Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The Ministry of Industry is ranked last among the six ministries and will be adjusted last.

Shang Zhouzuo, who was previously rumored to be one of the Nine Ministers, really became one of the Nine Ministers this time. He became the Minister of Works, the last of the six ministers.

Zhu Youjian valued his talents in business and firearms.

Xue Fengxiang was transferred to the position of Minister of War, which was also intended to make room for Shang Zhouzuo.

The post of Left Vice Minister of Works vacated by Shang Zhouzuo was replaced by Li Daiwen, the Minister of Revenue of Nanjing, who was recommended by the court officials and given the title of Second Rank Councillor.

This man had been the governor of Jiangnan and was also a capable financial figure. Zhu Youjian transferred him to Beijing to take charge of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Zhang Wenyu, Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, retains his position.

He was a Jinshi in the second year of the Tianqi reign, and was quickly promoted to the position of Minister during the Tianqi reign. Now he has begun to repay his debts.

Without any great achievements, he would have served as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works for a long time until he was overtaken by someone of the same department.

Previously, he was in charge of the planning and construction of the new city, and was only given the title of Chengzhengshi and concurrently served as Shaofusiqing.

He Ruchong, the Minister of Works who was in charge of the project, did not meet Zhu Youjian's expectations.

He Ruchong was ranked third in the last imperial examination to select Grand Secretaries, and he almost became a Grand Secretary. Therefore, Zhu Youjian placed him in the position of Minister of Works to see if he could do the job.

Now, more than a year later, He Ruchong has proved that he is a poet.

This person has pure and noble conduct, does not compete with others, is not eager to advance, and is easy to retire.

Although this kind of ethics was highly respected by people of his time, Zhu Youjian did not need such a minister in the Ministry of Works.

Therefore, He Ruchong was transferred to the post of Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and was responsible for supervising the science and technology with his clean conduct.

The new Minister of Works was Cao Gao, the former Minister of the Dali Temple.

This person was a Jinshi in the 29th year of Wanli. He was a capable person who was promoted from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War. He also served in Henan and Shandong and had rich experience in governance.

Zhu Youjian appointed him to supervise the construction of the imperial mausoleum of Emperor Tianqi.

Li Congxin, the Minister of Rivers, is already 74 years old this year and is really unable to do his job.

He could only regretfully give up the management of Haihe River affairs and become an advisory minister.

The new assistant minister in charge of river courses is Zhang Jiude, formerly the Minister of the Dali Temple and now the acting president of the Dali Court.

He had made great contributions to river management in Ningxia, and this time he was given the title of Minister of State Council, responsible for river affairs.

Zhu Youjian encouraged him to cure the Haihe River and the Yellow River, and later he was listed in the Purple Pavilion.

Zhang Jiude was greatly encouraged by this and had no complaints about his resignation from the Nine Ministers. He took over Li Congxin's work several months ago and continued to repair the Haihe River during this year's drought.

In the Censorate after the Six Ministries, the original Left Censor-in-Chief Wang Yongguang and Right Censor-in-Chief Cheng Jiming were both transferred to be the Ministers of the Six Ministries.

After He Ruchong was appointed as the Right Censor-in-Chief, Zhu Youjian chose Wang Zaijin to take over the post of Left Censor-in-Chief.

This person was the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing, and had served as the Governor of the River and the Governor of Liaodong. Zhu Youjian saw that he had some ability and transferred him to Beijing to take up a post.

The Left Vice-Minister of the Censorate is still Zhang Mengjing, and he is currently on a business trip as he is in charge of immigration.

This person worked diligently and was one of the ministers that Zhu Youjian was most worried about, for he was afraid that this person would be exhausted.

Even Zhu Youjian had already started looking for someone to replace him as Minister of Immigration.

Among the Censors-in-Chief, Liu Zongzhou was transferred to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and Chief Academician of the Imperial College, and Zhu Youjian chose Gao Hongtu to take over the post of Director of the General Investigation Office.

Yang Suoxiu, who was in charge of the General Procuratorate, was transferred to another post by Zhu Youjian, and his vacant position was taken by Cheng Zhu, who was from the Donglin Party.

Next, many members of the eunuch party were to be convicted. At Han Yu's request, Zhu Youjian chose him to be in charge of the General Investigation Office.

Xu Zongli, who was in charge of the General Audit Office, and Zhou Yanru, who was in charge of the Anti-Corruption Office, did not change their positions. Zhu Youjian asked them to strengthen their cooperation and report corrupt officials.

There were also adjustments to the thirteen censors, and Zhu Youjian appointed many outstanding talents from the three judicial departments.

There were even some Ming Fa scholars who were promoted to censors, which further enhanced the appeal of the Ming Fa.

The Supreme Court, which succeeded the Censorate, was headed by Cui Jingrong, the Minister of War from Nanjing.

This person was a Tui Guan, and he met the requirements for the position. After reaching the Dali Temple level, he was also suitable for Shangshu to transfer.

In addition, the president of the Supreme Court is one of the Nine Ministers, so it is not unfair to him.

Yao Shishen, formerly the Left Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, was promoted to the Assistant Director of the Dali Court, with a rank of the third grade.

Right Shaoqing Zhou Jiachun was promoted to Left Shaoqing, a slight promotion, but he was still in charge of the General Court.

The vacant post of Right Shaoqing was assigned by Zhu Youjian to Lü Weiqi, a former Langzhong of the Yanfeng Division who was a former prosecutor, and was in charge of the General Criminal Court.

This person was from Xin'an, Luoyang, and was quite influential in teaching in Luoyang.

After Zhu Youjian learned about this from Niu Jinxing, he reinstated him to serve as an official in the court.

In the last of the Nine Ministers' Office, Tongzhengsi, Zhu Youjian assigned an important task to the Tongzhengshi Lu Tunan.

He was sent to Nanjing to serve as the Minister of War, and implemented the Five-Academy System that had been perfected in Beijing in Nanjing.

Zhu Youjian preferred Yang Suoxiu to be the Tongzhengshi. Yang Suoxiu was the one who was promoted to the post of Tongzhengshi in Nanjing by the eunuch party, but he chose to defect to the emperor.

He can also be said to be a die-hard imperial party member and a sharp weapon for Zhu Youjian.

However, this appointment encountered great resistance, because Yang Suoxiu was not only disliked by the Donglin Party, but also disliked by the remnants of the eunuch party.

Finally, it was under Zhu Youjian's strong push that he was elected as the Minister of Public Security and became one of the Nine Ministers.

Yang Suoxiu was so grateful for this that he realized even more clearly that he must be loyal to the emperor.

The remaining Lifanyuan of the Five Academy was entirely appointed by Zhu Youjian. He chose Huang Liji as the president, Kong Zhenyun as the Minister of Internal Affairs, and Cao Sicheng as the Minister of Foreign Affairs to assist in managing the Lifanyuan together.

Zhou Yongchun, the Minister of External Religion, and Zeng Chuqing, the Right Junior Secretary of the Zongzheng Temple, were also ministers of the Lifanyuan.

At this point, the ministers of the five academies in the capital have been fully appointed.

Many officials from the Nanjing court were transferred to Beijing to take up posts.

Zhu Youjian therefore made large-scale adjustments to the Nanjing court to fill vacant officials.
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Zhu Youjian chose Lü Tunan as the most important Nanjing Minister of War, using this imperial party among the nine ministers to strengthen control over Nanjing.

He was also appointed as the assistant to the Nanjing Privy Council, responsible for the establishment of the five courts of the Nanjing court.

Sun Juxiang, the right vice minister of the Nanjing Ministry of War, was transferred to the position of left vice minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue this time.

Zhu Youjian appointed Fu Zhenshang to take up the position he vacated.

This person was a talent recommended by the ministers. He had served as the governor of Nangan and was well-known in the court and the public for his "knowledge of military affairs and good strategies". Zhu Youjian wanted to see this person's ability in the position of the Nanjing Ministry of War.

Sun Shenxing, the Nanjing Minister of Personnel, was the initiator of the Red Pill Case and one of the most prestigious Donglin Party members at the time.

The reason why Zhu Youjian agreed to reinstate him was that he valued his status as a descendant of a founding hero.

Sun Shenxing's ancestor was Sun Xingzu, the loyal and compassionate Marquis of Yanshan, who was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Sun Xingzu's son, Sun Ke, was also granted the title of Marquis of Quanning for his contribution in catching Buerhai Lake, but was later implicated by Lan Yu and died.

Now Zhu Youjian has rehabilitated Lan Yu's case and granted overseas earldom titles to all the descendants of meritorious officials listed in the Temple of Meritorious Officials. Of course, he has to bring out a representative to show his sincerity.

Sun Shenxing was reinstated, and after the Red Pill Case was reclassified, Zhu Youjian listed him as a candidate for Nanjing official, and he was recommended by the court as Nanjing's Minister of Personnel. Lin Yuji, the Left Vice Minister of Nanjing's Ministry of Personnel, was promoted to Nanjing's Minister of Revenue this time. Zhu Youjian wanted to take another look at whether this official from the Hanlin Academy had any talent.

If he was not very talented, there would be no need for him to come to Beijing in the future as an official from Jinjiang.

Li Sunchen, the right vice minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites, was promoted to the left vice minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel.

The person who succeeded him was Huang Shijun, the top scholar in the 35th year of Wanli and the former right vice minister of the Ministry of Rites.

He partnered with Nanjing Minister of Rites Meng Shaoyu and took charge of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites.

Hu Yingtai, the Nanjing Minister of Justice, was impeached for land acquisition in Wuzhong and for inciting a civil uprising when he was the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. He was impeached by the successor Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, He Shijin, for embezzling tens of thousands of dollars in military pay.

Zhu Youjian ordered people to investigate and dismissed Hu Yingtai from his official position. Because he was a military jinshi from Liuyang, Huguang, and had delivered red-coated cannons to the Liaodong battlefield, he was spared from death, his property was confiscated, and he was exiled overseas, and sent to Nanyang to assist Guo Shangyou.

The vacant post of Nanjing Minister of Justice was filled by Zheng Sanjun, the Governor-General of the Grand Canal and Governor of Fengyang, who was recommended by the court officials.

He was another member of the Donglin Party and had the potential to become the leader of the Donglin Party. Hou Xun and other rising stars of the Donglin Party were his disciples.

Zhu Youjian originally planned to let him gain experience in the local area to see if he could be of great use. Now that he was recommended by the court to be the Minister of Justice, he got what he wanted.

Du Shiquan, the right assistant minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, requested to return home to recuperate due to poor health. In response to his request, Zhu Youjian appointed Feng Ying, who was recommended by the court officials, as the right assistant minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Justice.

Finally, in the Nanjing Ministry of Works, Shangshu Zhang Fengxiang was transferred to the post of Left Vice Minister of the Beijing Ministry of Justice, and Right Vice Minister Zhang Weishu was impeached and placed in idleness.

This time, the court officials recommended Jin Yuzhong as the Minister of Works of Nanjing, and He Qiaoyuan as the Right Vice Minister of Works of Nanjing.

The posts of Nanjing Censorate were concurrently held by officials such as the Governor of Jiangnan, the Governor of Anhui, and the Admiral Caojiang.

The Nanjing Supreme Court only had an assistant court for the time being, and Zhu Shishou was recommended by the court officials to take the position. Zhu Shishou was also a member of the Donglin Party and had served as the governor of Guangxi and the right vice minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Zhu Youjian appointed Yang Chongyou, the Earl of Zhangwu, to be the assistant director of the Nanjing Lifanyuan. This was one of the nobles who wanted to do something after he conferred the title of meritorious official. Zhu Youjian first arranged a position without much real power to see his ability.

After appointing ministers of the Nanjing court, Zhu Youjian's last appointment was of local officials.

According to the previously formulated term system for governors and governors-general, the term of office of the Governor-General of the Grand Canal and concurrently the Governor of Fengyang, Governor of Tianjin, Governor of Sichuan, Governor of Guangxi, Governor of Nanjian, Governor of Yunyang, Governor of Shaanxi, Governor of Gansu, and Governor of Hunan would be calculated from the second year of Chongzhen.

Before the end of their terms, these governors and governors-general wrote their policy outlines. Zhu Youjian retained most of them because they had not been in office for long.

The only person who needed to be replaced was Zheng Sanjun, the Governor-General of the Grand Canal and Governor of Fengyang, who was transferred to Nanjing as the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. With the recommendation of his ministers, Zhu Youjian appointed Zhu Guangzuo, the former Minister of Works and Chief of the River, to this position.

This was another member of the Donglin Party. Zhu Youjian could only sigh that many capable talents had been incorporated into the Donglin Party.

Among the local governors and governors-general, many are now restored members of the Donglin Party.

This is also the reason why Zhu Youjian appointed many officials from the Hanlin Academy to the court this time, and after much consideration, he still appointed Han Yu as the chief minister.

It is convenient to implement policies at local levels.

What he hoped in his heart was that Han Yu could restrain the Donglin Party and prevent them from ganging up on dissidents as they did during the Tianqi period.

Otherwise he would have to take drastic measures and completely drive the Donglin Party out of the court.

For this reason, Zhu Youjian deliberately kept Han Yu after the court meeting.

The ministers were not surprised by this, because the most glorious thing today was that Han Yu was appointed prime minister by Xuan Ma.

This is one of the greatest honors ever received by a civil official since the founding of the country.

Han Yu was still excited and hoped to accomplish something and live up to the emperor's kindness.

In the West Garden, Zhu Youjian said to Han Yu:

"You were born in the 45th year of the Jiajing reign, right?"

"Sixty-four years old according to lunar age?"

Han Yu replied respectfully:

"Yes!"

"I was born in the 45th year of Jiajing, and the next year was the first year of Longqing."

Zhu Youjian sighed upon hearing this:
"The 4263th year of the Jiajing reign, which is 1566 in the lunar calendar and in the western calendar, was a year of change."

"Now that you are the Prime Minister, it is also a year of change."

"I hope you can be brave enough to take on responsibilities, and not be like your father-in-law Zhang Siwei."

Han Yu felt a little embarrassed when he heard this, because his father-in-law, Zhang Siwei, stood against Zhang Juzheng and overturned all of Zhang Juzheng's reform measures after his death.

Now that the emperor praised Zhang Juzheng and even conferred the title of duke on Zhang Juzheng's descendants, Zhang Siwei's reputation naturally deteriorated, and he was also somewhat implicated.

However, he still had to defend his father-in-law and said:

"Master Taishan has made contributions by helping Lord Wang Xiangyi reach the Longqing Peace Agreement."

"He was loyal and diligent in assisting the government, and was praised by many in the temple."

Zhu Youjian chuckled when he heard this. He did not argue with Han Yu about how many achievements Zhang Siwei had made. He just reminded him:
"Last year, because Qing failed to control his relatives and friends, a case of gift money arose."

"I hope you will learn from your mistakes and not be implicated by your relatives and friends."

"I also hope that in three years, six years, I can perform the ritual for you again, and even for the third time!"

"Don't let some mediocre people ruin your achievements."

Han Yu apologized and said he knew nothing about it. He also promised the emperor that such a thing would not happen again.

He even made up his mind and said to the emperor:

"I have already planned to follow your majesty's orders and send my family overseas to establish a fiefdom."

"I just don't know what the rules for establishing a vassal state are, and whether I need to avoid suspicion."

Zhu Youjian was very satisfied with his statement and responded:
"The matter of establishing a feudal domain is under the jurisdiction of the Lifanyuan. You do not need to avoid suspicion."

"Also, your fiefdom is in Borneo. I will ask Zheng Zhilong and others to help you open it up."

He also promised Han Yu:

"You are now a viscount, and your fiefdom is two hundred li square."

"But what I have reserved for you is a fiefdom of 300 li."

"I hope you can achieve great achievements in the future and inherit the title of earl."

"You are the first prime minister to be appointed by Xuan Ma. You must set an example for future generations."

Han Yu was deeply moved by this earnest expectation.

The meaning of the emperor's words is clearly an expectation and a promise.

As long as he can achieve enough merits, he can obtain the hereditary earldom.

Those who receive the same treatment are the Purple Pavilion Meritorious Officials.

This made him both excited and anxious, fearing that he would not be able to meet the emperor's requirements and disappoint and anger the emperor. (End of this chapter)