Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Through Zhu Youjian's series of schemes, the Emperor's birthday celebration in the capital truly became a grand event for the people to enjoy together.

Needless to say, the ten families who received the imperial decree to marry each other held their weddings on that day.

When other people heard about it, many families who were about to get married also decided to hold their weddings on that day.

Wen Tiren, who presided over the celebration, had some objections. During his audience with the emperor, he said:

"Some people who did not receive a marriage decree still had to hold their weddings on the Emperor's birthday."

"This is an attempt to gain good fortune by association, and I believe it should be prohibited."

Zhu Youjian remained noncommittal on this matter, at which point Li Yu said:

"The Royal Orchestra has received numerous invitations these days, and we simply cannot accommodate them on the day of the Emperor's birthday."

"I believe that the wedding should be held at different times, and not all on one day."

Zhu Youjian was quite cautious about this issue.

He realized that if all the weddings were held together, there wouldn't be enough resources to go around.

Especially if too many people gather on that day, things could get messy.

If a stampede or other incident occurs, it would tarnish the Emperor's birthday celebrations.

So after thinking it over, he gave the order:

"On the day of the Emperor's birthday, there will be many people, and officials from the Three Judicial Offices and the Court of Imperial Guards must be on high alert."

"Those who hold weddings or other gatherings on that day must apply in advance to prevent too many people from gathering in one area."

"The ten families who are betrothed should have their weddings held in different areas to disperse the attendees."

"The Royal Orchestra will set up a branch stage nearby, allowing families holding weddings to pay for it, so that people in the surrounding area can enjoy the festivities together."

This shifts part of the cost of the celebration to the couple getting married.

Li Yu was overjoyed upon hearing this, believing that it would greatly reduce the pressure on the Royal Orchestra.

However, compared to the number of marriages, this diversion method is not enough, Zhu Youjian continued:

"If we really can't arrange it all, we'll put some weddings around the time of the Emperor's birthday."

"This year's Emperor's birthday celebration will be a grand occasion, so we can have an extra day off. The 23rd to the 25th of the twelfth lunar month will be designated as a holiday."

"I encourage people to get married during these three days. I will write a few 'Fu' characters and hang them on the city gate tower to bless the newlyweds."

The phrase "borrowing good fortune" as used by Wen Tiren was transformed into a formal bestowal of blessings.

Wen Tiren listened helplessly, unable to stop the emperor. He could only say:

"Your Majesty, it's fine if ordinary people try to get the blessing, but some wealthy families are unwilling to spend money to buy a spot, yet they still want to receive the blessing."

"Your Majesty must not agree to their request, lest the families who won the marriage quota at auction become dissatisfied."

This made Zhu Youjian realize that it wasn't just ordinary people who were trying to take advantage of the good fortune, but also the wealthy and powerful.

If these people hold more elaborate weddings than those who have been granted marriage, even without it.

The so-called arranged marriage may become a joke and will no longer be popular.

This is a major event that will affect the revenue from subsequent celebrations. After thinking it over, Zhu Youjian said:

"Apart from those ten families, I will not bestow marriages or blessings upon others on my birthday."

"Also, let the inner court's service group mainly provide services to these ten companies, and the others can be set aside."

"We must ensure their dignity and not let them be outdone by other companies."

He instructed Liu Ruoyu to inform all government departments within the inner court to allocate resources to the ten families who had received the imperial marriage decree.

These families will be given priority when providing services, provided they can afford it.

Liu Ruoyu hurriedly agreed, and Wen Tiren was relieved to hear this.

They knew the emperor was aware of this and wouldn't undermine them.

Then he heard the emperor ask:
"How much money has been raised for the celebration so far?"

"Have you recouped your costs?" Wen Tiren replied:

"The auction of the bestowed marriage quota brought in 360,000 yuan, which has already recouped the initial investment."

"In addition, the Royal Orchestra donated 100,000, and people from all walks of life in the capital donated 90,000, raising a total of 550,000."

"This amount of money is enough to hold the grand celebration; no additional funds are needed."

Liu Ruoyu added:
"The inner court enterprises have gained a lot of revenue this time."

"If the celebration requires it, at least 200,000 can be spared."

"Families who purchase a marriage grant typically have at least two life insurance policies."

"The proportion of these funds used in the short term is not large, so they can all be allocated."

They believe that the money in whole life insurance can be used and can be replenished later.

Zhu Youjian was very cautious about this and gave the following instructions:

"A set of rules must be established regarding the percentage of funds that can be diverted from whole life insurance policies."

"This insurance must be guaranteed to have funds available, without the slightest delay."

"I have staked the royal family's reputation on this; there must be no problems."

As he spoke, still somewhat uneasy, he warned:

"Money received from whole life insurance will be used exclusively for establishing a corresponding fund."

"The fund must ensure that it has at least five years of funding available, and it cannot be less than that period."

"You all need to understand what problems will arise if the whole life insurance cannot be issued!"

Making money is one aspect of establishing lifelong insurance.

Zhu Youjian's biggest goal was to tie the wealthy families of the Ming Dynasty to the imperial family.

As long as these families have life insurance, they will not easily rebel against the imperial court or join the enemy rebels.

Otherwise, they might not receive their insurance; they can't expect the new dynasty to recognize them after a change of regime.

This was a guarantee that Zhu Youjian provided to the wealthy class, letting them know that no matter what happened, the royal family would support them.

Therefore, the independence of whole life insurance is extremely important. Zhu Youjian even instructed the debt collection agency not to touch whole life insurance, so that families who fell into debt after their downfall could survive with insurance.

At the same time, to prevent some people from using whole life insurance to transfer debts, the eligibility criteria for purchasing this insurance are now set very high.

Currently, only families who purchase a marriage grant are eligible to buy lifetime insurance.

Liu Ruoyu responded:

"After the introduction of whole life insurance, it became very popular among the wealthy in Beijing."

"In particular, His Majesty's proposal of mean regression of intelligence has made many families willing to buy life insurance for their children and grandchildren."

“If we open up the purchase eligibility, I am confident that we can raise at least one million yuan.”

“If the minimum amount is lowered to one thousand taels, more people will buy it.”

This is actually an understatement; as a place where powerful and wealthy people gather, Beijing has no shortage of rich people.

They are very willing to spend money on their children and grandchildren, and some even plan to buy more than one lifetime insurance policy for their beloved children and grandchildren.

These days, the banks in the inner court have been asked many times when they will allow the issuance of whole life insurance.

Zhu Youjian naturally liked money, but he did not have an urgent need for it at this time.

And considering the operational risks of whole life insurance, he decided to play it safe for now:
"The minimum amount is still set at 10,000 taels, and now only wealthy families are allowed to purchase it."

"At the same time, it is required that the buyer must have a title of at least Gongshi (公士) or above. In the past few years, it was possible to require that the family must have a noble title."

"It's better to proceed slowly than to compromise stability."

"Insurance should provide security, not cause anxiety." (End of Chapter)