I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 367: Should the princes and royal family members of the various vassal states be kept?
In the Taiji Hall, the three cabinet ministers sat at the upper left, and below them were the five military assistants of the Supervision Office, namely Zhang Rong, Tang Shilong, Cao Bangfu, Liu Tao, and Ma Fang.

Zhang Rong represented the nobles in the capital, Tang Shilong represented the nobles who moved back to the capital from Nanjing, Ma Fang represented the newly appointed nobles. Cao Bangfu led the army as the Minister of War, and Liu Tao represented the navy.

Today was the first time that the members of the Supervisory Office attended the Taiji Hall meeting, and the reason they gave was also very grand. This matter concerned the various vassal clans, and they needed to listen to the opinions of all parties in the court.

To put it bluntly, the various vassal states and royal families were disciplined too harshly. If they ever raised the flag of rebellion, the Supervisory Office would have to dispatch troops to quell the rebellion.

On the right sat the six ministers of the ministries, the five chief ministers of the temples, and the heads of the Censorate and the Supreme Court.

Cao Bangfu, the Minister of War among the Six Ministers, sits on the left.

The twelve people on the right looked at the left with different expressions, their eyes shifting between the three elders.

Especially in Gao Gong's eyes, there was a burning light flashing.

The first minister of the cabinet, Xu Jie, retired and returned to his hometown, and the second minister, Li Chunfang, was ordered to take over the position of the first minister. However, the number of cabinet ministers was reduced from four to three at once, and the state affairs were too complicated to bear the heavy burden.

No one could bear to see the three cabinet ministers ruining their health due to state affairs, and they all wanted to add one or two cabinet ministers to the cabinet to share the heavy responsibility.

Gao Yi, the Minister of Rites, reported: "Your Highness, the former Prime Minister Xu has retired and returned to his hometown. The cabinet is short of one person. I humbly request that the cabinet elder be replaced according to the rules to take care of national affairs."

Gao Yi's words made everyone in the hall focus their attention on Zhu Yijun, each of them trying to guess what he was thinking.

"This is a very important matter, so there is no rush. Wait until the six ministries, five temples and two courts propose suitable candidates, and then I will consider it. The cabinet's proposals are all about the affairs of the six ministries, five temples and two courts, so listen to their opinions first."

Zhu Yijun's words made everyone feel uneasy and secretly surprised.

Prince, what does this mean?
Since you took office, no military or national affairs have ever been subject to public discussion such as the imperial court. At most, they have been discussed in a small circle like today, and then you have made the final decision.

Why do you say that this time when appointing a cabinet minister, you want a public discussion?

Do you still have some grudges in your heart and don't want Gao Gong, who has the highest support, to join the cabinet?

Everyone looked at Gao Gong intentionally or unintentionally.

There are those who sympathize, those who gloat over others' misfortune, those who are sarcastic, and those who are indifferent.

Zhu Yijun continued, "Today I have summoned all the ministers to discuss the crimes committed by the various vassal clans. Zhao Zhongcheng, Huang Shangshu, you take turns to speak."

"Yes!"

Zhao Zhenji spoke first: "The King of Zhou, the King of Anfu of Xiang, the King of Chu, and the King of Liao each submitted a ten-thousand-word letter, criticizing each vassal and themselves, and conducting self-examination and self-correction.

In their ten thousand word letter, the four kings listed the illegal deeds of 537 people, totaling 3,167 cases, involving 11 princes, 29 generals guarding the country, 41 generals assisting the country, and the rest were generals below the rank of serving the country.

All cases will be transferred to the Ministry of Justice for trial, and the Censorate will follow up on them one by one."

Huang Guangsheng, the Minister of Justice, continued, "The Ministry of Justice received the case files transferred by the Metropolitan Prosecution Office and, together with the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division and the Eastern Depot, quickly investigated 2,956 cases, and the remaining cases are still being verified and investigated one by one.

Among them, there is solid evidence that Tang Wang Wencheng Prince Zhu Zhoucai, Wenyuan Prince Zhu Zhouyou, and Beizheng Prince Zhu Yutan secretly stored weapons and raised assassins with the intention of treason; Liao Wang Guangyuan Prince Zhu Xianhe took possession of civilian women and killed civilians; Zhou Wang Lincheng Prince Zhu Qinchi set fire to 61 houses for fun, killing 27 people.

Zhu Yijun glanced at the crowd, "Listen to these cases! They are appalling! I originally thought that Mr. Gangfeng's memorial was a bit too much, but now it seems that it was too light!

Look at these princes and royal families, look at what they do! Day after day, they eat people's food but do nothing! "

Zhu Yijun's clear voice echoed in the Taiji Hall.

Everyone listened quietly, carefully pondering every word of his words.

They stared at his face, observing his every expression, just like when they were in the West Garden, trying to figure out the old Taoist priest who had ascended to heaven.

"The annual rice supply to the capital is only 4 million dan, while the rice expenditure of the vassal kings in various places is 8.53 million dan a year, twice that of the capital and the nine border areas.

The central government could not provide so much, so the various vassal states collected rice on their own. Some dared to collect three or four stones for one dan of rice as salary, causing great suffering to the local people.

With 8.53 million dan of rice per year, we can only raise a bunch of these things? They are of no benefit to the country or the people. They are just a bunch of pests, entrenched in the local area, sucking the marrow out of people's bones, and doing whatever they want!
Everyone, the princes and clans, is there any need to stay?" The last sentence made everyone's heart tremble.

Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince going to take drastic measures and abolish nearly 100,000 members of the royal family of various vassal states?

Minister of Works Ge Shouli looked around and said, "Your Highness, the Ministry of Works is responsible for the construction and repair of the whole country, and the houses of the princes' palaces are one of them. Every year, the Ministry of Works receives reports from the princes' palaces, saying that there are collapsed here and there, and the houses are not big enough to live in, so they need to be expanded.

The cost of the Ministry of Works for the construction of the various vassal states and royal families in a year sometimes exceeds the cost of river works. Your Highness, if the river works are repaired, floods can be avoided and water can be provided for farming.

Building and repairing mansions and houses for them is indeed of no benefit to the country and the people."

Ge Shouli looked at Zhu Yijun's expression, took a deep breath, and continued speaking.

“Your Highness, I have also heard that many of the princes and royal families are poor and destitute, but they are trapped by the ancestral system and sit in dire straits.

In my opinion, it is better to let those relatives of the royal family to make their own living. They all have hands and feet, they can study, join the army, do business, practice medicine, or become craftsmen. "

This is an honest person!

Xinyan was one of the relatively few people present.

Zhu Yijun nodded and asked, "Gentlemen, does anyone have any other opinions?"

Zou Yinglong, the Grand Justice, said: "Your Highness, I believe that the feudal system was established by Emperor Taizu, and it has not been changed much since the Chengzu and his ancestors, so it is not easy to change it.

If there are members of the royal family who have committed crimes, we will find them and punish them severely without any leniency. As for the rest of the good and honest people, let them live according to the ancestral rules. "

Zhu Yijun didn't say anything and continued to ask for everyone's opinions.

"Your Highness, I think the feudal system should be abolished!" The words of Minister of Rites Gao Yi shocked everyone in the hall, "The feudal system has been passed down for seven to eleven generations, and five generations of marriages have taken place. This is more than five generations.

Why do these vassal clans still support them? Eight million five hundred and thirty thousand dan of rice a year, how much of the people's blood and sweat! For the so-called ancestral system, they have to make the people suffer and continue to support these people who are of no benefit to the country and the people?

As for the ancestral temples of the various vassal states, the imperial court can send people to worship regularly every year. This expense is still very little compared to the 8.53 million shi of rice. "

Everyone was talking at once, expressing their opinions.

There were three main opinions. One was to abolish them all, as Gao Yi had said. Every year, we could just place a few plates of cold pork and burn some incense sticks in the ancestral halls of the various vassal states.

Second, as Zou Yinglong said, those who commit crimes should be severely punished, and the rest should be left as they are.

The third is a compromise opinion like that of Ge Shouli, which is to turn some royal family members into commoners and let them fend for themselves, which can not only reduce the burden on the court but also help them get out of trouble.

Everyone expressed their opinions one by one, and Zhang Juzheng supported Ge Shouli's opinion.

Gao Gong supported Gao Yi's opinion, and most of the others supported Zou Yinglong's opinion.

The five people in the Supervisory Office did not comment and just watched quietly.

Zhao Zhenji, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, also did not express his opinion.

Zhu Yijun's eyes moved around his face several times. This time, he was the leader in reorganizing the various vassal states and royal families. Does he have no objection now, or is he waiting for my opinion?
"Mr. Ozu, what is your opinion?"

Zhao Zhenji slowly said, "Your Highness, I feel that these three opinions on the rectification of the various vassal clans have their own merits and drawbacks. How to decide is up to Your Highness.

I am now considering something else.”

"what's up?"

"The various vassal clans committed crimes, but the local officials knew nothing about it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into complete silence.

(End of this chapter)