As Zhu Jinsong announced his intention to grant hereditary enfeoffments to Zhu Lao Er, Zhu Lao San, and other influential figures like Liu Erniu, not only Liu Erniu and his peers were unsettled, but even Zhang Dequan, who had been following closely behind Zhu Jinsong, was startled and began to ponder the implications.
There were typically only two scenarios when the Emperor promised to grant enfeoffments in advance.
One scenario was when the imperial court was in turmoil, and the Emperor had to win over the hearts of the people through enfeoffments.
The other scenario was when the Emperor was prepared to discard his loyal subordinates after achieving his goals, and the promise of enfeoffment was merely a final opportunity for these meritorious officials.
For instance, the Emperor Qi Yun Li Ji Ying Wu Rui Wen Shen De Sheng Gong Zhi Ming Da Xiao Emperor, after conquering the realm, had promised to grant his old comrades positions such as Grand Marshals of the Army or Dukes and Marquises with substantial power.
Subsequently, the founding generals of the Great Song Dynasty relinquished their military authority on the pretext of ailments like finger pain and toe inflammation.
Liu Erniu and the others were not concerned about Zhu Jinsong harboring any intentions of "cooking the rabbit once the hound has caught it." The entire Great Ming army had been built by Zhu Jinsong, and as long as he was alive, the army would not fall into disarray. Moreover, a war was currently underway, making it an unlikely time for such a drastic measure.
Therefore, Liu Erniu and Zhang Dequan were worried about the imperial court, specifically whether the civil officials were stirring up any trouble again.
However, while Zhang Dequan and Liu Erniu were lost in their thoughts, Zhu Jinsong tapped on the table and instructed Zhu Lao San, "Go and get me a world map."
After Zhu Lao San brought over the world map and spread it out, Zhu Jinsong pointed to the location of Alaska and said, "Do you see this place? It's very close to the Hai Shen Wei Provincial Administration, with the two closest islands less than ten li apart."
"However, this desolate place is currently inhabited by Danes and Russians, but not by our Great Ming people. While the distance from here to Great Ming is not excessively far, nor is it particularly close, it is separated by the sea, making direct rule by the imperial court rather inconvenient."
"Therefore, I plan to take advantage of the situation when the Jurchens are driven into Russian territory. The North Sea Fleet will seize this place. After the imperial court relocates some of our people here, I will grant this continent to you."
"This continent is not small in area; it's enough to establish hundreds of fiefdoms. Each fiefdom will not be too small, but also not too large. This way, I can feel at ease, the imperial court can feel at ease, and you can also be at ease."
After gesturing, Zhu Jinsong moved his finger to the region of Europa and said, "And Europa, this place is also very far from the mainland of Great Ming. For the imperial court to directly govern such a vast territory is utter nonsense."
"Therefore, several smaller fiefdoms will also be granted here, at least dozens, if not hundreds."
Zhu Jinsong placed his hand on the entire world map and stated, "Have you all understood? The world is so vast, yet our Great Ming occupies only such a small patch of land. This is extremely unreasonable. The population of Great Ming constitutes one-third of the world's population, yet our territory is less than one-tenth. Is this reasonable?"
The leaders of the Five Military Commissions, including Liu Erniu, became immediately excited.
Great Ming did not have hereditary succession of nobility at that time. Even princes like Lao Er and Lao San had to inherit their titles at a reduced rank.
For instance, Liu Erniu's current title was Duke of the Commandery. His son would only inherit the title of Marquis of the Commandery, his grandson would be the Earl of the Commandery, and the next generation would be the Viscount of the Commandery, followed by the Baron of the Commandery. After the Baron of the Commandery, there would be an additional hereditary privilege of Baron of the County, and after the Baron of the County, it would essentially mean the end of the hereditary titles.
The only way to retain the title without downgrading was to achieve sufficient merit – the merit of conquering a nation.
However, it was different when it came to land grants.
With land grants, even without the merit of conquering a nation, their descendants could still inherit the royal titles. Even if the titles were further divided, they could at least be passed down for several more generations.
Look at Joseon, Jiaozhi, and Myanmar; how many generations have they passed down their titles?
More importantly, fiefs had power. Although there was a Great Ming Emperor above them, within their own borders, they were essentially sovereign rulers. They did not have to worry about when the censors, imperial censors,锦衣卫 (Jinyiwei - Imperial Guards), or警衣卫 (Jingyiwei - Police Guards) would come knocking on their doors!
However, just as Liu Erniu and the others were excitedly anticipating, Zhu Jinsong poured cold water on their enthusiasm: "Don't get happy too soon. Those territories are not yet under the control of Great Ming. True enfeoffment can only be granted after defeating the Eighth Prince and the Fifteenth Prince."
"Also, concerning Joseon, after Zeng Cheng and his men have finished their scheme against Joseon, your Left Army Command will be expected to march."
...
As soon as he exited the examination hall of Lingzhou County School, Park Sung-ho burst into laughter.
A beginner Mandarin Chinese examination?
Being able to recognize five hundred characters, write some sentences from the Analects of Confucius, and correctly understand the meaning of an article – if such a difficulty were presented to those short and unappealing Japanese, it might pose some challenge. But for us Joseon people, wasn't this just a piece of cake?
The thought of obtaining his naturalization certificate soon and then, after passing the advanced Mandarin Chinese examination next year, acquiring full Great Ming household registration made Park Sung-ho unable to stop smiling.
However, Park Sung-ho's happiness did not last long.
Because when Park Sung-ho returned home and intended to brag to his neighbor, Choi Sung-yu, he found that the clerk of the Lingzhou County Magistrate's office had already arrived at Choi Yu-seong's house.
For Park Sung-ho, who could barely read a few characters, the clerk was already a supremely important figure. Yet, this figure whom Park Sung-ho could only look up to was talking and laughing cheerfully with Choi Sung-yu.
Park Sung-ho felt greatly displeased. He first shot Choi Sung-yu a glare, then cupped his hands in a salute to the esteemed clerk and said, "Is the esteemed clerk here to see me? I never imagined that I would trouble the esteemed clerk to personally visit just for passing the beginner Mandarin Chinese examination."
Yes, apart from this reason, Park Sung-ho could not think of any other possibility. In the entire village, he was the only one who could read a few characters, and only his family could be considered somewhat prosperous. If the esteemed clerk came to the village, the only possibility was to look for him.
It was just that because his parents had passed away early, and he had gone to take the beginner Mandarin Chinese examination, his home had to be locked. It was likely for this reason that the esteemed clerk had come to Choi Sung-yu's house to await his arrival.
Otherwise, why would the esteemed clerk specifically come looking for Choi Sung-yu, whose house was bare and who couldn't even recognize three characters?
Who would believe that!
But the clerk frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
Park Sung-ho cupped his hands in a salute and replied, "I am Park Sung-ho. Is the esteemed clerk not here to see me?"
The clerk frowned and thought for a moment, unable to recall anyone named Park. Seeing Park Sung-ho's frivolous demeanor, he naturally felt displeased and snorted, "This official is here to see Choi Sung-yu. What business do you have with me? Step aside!"
Park Sung-ho was immediately stunned and stammered, "Is the esteemed clerk joking with me? Looking for him? He can't even recognize three characters, and he is the son of a low-born. Why would the esteemed clerk be looking for him?"
The word "low-born" seemed to touch a raw nerve in Choi Sung-yu's heart, and it also provoked the clerk's anger.
Cui Chengyuan, the clerk, stood up from his stool, walked in front of Park Sung-ho, and stood still, asking, "Say that again, what do you mean by 'son of a low-born'?"
Being stared at by Cui Chengyuan's expressionless face, Park Sung-ho became a little flustered. However, upon remembering that he would soon obtain his naturalization certificate, Park Sung-ho regained some confidence. "Isn't that true? From ancient times, noble and low-born were not to intermarry. He is the son of a concubine, so naturally, he is of low birth."
Cui Chengyuan nodded, and then suddenly slapped Park Sung-ho across the face, shouting, "Noble and low-born do not intermarry? I ask you, who is noble? Who is low-born?"
"My uncle is a subject of Great Ming, and the birth mother of this elder brother is also a Han Chinese woman. Although my clan brothers are born from branches, they are still subjects of Great Ming. How dare you call the subjects of Great Ming low-born? You have great audacity! Guards! Beat him out with clubs!"
After Park Sung-ho was beaten and thrown out, Cui Chengyuan sat back down and said with a smile to Choi Sung-yu, "Elder brother, there is no need to argue with such a person. According to the family genealogy left by our uncle, you are indeed of our Cui family lineage and are of the same clan as this younger brother."
Speaking of which, Cui Chengyuan then took out the already prepared household registration booklet, carefully filled in Choi Sung-yu's name, and continued, "After the Jiashhen period, our clan's elder grandfather greatly missed your branch. However, due to the vast distance between us, contact was lost for a time, which is unavoidable. When you have time, you should return to Great Ming to visit, and also visit your fellow clan members."
"By the way, he just said you are the son of a concubine. Your uncle must have had some property before he passed away, so why is it that in your case..."
Choi Sung-yu tightly clutched the household registration booklet in his hand and said resentfully, "My father did not leave behind a legitimate son before he passed away, and my mother was a concubine. It was fine when my father was alive. After my father's death, they seized my father's property. They did not allow me to study, nor did they allow me to farm. I have only been able to make a living by doing some menial jobs. This dilapidated house is also what I rent."
Saying this, Choi Sung-yu's face darkened again. "If, according to the rule in Joseon where nobles and commoners do not marry, I can only marry a woman of low birth in the future, and my children will also be of low birth. Therefore, I had actually decided not to marry."
Cui Chengyuan let out a cold laugh and said, "Since Uncle had no legitimate heir, you, elder brother, are the eldest son. Even if you are born of a concubine, your uncle's property should be inherited by you. Elder brother, rest assured, what they have taken must be returned with interest!"
"As for the rule of nobles and commoners not marrying?"
Cui Chengyuan sneered again, "Indeed, there should be such a rule. Because elder brother is a subject of Great Ming, your status is incredibly noble. Even a Joseon princess is nothing more than a lowly woman to you. How could she be worthy of you?"
"Elder brother, remember this: *** can be a concubine, but absolutely not a wife. Even the highest-ranking noblewomen of Joseon are not acceptable. Our Cui family cannot afford such disgrace."
Choi Sung-yu seemed a bit timid. After hesitating for a long time, he tentatively said, "However, I am, after all, born of a concubine..."
Cui Chengyuan said, "What's wrong with being born of a concubine? Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, was born of a concubine. Fan Zhongyan, Minister Fan, was born of a concubine. Yin Jishan, a minister during the Yongzheng period of the previous Qing Dynasty, was also born of a concubine. The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children in our Central Plains is only within aristocratic families. Illegitimate sons can still study, participate in imperial examinations, become officials, farm, and engage in business. Why should elder brother feel inferior due to being born of a concubine?"
"Moreover, although Auntie was Uncle's concubine, she was also a Han Chinese woman, not a low-born Joseon woman. Although elder brother was born of a concubine, he is no different from a legitimate son."
After finishing speaking, Cui Chengyuan took out two documents and handed them to Choi Sung-yu, explaining them one by one. "This is your land deed and house deed. You have one hundred mu of land. If you marry and have children, the government will also allocate additional land."
"However, the land is forbidden to be bought or sold. In several situations, the government will reclaim this land. Firstly, if you become an official or join the army, the government will reclaim this land and reallocate it to you after you retire or are discharged. Secondly, after your death, this land will also be repossessed by the government and reallocated to others."
"As for the house deed, although it is not forbidden to buy or sell, in places like Great Ming, the government will not allocate houses to you. The situation in Joseon is a bit special, and houses have just been allocated. Unless it is absolutely necessary, elder brother, it is best not to sell it."
Cui Chengyuan stood up from his stool again and said to Choi Sung-yu, "Let's go. Younger brother will first take elder brother to see the house allocated to you. Tonight, you will return to the county town with me, and tomorrow morning, younger brother will take you to beat the drums and file a complaint to reclaim the property left by your uncle!"