Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"what is this?"

What's the difference between "和中旨" and "和中旨"?

At Yuan Keli's residence, a group of people discussed the matter.

Compared to Han Kuang, Yang Jingchen, and others who were solely driven by power, these people had some ideals, disliked forming cliques for personal gain, and were not entirely subservient to the emperor.

Yuan Keli's position in the imperial court was enough to protect them.

These people had previously paid little attention to the power of the Grand Secretary to countersign, or even had no concept of it. However, after the Emperor clarified the power of the Second Grand Secretary to countersign, they quickly understood its profound meaning.

Yuan Keli explained to them:
"The emperor once mentioned that the power of deputy signatory was granted to the sub-prefect."

"Without the vice-prefect's signature, the prefect cannot send out any official documents."

"The Court of Justice was almost renamed the Prefectural Judge's Office, which was responsible for local justice and reviewing whether official documents violated laws and regulations."

"This was discussed between the Emperor and me, but I don't know if it has been implemented in various places."

Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads, indicating that they did not know.

Those who had contact with local officials vaguely knew this.

Jiang Dejing, who was in charge of imperial edicts, said:
"It sounds more like the Sixth Division, which is now responsible for reviewing whether official documents are illegal."

“As long as it does not violate etiquette and law, the Six Ministries have no right to reject it.”

"This is why Scholar Yang's decree was not rejected by the Ministry of Rites; it did not violate the rites and laws."

These words sounded reasonable, but everyone thought of the emperor ordering the second-in-command, Yang Jingchen, to draft an imperial edict, granting the second-in-command the power of countersignature. They felt as if they had swallowed a fly, and the connection to the imperial edict came to mind.

Li Banghua said to Yuan Keli:

“Lord Yuan, the Emperor promised you that he would not use the imperial edict, and in exchange for the power to impose martial law.”

"This decree now seems to be an imperial edict. What is your opinion, Lord Yuan?"

Yuan Keli was equally dissatisfied with the emperor issuing the edict in this way, but he knew that according to the current cabinet system, there was no problem with the emperor issuing such an edict.

He said to Li Banghua:

"Although this decree is different from the usual decrees, it cannot be called an imperial decree."

"It was an imperial edict drafted by the Cabinet, discussed by the Ministry of Rites, and passed by the Ministry of Rites. It did not violate any rules."

"It was by no means an imperial edict, but an edict issued according to the procedures of the imperial court."

While explaining the court's system, Yuan Keli believed that the emperor's decree did not violate any rules.

However, it is truly bizarre that the Vice Grand Secretary was given the power of countersigning the draft vote. Li Banghua said:

"What if someone causes trouble?"

"Issuing an imperial edict like this is far too childish!"

Yuan Keli said:

"Aren't there still the Six Ministries and Six Departments?"

"If it does not pass the ministerial deliberation and is rejected by the Six Ministries, it is still not an official decree."

"Since the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Rites have approved it, it means they approve of this decree."

Upon hearing this, Li Banghua was speechless.

Because the Minister of Rites is still Cheng Jiming, even he approves of this decree.

He couldn't criticize Cheng Jiming, so he could only say:

"If the cabinet has the power to countersign, it should be the overall power of the cabinet."

"It is far too frivolous for the Emperor to be able to draft imperial edicts with the help of a Grand Secretary."

Yuan Keli also felt that this was inappropriate, but once power was delegated, it was not easy to take it back.

Having understood how the cabinet operated, he addressed Li Banghua and the others:

"This time, Scholar Yang used the independent voting rights of a Grand Secretary to draft the votes."

"This is the power that the Emperor granted to the Grand Secretaries after he ascended the throne."

"Now we can't take it back even if we want to, because the Grand Secretaries are unwilling."

"Furthermore, if the Grand Secretary does not have the independent power to draft resolutions, and the Grand Secretary, as the chief official, has the power to veto cabinet proposals, wouldn't the other Grand Secretaries be completely subordinate to the Grand Secretary? That would be even worse."

"It would be better to have an independent right to draft proposals, which would also make it easier for the Grand Secretaries to draft proposals in the committee."

This is why each committee has a Grand Secretary; the Grand Secretary needs to use their independent voting power to draft imperial edicts and issue them.

Otherwise, if the committee's orders are not considered imperial edicts, who in the lower-level government offices will heed them?

Li Banghua was also a member of the Committee for Suppressing Rebellion and Relief, and had participated in related meetings. He knew that without the Grand Secretary's draft edict, the committee's orders were completely meaningless.

From this perspective, the Grand Secretaries do indeed need independent voting rights. Otherwise, if everything has to be discussed in the cabinet, what's the point of having a coordinating committee?
Moreover, if the independent power to draft proposals is abolished, the Grand Secretary, relying on his control over the cabinet, could easily become a powerful minister.

Thinking about this, his emotions gradually calmed down, and he said:

"The right to independently draft votes should indeed exist."

"But before an invoice can be issued, it must at least go through the cabinet."

"It can't be that the other Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are unaware that the Emperor has issued an edict."

Yuan Keli nodded in approval upon hearing this.

"That's good advice!"

"The right to independently draft votes should exist, but there should be certain checks and balances."

"We cannot allow the Emperor and a certain Grand Secretary to issue the decree in secret."

"You and I jointly submitted a memorial to the throne, suggesting improvements to the independent power of drafting proposals."

Together with Li Banghua, he wrote a memorial to the throne, suggesting improvements to the power of independent drafting of resolutions and also requesting improvements to the related systems and procedures.
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Zhu Youjian took it very seriously when he saw it, because this memorial was in line with his philosophy of using systems to restrain his officials.

After resolving the existential crisis brought about by the Jurchens, he became increasingly impatient with the trivial matters of the court and wanted to relinquish power.

Han Kuang saw this and secured his position as chief minister by taking initiative.

Yang Jingchen also saw this and, through active cooperation, obtained the power of deputy director of the Ministry of Personnel.

Now, Yuan Keli and Li Banghua have proposed improving the cabinet system, which is exactly what Zhu Youjian wanted to do:
"The cabinet system definitely needs improvement; let's try to finalize it this time."

"I need to delegate authority to the cabinet so that I can have more time and energy for other things."

With this in mind, Zhu Youjian decided to further delegate power to the cabinet. He also linked this matter with another, thus reducing his own burden.

During his regular court sessions, he discussed with his ministers:
"Previously, I established the regular court system, with the third, sixth, and ninth days designated as regular court days, and the officials who participated were called regular court officials."

"The regular meetings over the past few years have solved many problems, and it should be said that it is a good system."

"However, some new problems have arisen since the implementation of the new calendar."

"That is, there are often conflicts between morning and weekend assemblies, with officials attending morning assemblies on weekends, which leads to fatigue among officials."

"Moreover, according to the five-day weekend system, there is a five-day cycle. The third day is right in the middle, the sixth day is at the beginning, and the ninth day is at the end."

"It is really inconvenient to hold court meetings to discuss matters in this way. I think the date should be changed."

The change in the date of the regular court session was something the officials had not expected.

The practice of holding court on the 3rd, 6th, and 9th days of the month was a system that had been in place since the Wanli era.

Even if the current emperor establishes regular court assemblies, it will be based on this foundation and improved upon it.

Now that the emperor wants to change the date, the officials who are used to it are generally unwilling.

Cheng Ji, the Minister of Rites, declared:
"Your Majesty, the practice of holding court on the third, sixth, and ninth days of the month has a long history, and the officials are already accustomed to it."

"We should not reduce the number of court meetings just because some officials are being lazy."

This subtly suggests that the emperor wanted to slack off, hence the reduction in regular court sessions.

Zhu Youjian did indeed have a tendency to slack off, but more so he felt that the daily routine of 369 days of court sessions and the five-day weekend didn't match. In his view, holding a meeting on the first day of each cycle to arrange affairs was the most convenient way to carry them out.

Otherwise, if there's a meeting on the 9th and a rest day on the 10th, by the time people go back to work the day after, they'll have already forgotten the arrangements made at the morning meeting.

This is definitely not conducive to governance; no matter how well the court meetings are held, they cannot be implemented.

He addressed his ministers:

"During the Tang and Song dynasties, court sessions were usually held every five days, or even every ten days."

"Therefore, I intend to change the court sessions to once every five days, and hold them on the 1st and 6th."

"If it is a holiday, give officials time to rest."

As he explained his plans, he asked Cheng Jiming:

"Minister Cheng, when do your Ministry of Rites hold its meetings?"

"After attending the regular court session, will there be a meeting to discuss and implement the resolutions made at the court session?"

Cheng Jiming was speechless, because he had never thought of this at all.

Moreover, he is currently an Associate Grand Secretary, and usually meets with the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet after court assemblies to discuss matters.

He didn't care at all how the Ministry of Rites implemented it or what the results were.

This left him only able to say sheepishly:

"I failed in my duty and did not think of this."

"Decisions made at the morning meeting are usually made by the relevant officials themselves."

Zhu Youjian shook his head and said:

"This won't do. We should hold a meeting to discuss how to implement it and collect feedback."

"You and Mr. Liu, who is in charge of restoring ritual music, will work together to formulate departmental regulations."

“Each department must hold regular meetings to determine how the resolutions of the morning assembly should be issued, how relevant agencies should implement them, and how to provide feedback and handle the implementation results.”

"I want to see tangible results, not just decrees that become empty words."

When officials were accused of disregarding the imperial decrees, the court officials could only apologize.

Liu Zongzhou immediately stated that he would help each government office formulate departmental regulations to ensure that the imperial decree was implemented.

Zhu Youjian nodded approvingly, then said to Han Kuang:

"Chief Minister Han promised me that he would deal with officials who fail to implement the court's policies. You are in charge of this matter, and the relevant systems must be improved."

"For the decree to be implemented, each government office needs to hold meetings and have time to handle matters."

"Therefore, the number of court meetings should be reduced, while the number of departmental meetings should be increased, and each department should hold assemblies to issue official documents."

"The same applies to the cabinet; we should hold more cabinet meetings to discuss how to implement these measures."

"For matters that have already been decided by imperial decree, I grant the Cabinet the power to urge their implementation and may directly issue official documents."

He ordered Wang Chengen to take out a large silver seal and several small silver seals, and to bestow them upon the cabinet and its ministers respectively.

The court officials were greatly surprised when they saw it, while the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were overjoyed.

As an institution, the Cabinet naturally had its own seal. It was a silver seal with a straight knob, 1.7 inches square and 0.6 inches thick, with jade chopstick-shaped seal script.

However, this seal could only be used for cabinet ministers to submit memorials, and could not be used in the outer court. The cabinet did not have the power to issue official documents independently.

In the fourteenth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, this silver seal was stolen, which greatly damaged the prestige of the cabinet. Even after a new seal was cast, the cabinet's power gradually diminished.

Now the emperor has reissued the seal to the cabinet, raising it to the standard size of the Five Military Commands' Office, which is three and four-tenths inches square and one inch thick. This clearly indicates an elevation of the cabinet's status and power.

Those officials who knew the specifications of the imperial seal naturally understood what this meant.

In particular, the emperor's granting of the cabinet the power to expedite implementation meant that the cabinet would not only assist the emperor in handling memorials, but would also have the power to govern independently.

This is a major change in the powers of the cabinet, which will give the cabinet more and more power than the prime minister's office. The path for Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet to become prime ministers has taken another big step forward.

Unable to accept the offer directly, Han Kuang hurriedly declined, saying that he dared not possess such great power.

Zhu Youjian, however, had already made up his mind to give the cabinet more power.

Otherwise, if he makes all the decisions without being given the power to supervise their implementation, he will be exhausted, and the decrees he issues will easily become empty words.

Of course, he wasn't without checks and balances; he smiled and said to Han Kuang:

"The Cabinet and the Five Courts are of equal rank, both being first-rank government offices, so naturally their seals need to be changed."

"In the future, for some trivial matters related to implementation, the Cabinet can directly affix its seal, and the Secretariat can also affix its seal before issuing official documents to various government offices."

"Wang Chengen, you must remember to cooperate well with the cabinet in using the seal."

Wang Chengen bowed and accepted the order, and Han Kuang and the others immediately understood:
Although the cabinet could issue official documents directly afterward, it was still subject to the control of the Secretariat.

Without the permission of the Grand Secretariat, the cabinet's official documents could not be issued at all.

No wonder the emperor established the Secretariat; it was clearly a government office set up to check and balance the cabinet.

If they had known earlier that this was the role of the Secretariat, they would never have agreed so easily.

Now, the emperor has authorized the cabinet and also arranged for checkers to check it. If they want to obtain this power, they have no choice but to agree reluctantly.

After assigning departments to check and balance the cabinet, Zhu Youjian pointed to several other silver seals and said:
"I have established various committees within the cabinet to coordinate the various government departments."

“These committees need to be given the power to issue orders, otherwise how can coordination be achieved?”

"These seals are for the cabinet's subordinate committees."

"From now on, the Grand Secretary in charge will be in charge, and he/she will be able to independently use the seal to submit memorials and will also have the power to supervise the implementation of the court's decisions."

“Every time the seal is used, it must be recorded and reported to all Grand Secretaries.”

"Yuan Qing, what do you think of this approach? Isn't it more appropriate?"

Yuan Keli knew that this was the emperor's response to his memorial, shifting the power of independent drafting from individuals to institutions and granting it to the various committees of the cabinet.

Thus, when Grand Secretaries exercise their independent power to draft proposals, they are subject to the constraints of the committee. Without a decision made by the committee in a meeting, they do not have the power to independently affix their seals.

Such a thing as Yang Jingchen privately conspiring with the emperor to draft an imperial edict would naturally not happen.

The power to independently draft proposals is also subject to constraints.

If the emperor wanted to issue an edict through a Grand Secretary, he would also need the approval of the committee under that Grand Secretary's jurisdiction.

This naturally limits the emperor's power. After understanding this, Yuan Keli said with heartfelt admiration:
"Your Majesty's wisdom and insight are far beyond our reach."

"May Your Majesty be diligent in governing and love the people, and not follow the example of the Wanli Emperor."

They felt that the emperor still wanted to slack off, which was why he delegated power.

Zhu Youjian did not deny it, and smiled as he promised his ministers:

"I will not be like my grandfather, who did not attend court assemblies."

"But attending court every three days, and also holding court every half month on the first and sixteenth of the month, is really too frequent."

"From now on, court will be held once every five days. No court will be held on holidays. The smaller court sessions will be merged into the larger court sessions."

"This will make things convenient for both the emperor and his ministers, allowing you ministers to better utilize your abilities."

"I hope the court sessions will be more efficient, so that when I ask about the progress of implementation, everyone will be speechless."

Cheng Ji Ming lowered his head in shame, as did most of the other ministers.

Because while he doesn't say he doesn't care about implementation, he certainly doesn't follow many rules.

Now the emperor takes this matter seriously, even reducing the time of court sessions to hold departmental meetings for them. These people have no choice but to accept it. Under the leadership of Han Kuang, Yuan Keli and others, they accept the emperor's opinion and change to court sessions every five days.

From now on, the regular court assembly will be held on the 1st and 6th of each month, and the half-monthly assemblies on the 1st and 16th of each month will be combined into one.

Zhu Youjian successfully reduced the monthly court assemblies from eleven to six, and even reduced them further on holidays, allowing ample time for rest. (End of Chapter)