The clan system of the Ming Dynasty is quite domineering, the emperor's son except for the one who succeeds to the throne, the rest are all princes, the eldest son of the prince is hereditary prince, the rest are county kings, the eldest son of the county king is the county king, the rest of the Zhenguo generals, the son of the Zhenguo general is the auxiliary general, the son of the auxiliary general is the Fengguo general, the son of the Fengguo general is the lieutenant of Zhenguo, the son of the lieutenant of Zhenguo is the lieutenant of the auxiliary country, the son of the lieutenant of the auxiliary country is the lieutenant of Fengguo, the son of the lieutenant of Fengguo is also the lieutenant of Fengguo, the hereditary reckless, endless!
Although Zhu Xu had stabbed the clan before, a prince's age was still as high as 8,000 stones, all kinds of yarn, Luo, cotton, brocade, silk, etc., as well as forage, tea, salt, etc., worth as much as 50,000 taels of silver, the king of the county was 4,000 stones, and the other equivalent of cash silver was as high as 30,000 taels, even the lowest lieutenant Fengguo was 400 stones a year, and several others were worth a lot.
There are also clan women, although there are fewer, but the wedding and funeral will still not be stingy, and even more.
If it weren't for Zhu Xu's deliberate tightening of his mouth and ordering the household department to secretly deduct it every year, the annual expenditure of the clan alone would be as high as six million stone of grain, plus more than seven million taels of silver!
This figure is more than one-third of the annual income of the Ming treasury!
Wasted on a group of people who are completely useless, drunk and dreaming of death, and completely unaware of the situation of the country!
Zhu Xu closed the notebook, checked it, looked at Bi Ziyan and said, "The cabinet has revised the grade of the sect to the fifth rank, how many people will be eliminated at this time?"
” Bi Ziyan stepped forward and said: "Back to the emperor, it is estimated that 80,000 people will be eliminated, all of whom are lieutenants of Zhenguo, Fuguo, and Fengguo." ” As soon as these words fell, King Jing and the other three kings all changed their faces slightly, and their eyes flashed with anger, this matter was not said at all by Bi Ziyan and others in the cabinet!
Zhu Xu picked up the teacup, nodded slightly, and did not speak.
After more than 200 years in the Ming Dynasty, the number of Fengguo lieutenants at the bottom was the largest, and it was the largest group in the clan, with a large number of people and a large consumption, and it was already far away from the royal family, doing nothing all day long, and living in confusion.
Seeing Zhu Xu thoughtful, Bi Ziyan glanced at King Jing and the others, raised his hand and said to Zhu Xu, "Your Majesty, the ministers still had an idea before, the prince within three generations will not be demoted. ” Zhu Xu's brows moved slightly, he smiled secretly in his heart, and looked at King Jing and the others: "What do you think?"
” This is a concession from the cabinet, but it is not enough to convince King Jing and a cadre of clans, King Lu looked calm, and pretended to be contemplative: "Your Majesty, the impact of eliminating 80,000 clans in one breath is too great, and the minister thinks ......
Inappropriate.
"Even if the emperor in front of him is behind this matter, King Lu also feels that he has to fight, otherwise the King Lu lineage, which has been inherited for hundreds of years, will disappear in a short time.
Zhu Xu put down the teacup and said lightly, "Don't always be inappropriate, say what you think is feasible." ” King Jin glanced at King Lu, then at King Jing who was frowning, raised his hand to Zhu Xu, and said, "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that it is not appropriate to be one-size-fits-all, the clan is indeed too large and needs to be controlled, but it cannot be reduced by 80,000 people in one go. ” The cabinet's plan is indeed quite general, and it is wide open and closed, and the clan is not taken into account at all, which is very Zhu Xu's style.
However, listening to King Jin's words, Zhu Xu said with interest: "Go on." ” Everyone also looked at King Jin, and now the core issue is 'demotion to the knight', any wind and grass is enough to affect the overall situation, and those present dare not be careless.
King Jin looked at Zhu Xu and said with a very cautious expression, "The minister believes that it should be carried out in stages, in batches, with a target, accurately, and effectively 'demoted', rather than being so general and one-size-fits-......
-cut-and--size-fits-all."
Zhu Xu's face was as usual, but he looked at this King of Jin who had been silent all the time.
To be able to say this is not a mediocre person.
Zhu Xu glanced at King Jing and King Lu, looked at Bi Ziyan, Sun Chengzong and others, and said, "What does the cabinet think?"
” Everyone in the cabinet didn't expect King Jin to be able to say this, they were silent for a while, Sun Chuanting may have just entered the cabinet, and he didn't have too much burden, so he raised his hand and said: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that what His Royal Highness the King of Jin said is reasonable, if the lord is demoted in batches, the minister can make a plan, and he can reduce more than 100,000 people within three years, and reduce the expenditure on the clan by one-third......"
Zhu Xu said 'um', turned to the three kings again, and said, "What other opinions do you have?"
” The three kings looked at Zhu Xu, they couldn't get their minds right, and they didn't dare to ask too much, King Jing was closer to Zhu Xu, he stiffened his head and said: "Your Majesty, many people in the clan are asking for an increase in Suilu, and now the prices in the capital are boiling, and the clan has a large population, so it is indeed a little tight......"
This is the last time to ask for the price, Zhu Xu's expression remained unchanged, and he looked at Bi Ziyan and the others, "Cabinet." ” Bi Ziyan was very cheerful this time, and said directly: "There is no problem."
"Once the population of the clan is reduced, it will inevitably save a lot of money and food, and there is no problem in returning some of it to stabilize people's hearts.
Sun Chengzong, Sun Chuanting and others all acquiesced, at this time, it was a bargain with the clan, the clan's asking price was not high, and the cabinet had no reason not to agree.
Zhu Xu clapped his hand and looked at a group of people, "Then it's decided, the prince's title......
The special decree will be retained for three generations, and the royal family will not be demoted within three generations.
The cabinet must act cautiously, not in a hurry, from the bottom up, act safely, I don't want to be taught by the old lady and the imperial sister-in-law, do you understand?
” "Your Ministers obey!"
A group of people raised their hands in unison and bowed.
Zhu Xu suddenly felt that this feeling was extremely refreshing and comfortable, smiled and picked up the teacup again, and said: "Well, the cabinet will tidy it up again, and give it to me later to seal it, and it will be promulgated tomorrow, even if this matter is decided."
By the way, is Qian Qianyi going to be escorted to Beijing, and what are the plans of the Governor's Yuan?
” Qian Qianyi's matter is not isolated, and there is also the 'transfer' of Donglin and a cadre, only when Qian Qianyi is tried, will many people's mouths be blocked.
King Jing hurriedly raised his hand and said, "The Governor's Yuan has made a plan and formulated twenty-eight major crimes, and once Qian Qianyi enters Beijing, he will be sent to Dali Temple as soon as possible." ” Not long after Wang Qiaonian took over Dali Temple, he entered the cabinet again, and when he heard the words, he raised his hand, and it was the first time he said: "Your Majesty, the minister is ready, and the trial will be held openly and concluded quickly." ” The matter of Qian Qianyi has spread to the capital, and it is becoming more and more boiling, and the imperial court wants to end it as soon as possible, so as not to cause other troubles.
Zhu Xu nodded and said: "The charges must be detailed, irrefutable facts, and at the same time, there is a law to follow, and it is tenable to stand on the Da Ming law, some vain heads and brains, and the righteousness is as awe-inspiring as possible......
The Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Criminal Affairs all went to hear and pay attention to it, so as to set an example!
” The emperor's words are the biggest truth, and after a group of people were stunned, they all raised their hands and said, "The ministers obey the order." ”