Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 480 Power of the Cabinet
"Your Majesty's benevolence—"

Several people bowed down in unison.

As for King Fu's fate, it was actually doomed from the very beginning, and if he didn't directly assassinate him, he really could be regarded as the emperor's benevolence.

However, Zhu Yixi said casually that Zhu Yousong's posthumous title and temple title, etc., were all invalidated. To put it bluntly, he would not recognize his throne.

Just like Jianwen, it can only be called by its year name.

Of course, the reason why Zhu Yixi is so benevolent is because Zhu Yousong has no heirs, so the threat to the imperial power is minimal, and no one would elect a man with no heirs to be emperor.

The thorn in the side and the thorn in the flesh are the heirs of Chongzhen, such as the prince Zhu Cihong, etc. Although they will not set off a rebellion, it is enough to confuse people's hearts.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yixi said coldly: "If you beat a snake, you won't die, but you will suffer from it. For Jiannu, you must not compare it to Beiyuan."

"The minister agrees."

At this point, what if you don't agree?
Jiang Yueguang tactfully resigned first, leaving only the three bachelors in the cabinet.

Zhao Shu, Zhang Shenyan, and Yan Chongxin stood with folded hands, quietly waiting for the emperor's words.

Zhu Yixi looked at the three of them.

The first assistant, Zhao Shu, was 49 years old, from Shanxi, and he was full of energy; the second assistant, Zhang Shenyan, was also from Shanxi, 69 years old; and the last was Yan Chongxin, the youngest, aged [-], from Hanzhong, Shaanxi.

The three members of the cabinet are all from the north, which is unexpected and expected.

In fact, the reform of the Imperial Academy was just the emperor's test of the waters.

Obviously, the effect is good, both the Imperial Academy and the cabinet agree with it.

But this time the knife of reform is slashed at the cabinet, and I don't know what the consequences will be?
However, Zhu Yixi has confidence in this. This is not only the prestige of the founding emperor, but also the obedience of the six ministers.

Jiang Yueguang, Lu Daqi, and Gao Hongtu, former members of the Donglin Party, had little ties to the cabinet; Zhu Mou, Feng Xianzong, and Wang Yingxiong were closer to the emperor.

It can be said with certainty that if the emperor does not cooperate, the cabinet will be empty.

"Since Taizu deposed the prime minister, and since Chengzu set up a cabinet, the imperial court has lasted for more than two hundred years, until now."

As soon as the emperor opened his mouth, he chatted about the history of the cabinet.

The three of them were a little dazed, but at the same time, they immediately realized that this was about the cabinet.

"For more than two hundred years, the cabinet has worked hard to assist the emperor and caress the people. There are virtuous ministers like Sanyang, treacherous ministers like Yan Song, and powerful ministers like Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong."

"Of course, mediocrity is also in the majority."

These words were a bit harsh, but the three of them could not bear the loneliness, lowered their heads, and couldn't help guessing.

Standing up, Zhu Yixi kept pacing, and there was a little bird singing outside the pavilion, making him continue:
"As far as Emperor Shizong, Yan Song borrowed the right to draw up a bill to execute his assistant minister and admonisher (Yang Jisheng), which set a precedent..."

"Then Zhang Juzheng, joined forces with Feng Bao, ruled with power for ten years, carried out strict reforms, Emperor Shenzong ruled in person, abolished all new laws, grateful for the power of the cabinet, and followed the power of the cabinet..."

The more powerful the cabinet is, the more power the supervisor of ceremonies will expand, such as Wang Zhen during the Yingzong period, Liu Jin during the Zhengde period, Feng Bao during the Shenzong period, and Wei Zhongxian during the Tianqi period.

It's fun to say that Wang Zhi, who is in charge of the West Factory, is famous for his ability. Chenghua Liting is actually his record when he served as the supervisor of the army. Later, he served as the supervisor of Datong and made great contributions to resisting the Tatars...

The reason why he fell out of favor later was because he had been in Liaodong for a long time and was demoted to Nanjing.

During the Chongzhen period, the power of the cabinet was cut, so naturally there was no power eunuch.

After babbling, the emperor asked a heart-wrenching question: "Now that the supervisor of ceremonies is no longer there, I don't know if the cabinet will be powerful in the future, and if there are Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong again, what will happen to future generations?"

Now, the three were silent.

For Zhang Juzheng's monopoly, he was actually hated in the officialdom, because he seized the power of the six departments, and other auxiliary ministers became subordinates and foils.

Does the emperor want to set up another supervisor of ceremonies?

Such thoughts suddenly burst into the minds of several people.

But when they thought of the horror of being targeted by the eunuch in the future, and making the eunuch laugh, they panicked in their hearts:

Han Chuang has studied hard for decades, but he is not as good as a knife in his crotch.

Seeing that the few people were still silent and had been together for a few years, Zhu Yixi also felt that he could no longer go around, so he could only say, "Don't you think that it is too much for the chief assistant to specialize in drafting the bill?"

The three of them were stunned, and then their eyes focused on Zhao Shu.

He didn't panic, raised his head calmly, and said:

"What Your Majesty said is true!"

"The cabinet ministers are not divided into priority. Since the year of Tianshun (Yingzong), they have been divided into first, second, and group."

"As far as Emperor Shizong (Jiajing), the power of ticket drafting was exclusively dominated by the chief assistant, so that Yan Song, Zhang Juzheng and other powerful officials came out..."

To put it bluntly, after Jiajingchu succeeded to the throne, Yang Tinghe took over the power and put the power of drafting the votes into the hands of the chief assistant.

In other words, the other ministers have suggestions on one matter, but the final result is decided by the chief minister and written into a vote to be submitted to the emperor.

If there is a disagreement, there is no way to see the emperor.

Instead of what later generations imagined, the opinions of the cabinet ministers were all patched up, allowing the emperor to choose freely.

In this case, the power of the chief minister of the cabinet has been continuously improved, and the original double listening will make it clear, and it has become partial listening.

Once the chief assistant is a virtuous minister, such as Zhang Juzheng, it will naturally bring unlimited benefits, but once it is a mediocre or treacherous minister, the harm will continue to expand.

It is precisely because of the power of the chief assistant that the party and government began to prevail, because this is a situation where the winner takes all.

As long as you become the chief assistant, the cabinet will become your pocket, and the group system exists in name only.

In this case, the court meeting had to be pushed out, which was the emperor's attempt to hear different voices, especially in terms of personnel rights.

"What does Yuan Fu think?"

Zhu Yixi thought for a while, stared at Zhao Shu's eyes, and asked him directly.

"According to the proposal of the ministers, it can be returned to Jiajing and signed by the ministers together..."

Zhao Shu was not a fool, of course he understood what the emperor meant, and cut at his arm immediately and decisively.

Zhang Shenyan and Yan Chongxin first showed a hint of surprise, then extreme astonishment, and then showed deep thought, their expressions changed very quickly.

"As for the group department, it is quite troublesome."

Unexpectedly, the emperor shook his head in denial.

Now, it was the turn of the three to be astonished.

In the words of the group, it means that there are three or four opinions on one matter, and the choice is all based on the emperor's preferences. Among the same opinions, the vote that ranks first and holds the title of chief assistant is naturally more likely to be rejected. access.

Just like a novel recommendation, can the exposure of the front position and the back position be the same?

To put it bluntly, it seems to be fair, but in fact it is just changing the soup without changing the medicine.

Zhu Yixi is not a fool, how could he go the same way again, isn't this making future generations suffer?
　This chapter is rather boring and belongs to the reform of the political system, but it is relatively simple and should be understandable
　　
　
(End of this chapter)