Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Once the leadership transition begins, it's unstoppable.

Zhu Youjian originally intended to stabilize the situation for a period of time after appointing ministers, but he found that this was impossible.

Where do high-ranking officials come from? Naturally, they are ministers in the imperial court and local officials. When they are transferred, these positions become vacant.

If the vacant positions are not filled, there will be no one in charge of the affairs of the various government departments, which may lead to chaos.

Therefore, after the new prime minister took office in the capital, he quickly proposed to elect other ministers.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang said:

"Your Majesty, no department can be without a chief official for even a day."

"I request the court to recommend high-ranking officials and jointly recommend senior officials from various departments."

Others echoed this suggestion, recommending that the court appoint ministers as soon as possible, and that the officials in charge of various departments be selected, which would be members of the council under the collective deliberation system.

Their suggestion was naturally driven by self-interest.

Because if local officials are elected first, they would be selected from the existing court officials.

However, the court officials were elected first, and the local officials were then recommended by the newly elected ministers.

The ministers who presided over the selection process naturally hoped to elect court officials according to their own will, and then these court officials would elect local officials.

Zhu Youjian thought about it for a moment and understood their plan.

In order to maintain stability, he chose to replace leaders from top to bottom, and the order naturally could not be disordered.

Therefore, he accepted the ministers' proposal, but then put forward the following conditions:
“All departments need chief officials, but we must learn from He Ruchong’s case.”

“In the past, when the imperial court made recommendations, the Ministry of Personnel would draft a list of candidates and then select the best candidates from among them.”

"This ignores their wishes and deprives them of the right to choose."

"I believe that in the future, when recommending candidates by the court or by the assembly, we must solicit their opinions."

"They can only be included in the candidates if they agree; if they don't agree, don't push them out. Don't force them to drink water; the court can't afford to lose face like that."

He Ruchong was used as a springboard to make minor adjustments to the selection system for officials, giving greater respect to the opinions of candidates.

This is consistent with his policy of voluntary selection of officials. Guo Yunhou, the Minister of Personnel and the one in charge of this policy, although aware that it would increase the workload of the Ministry of Personnel, immediately echoed his sentiments:

“Voluntary selection of officials is more in line with the wishes of officials.”

"The problem is that some candidates are not in Beijing, and soliciting their opinions takes too much time."

This is a real problem, Zhu Youjian said:
“There are now carrier pigeon stations in various places. If time is not urgent, we can use carrier pigeons to solicit opinions from local officials.”

"If time is of the essence, then issue an imperial decree directly, proceed according to the existing system, and try to send local officials with relevant experience to participate in the election."

"However, the wishes of officials in the capital must be consulted. I do not want them to serve with resentment."

"That would be of no benefit to either them personally or the court. If He Ruchong had not encountered setbacks while serving as the Vice Minister in charge of the Grand Works, how could he have ended up in such a predicament?"

As he spoke, he addressed his ministers with a hint of self-reproach:

"I have been thinking about this a lot these days and I have realized that there was actually a big problem with the appointment of He Ruchong back then."

"He was a distinguished official from the Hanlin Academy who had never been in charge of general affairs before, but was suddenly transferred to the position of Vice Minister in charge of the Grand Works."

"This actually ignores his wishes and puts him in an unsuitable position."

"This cannot be done again; it will ruin an official."

He Ruchong has a very good reputation in the court and among the people. The punishment he received was too harsh, and many people sympathize with him. Grand Secretary Cheng Jiming said:
"This is a deficiency in the previous system, not the emperor's fault."

"However, it is better to show mercy to this person who is pitiful. Please, Your Majesty, show him some compassion."

Zhu Youjian's purpose in punishing him was to make an example of him and to enforce discipline during the leadership transition.

Now that he has been banished from the capital and used as a warning to the court officials, it is natural to show leniency. Otherwise, He Ruchong might die in anger, causing new problems.

So he nodded and said:
"He Ruchong was granted the title of Junior Guardian and retired with the treatment of a first-rank official."

"I will send an official to offer my condolences and grant the privilege of having one of my descendants enter the Directorate of the Imperial Secretariat."

This treatment wasn't particularly generous, but it was a world of difference compared to being kicked out of Beijing.

With this treatment, He Ruchong wouldn't be ashamed to return home or be criticized by others in her hometown.

Furthermore, his descendants were able to enter the Secretariat as secretaries and have the opportunity to serve as officials, thus ensuring the preservation of the He family's wealth and status and preventing a lack of successors.

The courtiers praised the emperor's leniency, and the matter was thus resolved.

Then Cheng Jiming raised an opinion:
"The method of recommendation was originally for ministers to recommend candidates, but later it was all put to the Ministry of Personnel."

"I believe that the old system should be reinstated, with the Grand Secretaries and the Nine Ministers recommending candidates, and then Your Majesty making the decision."

This was a plan he and Han Kuang had discussed, because the Minister of Personnel had previously been Yang Jingchen and was now Guo Yunhou, both of whom were remnants of the eunuch faction that had been subdued by the emperor and did not stand with the Donglin Party.

To prevent them from seizing control of the leadership transition, he suggested reinstating the old system, giving ministers the right to nominate candidates.

Yang Jingchen and Guo Yunhou were naturally unwilling. Guo Yunhou said:

"The Ministry of Personnel has its own rules and regulations for selecting candidates, and it selects suitable officials according to the system."

“If each person makes a recommendation, it will be driven by personal motives and will violate the regulations of the Ministry of Personnel, thus undermining the fairness of the selection of officials.”

As a large ministry, the Ministry of Personnel naturally had regulations such as the "Rules for Knowing People" and the "Rules for Appointing Officials," which, in modern terms, are departmental regulations. Those who did not work in the Ministry of Personnel for a long time could not fully understand these rules and regulations.

Allowing outsiders to arbitrarily recommend candidates would completely undermine the existing Ministry of Personnel system.

This was the reality, and Zhu Youjian couldn't easily break it. However, he didn't want the Ministry of Personnel to have complete control over the selection of officials, so he had previously placed the power to determine candidates in his own hands.

Now, Cheng Jiming's suggestion made it possible for the power he was vying for to be institutionalized, so after thinking it over, he said:

"Court ministers and local officials are all important ministers who assist me in governing the country. Their future should not be decided by a group of minor officials."

"However, the system of the Ministry of Personnel did indeed guarantee fairness to a certain extent."

"I believe the two should be combined."

Speaking of his thoughts, Zhu Youjian said:
"From now on, candidates for all positions, in addition to those proposed by the Ministry of Personnel, may be recommended or nominated themselves."

When an official position becomes vacant, the Ministry of Personnel, in accordance with regulations, will ask qualified candidates if they are willing to run for the position. Other officials may also recommend qualified individuals or allow qualified individuals to nominate themselves.

"Then the Ministry of Personnel will select candidates based on these requirements."

"The list of candidates recommended by the court must be submitted to me, and I will make a decision based on my decree."

"The list of candidates recommended by the ministry is submitted to the cabinet, which is responsible for confirmation."

"This would further ensure fairness and broaden the pool of candidates." This system combined proposals from both sides, granting both the officials the right to recommend candidates and the Ministry of Personnel the right to screen them.

The courtiers praised the system, because under this system they could recommend candidates.

The Grand Secretaries were even less affected, as the list recommended by the Imperial Court was decided by imperial decree and required the countersignature of the Cabinet. The list recommended by the Ministry of Personnel, on the other hand, was decided directly by the Cabinet, giving them control over the Ministry of Personnel's recommendations.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang immediately said:
"I believe that the veto power that Your Majesty previously granted to cabinet ministers can be incorporated into this system."

"Anyone who does not receive cabinet approval will not be considered for ministerial positions."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement, because he was also using this method to interfere with the imperial decree.

Once the results of the court's deliberations are in, it will be difficult for him to exercise his veto power.

The emperor and his ministers were of one mind; the Ministry of Personnel had no way to resist. Guo Yunhou could only say:

"I believe that there should be rules for making recommendations, and the number of recommendations should also be limited to prevent the formation of factions."

"If a recommended candidate is elected as an official, the recommender shall bear responsibility and shall be jointly liable if the official makes a mistake."

This was the requirement for recommendation in the "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty," and the officials could not raise any objections to this system that had been in place for a long time.

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement, as he did not want officials to recommend unqualified people arbitrarily.

Therefore, he emphasized:
"For officials to recommend candidates, both the recommender and the recommended candidate must reach an agreement and jointly sign the recommendation form. They are treated as mentors and students and must recuse themselves according to relevant regulations. Furthermore, if one party makes a mistake, the other party will bear joint liability."

"Moreover, once someone is listed as a candidate, they must leave their current official position, and their position will be considered vacant and included in the selection process."

Whether a candidate will be promoted or demoted in the next election depends on the decision made by the council.

"The Ministry of Personnel must confirm the candidates' wishes and ensure they abide by the resolutions passed by the council. This is to prevent a repeat of the case of He Ruchong, who resigned due to dissatisfaction with the results."

He Ruchong was used as a negative example, causing the court officials to secretly sweat. They knew the emperor was genuinely angry and did not want to see officials like He Ruchong again.

However, this regulation also has its problems, Guo Yunhou inquired:
"If the candidate fails to win the position he is running for."

"Even if they don't retire, how should we arrange things for them?"

Zhu Youjian, thinking about his previous plans for He Ruchong and then about the trouble he had caused, said:
"Power and responsibility must be commensurate, and so should officials' right to choose."

"The fact that they participated in the election shows that they are willing to serve as officials."

“Each candidate should write a candidacy statement, indicating their willingness to be transferred. If they are not elected, they must obey the arrangements made by the imperial court.”

"Those who are willing to be transferred must meet one of three conditions: be willing to serve as advisors, be willing to serve in frontier areas, or be willing to serve in overseas or border regions. Anyone who has checked the box must obey the transfer when appointed to a relevant position."

"Those who disobey orders will be forced to retire if they are not selected. The court has no need for incompetent and disobedient officials."

This made the officials present secretly sweat, and they lamented for the officials who were running for office.

Because under this system, once an official is on the candidate list, their future is no longer in their own hands, and it is difficult for them to remain in their current position.

Disobeying orders could result in losing one's official position, while obeying orders might lead to being assigned a nominal post or even being sent to the frontier.

Being an official during the Chongzhen era was truly difficult, but fortunately, they had already been recommended by the court to become ministers and had safely escaped danger.
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Because of the importance of the leadership transition, the solutions discussed were quickly formalized into regulations, published in internal reference materials, and distributed to officials for review.

The officials gained a deeper understanding of the seriousness of the leadership transition, and the restless thoughts of some gradually subsided.

It's certainly good to get promoted during a leadership transition, but it's laughable if someone like He Ruchong can't even keep their current position.

Some officials who felt their chances of promotion were slim began to apply to remain in their posts, intending to serve as officials to stabilize the various departments during the leadership transition.

This is also one of the newly established systems, which stipulates that at least one senior official from each department will remain to be responsible for the handover of affairs.

Otherwise, if the new officials are all from outside the court, it will take them a long time to become familiar with their responsibilities, which could easily lead to chaos.

Based on this requirement, the various departments quickly determined the officials to remain in their posts.

Vacancies are filled by nominations from among the candidates.

To ensure their election, most of these candidates ran for multiple positions.

Some people even adopt the idea of ​​"taking a shot if there's no chance" and run for every position they can, hoping to be included in the candidate list.

This greatly increased the workload of the Ministry of Personnel, and Guo Yunhou had no choice but to propose:
"Your Majesty, I believe there should be a limit to the positions that can be filled through the election; otherwise, the Ministry of Personnel will be overwhelmed with the selection process."

"It is advisable to have three positions, and each person should run for a maximum of three positions."

The officials were unhappy about this, because three positions were far too few. If they weren't even shortlisted, they would have no choice but to obey orders.

Zhu Youjian also felt that while this would reduce the workload of the Ministry of Personnel, it would be detrimental to the selection of officials.

After thinking it over, he said:

“These three positions are not suitable; they should be categorized.”

"Officials in the Ministry of Personnel are one category. There are no special requirements for these officials. They only need to be like soldiers, not forming factions or engaging in cronyism."

"Officials of the Ministry of Rites are one category, with priority given to those who graduated from the Hanlin Academy, and if that is not enough, the requirement can be relaxed to those who have passed the imperial examination."

"Officials of the Three Judicial Offices are classified as one category, with priority given to those who graduated from the Ming Law Examination or those who passed the Imperial Examination in the field of rites and law. Now there are few such officials, so the requirement has been relaxed to include those with previous experience in the Three Judicial Offices."

"Officials in charge of household affairs were a category, with priority given to those who came from the Ming Suan Ke (a branch of the Imperial Academy) or those who passed the Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in mathematics and arithmetic. Now, the requirements have been relaxed to include those with relevant experience or those who have served as county magistrates, prefects, or provincial governors."

"Officers in the Ministry of War are one category, and they need to have led troops or have experience as civilian military officers."

"Each candidate may participate in a maximum of three categories of official positions during the reshuffle, which makes it easier for the Ministry of Personnel to select candidates."

This was an idea he had long held: to promote the professionalization of officials and select those who could get things done.

He never wanted to see that kind of thing again, where people would compete for any available position without considering whether they were qualified.

If He Ruchong hadn't encountered setbacks in his position as Vice Minister in charge of the Grand Works, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

The courtiers listened to the emperor's classification and sensed a deeper meaning. With this classification, it would be very difficult for officials to be promoted across categories.

The Ministry of Personnel agreed, because this clarification would make the selection process much easier for them.

They even felt that three categories were too many, and preferred to limit promotions to one category, within the same category.

However, that would have blocked communication between officials from different departments, which Zhu Youjian did not agree to.

Ultimately, he agreed to the Ministry of Personnel's requirement regarding the number of positions available for election, stipulating that each candidate could participate in a maximum of six positions across three categories—double the three positions required by the Ministry of Personnel.

To prevent a situation where none of the six positions were considered for the candidacy, he also granted his ministers the request to allow candidates to run for their current positions. Anyone who had previously run for a position would be considered for the candidacy.

The order of leadership changes for each department will be determined according to the six ministries: the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of Works will begin their leadership changes in that order.

Once a candidate is selected by a previous department, their name will be removed from the pool of candidates for subsequent departments. If there are insufficient candidates, replacements will be made to ensure compliance with the newly established guidelines. (End of Chapter)