Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Jinyiwei, a group of commanders are discussing the establishment of a security committee.

This was a task that the emperor had arranged long ago. They had been preparing for it for a long time and felt that the time was ripe.

Zheng Shiyi, the chief of the Imperial Guard, said:
"The idea of ​​security needs has been recognized by the people."

“What the Intelligence Committee has done during this period has also satisfied the Privy Council departments.”

"I have discussed this with Yuan Shumi and other privy ministers, and none of them raised any objection."

"The conditions for the establishment of the National Security Commission are ripe. What about the Public Security Commission? Have you encountered any resistance?"

Liu Qiao, the Minister of the Imperial Guards, listened to Zheng Shiyi's somewhat complacent narration and said with a displeased expression:
"There is no government office opposing the establishment of the Public Security Committee. They also want to gain support from the Imperial Guards."

"But Wang Yongguang, the Minister of Justice, wants to be the director of the Public Security Commission."

"If he is made the chief officer, the Weiwei Temple will be managed by the Ministry of Justice."

Upon hearing this, many high-ranking Jinyiwei officials looked unhappy.

They had long regarded the Public Security Commission as an internal agency of the Jinyiwei, so how could they be willing to give it up?

Especially compared to the National Security Committee, which is mainly related to military affairs, the Public Security Committee, which is closely related to government affairs, is more important to the Jinyiwei.

The Jinyiwei can mobilize many government offices through the Public Security Commission and ask them to cooperate with the Jinyiwei.

Now that the Ministry of Justice wants to snatch food from them, these people are naturally very angry.

Zheng Shiyi said unhappily:
"Wang Yongguang is a cunning old man, why is he willing to take the lead?"

"Who is behind him? Do you have any idea?"

Liu Qiao was a little depressed and replied:
"If anyone is to be found who supports him, it should be the entire Ministry of Justice."

"This was a decision made by the Criminal Department's general assembly, and Wang Yongguang did not use his veto power."

"The Minister of Justice is also known as the Grand Secretary of Justice. Of course he wants the power to catch thieves."

After explaining what happened, Liu Qiao explained:

"Among the six ministries in the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice have seen the most severe reductions in power."

"But even if the power of the Ministry of War is reduced, it is still equivalent to the Ministry of Personnel for military officers. The Minister of War can be ranked among the top in both the State Council and the Privy Council."

"The situation is not so good for the Ministry of Justice. Many officials in the Ministry of Justice think that they are now the lowest among the six ministries and their power is not as good as that of the Ministry of Defense."

"So they want to change the Weiwei Temple from supervision to annexation and gain the power of law enforcement."

"No matter how smooth Wang Yongguang is, he wouldn't dare go against the public opinion on this matter."

When everyone heard this, they were a little surprised and realized that the Ministry of Justice was indeed eyeing the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The former Ministry of Justice was in charge of all criminal laws, as well as the policies regarding imprisonment, rebellion, and imprisonment. It was a powerful and awe-inspiring department.

However, the current emperor handed over the power of trial to the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of Justice suddenly became lame and could only do miscellaneous tasks.

They could not compete with the Dali Court, one of the five courts, and they had supervisory power over the Weiwei Temple. So they targeted the Weiwei Temple and wanted to absorb the General Security Bureau and the General Criminal Investigation Bureau into the Ministry of Justice and seize the law enforcement power.

The Weiwei Temple was certainly unwilling to do this, and the entire Jinyiwei did not agree to it.

Because the power of law enforcement is one of the foundations of the entire Jinyiwei. Without the power of law enforcement, the Jinyiwei would not have the power to arrest people, and would be restricted in everything they do, which would be inconvenient at all.

Therefore, the Jinyiwei cannot give up the power of law enforcement, not to mention that the power of the Ministry of Justice is far less than that of the Jinyiwei. If they give up even the Ministry of Justice, how can they compete for power with other government offices?

At this time of remaking rituals and music and redistributing power, the Jinyiwei cannot show any weakness and allow the power they deserve to be taken away.

Zheng Shiyi said with disdain:

"The Ministry of Justice wants the power to enforce the law. Should we give it to them?"

"Let them go to the court and see who the emperor will support."

He didn't take the Ministry of Justice seriously at all, knowing that the emperor would protect the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But it is not good to trouble the emperor all the time, otherwise the emperor will think he is incompetent. Fang Hongzan said:
"If the Ministry of Justice can pass a collective deliberation, our Jinyiwei should also hold a collective deliberation."

"This way, even if the case goes before the emperor, our Jinyiwei will not appear to be weak."

"Zheng Zhangyin, how about we set up an agenda item for voting and keep a record?"

Zheng Shiyi nodded in agreement, turning everyone's attitude into a collective resolution.

If the Ministry of Justice used the collective decision to fight for power, the Jinyiwei would fight back with the same collective decision.

Then, Zheng Shiyi instructed Liu Qiao:

"Let's put the Ministry of Justice aside first and gather other government offices to form a Public Security Committee."

"The Public Security Committee can also pass a resolution to obey the command of the Jinyiwei, so that the Jinyiwei will have no reason to make trouble."

"Our Jinyiwei Four Committees are coordination agencies headed by Jinyiwei. Other government offices should not even think about taking it over."

Everyone cheered and strengthened their determination to fight against the Ministry of Justice.

Under external pressure from the Ministry of Justice, the various Jinyiwei agencies became more united and safeguarded their own power.

After deciding how to compete with the Ministry of Justice for power, everyone discussed the specific matters of establishing the National Security Committee and the Public Security Committee. Liu Qiao, who had just lost face, said:
"The Ministry of Defense has decided to hold a severe crackdown at the end of the year to establish the authority of the Public Security Committee."

"This crackdown is focused on security. Should the National Security Commission join in?"

Zheng Shiyi groaned in silence, looking at Liu Qiao's pleading expression, and then said:
"The Shanxi Merchants case and Zhang Cunren case that were uncovered some time ago show that there are still many Jianlu spies in the Ming Dynasty."

"The crackdown will mobilize more manpower and it is indeed possible that more spies will be uncovered."

"This matter will be led by your Public Security Committee, and Commander Fang will lead the National Security Committee to cooperate."

"Try to catch more spies and continue to make achievements."

It was decided to give Liu Qiao some face and make the theme of this crackdown more worthy of its name.

Some of the nets left behind by the Jinyiwei can now be collected.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qiao hurriedly thanked him and said flatteringly:
"During this security crackdown, the Weiwei Temple must publicize national security more and get the public to cooperate in catching spies."

"If there is any need in the future, the National Security Committee can contact the Weiwei Temple."

Zheng Shiyi laughed and looked at Liu Qiao with even more favor. He then said:

"You, the Weiwei Temple, should also send someone to join the National Security Committee."

"It's more convenient to keep in touch this way, and it's easier to cooperate on small matters."

"Security crackdown is also the job of the entire Jinyiwei. All Jinyiwei agencies will cooperate with you."

Let the Southern and Northern Offices express their stance and cooperate with the Weiwei Temple.
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After receiving this assurance, Liu Qiao happily returned to the Weiwei Temple and asked Wu Mengming:

"How is the Safeguard getting on?"

"There is also the recruitment for the Weiwei Temple speaker. Have you confirmed the candidate?"

Wu Mengming said:

"The Safety Newspaper has been started by teachers and students of the Safety School."

"Gui Zhuang performed well in the debate at the Golden Terrace and is willing to serve as a spokesperson at the Weiwei Temple."

"He is in the temple now. Do you want to call him over to have a look?"

Liu Qiao had already decided to crack down on public opinion first, and upon hearing this, he said:

"Please come over, Mr. Gui!"

"This is a great talent hired by the Weiwei Temple. He cannot be treated as an ordinary official."

"From now on, he will be called Mr. Gui, and he will be allowed to read the resolutions of the General Assembly."

Wu Mengming quickly changed his words and politely invited Gui Zhuang to come over. Gui Zhuang was willing to come to the Weiwei Temple to be a ninth-rank spokesperson, of course, for a purpose.

As a good friend of Gu Yanwu, he was extremely envious of Gu Yanwu's situation, but he did not join the army because he had no talent for fighting.

However, he had a strong desire to enter officialdom, and after failing the provincial examination this year, he decided not to wait any longer.

He was willing to come to the Weiwei Temple as a spokesperson because the Weiwei Temple was the nominal superior of the Yingyang Army. He wanted to be closer to Gu Yanwu so that the two brothers could work together.

Seeing Liu Qiao, the Minister of the Imperial Guards, Gui Zhuang bowed loudly and said something shocking:
"Does Weiwei know that Weiwei Temple is now in danger?"

Liu Qiao found it funny and thought Gui Zhuang was just exaggerating. He wanted to hear what he had to say, so he smiled and said:
"Why do you say that, Mr. Gui?"

"You are now the spokesperson for Weiwei Temple."

Gui Zhuang looked serious and said to Liu Qiao and Wu Mengming:
"It is precisely because I am the spokesperson for the Weiwei Temple that I reminded the Weiwei."

"If the Weiwei does not want to hear more, please allow me to resign."

Liu Qiao now looked more serious, looking at Gui Zhuang's young face, and said solemnly:

"Please say!"

"Liu is all ears."

Gui Zhuang then said:

"The Weiwei Temple was originally the Western Office of the Jinyiwei, and has always been responsible for catching thieves."

"After the emperor ascended the throne, due to the serious banditry in the capital, he incorporated the Patrol Battalion into the capital and expanded it into the Weiwei Temple, which became one of the nine temples."

"Does Liu Weiwei feel that with the emperor's protection, the Weiwei Temple can rest assured that its power will not be taken away by other government offices?"

Liu Qiao did think so. The Weiwei Temple had such great power, he didn't think the emperor would give it up.

But Gui Zhuang said to him:

"Then Weiwei is wrong."

"Although the Weiwei Temple is important, the emperor does not seem to attach much importance to it."

"Otherwise, why are there only the Minister of the Imperial Guard and the Junior Minister of the Imperial Guard recommended by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War and other ministries?"

Liu Qiao had not thought about this issue carefully before, and just thought it was a compromise between the emperor and the civil officials. He gave up the position of Weiwei Siqing, the second-in-command of the Jinyiwei, in exchange for the power to directly appoint the Jinyiwei as the seal holder.

Now listening to Gui Zhuang's words, it is obviously not that simple. He frowned and said:

"Sir, please speak."

"Where is the danger in Weiwei Temple?"

Gui Zhuang said:
"The biggest danger to the Weiwei Temple is that the emperor will abandon it."

"Law enforcement power is important, but it also causes a lot of public resentment."

"The current emperor values ​​his reputation the most. He has always claimed to be a wise ruler who loves his people like his own children and shares power with all the people."

"If the Weiwei Temple is impeached for harming the people, and then someone with ulterior motives implicates the emperor."

"Do you think the Emperor will give up on you?"

Liu Qiao was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, knowing that this was indeed possible.

When the emperor first ascended the throne, the Weiwei Temple was very important to him, and the emperor needed to use his law enforcement power to intimidate his ministers.

But now all parts of the Ming Dynasty have long obeyed the emperor, and the legislative, judicial, administrative, military, and supervisory powers are almost all in the hands of the emperor. The law enforcement power of a mere Weiwei Temple is not taken seriously by the emperor.

If their existence brings negative impact to the emperor, the emperor might really abandon the Weiwei Temple and stop protecting them.

Especially since the bandits in the capital had been eliminated and the patrol camp had become an independent army, the emperor did not need the Weiwei Temple that much and might abandon them if necessary.

Liu Qiao and Wu Mengming understood this clearly and never dared to look down on the young Gui Zhuang again.

I know that although this person is young, he is quite insightful.

Liu Qiao asked solemnly:
"Thank you sir for your teaching."

"Excuse me, Mr. Gui, what is the reason for this danger?"

Gui Zhuang listened to his words and knew that the result of his discussion with Gu Yanwu and others had shocked this man. He said:
“The solution is simple.”

"That is to show that the Weiwei Temple is useful to the emperor and will not cause trouble to the emperor."

"You must change your image and not bring the bad reputation of the Imperial Guards here. Especially when enforcing the law, you must be careful about the scale and not let someone with ulterior motives catch you and damage the emperor's reputation."

These words were simple, but Liu Qiao smiled bitterly, feeling that it was very difficult to deal with.

As a law enforcement agency, how could the Weiwei Temple not offend people? As long as they do something, they will attract resentment.

But doing nothing would be of no use to the emperor, so this contradiction has no solution at all.

Wu Mengming saw his embarrassment and took the initiative to say:
"Is the person Mr. Gui is talking about an official from the Ministry of Justice?"

"Minister Wang and others are fighting for the power to enforce the law. Are they going to take action?"

Gui Zhuang nodded and said:

"It's not about to happen, it's already happening."

"The newspapers have been reporting on the violent law enforcement at the Weiwei Temple for a while now."

"People are even more terrified when they hear about the crackdown."

"What do you think would happen if the Weiwei Temple launched a severe crackdown at this time?"

Liu Qiao and Wu Mengming looked at each other, obviously not noticing this.

Although they decided to start with the crackdown on public opinion this time, they are clearly still a little lacking in terms of their sense of public opinion.

If Gui Zhuang had not reminded him, he might have fallen flat on his face, giving the Ministry of Justice more reason to fight for the power of law enforcement.

The two hurriedly asked how to solve this situation.

Gui Zhuang then smiled and said:

"You two can realize the importance of public opinion and appoint a special spokesperson."

"This shows that the problem can be saved, not that it cannot be solved."

"Otherwise, Gui would not have come to Weiwei Temple to serve as a spokesperson."

He complimented the two and proposed some methods of civilized law enforcement. He hoped that the Weiwei Temple would enforce the law in a more civilized manner in the future and not be too violent.

Although Liu Qiao and Wu Mengming felt that this was a bit troublesome, they had no choice but to accept this under the threat of the Ministry of Justice competing for law enforcement power.

They planned to convene personnel from the Weiwei Temple for training and thoroughly implement the emperor's requirements for the police.

However, this only improves the image of Weiwei Temple, but cannot eliminate the danger.

As long as the Weiwei Temple still enforces the law, it is impossible to please everyone.

If they make a mistake in a case, it could cause big problems.

At this time, Gui Zhuang offered another plan and said to the two:
"Enforcement of the law does not necessarily have to offend the people and cause their dissatisfaction."

"The necessity of the Weiwei Temple has long been planned by the emperor, but you two didn't pay attention to it before."

"Sanitation and firefighting are the key to completely improving the image of Weiwei Temple."

"If these two things are done well, thousands of families will be blessed with Buddhahood and the people will praise them."

It is believed that the key to the survival of the Weiwei Temple lies not in law enforcement power, but in health and fire protection power. (End of this chapter)