The Lineage System and the Enfeoffment System

King Wu passed away, and Ji Yun succeeded him, taking the title King Kang.

The royal uncle Ji Zhao served as regent in his capacity as Grand Steward, while Taigong Wang assisted the government as Grand Guardian. Two of the Son of Heaven's Three Excellencies were now in place.

All under Heaven watched Haojing. Ji Zhao's first decree summoned every noble and high minister of the Zhou State to Haojing to pay homage to the Son of Heaven and discuss matters of state.

Whether they were high ministers in the Royal Domain or Regional Earls and nobles far to the east, they came to Haojing to bow before an eight-year-old Son of Heaven, each harboring their own schemes.

The guesthouses in Haojing City that received these feudal lords and Regional Earls were busier than ever before.

Ji Zhao had sent instructors to the guesthouses early on to teach the lords the Zhou State's ceremonial rites. He had personally devised every one of them. Elaborate and solemn, they were meant to make everyone under Heaven understand, through a single audience, that the Son of Heaven of Zhou was the true sovereign of the realm, not merely the leader of a league of lords as the rulers of Xia and Shang had been.

The son of Heaven, noble of blood, sacred and inviolable!

Everyone was talking about Ji Zhao. He was hardly unknown: King Wu had once praised him as a "prodigy," and the Zhou State's current rites and lineage rules were all his work. He was also said to have advised on military affairs during King Wu's campaign against King Zhou of Shang, yet he rarely appeared before the public.

Those who knew him had thought he might become director of the royal clan. No one had imagined that, on his deathbed, King Wu would entrust his young son to him and grant him such sweeping powers to act on the king's behalf.

Ji Zhao paid no attention to the commotion outside the palace. With affection written across his face, he carefully adjusted King Kang's ceremonial crown. As a regent who would one day return power, maintaining a good relationship with the Son of Heaven was paramount. The boy was only a child now, but one day he would be king of all under Heaven.

"Your Majesty, this is your first appearance before the lords. You must remain calm. Do not worry. Whatever happens, I will shelter you from every storm until you come of age."

Ji Zhao's reassurance eased King Kang's nerves a little. "Royal Uncle, I understand," he replied in a clear, youthful voice.

When the time came, Ji Zhao and King Kang made their way to the sacrificial grounds, surrounded by guards and palace maids. The lords who had come to pay homage had already waited for nearly a quarter of an hour.

Everyone rose and bowed when the two appeared. Ji Zhao lifted King Kang onto the lofty throne, then stood beside him in armor, sword in hand, facing the lords.

Acting for the king as Grand Steward and regent, Ji Zhao presided over the great sacrifice to Heaven, then offered sacrifices at the ancestral temple and to the gods of mountains and rivers. The visiting lords presented gifts to the Son of Heaven as declarations of loyalty and exchanged formal bows. They had never experienced such an elaborate process. Every rite emphasized the distinction in rank between the Son of Heaven and his lords.

Once all the ceremonies were complete, the lords entered the palace for a banquet, and the real discussions finally began.

After three rounds of wine, Ji Zhao set down his drinking vessel. The lords, who had been watching him closely, all straightened into formal kneeling postures.

Ji Zhao surveyed the gathering, concern on his face. "Those gathered here are royal kinsmen, nobles, and meritorious servants. Heaven has favored the Zhou State. The Zhou People have received the Mandate of Heaven, while Yin Shang's mandate has fallen. Under the Former King's leadership, we slew the tyrant King Zhou of Shang. Now we have won the realm, but the Mandate of Heaven shifts. Can it truly remain unchanged forever?

"I am deeply troubled!

"The Former King once told me that, to preserve the Mandate of Heaven granted to our Zhou People, we must build a new capital in Yi-Luo."

At Ji Zhao's words, several faces in the hall changed. Yi-Luo lay in the heart of the east. Building a capital there was clearly intended to guard against Yin Shang's former adherents.

Ji Zhao watched their expressions without betraying his own thoughts and continued, "The Yi and Di on every side keep pouring into our lands. Even in the territories we have occupied, people are forever rebelling.

"I fear that even after we build a new capital, we will still be unable to secure the Mandate of Heaven for the Zhou State forever."

He sighed repeatedly as he spoke, as though he could already see the day when the Zhou State lost the Mandate of Heaven.

The Yi and Di had always posed a grave threat to every state. The Eastern Yi rebellion had been one of the causes of Shang's downfall.

Taigong Wang, kneeling in the front row, rose. "We were originally minor ministers in Western Qi. Only because the Former King received the Mandate of Heaven could we follow him in conquering the lands blessed by Heaven and serve the supremely exalted Son of Heaven.

"Since the Former King appointed you Grand Steward and regent, everything in the Zhou State is yours to direct. All we can do is obey your commands."

Several royal kinsmen and meritorious servants also rose. "Grand Steward, you are the Former King's full brother. How exalted your bloodline is!

"With you governing the Zhou State, how could we fail to obey your commands?

"We ask only that the Mandate of Heaven favor the Zhou State forever. Generation after generation, we will always stand guard around the Son of Heaven, like the stars filling the sky around the moon."

Whatever thoughts they harbored, here, at least, they were all loyal servants.

Ji Zhao smiled at their words. "Taigong, you rendered the greatest service in establishing the Zhou State. The Former King once told me that he wished to share wealth and honor with you.

"Your ancestor once assisted Yu the Great and received a fief in Lü. Yours is an ancient noble lineage. The Former King granted you the lands of Qi as your state so that you could offer sacrifices to your ancestors.

"The Zhou State won the realm, and because of my bloodline, the Former King enfeoffed me with fertile lands.

"What an honor it is for the two of us to guard the Royal Domain!

"Yet amid my joy, I thought of all you royal kinsmen and noble relatives who still have no land to call your own. You are all descendants of the Three Kings and Five Emperors. Is it not contrary to the Zhou State's rites and laws that you cannot offer sacrifices to your ancestors?

"No one stands against the Yi and Di on our borders, while fertile lands remain untouched by royal civilization. The Son of Heaven must face Yi and Di who lead beasts to devour men. Is this not a disgrace to us, his servants?

"Yin Shang acted thus and lost the Mandate of Heaven. Should we not avoid its mistakes?

"Although the Zhou State has endured since ancient times, its mission is to establish a new system.

"I once discussed this with the Former King. You are all servants of noble blood, descended from lineages passed down since the Three Kings and Five Emperors.

"The Former King decided to enfeoff you with lands where you could each establish a state and worship your ancestors. At the same time, you would resist incursions by the Yi and Di and serve as a shield guarding the Son of Heaven. What an honor that would be."

Both Xia and Shang had granted lands to meritorious servants. To those present, this was merely the beginning of another cycle. They had thought the Zhou State might offer something different, but it turned out to be the same old approach.

At this thought, many relaxed. Some even began calculating which lands they might receive.

Ji Zhao naturally knew what they were thinking and merely sneered inwardly. The lands would certainly not be carved out of the Royal Domain. Accepting them meant accepting the new system of rites and music, whose moral authority was a formidable tool for achieving enormous results with little force.

So long as the Son of Heaven controlled thirty percent of the realm's power, he could leverage it to secure the submission of the entire feudal order. This was completely different from the commandery-and-county system of later ages.

As long as the Son of Heaven did not court disaster, this system could guarantee his authority for at least four hundred years!

At present, two regions possessed the most fertile land in the realm. One was the area surrounding Haojing, which the Zhou People had cultivated for a thousand years. Densely populated, it was the Zhou State's core territory.

The other was Yi-Luo, but a new capital was to be built there, so naturally it could not all be granted away.

A deeply trusted royal kinsman like Ji Zhao could receive a fief along the Luo River, but most people here were unlikely to enjoy such treatment.

Even Taigong Wang, the Ji clan's most important ally, had been enfeoffed in Qi. Though its soil was fertile, the Eastern Yi were everywhere there, making it no safe place.

Before the others could react, Taigong Wang had already bowed down with tears in his eyes. "The Zhou State won the realm entirely because the Former King received the Mandate of Heaven. I rendered only a little service, yet the Former King bestowed such immense grace upon me. I wish only to serve as a bulwark for the Son of Heaven, generation after generation."

Most of those present had already begun wondering what benefits Ji Zhao had given Taigong Wang to make him so cooperative. They would never believe the two had not arranged this beforehand.

With King Wu dead, Taigong was now the foremost figure in the Zhou State's military. Moreover, the Jiang clan's forces stood behind him. An ally like that was worth any price short of the throne.

One daughter of the principal line of the Jiang-surnamed Lü Clan had become Ji Zhao's wife, while another would become queen of the Zhou State. A royal princess would become the consort of Qi State's ruler. The Jiang clan would intermarry with the Son of Heaven generation after generation.

Qi State and Luo State would become Haojing's most important allies in the east. In Ji Zhao's institutional design, rites, music, and military campaigns would originate with the Son of Heaven, while Qi and Luo would hold the authority to wage campaigns. Together, they would bear the weighty responsibility of suppressing the eastern states sympathetic to Yin Shang and the Eastern Yi tribes.

Though many grumbled inwardly, no one would speak out against the proposal under these circumstances.

They faced the army that had just shattered Yin Shang. The Zhou State's military power was now almost at its peak, far beyond anything a few regional states could resist.

"We are willing to serve as the Son of Heaven's bulwarks, generation after generation."

Ji Zhao laughed heartily. "You are indeed all loyal servants of our Zhou State. The Zhou State's Mandate of Heaven will descend upon the Son of Heaven. After long and careful thought, I have concluded that only by making the lineage system and the enfeoffment system our foundation can we ensure that the lords always honor the Son of Heaven and that our Zhou State enjoys the Mandate of Heaven forever."

This time, before Taigong could speak, a ruler from the former lands of Yinxu rose and asked, "Grand Steward, we understand enfeoffment, but what is this lineage system?"

"The Patriarchal Clan System is the most fundamental law of succession in our Zhou State, the foundation of its rites and music.

"Your wives are all noble daughters of feudal lords. Your sons by your principal wives are the children Heaven has bestowed upon you to inherit your positions.

"Xia and Shang were both dynasties that received the Mandate of Heaven, yet they disregarded Heaven's will. The throne passed from elder brother to younger brother, then from father to son, shifting back and forth. Was this not disrespectful to Heaven?"

Although many lords in the hall had inherited their positions from their brothers, they naturally preferred to pass those positions to their own sons. Ji Zhao's policy suited them perfectly. With the Son of Heaven's endorsement, the elders of their clans would have nothing more to say.

"My lords, the Son of Heaven is favored by the Mandate of Heaven. Heaven has granted him every land in every direction to rule. The Son of Heaven grants lands to royal kinsmen and meritorious servants to shepherd the people. What an honor this is!"

They needed no reminder from Ji Zhao of how great an honor it was. To obtain land, become nobles, and restore their ancestors' legacy-these were aspirations shared by everyone in this age.

The enfeoffment system suited the economic foundations and social realities of the era very well.

"The Former King and I once discussed granting meritorious servants five ranks of nobility: duke, marquis, count, viscount, and baron. Now that the Former King has passed away, I have resolved to grant lands to the lords of the realm according to these five ranks, based on the closeness of their blood ties and the greatness of their achievements. Dukes and marquises shall receive large holdings, counts medium holdings, and viscounts and barons small holdings.

"Ministers, grand officers, and gentlemen shall serve the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords.

"The Son of Heaven's Three Excellencies shall rank with dukes and marquises, his ministers with counts, and his grand officers with viscounts and barons. The ministers of dukes and marquises shall rank with viscounts and barons. Following this model, henceforth the rites shall assign each of you a higher or lower station. Those who render service shall be elevated in rank and granted lands. Those who commit offenses shall be stripped of their titles and their states abolished, thereby displaying the Son of Heaven's majesty!"

This time, Ji Zhao thoroughly stunned the assembled ministers. Rank among the lords had always depended on strength, and they had enjoyed tremendous independence.

Now Ji Zhao intended to break that precedent. He wanted to centralize power. Once this was achieved, disputes among the lords would depend on the Son of Heaven's favor. Even the stronger state might have to swallow an injustice if it failed to please him.

Even Ji Zhao's newly acquired son had not known his father intended to do this. After all, their Luo State would also be one of those feudal states!

Seeing that no one responded this time, Taigong Wang rose again and asked, "Grand Steward, how do these five ranks relate to the lands granted?"

Taigong Wang's question brought the stunned gathering back to their senses somewhat. Since they could not resist for now anyway, they might as well work out how much land they could receive and what rank they could be granted. Those two things would determine their families' future standing.

"The Son of Heaven's lands shall measure one thousand li on each side. The lands of dukes and marquises shall measure one hundred li on each side, those of counts seventy li, and those of viscounts and barons fifty li. Holdings smaller than fifty li shall become dependencies of the feudal lords."

Where would all this land come from? The question arose in everyone's mind. With so many people here, even if all were made viscounts or barons, the entire Royal Domain would be carved up in an instant.

But soon, some guessed Ji Zhao's intentions from Qi State, the fief granted to Taigong Wang.

What a bastard!

That was what most of them thought. He was granting away lands that did not belong to him. Though displeased, they also knew Ji Zhao would never dare cheat so many people at once. There would surely be an explanation to follow.

While the gathering reeled from one shock after another, Ji Zhao continued calmly expounding his policies to the realm.

"Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang were all former kings of great merit and virtue. Heaven does not permit their ancestral temples to perish. The Son of Heaven shall treat their descendants with the rites due to honored guests and grant them the rank of duke, allowing them to worship their ancestors and preserve the former kings' ancestral temples. Those former kings will then protect the Son of Heaven.

"The rulers of Guan and Cai, Zhao, Taigong, and others are either brothers of the Former King or meritorious servants of the Zhou State. It would be unreasonable not to grant them the rank of marquis.

"The ranks and lands of counts, viscounts, and barons are rewards for meritorious servants. The Son of Heaven cherishes those who have rendered service and their descendants.

"The king heads the realm's senior lineage, yet cares for all its junior lineages. Should we not pledge our very lives in loyalty to the Son of Heaven?"

The gathering found these words reasonable. This was, after all, an age in which blood ties determined everything. It could hardly be more natural for royal kinsmen to occupy high positions.

None were more delighted than the descendants of Yao, Shun, and Yu. They knew that being made dukes merely meant being placed on lofty pedestals like ancestral tablets, but they were already weak and lowly. Under the new order, they would gain political standing far beyond anything they had enjoyed before.

[Ding~

By establishing the lineage system and the enfeoffment system, you have profoundly influenced the course of history. Your Fortune Points have increased by 5,000. You have received an item-Heaven-Tier Celestial Observatory Platform.]

Another Heaven-tier item-and a Celestial Observatory Platform at that, an item capable of safeguarding a state's fortune for a hundred years. Even Ji Zhao was stunned. Was this what it felt like to start with a heaven-blessed winning hand?

Noble ranks!

Land!

Lineage!

Ji Zhao used noble ranks to define the standing of every servant, land to control the strength and functions of the lords, and lineage rules to control succession within their clans.

Compared with the Shang kings, who had been little more than leaders of a tribal alliance, the Son of Heaven of Zhou enjoyed greatly enhanced power. So long as his majesty endured and the order did not collapse, he could strip a lord of his rank, cast him out of the political system, and command the entire realm to attack him.

For the moment, however, this system benefited everyone except a few regional states that already possessed lands.

The Ji royal kinsmen benefited in particular. With lineage at the system's core, Ji Zhao clearly intended to rely heavily on his clan. Although they and their descendants would henceforth have no hope of taking the Son of Heaven's throne, that had always been a remote possibility. How could it matter more than the tangible benefits before their eyes?

The work has passed internal contract review, so feel free to invest.