The vassal regulations were discussed in the cabinet and some details were added, such as the division and inheritance of family property.
Since he is reluctant to give up money, he is much more generous in providing some free benefits.
For example, the princes and princes of counties are allowed to study in the Imperial Academy, and other generals, clans and other middle and lower-level clans will also allow their sons to enter the clan school for free.
In addition, privileges such as being exempted from corvee service and not bowing to official posts were extended again.
However, there are gains and losses. In terms of justice, for clans below the county king, the court transferred the judicial power to local yamen.
That is to say, local officials can try these lower-level clans, and as long as it is not the death penalty, they can execute it, and then report it to the clan office afterwards.
Politically, just like the regulations promulgated during the Wanli period, they were allowed to engage in scholarship, agriculture, industry and commerce, but they still retained their clan affiliation.
Economically, if clan members engage in business, farming, etc., they will pay taxes like ordinary people and will no longer be exempted.
Obviously, for the imperial court, only the princes and princes were the real clan, and the rest of the middle and lower classes were just ordinary people with clan titles.
For the emperor, if there is really an heir in the future, then a vote of princes and princes is enough to choose the heir.
As for those who want to revive or survive like Liu Bei, they are definitely not the wealthy princes, but only the lower-level clans who have suffered a lot.
Fanwang Street.
This place is densely packed, and since Nanjing was recovered, a large number of vassal kings have lived here.
Except for the princes who had decent large mansions at the beginning, the rest of the county princes could only live in small courtyards.
Three or five servants serve, and each meal has three dishes and one soup. The greatest pleasure in life every day is just getting together and chatting.
For the princes headed by King Rui, today is particularly difficult.
As early as a few days ago, there was news from the imperial court that the regulations of the vassal and vassal states were going to be revised; and the emperor also gave a few hints in advance, which caused great shock in Fanwang Street.
"Ruifan, are you out yet?"
Several princes gathered together, including King Rui, King Chu, King Lu, King Tang, King Qin, King Jing, King Xiang, King Yi, King Ji, King Hui, King Gui, King Rong, and King Min, etc., and more than a dozen princes looked at each other.
The seventy-year-old old Chu King Zhu Huabi was dozing off, suddenly woke up and asked.
"Not yet!" King Rui sighed and said, "Although the wind has blown long ago, if it doesn't fall, I won't have the confidence in my heart."
"Now that I'm from a clan, I think I won't be too stingy towards us, don't worry."
The one who has the least worries among these people is the King of Qin Zhu Cunji. Although he is young, his seat is only next to the King of Chu and King Rui, and his status is extraordinary.
When the other kings saw this, they smiled bitterly and shook their heads.
The current emperor was born as King Heyang of the Qin vassal, and later came from the lineage of the Yu vassal, but breaking the bones and connecting the tendons would not treat the King of Qin badly.
But they are different!
King Lu, King Yi, and King Tang were even more frightened. They had been supported before, and if they were to settle the scores and be demoted to the end, it would be troublesome.
As the chief minister of the clan, King Rui felt as if he was scratched by ants, anxious and eager at the same time.
This is not only about his title, but also about the future of future generations. Who can resist this?
At noon, news about Zongfan finally came.
However, after all, there are exceptions.
"Princes are personally conferred by emperors of all dynasties and are unavoidable. Therefore, after the title of prince is passed to the lieutenant of Fengguo, it can be hereditary and enshrined in his family temple..."
The royal titles of the Ming Dynasty were all super-grade, including prince, county prince, general of Zhenguo, general of auxiliary country, general of Fengguo, lieutenant of Zhenguo, lieutenant of auxiliary state and lieutenant of Fengguo, a total of eight levels.
As a gift, the emperor allowed the heirs of these princes to inherit the throne. After they reached the lowest level, Lieutenant Feng Guo, they would no longer be Jiang. They could live on two hundred dan of grain every year and not starve to death.
The rest of the princes were not so happy. The eldest son could continue to be promoted from general to general, while the other sons could only become common people.
When Jiang became Lieutenant of Fengguo, he became a real civilian.
This was no different from the method used by Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu, but the emperor still retained some dignity and preserved their princes, instead of imitating Liu Xiu and making them all marquises.
"impossible--"
King Qin Zhu Cunji was stunned. He grabbed the man like crazy and shook him: "What about me? I am the King of Qin, how can I be like them?"
The young eunuch who came to report the news was not upset, and it took him a while to react: "Your Majesty, your Majesty has spoken. Except for the princes, the rest of the princes and other clans will all abide by the "Regulations on Duties and Vassals".
At this time, King Qin couldn't hold himself any longer and slumped directly on the ground, his eyes dull and his energy scattered.
The Duke of Qin, which had been passed down from Grandfather Taizu, would completely disappear within two or three generations. How could he accept this?
The old King Chu cheered up, and after listening to the story, he sighed slowly: "Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, just take care of yourself."
"Besides, it's feasible to take the imperial examination, join the army, or do business. It's much better than the previous confinement, and it still won't lose your status and title. What's left to be dissatisfied about?"
This is true, but people always have unsatisfied desires. Hundreds of years of rules are gone. Who can accept this?
"By the way, when can we go back to our hometown?"
"Replying to the king, according to the rules, you will live in the capital from now on, and the palace will be renovated, so you will no longer live here."
Seeing the changes in the faces of these princes, the eunuch seemed to be watching the fun and said with a smile:
"However, your majesty is kind and considerate of the meager wealth of all the kings, so the prince granted him a thousand hectares of land, and the county prince granted him 200 hectares of land to support his family..."
As soon as he said these words, the courtyard immediately fell into silence.
For a prince like them, which family does not have tens of thousands of hectares of private land in the local area?
These two thousand hectares of land can only be said to be comfort to them.
The splendid royal palace, the private lands annexed over hundreds of years, and the wealth accumulated over the years were all gone.
Gone……
King Qin Zhu Cunji shouted in shock: "Can't you go back?"
What should I do with the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver I buried outside Xi'an?
"Jiang Yueguang, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, has built a royal palace for the kings in Beijing. Of course, its scale is not as large as the original palace. After all, the country was not long after the restoration of the dynasty and there was a shortage of gold and silver, so we could only be frugal..."
This time, the kings felt even more uncomfortable.
The expected palace has also shrunk.
"I want to enter the palace and ask to see Your Majesty——"
Zhu Cunji felt that he was dreaming, and the reality was so disappointing.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness King Qin, Your Majesty doesn't want to see anyone right now."
The eunuch shook his head and said: "The deal is done. Even if His Majesty goes back on his word, the cabinet and the six ministers will not change it again."
"Besides, His Highness the King of Qin, please don't think that just because of your status as King of Qin, you can do whatever you want—"
A random sentence with an obvious warning meaning, Zhu Cunji immediately turned pale and his legs became weak.