Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The most important event at the beginning of the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign was naturally the imperial examination.

The first exam was scheduled for the ninth day of the second lunar month.

This is a bit too early; Beijing is still very cold. In addition, the exam lasts a long time, and many candidates with weak constitutions fall ill.

Zhu Youjian always respected talented people and had considered changing the time to reduce unnecessary loss of talent.

However, because news spread slowly at that time, notice had to be given several years in advance. Therefore, this year's Xinwei exam remained unchanged and was still scheduled for February.

Once February arrived, he began preparations to appoint the chief examiner.

According to convention, the chief examiners for the metropolitan examination should be the second-in-command and another Grand Secretary.

The current cabinet has two vice ministers, one of whom is Shi Fenglai, who ranks second. Zhu Youjian did not think highly of his abilities and assigned him to be in charge of the Grand Council, using him as his mouthpiece.

One is Li Guopu, who is in charge of the Cabinet Office and handles daily affairs, making him essentially the Executive Deputy Prime Minister.

He was very supportive of the new policies, and Zhu Youjian was also very satisfied with him.

Given his position, it was only natural for him to preside over the imperial examinations, thus cultivating his own faction for the future position of Grand Secretary.

Unfortunately, Li Guopu fell ill at this time. Not only was he unable to preside over the imperial examinations, but he also had to have someone else take over his duties in the cabinet.

Zhu Youjian had to consider other candidates and choose other Grand Secretaries as chief examiners.

The cabinet now consists of eight Grand Secretaries: Han Kuang, Shi Fenglai, Li Guopu, Yang Jingchen, Xu Guangqi, Wen Tiren, Zheng Yiwei, and Sun Chengzong, who is currently serving as a military supervisor. Zhu Youjian selected them one by one:
"Han Kuang is the Grand Secretary and presided over the imperial examination of the 47th year of the Wanli reign (1619). He has Yuan Chonghuan and others as his cronies; he cannot be allowed to serve as the chief examiner again."

"Shi Fenglai served as the chief examiner for the Wuchen imperial examination three years ago, so he doesn't need to be considered either."

"Yang Jingchen is fine, but he used to be a member of the eunuch faction, so the person paired with him can't be associated with the eunuch faction."

This is where Zhu Youjian is in a dilemma. Compared to Li Guopu, Yang Jingchen bears too much of the mark of the eunuch faction and is ranked eighth among the traitors.

The examiners of the previous exam, Shi Fenglai and Zhang Ruitu, were criticized for being part of the eunuch faction. If the same eunuch faction is used as examiners in this exam, it could cause factional strife.

Unwilling to cause trouble in the court, he summoned the Grand Secretary Han Kuang to hear his opinion.

Hopefully, this person can keep the Donglin Party in check and prevent them from causing trouble in this matter.

He asked Han Kuang:

"Chief Examiner of the Imperial Examination, I have decided that Minister Yang will preside over the examination."

"Do you have someone in mind for the other deputy examiner, Han Qing?"

Han Kuang was quite surprised to hear this and asked:

Shouldn't Scholar Li be the chief examiner?

"Scholar Yang can serve as the deputy chief examiner."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian sighed, took out a medical record, and said to him:
"Scholar Li's health is not good, and it is estimated that he will not be able to return to the cabinet."

"He submitted several memorials requesting his resignation and was already making preparations for his death."

Han Kuang was shocked, never expecting such a change in the cabinet.

With the current emperor implementing term limits and ignoring all unfounded impeachments, the Ming Dynasty's cabinet is more stable than ever before. All cabinet ministers know that as long as they don't make any major mistakes, they can continue to serve smoothly.

Although Han Kuang sometimes felt constrained, he never wanted to change this situation.

In particular, Li Guopu was very cooperative with him and never challenged his position.

He felt very sorry that the deputy minister was leaving his post.

Now, he has to consider not only the imperial examination, but also the structure of the cabinet.

Considering the possible changes, Han Kuang said:
"If Scholar Li resigns, will the cabinet need to replace him?"

"The cabinet is very busy right now, and with too few people, it can't handle everything."

These words were both an excuse and his feeling.

Compared to the cabinets of the past that had no subordinates, the current cabinet, although it still does not have direct subordinates, can determine major policies in relevant areas through several committees.

This is much busier than before, when everyone was just writing drafts for the emperor; everyone has their own tasks to complete.

If Li Guopu, the permanent vice minister, resigns, Han Kuang will have to manage all the trivial matters of the cabinet himself.

He was naturally unhappy about this, but he was even more worried that Yang Jingchen and others would take control of the Executive Office and cause trouble for him within the Cabinet.

Therefore, Han Kuang's biggest demand now is to take control of the Standing Committee and preferably add a Donglin Party Grand Secretary to the position.

Gently tapping the throne, Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment and then said:
"Scholar Li is currently ill, and I do not wish to dismiss him from his post."

"The cabinet already has eight members; it would be inappropriate to add more."

It neither completely denied the allegations nor failed to explain why it didn't add anyone else.

Han Kuang's lips twitched as he listened, because he really didn't believe there were eight people in the cabinet now—

Leaving aside Sun Chengzong, who was supervising troops in the field, Shi Fenglai and Xu Guangqi were in charge of the Grand Council, which could be said to be responsible for drafting military orders for the emperor.

There are only five people in the cabinet who actually do the work.

With so few people and so much to do, it's no wonder he felt overwhelmed.

If Li Guopu goes and no one else fills the vacancy, then there will only be four people in the cabinet actually doing the work.

At that point, Yang Jingchen, in alliance with Wen Tiren, might be able to confront him, a situation he was even less willing to see.

Therefore, he was determined to increase the number of Grand Secretaries, so that he could have one more person of his own in the cabinet.

After pondering the emperor's meaning, Han Kuang said:
"Of the numbers in the universe, seven is the peak and nine is the extreme."

"His Majesty has set a limit of nine members for the assembly; if there are more than ten members, a standing assembly must be established."

"Eight cabinet members are indeed too many; we cannot add any more."

Having echoed the emperor's thoughts, Han Kuang added:

"However, the cabinet is currently very busy, and the existing Grand Secretaries are simply not enough to handle it all."

"I believe that we could add a few more Associate Grand Secretaries to help handle the trivial matters of the Cabinet, while retaining their original positions."

This suggestion caught Zhu Youjian's eye; he found it quite interesting.

Because of Li Guopu's situation, he had considered establishing a reserve Grand Secretary position to fill vacancies in a timely manner.

However, candidates for Grand Secretary would also hold positions in the imperial court, and these positions held great power and influence. Once appointed as a Grand Secretary, one could not concurrently hold their original position.

In this way, adjusting the positions of the candidates for Grand Secretary would inevitably cause a great stir, which would not be in line with Zhu Youjian's goal of stabilizing the court.

In comparison, Han Kuang's proposal of co-chairing a Grand Secretary was more flexible than that of a candidate Grand Secretary.

Associate Grand Secretaries could enter the Cabinet to handle affairs, but they were not allowed to participate in state affairs, nor were they given the power to vote in Cabinet meetings, and they were not regarded as formal Cabinet members.

In this way, the Grand Secretary could still concurrently serve as one of the Nine Ministers, without having to drastically change the structure of the court.

Therefore, he said with great satisfaction:
“A co-director can be appointed to assist with trivial matters, but will not be involved in important affairs or participate in cabinet meetings.”

"In Han Qing's opinion, who should serve as the Assistant Grand Secretary and the Deputy Chief Examiner for this imperial examination?"

These words clearly constitute an exchange—

Zhu Youjian agreed with his recommended candidate to serve as Associate Grand Secretary, and Yang Jingchen was also to serve as the chief examiner, so that the imperial examination could not be disrupted.

Han Kuang's biggest demand was to increase his own people in the cabinet. He frowned somewhat at the fact that the Associate Grand Secretary did not participate in cabinet meetings, but still felt he was very useful. Furthermore, since the emperor had asked him to recommend candidates, it was clear that the position was meant for him. Therefore, after consideration, he proposed:

"Cheng Jiming, the Minister of Rites, was an upright and honest man."

"He is certainly capable of serving as the deputy chief examiner and doing a good job as the assistant academician."

This was Ye Xianggao's disciple and a member of the Donglin Party.

He and Han Kuang were the only two members of the Donglin Party to hold the titles of Nine Ministers and Grand Secretary.

Given Zhu Youjian's apprehension towards the Donglin Party, he would not have added any other Donglin Party members to the ranks of ministers before one of them left office.

Han Kuang understood this as well, and didn't suggest anyone else, but instead added more responsibility to Cheng Jiming.

It is hoped that after the transition to the position of Associate Grand Secretary, Cheng Jiming will be able to become a full Grand Secretary in the next term.

Zhu Youjian could have guessed this plan.

However, Cheng Jiming was able to serve as Minister of Rites because he had approved of him.

Furthermore, this man was already seventy-two years old, and each year he needed to issue a special decree to remain in office. He wasn't worried about such an old minister, and nodded, saying:

"Then it's settled."

"Han Qing, please write down a plan and submit the regulations for the establishment and selection of Associate Grand Secretaries."

"Hold the imperial recommendation as soon as possible and determine the candidates for Assistant Grand Secretaries."

Han Kuang was overjoyed, knowing that the emperor had approved his proposal.

He then tentatively asked:

"How many people should be nominated to serve as co-chairs of the Grand Secretariat?"

"Is one person not enough?"

Zhu Youjian was unsure how many people should be appointed, but he was deeply impressed by Wei Zhongxian's indiscriminate bestowal of official titles and was unwilling to easily agree on the positions. He said:

Although the Assistant Grand Secretary was not a formal Grand Secretary, he carried the title of Grand Secretary.

"We cannot set too many titles, lest people think that the Grand Secretary is not dignified."

"The total number of Grand Secretaries with various titles should not exceed ten."

Set a limit to prevent the proliferation of official positions.

Han Kuang considered the emperor's attitude towards the Donglin Party and realized that he did not have any more candidates for Assistant Grand Secretary at the moment.

This restriction was agreed upon, and it was determined that the total number of Grand Secretaries would not exceed ten.

Currently, there are eight full Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet, so naturally only one more Associate Grand Secretary can be added.
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He wrote a memorial based on the results of his discussion with the emperor, and the matter quickly aroused controversy in the court.

According to past practice, the cabinet usually consists of four to six people. Sometimes it is even a single prime minister, with only one person.

The current cabinet of eight Grand Secretaries is extremely rare. Only during the chaotic periods of the Taichang and early Tianqi reigns could such a number of cabinet ministers exist. Once the situation stabilizes, the number will soon be reduced.

Unexpectedly, four years after the current emperor ascended the throne, he still wants to add cabinet ministers.

Some officials inevitably had reservations about this, even attacking Han Kuang and other cabinet ministers for being incompetent and unable to assist the emperor.

However, some people were secretly delighted, feeling that they had seen an opportunity to become a Grand Secretary.

With the current emperor implementing term limits and setting the term of office for cabinet ministers at three-year intervals, the Ming Dynasty's cabinet has become more stable than ever before, no longer experiencing the chaos of the Tianqi era.

This is naturally a good thing for the court's governance, as many officials can govern with peace of mind and no longer worry about being suddenly transferred.

However, this also has its downsides: there are too few changes in the officials in the imperial court, and many people have fewer opportunities for promotion.

In particular, those who wanted to become Grand Secretaries had no position to advance to, and without solid evidence, they could not impeach any cabinet minister.

Previously, they felt they had no hope of becoming Grand Secretaries in this lifetime, but now that the Emperor has determined that there will be a maximum of nine Grand Secretaries, many people's minds have become more active, and they feel that they have a chance.

Let's not even talk about Cheng Jiming, the Minister of Rites. He was originally the first candidate for Grand Secretary, and with Han Kuang's support, becoming an Associate Grand Secretary was a foregone conclusion.

Qian Xiangkun, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Biao, the Right Vice Minister, and Qian Qianyi, the Right Vice Minister with additional posthumous title, also felt that they would have the opportunity to become Associate Grand Secretaries in the future, and became candidates recommended by the council.

Officials from the Hanlin Academy, such as Qian Shisheng, Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Qian Longxi, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, and Wu Zongda, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, also felt they had the opportunity to become Associate Grand Secretaries.

Even Zhou Yanru, the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, believed that there was still a chance. After all, he was the top scholar in the imperial examination in the 41st year of the Wanli reign and had considerable seniority in the court. As the Vice Censor-in-Chief, he was also considered a minister, and he had Wen Tiren in the cabinet as his support.

Upon learning of the matter of the Assistant Grand Secretary, he went to Wen Tiren's residence and fawned over him, saying:

“Lord Wen, I have served as Junior Chamberlain and now serve as Vice Censor-in-Chief. My qualifications are sufficient, and I had the opportunity to become a Grand Secretary in the past.”

"Now, the position of Assistant Grand Secretary is only an assistant position and is not as strict as that of a formal Grand Secretary."

"When the imperial court makes its decision, is there a chance?"

With the help of Wen Tiren, he intended to be recommended as an associate Grand Secretary.

Wen Tiren glanced at him, inwardly disdainful, but outwardly offered a very kind and comforting words:

"To become a Grand Secretary, one must at least be a Vice Minister, and the same applies to an Assistant Grand Secretary."

"Your current position as Vice Censor-in-Chief is still somewhat lacking."

"I'll have a better chance of getting promoted in a few years."

These were clearly not the words Zhou Yanru wanted to hear, and he said somewhat anxiously:
"Lord Wen, are you just going to let the Donglin Party grow stronger like this?"

"Hasn't Yang Gong offered any explanation?"

Wen Tiren offended the Donglin faction because of his entry into the cabinet, and he often sided with Yang Jingchen, a remnant of the eunuch faction, within the cabinet. The two were generally regarded as a faction in the court, a view shared by Zhou Yanru.

In his mind, Yang Jingchen and Wen Tiren would not let the Donglin Party succeed so easily.

But what he didn't expect was that the establishment of the co-sponsor of the Grand Scholar position was itself a transaction.

Wen Tiren, as a cabinet minister, was well-informed and explained in detail to Zhou Yanru:
"The reason for adding the position of Associate Grand Secretary is that Vice Minister Li is in poor health and will retire soon."

"When Yang Gongzheng was to serve as the second assistant minister, he would also preside over the imperial examination."

"Do you think he might create unnecessary trouble at this point, or try to sabotage your cause?"

Zhou Yanru exclaimed "Ah!", clearly not expecting such inside information.

No wonder Han Kuang suddenly petitioned to establish the position of Associate Grand Secretary, which was approved by the emperor.

This clarified the situation. Han Kuang increased his cabinet's manpower by appointing Associate Grand Secretaries, while Yang Jingchen received even greater benefits—

He will not only become the second-in-command in the future, but will also be able to recruit a group of followers through the imperial examination.

Yang Jingchen might look down on ordinary Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and by the time they began to distinguish themselves, Yang Jingchen might have already left office.

However, this imperial examination was somewhat different, as it included Zhang Pu, a person who had long been favored by the emperor.

Once Zhang Pu passed the imperial examination, he would likely be appointed by the emperor as the recorder of the emperor's daily activities and become a close advisor to the emperor. His influence on the emperor would be far greater than that of an ordinary close advisor.

Even a high-ranking scholar like Yang Jingchen would value Zhang Pu highly. He certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity to win him over through a teacher-student relationship.

Therefore, Yang Jingchen will not compete with Han Kuang for the position of Assistant Grand Secretary. What he needs now is stability, to take over from Li Guopu to preside over the imperial examination.

Zhou Yanru's ambition to become a Grand Secretary naturally came to nothing. His ultimate achievement was merely becoming a candidate recommended by the council. (End of Chapter)