conservancy rectification, there is no reason why he was seriously ill and could not be cured.
Now that Sun Jiao asked this question, although his tone was regretful, the rest of the people in the mourning hall were all beating in their hearts.
When you are so sensitive, how can you do whatever you want?
No one dares to guess whether there is any inside story, but everyone knows that His Majesty's subsequent death of King Chu and the enthronement of the Chu vassal will definitely affect the mentality of the vassal kings all over the world.
Zhu Xianrong naturally replied: "My father has been seriously ill for more than a month, and even though he has invited famous doctors, he has not gotten better, but he never expected that..."
When he said this, he burst into tears, making a sound of panic.
Sun Jiao was not here to inquire about the situation. Under such circumstances, he could only offer his condolences first and then take care of the funeral arrangements.
But we need to understand the situation, otherwise how would we write it in the memorial?
What is the emperor's attitude towards the Chu vassal?
In terms of Sun Jiao's status and his current position, since the King of Chu is dead, it is absolutely impossible to undo the old accounts of the King of Chu's palace at this time.
No matter how sensitive his death was, if he died first and was stabbed later, no matter how much the emperor cared about his reputation, he could not appear so mean and chill the clan.
On the contrary, it must be comforting.
Therefore, after paying condolences to the King of Chu, in front of the Chief of the Chu Palace and others, and after the famous doctors who had diagnosed the King of Chu were invited, Sun Jiao asked about some of the illnesses that the King of Chu had suffered from before.
The doctor was frightened. Although they did not understand the major affairs of the court, the vassal king who had been diagnosed and treated by them suddenly passed away. The doctors were immediately confused and confused. Sun Jiao guided them in their words to describe the stubbornness of Zhu Rong's previous illness.
How to write a memorial, I have it.
This is just a coincidence, don’t read too much into it. If other vassal kings read too much into this, they are really seeking to remove the seal.
But after returning from Prince Chu's Mansion, he frowned tightly.
The emperor's approach to appeasing the Chu vassals will also be subtle.
Zhu Rong seemed to be "scared" to death all his life. What was he afraid of? If he was not frightened to death, but had something hidden, let alone whether the world would believe it after he found out, it would be dealt with as soon as he found out.
Why did Emperor Taizong raise troops to quell trouble? At the beginning, he also tried to avoid disaster, but Jianwen's attitude of cutting down the feudal clan was too harsh. In these extraordinary times, if a vassal king died, some people might think it was the emperor's fault!
But how can we solve the clan problem if we try to appease them? The emperor is now eighteen years old and has two sons. It is obvious to the naked eye that his heirs will be prosperous. If we don't set some rules for the clan now, it will be even harder in the future.
And when the King of Chu passed away, the clans from all over the country had to send people to express their condolences, right? They are all royal relatives, so the people who come to express their condolences must be the heirs of the feudal princes, right?
This is an opportunity for the feudal kings to communicate their opinions.
The emperor had not yet issued an order to each vassal palace to designate who should come.
A lot of questions made Sun Jiao think hard for a long time, and made his concubine who was old enough to plant pearl fetuses worried.
At such an old age, why did you ask yourself to stay in Huguang?
At any rate, I should take her back to Beijing to kneel down and meet my real wife first, and then I can talk about her status!
The old man promised!
…
When the Huguang report was delivered to the capital, the forward selection team for Huguang and Sichuan had just set out for two days.
Yang Tinghe took a deep breath, wanting to curse, and then looked at the emperor with a complicated expression.
Zhu Houcong couldn't help but raise his hands and pinch his forehead.
This action is very strange. It is not an action that a vigorous young man of eighteen years old would make naturally.
The vigor and vigor in him and the composure with a lot of experience have always been mixed together to form a very special temperament.
Now, the new advisers also felt the emperor's unique style. They were also convinced that none of the counselors had spoken. The emperor had obviously understood the death of King Chu and had thrown such a big problem into the capital.
Today is just a day for the new counselors to make up for their lessons.
Although they knew that there were already violent storms in many places and did not know what the situation was, in the royal study room, a few old advisers were actually quite calm and calm, announcing some rules and briefings on the new law arrangements. .
Then, the new Chief of Ceremony, Zhang Zuo, came with a report.
Zhu Houcong didn't care about his reputation as being mean or not, but he didn't want to be an independent husband now. All the arrangements are just to allow a group of bold people to jump out on their own initiative, rather than using ruthless means to force them to rebel.
Is there any problem with Chu Fan?
There are so many questions. Otherwise, why would Gu Shilong tie up his second son and send him to the capital?
Now Zhu Houcong doubted whether the King of Chu committed suicide. After all, Gu Shilong handed over a knife. This knife could cut the Chu Fan - if Zhu Rong was still alive and kicking.
But he is dead now.
"In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?" Zhu Houcong waved his hand, "Please share your opinions on the suggestions in the memorial of Marquis Jing'an."
Death is a big deal, and we cannot underestimate the meaning of this to ordinary people in this era.
The reason why Li Xiang's impeachment caused many people to misjudge the emperor's subsequent reaction is because when his life is really at stake, you should be serious and respectful.
Zhu Houcong chose to simply take down Zhang Wei and others who were found out, just to turn passivity into initiative.
But now Zhu Rong "died" of illness, and he is still the vassal king.
Should Wu Zuo be allowed to desecrate some Zhu Rong's corpses? Let Jin Yiwei investigate secretly to see if there is any inside story?
The reason why we should keep an eye on the feudal kings is not because any of the current feudal kings are quite talented, but because they are flags that may be supported in many situations.
Now, if anyone really dares to stand up and serve as a flag when he thinks of the old events during the Jianwen years, and feels chilled, the meaning will be different.
It is the established policy to use both kindness and power to win over those who are divided. At present, the power has not been exerted on any vassal king, but one must first show kindness and appeasement.
After the counselors read Sun Jiao's memorial, Yang Tinghe said: "The Marquis of Jing'an spoke with caution! In my opinion, we should first discuss honoring the posthumous title, organizing funeral rites, and honoring the king. Whether it is the Wuchang Tax Department or the Prince's Palace Whether it’s land, land, age or salary, after all, it will all happen after five years of Jiajing.”
Zhu Houcong knows the drag technique.
It was Gu Shilong's knife that was handed over to him in vain.
Gu Dingchen, who was promoted to the chief of the imperial study, also said: "The succession of the Chu vassal will not affect Huguang's inspection of water conservancy affairs. How to act will remain the same as before."
If you become a counselor, you have to speak up. If you don't speak up, how can you show that you are a minister?
Although Gu Dingchen had never been there, he hinted at what the emperor might be worried about now: there was no entry point into the clan affairs.
If Zhu Rongjian were still alive, he would only investigate and deal with some illegal affairs in the Prince of Chu's Mansion, and accomplish multiple things with one stone. First of all, there is a precedent for how to deal with the land that the clan has embezzled; secondly, the Chu vassal government will not investigate and eliminate it, so most clans will not feel that the persecution is excessive; thirdly, if there is a clan that is unwilling to give up, as long as it is slightly involved in the major treason case that is currently being investigated , that is to remove the seal.
With this time, the new law was stable and the emperor reigned longer. There would be less resistance to further reforms to the clan.
Zhu Houcong was thinking about it.
The total number of royal family members registered in the Zongren Mansion has only just reached 8,000. In his memory, what Lao Qin said about the number of people in the clan tripled during the Jiajing period and it became increasingly difficult to deal with has not happened yet.
Just raising it without being able to function and not allowing a way out is not always the best approach.
Listening to them discussing how to deal with the death of King Chu, Zhu Houcong suddenly stood up, stood in front of the map of the Ming Dynasty and looked up.
The imperial study became quiet, wondering what the emperor was thinking.
With his back turned to them, Zhu Houcong spoke: "The original intention of letting all the vassal kings come to the capital on the Wanshou Holy Day is to see if there are really any vassal kings who don't know the general situation. I originally planned to wait with you after some time in July or August. Discuss. Now, I might as well talk about it first, and you will also listen."
After saying that, he turned around, looked at them and said: "I have briefly understood the three principles of heaven, matter and man. This physical way is enshrined in the Wanfa Pavilion and I have devoted myself to understanding it. I have made a breakthrough in the military situation with firearms. High-yielding grains such as potatoes are also expected to be popularized in the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor Mingzhong, Yan Song asked, and Qing and others also knew about it. As stated in the "Extensions of the University", wealth is based on human power. Understand physics and use human power. , The world still doesn’t know how many things can be used and can create wealth.”
Yang Tinghe and others looked puzzled, wondering why he mentioned this.
"The current clan system has its own reasons. In the vassal area, no appointment is allowed, and all things are not allowed, all to prevent chaos in the great position. If you care about it, more than a hundred years later, the burden is getting heavier and heavier; the banknotes are broken. Cutting salary will not only damage the righteousness of the clan, but also cannot solve the root cause. Moreover, there are talents in the clan, which is like Cui Zuojun among the relatives. "
Cui Yuan was suddenly mentioned and stared at the emperor: What do you want to do?
Zhu Houcong looked at them with a calm expression: "Since I was the first to understand this theory of physics, why not let the royal family carry it forward, learn more principles from it, and create more useful things. It can create wealth, and It is no longer a sourceless water that will be used up day by day. After me, the vassal king will succeed and have nothing to do with the previous clan. There are more than 8,000 registered clansmen. I think that these 8,000 clansmen can have a new system. ”
Yang Tinghe looked at him blankly: What do you mean?
The truth is correct, the lineage of the great throne has been transferred, and the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty will naturally be the descendant of the one in front of him, unless he is like his cousin.
With the more than 8,000 existing clan members, how can we ensure that they will no longer have anything to do with the throne?
And there is a hint of obedience that there are talents in the clan, so why should we give them space to display their talents?
Zhu Houcong said: "The main thing I rely on is naturally my youth. I keep in shape and keep fit, and I am measured in everything I do in my daily life. I don't dare to say that I am as diligent as Taizu, but although I work hard on state affairs, I also know that I should trust the ministers and others. , there is no need to work too hard. In this Hall of Cultivation of the Heart, I should be able to survive my Wanshou Festival. If I can survive for ten years, what will the ups and downs at this time count?"
If everyone had some enlightenment, they would understand what he meant.
The emperor's prestige naturally increased as he went to the back.
In front of the hero, how could a distant clan member be able to change the world again?
"Within ten years, the talented people in the clan will study physics intensively. After ten years, the new generation of the clan will be allowed to take scientific examinations. Five years after Jiajing, I still have arrangements for Huang Mingji. If you have something to do, you can create wealth, and the clan will also I will not have nothing to do but disturb the place. I have thought about this problem for a long time. Before, the vassal king would not enter the capital without any purpose. If in the future the vassal king would not leave the capital without purpose, he would concentrate on Huangzhuang, Huangming Manufacturing Factory, and Huangming University. Can each show his or her own strengths?"
Yang Tinghe felt his scalp itchy: to assist this new king, there would be new things from time to time, which was a problem that he had never thought about before.
From when the vassal king never entered the capital to when he never left the capital?
Huangzhuang and the others knew about it, and now it has become the trial site of the Agricultural Science Museum in the Wanfa Museum. In the emperor's narration, there are only two words: superior species and superior methods. To explain from physics, the water and soil vary from place to place, and seeds, farming methods, and agricultural tools can all be adapted to local conditions.
Now, does Your Majesty intend to take over the land granted by the vassal kings in various places and turn it into an imperial estate? In this way, there will really be many experimental fields in both the north and the south.
This Huangming Manufacturing Factory is a new thing. After the Procurement Law is passed, in the future, everything from military weapons to many ordinary utensils will be handled by a specialized manufacturing factory that is not listed in the government. All factories and mines, including weaving bureaus, will be included in it in the future. For the imperial court, a very special point was that the Huangming factory also paid taxes. In the words of His Majesty: Pay everything you should and let the money circulate.
As for the Huangming University... Yang Tinghe asked in a dry voice: "Your Majesty, if I am right as expected, the Huangming University will be expanded from the Wanfa Pavilion, right? Since it is called a college, then... scholars can be here Studying at Huangming University? Then the Imperial College..."
Zhu Houcong waved his hand: "There is no rush. At this stage, it is only a research type. Among them, the scholars are like private apprentices. This time I let the world's vassal kings and relatives come to the capital to congratulate them. I originally encouraged them to send aspiring juniors to the Wanfa Hall. I mean, it will only be like this in three to five years."
But everyone here is thinking about the future.
Scholars all over the world who only focus on studying ancient Neo-Confucianism may have to face this problem: Your Majesty is determined to promote physics.
The first step is to choose supporters from the clan and relatives.
It is clear that practical studies will become official official studies.
Yang Tinghe's voice became even drier: "Is Your Majesty prepared to... announce this decree to various places as soon as possible?"
Some people whose minds were a beat or two slowed down and their eyes suddenly froze.
A major treason case is being investigated, and accomplices will be arrested everywhere. The remaining people are either afraid or understand.
But there is another banner for scholars in the world: Shandong Yan Shenggong.
His Majesty used the new system of the clan to win over the vassals and give them new hope. After the replacement of these honorary relatives, the newly awarded honorary relatives were loyal loyalists to the emperor.
Are there any officials or gentry who are obsessed with the old system?
Yang Tinghe asked the emperor: Do you want to wave the flag of practical studies in front of Yan Shenggong again to see if he is impatient?
"Your Majesty, I am scared and stupid..." Yang Tinghe was very humble, "Your Majesty's practical learning and dialectics, it will take time for scholars around the world to understand their beauty..."
It’s only half a year! How many people don't understand it at all? Why are you so confident that this knowledge can firmly occupy the current position of Neo-Confucianism?
"I'm not in a hurry," Zhu Houcong said, "I just want the descendants of the clan and descendants who are interested to come and study it. Scholars all over the world should study classics when they should, and study when they should take imperial examinations."
"...Next year's provincial examination, your Majesty has no intention of reforming the system?"
Zhu Houcong chuckled and said, "We won't change the content of the test, but we can change the format of the questions and the method of reviewing and grading the papers."
The syllabus has not been changed, so you can’t say that you are now going to start stuffing private practice studies, even though Guangdong is already doing this.
But the trend is already very obvious.
"This Huangming University only selects people from the clan and descendants to teach?" Gu Dingchen still has a bright future. Like Yan Song, he needs good disciples.
Zhu Houcong smiled again: "If there are those who voluntarily enter the hospital to study, they need to pay tuition. In this regard, the descendants of the clan will also treat them equally. I have limited energy and cannot teach too many people."
Yang Tinghe's lips trembled and he asked in silence: "Your Majesty, will you teach me personally?"
Zhu Houcong nodded: "I have learned a lot of knowledge. I still know a little bit about some introductory physics. The Emperor Mingzhong made three hands. The worshipers and craftsmen of Wanfa Pavilion thought it was not necessary, but still I insist on letting them grind finer gears and try their best to create them. It will break quickly, but it is useful. I can even participate in these things, and I can still do it by bringing some young people to get started."
Everyone looked at the young man in front of them.
This is not important, what is important is those four words: disciple of the Emperor.
A true disciple of the Emperor, teaching by words and deeds!
(End of chapter)
