Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

In addition to performance standards, another measure taken by Zhu Youjian was to build a talent pool of officials.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty were mainly Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and there were about three to four thousand Jinshi active in the officialdom.

These people were all elites of the Ming Dynasty, but their governance abilities varied.

What Zhu Youjian needed to do was to select officials who were good at governing the country.

He said to Guo Yunhou, the Minister of Personnel:

"After the implementation of the probationary period system, officials and clerks alike had to be promoted after their probationary period was over."

"The only way to shorten this period is to make significant contributions over the years, or to go to the overseas frontier regions where the exploration period is shorter."

"The Ministry of Personnel must focus on this point and strictly investigate officials who have been promoted improperly."

Guo Yunhou accepted the order upon hearing this and submitted another memorial:
“In recent years, some local scholars who passed the imperial examinations in their teens no longer take the exams, but instead take up local positions and become fifth-level officials.”

"According to His Majesty's stipulated probation period, officials are promoted every three years. After making meritorious contributions, they can be promoted even faster."

“There are already scholars who have become seventh-rank officials and have passed the etiquette and law examination, and are preparing to apply to become ninth-rank officials in the future.”

"And he is not even twenty years old. If this continues, I fear that more scholars will become clerks."

Zhu Youjian frowned as he listened; he was encouraging the scholar to become a clerk.

However, it would be a waste to send such a gifted teenager who passed the exam in his teens to become a clerk.

Moreover, he didn't think that a teenager could achieve so much in his life and get promoted so quickly.

It is foreseeable that this was achieved through the efforts of powerful local families.

Without restrictions, there could be officials in their twenties holding the ninth rank. They might even apply for the Yuanshi degree in the future and have the opportunity to take the Hanlin Academy exam.

This made him deeply aware of how quickly local powerful families could change, even finding loopholes like this.

If it weren't for the requirement to avoid one's hometown after becoming an official, and the fact that officials of the seventh rank or above were directly appointed by the Ministry of Personnel, it's estimated that more scholars from prominent families would choose this path to pave the way for their family members' advancement.

After thinking it over, Zhu Youjian said:
"How much merit can someone who is still a teenager, not even of legal age, possibly accomplish?"

"The rule I previously set for clerks was that they would be granted clerk status starting at the age of twenty, right?"

"This must be strictly enforced in the future; local government offices cannot be turned into kindergartens."

"Only after reaching the age of twenty and having completed their coming of age can one become a clerk."

"The same applies to officials. Even if someone passes the imperial examination before the age of twenty, they must be twenty years old and have their official hats removed before they can become an official."

Strict entry requirements for official positions, with twenty years old as the minimum age.

They even used marriage and having children as a criterion for evaluation, believing that only those who cultivate themselves and manage their families well can be good officials.

Having a wife gives them a vulnerability, making them more thoughtful in their actions.

Having received the emperor's reply, Guo Yunhou felt reassured and then asked:

"What about those who became clerks before?"

"What should be done with those who have made multiple merits and been promoted every year?"

Zhu Youjian was also somewhat troubled by this; he couldn't deny the officials' achievements. Even if these achievements were problematic, they needed to be thoroughly investigated.

So he gave the following instructions:
"The granting of seniority was subject to oversight by officials of the Censorate."

"If any problems are found, they can be reported to the Ministry of Personnel."

"Another point is that during a trial period, in principle, only one year of experience can be used, and the trial period will be reduced by one year."

"If multiple years of service are to be used for the purpose of reducing the number of years of service, it must be approved by the Ministry of Personnel. Local officials cannot be allowed to act arbitrarily."

"Those who have already become clerks can be left alone. Those who have been promoted quickly should have their merits thoroughly investigated. If there are no problems, they should be sent to the Imperial Academy of Administration for training. Then they should be transferred to other places to see if they are truly capable."

“Those who perform well will be promoted normally, and scholars should be encouraged to become clerks.”

Zhu Youjian didn't say anything about their poor performance, but they would obviously be treated differently from now on.

Guo Yunhou wrote everything down. Zhu Youjian, who had risen from a scholar to a clerk, remembered something else and asked:

"How is the matter of the scholar joining the army progressing?"

"For military officers who have made meritorious contributions on the battlefield, their years of service can be used separately."

"They are risking their lives to earn merit, and are allowed to be promoted several ranks, or even be granted titles and honors."

The Ministry of War is in charge of this matter; they are responsible for recruitment and mobilization. The newly appointed Minister of War, Liu Zunxian, stated:
"After the requirements were relaxed to include students who had passed the preliminary examinations, the training camp for scholars who had passed the county-level examinations was already completed."

"Currently training at the Imperial Camp, planning to participate in the Grand Canal Autumn Maneuvers."

"It is now approaching August. Your Majesty, please confirm the date for the autumn military exercises."

Zhu Youjian was still very concerned about the autumn military exercises on the Grand Canal. After careful consideration, he gave the following order:
"There was a folk saying that the Tartars would be killed on the fifteenth of August, so the fifteenth of August was set as the date to simulate the siege of Kaifeng by enemy troops and the imperial court sending troops to rescue it."

"The imperial court will dispatch a high-ranking official to oversee the exercise, and surrounding provinces may send high-ranking officials to observe."

"The evaluation of the exercise is the responsibility of the General Staff and the Academy of Military Sciences. The Minister of Review and the Observer may offer their opinions."

Having casually given this instruction, Zhu Youjian ultimately did not participate in the autumn military exercises.

He would only send his personal eunuchs to observe the exercise.

This exercise was a show of force by the imperial court to local authorities, intended to deter local forces.

Zhu Youjian was worried that someone might take a risk, so he refused to move.

He had to learn from the lessons of the fires and floods that Zhengde and Jiajing encountered during their southern tours.
-
The main topic of this meeting was the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, and the autumn military exercises were only briefly discussed.

Zhu Youjian then asked the Ministry of Personnel:
"How many officials of each age group are there in the Ming Dynasty? Does the Ministry of Personnel have any statistics?"

"And what about their tenure and seniority? Does the Ministry of Personnel have any data on that?"

Guo Yunhou could not answer, so he could only say:
"The Ministry of Personnel keeps statistics on the successful candidates in each subject, but it has never counted which age group they belong to."

"An official's qualifications are judged by his experience in the imperial examinations, not by his age or the length of time he has served."

This was appropriate in the past, but now it's problematic.

Although Zhu Youjian primarily appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), he also employed Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations), Xiucai (successful candidates in the county-level imperial examinations), and clerks.

Moreover, he has gained many official positions in recent years, and even with the expansion of the number of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), these positions cannot be filled.

Therefore, examination experience is not a suitable indicator of official qualifications, and more accurate statistics are needed.

Thinking of the officials in the Ministry of Personnel, Zhu Youjian said:
“Wu Tongzhi of the Ministry of Personnel also serves as the Director of the Selection Department, so he must have a grasp of this overall data.”

“Set up a data hall in the Ministry of Personnel to collect big data on officials.”

“There should be clear statistics on the age groups, length of service, proportion of officials in each province, etc.”

"If anyone is found to have falsified their experience or made an unusual transfer, we must send someone to investigate."

"We can cooperate with the Academy of Sciences; they know what to do."

Wu Zhaoyuan received the order and asked the emperor:
"Does Your Majesty mean that all officials should be ranked according to their length of service, and that officials of different ages should be included in the statistics?"

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement and explained: "According to the rules I set before, those over seventy years of age are generally not allowed to remain in office."

"Even if someone is retained in office between the ages of sixty and seventy, they will only be high-ranking officials in the court or local government. Without any particularly outstanding achievements, I will not issue a special decree to retain them in office."

"Therefore, most officials will retire at the age of sixty, and someone must take their place."

"The Ministry of Personnel should focus on talent development and reserve officials in tiers. When older officials retire, there will be enough talented people to take their place."

This represents another boost to the power of the Ministry of Personnel.

They can control the promotion of officials by whether or not they are included in the echelon.

This power was so great that all the officials in the Ministry of Personnel were delighted, and the Grand Secretary Han Kuang said:

"I believe that officials who are not included in the echelon should also have the opportunity for promotion."

"As long as you make outstanding contributions, you should be given the opportunity to be promoted."

He did not want the Ministry of Personnel to control the selection of reserve officials, and to prevent his favorites from being excluded.

The other ministers echoed this sentiment, and after listening to their statements, Zhu Youjian decided:
"Not being included in the talent pool indicates a deficiency in some aspect."

"But if one makes outstanding contributions and is recommended by a minister, another chance may be given."

"However, reserve officials are mainly selected from the echelon determined by the Ministry of Personnel."

Their demands were granted, but the greatest power still rested with the Ministry of Personnel.

He said to the officials of the Ministry of Personnel:

"The Ministry of Personnel should divide its reserve talent pool into age groups, with each group consisting of ten years, to cultivate talents aged forty to fifty and fifty to sixty."

"All Jinshi graduates and officials of the seventh rank or above with years of service can apply. The Ministry of Personnel will offer them challenging positions to see how qualified they are."

"If one passes the test, he/she can be granted seniority. And according to the selection method for officials of the fifth rank and above, he/she will be allowed to act in higher positions, even if he/she is above the rank of official."

This was a title he set for the officials he favored, and also an opportunity for capable people to be promoted quickly.

Otherwise, even those who reach the third or fourth rank will have to endure a period of probation and evaluation, and some talented individuals will not have the time to demonstrate their abilities.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian decided to give those talented individuals over forty years old who had not yet made a name for themselves the opportunity to be selected for appointment.

At the same time, he also limited the age of ministers to forty, to prevent some people from serving as ministers in the court for a long time and building up power that would threaten the imperial authority.

He addressed his ministers:

Confucius said: "At forty, I was no longer perplexed."

"Even Confucius was forty years old before he was no longer misled by external things."

"Therefore, in principle, only those who are over forty years old can serve as ministers in the imperial court and high-ranking local officials."

“Those who are appointed as ministers or high-ranking officials before the age of forty should be given more experience over the next few years.”

Not many people opposed this decision.

Because most of the ministers in the court now are elderly.

These were specially selected by Zhu Youjian so that the rule of retaining officials over sixty years old would force ministers he was dissatisfied with to leave automatically.

Younger ministers, such as Yang Sichang, Sun Chuanting, Chen Qiyu, and Zhou Yanru, were all promoted by him, and they are all over forty years old this year.

The only one who had a significant impact was Lu Xiang-sheng. He became the governor of Liaodong at the young age of thirty-three.

According to the emperor, the policy was to suppress it for several years.

His teacher, Yuan Keli, said:

"Your Majesty, more experience is good, but we must not deliberately suppress it and discourage young people who want to make contributions."

"I believe that he should be rewarded more generously, so that his parents and children may benefit from his kindness."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement, and then listened to Guo Yunhou say:
"Should officials aged 30 to 40 also be placed in a tiered system?"

“Some very capable officials can show their abilities in their thirties.”

Zhu Youjian denied:
"Thirty years old was the average age for passing the imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty. Anyone who passed the imperial examination could be said to be in this echelon, and there was no need for special selection."

"The fortieth and fiftieth echelons are prepared for those who have wasted their lives in officialdom. They should be like the proportion of those who passed the imperial examinations, with at least half of them having ancestors who were commoners for three generations."

“Those who are very capable and have connections can become ministers in their forties or fifties. There is no need to build a talent pool for them in their thirties.”

"What the Ministry of Personnel needs to pay attention to is the distribution of the age range of officials. This is to prevent a gap in the number of officials in the court at any time, so that there will be a shortage of talented people."

"The purpose of building a talent pool is to prevent a gap in the number of officials during the Wanli era."

After pondering it, Guo Yunhou understood that the emperor was building this echelon not only to have people readily available in the officialdom, but also to promote officials whose ancestors had been commoners for three generations.

They had no connections or guidance in officialdom, and there was a high possibility that they would waste their time in the officialdom. Therefore, they were given a special opportunity after they turned forty.

Those with real connections, like Zhou Yanru, have become officials of the third rank, even though the emperor suppressed them somewhat after ascending the throne.

A very capable person like Lu Xiang-sheng became a high-ranking local official at the young age of thirty-three.

Both of these types of people do not need to be included in the echelon; they can rise on their own.
-
Zhu Youjian then elaborated on his requirements:

"We need to expedite the statistics on the birth ages of officials to determine the talent pool for future development."

“今年是黄历4329年，往前四十年就是4289年，可以把4280年到4289年这阶段出生的人称为80后，选拔出一批80后官员在布按两司任官。”

"Some of those born in the 70s are already approaching sixty years old. We need to select talents from those born in the mid-75s who can serve as ministers in the imperial court and high-ranking officials in local areas, and let them serve as provincial governors and provincial judges to take over when vacancies arise in local areas."

“Each provincial assembly should have these two groups of people as reserve talents cultivated by the imperial court.”

This request involves specific interests. Currently, a provincial assembly typically consists of five people: the governor, the left and right provincial treasurers, the provincial judicial commissioner, and the protector-general. If there is at least one person born in the late 75s or early 80s, it will be difficult to arrange for some people.

Therefore, Guo Yunhou, the Minister of Personnel, said:
"Your Majesty, I believe that the provincial councils should be expanded, with six members, similar to the cabinet, and two or three candidates for the next position."

“Echelon officers can serve as alternate members of the council.”

After considering it, Zhu Youjian nodded and agreed:

"The Ministry of Personnel shall handle the specifics, but the number of members in the council shall not exceed ten, so it shall be limited to nine."

"Furthermore, the number of people with voting rights should be odd to prevent a tie."

"My opinion is that seven people are appropriate, including the prefect of the provincial capital, a person in charge of daily affairs, and one or two alternates."

The Ministry of Personnel was instructed to refine the requirements according to their own specifications and determine the members of the assembly and the echelon of officials based on the situation in each province.

The number of officials included in the echelon exceeded the number of court ministers and local officials, totaling approximately five or six hundred people.

It can be said that the chances of a Jinshi being included in the elite group are very high. Out of three or four thousand Jinshi, about one-fifth or one-sixth can be included in the elite group.

However, those who came from the ranks of Juren, Xiucai, or even ordinary clerks, could also be included in the ranks and have the opportunity to be selected and promoted if they made great contributions.

The development of a talent pool will bring about significant changes to the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, making it more orderly and ensuring a sufficient number of talented individuals at every age level.

If Zhu Youjian were to want to purge the court in the future, he would be able to find enough people to succeed him. (End of Chapter)