Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

As the head of the Hanlin Academy, Qian Qianyi naturally had to leverage its influence.

Under the guise of setting official document formats, he dispatched officials from the Hanlin Academy to request various government departments to send officials to a meeting to discuss matters related to the standardization of official documents.

At his request as the heir apparent, all these government offices, regardless of their attitudes, sent officials of rank to participate in the meeting on official document standardization.

Gao Hongtu, the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, even attended the meeting in person.

Because it was he who strongly pushed for the investigation report.

Even the standards for official documents originated from this.

Qian Qianyi was overjoyed when he saw him arrive.

He knew that Gao Hongtu was also a close advisor to the emperor, and that Gao Hongtu was credited with the reorganization of the imperial guards.

This person was also favored by the emperor; otherwise, he would not have been appointed as the head of the Investigation Bureau.

Seeing Gao Hongtu arrive in person, Qian Qianyi said with a smile:

"It's just a matter of official documents, how could I dare trouble Imperial Censor Gao to come in person?"

"If there is anything you do not understand, I, Qian, will personally go to the Censorate to explain."

Gao Hongtu and Qian Qianyi were born in the same year. Although Gao Hongtu neither aligned himself with any faction nor followed any particular party, he didn't mind cultivating a good relationship with Qian Qianyi, the future prime minister. He also said with a smile:

"How dare! How dare!"

"Brother Muzhai has done a great thing, relieving me of a great predicament."

"If it weren't for Brother Muzhai's standardized official documents, the Censorate's investigation report would have taken much longer to be implemented!"

"With the Emperor's decree this time, let's see who dares to be negligent."

Gao Hongtu was furious when he thought about it.

The emperor had mentioned this matter in court, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already implemented it.

After becoming the Director-General of the Investigation Bureau, he planned to implement this system to establish tangible achievements.

As a close advisor, he knew that the current emperor valued practical achievements. No matter how much praise one received in ordinary times, it was not as valuable as establishing merits that would be commended and recorded in one's resume.

Implementing the investigation and reporting system was a key initiative he initiated within the Censorate. He intended to use this matter to demonstrate his capabilities to the emperor.

However, Gao Hongtu hadn't anticipated that the situation within the Censorate was far too complex. Even as the head of the Investigation Bureau, he couldn't force all the censors to comply.

Left with no other choice, Gao Hongtu even considered asking the emperor for help. However, he was too ashamed to ask the emperor for assistance in gaining merit.

It wasn't until Zhang Pu sent Chen Zilong to discuss the matter that Chen finally convinced himself. Together with Zhang Pu, he wrote a memorial to the throne, standardizing the investigative reports of censors and journalists.

Unexpectedly, the emperor responded so quickly, establishing a reportage in addition to the investigation report.

He even had Qian Qianyi lead the Hanlin Academy and various government departments to sort out the official document formats and formulate official document standards.

Such a significant impact filled Gao Hongtu with mixed feelings of surprise and delight, making him realize Zhang Pu's position in the emperor's eyes:
"This Zhang Tianru is truly favored by the Emperor!"

"I didn't believe it when people said he was a high-ranking official in plain clothes, but I never imagined his influence could truly rival that of the Nine Ministers."

"Even the memorials submitted by ordinary high-ranking officials cannot resolve the problem immediately."

"The Emperor truly trusts him!"

Gao Hongtu was in awe of Zhang Pu's influence and did not hold back in praising him to Qian Qianyi, even congratulating him on having another capable Hanlin scholar under his command.

Upon hearing this, Qian Qianyi's expression turned somewhat strange.

It's true that Zhang Pucheng was admitted to the Hanlin Academy after becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), but whether he would actually work under Zhang Pucheng's command is another matter.

Under his control, the Hanlin Academy is now promoting practical learning, while Zhang Pu is the founder of science.

As far as he knew, the emperor was preparing to arrange for Zhang Pu to take a part-time position at the Academy of Sciences, and the two might be in competition with each other.

So he subtly changed the subject and talked to Gao Hongtu about:

"I heard that Zhang Gong, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, is about to return to the court."

"Who will succeed him as Immigration Secretary?"

Gao Hongtu nodded slightly and said:

“Vice Censor Zhang is getting old, and he has been in charge of immigration matters for the past few years, which has been both mentally and physically demanding.”

"He fell ill several times last year, and if the emperor had not sent imperial physicians to treat him, he might have died in the line of duty."

"This year, the Emperor absolutely refused to let him continue, and ordered him to return to the court to recuperate under the pretext of reporting on his duties."

"The position of Left Vice Censor-in-Chief will be transferred to Senior Minister."

The Left Vice Censor-in-Chief is a third-rank official, while only officials of the first or second rank in the Imperial Academy can be called ministers.

Zhang Mengjing's promotion to Senior Minister was clearly a step up, but he was required to retire.

Thinking of how the emperor had praised Zhang Mengjing and Fan Jingwen for their dedication to disaster relief, Qian Qianyi couldn't help but feel regretful:
Judging from the emperor's attitude, it was clear that he intended to make good use of Zhang Mengjing. Unexpectedly, his health was so poor that he couldn't continue.

He asked Gao Hongtu:

"Has anyone been chosen for the next Left Vice Censor-in-Chief?"

"Whom does the Emperor prefer to take the position?"

The Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate also had to be recommended by the court, but the method of recommendation was different from that of other officials. Each minister qualified to recommend a candidate recommended by the court, and the emperor would then select the candidate from among them.

This was established when the current emperor enacted the Court Appointment Law, effectively stripping him of the power to appoint the Censor-in-Chief.

With so many officials qualified to recommend candidates, it was natural that someone would recommend someone according to the emperor's wishes.

Therefore, the appointment of the Censor-in-Chief is now tacitly accepted as depending on the emperor's wishes.

Gao Hongtu didn't know who the emperor would choose, and pondered:

"The Left Vice Censor-in-Chief is now in charge of immigration, and he will probably be selected from the governors and viceroys of the disaster areas."

"Fan Jingwen, Lu Xiangshan, Shen Zizhang, and Yang He are all possibilities, but it is unknown who the Emperor will choose."

"There are probably not many people willing to take up the positions of officials in the imperial court."

Clearly, everyone knew that immigration was a difficult task, and although it was valued by the emperor, few people could make up their minds to do it.
-

Zhu Youjian was also considering a new candidate for Minister of Immigration.

This position has little impact on the political landscape, but it is crucial to the safety of the nation.

The civil unrest in Shaanxi and Shanxi is gradually being quelled, mainly because the disaster victims have a way out: they can migrate overseas or to other parts of China, instead of just waiting to die.

In this way, since they hadn't reached a dead end, their determination to rebel diminished.

Because of this, the unrest in the Northwest never turned into a large-scale uprising.

Zhang Mengjing's role in this matter is something Zhu Youjian still remembers his contributions to this day:

"After he goes to the capital, he will be granted a noble title, and after he dies, he will be posthumously granted a divine status."

"Without this person's dedicated efforts, the disaster victims might not have been willing to relocate."

It is human nature for people to be attached to their homeland; few are willing to migrate unless they are driven to desperation.

If arrangements are not made properly along the way, and the disaster victims cause trouble, it could lead to even bigger problems and unrest.

Zhang Mengjing perfected the migration route from Yansui to Cangzhou from scratch. Zhu Youjian felt that with his achievements, he was qualified to become the god of the Yansui-Cangzhou Highway in the future.

If Zhang Mengjing's health hadn't been so poor, Zhu Youjian would have wanted to continue using him.

After considering several governors and viceroys who were capable of serving as Minister of Immigration, Zhu Youjian summoned Zheng Shiyi, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and asked him:

"Among the governors and viceroys in the Northwest, who is most concerned about the people's livelihood?"

Who is the most benevolent towards the people?

Zheng Shiyi hurriedly recalled the files from the Bureau of Official Intelligence and said:
"If we're talking about who cares most about the people, we should say it's Governor Yang of Shanxi."

"He advocated for appeasement during the suppression of bandits, which won him the hearts of the people."

The governor of Shanxi is Yang He, who was appointed last year to succeed Geng Ruqi.

Zhu Youjian frowned upon hearing that he was still only trying to appease him, and said:
"Yang He did a good job in pacification, but he was somewhat weak."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard should strengthen the Shanxi Guard Commandery and help him balance leniency and severity." Having rejected this candidate, Zheng Shiyi was asked to suggest others.

Zheng Shiyi then said:
"Fan Futai of Henan was honest and upright, and he attached great importance to reducing the burden on the people."

"After he took office as governor last year, the taxes in Henan were greatly reduced. Although there were more corvée labor, the people praised him highly."

“Nowadays, water conservancy projects are being built all over Henan, and Governor Fan personally visited the construction sites.”

The task of constructing water conservancy projects was naturally entrusted to Zhu Youjian. He knew that Henan would experience a severe drought in a few years.

Therefore, he allowed all taxes from Henan to be retained for drought relief.

Fan Jingwen clearly did a good job, and the people were willing to listen to him.

Therefore, Fan Jingwen cannot be transferred out at this time, Zhu Youjian said:
"Fan Jingwen has performed his duties diligently, and I will issue an order to commend him."

"But he's not suitable for a transfer right now. Let's talk about other people."

Then Zheng Shiyi mentioned Shen Zizhang, the governor of Shaanxi, who was also involved in water conservancy projects and drought relief in Shaanxi, and was also not suitable for relocation.

The governor of Baoding, Lu Xiang-sheng, made Zhu Youjian hesitate:

“Lu Xiang-sheng is capable of serving as Immigration Minister, but it is somewhat of a waste of his talents.”

"His Tianxiong Army is the reserve force for guarding the Great Wall."

"It is not advisable to move this person until the Jurchens are no longer a threat."

After rejecting Lu Xiang-sheng's transfer request, Zhu Youjian finally asked:
How is Zhu Tongmeng now?

What is his reputation in Yansui?

After careful consideration, Zheng Shiyi finally answered truthfully:

"General Zhu did a good job stabilizing Yansui; the bandits in Yansui have all fled to Shanxi."

"But because of this, he was criticized by officials and people in Shanxi."

"There's also the matter of converting Yansui Prefecture and County into a military-civilian garrison. Zhu Hujun was too forceful, which has drawn a lot of criticism."

The Yansui Protectorate was one of the earliest places to be placed under military control, with no precedent to follow.

Zhu Tongmeng had just been protected by Zhu Youjian, and in order to gain the emperor's favor, he spared no effort in promoting policies.

Because of this, his forced military control offended many wealthy families, and his later forced emigration further offended powerful officials.

In recent years, he has been frequently impeached, and if it weren't for Zhu Youjian's efforts to protect him, he would have been unable to continue his career long ago.

That's why Zheng Shiyi didn't mention Zhu Tongmeng earlier, and didn't think he was a kind-hearted person.

However, Zhu Youjian always remembered Zhu Tongmeng's reason for protecting Xiong Tingbi: hundreds of thousands of lives were saved by Tingbi alone.

People who have this understanding, as long as they don't undergo a drastic personality change, can at least be considered to have a bottom line.

The most important thing in immigration matters is this bottom line: we cannot ignore the deaths of people.

He asked Zheng Shiyi:

Did Zhu Tongmeng commit indiscriminate killings in Yansui?

"Has there been any acts of cruelty?"

Zheng Shiyi thought for a moment and replied:

"There was no indiscriminate killing."

"But there were instances of whipping common people and beating criminals to death."

"He was inevitably a bit too eager when he was reforming the system."

This assessment made Zhu Youjian frown, realizing it was a flaw in Zhu Tongmeng.

This person does value the lives of ordinary people, but it's hard to say exactly how much.

For him, official position was always the most important thing, and he would not hesitate to kill anyone who disobeyed him.

Ultimately, after careful consideration, Zhu Youjian felt that Zhu Tongmeng was capable of preventing major chaos in Yansui, and decided:
"The Minister of Immigration will first appoint Zhu Tongmeng as acting head of the department to see if he can handle the job."

"Who was it that prepared the report on the disaster two years ago? Let him assist Zhu Tongmeng."

Zheng Shiyi happened to remember this person and hurriedly said:
"It is Ma Maocai. He was a Jinshi in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign and is currently serving as a Xingrensi (a minor official) with the rank of sixth grade."

Zhu Youjian nodded and said:

“Send someone to recommend him as an imperial censor to inspect the Yancang Highway.”

"Officials who perform well during the immigration process may also be promoted as appropriate."

The plan is to have Zhang Mengjing write a memorial praising the achievements of the officials in charge of immigration over the past few years, and to reward them collectively.

With these people assisting Zhu Tongmeng, the immigration situation should not change drastically.

At the same time, he ordered Zheng Shiyi to arrange for officials under the control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to recommend Ma Maocai as an imperial censor, as requested.

Zhu Youjian kept a close eye on the Censorate and the Imperial Censorate, fearing that they might cause trouble in the court.

After his suppression, the Six Ministries could only reject imperial edicts that violated etiquette and law, but the censors were still somewhat dissatisfied.

Zhu Youjian supported the implementation of the investigation report because he hoped to reorganize the Censorate and make the censors focus their energy on officials.

Zhu Youjian was not actually very satisfied with Wang Zaijin's laissez-faire attitude.

Although he kept a close eye on Liaodong affairs due to his feud with Sun Chengzong, thus achieving Zhu Youjian's goal of putting pressure on Liaodong, he still displeased Zhu Youjian, who felt he was not up to the position of Left Censor-in-Chief.

This person is too good at protecting himself and doesn't care about many things at all.

Once things are settled in Liaodong, we'll remove him from office.
"Next year is a leadership transition year, and Wang Zaijin will be 69 years old then."

"It's a good time to let him retire and not remain in office."

While pondering the future structure of the court, Zhu Youjian suddenly received bad news:

Grand Secretary Li Guopu has died; he passed away at home.

Although this was something that had been expected, hearing it still saddened Zhu Youjian.

Li Guopu also played a crucial role in assisting him to ascend the throne, and being young, he was a talent that Li Guopu intended to use extensively.

It's heartbreaking that this person passed away in his forties.

Meanwhile, the death of Li Guopu, the second-ranking official, will undoubtedly bring about significant changes in the court.

If not handled properly, chaos may break out in the imperial court.

Suppressing his grief, Zhu Youjian said:
"I hereby order the Prince of Lu to offer condolences on my behalf."

"Posthumously conferred the title of Viscount, with his descendants inheriting the title of Baron."

He ordered people to bestow gifts according to the pre-arranged plan, in order to appease the people in the court and among the common people.

Soon, the posthumous titles and obituary for Li Guopu were released.

Also released was an obituary for Wang Zunde, the governor of Guangxi, who passed away at the end of last year.

It was only because the news traveled slowly, reaching the capital last month, that Zhu Youjian suppressed it under the pretext of final judgment, and now issued the obituary together.

He also ordered the selection of the governor of Guangxi to be made through court recommendation.

The nine ministers responsible for recommending the temporary governor were immediately drawn to this matter.

The nobles were even more concerned, because the newly appointed governor of Guangxi was likely in charge of the Annam campaign.

This matter concerned the establishment of fiefdoms by several families of founding heroes, so they naturally attached great importance to it. They all began to make efforts and contact qualified candidates.

The activities of the nobles also influenced the cabinet, and the Grand Secretaries of the cabinet were clearly paying close attention to the distribution of Annam to the founding heroes.

Ordinary nobles were one thing, but the founding heroes, because they inherited several dukedoms, always had great influence in the court and among the people.

Given the potential competition from noble families, unity among civil officials was clearly the top priority.

Furthermore, having already reached an agreement with Han Kuang, Zhu Youjian smoothly appointed Yang Jingchen as the second-highest-ranking official in the cabinet. He effectively suppressed the turmoil caused by Li Guopu's death.

Those in the know at court were more concerned with the selection of the governor of Guangxi and the matter of granting fiefdoms to Annam. (End of Chapter)