Emperor Ming Dynasty

The special situation of King Qin is that the imperial line comes from Qin Fan.

This kind of embarrassment also existed in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, was a descendant of Changsha King Liu Fa, the son of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. Although the last Changsha King was abolished by Wang Mang, his descendants remained.

Liu Xiu had no choice but to pinch his nose and make Liu Xing the king of Changsha, and was later deposed as Marquis of Linxiang.

This has to mention the strategy of treating the Western Han clan in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. All the former vassal kings were demoted from kings to marquises, which barely preserved their dignity.

Therefore, the vassal kings of the Eastern Han Dynasty were basically descendants of Liu Xiu.

The Eastern Han Dynasty had to do this. There were too many vassal kings, and the Tweeting Order created many vassal states.

But in the Shaowu Dynasty, the situation was reversed.

There are only thirty princes at the top of the clan until now.

In other words, among the hundreds of princes left behind by the Seventeenth Emperor, except for the one who inherited the throne, there are only 30 people who have grown up and left heirs.

And there are hundreds of county kings and countless generals.

Therefore, it became a matter of course to retain the prince and demote the county king.

The princes are honored and enjoy the salary but not outside the seal, and the house is in the capital, so as not to go out and harm the people.

Far away, in Qin Fan's nearly 300 years of history, succession to the throne has been very difficult. Dazong has repeatedly died out, so that the prince's lineage has been transferred as many as six times. This is a unique record among the feudal kings of the Ming Dynasty.

This made the cabinet four worried.

You must know that in the Jiajing New Deal, the vassal regulations were greatly changed, and the inheritance rights were greatly reduced. Even so, even the Sufan with the smallest clan population had 5 county kings, and the largest Zhou king had 46 county kings.

And what about Qin Fan?There is only one Yongshou County King.This has to be traced back to the fifth son of the first king of Qin.

The blood is farther than the emperor.

As for the generals and lieutenants who worshiped incense like Emperor Zhu Yixi, it was just to prevent the county king from being sacrificed, and he had no right to inherit the throne at all.

"Depose!" Lu Daqi always said surprisingly.

"Now it's not like the previous dynasty. Although Qin Fan is the number one suzerain vassal, but the Heyang King's lineage is from His Majesty, it can be regarded as inheriting the incense, and the sacrifice cannot be cut off."

"It's better to depose this prince."

"I'm afraid it won't cause waves in the clan."

Zhang Shenyan sighed: "You know, the clan has been making a lot of noise recently about the land exchange, and the way of being close can't be far away."

If he really listened to Lu Daqi's words, it would be like adding fuel to the fire.

It's by no means a safe bet.

"Then, we can only pick them from the lineage of King Yongshou." Yan Chongxin mused, his tone not so happy.

"It depends on what His Majesty wants."

Zhao Shu was much more conservative. He took a sip of tea and said lightly, "In terms of the clan, the emperor may have plans, so let's stop giving random advice."

"So as not to be thankless."

These words have been recognized by several people.

The succession of the vassal king is not profitable for civil servants at all, but if it is not said well, it will easily lead to disaster.

In fact, the current prince's property has long been divided up by the rebellious people. The local vassal land is either nationalized or distributed. The real property is only the thousand hectares of land allocated by the emperor, and now it has been exchanged to Liaodong.

Lumi's words can only be equated with the Duke of the State, only five thousand stones.

But the real financial resources are definitely not comparable to ordinary dukes.

If it were the former King Qin, he would be able to leave hundreds of thousands of acres of land after he was deposed, which would be enough for the finances to burp.

At this time, the emperor, in the study, received King Zong Zhengrui, Zhu Changhao.

As the fifth son of Emperor Shenzong, the 63-year-old King Rui is in good health and can jump.

Compared with other vassal kings, King Rui is not good at women, he likes to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddha, his biggest hobby is nothing but the pursuit of money.

It is precisely because of this that he helped Zhu Yixi raise millions of taels of silver when he was in Hanzhong, and has been trusted ever since.

When he ascended the throne, as the head of the clan, he took the lead in persuading him to advance, and later became Zongzheng of the clan's mansion, in charge of clan affairs.

In other words, the clan had to be managed by its own people, and when the civil servants managed it, it became common practice to embezzle the royal family's salary, but this money-greedy King Rui never dared to be greedy for money.

Once scolded by his relatives, he can't hold his head up in front of his ancestors.

To be received by the emperor solemnly, no matter how dull King Rui was, he would understand what it meant, it was nothing more than the matter of King Qin.

"King Qin is dying, and the imperial doctor said it will be two days away."

Zhu Yixi sighed, showing a trace of sadness: "I went to see him today, and he was so skinny. A few years ago, he was in poor health. Looking at him now, it is even more sad."

King Rui comforted: "Your Majesty is mourning, destiny is impermanent, and if I can thank you for your concern, King Qin must be happy in his heart."

"Even if you leave, you will end with a smile on your face."

Zhu Yixi glanced at him, and immediately took back the sadness.

If he is not dead yet, you just die with a smile on your face.

"The lineage of the King of Qin is the first vassal of the Taizu Emperor, and my lineage also comes from this. It is not insignificant. Now that I am worried about the extinction of my heir, I am in a state of confusion at this moment. Can King Rui teach me anything?"

"We should choose a good heir to succeed King Qin as soon as possible, so that he can succeed to the throne—"

King Rui raised his head slightly, seeing the emperor's calm appearance, he couldn't help but speak.

This is a cliché, and the emperor was noncommittal.

"There are three sons under King Yongshou, and they are still healthy..."

"The bloodline is too far away."

Zhu Yixi pouted and said, "It's a thousand miles away."

"Then choose one from the other priests?" King Rui asked tentatively.

"It's not in line with your status." Zhu Yixi vetoed it again.

I have only heard of a county king succeeding a prince, but not a lieutenant succeeding.

Now, it was the turn of the honest King Rui to sit on the wax.

This doesn't work, and that doesn't work. There are only these two options. Is it really necessary to abolish Qin Fan?

Thinking of this, King Rui felt that it was impossible, the emperor was from the Qin clan, and watched the successive Qin kings stop offering sacrifices?That must not be scolded to heaven.

Seeing that the old man was still thinking there, Zhu Yixi asked tentatively, "Brother Wang, what do you think of Cunmu?"

"The eldest prince is extremely intelligent, and everyone at that time praised him. He is worthy of being a child of the Tian family."

"Cun Mo is already nine years old, he is gradually sensible, he is literary and martial arts at that time, although he has not grown up yet, he must be a virtuous king."

The emperor praised here, King Rui, who was sitting down, turned pale with shock, and muttered in his heart:
Adoption of the prince to the vassal king has not been heard of in the three hundred years of the emperor's Ming Dynasty.

The emperor is really big-hearted!

However, the position of King Qin is different. After all, it is the descendant of the royal family. It is not a taste to let someone else succeed him. It is better to give it to his own son.

The existing land, property, and palace do not need to be built, not to mention how convenient it is.

"Your Majesty, the old minister is taking the liberty." King Rui's heart was filled with happiness, and his mouth immediately turned into a thought: "Why don't you let the eldest prince succeed the King of Qin?"

"Brother end brother, is this not good?" The emperor hesitated.

Well, I thought that adopting an adopted son would become a son, that brothers end up with younger brothers, and that only the emperor can do it.

King Rui said without changing his face: "The Qin Fan family has been changed many times, the direct line is cut off, and the Tian family's blood is full, only then can we change our destiny and revive the Qin Fan."

Last year, Zhu Cunqu, the eldest son of the direct line, was granted the title of King of Wu and was promoted to a half-step prince. As he grew older, he was eight years old.

Lively, cheerful, and enthusiastic, he really doesn't look like a dementia.

Since then, Zhu Yixi was relieved.

As long as he continues to cultivate, no matter how bad it is, he can become a successful king and keep his vastly expanded country.

As a result, Zhu Cunhao, the former eldest prince, became aware of the matter as he grew older. In order to avoid fratricide, he had to establish the crown prince as soon as possible.

Once the title of monarch and minister is established, extravagant hopes and ambitions can be cut off.

And the best way to do this is to adopt the eldest son out.

If something happens to the eldest son, he can take it back.

"You are the elder of the clan, since you have said so, it must be in line with public opinion."

Zhu Yixi sighed.

"The old minister really can't think of any better way." King Rui said sincerely without conscience.

"I'll leave the clan to you..."

Afterwards, the emperor met with the cabinet group of four in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

This kind of imperial meeting is simple and convenient, with only a few people, the monarch and his ministers talk face to face, and policies can be determined in a short period of time, avoiding internal friction.

Similarly, the power of relatives has also been divided, and it is difficult to survive alone.

This is the biggest difference between the Shaowu Dynasty and the previous 200 years.

The communication between the emperor and the cabinet ministers is no longer a cold draft, but face-to-face communication also strengthens the imperial power in a sense.

The first is to determine the rewards of Li Dingguo and other military officials.

Gao Yigong's Jing Guogong was sealed by the emperor himself without discussion, and the Ministry of Rites could only do so.

As for military officials such as Li Dingguo, the Ministry of Rites approved the military exploits, and after a long time, they finally drafted a plan.

Li Dingguo was transferred to the title of Marquis of Shazhou, Lumi [-] shi (Duke [-]), he was promoted to the military governor's mansion Qianshi, Tiannan General, and was in charge of the Tiannanxing Capital.

Obviously, he is only a mile away from the Duke.

There is one Jin Dynasty marquis, three uncles, and twenty sons and men.

"Is the list correct?" The emperor confirmed.

"The Governor's Mansion and the Ministry of War have repeatedly confirmed that there are no omissions."

Zhao Shu cupped his hands and said: "It's just the land of meritorious service. The ministers and others suggest that it can be transferred to Tiannan. In this way, it can also be consolidated. After all, the Central Plains and Liaodong are too far away."

"Let them choose!" The emperor waved his hand and said, "Either in Tiannan or Liaodong. We are arbitrarily arbitrarily letting people be in Tiannan, which will easily arouse the resentment of the soldiers."

"Your Majesty Shengming."

After thinking about it, wherever the land is conquered, the people will be sealed there. Who else wants to go to the frontier to fight, it hurts the morale of the army too much.

A few more important matters were discussed.

For example, Gong Yinzhi of Yansheng died of illness five years ago. According to the rule of alternating north and south that the emperor said before, the title of Duke Yansheng was inherited by Kong Zhenyun in the Nankong Mansion.

At the beginning of the month, Kong Zhenyun also died of illness. According to the reason, he should alternate to Qufu and be succeeded by Kong Yinzhi's son.

In this regard, Zhu Yixi didn't want to break the rules he set, so he agreed.

In fact, up to now, with the passage of time, he has lost the passion and indignation he had at the beginning of his succession.

After all, the ass decides the head.

The Confucian Mansion is just a mascot, and in troubled times, it can't stand up to a single soldier. Although it kneels down many times, it still maintains the inheritance.

In order to survive, chastity is really worthless.

It was only at the end that the matter of King Qin's death was mentioned.

Just as he wanted to deal with King Rui, the emperor vetoed several proposals one after another, and finally said: "I intend to let the eldest prince Zhu Cunhao inherit the title of King Qin, brother and brother, and offer incense."

As soon as these words came out, everyone suddenly became enlightened.

It turned out that the emperor had this idea.

Naturally, the cabinet will not object to this, but strongly agrees with it.

The biggest threat to King Wu at present is the eldest son Zhu Cunhao who occupies the status of the eldest son. Once he succeeds King Qin, he will definitely not be able to become the prince.

The position of King Wu is as stable as gold.

The fourth member of the cabinet immediately showed a relieved smile.

The emperor can still be persuaded.

Afterwards, rumors spread among the clan that the eldest prince would succeed the King of Qin.

But the court chose to remain silent.

Now, the harem is bustling.

The Queen's place is naturally full of joy, even more lively than New Year's Eve.

The faces of the court ladies and eunuchs were filled with enthusiasm, and they walked with the wind, not to mention their airs.

"Sister, congratulations." Sun Damianang came forward with a smile, her eyes bent into crescent moons, and she brought a son and a daughter with her.

"Where does the joy come from?" Sun Xueniang smiled reservedly: "Don't talk nonsense, it's better to keep a low profile."

And in Yongshou Palace, Zhuang Concubine Zhang Yu's palace, although it is summer outside, but inside the palace is like three winters, it is terribly cold.

At this time, only my sister, Zhang Man, walked over. Seeing that everyone was sullen, bowing their heads and not daring to speak, and not daring to breathe, they immediately frowned.

ding ding ding-

The crisp footsteps sounded on the floor and slowly broke into the bedroom.

Zhang Yu looked up and saw that it was his sister, and immediately showed a look of dumbfounding, which made me feel sorry for her.

"Why do you put so many ice basins, so you are not afraid of freezing your body to death?"

Zhang Man scolded, and asked people to take away most of the ice basin, and opened the curtains again, so that the bedroom was brighter.

Looking at his sickly sister, Zhang Man asked everyone to back down, and then sat down on the side of the bed: "Why, are you disheartened?"

"Sister~" Zhang Yu's expression was very bad.

"That position is also what you can think of?"

Zhang Man was not used to her, so he directly bent down and said in a low voice, "If you say that, it will be difficult for both of us sisters in the palace."

"Father is also restless in the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

"But, the eldest brother is the eldest son—" Zhang Yu said unwillingly.

"He is still the eldest son. This is not something we can expect. The empress is married by a bright matchmaker. After a famous family, it is not something we can compare with."

"If I don't wake you up today, I'm afraid you're still dreaming. It's a disaster when something else happens."

Zhang Man said bitterly: "Stop messing around, if the emperor finds out about this, you will suffer."

Only then did Zhang Yu sigh and forcefully pull himself together.

"The Duke of Qin's title is not bad. After all, it is the first feudal clan. How many people are looking forward to inheriting it. Now that Brother Mu has won the position, many people in the harem are jealous."

"As far as I know, after Sun Damiana heard about it, she wanted her son to win King Qin!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yu said sharply: "How dare she? This is my son's."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is coming—"