The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 229 Those who have constant property have constant heart
Zhang Fu fell silent.

This silence made Li Xianmu uneasy; he suddenly felt that some things seemed to be out of his control and beyond his expectations.

In his twenty-eight years of life, this feeling occurred no more than three times.

He reviewed his words and felt there was nothing wrong with them; it was appropriate to say such things to the British Prime Minister.

The room remained silent for a long time before the Duke of England turned around and said slowly with emotion, "Your father once said the same thing to me: as nobles, we share the fate of the country and should have a sense of ownership."

But after thinking about it for a long time, I realized that you should tell these things to His Majesty.

Those who have stable property have stable minds.

The beggar only hopes to get a full meal at the next meal.

The poor only hope to receive food for the following month.

Well-off families would consider where the corvée money for the coming year would come from.

Wealthy families would think about how to become officials to protect their family property.

As for our families, we are already extremely wealthy. Even if our family assets were to last for nine or ten generations, we would still not be able to spend them all. But we never know when our fortunes will decline. Since ancient times, how many founding heroes have ever seen the dynasty perish?

The title of Marquis Che, which was established at the beginning of the Han Dynasty, almost disappeared by the time of Emperor Jing of Han. The descendants of Zhang Liang (Zhang Zifang) lost their title in the second generation.

Of those meritorious officials enshrined in the Lingyan Pavilion of the Tang Dynasty, how many of their families survived to the time of Emperor Xuanzong?
The six dukes and twenty-eight marquises who founded the Ming Dynasty, as well as the dozens of marquises and earls who followed, probably never imagined that their families would be wiped out in less than three generations.

We, the warlords who fought in the Jingnan Rebellion, are now quite prominent, but how long can we remain so? Even I, with you, such an outstanding son-in-law, only dare to dream of passing on our legacy to the third or fourth generation.

Morning fungi don't know Hui Shuo, worms don't know Spring and Autumn.

The British Duke's mansion is nothing more than a short-lived ephemeral mushroom or cicada; what's the point of telling me about things a hundred, two hundred, or three hundred years from now?

For the first time in his life, Li Xianmu, who had always been calm and composed, was speechless.

Only Li Qi, who knew the history of later generations, probably knew how fortunate the princes of Jingnan were. Although they lost power in the later years, their main lineage enjoyed wealth and honor for more than 250 years, a situation that had never been seen since the fall of the Zhou Dynasty. The founding heroes of other dynasties were extremely envious, and even the Ning and Rong mansions in Dream of the Red Chamber would be green with envy.

However, the fact that the Jingnan warlords were able to maintain their power for two hundred years is inextricably linked to their lack of real power. If they had truly remained in the political center, their fate would most likely not have been good.

Li Xianmu and Zhang Fu naturally did not know the future. Zhang Fu deduced his own future based on historical experience, while Li Xianmu was speechless for a moment.

Under a monarchical autocracy, everyone's life is precarious, and people of different social classes face different risks; the lower the social class, the greater the threat to their survival.

The only threat to the nobles came from the emperor, but the emperor was precisely the most cruel and cold-blooded human being in the world. It was not a simple profession, but a creature independent of men and women.

Even considering Li Xianmu's good relationship with the imperial family, among the four generations from his maternal grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Zhanji, only Zhu Gaochi showed any human touch.

The fact that Duke Zhang Fu of England thought this way proves that he had political wisdom. Only by being wary of the emperor can one live more peacefully in this world. Those who have no reverence for imperial power, no matter how powerful they are, will eventually die and their families will be exterminated.

However, for Li Xianmu, Zhang Fu's mentality represented a huge problem, and even a rift in the alliance between the two sides.

This is something Li Xianmu cannot accept!
The support of the British public was one of the important sources of his power.

Li Xianmu quickly calmed himself down. He knew he had to persuade the Duke of Ying. After a long silence, he slowly said, "Father-in-law is too pessimistic. The Ming Dynasty is different from previous dynasties."

British official Wang turned to Li Xianmu but did not speak, only gesturing for Li Xianmu to continue.

He didn't want to get involved in matters concerning the poor, but if Li Xianmu could really persuade him, he would be willing to lend a hand again.

"The biggest difference between the Ming Dynasty and previous dynasties lies in the different forces supporting the imperial power."

"In the past dynasties, the imperial court could not control the local areas. There were powerful local magnates and centuries-old families in the local areas. These powerful families occupied a lot of resources and were even able to resist the imperial power to a limited extent."

Therefore, in order to suppress local powers, the central government formed a whole system, using relatives of the empress to check and balance local powerful families.

However, after the Ming Dynasty arrived, the situation changed. After Empress Xiaokang passed away, the late emperor chose to elevate his concubine, Lady Lü, to the position of empress, rather than selecting someone from among the still-existing powerful and meritorious families to succeed as crown princess.

Emperor Xiaokang was Zhu Biao, and Zhu Biao's crown princess was naturally Empress Xiaokang.

Zhang Fu frowned. He had never thought about these things before, but now, after Li Xianmu's reminder, he realized what was going on.

In ancient times, the system of one husband with one wife and multiple concubines was practiced. Concubines had a very low status. Generally speaking, a concubine remained a concubine for life. After the death of the wife, the husband would choose to remarry. Only in very rare cases would a concubine be elevated to the status of wife. From a public opinion perspective, this was not a glorious thing.

The late emperor placed great importance on these patriarchal laws, especially regarding the relationship between legitimate and illegitimate sons. Moreover, elevating Lady Lü to the status of legitimate wife would even change the relationship between legitimate and illegitimate sons. Zhu Yunwen obtained the status of legitimate son through the elevation of Lady Lü to the status of legitimate wife.

It must be said here that many people believe that Zhu Yunwen was the true legitimate son, while Zhu Yunwen was a son born out of wedlock, because Zhu Yunwen was born before Lady Lü was made the legitimate wife, which does not conform to the rules of Chinese patriarchal clan system.

In ancient China, starting from the Zhou Dynasty, the patriarchal system clearly stated that "a son's status is determined by his mother's, and a mother's status is determined by her son's." The son's status was entirely dependent on the mother's status.

In the imperial family, the sons of the principal wife were considered superior to those of concubines. In the imperial family, the sons of the empress were considered superior to those of concubines. The sons born to concubines of different ranks were also different. Some princes were even discriminated against and humiliated because their mothers were of very lowly status.

Even though Zhu Yunwen was indeed a lowly illegitimate son, once Lady Lü became his wife, Zhu Yunwen would automatically be promoted to the status of legitimate son, and his line of succession would clearly be above that of Zhu Yunwen.

The rule that a son who was originally a concubine before being made the legal heir and later became the legitimate son was actually a custom of the Eastern Roman Empire, known as "born in the purple chamber".

Therefore, it was indeed strange to elevate a concubine to the position of Crown Princess, and Zhang Fu felt a surge of curiosity.

Li Xianmu continued, "This was not an accident, but rather a deliberate act by the late Emperor to gradually eliminate interference in politics by the empress dowager. Thus, he began selecting future empresses from among officials of lower and middle ranks. If it weren't for the Emperor's Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Yunwen's sons would also have chosen empresses from among officials of lower and middle ranks. The Crown Princess was decided long ago, so let's not go into that. Father-in-law, look at the selection of the Crown Prince's consort. From the very beginning, the Emperor never considered noble families. Logically speaking, given the relationship between the Duke of Ying's mansion and the royal family, they should have discussed this matter with you long ago."

"What does this have to do with previous dynasties? Isn't the policy of preventing relatives of the empress from interfering in politics something that started in the Song Dynasty?"

"But the military and noble titles of the Song Dynasty were not hereditary!"

Li Xianmu said in a strong voice: "The Song Dynasty was too wary of military generals, but our dynasty is different. The imperial family trusts the meritorious military generals. Many civil officials are dismissed and imprisoned after being reported for minor violations, while many meritorious generals are suppressed by His Majesty even if they commit crimes."

The titles of dukes and marquises were hereditary and perpetual, as were the positions of military officers at all levels—something that had never happened before in previous dynasties.

The Ming Dynasty had no prime minister, and the emperor and civil officials faced each other directly, which was bound to cause conflict. Moreover, no one could govern the country better than the civil officials, so the civil officials would inevitably become powerful in the future. Just like the question the son-in-law asked his father-in-law earlier, which of the second-generation nobles is the most capable?

Was it the Duke of Mu, who suffered repeated defeats, or the Duke of Cheng, a pampered son of a noble family, or the Duke of Qi, who lost many soldiers during the northern expedition, or even the Marquis of Baoling?

How does he compare to the cabinet members? How does he compare to the ministers of the six ministries and the young scholars of the Hanlin Academy? How does he compare to the countless scholars across the land preparing to embark on their official careers?

It is certainly not as good as it is!

Even without Li Xianmu saying it, everyone knows that nobility can compare to those talented individuals who have fought their way up from countless others.

"But would the emperor trust civil officials?" Li Xianmu said calmly, "Would the emperor trust civil officials who are vying for power with him, or a group of nobles who would lose everything without the protection of imperial power?"
Would the emperor hand over the Imperial Guards and the Three Great Camps to nobles or civil officials?

Given the Ming Dynasty's rule that no title could be conferred without merit for the country and military achievements, will there be more hereditary dukes in the future?

These three questions may seem unrelated to what we're discussing today, but they actually highlight three extremely important things!
The reason why the emperors of the previous dynasty were wary of the nobles was because the civil officials were not as powerful as those in the Ming dynasty. This trend had already begun in the Song dynasty, and the emperor's main opponent had become the civil officials.

Everyone knows that the fate of military generals in the Song Dynasty was tragic, but in reality, it was those generals who wanted to make achievements who suffered the most. Those generals who stayed comfortably within the system fared very well, enjoying generations of wealth and honor until the fall of the Song Dynasty.

The second problem is that the emperor will inevitably hand over the imperial guards to the nobles, because the civil officials already have the power to govern, and it would be too dangerous for them to also dabble in military power.

The third and most crucial issue is that titles of nobility in the Ming Dynasty were extremely rare, especially hereditary titles. Only founding heroes and those who were similar to the founding heroes and those who participated in the Jingnan Campaign received titles in such large numbers.

Under this model, obtaining the title of marquis in the future would be extremely difficult, which means that no new nobles will replace these old ones.

Zhang Fu was very clever. When he connected these three points, he immediately understood that the power of civil officials, the difficulty in obtaining noble titles, and their control of the imperial guards represented absolute security!
"But according to what you've said, the nobility are already so weak, and the civil officials are already so powerful. Wouldn't it be even more difficult to promote people from humble backgrounds?"

"The Ming Dynasty is so wonderful, Father-in-law should no longer be concerned with the affairs of the nobility, but with the continuation of the entire Ming Dynasty. The longer the Ming Dynasty continues, the longer the wealth and honor of the Duke of Ying's mansion will continue."

"Father-in-law, the British Duke's Mansion is not a fleeting phenomenon, but a truly noble family that can share the fate of the nation. Such a golden age is unparalleled in history!"

"My father left a will before his death, instructing that the Li family line continue for generations until the fifth hundredth year, when we should go to the ancestral hall to pay homage to our ancestors."

Based on the precedents of previous dynasties, this was impossible, so it was necessary to change the system as soon as there was even the slightest sign of change.

"This is something I absolutely must do. If I don't do it now, I'll have to do it when the Crown Prince or Grandson ascends the throne, but then it will inevitably be much more intense."

Zhang Fu sensed extreme determination in Li Xianmu's words.

He wanted to laugh.

Five hundred years—to allow the Ming Dynasty to last for five hundred years is simply a fantasy; even three hundred years would be considered an excellent outcome.

But Li Xianmu was too serious, so he couldn't laugh.

Li Xianmu's words kept churning in his mind. He had thought about the future of the Duke of Ying's mansion and the idea of ​​sharing the fate of the country long ago, but never before had anyone explained it as clearly as Li Xianmu.

The role of nobles changed in the Ming Dynasty. In the past, nobles were people who competed with the emperor for military power, and even people who might threaten the throne or even usurp it. The nobles in the Hongwu era were like that, so they were strangled by the late emperor.

However, after the reigns of Hongwu, Jianwen, and Yongle, civil officials had completely gained power and become as strong as they were in the Song Dynasty. They became the power group that threatened the emperor.

At this time, the role of the nobles became the emperor's guards. Due to the hereditary system, the guards were always the descendants of these few families. Under these circumstances, the alliance between the emperor and the nobles lasted for a long time and they were almost one.

The scenario that Zhang Fu feared—that he might lose power at any time—was unlikely to occur in the Ming Dynasty.

unless……

Li Xianmu recalled what his father had once said about the Ming Dynasty's garrison system. The garrison system was actually the foundation of the nobility system. The biggest difference between the Ming Dynasty and previous Han Chinese dynasties was its hereditary military system from top to bottom.

Many dukes, marquises, and earls held hereditary positions. In the army, officers from commanders down all levels inherited their positions. Even civil officials joined this ranks, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was full of sons of civil officials.

Li Xianmu considered changing the military system, but he wouldn't bring it up while the Duke of Ying was alive, because the Duke of Ying would definitely oppose it.

If the Duke of England opposes him, his power base will be shaken. The Ming Dynasty has countless problems, so let's start by fixing those that are not so much related to the Duke of England.

Zhang Fu was making his final decisions.

“You are a thoughtful young man with exceptional talent, as is your father,” Zhang Fu pondered. “The smarter a person is, the more they know how difficult it is for a dynasty to last for two or three hundred years. I don’t know why your father was so confident that the Ming Dynasty would last for five hundred years, and that your Li family could continue for those five hundred years.”

"But what you said today is quite right. It is a good thing for the Ming Dynasty to continue peacefully. I will have those nobles who submitted memorials opposing it withdraw their reports, but that's all. I hope this matter ends with the civil officials and doesn't involve the military."

Li Xianmu replied without hesitation, "Yes!"

His eyes were sparkling; he had never intended to promote a military general from a humble background.

(End of this chapter)