Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"A member of the imperial clan wants to work in the Secretariat, that's great!"

Upon seeing the memorial, Zhu Youjian was very pleased.

He didn't mind members of the imperial clan serving in the Secretariat; after all, they were just secretaries and had to rely on officials.

Even if they were promoted through recommendation, it wouldn't matter. The rule that non-Jinshi officials could only be promoted once every six years would keep them stuck in lower-level official positions.

When they reached the positions of Nine Ministers or Grand Ministers, the restrictions imposed on members of the imperial family and secretaries made it difficult for them to wield real power.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian welcomed members of the imperial clan to serve in government positions to help him supervise officials.

Seeing the emperor so pleased, Wang Chengen smiled and said:
“They want to stay in the country and don’t mind serving as officials.”

"The concern is that the next generation will lose their imperial clan status and be unable to serve in the Secretariat."

"Should we formulate a policy to clearly define their identities?"

Zhu Youjian grunted and nodded, saying:
"It should indeed be made clear that these people should also be separated from the vassal states they came from, to prevent the Directorate of the Imperial Secretariat from being controlled by the vassal states."

"In that case, have the Court of Colonial Affairs draft a regulation that all members of the imperial clan who hold positions in the court must leave their fiefdoms."

"Let the Imperial Clan Court register them separately and grant them the status of Imperial Clan Members."

“Those clansmen who remain in the mainland will be granted the status of Gongshi, but not the title of peerage.”

"If they pass the assessment, they can be appointed to positions in government offices such as the Secretariat, and the inner court should do its best to place them in these positions."

This decision partially satisfied the royal family's demands, but it was still not quite right.

After all, it wasn't a certainty that he would be appointed to the position of Director of the Imperial Secretariat; there was still an assessment process to go through.

There are few members of the imperial clan serving in the Directorate of State Affairs now, so there's no problem. But as more members of the imperial clan come in, the competition will become fierce.

Not to mention that eunuchs like Wang Chengen also wanted their own sons to serve in the Directorate of State Affairs, so he cautiously said:

“If we just give them a chance to be assessed, the members of the royal family might be unwilling.”

"What they want are hereditary positions, like the hereditary officials of the garrison."

"Should we grant them the right to become hereditary knights if members of the royal family go overseas?"

Zhu Youjian was so shocked he almost burst out laughing. He never expected that someone would seek to become a hereditary official so soon after the establishment of the Secretariat.

Thinking of how the Secretariat was dominated by hereditary officials, he immediately rejected the idea:
"No official position can be inherited, except for the Guard."

"Moreover, the hereditary official positions in the garrisons can actually be regarded as titles, but they do not have corresponding real power."

"If you want to inherit the family name, become a nobleman and establish your own fiefdom overseas."

"The Secretariat is an important position of the imperial court, and it should not be allowed to be controlled by a few people through hereditary succession."

As he spoke, he looked at Wang Chengen and warned him:
"The same applies to the Inner Palace Supervisory Office. Whether it is an official, a senior manager, or a technician, no position can be hereditary. Appointments must be based on ability."

“I will reward those who have made contributions, but I will not pass on important positions in the inner court to them for generations.”

Clearly, he had a premonition that if the inner court enterprises grew and expanded, they would become deeply entrenched internally.

It's good to take preventative measures now so that we can clean up the mess when an economic crisis comes along.

What's advantageous for him is that the high-ranking officials in the inner court are all eunuchs without heirs. As long as he makes good use of them, he doesn't need to worry about certain families usurping control of the inner court enterprises.

Wang Chengen was startled, thinking that the emperor was warning him.

Because when the Imperial Household Department established various enterprises, many of its family members and relatives were placed in them.

The emperor's current statement clearly indicates his dissatisfaction with this.

A slight sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead, but the elation he felt from taking charge of the Secretariat and increasing his power quickly vanished.

After giving a slight warning, Zhu Youjian rewarded him with a sweet treat, saying:

"However, I will not turn a blind eye to those who have made contributions to the inner court."

"You and other government departments such as the Directorate of Palace Attendants should organize a review committee to recommend a certain number of senior executives and senior engineers each year and award them bonuses and medals."

“Those who make significant contributions may also have their sons granted the title of Duke or Gentleman of the Palace.”

"Gongshi" means scholars who are included in the imperial court's system of supporting scholars and have the opportunity to serve as officials in government offices such as the Secretariat. This is essentially a safety net, ensuring that the descendants of these people will not fall completely into the status of commoners.

Zhu Youjian instructed him to formulate regulations according to this idea to improve the management of the inner court.
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After Wang Chengen left, he first went to discuss matters with the members of the imperial clan.

They were somewhat suspicious when they heard that serving in the imperial court required being sent to a remote prefecture:

What does "going out to the vassal state" mean?

"Will we no longer be considered subjects of a vassal state?"

"Then are they still members of the royal family?"

Wang Chengen explained:

"Leaving the fiefdom means breaking away from the feudal family and no longer belonging to the same clan; one then establishes an independent household."

"But they are still members of the imperial clan, descendants of Emperor Taizu."

"If you are unwilling to go overseas to establish fiefdoms, you can only have the status of a clan member and be granted the title of Duke."

"This title is a commoner's title, and there is no stipend for it."

At this point, some members of the royal family turned pale and became unwilling to break away from their respective fiefdoms.

Even if they don't receive much salary now, having the title of royal family member at least ensures they won't starve.

Looking at their expressions, Wang Chengen added:
"The imperial court established a system of social support for scholars, and all scholars were included in this system."

"As long as you have a job and pay social security, you don't need to worry about survival."

He secretly praised the emperor's policy, knowing that the emperor was shifting the burden of the imperial clan to the social security fund.

No matter how many members of the imperial family remain in the Ming Dynasty, the court will not spend an extra penny.

However, the members of the royal family were not in a good mood. They realized that they would lose their hereditary stipends and would have to work to support themselves in the future.

Zhu Yicheng inquired carefully:

"If the Secretariat recruits scholars to serve as secretaries, and our sons are granted the title of Gongshi (a low-ranking official), can they serve in the Secretariat for generations?"

Wang Chengen shook his head and said:
"His Majesty said that there are no hereditary officials except for those in the garrisons."

"Those who want to enter the Secretariat need to pass an examination; the court doesn't need officials who just coast along."

Then he admonished these members of the royal family:

"Don't think that just because you're willing to be secretaries, the Secretariat will be scrambling to hire you."

"All secretaries need to be trained and assessed. Those who are illiterate or incompetent will be eliminated."

"His Majesty will provide you with a safety net through social security, but whether you can live well depends on yourselves."

They were warned to study hard and not to try to cause trouble in the Secretariat just because they were members of the imperial family.

There are many members of the imperial family in the Ming Dynasty; now there are more than 100,000.

Zhu Yicheng and others left the Secretariat with mixed feelings of joy and worry, planning their future paths.

Wang Chengen recalled the emperor's instructions, pondered the regulations of the Secretariat, and considered how to formulate official documents to be transmitted to the relevant government departments.

Cheng Jiming also participated in this matter and decided that he had to review it before it could be sent out as an official document.

The Secretariat, an institution jointly managed by the inner and outer courts, was gradually perfected through his and Cheng Jiming's efforts.

The training of secretaries was also quickly launched, and members of the imperial clan, such as Zhu Yicheng, who were willing to serve as secretaries, chose to join.

Thanks to their special status as members of the royal family, they were able to get along quite well.

Moreover, because there was little competition in the early stages, they quickly obtained their secretarial qualifications through training.

Some officials were willing to use members of the imperial clan for certain purposes, and they dared not treat them like servants or order them around.

Zhu Yicheng was very satisfied with this life and never wanted to leave the capital. (End of Chapter)