Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Many court officials noticed that Han Yu, the Prime Minister, was irresponsible, but Emperor Zhu Youjian noticed it even earlier.

After appointing Han Yu as Prime Minister, Zhu Youjian found that apart from a few things he did in the initial period, Han Yu continued to follow the routine and showed no initiative at all.

The most important thing is that Han Yu did not take the initiative to do things, nor did he ask the emperor for advice. As a result, Zhu Youjian had to push for it himself if he wanted to do anything.

This made him feel that Han Yu was not very handy and was not the ideal prime minister in his mind.

However, Zhu Youjian had no intention of replacing the Prime Minister because of this.

He learned from the historical experience of Emperor Chongzhen who frequently replaced the Prime Minister and Grand Secretary, and would not replace the cabinet members if possible. He would rather elevate the status of the Nine Ministers and directly order them to do things, rather than causing unrest in the court due to frequent changes of cabinet ministers.

Moreover, Han Yu's weakness also gave him room to exercise his power. Before he became tired of government affairs, Zhu Youjian could still tolerate this prime minister who did not do much.

However, Zhu Youjian was still disappointed by Han Yu's poor performance in the matter of the prince's fiefdom.

Because he really didn't expect that Han Yu would be so indecisive for the sake of his family's interests:

"Even Huang Liji, who was in charge of the Lifanyuan, knew that he risked offending the royal family and nobles by suppressing their titles."

"Han Yu is unwilling to risk offending the crown prince by opposing the division of fiefs, nor is he willing to go against the opinions of the ministers and fully support me as the emperor."

"This Prime Minister is really unqualified!"

This was Zhu Youjian's greatest feeling, which made him even more grateful that he had led the Jianlu to Korea years ago.

If the Jianlu attacked and the Battle of Beijing was fought as happened in history, Han Yu, the Prime Minister, would not be able to bear the responsibility of a wartime prime minister.

They might resign as happened in history, and retire during the war like Shin Yongmao, thus escaping the responsibilities they should bear.

This was the reason why Zhu Youjian had previously established the Grand Council in the Cabinet and separated the military department from the Privy Council, and it was also the reason why he tried his best to guide the Jianlu to Korea.

The current Ming Dynasty can be said to be full of holes.

The incompetence and shamelessness of officials have exceeded many people's expectations.

If even the Prime Minister is like this, one can imagine how miserable other officials will be.

Zhu Youjian only dared to use them to maintain the appearance of the Ming Dynasty court, and did not dare to have any hope for them in major events.

Rectifying the administration of officials has always been a priority of his administration, and he appointed his loyal confidant Yang Jingchen to be in charge of it.

However, what he didn't expect was that after Yang Jingchen realized Han Yu's incompetence, he soon came up with an idea.

Putting Han Yu on the fire this time is not a good sign:
"Although Han Yu is useless, he is still needed now!"

"How can the Donglin Party be satisfied if we don't put him on the stage?"

"If a few radicals come out, won't the court be in chaos?"

The reason why Han Yu and Qian Qianyi were kept was because these two people were a bit soft and had a high reputation in the Donglin Party, so they could suppress the others.

Without their suppression, it is unknown what Qian Longxi, Zheng Sanjun, Qu Shisi and others would do, and what kind of turmoil they would cause in the court.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian decided to protect Han Yu and let him continue to work as the Prime Minister.

You can't appoint a prime minister and then have him step down just three months after being appointed.

That would show that he was impatient and treated state affairs as a joke.

Of course, pressure must be put on Han Yu, otherwise how could it appear that the emperor was doing him a favor?

At the regular court session on the 19th, Zhu Youjian listened to the opinions expressed by the ministers regarding the prince's fiefdom, but still remained silent on how to decide the matter.

However, after the court meeting, he kept Han Yu and summoned him to the Yangxin Palace.

Walking in the small courtyard of the Yangxin Palace, Zhu Youjian said to Han Yu:

"Sir, do you know where the words 'nourishing the mind' come from?"

Han Yu was well-read and of course knew the origin of these two words. He said:
"Mencius said: There is nothing better for nourishing the mind than having few desires."

"The Emperor built this palace to purify his mind and reduce his desires."

Zhu Youjian nodded upon hearing this and said:
"Yes! The ancients said it well!"

"If a man has few desires, even if there are some that do not exist, they are few; if a man has many desires, even if there are some that exist, they are few."

“If a person has few desires, then even if there is a part of him that is lost, it is very little; if a person has many desires, then even if there is a part that is preserved, it is very little.”

"Sir, you have been lost in desires during this period!"

These words were an accusation, and they pointed out the problems that Han Yu had.

He just thought too much, wanting this and that, so after hesitating, he was caught in a dilemma.

Thinking back on his performance during this period, as well as the emperor and ministers' opinions of him, Han Yu broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that his thoughts and behavior were all being seen by others.

This may not be a big deal for ordinary ministers, but for him as the prime minister, it is a fatal matter.

Because the authority of the Prime Minister comes from the emperor's favor and the ministers' respect.

Once the emperor's favor is gone and the ministers no longer have the slightest respect for him, then even if he sits in the position of Prime Minister, he will be a figurehead Prime Minister, like Huang Liji in the past two years.

Fortunately, the current emperor still trusts him, otherwise he would not have given him advice in private. This made Han Yu very grateful and said:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your teachings!"

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your kindness."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, and said to Han Yu with some earnestness:
"Sir, you are my choice as the Prime Minister. If you have any ideas, you can tell me directly."

"Even if it is inconvenient to say it in court, you can ask for a private hearing or write it in a memorial."

"If it is inconvenient to make a public memorial, you can write a secret memorial, which only you and I will know."

These words were truly heartfelt, and he was treating Han Yu as his own confidant.

Han Yu was touched but also embarrassed.

If it was at the beginning of the country, the emperor's favor to his ministers could be seen as a sign of favor from the emperor. All the ministers who were qualified to have a private audience would feel honored.

However, nowadays, many ministers avoid the one-on-one dialogue, because in the minds of officials, if they accept the one-on-one dialogue, it means they have become the emperor's private ministers.

Officials at the Ministry of Personnel would even use this as an excuse to impeach a minister, believing that the minister must have selfish motives.

If the current emperor had not organized the Xiyuan Conversation after he ascended the throne, and had not played a significant role in overthrowing the eunuch party, Han Yu really would not have dared to accept the emperor's summons in private and have the conversation in the Yangxin Palace.

This is the case even when speaking alone, and secret reports will cause even more jealousy.

Wu Shangmo, who submitted a secret memorial to overthrow his superior, was not only ostracized in the officialdom, but also suffered a lot of criticism.

If he had not made great contributions in overthrowing the eunuch party and had not been protected by the Donglin Party, he might not even be able to hold on to his position as the governor of Zhejiang Province.

As the leader of Donglin, Han Yu had a great reputation among the scholars. He really did not dare to speak alone or submit secret memorials, as he was regarded as the emperor's private minister.

However, he was in a dilemma regarding the prince's fiefdom, and didn't know how to end the situation. Han Yu could only say to the emperor:

"Your Majesty, I have taken note of your teachings." "What is your Majesty's plan for the Crown Prince's matter this time?"

He skipped the private conversation and secret memorials and asked about the emperor's current thoughts.

Zhu Youjian did not force Han Yu to make a promise. He just wanted to know that Han Yu had no objection.

This person, who is a bit spineless like Qian Qianyi, will always succumb when facing pressure in the future.

He said to Han Yu:

"The prince's fiefdom is a must."

"Otherwise, how can we suppress the foreign vassals and the ambitious vassals under the feudal system?"

"When the counties and kingdoms existed in parallel in the Western Han Dynasty, the prince had fiefs for this reason."

After hearing these reasons, Han Yu felt that the emperor was indeed considering the prince and that the prince's power must be strengthened under the feudal system.

Otherwise, when a long-lived emperor appears, the prince's younger brother will have accumulated strong power after decades of serving as a vassal king, while the prince will only have a few people in the Zhanshi Mansion. Then his position will inevitably be unstable and he will be strongly challenged by the vassal kings.

However, thinking about the inheritance rites that the emperor had the court formulate, Han Yu said:

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"Your Majesty ordered me to formulate the Ming Dynasty Succession Etiquette and Laws. You should have considered these things!"

"I think we can restrict the enfeoffment of members of the royal family, and stipulate that those who are enfeoffed will become members of the royal family and will not be eligible to inherit the throne."

This is indeed a way to prevent the emergence of people among the royal family who could threaten the crown prince's position.

However, this weakened the royal family, meaning that royal family members could only receive an empty title and salary.

Zhu Youjian was unwilling to accept this. He said:

"I really don't want to suppress the rest of the royal family just for the sake of the crown prince."

"And if all the royal family members stay inside the Ming Dynasty, it will also cause trouble."

These people had nothing to do in the Ming Dynasty, so they would naturally think about how to obtain the throne.

Instead of doing this, it would be better to let them go to the vassal states! At least with the current transportation conditions, it is difficult for the vassal states to interfere in the affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

After his proposal was rejected by the emperor, Han Yu was completely at a loss.

Although the inheritance etiquette and laws they formulated could clearly stipulate the order of succession, he, who was well versed in history, knew that if an incident like the Jingnan Rebellion happened again, the etiquette and laws could be overturned.

In order to reduce this risk, of course we have to strengthen the prince's power.

However, strengthening the prince's power seems to be nothing now, and the emperor will not think of guarding against the prince when he is in his prime.

But when the emperor gets old, will he feel worried when he sees the energetic prince?

In history, many princes of powerful rulers have fallen into this trap.

This is the reason why many officials in the court opposed granting the prince a fiefdom. Even the queen in the harem was worried about this.

They were all worried that this incident would cause disaster in the future and trigger a new crisis in the Ming court.

Han Yu thought about the memorials submitted by Yuan Keli and other privy ministers, and said:
"If you must grant the crown prince a fief, you must not give him the troops in the fief."

"I think the Privy Council's memorial is good. It can clearly put the Three Guards of Zhuolu under the control of the Privy Council."

This was what he privately agreed to in his heart, but concern for his descendants prevented him from agreeing publicly.

Now it was revealed during a private conversation with the emperor.

Zhu Youjian also said this when he comforted the queen, but he still had some doubts when facing Han Yu:

"Your Highness will certainly have to travel to his fiefdom frequently in the future. How can I feel at ease without soldiers and horses to protect him?"

"And if the troops in Zhuolu District are infiltrated, wouldn't the prince be in danger?"

This question left Han Yu speechless for a moment, and he realized that the Privy Council’s proposal also had flaws.

If someone influences the transfer of military officers in Zhuolu District and hides people to target the prince, the prince may be in danger when he is in Zhuolu District.

This made Han Yu feel that the issue of the prince's fiefdom was really difficult to handle!
However, as the Prime Minister, he had to find a solution no matter how difficult it was. He added:

"You can arrange guards for the prince, for example, 500 people or more."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly and said:
"After the reform of the guards, a guard with 5,000 households actually only had 500 standing troops."

"I think we can put the three guards of Zhuolu under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, and put the Zhuolu Central Guard under the command of the Crown Prince."

"The soldiers and horses of the Zhuolu Central Guard are not allowed to leave the Zhuolu District at ordinary times. If more than 500 people go out, they must report to the Imperial Horse Supervisor."

This was the troops that Zhu Youjian decided to give to the prince after careful consideration.

It is unrealistic to provide no troops at all, but giving too much will make people feel uneasy.

Therefore, allocating one of the three guards in Zhuolu to the prince became the most realistic option.

With the other two guards watching, there is no need to worry about the prince causing trouble by relying on the Zhuolu Central Guard.

However, in this case, the Imperial Stables would have more troops under their control.

Han Yu frowned slightly when he thought of this.

However, thinking about the emperor's support for him, he decided to put forward this suggestion in the court according to the emperor's wishes.

The emperor was so open-hearted to him, so of course he had to return the favor.

The three extra guards of Zhuolu were nothing to the emperor. After all, all the troops in the capital were under his control.

Zhu Youjian looked at Han Yu and nodded with some satisfaction. He then said to Han Yu:
"Of the three guards of Zhuolu, only the middle guard was given to the prince, so the prince does not completely own the Zhuolu District."

"I intend to grant Dongning Island to the crown prince as a fief, so please bring it up in the court."

"If you are interested, you can also arrange for a group of your descendants to inherit the title on Dongning Island."

This was a promise to Han Yu that his family would be rich and prosperous for generations.

Han Yu became even more excited when he heard this, because it meant he didn't have to worry about offending the prince.

Although it was the emperor's idea to grant Dongning Island to the prince, it was the emperor who asked him to raise the issue in the court.

The prince will certainly be grateful for this in the future, and it is impossible for him to hold a grudge just because I only gave him the Zhuolu Zhongwei.

This made him extremely grateful to the emperor. He thought that the emperor's kindness to him was rare in the world.

Is there any emperor who would take the concerns of his subjects into consideration and even find ways to solve them?
At this time, he did not attach any importance to Dongning Island, and believed that the emperor was only using the island as a hook to make up for the loss of the prince's left and right guards of Zhuolu.

Compared with Zhuolu District near the capital, Dongning Island, far overseas, really could not attract the attention of Han Yu, the Prime Minister.

What concerned him slightly was that there were too many eunuchs and criminals on Dongning Island, and he was worried that some of the descendants of these criminals would rely on the prince to restore his throne.

This made him decide to urge Liu Yirong, Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and other families who had obtained the hereditary title of Dongning Guard to send people to the island to prevent the eunuchs from completely occupying the island. (End of this chapter)