Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

On the same day, in the eastern part of Beijing, at Dengshikou.

The gate of a three-courtyard mansion was tightly closed.

A thin layer of dust covered the plaque hanging above the door.

This is the Prince Xiang's residence.

Prince Xiang, Zhu Zhanshan, was the biological son of Emperor Renzong.

The younger brother of Emperor Xuanzong, and the current emperor's uncle.

However, he is not in Beijing.

In the thirteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, Prince Xiang was ordered to take up his fief in Huguang.

The Prince Xiang's Mansion in Beijing was left vacant, with only a few old servants keeping watch and cleaning it.

But today the gates of the Prince of Xiang's residence are open.

A small blue sedan chair quietly stopped in front of the side gate in the twilight.

A middle-aged man stepped out of the sedan chair.

He did not enter through the main gate, but instead entered the Prince of Xiang's residence through the side gate.

When he entered the main hall, there was already someone waiting there.

The man was over fifty years old, with a robust build, and dressed in a dark blue prince's everyday robe.

He was looking at a painting titled "A Panoramic View of the Yangtze and Han Rivers" hanging on the wall, with his hands behind his back.

The man in black bowed as he entered, saying, "Your Highness, I've kept you waiting."

The prince turned around; it wasn't the Prince of Xiang, but Prince Zhu Shizhuan of Dai.

The fiefdom of Dai, Datong Prefecture, Weizhou, was only about 400 li away from Beijing.

When news of the defeat at Tumu Fortress reached the capital, the Prince of Dai was in Weizhou City.

They were almost captured by Esen's cavalry.

He set off for Beijing on August 20th to "pay his respects," and arrived on September 3rd.

At that time, Zhu Qiyu was preparing to ascend the throne and had no time to pay attention to his cousin.

The Prince of Dai then settled in the capital, where he stayed for over a month.

Prince Dai raised his hand in a gesture of support: "Mr. Zhou, there's no need for such formalities. As for the Empress Dowager..."

The man in black, referred to as "Mr. Zhou," said in a low voice, "The news from Qingning Palace is that the Empress Dowager is not seeing anyone."

Today, His Majesty entered the palace to pay his respects and spent half an hour alone with the Empress Dowager in the hall.

After His Majesty left, the Empress Dowager instructed the palace staff to close the gates and refuse visitors.

The Prince of Dai frowned: "What does the Empress Dowager mean?"

Mr. Zhou was silent for a moment: "The Empress Dowager... did not issue an imperial edict."

The Prince of Dai was taken aback: "No imperial edict was issued? Does that mean she approves or disapprove?"

Mr. Zhou shook his head: "The absence of an imperial edict means that I do not object."

The Prince of Dai's face darkened.

He was the great-great-grandson of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and the grandson of Prince Dai Zhu Gui. He inherited the title of Prince Dai in the thirteenth year of the Zhengtong era.

In terms of seniority, he was Zhu Qiyu's cousin.

The reform of the imperial clan did not have as great an impact on these princes who had been enfeoffed as they had imagined.

They have other ways of making money.

However, this matter still needs to be addressed.

Today, the Lieutenant of the State is stripped of his title; how can we be sure that the Prince of the Commandery will not be stripped of his title tomorrow?

The Prince of Dai said in a deep voice, "Mr. Zhou, is there really no room for maneuver on His Majesty's side?"

Mr. Zhou smiled wryly: "Your Highness, you didn't see what happened at the court meeting the other day."

Li Kan, a supervising secretary of the Six Ministries, offered his remonstrance based on procedural arguments, but was rendered speechless by the emperor's three questions.

Wang Zhi, the Minister of Personnel, requested to resign in the palace, and His Majesty granted his request.

Hu Ying, the Minister of Rites, requested to resign, but His Majesty refused.

Chen Yi, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, raised three questions about the reforms, but His Majesty refuted them all, leaving him speechless.

He paused, then lowered his voice: "This His Majesty... is not the Emperor Emeritus."

He had guarded cities, seen blood, and killed people.

Once he's made up his mind, nothing can change it.

The Prince of Dai remained silent for a long time, his voice tinged with bitterness: "Then what should I do?"

Are we just going to stand by and watch him change the ancestral rules?

Mr. Zhou said slowly, "Your Highness, you are not alone in the capital."

The Prince of Dai looked up at him.

Mr. Zhou said in a low voice: "There are at least seven or eight princely mansions stationed in the capital as officials in charge of reporting matters, chief secretaries, and attendants."

There were also close relatives of the imperial clan who temporarily resided in the capital due to inherited titles, requests for official ranks, or marriage alliances.

What were their opinions?

Mr. Zhou looked at the Prince of Dai: "They are waiting, waiting for their respective princes' replies."

They were also waiting for someone to step forward and bring to His Majesty the words that everyone wanted to say but dared not.

The Prince of Dai understood; they were all waiting for someone to "take the lead."

Whoever speaks first may face the emperor's wrath.

However, if no one speaks up, the reform of the imperial clan will proceed as proposed by the Ministry of Revenue and as discussed by Zhang Lun.

The process proceeded smoothly despite the cabinet's draft proposal, the six ministries' seconding of it, and the six departments' silence.

Once the imperial edict was issued and the decree was promulgated, everything was settled.

"Your Highness, you are a descendant of Emperor Taizu and a descendant of Emperor Taizong."

"You are a prince; if you don't speak, then the princes, generals, and lieutenants will be even less likely to speak."

The Prince of Dai closed his eyes, thinking of his fiefdom, Datong Weizhou.

It was close to the border, and every year small groups of Tatar cavalry would raid and plunder there.

The princes, generals, and lieutenants of the Dai princely family numbered several hundred, and they were forced to remain trapped in the city.

Each year, it was difficult to fully distribute the stipends and salaries of those who were granted titles, not to mention that half of them had to be converted into paper money.

The paper money was already practically worthless, let alone in border towns like Datong.

The Prince of Dai had repeatedly petitioned for the full payment of his salary.

However, once a memorial is sent to the palace, it seems to sink without a trace.

At that time, he thought, "Oh well, I'll just have to bear with it."

When the emperor remembers the hardships faced by the imperial relatives on the border, he will naturally allocate grain.

This wait lasted for two years.

Now the Emperor has remembered them.

However, instead of distributing grain to the imperial clansmen, their stipends were reduced.

The Prince of Dai opened his eyes: "I wish to submit a memorial!"

Mr. Zhou looked at him.

The Prince of Dai slowly said, "It was not submitted in the name of the Prince of Dai, but rather by a joint petition from members of the imperial clan in the capital."

Crown Prince of Zheng, Crown Prince of Zhou, Crown Prince of Lu...

If they are willing to sign together, then they will.

If you refuse, I will deliver it myself!

Mr. Zhou bowed deeply: "Your Highness is wise."

In Qingning Palace, Empress Dowager Sun leaned against her phoenix couch, twirling a string of sandalwood prayer beads between her fingers.

A female official entered and announced: "Your Majesty, the Duchess of Cheng has come to the palace to pay her respects and is waiting outside."

Empress Dowager Sun's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Duke Zhu Yong of Cheng was the son of Zhu Neng, a hero of the Jingnan Campaign. He died at Tumu Fortress.

"Bring her in."

Lady Cheng, the wife of the Duke of Cheng, entered the hall to pay her respects. Afterwards, Empress Dowager Sun bestowed upon her an embroidered stool and ordered someone to serve tea.

The two chatted about palace life and the autumn season.

Then, the Duchess of Cheng set down her teacup and said casually, "A guest happened to arrive at my residence before I entered the palace today."

Empress Dowager Sun, fiddling with her prayer beads, did not respond.

Lady Chengguo continued, "It was the chief secretary of the Prince Zheng's residence who came to the capital to congratulate His Highness Prince Zheng on his ascension to the throne."

The chief clerk mentioned to his son that His Highness Prince Zheng had recently read the official gazette and made three comments on Physician Zhang…

There are some things I don't understand.

She carefully observed the Empress Dowager's expression: "Your Highness said that the Zheng family has multiplied for generations, and the close relatives, including princes and generals, can still live in peace."

The lieutenant in the remote area was mostly poor and struggling to make ends meet.

If they were stripped of their titles and reduced to commoners, they would have neither land nor a means of livelihood.

If the imperial court cannot properly handle this situation, it may not be in accordance with familial ties.

After she finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Empress Dowager Sun did not speak immediately.

How could the King of Zheng have known the news and sent it back to Beijing in just a few days?

These relatives are truly a complicated story.

Then she smiled gently: "King Zheng... is a wise man."

Lady Cheng lowered her head, not daring to reply.

Empress Dowager Sun put down her teacup: "It's just that his trust was entrusted to someone in a roundabout way."

If a prince or noble has a matter to report, he or she can submit a memorial to the emperor and send his or her chief secretary to deliver it to the Office of Transmission.

Why bother the Duke of Chengguo's mansion to mediate?

Lady Cheng, her face paling slightly, immediately rose from her seat and knelt down: "Your Majesty, you are wise. His Highness Prince Zheng had no intention of making this request, but..."

Empress Dowager Sun interrupted her: "I know, they dare not write it because they are afraid that once the memorial is submitted, it will be impossible to retrieve it."

Lady Cheng, the wife of the Duke of Cheng, prostrated herself on the ground, not daring to speak.

Empress Dowager Sun was holding Buddhist prayer beads.

She remembered that in the eighth year of the Zhengtong reign, Prince Zheng, Zhu Zhanjun, had submitted a memorial requesting an increase in the number of guards protecting his palace.

At that time, Zhu Qizhen issued an imperial edict stating "ancestral rules cannot be violated," and then kept it in the palace without issuing a further statement.

From that time on, King Zheng never submitted another formal memorial.

Every year, they only submit congratulatory and gratitude memorials as usual, as rigidly as a clay sculpture.

Even if he knew about the reform, he probably wouldn't have submitted a memorial requesting permission.

Empress Dowager Sun closed her eyes and said calmly, "You may leave. I understand their meaning."

Lady Cheng bowed and withdrew.

At the same moment, in Xi'an, a thousand miles away, at the Qin Prince's Palace.

Zhu Zhiyuan stood in front of the Yin'an Hall, gazing at the northern night sky.

He has not yet received the official gazette from Beijing.

He was unaware that Zhang Lun's "Three Proposals" had been approved by the emperor.

All he knew was that a few days ago, a chief clerk had been dispatched on horseback.

The message sent back was that "the court intends to discuss the system of stipends for members of the imperial clan."

It's just a "discussion".

Zhu Zhiyi stood with his hands behind his back.

He recalled that during the Hongwu era, his great-grandfather, Prince Qin Zhu Shuang, was stationed in Xi'an.

He commanded over 10,000 elite guards, defending against the Mongols in the north and controlling the Hexi Corridor in the west.

At that time, the princes of the Ming Dynasty truly served as "protectors of the country."

But now?

Even the Prince of Qin couldn't mobilize 700 guards from his palace to guard Pingliang.

If the imperial court really issues an edict to reduce his salary, should he argue his case or accept it in silence?

he does not know.

All he knew was that he couldn't do anything right now.

Chief Secretary Zhou Shu stepped forward lightly: "Your Highness, the night breeze is getting chilly."

Zhu Zhiyi didn't turn around, and said in a low voice, "Let's wait a bit longer, until the official gazette from the capital arrives."

Luzhou, Shenwang Mansion.

The lights were on in Prince Shen Zhu Jitun's study.

News came from Beijing today that the imperial court intends to discuss the system of stipends for members of the imperial clan.

He remained silent for a long time before finally picking up his pen to write a memorial to the emperor.

But after hesitating for a long time, he finally wrote only a few lines of respectful congratulatory writing:

"Your subject, Prince Shen Jitun, congratulates Your Majesty on your ascension to the throne..."

It's not the right time to submit a memorial.

The imperial edict has not yet arrived, and the emperor's intention remains unclear.

If he were to rashly submit a memorial at this time, it would make it seem as if he, a distant relative of the prince, harbored resentment.