Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Feudalism was of great importance, but Zhu Youjian simply mentioned it and asked the ministers to formulate more complete methods.

After posthumously granting Yu Qian the title of Duke of Su and allowing his descendants to inherit the command as hereditary commander, Zhu Youjian began another grant of his own -

God!

This is the power he created based on the authority of the Emperor.

As the son of heaven and earth, the spokesperson of the Emperor, Heaven and Empress Earth in the human world, the emperor’s status in the national sacrificial system is only lower than that of the Emperor, Heaven and Empress Earth, and he is the supreme god in the human world——

Even gods in heaven must accept the canonization of the emperor and respect the emperor's will when they arrive on earth.

Zhu Youjian was able to canonize the gods of heaven and earth as the emperor.

So he pretended to be authentic:

"A few days ago, Taizu Chengzu had a dream, saying that there was too much killing in the world, causing chaos in the world and uncertainty in the four seasons."

"Therefore, disasters occur frequently, and all the people in the world suffer."

"Taizu and Chengzu couldn't bear it, so at the invitation of the Hou Tu Emperor, they incarnated themselves to serve as the city gods of the two capitals."

"Lead the gods in the world to help the Ming Dynasty survive this disaster!"

These words shocked the ministers, and many people looked at each other, wondering whether the emperor was just pretending to be a ghost, or whether this was really the case.

Liu Zongzhou considered it for a while, and then spoke first under the gaze of the ministers, saying to the emperor:

"Your Majesty, Zi is silent and has strange power and chaos."

"The way of the sage is only the mean. Those who abandon the mean and seek the weird are strange; those who seek utilitarianism are strength; those who seek evil patients are chaos; those who seek mystery and emptiness are gods. All of them confuse the world. It is the way to falsely accuse the people, so the sage does not say anything about it.”

"Buddha and Lao said that it belongs to God."

"I hope that your majesty will uphold the right path and practice the way of a saint."

It means that the emperor should not pretend to be a ghost, not learn the right way, but use the way of the Buddha and the elders.

Zhu Youjian had been thinking about this for a long time. How could he let go of his thoughts so easily and said to the ministers:

"Houtu worships the righteous deity of the country, not the Buddha."

"The Book of Documents says: The crime of being a trader should be reported to the emperor, Hou Tu, the famous mountains and rivers he passed."

"Taizu and Chengzu responded to the invitation of the emperor of the land, and they incarnated themselves to serve as the city gods of the two capitals, commanding the city gods, earth gods, mountain gods, river gods and other gods all over the world, in order to stabilize the world."

"This is not a strange force that confuses the gods, but my ancestors saw that I was filial and came down to earth to help me."

This statement cannot be easily accepted by the ministers. But the emperor said that this was the help he got from being filial to his ancestors, and the officials did not dare to refute.

Are they going to point their finger at the emperor and say that you are not filial enough and that your ancestors cannot come down to earth to help you?
It's hard to say whether that would stop the emperor, but it would offend the emperor to death anyway. After all, an unfilial emperor may be driven from his position as emperor. No one dared to take this charge and accuse the emperor easily.

So when the officials heard this, they fell silent for a while. The name of filial piety is really too big, and they dare not talk nonsense about it before they find the right words.

Zhu Youjian did not give them time to formulate a verbal rebuttal and continued:
"Taizu Chengzu told me that the original gods of the city, land, etc. have completed their merits and will return to the underworld."

"So the new gods are re-appointed by them."

"Currently, the heroes of the early days of the Kingdom have been canonized as gods, and I have been asked to report the heroes of the Purple Pavilion and the wise ministers of the Purple Pavilion, and canonize the city god and the land."

"According to the order of Taizu Chengzu, I plan to confer Yu Qian as the City God of Zhejiang Province. When I come to offer sacrifices, I will ask Taizu and Chengzu for permission."

After talking in this circle, the ministers were quick-thinking and vaguely understood the emperor's intention——

It turned out that he planned to use the name of the gods to control their behind-the-scenes affairs.

This is nothing to the ministers who do not believe in God. After all, they don't believe in God, so they naturally don't care about such things. He was just dissatisfied that the emperor used the theory of gods and ghosts to govern the country, which he felt was not the right way.

But for courtiers who believe in the existence of gods and ghosts, the temptation is great. Although they didn't know whether it was true or not that the emperor was entrusted with a dream by Taizu Chengzu, the gods in the world must indeed be canonized by the emperor. Those who have not been canonized are all obscene priests of evil gods.

If they want to have temples built and be worshiped by people all the time, they have to be canonized by the emperor and gain the status of righteous gods.

For a time, the ministers' minds were wandering, and their opposition to the emperor's statement was no longer so firm——

It is true that the current emperor is too generous in giving rewards. As long as they can perform meritorious service, it should be no problem to become the city god of their hometown or the land, not to mention becoming the city god of a province like Yu Qian.

In this way, you can be worshiped by people in your hometown for generations, and your family can benefit from it.

Most of the courtiers present were in their sixties or seventies. When it came time to consider their posthumous affairs and the welfare of their children and grandchildren, the emperor's statement was naturally very tempting to them.

Some people even think that after they die, they can go underground to follow Taizu Chengzu as officials, so that they will not become lonely ghosts.

This changed their views on Taizu and Chengzu, and they began to fear them unconsciously.

Wen Tiren, who was good at understanding people's hearts, was keenly aware of this change and took the lead in saying to the emperor:
"In the old system, there was a city god in a certain prefecture, a certain state, a certain county, and the local officials worshiped it."

"I wonder what level the provincial city god is, where should it be built, and which officials should worship it?"

Zhu Youjian was very satisfied with Wen Tiren after hearing this. Because he did not dwell on whether Taizu Chengzu's dream was true or false, but directly regarded it as true and discussed it.

As the Minister of Wen Ti, Benevolence and Rites, he will influence the tendencies of many people on this matter. Zhu Youjian said happily:

"The position of Provincial City God is a newly established position after Taizu Chengzu took over the city god line."

"Except for the two capital cities, the city gods of each province are the highest and have jurisdiction over all the cities and lands under their command."

“The provincial city god’s temple is built in the provincial capital and worshiped by the Chief Secretary.”

"For example, Yu Qian's Provincial City God's Temple can be built in Hangzhou. The original ancestral hall can be retained and changed to the Provincial City God's specifications."

Li Biao, the minister of Taichang Temple, said cautiously:
"Your Majesty, how will he arrange the visit of Zhou Xin, the city god of Wushan City God's Temple in Hangzhou?"

“If the provincial city god temple is built again, wouldn’t it mean that they live in the same city?”

As the saying goes: "Three lives of misfortune, the county magistrate will be attached to Guo; three lives of evildoers, he will be attached to the provincial capital of Guo; full of evil, he will be attached to the capital of Guo."

You can't just go underground and become a city god, but come to the same city as the provincial capital, or the same city as a province or county, right? When will such a low-level city god stand up?

Zhu Youjian also considered this and said:
"The city god protects the environment and the people, and guides the souls of the dead into the underworld so that they will not cause chaos among the people."

"The provincial city god governs a province, the prefectural city god governs a prefecture, the prefecture city god governs a state, and the county city god governs a county. Each has its own responsibilities, and there is no confusion."

"Zhou Xin is the City God of Hangzhou and independently manages the affairs of the City God of Hangzhou. However, he is also subject to the orders of the Provincial City God Yu Qian and serves as a subordinate of the Provincial City God."

"The Provincial City God can tour a province and be invited by various places in the province to build City God temples. Outside the province, special approval from the City God's Department is required. The City God of a city is only in one province and has no ability to cross provinces. If you want to build a temple outside the province, you also need special approval. "Batch." This is to use the tricks of officialdom to the city god. The City God, a deity of the national sacrificial system, was given a stronger imperial color.

Cao Sicheng, the young minister of Taichang Temple, who was ordered by the emperor to rectify the immortal system, said at this time:

"Your Majesty, city gods have been worshiped in various places for a long time. Most of them are not called city gods, but some have names. How should these be arranged?"

"Let them stay in office, or appoint a new city god to replace them?"

Zhu Youjian heard what he said about the Jinjiang City God's Temple and knew that tampering with the City God might cause trouble. After thinking about it, he said:

"It stands to reason that the city gods in various places have completed their merits and should return to the underworld to enjoy their blessings."

"But if the local people insist on staying in office, I will also inform Taizu Chengzu and ask the two ancestors to keep these city gods."

"For the position of City God that was originally unoccupied, I will recommend heroes and virtuous ministers as soon as possible and inform Taizu of his success."

With that said, he ordered to the officials of Taichang Temple:

"In addition to the Senglu Department and the Daolu Department, Taichang Temple also has to establish the City God Department, which specializes in training priests and is responsible for the worship of gods such as the City God's land."

"If your ancestors have a family that has been canonized as City God, you can send your children to study at the City God's Office. After completing their studies, they can serve as priests in your ancestor's City God Temple."

"Let the City God's Temple personnel from various places send representatives to the capital to discuss the City God's sacrificial rituals and fasting rituals. Determine the level of priests, and send people to serve as priests with the army."

This is a position he established after the military chaplains of later generations.

Without firm faith, many soldiers will be afraid of death when they go to the battlefield.

The military priests may not be able to make them not afraid of death, but they can weaken this emotion and give the soldiers psychological comfort. Let them know that even if they die, there will be gods taking care of them.

Zhu Youjian needs a complete set of etiquette for dying and rebirth to soothe the soldiers' psychology.

This practice is not new in the Ming Dynasty, because the army sometimes invites monks and Taoist priests to do things. Now we just standardize this kind of thing and use priests trained by the City God.

After hearing this, the ministers were excited.

Because the emperor allowed the descendants of the City God to serve as priests, it undoubtedly meant that the emperor allowed the City God temples in various places to become their family's legacy.

This is almost a disguised title, allowing families with a City God in their ancestors to earn a living in the City God's Temple no matter how miserable they are.

With this inheritance, the children of their family can devote themselves to studying and make a comeback in the examination hall in the future.

There were so many military scholars in the Ming Dynasty. Isn't it because they had hereditary officer positions and could train the children of the family?

Therefore, today's civil servants are flocking to Wu Yin. I am also very moved by the City God's Temple established by the emperor.

It can be said that as long as they are canonized as City God by the emperor, they don't have to worry about their aftermath, and the children of the family will also be affected by the lingering shadow.

This made many officials support this matter from the bottom of their hearts, and they all agreed to correct the city god's sacrifice, feeling that this matter was very necessary.

Liu Zongzhou looked at this situation and sighed in his heart. How could he not see at this time that the emperor was using the City God's throne and the City God's temple to bribe officials and encourage officials to perform meritorious services, and then be granted the title of City God?

Many officials supported this matter, and it was not easy for him to oppose it. Moreover, the City God is indeed the official god of the country. He is the god who protects the city under the command of Emperor Houtu.

Confucianism says that they respect ghosts and gods and keep them at a distance, but it does not mean that they do not worship gods. Many Confucian scholars would worship various gods. Even Liu Zongzhou himself would worship the City God.

The emperor regarded the meritorious and virtuous ministers as the city gods, and related the worship of ancestors, family inheritance, etc., so that the officials no longer had the motivation to oppose. Many people can guess that this is the famous official temple established by the imperial court. Only famous officials who have made meritorious deeds can become city gods.

So after Liu Zongzhou thought about it, he took the initiative to request the emperor:
"The rituals of the city gods in various places are in chaos. I have been ordered to remake the rituals and music. Please participate in standardizing the etiquette."

"Standardize the city god's sacrifice according to the righteous way passed down by the sages."

Zhu Youjian was overjoyed when he heard this, because Liu Zongzhou's statement represented that the most orthodox Confucian scholars agreed with the city god sacrifice, so he immediately said:
"Sir, he is the director of the Etiquette and Law Research Center. He can participate in all matters related to etiquette and law."

"Please sir give me some advice on the City God's Office matters."

Let Taichang Temple Minister Li Biao, Shaoqing Cao Sicheng and Qian Qianyi all cooperate with Liu Zongzhou.

Li Biao and Cao Sicheng had nothing to do, and they were eager for Liu Zongzhou to participate in this matter.

Qian Qianyi's expression turned bitter, knowing that he had been squeezed by Liu Zongzhou again. As the young minister of Taichang Temple, he could have legitimately participated in this matter. But unfortunately, he doesn't care about the affairs of Taichang Temple at all. Recently, he has been busy adding punctuation points to previous articles and the Four Books and Five Classics to promote his own knowledge.

This made him lag behind Liu Zongzhou in matters concerning Taichang Temple. Moreover, the emperor's love for him seemed not as good as before.

"It seems that we still have to do something. If we don't do something, the emperor will ignore it." 』

"Your Majesty today really only looks at facts and is a pragmatic emperor!" 』

With this thought in his mind, Qian Qianyi thought of the many officials who had made suggestions to the Emperor since he ascended the throne.

The emperor seemed to obey these suggestions and then let them go. Only those who have achieved results will continue to be paid attention to by the emperor. Most of those who spoke big words have no voice now.

Therefore, Qian Qianyi realized that he had to keep doing things in order to always have the holy family.

It is no longer appropriate to be an official as leisurely as before:
"What should I do?" 』

“Is it really necessary to tax the super-proprietors as His Majesty hinted, or force them to divide their families and become permanent property owners? 』

"It's okay for me to do this myself, but it's really difficult for everyone in the world to do it. 』

"I guess I will be attacked by many people after I bring it up!" 』

Qian Qianyi felt a little regretful when he thought about how he distributed his property to his clan members some time ago. If the emperor had not forced him with the Qian Qianqiu case, he would not have been able to adapt to the emperor's request to revise the "Lun on Constant Property" and take the initiative to implement it.

Some time ago, the emperor hinted that he had gone a step further, proposing in the court to implement the "Constant Property Theory" and formulate laws to tax the super property owners. Qian Qianyi flinched in his heart and did not dare to go to the clinic yet——

He really doesn't want to do such offending things.

Just watching Liu Zongzhou continue to expand his authority and gain the emperor's trust, Qian Qianyi felt that if he hesitated again, he might be completely suppressed by Liu Zongzhou and never surpass this person.

So he was already thinking about how to fulfill the emperor's hint, but then took it out himself.

With these thoughts in his mind, Qian Qianyi heard that the emperor had made many arrangements for the City God Division. In addition to appointing officials as righteous gods, they also recruit famous officials, meritorious officials, and famous village elders to serve as subordinate gods, or go to the countryside to develop land. The land god was brought under the command of the city god as a minor god outside the city.

This made Qian Qianyi think about it. When he died, would he be able to become a city god or get a small piece of land?
This made his heart feel more urgent to make achievements——

He didn't want to be pointed out to a small rural temple and told that it was the temple of Qian Qianyi, the god of earth.

At least he should be a city god and have a temple in the city. (End of chapter)