"It's over, it's over! This tiger is beating this tiger! Why does he dare to go outside?"
Guo Ying had seen every scene in his life and had never panicked, but now he was extremely panicked and worried.
Because Zhu Zhi's words were equivalent to jumping up and slapping the emperor in the face!
But in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yunxi was not angry because of Zhu Zhi's words.
He knew this fifteenth uncle. As his name suggests, his fifteenth uncle was very upright, stubborn and upright, even to the point of accepting death.
When the old man asked Zhu Yunxi to take the throne in the East Palace, almost all the vassal princes murmured in their hearts, who could not be appointed as the next generation? With so many sons, they had to choose a grandson.
Only Zhu Zhi was different. Since the old man appointed Zhu Yunxi, he really respected and loyal to Zhu Yunxi as the crown prince. In the year of the war with Goryeo and the year of the Great Battle of Saibei, he would have emptied his family fortune to be loyal to the imperial court.
In short, in one sentence, he would do whatever Zhu Yunxi asked him to do, and he would never cause trouble to the emperor Zhu Yunxi.
He is kind and upright, but the more such a person he is, the more he accepts death.
Zhu Yunxi looked at Zhu Zhi, sighed, and whispered, "Fifteenth Uncle, what if I ask you to hand over your fiefdom and your troops?"
"Huh?" Zhu Zhi suddenly widened his eyes and said aggrievedly, "Your Majesty, you can't trust me? You can't even trust me? I... Your Majesty, I, Fifteen, have never done anything wrong to you in these years!"
As he spoke, he lowered his head and said, "It seems that Sixth Brother and the others are not all wrong!"
"I'm talking about what if!" Zhu Yunxi is also a human being, and he has feelings. Seeing Zhu Zhi acting like this, he can't help but feel a little guilty. But he is the emperor. As the saying goes, the butt determines the head, and personal feelings must be subordinated to interests.
And this interest is not only the interest of the emperor himself, but also the interest of the entire country.
"I am honest, not stupid!" Zhu Zhi smiled bitterly, "You really want to reduce the vassal state!" He shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Your Majesty, the enfeoffment was decided by the old man, and the vassal king defended the world from outside. Zhu The son of a family spreads his branches and leaves everywhere in the world and reproduces his descendants."
Having said this, he looked up at Zhu Yunxi and said, "Your Majesty, are you so intolerant of us people? The world belongs to you, you are the Emperor. But this world was brought down by the old man, and the people like us are... He is his biological son and grandson!"
Immediately, he continued to look at Zhu Yunxi and said, "Your Majesty, don't talk about our Tian family, just talk about the separation of ordinary people's families. It is true that the eldest son inherits the family business, but the family property is divided equally among all the sons. You have inherited the great unification. Is it right for the emperor to hold everything in his hands?"
"I have never contradicted you, let alone disobeyed you, but when it comes to cutting down the vassal, you are just... just unjust!"
Zhu Yunxi was silent for a long time.
The next moment, he stood up from the Arhat bed and gave Zhu Zhiman a cup of tea with his own hands.
At this moment, Deng Ping said softly outside, "Your Majesty, Lord Guo is here!"
"Yes!" Zhu Yunxi nodded slightly, "Come in!"
~
"Old minister Guo Ying, come to see the emperor!"
As soon as Guo Ying entered the palace, he bowed profusely, his anxiety was palpable, and said, "Your Majesty, the Fifteenth Master is quite straightforward, but he has no bad intentions. I have watched him grow up, and I know his character well." , he has absolutely no bad intentions." He said, and said hurriedly, "Fifteenth Master is an outspoken person who doesn't know how to talk. Your Majesty is magnanimous..."
"I don't mean to blame Uncle Fifteen!" Zhu Yunxi interrupted him, then looked at Zhu Zhi and smiled, "Uncle Fifteen can talk to me like this because he is sincere to me! Even though his words are a bit contradictory, it's better than hiding them from others.
Tuck in!"
After saying that, he glanced at Guo Ying lightly.
But just this glance made Guo Ying's heart skip a beat.
"Uncle Fifteen!" Zhu Yunxi didn't care that Guo Ying was still kneeling, and said to Zhu Zhi, "You, you didn't expect my difficulties, nor did you expect our Ming Dynasty's difficulties." After speaking, he sighed, "Many things are not yours.
It’s as simple as you think.”
"Your Majesty!" Zhu Zhi suddenly turned his head and glanced at Guo Ying, frowning and said, "Mr. Guo is still kneeling!" After saying that, he looked at Zhu Yunxi's face, lowered his head and said, "He is my father-in-law after all!" Then,
He muttered, "I am sitting here as my uncle, while he is kneeling as my father-in-law. It's outrageous!"
"Does your toothache hurt if you don't speak? At this time, do you care whether I kneel or stand?"
Guo Ying was so angry that her heart was blocked and she gritted her teeth secretly.
"Bring him a stool!" Zhu Yunxi patted his forehead and looked at Zhu Zhi, "I know your grievances, but if you don't feel wronged about some things, he is right!"
"The enfeoffment is the ancestral rule set by the old man!" Zhu Zhi frowned, "Your Majesty, our Zhu family has a total of twenty-six heads!"
"The twenty-six heads of households are the twenty-six vassal princes!" Zhu Yunxi interrupted him, looked into his eyes, and said seriously, "You, my uncles, are all princes of the Ming Dynasty. Your legitimate sons are also princes.
, the rest of the concubines are the kings of the county, right?"
Zhu Zhi nodded.
"Your direct grandson is also a prince, your concubine is also a county king, and then there are people from your concubine who are county princes, and there are a lot of princes, generals, and clans, right?"
"Yes!" Zhu Zhi blinked, "Is there anything wrong with this?"
Zhu Yunxi patiently said, "Every time a king is ennobled, the court must give land, population, tenants, craftsmen, soldiers, and palaces to build cities. The land under their names is not taxed. Uncle Fifteen, descendants and grandchildren.
It’s endless, but the territory of the Ming Dynasty is countless, right?”
"Twenty-six house owners, how many mouths! In another hundred years, not to mention enfeoffing their land, the salary alone will make the Ming Dynasty poor, right?"
"When the time comes, I'm afraid that with all the strength in the world, it won't be enough to support our entire Zhu family!"
"Isn't that the right thing to do?" Zhu Zhi just couldn't resist the urge. "The country was conquered by the ancestors. Is it wrong for the predecessors to plant trees and for the later generations to enjoy the shade? The world belongs to the Zhu family. Of course the Zhu family should be prosperous and wealthy.
Be a master!"
"The old man conquered the country, but the world does not belong to our Zhu family!" Zhu Yunxi also said with a bit of anger.
Zhu Zhi suddenly said firmly, "Yes, it's not from the Zhu family, it's from the Emperor alone! These uncles and princes are prodigal sons who enjoy their success and deprive themselves of their family wealth. The sons of the Emperor have been the emperor for generations, and they all
It’s the prince!”
"Fifteenth Master!" Guo Ying exclaimed, "What nonsense are you talking about?" He quickly stood up and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, Fifteenth Master..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, he saw Zhu Yunxi raised his hand to stop him from speaking.
Zhu Zhi also realized that he had made a mistake and lowered his head, "Your Majesty, I am still saying the same thing. Sixth Brother and the others are at fault. You just deal with them. What does it have to do with their sons? The prince was given to you by your father. You can just give it to them."
If it’s cut, what do you want the emperor’s grandchildren to do in the future?”
As he spoke, he sighed, "If you feel that it is an eyesore for me to have military power in my hands, fine, let's just hand it over. Can't we be free princes in the fiefdom? Doesn't it mean that the emperor must imitate Li Tang and build sixteen kings in the capital?"
Zhai, feed your uncles and cousins like pigs and guard against thieves?"
Zhu Yunxi suppressed the anger in his heart and clenched his fists.
"Who told you that I would build a mansion for the Sixteenth Prince?" Zhu Yunxi said coldly, "Who told you that my sons will all belong to princes in the future?"
"Then...?" Zhu Zhi raised his head, "Then what do you want?"
"Come here!" Zhu Yunxi said to the outside world.
"I'm here!" Deng Ping appeared at the door.
"Come in, ministers from Chuannan Study!" Zhu Yunxi said, and then looked at Zhu Zhi, "Since Uncle Fifteen, you want to know so much, I will simply explain it to you today to save you from being upset.