First Minister of Ming Dynasty

First Minister Section 455

Thank you Zhu Laosi for giving me face!

"Zhu Di, what should you do about those shameless things that rob ordinary people's property?"

"What else can I do? Kill!"

Zhu Di suddenly said: "It's just like how we dealt with the Yandao officials before, kill them all!"

Zhang Ximeng pondered for a while, did not expect Zhu Di to be so murderous?

"Did you say this, or did Sapphire tell you?"

"Sapphire said it to someone else, and I thought it made sense so I said it!" Zhu Di said with confidence.

Zhang Ximeng pondered for a moment, then suddenly said: "Tell the people outside the door that all my life's thoughts and hard work have been condensed, nothing more than the word Juntian! And who gave him the face to dare to come to my house?"

Zhang Ximeng, who has always been as gentle as jade, doesn't seem to be able to reject people, but he can say such heartless words?

The servant was stunned for a long time, then he ran out and yelled at Lu Zhongheng through the crack of the door.

"You annexed the fields, invaded the people's land, and you still have the face to ask Zhang Xiang to forgive you. Where do you have the guts?"

Almost instantly, Lu Zhongheng was struck by lightning.

The situation he faced was even more desperate than Tang Shengzong!

Zhu Yuanzhang seems to be able to intercede?

But in Zhang Ximeng's case, destroying the land equalization violated Zhang Ximeng's taboo, and death was already the cheapest option.

Ruin has already been booked in advance!

Lu Zhongheng stood up, staggered for a while, and almost fell down!

Hopeless!

Just when he turned around, the guards' men and horses were already waiting.

"Lu Zhongheng, you have embezzled [-] mu of land, which is a crime that cannot be punished. Come with us to prison!"

Tang Shengzong, Lu Zhongheng, plus the Miao family, and the military officials of the three families are all men of meritorious service.

After touching the fields, there is still nothing to say.

Soon Zhu Yuanzhang issued an order to choose a day to try the case!

Surprisingly, Menxia Province then announced a list of civil and military officials involved in the case, and Zhang Ximeng also took the initiative to release the news that he would cooperate with the trial.

Tang and Lu: "..."

Chapter 633 The King

,!

Tang Shengzong and Lu Zhongheng, He Dehe Neng, were interrogated jointly by Zhang Ximeng and Zhu Yuanzhang. This blessing is really not small.

Look at the civil and military officials of the court again, do you want this blessing?

The big guys looked at each other, whoever wanted it was the grandson!

Old Tang and Old Lu are finished, Zhu Yuanzhang will definitely kill people, and Zhang Ximeng will definitely use this as a model to warn the world. It is probably a perfect story of treating both symptoms and root causes and making a specimen.

But before doing it, there is one more important thing, even more important than the eucalyptus itself.

Zhu Yuanzhang made a decree that, in addition to civil and military courtiers, several older princes, including brother-in-law Li Zhen who was in charge of Zongzheng Temple, all came to Fengtian Hall.

This Fengtian Temple can be called the symbol of the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty. It is tall and majestic, broad and majestic, and has an imperial atmosphere.Even that brat Zhu Di felt a little weak in his legs standing here.

The little guy kept turning his eyes and looked around. The old guy with deep wrinkles on his face is Li Shanchang. It seems that he won't live long, maybe he will be able to eat in a few years.

Then there is Zhu Sheng, who participated in politics. I heard that he gave a lot of advice to his father, even Mr. Zhang respected him very much.It is estimated that when he dies, if he is still alive, he will abduct the old man.

That's it for the civil servants, Zhu Di is not interested much, he prefers the generals.

Needless to say, Xu Da who is the leader, he has a very good-looking daughter, just for this, we respect you three points!

Then there is Chang Yuchun, this guy is tall and big, standing there, like a tower, he is really a rare warrior in the world, I heard that he is still Lanyu's brother-in-law, but the children of his family are not fun , Zhu Di is a bit annoying...

This kid was obsessed with observing civil and military affairs, without realizing that what happened today may have a bearing on his fate.

Soon Zhang Ximeng walked out from the corner door next to him and stood beside the throne.

Then Lao Zhu came out, and all the ministers paid respects.

This arrangement was very surprising. Zhang Ximeng actually met Zhu Yuanzhang before the court meeting!

All the civil and military people present were a little dumbfounded. Except for children who are ignorant, who doesn't know what this means?Is there anything that cannot be said in advance, and the monarch and ministers could not communicate clearly yesterday?Do you have to wait until before the court meeting?

In other words, what happened today was so terrible that even Zhang Ximeng and Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated and had to communicate at the last moment, even breaking the rules and procedures of the court meeting.

In fact, these people didn't know that there was another person in the side hall, and that was Empress Ma.

Today's matter has almost reached the most critical point, and it is almost to be written into the ancestral precepts.

"Get up!"

Lao Zhu asked the officials to excuse him, and then said: "There are animals who violated the will, destroyed the average land, annexed tens of thousands of acres of land, and enslaved thousands of people. The world will not tolerate what they have done!"

Old Zhu said angrily: "As we all know, the policy of equalizing land is the basis for us to come to this day and rule the world. Whoever destroys equal land is opposing the Ming Dynasty and ruining our country!"

"No matter how much credit you have, how noble your status is, if you violate the rules of heaven, you will die! No one can save you!"

All the ministers listened silently, and the big guys knew it well.

It's over, Tang Shengzong and Lu Zhongheng will surely die.

Not long after he was conferred the title of Marquis, not to mention resting with the country, he didn't even get over the seven-year itch.This fate is really a bit miserable.

Even if the land system is so important, it would be unreasonable to do so.

Although the big guys dare not say it, they have different thoughts.

In addition to fear, it is inevitable that the rabbit will die and the fox will be sad.

Frankly speaking, if it weren't for Zhang Ximeng's management over the years, Lao Zhu at this time would definitely not have the confidence to deal with the honorable military officials, and it might have to delay for a while.

At that time, what the generals did was countless times more excessive.

Killing them will only cause more casualties!

The existence of Zhang Ximeng has indeed changed a lot of things.

But today, he has more important things to do.

Because right after Zhu Yuanzhang made his statement, he stood up from his seat, first saluted Zhu Yuanzhang, then turned to the officials, and said loudly: "Your Majesty has already said that equalizing the land is the foundation of my Ming Dynasty, and it is the rule of heaven of the Ming Dynasty. Indeed This is the case. Our Great Ming is based on the people, and the basic necessities of life for the people are food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. There is no need to say too much. It is not an exaggeration to say that the equalization of the land is the law of heaven!"

Zhang Ximeng has said this truth long ago. Heaven is based on the people, and the emperor follows the way of heaven. The most important mission is to maintain the average land and nurture the people.

Before the establishment of this country, Zhang Ximeng repeatedly elaborated, which was unanimously approved by the monarch and his ministers.

It's just that there was no country established at that time, there was no surname Zhu in the world, and there were so many powerful enemies looking around.

This proposition, which is obviously beneficial to the people, is naturally easy to implement.

But now, looking around the world, there is no opponent to speak of.

It seems that it is time to enjoy it, just like Tang Shengzong and Lu Zhongheng, what is the annexation of tens of thousands of acres of land?We help you conquer the world!

Is it really impossible to enjoy it?

Zhang Ximeng changed the subject and began to talk about the core content of today's court meeting.

"In order to truly maintain this field and keep the foundation of Ming Dynasty, we must take corresponding measures and stand at the corresponding height to re-plan the land equalization and plug the holes that appear! First of all, the policy of land equalization, right? It should be applicable everywhere, I don’t think it is inevitable. Because the people in the Central Plains are based on farming, the population is densely populated, and the land is scarce. In order to ensure the basic life of the big guys, they will not be displaced everywhere. Therefore, we It is possible to delineate a category of average land. This category is roughly the land of the Central Plains, extending to the sea in the east, Yanshan Mountain in the north, Lingnan in the south, and the Western Regions in the west.”

"After we have delineated this range, we must clearly define it. Within this range, the land belongs to all the people on average. How many acres of land need to be included in the Yellow Book of the Ministry of Households and owned by Daming! That is to say, we must Regarded as the lifeblood of Daming, the Household Department is in charge of this property for the people of the world, and will never be allowed to merge at will. Any behavior of changing the use of the land must have a strict process."

When Zhang Ximeng mentioned this, the officials could no longer be calm, especially Luo Furen, Minister of the Household Department, stared at Zhang Ximeng in disbelief.

Because there is a very terrible thing revealed in these words... Could it be the king's land under the whole world, and the king's ministers on the shore of the land.Although the Ministry of Households is in charge of the taxation of the land and mu, it has no way to make decisions.

But this time Zhang Ximeng said directly that the Ministry of Households will be in charge of the people in the world, which is tantamount to extending the authority of the Ministry of Households to infinity.

Can His Majesty agree to do this?

"Our goal is to equalize the land, and our intention is for the common people. It is a matter of course for the Ministry of Finance to defend the equal land. If it is not done well and dares to destroy the land system, the whole Ministry of Household will be killed by a thousand knives!"

When Luo Furen heard this, he fell to his knees excitedly.

"Returning to His Majesty, the Household Department dare not betray the emperor's favor, please rest assured! Juntian is the law of heaven and people's hearts, and the minister upholds the laws of heaven and conforms to people's hearts. He will never regret going forward!"

My good fellow, no one expected that the first to benefit from this case was the Ministry of Household Affairs, and now they are in power.

Then Zhu Yuanzhang said again: "Those who have always destroyed the land system are powerful and powerful. Honorable military officials, gentry and civil officials, naturally also include...royal family members, princes and nobles!"

When Lao Zhu said this, his eyes naturally fell on the princes.

Zhu Di seemed to feel his father's gaze, and couldn't help raising his head. Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him again, and Zhu Di forced a smile in response to Lao Zhu.

This little move made Lao Zhu feel a lot better.

"Civilian officials and gentry encroach on the land, we will not show mercy, military generals honorable, we will not be polite. But what should we do when we come to the clan prince? There is a need for a solution." Old Zhu turned his attention to Zhang Ximeng.

Only now did everyone understand, no wonder this matter is so important, it turns out that the prince is involved!

Zhang Ximeng said slowly: "In the future, the prince will be a vassal. If the fiefdom is within the scope just designated, there will be a royal mansion with a farm of [-] acres, where melons, fruits and vegetables will be grown for the daily use of the royal mansion. In addition, no additional annexation of an acre is allowed. Land! If it is verified, the excess acres will be confiscated immediately and severely punished. If it exceeds [-] acres, the prince will be cut off and handed over to Zongzheng Temple for confinement!"

When everyone heard this, they were not only stunned, but their jaws dropped in shock.

This knife cut hard enough!

Everyone knows that if a prince commits a crime, he can't really be like the common people. He will kill him if he says he wants to. After all, his father is still the emperor!

As long as the princes can be properly restrained and they are not allowed to do anything wrong.

But no one expected that the upper limit of the land of a palace is [-] mu, if it exceeds [-] mu, the title will be revoked.

Just this one, let people experience Zhu Yuanzhang's determination!

The big guys are also very puzzled, how did Zhang Ximeng persuade Lao Zhu?How did His Majesty the Emperor agree?

The things behind this seem to have more stories!

Zhang Ximeng continued: "In addition to the land, the prince is the vassal. There are other property allocations that need to be allocated from the royal property. This will be announced accordingly in the future. In addition, in terms of land, if it exceeds the designated range, That is to say, after the territory is expanded, the amount of land the prince can enjoy will not be restricted. But as a prince, he needs to pay a certain percentage of his income to the palace, and this detail will be announced later."

All the ministers understood now that the prince is still the prince, the land is limited, but there are other preferential treatment.It is similar to the division of a family, and the palace has to pay for the property.

However, as long as it is not enfeoffing the land and rewarding tens of thousands of acres of land, everything else is acceptable.

This result was naturally inseparable from the help of Empress Ma, after all, she only controlled the royal property.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his sons and asked, "Do you understand Mr. Zhang's words?"

"Understood!" Zhu Di hurriedly said: "Father, don't worry, I will pay you a lot of money, so that you and the queen mother can take care of themselves for the elderly!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned, do we mean that?

Chapter 634 Execution of the Second Marquis

No matter what old Zhu thought, Zhu Di felt that he had understood what Zhu Yuanzhang meant, and that he had let the big guy fight outside, lay down a territory, share the accounts with the court, and then no matter how hard he tried, no one would care.

The premise is that the rabbit does not eat the grass beside the nest, and it is enough not to harm the people of the Central Plains.

Understood, isn't this the Liang Shanbo that Lan Yu talked about? I dare to say that our father is a big black Saburo, and Mr. Zhang belongs to the role of a military adviser, but it is much better than useless, so it can be called useful!

This bastard is quite beautiful, but Zhu Xi and Zhu Xi are not so satisfied.Obviously, according to this plan, after they became a feudal clan, they would also be able to get [-] acres of land. They could only supply some vegetables and miscellaneous grains to the mansion, and the rest would depend on the property allocated by the palace.

This depends on Empress Ma. The textile factory, quilt factory, and various workshops in her hands, if distributed to several princes, will be enough for them to live comfortably.

In fact, there are still many designs in it, Zhang Ximeng is inconvenient to say, and Lao Zhu doesn't want to be a group of ministers to explain clearly one by one.

After all, how difficult it is to persuade the emperor to slash his own sons, especially the doting emperor like Lao Zhu!

If one is not done well, it is to alienate the kinship of the Tian family, to be rebellious, to have ulterior motives, and to be more terrifying than a traitor... This is Zhang Ximeng, who can not only persuade Zhu Yuanzhang, but also talk to Empress Ma.

It took a lot of effort to convince the couple.

In fact, the mystery lies in the property allocated to the princes. The land is limited to [-] mu, but can there be more forest land, can the water area be allocated to the princes, and there are mines, which are even more important.

Still the same sentence, is it the blood of the Tian family, can it really make them unable to eat or drink?

This is impossible.

Just try not to let them harm the common people.

You must know that it took Zhang Ximeng a lot of thought to persuade Lao Zhu to accept this plan.