Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian was very pleased to have successfully resolved the issue of Han Rizuan.

What pleased him most was that the officials finally started fighting amongst themselves.

He was very satisfied with the performance of Wen Tiren and Qian Qianyi:
"Since the cabinet shares imperial power, they should stand up for me."

"Wen Tiren has already realized this; it's just a matter of when others will learn it."

"Qian Qianyi was quite a character; he actually managed to squeeze his way into a higher position just to get a better rank!"

This made Zhu Youjian very happy.

The seemingly peaceful expulsion of Han Rizuan is actually a cautionary tale for all officials.

From now on, any civil officials who want to disagree with the emperor should think twice before speaking:
Does he have Qian Qianyi among his subordinates? If he offends the emperor, will he be replaced by his subordinates?
To reinforce the impression that Qian Qianyi had ousted Han Rizhuan, Zhu Youjian immediately appointed him as follows:
"When Minister Han goes on a business trip to Korea, the Ministry of Rites cannot be without a chief official, and the Nine Ministers cannot be without personnel."

"From now on, Qian Qianyi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, will act as the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and represent the Ministry of Rites at regular meetings."

"I wonder if Minister Han thinks that Vice Minister Qian is capable of taking on this responsibility?"

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Han Rizuan really wanted to tear off his mask and say "No."

But he was a man of pride, so he could only say it tactfully:

"With the guidance of Liu, the Chief Minister of Rites, and Li, the Minister of Music, on revising the rites and music, even though Minister Qian has never served as one of the Nine Ministers, he should be able to take on the responsibilities of the Ministry of Rites."

This is a veiled criticism that the Ministry of Rites is actually controlled by Liu Zongzhou and his disciples, and that Qian Qianyi is merely an official working for them.

Qian Qianyi was annoyed, because he and Liu Zongzhou had been competing with each other.

He was extremely angry when he heard Han Rizuan say that he had been instructed by Liu Zongzhou and Li Yu.

However, after these years of setbacks, he has become quite worldly-wise, subtly sharp-tongued.
"Re-establishing rites and music is a major policy of His Majesty, and the Ministry of Rites will naturally do its best in this regard."

"From now on, I will certainly follow Your Majesty's instructions and do my duty in the Ministry of Rites."

"I will immediately rectify the existing bad habits of holding positions without performing their duties and shirking responsibility."

Whose bad habits are being rectified?
Of course, it was the official who previously managed the Ministry of Rites?

Upon hearing these words, Han Rizuan was so angry that his beard bristled.

Because the one whom Qian Qianyi accused of holding a position without doing any work was clearly himself.

However, Qian Qianyi did not say it explicitly, and he could not offer an explanation.

He couldn't very well admit to holding a position without doing any work and say that Qian Qianyi was criticizing him.

This left him standing in the court, sulking, his breath making his beard bristle.

Zhu Youjian found the barbed words between the two men quite amusing:
Civil officials understand civil officials better and know how to deal with them.

This further strengthened his resolve to incite infighting among officials, determined not to let them turn their anger against him.

At the same time, he emphasized again:
"The purpose of reforming the various departments of the court during the restoration of rites and music was to unify power and responsibility."

"With great power comes great responsibility."

"If an official only wields power but does nothing, then he or she must be removed from office."

“If a government office ignores matters within its jurisdiction and shirks responsibility when problems arise, its authority can be reduced or even abolished.”

“If someone not only does nothing themselves, but also obstructs others from doing their work or other government offices, report each case as soon as it is discovered, and the officials of the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate will investigate and impeach them.”

These words didn't directly address the Ministry of Rites, but were actually a veiled criticism of Han Rizhuan—

The incident was triggered by Han Rizan's refusal to hold a celebration for the Mansoo Saints' Day.

Zhu Youjian deeply resented this kind of behavior of holding power but doing nothing.

If it weren't for saving face for the ministers, he would have cursed them out on the spot.

The courtiers all understood the emperor's meaning, and they all lowered their heads and stared at the gold bricks on the ground.

Qian Qianyi was overjoyed, knowing that the emperor was supporting him.

Han Rizuan swayed precariously, nearly losing his balance.
The emperor's words revealed his prejudice against him.

If he couldn't do something to impress the emperor, he might retire in Korea or even die there.

Unwilling to die in a foreign land, he was overcome with grief.

Seeing his appearance, Zhu Youjian worried that he might "have a fit" in court to gain sympathy from others.

Therefore, he immediately appointed:
"When Minister Han went to Korea to guide the reconstruction of rites and music, it was just like when the Minister of War went out to supervise the troops."

"However, he was in charge of supervising the rites and music, hence the title 'Supervisor of Rites'."

"This is the same as the position of the Governor-General. From now on, in Korean affairs, the Governor-General will be the most respected and will be granted the Imperial Sword. Officials below the third rank who disobey orders may be dismissed and sent back."

"Chief Minister Han, you must escort Governor Han on my behalf to show respect to the court."

This is not as prestigious as when the emperor personally escorted Sun Chengzong when he went out to supervise troops, but it is still respectable enough compared to other military commanders.

Upon hearing this, Han Rizuan felt somewhat better. He knew that although the emperor had sent him overseas, he had still treated him with the respect due to his station.

He thanked the emperor and formally accepted the appointment.

However, after the court session, he still couldn't understand why, when he was representing the outer court in the power struggle between the inner and outer courts, the ministers of the outer court did not support him.

Did they resign themselves to their fate after the emperor had been in power for several years? Did they no longer think about rebelling against the emperor?

Now, having ended up being sent out to oversee the ceremony, Han Rizhuan was truly resentful.

The only thing that comforted him was that although the emperor was angry, he still gave him the dignity he deserved.

Since the prime minister of North Korea, Hong Seong-chou, was his disciple, it shouldn't be difficult for him to take power in North Korea.

If one can do well, one might be able to return to the court from overseas like Liu Zongzhou.
-
While Han Rizhuan was pondering these things, he was unaware that Han Kuang and Cheng Jiming, among others, had privately called him a lunatic or that he had something wrong with his brain.

The current emperor has long promised not to use the court flogging, yet Han Rizuan and his ilk still insist on using the same trick to deceive people into using court flogging.

What good would it do to anger the emperor? Even if the emperor didn't use the court flogging, he had a hundred ways to punish them.

Now things are really messed up; the emperor has demoted one of the Nine Ministers to a post overseas. From now on, all ministers and officials must be careful:
Would the emperor use this example to demote them by sending imperial envoys on missions abroad?
The reason why the memorial was kept in the palace was because Luo Yuren submitted a memorial entitled "Four Admonitions on Wine, Women, Wealth and Temper" criticizing the Wanli Emperor. Grand Secretary Shen Shixing suggested that the memorial be kept in the palace and not issued, thus setting a precedent.

Then it was abused by the Wanli Emperor, causing the neglect of court affairs.

In the eyes of Han Kuang and others, the case of Han Rizuan was very similar to that of the previous one, both of which offended the emperor and set a precedent for punishment.

If anyone angers the emperor again in the future, they may be demoted using this method.

It could even be abused by the emperor, who would banish ministers he disliked to other places.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang sighed:
"The Emperor's methods are becoming more and more sophisticated."

"Without making a sound, the ministers who opposed him were demoted and removed."

"If Emperor Shenzong had such skill back then, why would he have hidden away in the deep palace and not attended court for decades!"

Cheng Jiming said with some worry:
"Han Rizuan and his ilk are like this; Your Majesty cannot leave them unpunished."

"Otherwise, people will follow one after another, seeking a good reputation like they did during the Wanli era."

"They have gained fame, but the administration of the government has been neglected."

"The Emperor can't be busy dealing with accusations all the time; how can he possibly be in the mood to handle state affairs then?"

This was his view of those officials, believing that what they were doing was not the right way.

What benefit did those people bring to the government, other than gaining a place in history?
In ancient times, people knew how to offer advice to their monarchs in a tactful way, but nowadays, people inexplicably turn it into criticizing the emperor.

How could the emperor be in a good mood if he had to look at memorials criticizing him all day long?
This will only exacerbate the already tense relationship between the emperor and his ministers, potentially leading to complete antagonism. The consequences of this antagonism were already evident during the Wanli era. If Emperor Wanli hadn't secluded himself in the palace, refusing to meet with his officials, how could so much chaos have erupted throughout the land?

The current emperor has already done enough. If he is angered to the point that he also retreats to the deep palace and ignores state affairs, it will be the people who suffer.

Cheng Jiming, considering the bigger picture, believed that the emperor should not be blamed.

It can be said that his actions were worthy of the emperor's evaluation of him as "considering the overall situation and understanding the big picture".

But Zheng Sanjun dismissed his concerns, saying:

"As the emperor governs all the lands, he should be vigilant day and night."

"What if no one constantly reminds you that you're indulging in alcohol, sex, wealth, and power?"

"Although those people during the Wanli era acted more drastically, what they said was not wrong."

"If Emperor Shenzong had not been so obsessed with wine, women, wealth, and power, how could the empire have fallen into such decline?"

They believed that one should still offer advice when necessary and should not be afraid of the emperor.

As ministers with the world in their hearts, they should not be afraid of this, even if it means being demoted or dismissed from office.

It should be said that this statement makes some sense and has many supporters.

Many officials harbored the idea of ​​"making the emperor like Yao and Shun," hoping that the emperor would become like Yao and Shun.

They should boldly point out where the emperor falls short of Yao and Shun.

Cheng Jiming shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this, and said:

"The decline of the empire is not solely the responsibility of Emperor Shenzong."

"Moreover, His Majesty once said in private that most emperors are only of average talent."

“We can expect founding emperors like Taizu and Chengzu to become like Yao and Shun.”

"But for a ruler who inherits the throne and maintains the status quo, it is already something to celebrate if he does not become a tyrannical or incompetent ruler."

"His Majesty delegated power to the cabinet precisely because he recognized this point."

Why did Emperor Taizu establish the Grand Secretariat after abolishing the position of Chancellor? And why has the power of the Grand Secretariat grown so much that its ministers are almost indistinguishable from the Chancellor?

"It was because the emperors after Emperor Taizu lacked talent that they had to rely on their ministers."

"His Majesty's purpose in this cabinet reform is to relinquish the power he has seized back to his ministers."

"Even if a mediocre ruler emerges in the future, there will be a cabinet with five branches to assist in governing. This will prevent the country from becoming uneasy due to a slight lack of ability."

"Therefore, the ideal of 'making the ruler like Yao and Shun' can be mentioned, but it cannot be used as a standard to demand all emperors."

"Duke Zheng should think about this carefully: if we use Yao and Shun as the standard to judge a ruler, how many qualified rulers have there been since Yao and Shun?"

This left Zheng Sanjun speechless.

By the standards of Yao and Shun, apart from Yu, Tang, Wen and Wu, there were very few who could rival them.

This made him deeply realize that seeking to make the ruler like Yao and Shun was like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree.

With a long sigh, Zheng Sanjun said:
"Your Majesty truly has the potential to become a Yao or Shun."

"Mr. Jishan's 'Memorial to the Ruler on the Desire of Yao and Shun' is an admonition based on this principle."

"Unfortunately, His Majesty became complacent after expelling the Jurchens, and even Master Jishan was banished to Annam..."

He shook his head repeatedly, feeling truly sorry for the situation.

Zheng Sanjun disagreed with some of the current emperor's actions, but he admired the emperor's skill and ability.

Why couldn't such a monarch strive to become a Yao or Shun?
Zheng Sanjun felt genuinely sorry for him.

Cheng Jiming frowned upon hearing these words. He did not want Zheng Sanjun to anger the emperor by constantly offering advice with this idea in mind.

Knowing what the situation was like when his teacher Ye Xianggao was in power, he believed that the current situation was already very good.

The emperor was willing to delegate power and trust his ministers.

To constantly provoke the emperor into anger, as if he were a tyrant if he couldn't become a Yao or Shun, is asking too much and will only lead the emperor to give up on himself.

Therefore, he said to Zheng Sanjun in a very serious tone:
"Liu Zongzhou said he could make the ruler like Yao and Shun, why does Your Majesty believe him?"

"Because he truly put it into practice, he can be called a person like Yan Hui, the sage who restored the past."

Zheng Gong believes that if Your Majesty wishes to become a sage like Yao and Shun, you should first examine yourself and see if you can become a sage yourself.

Confucius said: "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you."

"If even a man of Zheng Gong's talent and wisdom cannot become a sage, what right does he have to demand that Your Majesty must become a Yao or Shun?"

Zheng Sanjun blushed at his words, but he had no confidence to refute them.

He knew he was not a saint, nor could he become one. He could never learn to be content with poverty like Liu Zongzhou.

In this way, his claim of bringing a ruler to the level of Yao and Shun naturally becomes nonsense:

What right do you have to demand that the emperor do what you yourself cannot do?
This realization left Zheng Sanjun disappointed and ashamed.

In his anger, he nearly stormed off the table.

But he knew this was a private conversation, and if he were to do it, it would only alienate others from him.

Therefore, he could only remain silent and tacitly accept Cheng Jiming's words.
-
Seeing the two arguing fiercely, Han Kuang tried to smooth things over:

"It's better that the Emperor isn't a Yao or Shun, otherwise why would he delegate so much power?"

"In the future, we should restrain officials more and make them criticize the emperor less."

"We cannot repeat the mistakes of the Wanli era, when the emperor and his ministers were almost at odds."

That situation would be a disaster for him, the prime minister.

Han Kuang had personally witnessed what it was like for chief ministers like Ye Xianggao and Fang Congzhe, who were caught between the court officials and the emperor.

As Ye Xianggao's disciple, Cheng Jiming had a deep understanding of this.

He had long wanted to advise Han Kuang, and immediately seized the opportunity to say:

"It is a blessing for all people that Han Gong can think this way."

"I just wonder if Lord Han has made any preparations for this?"

What to prepare?
Han Kuang was somewhat confused.

Cheng Ji Ming explained in detail:

"If officials in the court don't criticize the emperor, they will criticize the ministers."

"Now that the Emperor has delegated power, the cabinet has been given the most authority."

"According to His Majesty's statement on the unity of power and responsibility, one must bear the greatest responsibility."

"As the chief minister, Han Gong was the first to bear the brunt."

"I wonder if Lord Han is prepared to deal with the criticism from both the court and the public?"

Han Kuang heard the phrase "unity of power and responsibility" from the emperor so many times that he almost heard it all before.

But what Cheng Jiming said at this moment still struck him like a thunderbolt:

So, after the unification of power and responsibility, I'm now expected to bear the blame on behalf of the emperor? (End of Chapter)