prosperous age

"Oh, so it seems that Anda Khan has already made arrangements."

Wei Guangde laughed and said, "That's fine. Let's wait and see whether Anda Khan prefers Huang Taiji or Bahannaji."

“What Grand Secretary Wei says is true; I am also very curious.”

Liu Shouyou said with a fawning smile.

Since the beginning of the "family-based rule", the primogeniture system in the Central Plains gradually took shape and was finalized at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, which stipulated that "the eldest son should be established as heir, not the most virtuous, and the son should be established as heir, not the eldest."

According to the rules of primogeniture, if there is a legitimate son, he/she shall be the heir; if there is no legitimate son, the eldest son shall be the heir.

Furthermore, if the empress has no legitimate son and the emperor has no eldest son, then a member of the imperial clan can only be adopted.

But since they are all members of the royal family, their origins are essentially the same. At this point, people will naturally discuss who is more virtuous and who can govern the country better.

However, the so-called wisdom is just a pretext; in the end, it all comes down to how the royal family makes their choices.

This was how the Han people chose their emperors: they considered lineage, eldest son of the legitimate wife, and only then whether the emperor was virtuous or wise.

However, the primogeniture system, which had been upheld in the Central Plains for thousands of years, did not spread to the nomadic peoples of the north.

In stark contrast to the Central Plains, the Mongols adhered to the principle of "the youngest son inheriting the hearth," meaning that the youngest son would inherit his parents' property.

While their father was still alive, the sons separated from the family one by one, with the older sons going further away. When they left, they could take a portion of the family property and herds with them, leaving the youngest son behind to inherit most of his father's estate.

The Mongols called the youngest son "Ochijin," which means "the one who guards the fire and the hearth." He was the foundation of the family and would not only inherit the family business in the future, but also take on the task of guarding the old camp when his father and brothers went to war. This is what is known as "the youngest son guarding the property" or "the youngest son guarding the hearth."

Genghis Khan's Golden Family: the eldest son, Jochi, was enfeoffed in the Kipchak Steppe, thousands of miles away; the second son, Chagatai, was in the Transoxiana and Western Regions, which were closer to the homeland; and the youngest son, Tolui, assisted the Great Khan in handling military affairs.

When Genghis Khan was in his prime, he would go out to fight, and he would always arrange for his younger brother Temuge to stay in Mongolia and take care of their elderly mother Hoelun. This reflects this custom.

Of course, it is also necessary to clarify a concept here: the youngest son who guards the inheritance is guarding the "inheritance" itself, not the power of the Great Khan.

From the time of Genghis Khan onwards, the succession to the Khanate in Mongolia was either designated by the Great Khan or elected through a Kurultai (assembly of assemblies).

Khureltai, also known as Khureltai or Khural, actually means "gathering" in Chinese. To this day, the parliament of Mongolia is still called the "State Great Khural".

However, the most effective procedure was the appointment of the Khan before the Kurultai, as he could designate someone as his successor before his death.

According to Wei Guangde, if a new Khan is elected through a Kurultai (assembly of assemblies), Huang Taiji has a high probability of being elected.

Because of his military achievements, Huang Taiji was the eldest and had followed Altan Khan in his early years, conquering east and west and making many military contributions.

This was a huge plus in the Mongol elections. Although they had suffered heavy losses in the battles with the Ming army in recent years, their early achievements could not be erased.

But Wei Guangde increasingly felt that Anda Khan seemed to have his eye on someone else.

He did not choose his youngest son, Jamusu, also known as Yierjiangxuntaiji, as the guardian of the hearth, but instead sent his grandson, Bahannaji, to Guihua City. This naturally implied that he was leaving everything behind to Bahannaji.

While it cannot be concluded that Altan Khan intended for his grandson to succeed him, as long as the successor remains unclear, many unpredictable situations could arise if the matter is delayed until the Kurultai (assembly of Kurultai).

"The Embroidered Uniform Guards need to keep a close eye on Mongolia. Let me know as soon as you have any news."

Wei Guangde gave the order.

"Yes, Grand Secretary Wei, what do you think? Should we also get involved and stir things up?"

Liu Shouyou asked cautiously.

"No, it would be beneficial for our Ming Dynasty if Mongolia could peacefully transfer power."

If things get chaotic, there will be some benefits, but the situation will be difficult to control.

It's really hard to choose.

Wei Guangde simply shook his head and said something.

If the Mongols were to engage in internal strife, they might all want to receive investiture from the Ming Dynasty and would be respectful to the Ming, but that is only a possibility.

Perhaps Anda Khan's sons want to use their troops to demand more from the Ming Dynasty, making it difficult for them to wage civil war, which would be troublesome.

They would first conquer southwards, then return to the grasslands to fight amongst themselves.

Anda Khan had many sons, at least two of whom were eyeing the Ming Dynasty with covetous intent.

If Huang Taiji had succeeded to the throne, Wei Guangde would have been more accepting.

He was at least a defeated opponent, and his lingering fear of the Ming Dynasty would influence his decisions.

As for others, it's hard to say.

"By the way, I remember the intelligence sent back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard said that the Princess Consort of Shunyi seemed to have been studying our Han culture?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked.

He vaguely remembered that it was said that the Third Daughter did not want to continue the Mongolian tradition and remarried the new Great Khan after the old Khan died.

This suggests that neither Huang Taiji nor Buyan Taiji may be the sum of the three sisters.

Even if it were Hannaji, he would have his own wife, and it would be even more impossible for San Niangzi to remarry his nominal grandson.

"That's right. This Princess of Shunyi is fond of Han culture and has hired two teachers to give her lessons."

As Liu Shouyou spoke, he observed Wei Guangde's expression. When he saw that Wei Guangde's expression changed slightly, he immediately continued, "Grand Secretary Wei, if you need anything, just say so. One of them is a secret agent of my Embroidered Uniform Guard who can speak with Third Lady."

"Oh, so the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already planted people around Third Sister?"

Wei Guangde laughed.

"Yes, we received the news beforehand and immediately sent a clerk over. Fortunately, he successfully gained her trust."

Liu Shouyou said with a forced smile.

"This person is very important. His job is simply to keep an eye on things and send messages back. He can't do anything else."

Wei Guangde gave the order.

Being able to stay by Third Sister's side is equivalent to having an informant among the Mongol high command, allowing one to obtain a lot of information that is difficult for the Ming Dynasty to investigate.

"Your Excellency, rest assured, I understand."

Liu Shouyou hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting.

"Have you sent anyone to North Korea? Any intelligence regarding Japan and the North Sea?"

Now that Liu Shouyou was in person, Wei Guangde couldn't help but ask a question.

"They've already been dispatched. Intelligence from the North Sea will be directly communicated to the East China Sea Navy."

In addition, my subordinates have already arranged for people to establish a chamber of commerce in Busan, mainly to collect intelligence on Tsushima Island and Japan.

"We will report any news to the Grand Secretary promptly."

Liu Shouyou replied.

Next, Wei Guangde inquired about the arrangements of spies in Burma, Palembang, and Luzon, through whom the Ming Dynasty also needed to obtain information about the entire South China Sea and the surrounding areas of the Western Sea.

Liu Shouyou answered fluently, clearly having made prior arrangements and unafraid of Wei Guangde's sudden questions.

"Yes, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is well managed under your command. I heard from Ru Mo that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a great help in collecting the blank documents this time."

Wei Guangde then found another reason to praise Liu Shouyou, who, though keeping his head down, was all smiles. "It was all part of my job; there's no credit to speak of."

Liu Shouyou replied with a cheerful smile.

"Go ahead and do your work. Keep an eye on all the news from all sides, not just overseas, but also the situation in various provinces in China."

Although the land survey is almost over, the imperial court will compile a large number of imperial registers next year.

Judging from the recent actions of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Personnel, you should be able to guess the court's next move.

I don't believe that you, the commander of the Imperial Guard, would be unaware of these changes; all matters are interconnected.

The Yellow Register and the Fish Scale Register are fundamental to the nation and must not be allowed to contain any falsehoods or deceptions intended to deceive the emperor.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is a crucial means of ensuring His Majesty is not misled; it must not be underestimated.

Wei Guangde offered a word of advice: Liu Shouyou had a good attitude and was shrewd; Wei Guangde wouldn't mind giving him a few pointers.

Nowadays, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's duties are mostly at the behest of the Grand Secretariat, but Wei Guangde doesn't want to sow any seeds of future trouble, so he reminds Liu Shouyou that his true master is actually the one in the palace.

Wei Guangde only wanted to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not to incorporate it into his own forces. He didn't have the guts for that; he had a large family behind him.

Liu Shouyou was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood Wei Guangde's implication.

Believe it or not, many court officials are still used to the cabinet holding power, as the emperor is too young to manage state affairs.

Therefore, they were still somewhat unclear about the matter of the emperor taking personal control of the government.

It's not that they can't think of it, it's that they're used to it.

However, Emperor Wanli eventually completed his wedding and came of age, so it was only a matter of time before the cabinet handed over power.

Wei Guangde did not believe that this situation would continue, as neither the two empresses nor the Qianqing Palace would be happy about it.

Faced with the prospect of power, Wei Guangde chose stability and did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

The matter concerning Zhang Juzheng was somewhat unclear, but it is said that it was not Zhang Juzheng's original intention, but rather that the palace was unwilling to let him relinquish power and hand it over to the young emperor.

Wei Guangde mainly focused on analyzing various market trends and why Zhang Juzheng achieved such a result.

To nip problems in the bud, Wei Guangde would naturally be careful to avoid such a thing happening to him.

Seeing Liu Shouyou's expression, Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Good that you understand. Go and get back to work."

Wei Guangde gave the order to leave, and Liu Shouyou respectfully took his leave and withdrew from the duty room.

After only a moment's thought, Liu Shouyou lifted the front of his robe and strode toward the Qianqing Palace.

If before he only entered the palace to fulfill his duties as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and submit a copy of the intelligence he had gathered to the palace for record-keeping, now Liu Shouyou realized why the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the head of all military officers in the land and the one closest to imperial power.

Yes, when we deliver briefings to the palace, we might be summoned by His Majesty.

Although serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, to gain the emperor's favor, one must show one's face in front of the emperor more often.

If you can't even see him, how will the emperor know who you are?

Although the emperor still attends classes at the Wenhua Hall, the class time has been reduced from daily to every two or three days, and the workload has also decreased.

After all, the emperor's main task has now shifted from studying to learning how to govern, and the power of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was the first to be stripped away.

In the past, the Grand Secretariat handled most of the major and minor matters in the memorials drafted by the Grand Secretariat, and only those matters that it could not handle were reported to the palace.

Now all memorials must be reviewed in front of the young emperor. Although the young emperor has little say in the cabinet's draft proposals, he can at least be involved in government affairs.

By reading memorials to the emperor, one can learn about major national affairs; by reviewing draft proposals from the cabinet, one can learn how to govern the country.

Just as Emperor Wanli was reviewing memorials, a young eunuch guarding the gate came in to report that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was requesting an audience.

This was the first courtier, other than a cabinet minister, to come here seeking an audience.

"Let him in."

The young emperor Zhu Yijun gave the order.

Then, until the end of the year, there wasn't much going on in the court.

However, the results of the Ministry of Revenue's land survey gradually leaked out, and everyone in the court knew that the survey of land across the country, presided over by the Grand Secretary, had achieved results that exceeded everyone's expectations.

700 million mu.

Although it was smaller than the 800 million mu figure that had appeared during the Hongwu, Chenghua, and Hongzhi reigns, the officials still knew that this number was relatively objective.

It can be said that the previous figure of over 800 million mu was actually due to errors in calculation.

The Ming Dynasty could not possibly have had so much farmland.

Of course, the actual area that appears most of the time is definitely more than 400 million mu.

They were all local gentry families, so they naturally knew the truth.

This land survey, overseen by Zhang Juzheng, has brought to light everything that had been hidden in the localities.

With censors and imperial guards watching, no one dared to falsify anything; they could only measure accurately according to the imperial system.

The land has been cleared out, which is one thing; what the imperial court should do next is another.

Wei Guangde had already received the news that some people below had begun to make arrangements to reform the imperial court's tax policy.

In many people's eyes, the Ming emperors were born beggars and understood the hardships of the common people. They believed they would care for the people, reduce taxes and levies, and allow the people to rest. As a result, a bunch of people wishfully shouted "Long live the Ming Dynasty!"

So what exactly did Zhu Yuanzhang set for taxes?

According to the tax system established by Zhu Yuanzhang, the imperial court collected land tax from the people. The regulations stipulated that the tax on official land was five sheng, three he, and five shao per mu, the tax on farmland was reduced by two sheng, the tax on land subject to heavy rent was eight sheng, five he, and five shao, and the tax on land without official land was one dou and two sheng.

No official land refers to official land confiscated due to crimes or other reasons.

In previous dynasties, the land tax was one dou per mu in the Song Dynasty, three sheng in the Yuan Dynasty, and two sheng more for official land in the Ming Dynasty than in the Yuan Dynasty. The land tax for private land was similar to that of the Yuan Dynasty, which was much lighter than that of the Song Dynasty.

The regulations of the Tang Dynasty were consistent with those of the Song Dynasty, which levied taxes at a rate of one dou per mu, or about one-fifteenth of a mu.

From a tax perspective, the early Ming Dynasty was indeed characterized by light taxes and levies, allowing people to recuperate and thrive; the tax rate was approximately one-thirtieth.

Of course, this five liters per mu was not universal. For example, in Suzhou Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture, the tax was set at eight dou per mu. "Only in Suzhou, Songjiang, Jiaxing and Huzhou, angered by Zhang Shicheng's rule, the land of powerful families and wealthy people was confiscated as official land, and the tax amount was determined according to the private rent register."

However, Zhu Yuanzhang had set a limit of 2950 million shi of grain tax for the country each year. Now that there was more land, the question of whether to reduce the amount according to the ancestral system or to collect the 2950 million shi of grain tax at a rate of five sheng per mu became the focus of private discussion among officials.

The gentry have already given back all their land, but they are not going to back down on how to pay taxes easily.

After all, this is food and money.

According to the data we have now, if the Ming Dynasty follows the tax system set by Emperor Taizu, it can generate 40 million shi of grain tax annually, an increase of 30%.

However, if the ancestral system is adhered to, it means that the tax will still be levied according to the standard of 2950 million shi (a unit of dry measure), and the tax burden will not actually increase by much.

Everyone knew what Zhang Juzheng wanted to do, but they all pretended not to know, intending to fight the cabinet over this issue.

A turbulent undercurrent swept through the capital, creating an atmosphere of impending storm. (End of Chapter)