Chapter 27: The father caused the trouble, so the son must clean it up (Please read, give me a monthly ticket, and give me a recommendation ticket!)
"Let's continue to settle the accounts."

"And the annual expenditure for the prince, duke, princess, and princess alone is three million taels."

"According to the royal family inheritance system, the title of prince can be passed down from generation to generation, and the heirs of the royal family will be demoted to county princes."

"The eldest son of a county prince can also inherit the title of county prince, while the rest of his descendants will be demoted to generals guarding the country."

"The eldest son of the Guardian General is the hereditary general, and the rest of his descendants are demoted to the rank of Assisting General."

"As for the remaining titles, it remains the same, right?"

Then Zhu Gang thought for a moment, then looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked.

"Ah."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

It was because Zhu Yuanzhang had been hungry, so he naturally did not want his descendants to go hungry as well. Therefore, the royal family of the Ming Dynasty would not surrender until they reached the rank of Lieutenant of Fengguo.

In other words, after reaching the rank of Lieutenant of Fengguo, the title of the royal family members would remain hereditary and would no longer decrease downward.

Even women were called "daughters of the royal family" and could still receive salaries from the imperial court.

It can be seen that Old Zhu took great pains for his descendants, fearing that they would have a hard life.

However, due to the ancient feudal society's admiration for dynasties, Zhu was also the Taizu Emperor who founded the Ming Dynasty.

Naturally, they never thought that the dynasty could not afford to support the royal family. After all, the royal family inheritance system established by Zhu Yuanzhang meant that if it continued for a long time, even the whole country's strength would not be enough to support them.

"In that case, please listen to me and let me calculate it for you slowly."

Zhu Gang glanced at Old Zhu. Old Zhu looked so calm now, and he would be so embarrassed later.

"The annual salary of a general guarding the country is one thousand dan. As for the two hundred princes, we still count each prince as having ten sons, which is equivalent to two thousand generals guarding the country."

"Two thousand generals guarding the country, the annual salary expenditure of the national treasury is two million shi."

"Is this already five million koku?"

Zhu Gang paused, then looked at Old Zhu Dao, whose forehead was already covered with cold sweat.

And it was not just Zhu Yuanzhang, even Zhu Biao, Empress Ma and Concubine Guo Hui were all shocked.

"Below the rank of General Guarding the Nation is General Assisting the Nation, with an annual salary of 800 dan."

"That means 20,000 generals supporting the country, and the national treasury spending 16 million koku every year."

"Below the rank of General of Assisting the State is General of Serving the State, with an annual salary of 600 dan."

"That means there are 200,000 generals serving the country, and the national treasury spends 100 million taels every year. It doesn't matter whether you count the fraction of 20 million taels or not."

"Under the rank of General Fengguo, the lieutenant guarding the country has an annual salary of 400 dan."

"That's two million lieutenants for defending the country, which is eight hundred million taels."

"Old man, is that still the case?"

Zhu Gang suddenly raised his head, a playful smile flashing across the corners of his mouth.

But at this time, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were already sweating profusely, but they were still counting on their fingers. Including Empress Ma and Concubine Guo Hui, they were also counting on their fingers.

I can’t figure it out. I can’t figure it out. There are too many! Too many!
Although this is just a hypothesis, it will inevitably become a hidden danger for the future Ming Dynasty.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang was not the only emperor, the sons of future emperors would still be princes or dukes.

If the population continued to grow at such a terrifying rate, the Zhu clan would sooner or later be overcrowded, and the imperial court would simply not be able to afford such high annual salaries.

"Old man, this is definitely not alarmist, think about it yourself."

"And even if there weren't such a large population, even if a prince only had three children, the court would definitely not be able to afford it."

"Of course, you don't have to worry about it in the early stages. After all, your grandson only has one child, Xiongying."

“But what about ten, twenty, thirty years?”

"Can the court still afford it?"

Facing the completely silent Old Zhu, Zhu Gang still smiled and said, "I can't afford it."

After a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang finally raised his eyes, looked at Zhu Gang and shook his head.

No matter which calculation is used, Mr. Zhu will not be able to pay the salary.

Moreover, even if Zhu Yuanzhang printed Ming Dynasty treasure notes every day and turned them into waste paper, it would still not be enough to pay the annual salary of the royal family.

Another thing is the annual salary set by Zhu Yuanzhang, most of which is annual rice. Doesn’t that mean that just supporting the Ming royal family would require the entire country’s resources?

As he thought about it, Lao Zhu's expression became more and more embarrassed.

His idea of ​​the Ming Dynasty lasting for thousands of years was nothing but a dream. If the country did not perish after a hundred years, it was all thanks to the blessing of his ancestors.

After all, the people of this world cannot stand being treated like this!
"Dad, whether it's the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes, the royal family's annual salary, or the royal family's inheritance system, they will all sow the seeds of disaster for the future of the Ming Dynasty."

"According to the future envisioned by the Third Brother, the Ming royal family is overcrowded. After a few generations, it's hard to say whether the salaries can be paid."

"Even the princes and dukes will be everywhere in Ming Dynasty, not to mention the generals and other titles below dukes."

Zhu Biao also raised his head and looked at Old Zhu, with a deep and complex look flashing in his eyes.

From the light taxes and levies that Zhu Gang criticized at the beginning to the Ming Baochao, the royal family inheritance system, and the royal family annual salary, all of these were told to Zhu Biao and Zhu Yuanzhang.

During the past nine years, the Ming Dynasty has not only been standing still, but has also laid a huge hidden danger for the future.

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang did stabilize the imperial power, but at the same time he also gave the vassal kings enormous power.

So it seems that Zhu Gang was right, and Zhu's ability to govern the country was indeed a mess. This naturally included the crown prince Zhu Biao.

Almost at the same time, Old Zhu and Zhu Biao sighed in unison and lowered their heads.

Although he was very reluctant, he had to admit his mistakes, unless Zhu Yuanzhang did not care about the future of the Ming Dynasty at all and continued to be stubborn.

But from everything Zhu Yuanzhang did, it can be seen that he was always strengthening the central imperial power, so how could he not care?
In addition, Zhu Gang was not only Zhu Yuanzhang's biological son, but also the first prince of the Ming Dynasty. However, Zhu Gang still criticized the royal family inheritance system and annual salary.

Then Old Zhu should realize that his son was not raised in vain and that he cared about him wholeheartedly.

Otherwise, Zhu Gang could have just seen through it without saying anything. After all, facing such a huge annual salary and such huge benefits, who could not be tempted?

Why should we tell Lao Zhu about the disadvantages of this?

Could it be that it is targeting me?
"So what should we do?"

After a moment, Old Zhu raised his head, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, and looked at Zhu Gang and asked.

Of course, Lao Zhu was also embarrassed, and his face was as red as a monkey's butt.

But the problem has to be solved, otherwise what else can we do?
"What else can be done?"

"My father caused the trouble, so as his son, I have to clean it up."

Zhu Gang glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang, a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes, and then he curled his lips and said: "I told you, an old man, can't govern the country, but you just keep talking."

As soon as these words were spoken, a trace of embarrassment and helplessness appeared on Lao Zhu's face. He pursed his lips and scratched his head, but was too embarrassed to speak.

After all, even if Old Zhu wanted to be tough, he had to have the capital to be tough. He couldn't just be furious, right? Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing? Forget it.

"Pfft-"

Empress Ma and Concubine Guo Hui, who were still sitting there, naturally saw Zhu's embarrassment and couldn't help laughing at the same time.

"Makes sense."

Zhu Biao also raised his head and said in a very serious tone.

Zhu Yuanzhang: “(￢_￢)”

"That he didn't say anything about you?"

Zhu Biao: "Uh-huh.(￣へ￣)"

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(End of this chapter)