My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 221 What to do if there are too many royal family members? It’s simple, send them all to the battlefield!

But when you think about it carefully, it seems a little bit wrong. As a vassal king of the Ming Dynasty, how could King Zhou not know that vassal kings were not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict?

Zhu Cilang thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure out what was going on, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

He planned to wait until tomorrow to meet the King of Zhou in person!

But before that, he had to meet Chongzhen and ask him what to do about this matter.

After all, it is not easy for him to make a decision on his own on matters involving the royal family. He still has to discuss it with Emperor Chongzhen.

However, Zhu Cilang estimated that Chongzhen would not have a good face towards these royal family members.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang looked at Li Ruolian and said:
"Alright, I understand this matter. Continue to send people to closely monitor their every move and report any unusual movements immediately."

When Li Ruolian heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense nerves relaxed a little.

Then he quickly raised his hands and said:

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will make sure this matter is properly arranged."

Zhu Cilang didn't say anything else, but just waved his hand, indicating that he could leave.

After Li Ruolian bowed, he turned around and quickly left the study.

After Li Ruolian left, Zhu Cilang immediately returned to his bedroom.

Inside the bedroom, candlelight flickered, and Zheng Xiaomei lay on her side, seemingly having already fallen asleep.

The soft moonlight filtered through the carved window lattices and gently fell on her face, as if covering her with a layer of dreamy veil, making her look exceptionally peaceful and exuding a soothing atmosphere.

The palace maid beside her wanted to step forward to undress Zhu Cilang, but Zhu Cilang stopped her with her hand, so she could only bow and retreat.

Then Zhu Cilang took off his outer clothes, carefully lifted the quilt and lay down gently.

He turned slightly sideways and held Zheng Xiaomei in his arms.

Zheng Xiaomei seemed to be aware of something and moved slightly in her sleep, with a faint smile still on her lips.

Early the next morning, after getting up, Zhu Cilang went straight to the palace without even having breakfast!

At this time, in Kunning Palace, Chongzhen and Empress Zhou had just gotten up and were preparing to have dinner.

Seeing Zhu Cilang rushing over, Queen Zhou was stunned at first, then she showed a gentle and kind smile and hurriedly ordered the eunuch beside her to bring another set of bowls and chopsticks.

Queen Zhou was very smart. She knew that Zhu Cilang came to see Chongzhen at this time because he must have something important to discuss. However, no matter how important the matter was, he had to discuss it after dinner, right?

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang, although it was difficult to refuse, quietly walked to the table and had dinner with Chongzhen and Empress Zhou.

After eating two steamed buns with milk flavor and drinking a bowl of porridge, Empress Zhou put down her bowl and chopsticks, looked at Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen with a smile and said:

"I suddenly remembered that I have some trivial matters to take care of in the harem, so I'll be leaving now. You two can enjoy your meal slowly."

After saying this, without waiting for the father and son to say anything, Queen Zhou took her people and left.

Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang continued to eat, and after they were full, the food on the table was cleared away.

Chongzhen naturally knew that Zhu Cilang must have something important to discuss with him at this time, so he was too lazy to say any more nonsense and said directly:

"Tell me, what happened this time?"

Zhu Cilang hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Father, according to yesterday's secret report from the Imperial Guards, Prince Zhou seems to have secretly entered the capital."

"In addition, there are three princes and more than a dozen other members of the royal family who came with us."

what?
When Chongzhen heard this, his originally calm face instantly turned red like a ripe tomato, his eyes widened with disbelief.

The next second, he stood up suddenly, his hands clenched into fists subconsciously, and his whole body trembled slightly with anger.

Obviously, this news was too shocking for Chongzhen!
Then, Chongzhen could no longer suppress his anger and cursed:

"What on earth are these damn guys trying to do? Don't they know that Ming Dynasty law stipulates that vassal kings cannot enter the capital without imperial edict?"

"They are simply courting their own death. I will kill them! Kill them!"

At this moment, Chongzhen was like an enraged lion, cursing the princes and dukes who came to Beijing without imperial edict.

Zhu Cilang stood quietly by the side, watching Chongzhen's furious expression but his mood was quite calm.

After Chongzhen calmed down a little, Zhu Cilang continued:
"Father, I feel this matter is not as simple as it appears. As members of the Ming royal family, how could they not know that they are not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial decree?"

"And if my prediction is correct, the real King Zhou is probably no longer alive."

Ok?
When Chongzhen heard this, he was instantly surprised and his eyes were full of confusion. He obviously didn't understand why Zhu Cilang suddenly said such a thing.

Just now it was said that King Zhou secretly entered the capital with the princes and members of the royal family. How come now it is said that King Zhou is dead?
In fact, Zhu Cilang just received this news early this morning.

Last night, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was ordered to conduct an extremely in-depth and detailed investigation on these royal family members who entered the capital without imperial edict.

After repeated investigations, they finally discovered that no one in the group had an age match that of King Zhou.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard did not give up and continued to investigate following the clues. They finally found out that the person who led the crowd into the capital was not King Zhou himself, but King Zhou's eldest son Zhu Shaoyong.

And based on some other clues, they knew that King Zhou was probably dead.

As for more specific things, the Jinyiwei cannot find out at the moment. After all, those are members of the Ming royal family. They can't throw them into the imperial prison and torture them, right?
Therefore, the only way to know the full picture of the matter is to meet the Crown Prince of Zhou in person and ask him in person.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang briefly told Chongzhen the news that the Jinyiwei had brought to him early in the morning.

After listening to Zhu Cilang's words, Chongzhen's emotions gradually calmed down from his initial anger.

Combined with the current specific situation in Henan, Chongzhen probably knew why this group of royal family members took the risk to come to Beijing.

After all, as everyone knows, the Henan area has now been completely conquered by Li Zicheng and turned into ruins.

For those members of the royal family, if they did not flee Henan, there would undoubtedly be only one way out, which was death.

Because Li Zicheng has always been ruthless towards the descendants of the Zhu family, and almost holds an attitude of killing them all!

The most famous among them is naturally Prince Fu!
Put yourself in King Zhou's shoes. If Chongzhen were in King Zhou's situation at the time, facing such a desperate situation, he would probably make a quick decision and choose to flee Henan for the sake of his family's lives, right?
But even if we understand their helpless actions, this can never be an excuse for them to openly violate the ancestral system!

Otherwise, if there is a rebellion in any place in the future, the local princes will simply abandon everything and flee to the capital. Wouldn’t the world be in chaos?

After thinking about this, Chongzhen took a deep breath and tried to calm down the complicated emotions in his heart.

Finally, his gaze fell on Zhu Cilang again and he asked:
"Tell me, how do you plan to deal with this matter?"

Chongzhen knew very well that in the final analysis, Zhu Cilang still had the final say in the current Ming Dynasty.

The reason why Zhu Cilang came to ask for his opinion was probably because this matter involved royal relatives and had a major impact. Ultimately, it had to be decided by him, the emperor, in order to demonstrate the majesty of the royal family.

Before the Battle of Liaodong, Chongzhen might have found it difficult to accept such a situation, but now, he has completely accepted it.

Even if Zhu Cilang did not discuss with him and made the decision directly, Zhu Cilang would not have any dissatisfaction.

Then, Zhu Cilang spoke:

"I believe that the most urgent matter right now is to meet with the Crown Prince of Zhou and other members of the royal family to understand the ins and outs of the matter in detail. Only after all the details are thoroughly investigated can a final decision be made."

After hearing this, Chongzhen nodded slightly to show his agreement.

"Without further delay, immediately order the Crown Prince of Zhou and the other members of the royal family to see the emperor!"

So a moment later, a team of Jinyiwei rushed to the gathering place of disaster victims outside the city.

At the same time, there was a gathering point for disaster victims outside the city.

When Prince Zhu Shaoyong of Zhou woke up in the morning, he found that his golden seal and golden book were missing.

At first he was very panicked and thought he had accidentally dropped it on the road.

But then he thought about it and felt that something was not right. He always carried this kind of thing with him and checked it from time to time. How could he have lost it on the way?

He then hurriedly asked other members of the royal family to help look for it, but they still couldn't find it.

But then, he suddenly calmed down.

Because he had roughly guessed what was going on. Most likely, someone noticed their special identities, investigated them, and then stole his Golden Galaxy Golden Book.

After all, this is the capital, and there are spies from the Jinyiwei, the East Factory, and the West Factory everywhere.

In addition, they had a conflict with patrolling officers and soldiers on the road yesterday, so it was reasonable for such an incident to happen.

After figuring this out, Prince Zhou's expression gradually calmed down, and his originally panicked heart also settled.

After Prince Zhou told the other members of the royal family his guess, these people instantly quieted down and did not show any signs of anxiety.

As for why this happened, it was naturally because the reason they took the risk to come to the capital was to seek an audience with Chongzhen.

Now that the Jinyiwei have noticed them, it means that Chongzhen also knows that they have arrived in the capital, and he will probably meet them soon.

In this way, their goal has been achieved, so why should they worry?
As for the rule that vassal kings are not allowed to enter the capital without imperial edict, they are already in the capital, so why would they care about this?

The reason they came to the capital was simply to find a way to survive!
I still remember that a few months ago when Li Zicheng besieged Kaifeng, the situation was precarious.

Even though King Zhou used all his property to reward the army and recruit civilians to resist the rebels, he still could not stop Li Zicheng's army.

Just when the city gate was about to be breached, the old King Zhou made a prompt decision and ordered the Crown Prince of Zhou to take other members of the royal family to quickly flee Henan.

At that time, the Crown Prince of Zhou and other members of the royal family were all confused and even at a loss.

Because they had lived in Kaifeng for almost their entire lives, they had no idea where to escape to.

Moreover, as a vassal king of the Ming Dynasty, without an imperial edict, even if he died, he could only die in his fiefdom. If he fled to another place without permission, he would also die.

King Zhou naturally understood the reason behind this, and told them directly that they could not go anywhere else, as they would be doomed to death if they went.

If he wanted to survive, he had to flee to the capital, inform the emperor of the tragedy in Henan, and beg for his forgiveness.

Even if the emperor could not forgive their crime of leaving their fiefdom without permission, he might show leniency to them for the sake of their blood relationship and only imprison them within the high walls of Fengyang.

Even though I would lose my freedom by then, at least I could save my life and have enough food and clothing for the rest of my life, which is better than dying here.

In the end, at the critical moment of life and death, the Crown Prince of Zhou still obeyed the arrangements of the old King of Zhou.

He wanted to take King Zhou away with him, but was verbally rejected by King Zhou.

The old King of Zhou knew very well that as a vassal king, he must not leave his fiefdom. If he escaped with them, the lives of his descendants would be in danger.

On the contrary, if he died in his fiefdom, at the hands of bandits, his descendants might still have a chance of survival.

So, King Zhou made a prompt decision and resolutely wrote a letter in his own blood to Chongzhen, expressing his determination to live and die with Kaifeng.

At the same time, he asked Chongzhen not to blame his family, and hoped that Chongzhen would give his family a way out because of his loyalty to the court.

This blood letter was carefully sewn into the lining of the Zhou prince's underwear, so it was not discovered by the Jinyiwei.

This blood letter was the last resort for Prince Zhou to meet Chongzhen.

After all, in terms of seniority, King Zhou was Chongzhen's elder. With this blood letter, Chongzhen would not kill them even if he was unwilling.

At most, as King Zhou had expected, they would all be moved to Fengyang and imprisoned behind the high walls.

In this way, although they lost their freedom and titles, at least they could save their lives, which was much better than being slaughtered by Li Zicheng in Henan.

You should know that in these few months, Li Zicheng has slaughtered more than thousands of princes, dukes and other children.

This is what they know. As for what they don’t know, how much do God know?

After thinking this through, the Prince of Zhou no longer had any extra thoughts. He just sat there quietly, waiting calmly for the upcoming summons.

The same is true for other grandmasters' disciples.

Sure enough, not long after, a group of Jinyiwei came hurriedly.

The leading Jinyiwei bowed respectfully, then looked at the Crown Prince of Zhou and asked:

"May I ask if you are the Crown Prince of Zhou?"

Prince Zhou slowly opened his eyes and said calmly:

"This prince is none other than the Crown Prince of Zhou."

Jinyiwei nodded after hearing this, then made a gesture of invitation and said:
"Your Majesty has summoned the Crown Prince of Zhou, the princes of the counties, and the sons of the royal family. Please follow me."

When everyone heard this, they stood up and followed the Jinyiwei out of the place obediently.

But they looked really shabby at the moment, with ragged clothes and unkempt hair. It was really inappropriate for them to go to see the emperor in this state.

Therefore, the Jinyiwei first took them to a designated place to let them wash and tidy up their appearance.

Then he searched them one by one and made sure that they were not carrying any weapons or the like. Then he led them towards the palace to meet the emperor.

When this group of people arrived in front of the majestic imperial palace, many people's legs began to tremble involuntarily, and they were so nervous that they could hardly control themselves.

Although they were princes and other nobles, they were ultimately just local royal family members and had never set foot in the capital in their entire lives.

Now that I am about to meet the current emperor, how can I not be nervous?
All the buildings and scenery in the palace appeared solemn and dignified in their eyes, making them feel awe and fear.

I am afraid that I will make a big mistake by accident and fall into an irretrievable situation.

Soon, led by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, they passed through one towering palace gate after another and finally stepped into the solemn and dignified Fengtian Hall.

In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen had already been waiting there.

After entering the Fengtian Hall, the Crown Prince of Zhou, without anyone reminding him, fell to his knees upon seeing the figure sitting high on the dragon throne, banging his forehead heavily on the ground, and shouted loudly:
"Your Highness, I, Zhu Shaoyong, the Crown Prince of Zhou, pay my respects to Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Immediately afterwards, other princes and royal family members followed suit, kneeling on the ground and shouting:
"Your Majesty, your Highness, and your Highness the Crown Prince."

Although they had never seen the true faces of Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, they were familiar with the dragon robe that symbolized the supreme imperial power, so they recognized the identities of the two people at a glance.

Chongzhen sat on the dragon throne, looking at His Highness and his group of royal family members, and the anger in his heart flared up again.

Thinking of their coming to the capital without an imperial edict and openly violating the ancestral system, Chongzhen was extremely angry and felt that they should die in Henan instead of fleeing to the capital.

So Chongzhen didn't say anything and just watched the group of people kneeling below.

For a moment, there was dead silence in the Fengtian Hall, and the atmosphere was so depressing that it made people breathless.

Those royal family members did not hear the emperor's voice and dared not move. They could only kneel on the ground, not even daring to breathe.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang was speechless and then said:
"Alright, many of you are considered elders to your Majesty and me by seniority. There's no need for such formalities. Please stand up."

When everyone heard this, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but they did not dare to act rashly. They all raised their heads cautiously and glanced at Chongzhen out of the corner of their eyes.

It is obvious that in their minds, the words of Crown Prince Zhu Cilang do not count, only the words of Emperor Chongzhen count.

How could they know that Chongzhen had no final say in the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Cilang was not in a position to point out such things, so he could only look helplessly at Chongzhen standing beside him.

Seeing Zhu Cilang like this, Chongzhen could only endure it even though he was unhappy. Then he looked at the people in front of him and said:

"The prince asked you to get up, so get up."

When everyone heard this, they felt as if they had been pardoned, and finally stood up tremblingly.

But the tension on their faces remained unchanged, and their bodies were trembling slightly.

However, the Prince of Zhou was still kneeling there, with no intention of getting up.

Chongzhen couldn't help but feel puzzled when he saw this, and then asked:
"Prince Zhou, why haven't you gotten up yet?"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince of Zhou suddenly kowtowed again, and said with a choked voice:
"Your Majesty, I have a letter written in blood by my father. I beg Your Majesty to review it."

Letter in blood?
When Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen heard this, they looked at each other, and a hint of curiosity flashed in their eyes.

Then Chongzhen asked:

"Where is the blood letter? Show it to me."

Then, the Prince of Zhou slowly undressed and took out an object wrapped in oil paper from his arms. When he opened it, it turned out to be a letter written in blood.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards had actually found this blood letter during the body search, but after confirming that there was no danger, they still let him bring it in.

At the same time, Wang Chengen, who was standing by, saw this and hurried forward, took the blood letter from the Zhou prince with both hands, and then respectfully presented it to Chongzhen. Chongzhen took the blood letter, and a faint fishy smell rushed into his nostrils, but Chongzhen did not care, and scanned the contents word by word.

Gradually, Chongzhen's originally tense expression relaxed a lot.

In this blood letter, King Zhou spoke earnestly, recounting the grace that the Zhou Palace had received from the emperor for more than two hundred years.

He also said that the bandit Li Zicheng was approaching Kaifeng, and he was determined to defend the city to the death. If the city was captured, he would die for his country.

However, he could not bear to see the Zhou royal lineage cut off, so he let the prince flee Kaifeng and go to the capital.

He prayed that Chongzhen would spare the lives of the Crown Prince and other members of the royal family in consideration of his sacrifice for his country.

Even if he locked them up in Fengyang, he would die without any regrets!

Looking at the blood letter in his hand, Chongzhen couldn't help but recall the things about King Zhou.

In fact, Zhu Gongyao, the King of Zhou in the late Ming Dynasty, is somewhat famous in history, because unlike those vassal kings who just eat and wait for death, Zhu Gongyao is quite courageous.

As early as a few years ago, Li Zicheng had attacked Kaifeng several times.

At that time, Kaifeng City was really at a critical juncture of life and death. The food and grass in the city were about to run out, and the military salaries had long been unable to be paid.

At that time, the imperial court was busy fighting against the Jiannu, and was unable to support Kaifeng.

But at this critical moment, King Zhou Zhu Gongyao behaved completely differently from the other princes.

He knew very well that if Kaifeng City was captured, his entire family would be killed, and all the gold, silver and treasures in the house would become Li Zicheng's property.

So he immediately ordered the removal of tens of thousands of taels of silver and hundreds of thousands of dan of grain from the palace treasury.

Then he had the silver carried to the city wall and personally went to reward the soldiers guarding the city.

When the soldiers defending the city saw the white silver, their eyes were suddenly filled with fighting spirit.

Not only that, the King of Zhou also specially ordered people to post notices everywhere.

The notice stated that anyone who was willing to help defend the city would receive a reward, and whoever could repel the peasant army would be recommended to the court for promotion.

After all this hard work, the results are naturally immediate.

The soldiers and civilians defending the city looked at the huge piles of silver and the promises of the princes, and their morale suddenly soared like dry firewood meeting fire. In the end, they really repelled Li Zicheng's army of hundreds of thousands!

When Chongzhen learned about this incident, he issued an edict praising King Zhou's behavior.

But no one expected that King Zhou would eventually die in Kaifeng!
Thinking of this, Chongzhen felt a surge of emotion in his heart. He admired the loyalty of King Zhou, but also felt helpless about the situation.

The blood letter was then handed to Zhu Cilang. After taking it, Zhu Cilang looked through it carefully. He couldn't help but admire the foresight of King Zhou.

If there were no blood letter, these royal family members would be charged with the serious crime of entering the capital without an imperial edict.

But now, King Zhou used this blood letter to buy them a glimmer of hope.

You should know that before seeing the blood letter, Chongzhen had already made up his mind.

That is to select a few leading members of the royal family and kill them as a warning to others, then strip the rest of them of their titles and lock them all up in the high walls of Fengyang, letting them spend the rest of their lives there.

In this way, it can not only warn other royal family princes, but also demonstrate the majesty of the court laws.

But now, the appearance of this blood letter has put him in a dilemma. He is hesitant for a moment and doesn't know what to do.

What if we don't let them go?

Chongzhen himself felt bad. After all, King Zhou had sacrificed his life for his country and only wanted to find a way out for his family. If he didn't agree, wouldn't he seem heartless?
Even if I agree, it seems that it won’t work!
If all the princes do this in the future, then the rule that princes cannot enter the capital without imperial edict will become nonsense, right?
At this moment, Zhu Cilang saw that Chongzhen looked troubled, and he probably knew what he was struggling with.

Then Zhu Cilang spoke directly:
"Alright, my father and I are aware of your unauthorized entry into the capital."

"Even if there is a reason, it cannot change the fact that you violated the ancestral rules."

"As for the punishment, I need to discuss it carefully with my father before making a decision."

"You will stay in the capital for the time being. Once the discussion is complete, my father and I will summon you again."

When the Crown Prince of Zhou and other members of the royal family heard this, they felt relieved.

They originally thought that the worst outcome would be being beheaded or imprisoned for life behind the high walls of Fengyang, but they never expected that they would be able to live in the capital.

Moreover, judging from the expressions of the emperor and the prince, they did not seem to intend to punish them severely. This was really an unexpected blessing.

Then, they didn't care whether Chongzhen recognized it or not, and they knelt down again one after another, shouting:
"Your Majesty, and Your Highness the Crown Prince."

The sound of heads hitting the floor echoed in the Fengtian Hall.

Chongzhen was too lazy to care about anything at this moment, because he really hadn't figured out how to deal with the group of people in front of him, so he just waved his hand casually, signaling them to leave.

This group of royal family members then stood up and slowly left the Fengtian Hall.

However, when leaving, many people were secretly muttering in their hearts.

Because judging from the situation in the hall just now, no matter how you look at it, it seems that the prince is the one who can really make the decision, and Chongzhen standing beside him seems to be just a foil.

However, this thought was fleeting, and no one dared to think about it too much.

After all, this idea is really outrageous!

After everyone left, silence returned to the Fengtian Hall.

However, Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang would both leave, and it was obvious that they wanted to discuss this matter again.

Hey!
Chongzhen frowned and sighed heavily, his face full of fatigue and helplessness.

Zhu Cilang looked at Chongzhen and asked:
"Father, do you have any ideas on how to deal with these royal family members?"

Chongzhen shook his head and said with a bitter face:

"If it weren't for this blood letter, I would have punished the ringleaders severely, killed a few, and locked up the rest."

"But now that I have this blood letter, I really find it difficult to make a decision."

After saying that, he sighed again.

"It is really difficult for me to be the emperor."

Zhu Cilang did not speak, but looked thoughtful. After a moment, he asked again:
"Father, since you ascended the throne, have you ever distributed salaries to the royal family members?"

When Chongzhen heard this, his old face immediately turned red.

According to the rules set by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, the imperial court had to pay salaries to the royal family members every year. This is the origin of the saying "everyone raises pigs" among the people.

In the past, emperors of all dynasties followed this example and paid salaries to the royal family members on time.

However, due to the rapid increase in the population of the royal family and the tight state finances, starting from the Wanli period, the salaries paid were reduced to about 30%.

After more than ten years, only 20% remained.

After Chongzhen ascended the throne, he occasionally distributed 10% or 20% of the salary at first, but now, no salary has been distributed to the royal family for four or five years.

After all, the imperial court was currently facing financial difficulties, even military pay was difficult to raise, and the salaries of officials were often in arrears. How could there be any extra money to take care of the royal family?

Thinking of this, Chongzhen said somewhat embarrassedly:

"You are well aware of the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty before. At that time, I couldn't even pay the military, so how could I have money to pay the royal family?"

"I haven't paid them any salary since about four or five years ago!"

Sure enough!

Zhu Cilang was not surprised to hear this, because all this was within his expectations.

After all, when he traveled to this world, Chongzhen was so poor that he was about to urinate blood. How could he care about these poor relatives who were not related to him at all?

However, at this moment, Chongzhen seemed to suddenly think of something, suddenly opened his eyes wide, and then said anxiously:
"Wait. You're not planning to pay salaries to these royal family members, are you?"

"I advise you not to do this! These royal family members are not worth the country's money to support them!"

"Wouldn't it be better to use this money to recruit troops to fight against the Jiannu and Li Zicheng?"

Zhu Cilang looked at Chongzhen's nervous expression and couldn't help but feel a little funny, and hurriedly explained:

"Don't worry, Father. I have no such intention."

"Even if I had a lot of money, I would not waste it on those idle royal family members."

Chongzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression relaxed a lot.

Then, Zhu Cilang turned to look at Wang Chengen beside him and said:
"Eunuch Wang, please check the current population of the royal family. I need a detailed and accurate number."

Wang Chengen quickly bowed and replied:
"Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will do it right away."

After saying this, Wang Chengen hurriedly retreated.

Chongzhen looked at this scene, his heart full of doubts. Since they were not going to pay salaries to the royal family, what was the point of checking their number?
However, seeing that Zhu Cilang seemed uninterested in answering this question, Chongzhen didn't bother to ask anymore.

Not long after, Wang Chengen hurried back with a thick stack of documents.

The Ming Dynasty had an agency specifically for managing the affairs of the royal family, called the Zongrenfu. The Zongrenfu would conduct a census of the royal family's children every year. The data might not be 100% accurate, but it was roughly the same.

As for those who were not recorded in the books, the court did not recognize their royal family status and naturally could not be counted as royal family members.

Wang Chengen took out a booklet from the top and handed it to Zhu Cilang respectfully, saying:
"Your Highness, I have just checked and found that there are approximately 130,000 registered members of the Ming imperial family."

130,000?

When Zhu Cilang heard this number, he didn't feel much excitement.

Because according to later records, the population of the royal family in the late Ming Dynasty should theoretically have reached as many as 200,000.

However, those data may include all members of the royal family, and the actual number of people registered is far less.

As for the royal family members who are not on the list, their number may be even larger, but the court will not recognize their identities.

Zhu Cilang then opened the booklet in his hand, and saw that it recorded in detail the number of princes, dukes, and other royal family members with titles in the Ming Dynasty.

Turning to the last page, I saw a clear record of the current number of Fengguo lieutenants in the Ming Dynasty, which was a full 85,000!

The Lieutenant of Fengguo is the lowest title among the royal family of the Ming Dynasty, and this title will not be downgraded. The descendants of the Lieutenant of Fengguo will also be granted the title of Lieutenant of Fengguo.

However, since the imperial court had not paid their salaries for a long time, the lives of these lieutenants must have been very difficult, and most of them were probably no different from ordinary people.

In addition, the imperial court stipulated that they could not engage in production and other work, resulting in some people's living conditions being even worse than those of ordinary people.

Zhu Cilang's gaze was fixed on the booklet in his hand, his eyes revealing a hint of solemnity and thought.

Since he no longer intends to support these royal family members without restraint as before, he must find a suitable way out for them.

Suddenly, Zhu Cilang seemed to be struck by a flash of inspiration. His whole body was shocked, his eyes became bright in an instant, and his mind suddenly became clear!
He actually thought of a way to solve the population problem of the royal family!

At the same time, Chongzhen had been keeping an eye on Zhu Cilang's every move.

From Zhu Cilang's reaction just now, he keenly noticed that Zhu Cilang seemed to have an idea. He suddenly felt a surge of anticipation in his heart, and then he couldn't wait to ask:
"What? Have you figured out how to solve this problem?"

Ever since Chongzhen learned that Zhu Cilang was the reincarnation of the Great Emperor Zhenwu, Zhu Cilang had become an omnipotent being in his heart!
No matter what difficulties he encounters, he can always find a way out.

Therefore, Chongzhen firmly believed that Zhu Cilang would be able to properly resolve this royal family incident.

As expected, the next second, Zhu Cilang's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a confident smile, and then he looked at Chongzhen and said:
"Father, I think I have come up with a solution."

"What's the solution? Tell me quickly."

When Chongzhen heard this, he immediately urged anxiously.

Zhu Cilang said slowly:

"The Ming Dynasty has supported these royal family members for over two hundred years. It's time for them to serve the country."

Serve the country?

As soon as these words came out, Chongzhen's face showed an expression of disbelief, even with a hint of helplessness and ridicule.

Because in his opinion, these royal family members had been living a life of luxury for a long time, and had been accustomed to a life of luxury and had long become like trash.

Expecting them to serve the country is simply a foolish dream.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty has always been extremely strict in guarding against the royal family. How could it easily grant them power and give them the opportunity to serve the country?

Seeing Chongzhen's helpless look, Zhu Cilang didn't care, but continued to speak calmly:
"I intend to select some young and strong men from these royal families to form an army, and then have them deal with Li Zicheng."

"After we defeat Li Zicheng, we'll let them deal with the Jiannu."

"In this way, we can not only reduce the number of royal family members, but also change the image of the Ming royal family in the minds of the people."

When Chongzhen heard this, the expression on his face became more helpless, and he was completely speechless.

He had originally hoped that Zhu Cilang could come up with a brilliant way to solve this problem, but he did not expect Zhu Cilang to come up with such a seemingly absurd idea.

Therefore, Chongzhen could only say with some disappointment:

"Do you think I haven't thought of this method before? To tell you the truth, I had already thought of this method as early as the beginning of my reign."

"And I was even more meticulous than you thought. I planned to change the Ming Dynasty's system of succession to nobility to the Han Dynasty's system of descending nobility, which is the so-called Enfeoffment Order."

"If future royal family members want to inherit or be promoted without being demoted, they must join the army and make meritorious contributions."

"Otherwise, their descendants will be reduced to a lower rank and inherit the title, until they eventually become commoners, no longer having any connection to the royal family."

"But do you know why I finally gave up this plan?"

Zhu Cilang was somewhat surprised to hear this, because this was the first time he heard of such a thing.

However, he quickly gathered his thoughts and responded to Chongzhen's words:

"Because my father is afraid that the royal family will rebel after learning this news. After all, the hereditary princes are doing well, so how could they accept the sudden enfeoffment order?"

"Also, if we give the royal family military power, we're afraid that they'll grow in power and rebel in the future."

When Chongzhen heard this, he could not help but nod slightly, a hint of recognition flashed in his eyes, and then he said:

"You guessed right. I took these two points into consideration at the time, so I didn't carry it out."

"Although the military power of the Ming Dynasty has returned to our hands, we cannot let our guard down."

"If we want the royal family members to form an army, they will inevitably take control of the military power, which is not a good thing for us."

"If this continues for a long time, another 'King of Yan' might emerge. Do we then have to let them resort to another Fengtian Jingnan?"

"The Ming Dynasty can't afford such turmoil."

After listening to Chongzhen's words, Zhu Cilang felt somewhat touched.

It seems that Chongzhen also tried to use his own methods to solve the various problems facing the Ming Dynasty, but ultimately failed!
But it was obvious that Chongzhen underestimated his plan.

The next second, Zhu Cilang suddenly smiled and said:

"Actually, Father, what you just said has been taken into consideration by me, and I promise that such a thing will never happen."

"Because after defeating Li Zicheng and the Jiannu, these royal family members will completely disappear from the Ming Dynasty and will never come back!"

Upon hearing this, Chongzhen's eyes widened instantly, his face full of shock, as if he had heard something incredible.

Then, he said in a horrified tone:

"Wait. You. What are you going to do?"

"You have to think clearly. This isn't just one or two people, but tens of thousands of people, including our clan members!"

"Even if you are the reincarnation of the Great Emperor Zhenwu, in the final analysis, your body is also the blood of the Zhu family. If you dare to kill these tens of thousands of Zhu family members, the spit of the people in the world will drown you!"

"I will never agree to this matter no matter what!"

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

When Zhu Cilang heard this, his face was immediately filled with question marks.

Not
What on earth was going on in Chongzhen's mind?
When did I say I wanted to kill these members of the royal family?

As a crown prince, killing tens of thousands of royal family members in one breath, is this something a human could think of?
What on earth was Chongzhen thinking?
(End of this chapter)