The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

The main hall of Qianqing Palace.

The clan meeting was held as scheduled.

The old vassal kings such as Qin Wang Zhu Weizhuo, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, etc., and the new vassal kings such as Xing Wang Zhu Youqi, Yi Wang Zhu Youbin, etc. are all listed at the moment.

They have been in Beijing for almost half a month, and they have roughly understood the purpose of His Majesty the Emperor's clan meeting this time. Therefore, all the kings are very excited at this moment. After all, they can regain power, which means that they no longer have to be that bastard. Eating and waiting to die is a waste.

For example, vassal kings such as King Zhu Weizhuo of Qin and King Ning Zhu Chenhao. These old vassal kings have been passed down to this day and have suffered countless suppressions and tortures. Today they finally saw the opportunity to regain power.

As for the new vassal kings such as Xing Wang Zhu Youyi and Yi Wang Zhu Youbin, they were also very excited. After all, the old vassal kings' lessons learned clearly, and no one wanted to live in the hopeless life of them.

If given a choice, no one wants to be a waste waiting to die.

Soon His Majesty the Emperor walked in high-spirited, followed by only two people.

One of them is Chen Kuan, the eunuch in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies. He is the number one official in the inner court and is in charge of the internal minister of the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

The other person is the most popular upstart in the Zhengde Dynasty, the Marquis of Zhongshan in charge of the Beijing army, Tang Hao!

Chen Kuan was nothing more than an old eunuch who was about to die of old age and retire, and the kings didn't pay much attention to him.

But Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan, put enough pressure on the kings.

There was no other way. When the Marquis of Zhongshan stood behind His Majesty the Emperor, he was as intimidating as an insurmountable high wall.

Not to mention that the Marquis of Zhongshan held a knife in his hand and had a stern face. He looked like he would kill anyone who dared to disobey the holy will, which made all the excited kings suddenly quiet down.

"I'm going to pay homage to Your Majesty!"

The kings didn't have time to think too much, they all stood up and knelt down to salute.

Some nervous people even brought their chairs down, which made the hall look extremely jarring.

Zhu Houzhao came to the dragon chair and waved to everyone and said: "Everyone, please sit down!"

"We are all descendants of Taizu, so there is no need to be so outspoken. Keep all etiquette simple!"

After hearing these first words, the anxious kings finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At least from this sentence, it is not difficult to see that His Majesty the Emperor has no murderous intention towards them, and they can return to their fiefdom safely after the clan meeting.

Chen Kuan became the meeting recorder. Today's clan meeting will determine the future direction of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Houzhao was the first to speak: "I summon you to Beijing to hold a clan meeting for only one purpose!"

"That's because the civil servants and gentry have overstepped their power and controlled the government for many years. I, the emperor, are about to be ousted by them!"

"I have thought about it and found that only my own family will help my own family, so I summon you to Beijing to discuss this matter!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

No one expected that His Majesty the Emperor would be so straightforward and rude, and he would target the civil servants and gentry in the first sentence he spoke!

After Zhu Chenhao had a secret talk with His Majesty the Emperor yesterday, he had gained the benefit of being the Minister of Guanglu Temple, and he understood why the Emperor asked him to be the Minister of Guanglu Temple, so he immediately jumped out and cursed at all the civil servants and gentry.

"This is simply unreasonable!"

"These civil servants and gentry have controlled the government for many years, but after His Majesty ascended the throne, they dared to usurp the artifact!"

"This Ming Dynasty belongs to my old Zhu family, and this world also belongs to my old Zhu family. What do they want to do?"

"Do you really want to completely oust my old Zhu family and turn them into puppet emperors like the Zhao family of the former Song Dynasty?"

As soon as Zhu Chenhao spoke these words, the anger in the hearts of the kings was also aroused.

To be honest, the vassal ban policy formulated by Emperor Taizong was not so strict at the beginning. After all, Emperor Taizong still saved some face for the clan kings.

It was during the Tianshun period that after those civil servants and gentry took full control of the government, they could be said to have intensified their implementation of the vassal ban policy, and even tried every means to suppress the clan kings!

These vassal princes present are all princes, and they are also the heads of various branches of the old Zhu family. In order to ask for the salary they deserve from the court, they often deal with these civil servants and gentry, and they suffer countless insults on weekdays!

At this moment, Zhu Chenhao's words really ignited the anger in the hearts of the kings.

A very simple sentence, why?

The ones who expelled the Tartars and restored China are my old Zhu family, not you gentry and gentry!

Why has it developed so far and the power of the government is controlled by you gentry?

Even when we ask for the salary treatment we deserve, you damn bitches keep making things difficult for us?

Do you really think of yourself as the master of the Ming Dynasty?

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said nothing.

Only then did he realize that Zhu Chenhao was really a good knife!

As long as you give him some sweetness, this thief will really dare to charge into the battle!

The kings talked a lot and cursed at the civil servants and gentry.

Zhu Houzhao then said quietly: "I can change or even abolish the vassal ban policy!"

"But the civil servants and gentry will definitely not agree. They will try their best to stop me, so I need your help!"

"Whether it's money, food or manpower, if you want to lift the vassal ban and become an official in the court, you must show enough sincerity and bring enough chips to allow me to fight against the civil servants and gentry!"

After Tang Hao's reminder, Zhu Houzhao also gave up the idea of ​​​​continuing to deal with these vassal kings.

Instead of pretending to be ignorant and wasting time with these vassal kings, it is better to directly strike out and make the exchange of interests clear!

You want to regain power?

Sure!

But you have to bring out the bargaining chips to exchange!

His Majesty's meaning couldn't be more obvious, and the kings were shocked by his straightforward words for a while.

The courage and courage of this Zhengde Emperor are really... different!

In order to consolidate his position in the heart of His Majesty and to consolidate his upcoming position as the Minister of Guanglu Temple, Zhu Chenhao immediately jumped out to express his position.

"Your Majesty, we are loyal to the emperor and should share his worries!"

"I, the Ning vassal, am willing to respond to your majesty's call and donate 50,000 taels of silver to the court free of charge. Whenever the court needs the children of the vassal, I will immediately send them to the court!"

Hearing this, the kings were so angry that their teeth itched.

Is this Zhu Chenhao crazy?

He asked for 50,000 taels of silver right away?

That's 50,000 taels!

One tael of silver can buy two shi of rice at the worst!

50,000 taels of silver can buy at least 100,000 shi of rice!

These are all real food!

Zhu Chenhao's words are equivalent to setting a standard for the kings.

The old vassal kings who have been passed down for hundreds of years offer 50,000 silver, and the other old vassal kings will not offer less than 30,000 at least, and these new vassal kings cannot offer less than 10,000, otherwise they will refuse the exchange of interests from His Majesty the Emperor!

Why refuse anyone else, but His Majesty the Emperor?

They don't even know how they died!

However, they don't want to take this money, but they really don't want to take it!

Not all vassal kings are like Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao, who wantonly annexed land and plundered the people's fat.

50,000 taels of silver can almost kill them. Could it be that for this exchange of interests, they emptied their family assets and finally the whole family was left with nothing?

Seeing that the kings were hesitant, Zhu Houzhao also understood that these guys were not easy to deal with. They were all the kind of people who would not release their eagles until they saw the rabbit, so he spoke directly and praised Zhu Chenhao in public.

"Prince Ning is loyal!"

"Appointed as the Minister of Guanglu Temple!"

Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao!

Minister of Guanglu Temple!

Upon hearing this, the kings were immediately excited.

This is the Minister of Guanglu Temple!

One of the nine minor ministers of the court!

Did His Majesty really give it out like this?

The key is that once this decree is issued, the policy of prohibition will be meaningless!

What can't you engage in the four people's occupations?

Didn't you see that Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao became the Minister of Guanglu Temple?

This is the strongest political signal, and no one can refute it!

After confirming His Majesty the Emperor's attitude and determination, the kings were all excited for a while.

So after Zhu Chenhao, Prince of Lu Zhu Yangzhu also jumped out and said in a deep voice: "What Prince Ning said is very true. The royal family should share the worries of the king!" "I, the Lu vassal lineage, am willing to offer 50,000 taels of silver. As for outstanding royal family members like Zhu Danglu, no one dares to disobey the imperial court's call!" Hearing this, the kings suddenly came to their senses. By the way, there is also a brave and combative Zhu Danglu, who has been promoted to a guerrilla general and entered the Beijing camp to command the Beijing army! With a vivid example in front of them, the kings also understood that they had no way out. They could only choose to gamble and exchange their interests for the opportunity to regain power. Besides, Prince Ning Zhu Chenhao and Prince Lu Zhu Yangzhu have already expressed their opinions. If they don't express their opinions again, they will go against His Majesty the Emperor! Moreover, this is the general trend, and it is also the actual action that the royal family must take together in order to regain power. Anyone who dares to retreat and refuse at this time will not only arouse the emperor's suspicion, but will also be excluded and suppressed by the princes and royal family!

The "royal family unity" mentioned by Prince Lu Zhu Yangzhu is no joke!

Therefore, the princes spoke one after another. The old princes gritted their teeth and offered 50,000 taels of silver, the middle-level princes offered 30,000 taels of silver, and the new princes had to offer 10,000 taels of silver with a bitter face.

Even the honest Prince Xing Zhu Youlu was forced to offer 10,000 taels of silver. Even though he knew that his family assets were definitely not so much, he had no way to protect himself. He thought about selling his property immediately after the royal family meeting to raise the money.

Anyway, the emperor meant to let him stay in the capital in the future, and there was no need to keep the property in Anlu Prefecture.

In the end, these princes offered nearly 3 million taels of silver in total.

After roughly estimating this number, even Zhu Houzhao, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.

At this moment, he was not happy at all, but felt a sense of fear!

Because these three million taels of silver are not clean money, but the blood and flesh money obtained by these princes of the royal family and the local people for many years!

Three million taels of silver!

It is almost as much as the annual tax revenue of the court!

It is conceivable how many people these princes have harmed in their own fiefdoms!

Fortunately, the savages came up with such a move in time, and the court was aware of the harm of the princes of the royal family in time, otherwise the Ming Dynasty would sooner or later be dragged down and exhausted by these blood-sucking insects!

Zhu Houzhao suppressed his inner fear and started the next step.

"Very good, I have seen your sincerity."

"But I can't let all of you enter the court in a short time. This is impossible, and the civil officials and gentry will not agree!"

"So for the time being, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao will be appointed as the minister of Guanglu Temple, and Xing Wang Zhu Youqi will be appointed as the left minister of the Ministry of Rites. They will stay in the capital court to give advice and discuss government affairs!"

The kings were a little disappointed when they heard this, but they could understand it.

Appointing two vassal princes to the dynasty is already the limit of His Majesty the Emperor.

If there were more, the civil servants and gentry would definitely be in an uproar!

Anyway, they were given money and the vassal ban policy was lifted. It didn't really matter whether he joined the DPRK or not.

What's more, with the two clan kings, Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao and Xing Wang Zhu Youqi, serving as officials in the court and representing the interests of the clan kings, their lives will be much easier in the future, and they may not even have the opportunity to completely lift the vassal ban and regain military power.

Only King Zhu Yangzhu of Lu was disappointed. He thought that the emperor would at least give him an official position. After all, his sons were already officials, but he, the father, gave fifty thousand taels in vain, but got nothing. How can anyone be so bullying?

Zhu Yangzhu could only look at Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao with a sad face, but the latter ignored this "resentful woman" with an expressionless face.

It is impossible for this guy to be among the candidates, because Zhu Yangzhu once held large-scale lewd parties. If His Majesty the Emperor reuses this kind of guy, it will be a slap in the face.

"Secondly, that is the new system of vassalage!"

"Please read this manual and remember it, keep it in your heart, and restrain the clan members in your vassal. If anyone dares to violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty again, not only will the entire clan be deprived of bonuses, but I will also severely punish the leader of the clan without mercy!"

New system of vassalage?

The kings were not surprised by this.

After all, His Majesty the Emperor is about to lift the vassal ban, and a new vassal system will naturally be formulated.

But what does His Majesty the Emperor mean by the bonus?

Is it possible that there will be bonuses available in the future?

When the kings thought of this, they immediately opened the book excitedly.

The results were not happy for a few seconds. When they saw clearly the new vassal system in the brochure, their faces turned green one by one.

Is this damn thing so excessive?

Cutting our salaries for no reason?

The five-level clan salary cuts at the front, plus the clan salary cuts at the next three levels, will serve as the clan's year-end bonus, and will be distributed uniformly based on the clan's performance.

Originally, the annual salary of the prince was 10,000 dan, the prince of the county was 2,000 dan, the general of the state was 1,000 dan, the general of auxiliary state was 800 dan, the general of Fengguo was 600 dan, the lieutenant of Zhenguo was 400 dan, the lieutenant of auxiliary state was 300 dan, and the lieutenant of Fengguo was 200 dan. stone.

Now that this new vassal system is being implemented, the prince's annual salary will be cut in half, leaving only five thousand dan, and the prince's annual salary will be 1,000 dan...

This is not the most critical thing. The most critical thing is that the salaries of the next three levels of lieutenants are the bulk of the clan’s salary!

Among the kings present, except perhaps the new vassal king who still doesn't understand this truth, the other vassal kings know it very well.

Otherwise, why would they call on the people in the domain to have children like crazy?

It’s not because there is money and food to take!

The result is now good, the big head is gone, and the salary is cut in half!

Your Majesty, what does this mean?

This is too much!

Seeing that all the vassal kings were getting anxious, Zhu Houzhao said calmly: "The clan's year-end bonus is given out at the end of every year, and it is awarded according to the four aspects of the vassal's new system!"

"In this first year, the clan's year-end bonus is tentatively set at five hundred thousand taels of silver. After all, it's not easy for you either. You have all read the assessment system carefully, so don't say it was unforeseen!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar!

The clan’s year-end award!

Five hundred thousand taels of silver with snowflake pattern!

Upon hearing this number, the eyes of all the vassal kings turned red instantly!

That’s five hundred thousand taels of snowflake-patterned silver!

One tael of silver can buy two stones of rice!

Five hundred thousand taels of silver means at least one million shi of food!

All are given to clan members as clan year-end bonuses!

On average, excluding some vassals that have been excluded from bonus qualifications, each of their vassal kings can receive at least 50,000 shi of grain!

Oh my God, your Majesty's gesture is too big, isn't it?

Even if the salary is reduced by half, plus the final 50,000 stone year-end bonus, it is more than five times more than before!

After such calculations, although the clan salary has been cut in half, and although the clan level has been cut by three levels, if the final year-end bonus is calculated on average, the clan salary has not been reduced, but has increased several times!

This is a great gift!

A generous gift that no feudal king could refuse!

His Majesty the Emperor is worthy of being one of his own family, and he still cares for us in his heart!

For a time, the kings were extremely happy and accepted the salary reduction.

Just flipping through the booklet and taking a closer look, the kings' smiles became a little stiff.

hiss……

Fertility rate, contribution rate, crime rate and graduation rate.

If even one of them falls short of the standard, the year-end bonus will be lost.

It even specifically states that if the four major indicators are too low, especially the crime rate, not only will the year-end bonus for this year be lost, but the qualifications for participation in future year-end bonuses will also be cancelled, which means that the year-end bonus next year will be cancelled. It may all be gone. In addition, the imperial court will severely punish the clan kings who violate the laws and regulations, and will not be lenient!

The fertility rate is okay, and the kings don't pay much attention to it. At worst, they can just let the descendants take care of their own crotches. The children have to be raised by themselves after they are born. The court only helps raise three, male and female. Then Who wants to have children, but this indicator is still relatively easy to achieve.

And this contribution rate is relatively easy. There are many examples listed above. For example, the feudal clan can organize and compile ancient books. If you compile a book, the contribution rate will be increased. These are all things that can be completed as long as it takes time. Tasks, such as Zhu Dangqi, the returned king of the Lu vassal, who made great contributions to the country on the battlefield, will directly increase the contribution rate.

Speaking of which, this one is relatively simple.

There is also a graduation rate, which is purely to urge the clan children to study and cultivate virtue. In the future, the imperial court will organize a unified assessment for the clan children of the right age. Those who are incompetent in literature and military, or are too dandy and useless, will even be directly deprived of their clan status. This The punishment also made the kings feel shocked!

Only the last crime rate made all the kings look solemn.

If there is a vassal prince who cares about human life, he will be immediately disqualified from the three-year year-end bonus upon verification.

Ah, this... is so strict!

All the kings were a little worried.

That's a lot of money and food. If it's gone and the annual salary is cut in half, how will this family live?

For a time, the kings no longer dared to take it lightly.

You must complete these four indicators and strictly restrain all the clan members of your branch, especially the behaviors recorded in the crime rate. You must not engage in any of the behaviors recorded above, otherwise you will break the legs of those dogs!

After all, they had given all the money, and if they failed in this last step, there would really be no place to cry!

Zhu Houzhao looked at the changes in expressions of the feudal kings, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

Once these two steps are implemented, half of the hidden dangers of the clan and vassal kings will be solved.

But the three-step strategy proposed by the savages still has a third step!