Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"The position of the Son of Heaven is called the rule of governance."

"The teachings of the sages are what we call the orthodox tradition."

"Your Majesty's approval of 'government is decided by collective deliberation, while sacrifices are performed by the emperor alone' is to exchange the rule of governance for the rule of morality."

Why do you gentlemen refuse?

After the meeting, many officials were filled with doubt.

They believed that exchanging the moral authority for the political authority was a very worthwhile thing to do.

The most important matter for the imperial court is, of course, governance.

On the contrary, the so-called orthodox tradition had nothing to do with many officials.

However, these are just the thoughts of some ministers.

The ministers and officials had more contact with the emperor and understood the importance of the orthodox tradition.

Without a moral ordination, they had no way to restrain the emperor, which was far more important than some administrative powers.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang-dao:
"If His Majesty holds the reins of the righteous path, how can we correct his ways?"

"Moreover, His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty. If he wants to interfere in state affairs, who can stop him?"

"Under the collective deliberation system, the chief official also has veto power!"

"The so-called replacement of the moral authority with the political authority is a vague and unfounded idea."

"Even if we need to make a change, we should wait until Mr. Liu returns. He is the one who is in charge of the lineage."

Let's postpone this matter and wait for Liu Zongzhou to return.

Liu Zongzhou was originally a master of Confucianism. After being appointed by the current emperor as the person in charge of revising the rites and music, his prestige in the Ming Dynasty soared, and he was hailed as the person most likely to become a sage.

Furthermore, his scholarship was inherited from Wu Yubi, one of the two most orthodox Confucian lineages in the Ming Dynasty. With the decline of Xue Xuan's lineage, he was now the holder of the Ming Dynasty's Confucian orthodoxy.

Even if we discuss exchanging the ruling and moral authority with the emperor, we still have to wait for his return.

Everyone respected Liu Zongzhou, knowing him to be a gentleman who was content with a simple life.

Moreover, during the Chongzhen reign, he was one of the few people who could persuade the emperor.

Therefore, after Han Kuang mentioned this name, the other officials all fell silent and stopped discussing the matter.

But deep down, they yearned for the emperor's approval of "governance through collective discussion, and sacrifices by the emperor himself."

If this situation can be achieved, the political power of the Ming Dynasty will be in their hands.

Even if the emperor possesses moral authority, what does it have to do with them?
Even among high-ranking officials, there were those who recognized this division.

Grand Secretary Wen Tiren believes that:
The current emperor is a virtuous ruler and should uphold the orthodox tradition.

The ministers, in accordance with the emperor's requirements, carried out governance through collective discussion.

However, because he always fawned over the emperor, this claim was naturally not accepted.

The ministers generally believed that they should wait for Liu Zongzhou to return.

Cheng Jiming, who held considerable prestige in the imperial court, hesitated to speak on this matter.

He wanted to say something, but because of the secretary taking notes beside him, he ultimately didn't say anything.

Just then, a palace eunuch came to summon Yuan Keli to an audience.

The emperor invited Yuan Keli to stay in the palace for a banquet after he recovered from his illness and returned to the capital.

This honor made the officials who heard about it very envious.

Unfortunately, the emperor did not keep them, so these people had no choice but to leave the palace.
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The Jianji Hall was the location where Zhu Youjian hosted a banquet.

Because he was worried about infectious diseases, he liked to promote the practice of separate meals, with each person having their own table and utensils.

Today's banquet is for Yuan Keli alone, so naturally the same food will be served to each person separately.

Seeing that the emperor and he themselves had only four dishes—two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes—on their tables, all of which were common, everyday fare, Yuan Keli couldn't help but admire the emperor's frugality. He then offered his advice:

"Your Majesty bears a heavy responsibility for the country and must not be too frugal, lest it harm your health."

"Now that palace expenses have been greatly reduced, it is inappropriate to be overly frugal with food," Zhu Youjian said with a smile.

"Four dishes and one soup was the standard set by the founding emperor."

"If everyone in the world could have four dishes and a soup at every meal, then the Ming Dynasty could enter a period of moderate prosperity."

"My daily meals consist of four dishes and one soup, which serves as a reminder to myself."

As he explained his intentions, Zhu Youjian sighed:
"Nowadays, many government departments have exceeded this restriction in their official receptions."

"The Anti-Corruption and Legal Affairs Commission should reiterate that daily receptions should be based on four dishes and one soup, and set limits on hospitality expenses."

"Otherwise, the people's hard-earned money will be wasted by officials, and what will we use to provide disaster relief?"

"You have been in Henan for several months, so you must have some understanding of this."

Yuan Keli remained silent upon hearing this, knowing that the situation in his hometown was not good.

Although Henan has not experienced the continuous drought of Shaanxi for several years, it has still suffered from disasters several times in recent years.

The people of Henan are now in a state where they cannot withstand any more turmoil. Those with foresight are trying to find a way out and deal with potential dangers.

His son was able to easily gather thousands of people to establish a fiefdom, partly because of their support.

If the results are significant, more people will go overseas in the future.

Thinking of this, Yuan Keli said:
"Your Majesty puts the world first, and I am deeply grateful."

"But if Your Majesty knows this, why hold a celebration?"

"You should know that the cost of a single celebration is more than His Majesty could spend in a year."

This already carried an accusatory tone, so Zhu Youjian had to explain:

"This celebration is different from previous ones. Apart from the necessary expenses of the imperial court, most of the funds are provided by the people."

“Yuan Qing thinks it’s fine; it won’t cost much.”

"The main reason I kept you here this time is because of the matters discussed at the meeting."

"You are one of the ministers, so you should be able to explain why the other ministers are unwilling for me to take control of the orthodox doctrine and why they govern the country under my guidance?"

Yuan Keli opened his mouth, but ultimately did not try to persuade him further.

Having served under the emperor for several years, he still trusts the current emperor's credibility.

If the emperor says it won't cost much, then it won't cost much.

Besides, the celebration funds were from the imperial treasury, so he really didn't need to care too much—

The current emperor is very averse to foreign officials interfering in the inner court, and he completely ignores any such behavior.

He pondered the emperor's question, then recounted the conversation between Han Kuang and the court officials, and addressed the emperor:

"The main reason why the ministers disagree is that they know His Majesty cannot completely relinquish his power."

"The court assemblies are all presided over by His Majesty, who also has the power to veto the resolutions passed at the court assemblies."

Even if "government is decided by collective deliberation", they cannot completely control the ruling system.

"Therefore, His Majesty seeks to seize control of the orthodox lineage, which they naturally disagree with."

This made Zhu Youjian think deeply, realizing that he had acted too hastily.

However, he would not relinquish power over matters of tradition and authority, as these affect how people judge things.

He paid even more attention to the matter after he realized that the power of sacrifice was the orthodox tradition and divine authority.

It is impossible to allow the orthodox tradition to be controlled by ministers, who would then constantly criticize the emperor.

Considering that Yuan Keli supported wartime media control and seemed not particularly averse to his control over the orthodox ideology, he asked Yuan Keli:
“Now that I have relinquished my governing power, it is difficult to judge them without mastering the orthodox tradition.”

"What do you think I should do to redistribute power regarding the orthodox tradition?"

Ask directly what suggestions Yuan Keli has. (End of Chapter)