Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The fact that the story of the Tang emperor's descendant could be passed on to Yuan Keli, who was "recuperating" in his hometown, already demonstrates its sensational nature.

Even Zhu Youjian did not expect that, shortly after the death of the old Tang King, Zhu Yujian would so hastily have his two uncles beaten to death without even trying to cover it up.

When the news reached the imperial court, it caused an uproar.

The newly appointed officials have all used this case as an opportunity to express their opinions.

Some who couldn't keep up with the changes and were determined to return to the old system used this incident to attack the feudal system. They argued that the feudal nobles had been given too much power, which allowed them to act so recklessly.

These people even used intimidation tactics to recount to the emperor various rebellions by vassal kings in previous dynasties. They argued that granting nobles real power was the source of unrest and that this system should be changed.

They subtly opposed the restoration of ritual and music, believing that the new system of rites and laws was the root cause of this case.

Now even Zhu Youjian, who was pretending to be fishing, couldn't sit still any longer.

His greatest concern was restoring the rites and music system, which he considered his life's work.

Anyone who dared to openly oppose the restoration of rites and music was banished to the provinces.

The fact that someone still dares to challenge this makes him determined to suppress this countercurrent.

Summoning the cabinet ministers, Zhu Youjian made a pointed remark:

"This reshuffle has brought quite a few new faces to the court!"

“Some people are not familiar with the imperial system, so you should teach them more.”

"I can tolerate it once or twice, but if someone knowingly commits a wrong, then they are ruining their future."

"If someone really can't adapt, let them step down to the second line."

When the opposing voices erupted, Han Kuang was worried about the emperor's attitude.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, he immediately expressed his intention to properly instruct the new court officials, and then inquired:
What does "stepping down to the second line" mean?

"Your Majesty, please enlighten me."

Zhu Youjian said:
"War has the concept of front lines and rear areas."

"On the front lines, there are first-line soldiers facing the enemy directly, and second-line soldiers responsible for providing support."

"Retiring to the second line means that those officials will no longer be responsible for the actual work on the front line, but their rank and treatment will be retained, and they will be transferred to government offices such as the Court of Colonial Affairs and the Advisory Council."

"Huang, the head of the Court of Colonial Affairs, and Fang, the chief advisor of the Advisory Council, are representatives of those who have retired to the second line."

"They also receive benefits and have certain rights."

"But they no longer have much say in the daily affairs of the court."

Two specific examples made the assembled officials immediately understand:

It turns out that the so-called "retirement to the second line" does not mean complete retirement; one still retains a certain voice in the court.

This was considered a preferential treatment for retired officials, but for those who still had a future in officialdom, it was a form of demotion.

They had official rank and benefits, but in reality, they had very little say in the matter.

Taking Wang Anshi's reforms as an example, the old party that opposed the new laws was driven to places like Luoyang.

Thinking of the consequences of the factional strife between the reformist and conservative factions in the Northern Song Dynasty, Han Kuang, who was somewhat conservative at heart, said:

"The newly appointed officials in the court are making these remarks because they are unfamiliar with court affairs."

"I believe that educating them is sufficient; demoting them to a secondary position is too much of a punishment."

“If we allow them to gather in certain government offices, it will actually hinder the restoration of rites and music.”

Yang Jingchen and others also advised against launching a major attack at this time.

The leadership transition is a matter of responsibility for all of them. If there is a major upheaval immediately after the transition, the court will become unstable, which will not be conducive to their implementation of policies.

Zhu Youjian was also worried that if he targeted too many officials, it would cause the targeted officials to form an old faction.

So, after being advised by these people, he calmed down a little.

However, he remained determined to make an example of Qian Qianyi, recalling Qian's recent defection, and ordered:

"The failure of moral education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites."

"When Mr. Liu went to Annam, some people neglected the restoration of rites and music."

"Everyone in the Ministry of Rites must write a self-criticism, explaining their attitude towards the restoration of rites and music, and other colleagues should report on each other, and conduct criticism and self-evaluation."

"If anyone is found to be outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant about the restoration of rites and music, they must be removed from the front line."

"I do not wish for the Ministry of Rites to produce a group of heartless and treacherous officials."

The Ministry of Rites was specifically chosen for rectification, to instill a sense of awe in the new generation of officials in the imperial court.

At the same time, he ordered Qian Qianyi to do this work: to remove the officials who opposed Datong.

Upon investigation, an opposition figure was indeed discovered. Qian Shisheng, the newly appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and Right Junior Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, had grievances against policies such as limiting land and slavery and levying property taxes, and was reported by many officials of the Ministry of Rites.

He was close in age to Qian Qianyi, and was the top scholar in the Bingchen year of the Wanli reign. He had now been promoted to the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and was qualified to join the cabinet.

In order to strike at his political enemies, Qian Qianyi presented the remarks of Qian Shisheng, which were reported by officials of the Ministry of Rites.

This future Grand Secretary became the highest-ranking official to be demoted in this purge. He was relieved of his concurrent post as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and transferred from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, becoming a marginal official responsible for diplomatic protocol.

When many officials learned of his fate, they felt a deep sense of shared sorrow and a profound understanding of the emperor's attitude towards restoring the rites and music.

They also became hesitant to speak recklessly about the enfeoffment system, one of the three major systems of rites.
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After suppressing the opposition from the civil officials, Zhu Youjian still needed to express his stance to the nobles.

He wrote to Yuan Keli, hoping that this meritorious official of the restoration would step forward to establish fiefdoms and support the enfeoffment system with practical actions.

Meanwhile, under his covert instigation, the feudal nobles in the capital could no longer sit still.

Whether they were new or old nobles, once they gained power in their fiefdoms, they could not go back to the past.

Fearing that the emperor would be affected, they halted the distribution of fiefs, refuting the civil officials' arguments while simultaneously professing their loyalty to the emperor.

He wholeheartedly supported the emperor's handling of the Tang Prince's grandson and stated in his memorial that he would never act as recklessly as the Tang Prince's grandson.

Zhu Youjian was quite satisfied with this, and he believed that these people wouldn't dare to do so.

After the massacre of nobles at the beginning of the dynasty and more than two hundred years of pampering, the old nobles had long lost the courage to act recklessly, and the new nobles, under their influence, did not dare to be too unrestrained.

He believed Zhu Yujian's reckless behavior was an isolated incident.

This person was very bold in history; otherwise, he wouldn't have broken the order of succession to become emperor.

"Anyone who dares to become emperor needs to be suppressed!"

Ambition is acceptable, but one must also know how to be in awe.

In Zhu Youjian's view, Zhu Yujian's act of openly violating etiquette by beating his two uncles to death showed a lack of respect.

Even if such a person is capable, he wouldn't dare to give him a major responsibility. After clarifying Yuan Keli and others' attitudes, he immediately issued the order:
"Zhu Yujian, a descendant of the Tang emperor, has disregarded etiquette and violated human ethics. He should be immediately arrested and brought to the capital for trial by the Supreme Court."

"In addition, the Council of Nobles and the Imperial Clan Court discussed whether to replace the Tang Prince's grandson and remove Zhu Yujian's status as a member of the imperial clan."

"The Tang vassal states also need to be dealt with, and a decision must be made on whether to relocate or abolish them." The power to decide these three matters was handed over to the Court of Colonial Affairs.

After all, when he implemented the enfeoffment system, in order to reassure the nobles who were enfeoffed, he stipulated that the reduction and abolition of the feudal lords must be approved by the noble council.

Now the power to change the heir is also given to them, through a vote by the council of nobles.

As for whether Zhu Yujian's status as a member of the imperial clan should be revoked, that was originally the responsibility of the Imperial Clan Court, and now it has been handed over to them as well.

The nobles serving in the council of nobles were overjoyed upon hearing the news.

They were not at all uneasy about Zhu Yujian's punishment; on the contrary, they felt that the emperor kept his promise and truly adhered to etiquette.

The nobles who had established vassal states in Southeast Asia declared that if Zhu Yujian dared to be rebellious and disobey the imperial decree, they would be ordered by the emperor to send troops to punish this disloyal subject.

The Left Imperial Clan Court's Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, and the Right Imperial Clan Court's Prince Lu, Zhu Changfang, also expressed their determination to deal with Zhu Yujian, this rebellious descendant of the Tang Prince.

However, they dared not act on their own initiative regarding the outcome and requested the emperor's judgment.

Upon seeing this result, Zhu Youjian cursed the two men inwardly for being cunning.

Because he wanted the Imperial Clan Court to play the villain so that he could then show favor to Zhu Yujian and gain his loyalty.

However, Prince Fu and Prince Lu, perhaps frightened by the consequences of previous vassal kings interfering in politics, dared not express any opinions and obeyed the emperor's will in everything.

This forced Zhu Youjian to consider another method, so he summoned Gong Yonggu, the son-in-law of Zhu Yujian, who had been sent to arrest him, and said:
"What does the Prince Consort think should be done regarding Zhu Yujian's case?"

"This is the first major case since the enfeoffment, and it must set a precedent for future generations."

Gong Yonggu was also a nobleman who supported the enfeoffment system. As a son-in-law of the emperor, he did not have a title, but his status was equivalent to that of an earl.

He wanted his descendants to inherit the title of earl, which required them to actively establish their own fiefdoms. Therefore, he paid close attention to the system of enfeoffment and immediately said:

"The major policy of enfeoffment should not be affected by Zhu Yujian's case."

"Your subject believes that everything should be done according to the rites and laws."

Zhu Youjian nodded, then sighed and said angrily:
"It's easy to say that everything should be done according to etiquette and law, but it's not easy to do in practice!"

"The reason this case happened is actually due to the mistakes of the old Tang King."

"If he hadn't been so muddle-headed and cruel, favoring his concubines and committing acts like imprisoning his children and grandchildren and letting his son be poisoned to death, how could such a disaster have been sown?"

"This person is utterly absurd. He should be given a bad posthumous title and be written into the family as a negative example."

The more he talked, the angrier he became. Zhu Youjian planned to write a textbook specifically for the imperial family, modeled after Zhu Yuanzhang's "Zhaojianlu". He would include typical cases of crimes committed by members of the imperial family since the founding of the Ming Dynasty and explain how they would be dealt with under the new rites and laws.

Only by making these people understand the consequences can we warn them not to violate etiquette and act recklessly.

The old Tang emperor was explicitly ordered to be included, and the same applied to Zhu Yujian's case.

Gong Yonggu was very supportive of this, saying:
"Although relatives of the imperial family are not members of the imperial clan, they are still under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Clan Court."

"I believe that this could also be compiled into teaching materials to warn all the relatives of the emperor."

Zhu Youjian nodded approvingly, then pointedly reminded him:
"Therefore, Zhu Yujian's case must be judged fairly and justly."

"After the judgment is made, it must be decided according to the Eight Deliberations method, and the final decision shall be made by the Emperor."

"Explain this to Zhu Yujian and make him understand the consequences."

It implies a pardon, and there was no intention to actually kill Zhu Yujian.

Gong Yonggu understood the emperor's meaning, but he was puzzled:
"The Eight Deliberations do not include the Ten Heinous Crimes."

“Killing one’s uncle is the most heinous crime among the ten evils, and should not be subject to the Eight Deliberations.”

This made Zhu Youjian frown, and after thinking for a moment, he said:

"The Eight Deliberations do not pardon those who commit heinous crimes, but Zhu Yujian's actions were for revenge, so he cannot be entirely classified as a heinous crime."

"How are these kinds of cases usually judged in private?"

Gong Yonggu was not very aware of this, and Zhu Youjian did not pay much attention to it either.

Ultimately, he governed the country with the principles of propriety and law, rather than being constrained by them.

If the original rules of etiquette are unreasonable, he can change them.

Therefore, he said to Gong Yonggu:
The Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals says, "Even a feud that has lasted for a hundred generations can be avenged."

"It is only natural for children to avenge their parents."

"Tell Zhu Yujian to focus on this point, as it will leave room for maneuver."

"Otherwise, even I, the emperor, would not dare to pardon such heinous traitors."

The intention behind the amnesty was made clear: Zhu Yujian would not be killed.

He believed that as long as Zhu Yujian wasn't completely out of his mind, he would obediently come to the capital.

If Zhu Yujian dared to run away, he would use this person as an example to demonstrate the imperial authority of the court.

Therefore, at the same time that Gong Yonggu set off, the Nanyang Governor's Office and other places received the news and coordinated to arrest Zhu Yujian.

If he were to rebel and establish his own independent regime, we would immediately prepare to send troops to punish him.
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Guo Shangyou, who remained in office as Governor-General of the Southern Seas, received this thorny task.

In fact, after learning that Zhu Yujian had beaten his two uncles to death, he felt that the matter had become a big deal.

Zhu Yujian could have easily let them "die" on the front lines, but he insisted on having them beaten to death, putting both the court and himself in a difficult position.
If Zhu Yujian is not dealt with, the enfeoffed princes will become even more reckless.

Dealing with it would risk Zhu Yujian leading his troops to establish his own independent state, which would also affect the grand plan of enfeoffing and establishing fiefdoms.

As the governor in charge of this area, Guo Shangyou not only had to be punished, but also had to send troops to quell the rebellion and prepare to capture Zhu Yujian.

Therefore, Guo Shangyou could only send this message to the court while making preparations in secret.

He secretly contacted many members of the Tang imperial family, as well as generals who had performed well during the establishment of the fiefdom, to test their intentions.

The result was rather encouraging. Most of the Tang imperial family members did not approve of Zhu Yujian's actions, believing that although his father's poisoning was pitiful, it was not a reason for him to wantonly beat his uncle to death.

Furthermore, out of fear that Zhu Yujian would become tyrannical and bloodthirsty after succeeding as the Prince of Tang, most of these people believed that his status as the heir apparent should be revoked.

Some people also coveted the throne of the Tang king after the death of the old Tang king. They hoped that the court would allow the Tang princes to compete for the title, so that they, as collateral branches, could also have a chance to compete for the throne of the Tang king.

The situation with generals is more complex; some believe they should be loyal to the imperial court and obey its orders.

Some were also impressed by Zhu Yujian's performance when he established his fiefdom and intended to follow this lord.

It should be said that Zhu Yujian's performance was quite good; there were few members of the imperial clan who surpassed him.

This is why Zhu Youjian, though furious, decided to spare his life.

Guo Shangyou was extremely worried after learning of these generals' thoughts. He feared that Zhu Yujian, unaware of the situation, might actually oppose the imperial court with their support.

Therefore, he gathered all the ships that had recently docked in Malacca, preparing to launch a cross-sea expedition to prevent Zhu Yujian from causing a major disturbance.

Yuan Shu, who was preparing to establish the Deng vassal state within the Tang vassal territory, also led his newly recruited troops south. If Zhu Yujian resisted, he would also join the fight. (End of Chapter)