Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

At the strong request of the Ministry of Personnel, the Vice Minister and other officials of the Ministry took the lead in the selection process.

The Ministry of Personnel is primarily responsible for the leadership transition, as they urgently need more officials to get things done.

Currently, the Ministry of Personnel has retained its Minister Guo Yunhou in his post, so there's no need for any other high-ranking officials to remain, nor are there any other high-ranking officials to be retained at all.

Han Rizuan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, became the Minister of Rites and concurrently the Grand Secretary. Li Ruoxing, the Right Vice Minister, was no longer allowed to serve as an official in the Ministry of Personnel because he had been included in the Donglin Party and was subject to the prohibition against forming factions.

Therefore, both vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel needed to be nominated, and Guo Yunhou, due to his busy schedule, also suggested adding four more officials to the ministry:

“Changes in the imperial court, local government, and the appointment and removal of frontier and technical officials all require dedicated personnel to handle.”

"Your Majesty requests the addition of four ministerial officials. There will be no restrictions on rank; officials from the fifth rank to the third rank are eligible to apply."

"According to their actual rank, they were granted the positions of Assistant Minister of Personnel, Vice Minister of Personnel, and Assistant Minister of Personnel."

This was the original intention behind establishing ministerial officials to assist the Minister and Vice Minister in handling ministerial affairs.

They were all members of the council and had the power to sign documents and conduct official business in the main hall of the government office; they could be considered officials in the hall.

The council meetings of various departments are now also known as the council meetings of officials in the hall.

Zhu Youjian nodded and said:
"The number of senior officials in each department shall not exceed nine; the specific number can be determined by the department itself."

"Submitted to the committee responsible for the establishment of official system, which is led by the chief minister, the second minister, and the chief minister, to determine the staffing, ranks, and responsibilities."

He entrusted this matter to the Three Auxiliary Regions and instructed them accordingly:

"This reshuffle is also about establishing a new official system, so you must pay close attention to it."

“If you have any opinions, please raise them. If you turn a blind eye and something goes wrong, that is your responsibility.”

Han Kuang, Yang Jingchen, and Yuan Keli hurriedly accepted the order, knowing that the emperor had entrusted them with the power and responsibility of determining the new official system.

However, the three men couldn't help but harbor some resentment, because the emperor hadn't fully entrusted them with the responsibility of the leadership transition.

They could only interfere with the arrangements made by government departments such as the Ministry of Personnel after the official system was established.

Zhu Youjian knew he hadn't delegated enough authority in this area, but he didn't dare to completely hand over the leadership transition to them.

Otherwise, if all the officials below are appointed by the Three Ministers, who will listen to him?
He accepted the fact that he was busy, as he wanted to seize the power to appoint and dismiss officials.

Then, looking at the list of candidates for Vice Minister and other ministerial officials prepared by the Ministry of Personnel, Zhu Youjian nodded and said:
"Publicize this list, and those who wish to run can nominate themselves."

"The final list of candidates will be determined before the morning assembly on July 6."

Then he remembered something else and gave instructions:
"Have the science and technology officials investigate to see if there are any problems with the candidate."

"You can't take office with problems; otherwise, the leadership transition will become a joke."

"The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the Clerk's Office must sign off to confirm that the candidate is not problematic."

"The National Audit Office should also conduct audits upon departure from office to prevent departing officials from leaving behind problems."

This made the officials in charge of the censorate who were attending the meeting tense up, knowing that this was a big problem.

If problematic officials are appointed without proper investigation, they will be held accountable.

Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Qian Xiangkun then said:

"Your Majesty, Zhou Yanru, the Vice Censor-in-Chief in charge of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, is now serving as the Right Vice Minister of Justice in the Censorate, responsible for coordinating the work of the three judicial departments."

"The position of Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Independent Commission Against Corruption is vacant, and an official needs to be appointed."

Zhu Youjian already had someone in mind for this position. After pretending to think about it for a moment, he appointed the candidate:
“Zhou Yanru once recommended Han Yiliang to me, saying that he had done a good job in the Anti-Corruption Bureau and had been promoted in the past two years, and had been given the title of Vice Censor-in-Chief of the fourth rank.”

“Let him act as Vice Censor-in-Chief and be in charge of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. If he does a good job, he can be promoted to a substantive position.”

"The Anti-Corruption and Law Committee should coordinate and give him room to maneuver."

Wen Tiren hurriedly accepted the order, while Han Kuang's expression was quite unpleasant.

Han Yiliang rose to fame by impeaching him, and unexpectedly, he has now become the Vice Censor-in-Chief and a minister in the imperial court.

Unfortunately, the current officials of the Censorate and the Imperial Academy are recommended by ministers and appointed by the emperor, so he couldn't raise any objections.

As the Grand Secretary, he was naturally subject to checks and balances and could not interfere with the selection of officials for the Censorate.

Han Yiliang successfully became the Director of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, putting his political ideals into practice.
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Upon receiving the appointment, Han Yiliang immediately took up his post at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

Soon after, he required all officials running for office to declare their assets to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and submit them for inspection by the Censorate.

If no declaration is made, or if the amount is incorrect after verification, he will not sign it and will not recognize it as a candidate.

This caused officials in the capital to lament once again that being an official was truly difficult.

Many people have given various reasons for the difficulty of doing so.

However, Han Yiliang remained unmoved and simply signed off on the candidates who declared their assets and passed the inspection, proving that they were qualified in terms of integrity.

These people's names quickly spread, giving them an advantage in the leadership transition.

This forced others to follow suit to prevent their positions from being taken by others.

Ultimately, Kong Zhenyun, the Inspector General of Heilongjiang, Qian Qianyi, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and Wu Zongda, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, were shortlisted as candidates for Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, vying for a spot from the Hanlin Academy.

The Governor-General of Hubei and Hunan, Min Hongxue, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Li Changgeng, and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, Chen Qiyu, vied for the position of Vice Minister. The court recommendation process resulted in Li Changgeng and Kong Zhenyun being selected as the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel.

Wu Zhaoyuan, the Director of the Selection Department, Kou Shen, the Prefect of Suzhou, Yu Sixun, the Censor of Henan Circuit, and Liu Hanru, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, were appointed as ministerial officials and participated in the Ministry of Personnel's meetings.

Of the four, all except Kou Shen can take up their posts quickly.

The Ministry of Personnel's work in selecting candidates suddenly became much faster.

Soon, the vice ministers of various departments of the court were appointed one after another. However, the appointment of ministerial officials was not as urgent as that of the Ministry of Personnel. Only one or two officials were selected from the officials in the capital, while the other officials were selected from the local areas.

Qian Qianyi, who had failed again in his bid for the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, finally won the emperor's praise because of his excellent writing. He was recommended by the court and appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, in charge of the daily affairs of the Ministry of Rites.

The Right Vice Minister was Huang Shijun, who was the top scholar in the imperial examination in the 35th year of the Wanli reign and served as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites during the Tianqi reign. In the second year of the Chongzhen reign, he was reinstated as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing.

The reason he caught Zhu Youjian's eye was because in the third year of Chongzhen's reign, he requested to return home to serve his father.

Zhu Youjian inquired in detail and learned that his father was a hundred years old. He was delighted and bestowed upon him the title of "A Centenarian of the Prosperous Dynasty." He also dispatched eunuchs and imperial physicians to record the methods of maintaining health.

From these people, Zhu Youjian learned that Huang Shijun was not only extremely filial to his father, but also honest and incorruptible as an official, and had little savings at home. He considered him a useful person.

This time, he was promoted to the capital to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, concurrently holding the positions of Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy and Grand Secretary of the Secretariat, in charge of academic affairs.

Qian Qianyi was still very reluctant to step down as head of the Hanlin Academy. However, he had more responsibilities as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, so he had to put aside the affairs of the Hanlin Academy.

The vast Ministry of Rites system included not only the Hanlin Academy, but also the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, the Court of Imperial Banquets, the Court of State Ceremonies, and the Imperial Academy.

Except for Liu Zongzhou, who was appointed as the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy, all officials in the four ministries were to be replaced in order to cultivate talents from the Hanlin Academy.

Zhu Youjian and the cabinet members attached great importance to the selection of these positions, because the future Grand Secretaries would come from them.

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices held the most real power, controlling religious rituals, and was the most fiercely contested.

Wu Zongda, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who had failed to secure the positions of Associate Grand Secretary, Chief Official of the Three Judicial Offices, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, finally won this post.

He was decisive and balanced in his handling of affairs, and was considered a capable prime minister. In order to test his abilities, Zhu Youjian appointed him as the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and concurrently as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Another official appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zeng Chuqing, requested to retire and return to his hometown due to illness. His position was replaced by Qian Shisheng of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The new Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was appointed by Zhang Zhifa, an official who was not from the Hanlin Academy.

Zhu Youjian trusted the talented people promoted from local areas more than the Guanglu Temple, which was responsible for managing finances and grain, and instructed Wen Tiren to recommend this person.

Zhang Zhifa served as the magistrate of Yutian and Zunhua counties, and also as a principal officer in the Ministry of Rites, making him a member of the Ministry of Rites faction.

Even though he was not a member of the Hanlin Academy, he still rose to the position of Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Historically, Zhang Zhifa was the first person to enter the cabinet without being a member of the Hanlin Academy, which shows his ability.

The officials, concerned that the positions in the Ministry of Rites should not be monopolized by the Hanlin Academy, supported his appointment as Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The remaining position of Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was taken over by Luo Yuyi, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 41st year of the Wanli reign, and passed the examination to become a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy. He was one of the leaders of the Donglin Party in Huguang, and this reshuffle made him one of the Nine Ministers.

Zhu Youjian disliked Qian Longxi, the former Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, and planned to send him to Nanjing.

However, this person was very powerful and was recommended by the court to be the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, taking over the position vacated by Wu Zongda.

Because of the rule that each department must have at least one senior official remain in office, Zhang Fengxiang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, remained in his post, as this was a department with relatively little change.

Zhu Youjian didn't particularly like either of these two vice ministers, but he was too lazy to deal with them for now, planning to deal with them when problems arose.

The Imperial Guard, which was under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice, was not actually under the Ministry's jurisdiction. Liu Qiao, the Imperial Guard Minister who remained in office, was successfully promoted to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, becoming one of the court officials.

Zhu Youjian planned to have him attend the Ministry of Justice's meeting to keep a close eye on things and see what problems existed within the Ministry of Justice.
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The ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works retained their positions, so the changes were not significant.

Li Daiwen, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, was transferred to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, replacing the position vacated by Li Changgeng.

Cao Guang, the Vice Minister in charge of the construction of the imperial mausoleum, was promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, in charge of commerce, due to his merit in the construction of the mausoleum.

The position of Vice Minister in charge of major construction projects was taken over by Zhang Yandeng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

The position of Right Vice Minister of Revenue, vacated by Zhang Yandeng, was filled by Cao Wenheng, the Governor of Jiangnan.

He achieved remarkable success in implementing the new tax system in Jiangnan, becoming another local governor-general who was promoted to a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

The heads of the other departments, namely the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Finance, remained unchanged. These departments required officials recommended by the Ministry, but Zhu Youjian had no energy to deal with them.

In the Ministry of War, the Minister of War was Liu Zunxian, the Minister of Border Defense.

The position of border defense minister that he left vacant was filled by Sun Chuanting, appointed by Zhu Youjian.

This was to reward merit and also to prevent Sun Chuanting from staying in the Northwest for too long, making it difficult for the court to control him.

Qin Shiwen, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, remained in his post and continued to be in charge of the army's military and political affairs.

Right Vice Minister Xiong Mingyu has been dismissed for making a mistake. Navy Minister Yu Anxing has taken over his position.

Chen Qiyu, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and concurrently the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, participated in the competition for other positions, but ultimately his official rank remained unchanged. However, Zhu Youjian recognized his contributions over the years and bestowed upon him the title of Grand Minister of State.

He is very likely to become one of the Nine Ministers or a local governor in the future.

Another official appointed as the Right Vice Minister of War and Commander of the Capital Garrison was Fu Zhenshang, the Right Vice Minister of War in Nanjing, who was recommended by the court officials. Fu Zhenshang was an official who came from the Hanlin Academy and was transferred to the Ministry of War for training. He was one of the candidates for the future Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall.

Originally, the court officials wanted to nominate Zhang Fengxiang and Wang Qia, but Zhu Youjian rejected them because they were both members of the Donglin Party. This was also the reason why Zhang Fengxiang remained in the Ministry of Justice. (End of Chapter)