Of course, Zhu Biao also knew that the most critical factor in this matter was Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude. If the Minister of Rites had not been instructed, how could he dare to raise the prince's etiquette standards to be equivalent to those of the crown prince? This was undoubtedly Zhu Biao's fault.
The Minister of Rites on the ground could not care less about his dignity, lowered his head and said: "Old minister, please show mercy to Your Highness."
Zhu Biao looked at him and said: "I will go to see the Holy One. The Ministry of Rites will immediately lower the standards of the King's Ceremony, and the prince's courtesy should also be reduced. The specifics..."
The Minister of Rites was listening respectfully. He was really relieved. If His Highness the Crown Prince asked him to reject the Holy Emperor's decree, he would not even be able to cry. He would have to tell people to go home and arrange the funeral arrangements.
Now the father and son can discuss it by themselves. The officials of the Ministry of Etiquette will probably stay up all night, but they can also plan the king ceremony from the beginning. After all, there are examples from the Tang and Song Dynasties, and it is much simpler than what the Holy Emperor requested.
Just when Zhu Biao finished his instructions and was about to enter the palace, a eunuch walked in from outside. When he reached the door, he shouted: "Pass the Holy Order, please His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Minister of Rites to receive the order!"
Zhu Biao stood up, walked to the front and knelt down. The Minister of Rites turned around, and the eunuch quickly stood sideways, indicating that he would speak on his behalf: "The prince will preside over the king-conferring ceremony. The Ministry of Rites will cooperate with him, and there must be no mistakes."
"When I receive the edict, I will live up to the trust entrusted by the Holy One."
After the eunuch passed the message, he hurriedly stepped forward to help His Highness the Crown Prince. Zhu Biao didn't care and said to him: "Go back and report to your Majesty, saying that I will not let him down. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
The eunuch knelt on the ground and listened, and then replied: "I understand, and I will convey it clearly."
Zhu Biao nodded, waved him off, then looked at the Minister of Rites on the ground and said: "Master Fu, please get up. Since I am responsible for the decree of the Holy One, let's rectify it as soon as possible."
The Minister of Rites stood up and said: "The father-son relationship between Your Majesty and Your Highness is really touching."
Zhu Biao smiled. The Minister of Rites went out to arrange manpower first. In fact, there was a record. All he had to do was reduce some specifications. But the above sentence is too busy and the bottom line is broken. This change involves all aspects. The Ministry of Rites has been busy these days.
Don't even think about taking a break.
Zhu Biao sat back on the chair. Liu Jin served him a cup of tea, then took out a fan and stood aside to fan the prince. Zhu Biao took a sip of tea and shook his head with a smile. His father's trick was to retreat in order to advance. He used
Caught off guard.
Without this oral edict, Zhu Biao entered the palace and argued hard. After all, this matter related to the issue of the clan for hundreds of years to come. The emperor's sons were all princes. What if there was a strong and healthy person who gave birth to fifty or sixty princes?
, the imperial court’s taxes are enough to support them.
Zhu Biao is not doing it for himself. He has a stable and honorable position, and there are no princes or uncles above him, but he has to think more carefully about things. Their father and son do not need to be oppressed by the clan. What about future emperors?
It's better now. His father has put this matter on him. Zhu Biao is not satisfied with the courtesy. If the courtesy is too light, his brothers will be disappointed. His father will not be happy either. But he still has to do what he should do for you.
Those who take responsibility must take responsibility.
The most important thing is that all the officials will kneel down to greet the prince. Zhu Biao asked people to bring pens, inks, paper and inkstones and start writing. When officials of the fifth rank and above see the prince, they only need to bow and salute, while those below the fifth rank should kneel to greet the prince, and the prince is the first class in the ceremony.
.
The prince's crown and attire are all the same as those of the East Palace, except that the crown of the East Palace has nine strands, the prince's crown has eight strands, the prince's crown has seven strands, the county prince's crown has six strands, and the ministers cannot use strands.
The imperial crown of the prince and concubine is designated as the Jiuzhai Crown. The Nine-Feng and Four-Phoenix Crown can only be worn by the Empress and the Crown Princess of the East Palace. Their formal attires, court clothes, ordinary clothes and other crowns are the same as those of the Crown Princess.
There is no private matter in the Heavenly Family. Princes should behave as monarchs and ministers when they see their monarch and the prince. Elderly relatives should bow before the Holy One and kneel before the Holy One. They should be supported by the prince to show human ethics.
The rest of Zhu Biao did not move. The imperial court service and salary were as good as those in the East Palace, and the courtesies he received when he was canonized as a prince. These were all trivial matters. Zhu Zhubiao was also happy to make his brothers happy.
Only the hierarchy of superiority and inferiority must be decided. It cannot be said that the elder prince can do whatever he wants based on his seniority. And the most important point is that Zhu Biao is not ready to decide it at this time. It is a bit too early.
That is the policy of diminishing titles. Now the Ming Dynasty's enfeoffment of clans is to ennoble the emperor's eldest son and establish him as crown prince, and the princes as princes, and the prince's eldest son as princes, and all the princes as county princes.
The eldest son of the county king establishes the county king, and all the sons are granted the title of General of Zhenguo, General of Sun Fuguo, General of Fengguo, the fourth generation of Lieutenant of Sun Zhenguo, the fifth generation of Lieutenant of Sun Fuguo, and those of the sixth generation and below are all Lieutenants of Fengguo.
That is to say, the prince is hereditary emperor, and the prince is hereditary prince. This led to great pressure on the salary of the clan in the later period. Not only did they receive high salaries from the court, but they also relied on their unique status to annex a large amount of land.
King Jing and King Lu owned as much as 40,000 hectares of land in Huguang and other places. King Ji owned 7.8 million acres of land in Changsha. 40% of the fields in Changsha and Shanhua counties were also owned by King Ji. The land in the entire province of Henan was actually owned by King Ji.
Half of it belongs to the princes.
Starting from the mid-Ming Dynasty, officials from various places panicked and discovered that their local fiscal revenue was no longer enough to support the royal family living there. For example, the local fiscal revenue in Shanxi was 1.52 million shi, while the annual salary consumption of Shanxi princes was 3.12 million shi.
Henan's annual fiscal revenue is 840,000 shi, and the amount needed to supply the prince is 1.92 million shi.
The King of Qin in Shaanxi Province was the richest in the world, with "millions of dollars in wealth". The king of Datong actually owned 1,060 houses.
The name of these people, Zhu Biao, has been heard in later generations. This is only one aspect of the problem. There are also many people who raped women, beat local officials, killed people in the street, broke up families and destroyed families, had liaisons with Japanese pirates, harbored maritime merchants, etc.
Wait, under the protection of privilege, the royal family has become a group with the lowest moral standards in Ming society.
As for princes breaking the law and committing the same crimes as the common people, it is even more of a joke. As long as the princes do not rebel, it is too easy to live a comfortable life. They can truly enjoy themselves in the mountains and rivers laid down by their ancestors.
Zhu Biao inexplicably wanted to beat Zhu Di, and he also had a share of credit here. This guy had an unfair position and naturally had to give preferential treatment to the clan. If he could kill Fang Xiaoru's ten clans, he could also kill his own ten clans?
Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the clan title in descending order, but it is not feasible in Zhu Yuanzhang's case. The bottom line is to allow Zhu Biao to reduce the courtesy of the princes. This is because Zhu Biao is his favorite.
If other people had already died, Lao Zhu Qian would have been the one behind his own hands. He had to make them comfortable. If Zhu Biao wanted to reduce the titles of the princes now, it would really hurt his father's heart.
Zhu Biao planned to wait until he ascended the throne to legislate, and after the prince was canonized, he would go abroad to establish a vassal country as he wished. Then his throne would be hereditary, and he would only need to respect the Ming Dynasty as the suzerain and come to court every year.
If the prince stays in the country, his title will begin to decrease after two generations. If his descendants make contributions to the country, they can also be promoted.