The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

The ministers began to make plans.

They were all the current elite bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty, and they were also the highest officials in charge of various ministries and temples.

Since the issue of vassal prohibition and the issue of vassal kings’ salaries were on the table, they might as well take this opportunity to solve them together.

What Wang Jianzhi, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, said before was undoubtedly the biggest problem facing them.

The crime rate of vassal kings and royal families remained high, and there was a trend of intensification, so the court should naturally find a way to solve it.

But if you want to solve this problem, the root cause is still the vassal prohibition issue, so no matter how you get around it, the vassal prohibition policy is a difficult problem that cannot be avoided.

The ministers seemed to be discussing fiercely, but they were actually waiting for the attitude of His Majesty the Emperor.

After all, what Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao said was not unreasonable. It was appropriate to make some changes to the vassal prohibition measures according to the times, but the premise was that His Majesty the Emperor was willing to accept it.

After all, the vassal prohibition policy was still a question of imperial power or the throne, and the person who was most sensitive to this was the Ming Emperor, Zhu Houzhao.

In fact, after the Yongle Emperor, after several decades, the world has already recognized the current royal family and acknowledged the legitimacy and legality of this lineage.

So it is not that the vassal kings rebelled, and they could really launch a Jingnan Campaign and re-enact the miracle of Emperor Taizong Wen.

However, no one can guarantee this.

What if the vassal ban is lifted, and a peerless hero really emerges from the royal vassal kings in the future?

No one is qualified to guarantee such future events.

Of course, Tang Hao has this qualification, but unfortunately no one would believe him even if he said it.

Zhu Houzhao has been thinking, and a struggle between heaven and man began in his mind.

The vassal ban measures are the shackles that Emperor Taizong Wen put on the vassal kings and royal family, and they are also a guarantee to prevent the vassal kings from threatening the throne.

After so many years, the facts have proved that these vassal ban policies are very effective. At least from the results, it is not difficult to see that the royal family of the Ming Dynasty has indeed been raised to be a waste of eating and waiting to die, and it is impossible to pose a threat to the throne!

However, this result has brought many problems, and even left a huge hidden danger to the country.

One is the issue of royal family salaries. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that if the royal family and vassal measures are not reformed, the court's finances will sooner or later be dragged down by these royal family members who only know how to give birth to children!

Another is the problem of royal family crimes. They have money and status, but they have no goals in life. In addition to eating, drinking, having fun and having children, they harm local people and plunder the people's fat.

The high crime rate of royal family and vassal kings has brought shame to the old Zhu family, not to mention that this is contrary to the initial goal of Emperor Taizu Gao. How could Emperor Taizu Gao, who loves the people like his own children, tolerate his descendants becoming like this?

So, this vassal ban policy must be changed, and it must be changed now!

But what if?

Everything is afraid of this "what if"!

Zhu Houzhao is also a human being. He also has selfishness, or he must live up to the identity of the emperor.

Once there is a peerless leader among the royal family members in the future, it will be difficult to restrain them after the vassal ban policy is changed. At that time, I am afraid that the royal family will really change again!

If this is true, he Zhu Houzhao will become a sinner of the royal family, and he will be speechless when he goes down to face his ancestors!

Because of this, Zhu Houzhao has not said a word, but fell into a difficult choice.

The ministers sat in their seats and discussed fiercely, and His Majesty the Emperor pinched his eyebrows and closed his eyes in contemplation.

Seeing this, Tang Hao moved the brocade stool and sat next to Zhu Houzhao. This scene made Yang Tinghe, Wang Ao and others frown.

You are so bold!

Who dares to be on an equal footing with His Majesty the Emperor?

Zhu Houzhao rolled his eyes at Tang Hao in anger, and did not blame him, but whispered: "Savage, can you guarantee that the royal family will not change in the future?"

He said "the royal family", not "the throne", there is still some difference.

The change of the ruler of the royal family, to put it bluntly, is another Jingnan Campaign, where a branch of the old Zhu family enters the court and drives away the current Yan vassal lineage.

And if the throne changes, the person who steals the country may not be surnamed Zhu.

Tang Hao looked at Zhu Houzhao with a smile, but did not answer, but asked a question instead.

"Your Majesty, do you think it is better for the ruler of the royal family to change, or for the throne to change?"

Zhu Houzhao turned pale when he heard this.

"Savage, what do you mean by this?"

Because the two were very close to each other, and they were whispering tacitly, and the ministers were discussing loudly, they did not hear these shocking words.

"You and I both know that if the policy of vassal prohibition is not changed, the Ming Dynasty's finances will sooner or later be dragged down!"

"At that time, who can come out to take charge of the overall situation and turn the tide? Is it the powerless central court, or the royal family members who have been raised to be useless?"

Tang Hao sneered: "Why did Emperor Taizu Gao enfeoff the kings? It was to protect the royal family and to make the Ming Dynasty a "family empire" of the old Zhu family. Even if someone else rebelled, the vassal kings in various places could use the military power in their hands to go to Beijing to defend the king, so as to ensure that the old Zhu family would not lose the throne!"

"It's just that Emperor Taizu Gao didn't expect that the Jingnan Campaign would break out after his death, and Emperor Taizong Wen directly abolished the kings after he came to power, and implemented strict vassal prohibition measures, using the court's finances to support the royal family and vassal kings, deliberately raising them to be useless and wait for death!"

"In this way, when Ming Dynasty's life span comes to an end, it will not be the change of ownership of the Tian family, but the change of ownership of the throne!"

The throne changes hands!

Zhu Houzhao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"You mean, Ming Dynasty will reach that day sooner or later?"

"Actually, it's not just a financial problem. Many problems have been exposed in the Ming Dynasty. Corrupt officials, unreasonable government orders, local corruption, poverty of the military and the people... How long do you think this kind of court can continue?"

Tang Hao sighed and said in a deep voice: "If your Majesty wants to revive the Ming Dynasty, you must have enough courage and courage, and you must also take corresponding risks!"

"Reviving the Ming Dynasty is never an empty talk, let alone a slogan shouted casually. It is about actually implementing the New Deal and being willing to face all difficulties!"

"If you don't even have such courage and courage, then stop talking about reviving the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty, why not go to bed as soon as possible? It's better to be a fool!"

Tang Hao's words successfully touched Zhu Houzhao's back.

So much so that His Majesty the Emperor turned red with anger. If it weren't for the ministers standing nearby, he would have wanted to point at Tang Hao's nose and yell.

Tang Hao not only scolded him, but also mocked his own father, Emperor Hongzhi!

"You damn savage!"

"I told you that you are not allowed to criticize the late Emperor again!"

Zhu Houzhao gritted his teeth and shouted.

Tang Hao shrugged indifferently and said with a smile: "I have done too many evil things since I followed your majesty. If your majesty gives up halfway, then I will definitely die without a burial place in the future!"

"So no matter how unpleasant these words are, I still have to say it. The result of the late emperor's hard work in governance is to further expand the power in the hands of civil servants and gentry. If your majesty wants to revive the Ming Dynasty, the first step is to control the court. Just rely on me. It is simply impossible for two people to fight alone.”

Tang Hao said in a deep voice: "The Jin gentry in the court controls the government, the generals and nobles cannot grow up in a short time, and the eunuchs and eunuchs cannot come to the stage because of Taizu's ban, so we want to introduce another new force to fight against it. Civil servants and gentry, who else do you think your majesty could be?"

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Houzhao suddenly realized and looked at Tang Hao with a shocked face.

"Do you want to lift the vassal ban and then introduce the power of the clan to fight against the civil servants and gentry?"

"Savage, if you do this, the risk is too great. The throne may change hands at any time..."

Once the clan king takes power, the first person to be uneasy is not the civil servants and gentry, but the royal family!

Tang Hao looked at Zhu Houzhao seriously again and said coldly: "This is the courage and courage I just mentioned!"

"If Your Majesty is brave enough to suppress these two forces, why can't you introduce them into the court?"

"In recent years, the civil servants and gentry have controlled the government and implemented the vassal ban policy more and more strictly, which has long aroused the dissatisfaction of the feudal princes and clans. If they were given a chance to take power, the feudal princes and clans would naturally respond immediately and enter the court to suppress civil servants. Jinshen, your majesty can just sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight!"

"And what we want to see is that the court is not just a hall for civil servants and gentry to express their opinions. With the clans and princes sharing the pressure, the generals and nobles will have enough time to grow. By then, the three parties above the court will be balanced and stable. Only then can It’s a reasonable and normal court pattern.”

The current Ming Dynasty is deformed and ridiculous.

The civil servants and gentry controlled the government. In order to check and balance the civil servants and gentry, the emperor had to reuse eunuchs and eunuchs. However, these eunuchs and eunuchs could not come to the stage due to status issues. In addition, they were physically disabled and mentally ill, so they would only use some cunning tricks and underhanded tactics in secret Such methods were used, so that the fight between the two wasted the life and vitality of the Ming Dynasty!

Instead of reusing these eunuchs and eunuchs, it is better to lift the vassal ban and introduce the power of the clan into the court!

Zhu Houzhao's eyes flashed and he immediately raised questions.

"How can you guarantee that these clan kings will not secretly collude with civil servants and gentry?"

"If they dare to collude, that would be a good thing. Whoever dares to touch this red line will directly remove their throne and cut off the entire sect, which can also save a lot of financial expenses!"

Tang Hao replied with a sneer, which made Zhu Houzhao's scalp tingle.

Only at this moment did he finally understand that what this damn savage said before about deliberately letting the feudal king die was not just an empty talk.

"The capital is your majesty's capital. Regardless of the location, can these vassal kings make any big troubles under your majesty's nose?"

"Jin Yiwei and the Second East and West Factory are not just decorations. As long as the lord of the feudal lord comes to the capital and monitors the whole process, it is not difficult for your majesty to know who he met in private and what he did. As long as who dares to touch this red line, If the clan colludes with court officials, it is a capital crime, which is enough to deprive one of their titles!"

"Your Majesty, don't forget that most of these vassal kings have been hereditary for hundreds of years, and they have plundered local people's wealth. The wealth they have accumulated is astonishing. In addition, there are also outstanding disciples like Zhu Dangqi in the clan. If they are used well, It can also work wonders!"

Tang Hao's series of plans finally revealed the tip of the iceberg.

But Zhu Houzhao still couldn't accept it, or he felt very uneasy.

"Savage, to put it bluntly, even if you and I are able to suppress these two forces, what will happen after we are all dead?"

"There may be some incompetent and useless people among my descendants. When that happens, the royal family will directly steal the throne with their power. What should I do?"

This is what Zhu Houzhao is really worried about.

He asked himself that with the support of Tang Hao, he could suppress these two forces, but what if he and the barbarians died?

It is common for some incompetent monarchs to appear in all dynasties, and the Ming Dynasty is no exception.

When that happens, I am afraid that the royal family will really change its master.

Tang Hao looked at Zhu Houzhao helplessly, and then had to reveal some plans again.

"They won't have this opportunity."

"Now we just need to use the power of the royal family to fight against the civil officials and gentry who control the government."

"When the military generals and nobles rise up and are strong enough to fight against the civil officials and gentry, the royal princes will also leave the stage."

"Your Majesty, don't forget our development overseas. Migrating the royal princes and vassal kings overseas can not only guard these important routes for us, but also exempt financial expenses, and the local people will no longer be persecuted by them. Isn't this good?"

Zhu Houzhao looked at Tang Hao with his eyes wide open, and couldn't help but take a breath.

First use the royal princes and vassal kings to fight against the civil officials and gentry, and when the military generals and nobles grow up to be able to check and balance the civil officials and gentry, then enfeoff them to overseas places...

This damn savage is really despicable and shameless!

But his vicious plan made Zhu Houzhao's heart beat.

Because in this way, the problem of the princes' excessive power will naturally be solved.

They were kicked overseas. What's the use of their power?

As long as the vassal kings can't threaten the throne, let them do whatever they want overseas. If you have the ability to develop your strength overseas and then fight back to the Ming Dynasty, you will be a real hero. Even if the royal family changes, Zhu Houzhao will be convinced!

When he thought of this, Zhu Houzhao immediately made up his mind.

"Savage, who do you think should be brought into the court?"

"I don't know much about these royal vassal kings, and I haven't heard of any virtuous people."

"Zhu Danglu is indeed brave and good at fighting, but his father Zhu Yangzhu has a bad record and has caused a scandal of gathering for promiscuity. If he is brought into the court, I'm afraid the world will be in turmoil!"

Seeing that Zhu Houzhao had made up his mind, Tang Hao finally put his heart back in his stomach.

As for the issue of candidates, Tang Hao actually had a goal long ago.

"Xing Wang Zhu Yougan!"

"This is your Majesty's fourth uncle, and he has been well-read since childhood, and is extremely intelligent, enough to become your Majesty's confidant and arm."

"In addition, we only need to bring a vassal king to the court to send a political signal to the vassal kings and royal families all over the world. They will naturally spare no effort to support Xing Wang Zhu Yougan and support us in implementing various new policies in exchange for lifting the vassal ban policy."

"These vassal kings and royal families are all rich. If Xing Wang Zhu Yougan is used properly, he will become an important force in our great cause of rejuvenation!"

Xing Wang Zhu Yougan...?

Hearing this name, Zhu Houzhao fell into deep thought.

He still had some impression of this fourth uncle.

Xing Wang Zhu Yougan was the fourth son of Emperor Xianzong Zhu Jianshen, and his biological mother was Empress Xiaohui Shao.

Because he was Shao's first son, Shao paid great attention to Zhu Youju's enlightenment education. She devoted all her efforts to Zhu Youju's education. Since Zhu Youju was sensible, Shao began to teach him to read poetry and books. Therefore, Zhu Youju developed a good habit of loving reading and independent thinking since he was a child.

On July 11, the 23rd year of Chenghua, Zhu Youju was named King of Xing. In the 5th year of Hongzhi, Jiang, the daughter of a military general, was given to his younger brother Zhu Youju as a princess, and the wedding was presided over for him. On September 18th, the 7th year of Hongzhi, Zhu Youju was enfeoffed in Anlu Prefecture, Huguang.

According to the news from Jinyiwei, His Royal Highness the King of Xing has always had a good reputation. He treats the people and officials well in the fiefdom and has no bad habits. He can be regarded as a model of the royal family!

And most importantly, in terms of closeness, there is no doubt that King of Xing Zhu Youju has the closest relationship with the royal family, so he is indeed the best choice.

Zhu Houzhao nodded and approved of this candidate.

"Then let's do as you said, and bring Prince Xing Zhu Yougan to the court, but how to do it specifically?"

"It's simple. First, build momentum for Prince Xing Zhu Yougan, shape him into a moral benchmark and a model of the royal family, and then summon him to the court, grant him a symbolic position, the kind that can attend court to discuss politics, and then implement new measures for the royal family."

Tang Hao gave the answer, but he felt a little uneasy.

Prince Xing Zhu Yougan, this person was not chosen casually.

This Prince Xing has an awesome son named Zhu Houcong!

Well, that's the Emperor Jiajing who came to Beijing alone as a royal family member and ascended the throne, and then defeated a group of civil officials and gentry with his personal means and abilities!

Historically, after Zhu Houzhao passed away, he naturally had no heir because he had no offspring. When he was dying, the chief minister Yang Tinghe anticipated the issue of succession. He cited the principle of "brother's death and younger brother's succession" in the "Huang Ming Zuxun": Zhu Houzhao had no heir, and the successor should be selected from his cousins ​​according to the relationship of primogeniture.

Xiaozong Zhu Youtang was the third son of Xianzong Zhu Jianshen, and Xing Wang Zhu Youlu was the fourth son of Xianzong Zhu Jianshen. According to the relationship of primogeniture, Xing Wang's only son Zhu Houcong was closest to Zhu Houzhao. Therefore, five days before Zhu Houzhao's death, an imperial decree was issued in the name of the emperor, ordering Zhu Houcong to shorten the mourning period for his father and inherit the title of Xing Wang.

On the day after Zhu Houzhao's death, Yang Tinghe asked the ceremonial supervisor to ask Empress Dowager Zhang to formally declare Zhu Houzhao as the emperor's successor, that is, Emperor Jiajing.

It's just that neither Yang Ting nor himself expected that the heir to the empire he carefully selected was obviously a young man of fifteen or sixteen years old, but after entering the capital, he immediately stirred up the situation and started a "big etiquette dispute", and then brought together all those who controlled the government. The civil servants and gentry, including Yang Tinghe, were all beaten!

Tang Hao really wanted to see if the legendary emperor Zhu Houcong, paired with the boy Zhu Houzhao, could create another miracle and truly revive the Ming Dynasty!