At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, why did the rank of the lieutenant surpass the earl and be listed under the duke

The status of the lieutenant in the early Ming Dynasty: from the parent's lineage to the character identity

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang married his 14 daughters to the children of highly decorated generals and officials through marriage, and these horse families became important pillars of the Ming Dynasty. The status of the horse was much higher than that of the earl at that time, and even comparable to that of the duke, which reflects the importance and reliance of the royal family on these prominent families in the early Ming Dynasty.

First of all, Zhu Yuanzhang included the Horse family in the list of the "Seven Great Relatives", with the same status as the queen, the imperial concubine, the East Palace concubine and other high-level nobles. This shows that the horse had a pivotal position in the political system of the early Ming Dynasty. In addition to the major crime of non-rebellion, the horse family cannot be punished at will, and must be jointly negotiated and ruled by the high-level of the imperial court, which also shows the special status of the horse family.

Secondly, judging from the family background of the horses, most of them are the children of heroes or generals, such as Li Qi, the husband of Princess Lin'an, and Mei Yin, the husband of the eldest princess of Ningguo. These people are all generals reused by Zhu Yuanzhang, and their children were selected as concubines, which shows that Zhu Yuanzhang attaches great importance to the marriage relationship with these meritorious families, in order to consolidate the imperial power and rule.

Moreover, the grades of the horses in the early Ming Dynasty were all the second grade, which was comparable to the duke and much higher than the earl. This is not only reflected in their official rank and salary, but also in terms of clothing. Judging from the color of clothing, crowns, ornaments, etc., the rank of the horses is almost the same as that of the princes, which fully shows their respectful status.

In short, in the early Ming Dynasty, as an important relative of the royal family, its political, economic, and social status was far beyond ordinary people, and it was one of the important factors in the stability of the Ming Dynasty. This also reflects Zhu Yuanzhang's special attention to the families of meritorious heroes, as well as the delicate balance between the imperial power and the meritorious group in the early Ming Dynasty.

Judging from the grade setting of the horses in the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang paid special attention to this system when establishing a new dynasty. He divided the lieutenants into different echelons, including the children of nobles from illustrious backgrounds, the descendants of outstanding military attachés, and even the children of learned commoners. This pluralistic selection method not only reflects the royal family's tolerance of all forces, but also highlights the unique position of the horse in the politics of the Ming Dynasty.

It is worth noting that Zhao Hui, the concubine of Princess Baoqing, the youngest daughter of Zhu Yuanzhang, is an outstanding representative from a family of military generals. Zhao Hui was "magnificent in appearance and extraordinary", and with his outstanding military skills and heroic image, he was finally selected as the emperor's concubine. Zhu Yuanzhang even prepared a huge dowry for Princess Baoqing, which shows his special preference for this son-in-law. This situation is also reflected in the selection process of other princesses, which fully shows the indispensable position of the descendants of military generals in the early Ming Dynasty.

In addition to the descendants of the lords and generals, Zhu Yuanzhang also deliberately selected some knowledgeable civilian children to serve as concubines. For example, Ouyang Lun, the concubine of Princess Anqing, is a lowly but talented jinshi. For these commoner-born horses, Zhu Yuanzhang asked them not only to be "handsome in appearance and excellent in character and learning", but also to have "talents in the world", which can be said to be an opportunity to "ascend to the sky in one step".

Through this diversified selection mechanism, Zhu Yuanzhang skillfully integrated talents from different backgrounds, such as the children of meritorious heroes, the descendants of military generals, and civilian elites, and built a solid foundation for the early Ming dynasty. These horses not only held a prominent position in politics, but also comparable to the princes in terms of social status, and could be said to be the mainstay of the gentry class in the early Ming Dynasty. It can be said that the setting of the horse system reflects Zhu Yuanzhang's ingenious political wisdom and played a key role in the stable development of the regime in the early Ming Dynasty.