Chapter 1279, can get married after the age of eighteen
"Ouch~"
"I seem to have really forgotten this matter."
After hearing what Empress Zhang said, Emperor Hongzhi slapped his thigh, and he seemed to have really forgotten this matter.
Well, it’s not my fault.
The main reason is that Zhu Houzhao is not in the palace almost every day. He basically spends time here at the institute, where he even has food and accommodation. He only comes back occasionally to see himself and Empress Zhang.
For Zhu Houzhao, Emperor Hongzhi was in a state of complete relaxation.
Anyway, it would be more uncomfortable for him to learn how to govern a country and be a king than to kill him. Moreover, he would stay with a group of eunuchs every day, and he could easily be misled by these eunuchs.
It will be much easier after freeing up.
Emperor Hongzhi didn't have to worry about anything, and he couldn't see out of sight, so he wouldn't be angry.
Zhu Houzhao stayed with some researchers at the institute, which was also a good thing. It was better than being with eunuchs.
At least these people who are engaged in research have relatively good personalities, and their direction is to engage in research instead of eating, drinking and having fun. Emperor Hongzhi is very relieved.
So Emperor Hongzhi forgot about Zhu Houzhao's important event, and Zhu Houzhao was about to turn eighteen.
"Why did I forget this matter?"
Emperor Hongzhi touched his head and recalled it carefully.
Throughout the dynasties, the prince's marriage has been an extremely important event. Generally speaking, as soon as the prince reaches adulthood, he will choose a princess for the prince. Sometimes, the prince's wife has been selected even at the age of eleven or twelve.
Because in the eyes of the ancients, only more marriages can spread the branches of the royal family earlier, and when the royal family spreads its branches, it will be more stable and less volatile if there are successors.
.
On this point, history has staged such a scene time and time again.
Taking the Ming Dynasty as an example, historically Zhu Houzhao had no son of his own, so after his death, the situation in the Ming Dynasty became extremely turbulent. Over who should be the emperor, the government and the public, and the vassal kings from all over the country became restless, and finally took advantage of Zhu Houcong.
This stuff.
It can be seen from this that why all dynasties have asked for the establishment of a prince, because this is to determine the legal heir. After the emperor's accident, the prince can naturally ascend the throne.
This is a very important thing for the stability of the country, which can ensure the stability of the country.
"Your Majesty, this is what happened~"
After hearing what Emperor Hongzhi said, Xiao Jing also hurriedly came to Emperor Hongzhi and reported in a low voice that when Zhu Houzhao was still very young, he watched some things that were inappropriate for children.
Finally, Liu Jin talked about how being exposed to this aspect too early is not good for physical development and may very well lead to infertility.
After Emperor Hongzhi heard about this, he was very angry and ordered to strictly prohibit Zhu Houzhao from contacting this matter. He would not allow Zhu Houzhao to get married before he was eighteen years old.
Things just happened like this. Several years passed in a blink of an eye, and Zhu Houzhao was about to turn eighteen.
People in this era get married very early. They usually get married and become fathers in their teens, and many even get married when they are thirteen or fourteen years old.
If you are still not married when you reach the age of twenty, you are an old girl and an old bachelor, and you will be laughed at.
"Oh, that's it~"
After listening to Xiao Jing's words, Emperor Hongzhi suddenly thought of this matter.
I was very angry at that time, but after listening to Liu Jin's words, I felt that it made sense, so I also issued such an order.
"The prince will be eighteen next year, and he has indeed reached the age to get married."
Emperor Hongzhi looked at Empress Zhang and then at the ministers present.
The emperor's affairs are state affairs, and the prince's affairs are also major matters related to the country.
Therefore, it is necessary to discuss this with the ministers.
"Your Majesty, it stands to reason that the selection of the Crown Princess should have been made a few years ago. Why was it delayed until now?"
Liu Jian thought for a while and asked.
Originally, he shouldn't be involved in this matter. The selection of the crown prince is a private matter of the emperor's family. As a minister, just look at it and don't interfere.
But now that Zhu Houzhao is eighteen years old, Emperor Hongzhi just thought of choosing a princess. Is it too late?
"Yes, you are choosing the Crown Princess at the age of eighteen. You may have to wait until you are nineteen to get married. This is a bit late."
"In the folk, people usually get married when they are sixteen or seventeen years old. Many people even have children who are married when they are eighteen years old."
Li Dongyang also followed suit.
"Haha~"
"Actually, this is what happened."
"A few years ago, I had the intention to choose a princess for the prince. I talked about it with Liu Jin at that time, but Liu Jin expressed opposition."
"Liu Jin said that getting married too early is very bad for physical development and will most likely lead to the inability to have children. Even if the children are born, they will most likely die young."
"I asked people to check the relevant historical records and confirmed this matter. In history, most of the emperors who got married too early and had contact with men and women were short-lived, and the proportion of children they gave birth to died in infancy was very high."
"So I ordered that the prince be strictly prohibited from contacting this matter before he is eighteen years old. But I didn't expect that time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, the prince will be eighteen years old."
Emperor Hongzhi smiled and told the story of the incident, but of course he also concealed Zhu Houzhao's exposure to content inappropriate for children.
"That's it~"
"This Liu Jin is a descendant of a master, so his words must be reasonable."
When Liu Jian heard this, he nodded slightly.
"That's true~"
"Some people who get married too early are often not well developed. Even if they have children, most of them die young."
"I believe that this matter is not only a matter for the prince, but also a major matter for our Ming Dynasty."
"Among the people, the custom of early marriage is very common. In many places, people get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen. This is very bad for a woman's health, and the rate of birth of children who die in infancy is very high."
"So I believe that the imperial court should issue laws to strictly prohibit early marriage and early childbearing, and encourage everyone to get married and have children after the age of eighteen."
Li Dongyang thought for a while and immediately said in a very serious manner.
"I also agree~"
"According to the situation around me, children who get married too early and have children will die in infancy. Only when both parties reach a certain age can the children born be healthier and easier to support."
Xie Qian also stood up and said.
They are all old people and have seen too many things since they were young.
Not only have I seen that many people around me have children who are likely to die early because they get married too early, but when they were young, they also got married very early, and often the first few children died early.
Only when you truly grow up and your wife truly grows up will the children you give birth to be healthier and easier to support.
"Hmm~"
"This matter really shouldn't just be a royal matter."
"The inheritance of the royal family is important, but the reproduction and survival of the common people in the world is even more important."
"The harm of getting married and having children too early is indeed very great, especially for women."
"This is a bad habit. Since it is a bad habit, it must be changed."
"Let this matter be discussed in the morning meeting tomorrow. Li Dongyang, please formulate a detailed marriage system. From now on, men and women will not be considered adults until they are eighteen years old. Marriage is only allowed after the age of eighteen.
.”
Emperor Hongzhi also nodded solemnly and ordered.
Historical dynasties have encouraged early marriages, and even forced marriages among older unmarried young people. This is because with a larger population, more taxes are collected, and at the same time, there are more sources of soldiers, taxes, etc.
But the huge harm caused by early marriage and early childbearing is often ignored. Now that the Ming Dynasty has exempted the population tax, it does not rely on the population to collect taxes. As for conscription, there is no need to rush. The compulsory military service system, the entire Ming Dynasty conscription
, so there is no need to encourage early marriage and childbirth, but rather focus on quality.
"Your Majesty, Holy Ming!"
Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, Xie Qian and others also stood up quickly and said in unison.
"Your Majesty, Liu Jin is a descendant of a noble man, and the selection of the Crown Princess is related to the country and the country of Ming Dynasty. I thought I could listen to Liu Jin's opinion and make some changes to the previous system of selecting Crown Princess.
.”
Empress Zhang naturally cared most about her son.
Zhu Houzhao had been pampered by her since she was a child. Now when it came to the important matter of choosing the crown prince, she also wanted to hear some opinions from Liu Jin.
"Hmm~"
Emperor Hongzhi also nodded slightly.
In ancient times, there was an extremely strict system for choosing a princess for a prince. Especially in the Ming Dynasty, the system was very strict. At the beginning, five thousand people were selected to enter the palace.
Then these five thousand people will be carefully screened in all aspects, and those with moles, scars, body odor, bad breath, dark skin, etc. will be eliminated. The remaining ones will have to be carefully measured in height and weight. Those who are short will not be accepted.
Those that are too high will not work, those that are too heavy will not work, and those that are too light will not work, and a lot of them will be eliminated...
In short, it’s just one word, strict!
Not only must you be beautiful, but you must also have a good figure, be well-proportioned, be soft, and not be stiff, and even have a nice voice, and those who are slightly thicker must be eliminated. And after meeting these standards, you have to work in the palace for a period of time.
There are dedicated observations for a period of time.
Carefully observe whether your character, behavior, conduct, etc. can meet the standards. Those who fail will be sent back. In the end, only a few dozen people will be left. Then the queen or the empress dowager will select three from them, and then the emperor will come.
Appointed Crown Princess and Consort.
Under such a strict system, not one person in a hundred can meet the standard, and it is absolutely necessary to pick one out of ten thousand.
In this regard, our ancestors were much wiser than those royal families in Europe.
European royal families basically marry close relatives, so European royal families basically have family genetic diseases, such as the well-known hemophilia, mandibular protrusion, etc.