Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"The stone classics were engraved and erected at the Imperial Academy."

"Liu Jishan is trying to establish a doctrine!"

Looking at the news coming from the palace, Qian Qianyi sighed.

At the imperial lecture a few days ago, he and Liu Zongzhou were resounding victories. Their scholarship was designated as the new learning by the emperor, to replace the old learning such as Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

However, compared to Liu Zongzhou, who did little and yet naturally became the head of the collation and annotation of the Book of Changes, Qian Qianyi had to break with the Donglin scholars to gain the leading role in the collation and annotation of the Spring and Autumn Annals.

These days, he has been persuaded by the elders of the Donglin Party and scolded by young people like Hou Xun, bearing a lot of pressure.

In particular, his acceptance of Huang Lijie's defection made Wei Xuelian, Zhou Maolan, and other descendants of Donglin gentlemen who had a blood feud with the eunuch party very dissatisfied with him.

Some people even published articles in newspapers, publicly breaking ties with him.

The most obvious manifestation of this was that some members of the Donglin Party had already started the Donglin Daily, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for the Datong Daily, which he was in charge of, to receive articles from these people.

Qian Qianyi was very annoyed by this, and what made him even more dissatisfied was that the annotation of the Four Books and Five Classics was mainly done by Liu Zongzhou, and he was to be ranked after him.

Now that Liu Zongzhou is to have the stone scriptures carved in this capacity, he feels very resentful, believing that the emperor is treating Liu Zongzhou too favorably:
"I have received this reward for fighting bravely for His Majesty."

"Liu Zongzhou has repeatedly contradicted His Majesty, yet he receives such preferential treatment."

"Should I also make a scene to get His Majesty to pay more attention?"

Having this idea in mind, Qian Qianyi recalled something and wrote a memorial, complaining about his situation these days. He also requested that the National Assembly's Religious Committee be incorporated into the Education Committee under his responsibility, citing the Taichang Temple's responsibility for religious affairs.

They even hoped that the Education Committee would continue to expand and incorporate the Morality Committee.

In Qian Qianyi's view, the work of these two committees was closely related to education and moral cultivation.

He wanted to use this to expand the authority of the Education Committee and test his standing in the emperor's eyes.

Zhu Youjian truly valued Qian Qianyi much more than before.

Because Qian Qianyi has now almost completely broken ties with the Donglin Party after accepting the remnants of the eunuch faction.

His support for Qian Qianyi was aimed at splitting the Donglin Party and even dismantling it.

Now it's natural to show support for Qian Qianyi and encourage him to continue.

After some thought, he summoned Qian Qianyi to the Qianqing Palace, accompanied by Chen Jiru and others.

Not long after, the two met again in the Qianqing Palace.

My mood has also changed drastically, completely different from before.

Qian Qianyi was slightly disappointed to see that it wasn't a duet, but he still smiled at Chen Jiru and said:

"Will Mr. Mei be able to adapt to serving in Parliament?"

"I am very grateful to Master Mei for speaking frankly at the lecture the other day."

Chen Jiru also smiled and said:
"Mu Zhai's theory of practical application of knowledge is truly thought-provoking."

"Although I am old, I am willing to do my part."

Qian Qianyi was overjoyed and immediately invited Chen Jiru to participate in the annotation of the Spring and Autumn Annals. After Chen Jiru agreed, he asked, seemingly casually:

"Did you come to the palace this time, Lord Mei, for some reason?"

"I was a little apprehensive about being summoned so suddenly."

Chen Jiru was surprised to hear this and looked at Qian Qianyi, saying:

"Does Mu Zhai not know?"

"It is because of your memorial that the Emperor has decided to review the special committees of the National Assembly once again."

"The existing fifteen committees are far too many; some of them don't even have a person in charge."

"For example, His Majesty intends to transfer the Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee to the combined management of the Citizens Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee."

This news was completely unexpected for Qian Qianyi, as he had never heard of it before.

Now the emperor is not telling him about this matter, but informing Chen Jiru in advance, leaving him wondering what the emperor's true intentions are.

With this feeling of doubt, he entered the Qianqing Palace and found that Yuan Keli was already inside, along with himself and Chen Jiru.

Zhu Youjian pointed at Yuan Keli and said to the two of them:

"Just now, Minister Yuan proposed that a special military committee should be established in the National Assembly to protect the rights and interests of military personnel."

"But the fifteen special committees have already been established, and any more would just create chaos."

"I think this matter is related to the Citizens' Committee, and Mr. Qian has also proposed merging some committees."

"That's why I've summoned you all here to discuss this together."

Chen Jiru agreed wholeheartedly and immediately said:
"The Men's Association under the Citizens' Rights Committee does indeed have responsibilities such as protecting military marriages and compiling statistics on able-bodied men."

"But when it comes to protecting the rights and interests of military personnel, it is certainly not as effective as a dedicated military commission."

"I believe that a Military Commission should be established to specifically formulate relevant laws."

Having fallen out with the Donglin Party members, Qian Qianyi naturally wouldn't want to offend Yuan Keli, the leader of the neutral faction. After careful consideration, he said:

"I also believe that a military commission should be established, as its importance far surpasses that of religion and other matters."

"Now, the imperial court has five departments and six ministries. The Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court have the Committee on Rites and Law in the National Assembly. The Ministry of Rites has the Committee on Education. The Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel have the Committee on Supervision and the Committee on Morality. The Court of Colonial Affairs has the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Overseas Chinese, and the Committee on Nobility. The Ministry of Revenue has the Committee on Citizens and the Committee on Finance. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices has the Committee on Economy. The Court of Agriculture has the Committee on Agriculture. The Ministry of Works has the Committee on Industry, the Committee on Commerce, and the Committee on Resources. Even the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has the Committee on Religion."

"It is truly puzzling that neither the Privy Council nor the Ministry of War has a single committee."

"I believe that the Religious Committee can be merged into the Education Committee, and a special committee position can be reserved for the Military Committee."

He portrayed his actions as selfless, giving up his seat to the Privy Council.

Zhu Youjian smiled and praised him, then asked Qian Qianyi:
"Do all religions agree to the inclusion of the Religious Affairs Committee under the Education Committee?"

“They are now a first-level committee, but if they are transferred to the Rehabilitation Committee, they will become a second-level committee.”

What are the views of the Taoist Association and the Buddhist Association?

Qian Qianyi, who was pushing this matter forward, was certainly not unprepared, and upon hearing this, he immediately replied:

"I, along with officials from the Daoist and Buddhist Registries, held talks with the Taoist Association and the Buddhist Association."

"Both religions agree that religion can also educate and are willing to join the Education Committee to contribute to the education cause of the Ming Dynasty."

"If it were not so, I would not dare to make this suggestion to Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian was greatly surprised to hear this. He never expected that Qian Qianyi would use the Taichang Temple's control over religion to directly suppress two religious associations.

The main religions in the Ming Dynasty are Taoism and Buddhism. After the two have submitted, other religions are even less able to oppose them.

Therefore, it is a foregone conclusion that the Religious Affairs Commission will be merged into the Education Commission, and it would be difficult to maintain its independent status if it were not merged.

After careful consideration, Zhu Youjian, at Qian Qianyi's request, placed the Religious Affairs Committee under the Education Committee, making it a secondary committee. The new special committee slots were allocated to the Military Affairs Committee.

Yuan Keli was very pleased to hear this, because he had previously discussed with the emperor the matter of submitting the bills on declaration of war, mobilization, and emergency martial law to the Military Commission for drafting.

Leaving aside the fact that declaring war required popular support, the part about martial law was a tacit understanding between him and the emperor.

It was precisely because he made a deal with the emperor by using the power of martial law that the emperor remained restrained and never issued imperial edicts indiscriminately.

However, he also had a concern: what if the emperor abused the power of martial law in the future, and would it lead to disaster?
Therefore, the emperor was overjoyed when he proposed that the issuance and lifting of martial law be drafted by the National Assembly's Military Committee and even incorporated into the law.

This means that the hidden dangers he left behind have been rectified, and he no longer needs to worry about being criticized for them.

So he said very happily:

"Grand Master Qian is very righteous, and I, on behalf of the Privy Council, thank you."

"But there is another committee that should also be included among the special committees of Congress."

"Last year, His Majesty addressed the security needs and established the Public Security Committee and the National Security Committee to coordinate relevant agencies."

"I believe that there should also be a security committee in the parliament to formulate relevant legislation."

"The matters of suppressing rebellion and disaster relief should be jointly drafted by the Security Committee, the Military Committee, and the Citizens Committee."

This matter also involves adjustments to the first-level committee and is also a power struggle with Zhu Youjian.

After Zheng Shiyi and Liu Qiao caused various troubles, Yuan Keli realized the importance of the two security committees and wanted to use legislation to restrain them.

To prevent the emperor from opposing him, he also brought up the matter of suppressing the rebellion and providing disaster relief, believing that the Security Committee should be responsible for this aspect.

Zhu Youjian naturally attached great importance to the suppression of rebellion and disaster relief, and always put Yuan Keli in charge of this aspect.

Yuan Keli's proposal has now put him in a difficult position, forcing him to agree to establish a security committee.

Thinking that the Embroidered Uniform Guard did indeed need a noose and could not be allowed to expand unchecked, Zhu Youjian agreed:
"A security committee should indeed be established."

"Public safety and national security are both important, as is personal safety."

"Sometimes, individuals need to relinquish certain rights in order to maintain public safety."

"How to reduce the infringement of individual rights while ensuring public safety is a matter that the Security Committee needs to weigh."

“Organizations involved in public safety, such as food associations, pharmaceutical associations, and health and fire departments, also need to be supervised by the safety committee.”

"So, do you think the Security Committee should be placed under the Military Committee, or should some committee relinquish its special committee slot?"

Qian Qianyi immediately mentioned the Ethics Committee, proposing:
"Moral evaluation is closely related to education."

"I believe that the Morality Committee can be incorporated into the Education Committee, and the vacant positions can be given to Security."

This was a request he had made in his memorial, but Zhu Youjian did not agree, saying:
"I am actually quite uneasy about the establishment of the Ethics Committee."

"Because I am worried that in the future some people will use the banner of morality to criticize or even harm others."

"Therefore, this committee should be set up separately, headed by morally upright gentlemen, and without any coercive power."

"It is associated not only with the Education Committee, but also with the Etiquette Committee, the Oversight Committee, the Citizens Committee, the Economic Committee, etc., which evaluate the morality of public figures and public groups and supervise various associations in terms of etiquette, morality, integrity, taxation and service."

When asked why he did this, Qian Qianyi fell silent.

As a scholar, he was clearly aware of the destructive power of moral judgment, which is the origin of the so-called "pure criticism among scholars."

The emperor valued the Morality Committee so highly that it was impossible for him to incorporate its ideas. He only partially agreed to the proposal in the memorial.

This made him ponder, wondering what the emperor's attitude towards him really was.

Chen Jiru had already received a hint, so he didn't have many thoughts at this moment and took the initiative to say:
"Overseas Chinese are citizens residing abroad, and their affairs should be included in the Citizens' Committee, while the Foreign Affairs Committee should assist in managing matters involving foreign affairs."

"We can relinquish our special committee seats and transfer them to the security committee."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval, confirming the establishment of a new Military Commission and a Security Commission to replace the Religious Commission and the Overseas Chinese Commission.

The structure of the National Assembly was basically established, and relevant committees formulated laws for matters handled by the five courts and six ministries.

Yuan Keli and Chen Jiru left satisfied, while Qian Qianyi was somewhat disappointed and walked a little slower.

To his surprise, the emperor summoned him back not long after, saying that there was something else to tell him.

Filled with doubt, Qian Qianyi returned to the Qianqing Palace dejectedly. Upon hearing the emperor's first words, he was so overjoyed he almost jumped for joy:

"The head of the Hanlin Academy?"

"Will I take on this role concurrently from now on?"

Somewhat incredulous, Qian Qianyi never expected that the emperor would send such a grand gift again.

Zhu Youjian nodded affirmatively and said:

"Now that Minister Cheng of the Ministry of Rites has become an Associate Grand Secretary, his future focus will inevitably be on the Cabinet."

"The affairs of the Ministry of Rites need to be shared by Vice Minister Li Biao."

"His health is not good, and it would be too tiring for him to also serve as the head of the Hanlin Academy."

"Sir, you are young and vigorous, and you are also a graduate of the Hanlin Academy, so you should take on more responsibility."

Qian Qianyi was naturally delighted with this, and then hesitantly said:
"The head of the Hanlin Academy is usually concurrently held by the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

"I am merely the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; is my status still somewhat lacking?"

This was a plea for a promotion. Zhu Youjian almost laughed out loud, but he had to suppress his laughter and say seriously:
"Hmm! It is indeed a little lacking."

"It just so happens that the Ministry of Rites is short of people right now, so Mr. Qian can be appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites to help Minister Cheng with some of the work."

"This work of teaching etiquette and music requires the teacher to take on more responsibility."

Qian Qianyi was overjoyed, realizing that the emperor intended to make good use of him.

He has now been appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and in the next term he will at least become the Left Vice Minister, and may even have the opportunity to serve as Minister and enter the cabinet.

Conversely, one would have to wait another term, first becoming the Right Vice Minister, before being able to continue to rise in rank.

So he was naturally very happy with the appointment, not to mention the opportunity to take charge of the Hanlin Academy.

This is the place where the Grand Secretariat cultivates talent; the Grand Secretaries of the Ming Dynasty are basically all from the Hanlin Academy.

If Qian Qianyi had managed things carefully, he could have gathered a group of people with his commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals, and they would have been highly capable individuals in no time.

This was obviously very important to him, who had just become independent from Donglin.

The practical school of thought can also be supplemented and improved by these core forces.

Zhu Youjian appointed Qian Qianyi to head the Hanlin Academy for this very reason.

At the same time, he hoped to change the functions of the Hanlin Academy and have it assume more responsibility. (End of Chapter)