Chapter 328 From today on, be a happy person.

Seeing that the two princes were not doing the right thing, Chongzhen patted the table.

"Do you think you have no responsibility at all? King Xihe and King Lechang are two generations older than you. It can be said that you are negligent in management, but how do you manage a group of clan members?

How many of them are beasts, and they are your blood relatives in the fourth service, and the imperial court does not give them much preferential treatment? Why do they still think about betraying the Ming Dynasty? "

Chongzhen's words made Zhu Chuan and Zhu Shenheng speechless. This is the reality. There are advantages to having a large clan, but there are also disadvantages. If a small sect causes trouble, the uppermost family will also suffer.

"In the matter of collaborating with the enemy, Shanxi merchants, officials and nobles will be imprisoned as a whole family, and I will treat all clan members equally. King Lechang of Xihe will behead him just as well as I should be beheaded.

Originally, I kept an open mind and did not settle accounts with you, but why did the Royal Army report that you had invaded property?

I raided the homes of Shanxi merchants, why did you get involved? Isn’t the land awarded to you by the imperial court not enough?

In the entire Shanxi Province, after an inventory, nearly one-fifth of the land is in the hands of the clan. As a result, you will also have a hand in the Shanxi merchants' land.

What are you going to do? Don’t you think you have too many fields?”

Chongzhen's words made both of them very unconvinced. Over the years of the Ming Dynasty, clans were dismissed and princes were exonerated due to other matters, but this was the first time that they were questioned over land issues.

"Uncle Emperor, these fields have been awarded over the years. We have a large clan and have no other livelihood. If we don't use these fields, we would have starved to death long ago. I just don't want the disputed fields of Shanxi merchants."

"Yes, uncle, the Royal Army asked us for some land a few days ago. Many of them belong to our family. It was my nephew who stopped them and refused to give them the land deeds. At worst, my nephew can just pay back more land."

"It's okay if you don't want it. Just pay more. Do you think it's okay?"

I’m telling you, the problem is huge, because there are too many of you who only eat and don’t work, and I have no money, do you understand?”

Chongzhen's sudden words made Zhu Chuan and Zhu Shenheng stunned for a moment. This transition was a bit big and they couldn't keep up.

Aren't we talking about them occupying land? Why did they suddenly run out of money and just eat and not work? They wanted to find other ways to make money, but they didn't have that chance.

"Why did your uncle say this? Haven't you been living like this for so many years?"

"Yes, Uncle Emperor, although we have a lot of land, we also have a lot of people. Besides, if you don't have money, don't you still have the world to pay taxes?"

"Do you know that during the Yongle period, the grain tax amounted to 35 million shi, but now two hundred years later, it is less than 20 million shi. Where did the short 15 million shi go?

During the Yongle period, the clan's farmland was no more than 10,000 hectares. What about now? It's more than 300,000 hectares, with an average farm output of 100 acres per capita. Can you afford so much land?

During the Yongle period, the prince's family only had a few hundred people, but the monthly salary reached one million dan, accounting for one-thirtieth of the Ming Dynasty's grain tax.

But now, with a clan of 600,000 yuan and a monthly salary of 15 million dan, don’t you have any land to farm? Why should the imperial court support you?”

"Uncle Emperor, these are all ancestral systems. When the princes and princes are fifteen years old, they will be given sixteen hectares of land as permanent property, in addition to the rent. This is the ancestral precept left by Taizu. We are just inheriting the old system.

"

"That's right, Uncle Emperor, we can't be officials, nor can we do business. We can only farm and receive salary. Even if we want to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, we can't do it."

"You mean, as long as you can be an official and do business, you can do without these preferential treatment?"

Chongzhen's sudden words made the two of them feel that something had finally happened.

While they were resting at the capital post station, they had already seen clues from the newspapers. After entering the capital, they also heard about the capital's land reform plan.

It's just that they were not sure before whether this reform would be the turn of the clan, but from now on, it seems that the clan will not be able to escape.

There is no need to talk about feelings with the emperor. This is the consensus of everyone. The series of financial bills that Chongzhen just mentioned made them understand that the clan has affected the stability of the throne.

"Uncle Emperor, that's not what I meant. It's just that the laws of our ancestors cannot be violated. What's the use of us even if we want to do well?

The clan is not allowed to participate in politics and business, and is not allowed to interfere in local affairs. What else can we do besides having children?"

"The law of the ancestors is also the law of the ancestors. It is the law of the ancestors to support the Zhu family with the world. So what have I, the Zhu family, given back to the world? What have you given back to the world? The people of the world have supported you, and what have you fed back?

When the Jian slaves invaded the pass and plundered, I collected food and paid them. You donated 3,000 taels on behalf of the royal family, and 4,000 taels on behalf of the Jin royal family. What is enough for you?! Is there a large salary for your clan?

Disasters continued in the Ming Dynasty, and there were already hundreds of thousands of refugees in Shanxi. What did you do? You occupied so much land, why didn't you think of setting aside more tenants and raising more people?

As long as you raise a few more tenants and keep them well fed so that they don't run around, is it necessary for them to start an army and rebel?"

When Chongzhen heard the words "law of the ancestors", he almost exploded with anger. The civil servants used the law of the ancestors to deceive him, but he did not expect that the clan would also use these words to attack him.

Zhu Chuan wanted to fight back, but after thinking about it, he decided to let it go. Every prince knew that after reasoning with him, they actually didn't dare to be a 'good prince' at all.

Once you've done it, it would be fatal if someone were to tell you something to win people's hearts.

But it was impossible to say this openly. Maybe Chongzhen would become so angry that he would be killed and there would be no place for him to complain.

"Of course I understand that you actually want to do something, so I am already making plans to summon all the princes of the Zhu family to Beijing to discuss matters.

As long as you are willing to cooperate with me to set an example and show the world that you support land reform and cancel the preferential treatment of clan members, I can allow you to change your identity and walk around the world.

The establishment of the Yanzhou Chief Envoy Department this time is a new opportunity. The Yanzhou Chief Envoy Department requires a large number of local officials, and the initial construction also requires personnel.

The hundreds of thousands of relatives of the Zhu family, if they are not on the front line of expanding the territory, are they still going to sit behind others and continue to be like little buggers?"

"Uncle Emperor, not only do you want to take over our farmland and cancel the clan salary, but you even want us to go to Yanzhou thousands of miles away?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Imperial uncle and nephew can't do it!

The ancestral grave of the Zhu family is in the Ming Dynasty. How could my nephew go to an enclave thousands of miles away?

Even if my nephew dies, even if he is hacked to death by random swords as he walks out of this gate, he will not be able to go to Yanzhou."

When Zhu Chuan and Zhu Shenheng heard Chongzhen's words, they immediately shook their heads and refused. No matter how harsh Chongzhen scolded them, they could accept it.

Even collecting part of their family property is acceptable, but it is impossible to go to Yanzhou, and it is even more impossible to cancel the salary. This is not exile.

"Don't want to? Listen to me first.

If you are willing to cooperate with me and set an example, then anything can be said.

I will lift the condition that the clan lineage cannot engage in politics or business. All of you princes can go to Yanzhou to serve as local officials for a period of five years. Children of the clan can also serve as local officials.

After that, we will entrust these small countries such as Luzon and Tsuima that are close to the Ming Dynasty to you, and make them local kings with autonomy.

They could keep part of the tax revenue for their own use every year, or they could return to their original fiefdoms, and they could freely travel around the Ming Dynasty in the future.

There is still a lot of plain land in Yanzhou. As much land as I take from your royal family, I will allocate it to you as your personal territory.

You can develop it yourself after taking office and just follow the court's land policy."

After Chongzhen finished speaking, Zhu Chuan and Zhu Shenheng's hearts skipped a beat. Speaking of which, the reform was not a bad thing, but rather a win-win situation.

Although they have lost their comfortable life, what they can exchange for is a higher desire for power in the future.

Think about being a local official, or even more powerful, the king of a small country. Wouldn't that be more comfortable than now?

Seeing that the two of them were a little moved, Chongzhen continued to say that it was not enough to just have benefits, he also had to threaten them to let them know which one they should choose.

"I've told you the benefits. If you are unwilling to cooperate with me and insist on forcing me, then don't blame me for being ruthless.

Fornication with foreign enemies, immorality, and occupation of official land are all heinous crimes. I will demote you to common people according to your genealogy, confiscate your homes and exile you to Yanzhou, and completely lose your luxurious life.

So, choose one for yourself, whether you are a generous and generous person who will leave a lasting name in history and proactively respond to the reform and gain a bright honor and enfeoff the territory, or you are a petty and stubborn person who is stuck in his own way and the whole family is exiled and becomes a construction site worker."

"Uncle Emperor, can you give your nephew a few days to think about it? If the property is taken back, it is acceptable to leave ten acres per person for the nephew. But if the clan salary is cancelled, the money will not be enough."

"Yes, Uncle Emperor, this is a big matter, and we are not entirely in charge of the village. There are still many hereditary descendants, even distant relatives, so it would not be good for us to make the decision rashly."

Zhu Chuan and Zhu Shenheng were still very moved. With ten acres of land per capita and a large number of people in the palace, there was still enough food.

But not giving them a salary would be terrible. Just by farming, their thinking has not changed. Although their lives are better than those of ordinary people, if you tell a rich man that he will be like ordinary people, you will see if he will work hard with you.

"I don't have that much time, so give me an answer now. Once you get out of this door, there are only two options: yes or no."

"But, uncle, I only have farmland. Isn't life too hard these days? Just the salary of an official... All year round, the family may not even have enough to eat, and they can't afford clothes."

"Yes, uncle. Even if we become governors, one year's food tax will not be enough to support the royal family. There are too many places to spend money. Besides, my nephew has no interest in officialdom and just wants to live a stable life."

"First, each of you has an average of ten acres of land. Isn't it enough for you to eat with so much land? The people of the Ming Dynasty only have three acres of land per capita. Isn't that enough for me to take care of you???

Second, officials’ salaries are low. That was before, and I was already considering distributing officials’ salaries to support integrity. In the future, officials’ salaries will only get higher and higher.

Third, I have already said that you can still do business. For many products of the Royal Company, I can give you the management rights and the source factory to buy shares for you.

You have so much money, why don't you use it to do business? You just want to live a stable life, but your money will eventually be lost. You use the money to invest and do business.

I will not restrict your freedom. When the time comes, you will make money by doing business, and you will be able to travel anywhere in the world.

From today on, be a happy person, chop wood and feed horses, drink water from Hainan, appreciate the snow from the Northern Desert, eat fish from the East China Sea, sleep with beauties from the Western Regions, and see the changing seasons in the world, isn't it good?

Or build a palace on the beach, watch the sun rise in the morning and watch the sunset in the evening. Imagine that you have a palace full of flowers, facing the sea in the warm spring.

Isn’t this kind of life beautiful?”

The words Chongzhen kept saying made him intoxicated, not to mention the two princes who had rarely even appeared on the back page.

Zhu Chuan and Zhu Shenheng have been trapped in the fiefdom since they were born. What is different from their status is that, like ordinary people, they have never left the county where they live.

You have to be careful when leaving the city to avoid being punished and having your salary deducted. In this case, the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty were piglets since they were young.

The white and fat ones are either running their own farms, learning and reading, or looking for white gloves to do business.

Anyway, they can't leave the county. How White Gloves makes money is up to White Gloves. They just need to pay the principal. This is also a different kind of business. This is how the two county princes got involved.

In this case, the fate of each feudal clan has been determined. They are worse than the common people, but not as good as ordinary nobles and wealthy households.

At least ordinary people with nobility, rich people and common people can still take official exams, and they can also sign up to do business and see the world.

So now Chongzhen suddenly drew a blueprint for them. This blueprint is almost a replica of what modern people dream of, let alone a prince who has never been born in their sect.
To be continued...