Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The act of eavesdropping on ministers is something that cannot be brought to the forefront.

In particular, Zhu Youjian lacked the prestige of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu, and therefore could not use this to control his ministers.

But since he brought it out, he must have had a purpose. He addressed his ministers:
“To eavesdrop on ministers in private is not the act of a wise ruler.”

"But how can a subject discuss the emperor in private?"

"And what about court affairs? Is there anything that can't be discussed in court but must be discussed in private?"

This left the ministers who had raised questions speechless, because what the emperor said also made sense.

They discussed the emperor in private first, so they shouldn't use that to criticize him.

The emperor's next words, in particular, dealt them a heavy blow:
"I have repeatedly emphasized that factionalism is forbidden, and factionalism is included in this."

"How is this kind of private meeting to discuss and decide matters any different from forming factions?"

"There are some things I didn't want to say outright, but I can't ignore them."

"Private exchanges between ministers must be subject to oversight; otherwise, it will be considered as factionalism."

This was his real purpose in releasing the wiretapped records: to bring the ministers' private communications under surveillance.

The courtiers were undoubtedly distressed to hear this, and Bi Ziyan said:

"Some officials in the court share similar interests or have a long-standing friendship with each other."

"Mutual exchange is a normal thing, and there is no need to include everything in the supervision."

As the ancients said: "If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you doubt someone, don't employ them."

"Your Majesty should not doubt your ministers."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly and said:
“Bi Qing makes a lot of sense.”

"In truth, I have never wanted a relationship of mutual distrust between the emperor and his subjects."

"But there are some things we can't ignore, and we can't be without rules."

"The case of Hu Weiyong in this dynasty should serve as a warning to us."

Using Hu Weiyong's case as an example, the officials' expressions became more serious.

The Hu Weiyong case was a major case during the Hongwu era, which is why the Taizu Emperor abolished the prime minister system.

The thought that the emperor might mistake them for Hu Weiyong due to his paranoia made these people very cautious.

Zhu Youjian then said:

"I have heard that during the Qin and Han dynasties, officials all had a day of questioning."

"Dates and public and private affairs are recorded using the sexagenary cycle."

“What the officials did and when they did it were all clearly recorded in the daily records.”

"If two officials do things that overlap, but the results differ, then one of them must be concealing something."

"I think this method is very good and should be reinstated."

"The secretaries dispatched by the Secretariat should not only be responsible for miscellaneous matters, but should also write daily records for the ministers, just like the daily records of the emperor."

(Shuihudi Han Dynasty bamboo slips)

This statement caused the courtiers to frown.

They established the daily records to monitor the emperor.

Unexpectedly, the emperor turned around and set up a hostage period for them, to record their words and deeds.

This is so restrictive; the thought of being watched and recorded in everything they do makes them feel awkward.

At this moment, these people had no idea that the emperor, who kept daily records, was in a far more awkward position than they were.

You looked at me, I looked at you. Finally, it was Bi Ziyan, the most prestigious of the Nine Ministers, who said:

"Your Majesty, I have never heard of the saying 'the day of the question'."

"Besides, all the ministers in the court have their private affairs, and not everything that His Majesty does in the harem is recorded."

Zhu Youjian certainly knew they were unaware of the concept of "zhiri" (质日), as such a thing was not recorded in any classical texts. It's likely that people in the Qin and Han dynasties considered it common knowledge and therefore unnecessary to include it in official records.

It wasn't until the discovery of the Shuihudi Han bamboo slips that people realized this form of document, which was popular during the Qin and Han dynasties but had been lost in later generations.

Zhu Youjian said with a smile:

"The system of 'zhiri' was popular during the Qin and Han dynasties, and some bamboo slips have been unearthed." "Later, due to war and the Five Barbarian Invasions, many similar systems were lost."

“Now we can follow the model of the daily records of the emperor’s life. After all, you ministers who hold the power of the world can already be called half emperors.”

"As the monarch, I have a daily record of my activities, and you should naturally have one too."

“In that case, I naturally do not need to send people to eavesdrop and find out what you say about the emperor in private.”

The courtiers inwardly exclaimed, "Holy crap!" They never expected the emperor to use this reason to get them to write down the dates of their interrogation.

Yes, with the right to conduct a thorough investigation, there's no need for eavesdropping.

After all, if you want to know something, you can simply look up the information in the document.

The thought that the emperor would actually call them "half-rulers" for this reason left these people speechless.

Zheng Sanjun, in particular, had only been back in court for a few months and was not yet familiar with the emperor, so he really did not know that the emperor would act so shamelessly.

Are they worthy of the title "half-king"?
Besides, when did they have the power of a "semi-ruler"?

Immediately, they all apologized, saying they were unworthy of being called a half-ruler.

However, Zhu Youjian said:

"How can you not bear the title of 'half-king'?"

"Especially the cabinet members, without your draft proposals, I wouldn't even be able to issue a formal decree."

"If this isn't a half-king, then who is?"

“You are all the highest-ranking ministers in the court. You should have the awareness of being half-rulers and take the world as your responsibility.”

"This empire belongs to me, and you all have a share in it."

He stared intently at his ministers, hoping they would understand the meaning behind his words.

Cheng Jiming, who understood the principle of unified authority and responsibility, reacted the fastest, realizing that the emperor's introduction of the "half-ruler" concept was intended to make his ministers bear more responsibility.

You're all half-kings now, how can you not take responsibility?

You share the same responsibilities as the monarch.

Therefore, he understood that the emperor's statement about "half-ruler" was not a test, but a genuine attempt to make the ministers and officials "half-rulers."

He reacted quickly and immediately said:

"Your Majesty shares the world with your subjects. We, your humble servants, are merely role models for officials and may barely be considered half-rulers."

"The system of questioning should naturally be implemented to prevent people from acting recklessly."

"Furthermore, I believe that all officials should write their names on the day of their appointment, just as they did in the Qin and Han dynasties."

Zhu Youjian nodded with great satisfaction and praised:
"It's good that Chengqing has this understanding; this is what it truly means to take the world as one's own responsibility."

"However, what Bi Qing said about personal matters makes sense. Work reports must be written, and this can be enforced."

"As for daily life records, only ministers of the third rank and above are required to write them. Whenever two or more ministers of the third rank and above gather, the daily records must be made."

“Gatherings of officials with more than nine people, or those involving official business, should also be recorded.”

"I won't ask for anything else; I respect your privacy."

The quality day is further divided into work quality day and life quality day, with a focus on improving the former.

Of course, the latter was also important to the ministers, because they would have to keep records of their private conversations in the future.

Someone might be able to tamper with the records, but the dates of all attendees must be changed.

If even one person's record doesn't match, it indicates a potential problem.

The more people involved, the harder it is to tamper with the data; it's difficult to ensure everyone is on the same page.

The ministers understood this principle and were very dissatisfied with the emperor's restrictions on them, but they could only helplessly acquiesce.

For this reason, the emperor has already addressed them as half-rulers; what reason do they have to refuse?

Otherwise, they might anger the emperor and he would eavesdrop on them.

These people are genuinely afraid of the current emperor's endless stream of methods.

I'd rather be openly and honestly scrutinized than be secretly watched. (End of Chapter)