I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 640 Where does joy come from?

The weather in the capital was getting colder. Zhu Yijun put on a padded robe and sat in the main hall of the Ziguang Pavilion, listening to Feng Bao's report.

Feng Bao was dressed in a bullfighting suit and a steel fork hat, looking very high-spirited.

"When I was on tour in the east, the emperor told me to ask the Imperial Household Department to take control of the lonely ghosts of the Tongzhengsi. I thought about it and consulted Master Zhao and Master Zhang. After careful consideration, I finally decided on this draft."

"About the Ministry of Public Administration?"

Zhu Yijun knew that this Tongzhengsi was set up by his ancestor Emperor Taizu, and its full name was "Tongzhengshisi".

His duty was to accept and refute memorials from both inside and outside the country. Whenever there were petitions and suggestions, appeals for grievances, or reports of illegalities from all over the country, he would copy the reasons for the complaints in the notebook and submit them to the emperor.

To put it simply, it is the central mail room.

But Emperor Taizu did not set up such an institution for no reason.

Many of the official positions and official systems were often thought of by him in a flash of inspiration when he listened to old scholars talking about the official positions and official systems of the pre-Song Dynasty and combined them with the problems he encountered in his own practice of governing the country.

The model of the Tongzhengsi was the Tongjinyintaisi of the Song Dynasty.

In the early Song Dynasty, the two offices were divided into Tongjin and Yintai.

The Tongjinsi was in charge of receiving memorials from all over the country that were received by the Yintaisi, as well as memorials from the hundreds of ministries in the capital and the close officials of the civil and military departments, and submitting them to the emperor, and then issuing them to the outside.

The Yintai Division was in charge of receiving memorials from all over the country, copying their contents to present to the emperor, sending them for inspection, correcting any violations, supervising any delays, and concurrently being in charge of issuing imperial edicts.

Later, the two departments were merged into one and collectively called Tongjin Yintai Department.

Emperor Taizu was probably inspired by this to establish the Tongzhengsi.

During the Hongwu and Yongle periods, the Tongzhengsi enjoyed great prosperity.

At that time, the Tongzhengsi had a very high status and was ranked as one of the Nine Ministers, after the Censorate and before the Dali Temple. It obtained the power previously possessed by the prime minister to split, organize and submit various memorials to the emperor.

He was responsible for the important task of "communicating the situation of the people below, controlling the official documents coming in and out of various departments, reporting memorials to the four directions, enshrining their opinions, and presenting their grievances, as well as military news, disasters, etc."

When the emperor was in court, the chief of the Tongzhengsi had to report various court affairs to the emperor. The Tongzhengshi was eligible to participate in discussions on major policies, major cases, and meetings to appoint civil and military ministers.

The six censors who were so powerful and feared by gods and ghosts were still the lackeys of the Ministry of Public Security at that time.

After the rise of the Imperial Household Department of the Inner Court and the Cabinet of the Outer Court, the status of the Ministry of Public Administration became awkward.

The Imperial Household Department had its own writing room, which was responsible for collecting memorials from the six ministries, the Censorate, and local governments, and copying a copy of it before sending it to the Cabinet. The Cabinet would then draft it and hand it over to the writing room, which would take back the draft and send it to the six ministries, the Censorate, and local governments for implementation.

Why do we need you, the Minister of Public Administration, to take more steps?
As a result, the Tongzhengsi had less and less time, and became a fellow sufferer with the other temples.

After he came to power, the various temples became the Ming version of committees or general bureaus, with their power and responsibilities and status at the central level not inferior to those of the Six Ministries. Now the only one standing in the west wind and continuing to be in disarray was the Tongzhengsi.

He has completely become a wandering ghost.

But a piece of straw paper also has its uses, and an institution as large as your Tongzhengsi must play its role.

He gave this task to Feng Bao.

I didn't expect him to come up with a plan so quickly.

"Feng Bao, tell me about your draft."

"Yes, sir." Feng Bao cleared his throat.

After returning from Chengde, Feng Bao quickly regained his previous momentum and became a popular and powerful figure in the capital again.

"Your Majesty, this is what I think.

Emperor Taizu established the Tongzhengsi with the intention of preventing foreign officials from getting hold of secret reports from various internal and external departments, reading them first, and hiding any reports that might be harmful to him, thus deceiving the emperor.

The main responsibilities are to split, organize, and submit various internal and external memorials to the emperor.

It just so happens that the Silijian lacks a yamen outside to handle this matter. The emperor has assigned the Tongzhengsi to the Silijian. His Majesty has a profound intention. I have pondered over it again and again before I realized something. "

Feng Bao raised his eyes slightly and felt relieved when he saw Zhu Yijun sitting behind the imperial desk without any expression.

"The new national system established by the Emperor is that the provincial government offices send official documents directly to the Cabinet, the provincial procuratorates send official documents directly to the Censorate, the military preparation offices send official documents directly to the military government, and the Mongolian left and right wings send official documents directly to the Xuanhuiyuan.

Previously, memorials from the three ministries and one academy, as well as memorials from civil and military officials, were delivered to the Cuihua Gate of the Western Garden once in the morning and once in the evening every day, handed over to the East and West Writing Rooms of the Imperial Household Department, and then received the imperial approval from the Writing Rooms.

What I mean is that from now on all memorials submitted directly to the emperor will be sent directly to the Ministry of Public Security, which will split and organize them before submitting them all to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In addition, when official documents from the three departments of each province and the three wings of Mongolia are sent directly to the three prefectures and one court, a copy must be given to the Tongzhengsi for future reference.

Zhu Yijun immediately understood the intention behind Feng Bao's draft.

Previously, the work of splitting, organizing, and submitting memorials from internal and external officials was done by the Writing Office of the Imperial Household Department.

When Feng Bao went to Chengde to supervise the construction of the temporary imperial court, he split the Writing Room into two, the East and West Writing Rooms. The East Writing Room corresponded to the Cabinet and the Censorate, and the West Writing Room corresponded to the Military Government and the Xuanhuiyuan.

It was then divided among the eunuchs Chen Ju and Li Chun, who were in charge of the Imperial Household Department. When Feng Baoyi came back, he found that his position as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department had been sidelined.

Although Feng Bao was a disabled person, his knowledge surpassed many Hanlin Jinshi, his ability was not inferior to those capable ministers, and he also had his own lofty ambitions.

How could he be willing to sit back and watch his power slip away?
Taking advantage of the opportunity of asking him to take over the Ministry of Public Security, he came up with this draft.

He transferred part of the power of the Eastern and Western Writing Rooms to the Tongzhengsi, and then he controlled this power through the Tongzhengshi.

Even though he could not control the Tongzhengsi, Feng Bao greatly weakened the power of Chen Ju and Li Chun, greatly reducing the threat posed by the two to him.

What a plan!
Zhu Yijun didn't mind his subordinates playing tricks and doing small things.

No one is perfect. Even someone as pure as Hai Rui has his own little tricks, let alone other people.

The imperial power tactics learned from my grandfather, the emperor, require the ministers below to fight against each other. If they are all of one mind, I will not be able to sleep or eat well.

Control the scope and intensity of the struggle, fight without breaking up, and don't delay important work.

Zhu Yijun nodded calmly, "Feng Bao, is there anything else?"

“Your Majesty, I have consulted Master Zhao and Master Zhang and learned that the Tongzhengsi of the Ming Dynasty originated from the Tongjinyintaisi of the Song Dynasty.

In addition to receiving memorials from all over the country and copying their contents to present to the emperor, this department also has the responsibility to send them out for inspection, correct violations, and supervise delays.

What I mean is that the Tongzhengsi is responsible for delivering the king's orders and communicating the situation of the people. It has the duty of reporting on all matters, but also the responsibility of supervising the delays.

The Emperor appointed provincial governors to lead inspection offices. In addition to inspecting the three departments and counties to observe the law, they also had an important responsibility to inspect the three departments and counties to comply with the Emperor's orders and the Central Government's orders, as well as to supervise other tasks assigned by the governors.

Zhu Yijun smiled and asked, "You want the Tongzhengsi to become my inspection office."

"Your Majesty is wise. You have the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the little tricks of the ministers below cannot be hidden from the Holy Observer. But I think that the Majesty has always said that the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guards can spy on the private affairs, but they can do it but not say it.

In this case, I thought of using the Tongzhengsi to do grand things. The imperial edicts would be transferred by the Tongzhengsi to the internal and external departments. Then the Tongzhengsi would set its own rules. The imperial edicts would instruct the departments to handle the matters, and the Tongzhengsi would send regular letters to urge inquiries and supervision.

In the future, if an official makes a mistake, he cannot just slap his head and say, "Oh, I was busy and forgot." You forgot, but the Tongzhengsi did not forget. Take out the written records of the urging and inspection, one, two, three times, you signed for it and replied to it. If you use this as an excuse again, you are just lying with your eyes open. "Zhu Yijun praised, "You have ideas and you think carefully.

After all, the Silijian is the inner court, and many things cannot be done outside the palace. It is a proper solution to assign the Tongzhengsi to the Silijian.

What about the Advisory Council Secretariat?

"Your Majesty, this is what I think." Feng Bao stepped forward and touched Zhu Yijun's teacup. Feeling that it was cold, he hurriedly said, "Someone, please change the tea for Your Majesty.

The weather is cold, Your Majesty, you can’t drink herbal tea, it hurts your spleen and stomach.”

An eunuch brought hot tea. Zhu Yijun picked up the cup and took a sip. "Feng Bao, continue talking."

"Your Majesty, those civil officials may not be very capable in their work, but they have very bad tempers. If the Tongzhengsi was placed under the supervision of the Sili, those civil officials would definitely be ashamed to be attached to the eunuchs and would refuse to work in the Tongzhengsi no matter what.

I originally wanted to design a considerate office for the emperor, so that he could gather more talented people to work for him and have him worry less.

If this backfires, talented people will not want to go to the Tongzhengsi, which is not good. Therefore, I suggest that the Tongzhengsi be directly managed by the Zizheng Bureau, and it should also be responsible for organizing the imperial court council and the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month court meetings.

Hereby, the Secretariat of the Advisory Bureau can be transferred to the Tongzhengsi. "

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Zhu Yijun laughed loudly: "It is called the Advisory Bureau, but in fact it is managed by the Imperial Household Department. The Advisory Bureau was originally a deliberative and advisory body. The advisors have their own duties, and they only get together to discuss matters when there are issues. How can it manage it?

Well, the Council of State Affairs and the Imperial Council are originally of the same lineage. I just use them as decision-making bodies, but if the decisions cannot be implemented, no matter how good the decisions are, they will be of no use.

Well, they do need a permanent body that will be responsible for day-to-day management.

In addition to the duties you mentioned, such as receiving the king's orders, communicating the situation of the people, handling all affairs, and supervising the delays, the Tongzhengsi is also responsible for the convening, recording, issuing decisions, and supervising the Council of Advisors and the Imperial Court."

He pointed at Feng Bao and said, "Feng Bao, Feng Bao, you are very talented. If you were not disabled, you could have passed the imperial examination and served in the cabinet, and you would have a seat in the Council of State Affairs."

Feng Bao bowed quickly and said, "Your Majesty, you are praising me too much."

"Your draft is well proposed," Zhu Yijun stood up and walked to Feng Bao.

Feng Bao is not short. According to the new measurement, he is about 1.7 meters tall. Zhu Yijun is now taller than him, at 1.75 meters.

He reached out and patted Feng Bao on the shoulder, "Your draft has enlightened me, and the problem that has been bothering me for a long time has suddenly become clear.

How to normalize the Advisory Council and the Imperial Court Council and how to ensure that their decisions are followed in a timely and effective manner can be completely connected through the Ministry of Public Administration.

Well, the title of Chaoyi Dafu can be changed to Yizheng. The Minister of State Affairs, the Minister of State Affairs. The Minister of State Affairs can participate in the imperial council meeting. The Advisory Bureau and the Imperial Council are the decision-making bodies, and the daily affairs are handled by the Tongzhengsi.

He was ordered to convene meetings of the Advisory Council and the Imperial Council to formulate topics, arrange agendas, record meetings, and report and communicate decisions.

The Secretariat of the Advisory Bureau was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Administration and was also the secretariat of the Imperial Council.

Feng Bao, please revise your draft according to this idea."

"According to the order."

When Chen Ju came in with a stack of memorials, he saw Feng Bao coming out with a beaming face, and he quickly stood aside and called out respectfully, "Eunuch Feng."

"Chen Ju is here." Feng Bao said amiably, "The emperor is inside, please come in."

Chen Ju watched Feng Bao's back as he walked away, his eyes flickering. He waited for about ten seconds and then walked to the door of the main hall.

"Your Majesty, your servant Chen Ju requests to see you."

"Come in."

"Your Majesty, these are the memorials and petitions that the cabinet just submitted this morning. The Dongwenfang has sorted them out and prepared a catalogue. Please have a look, Your Majesty."

Chen Ju placed the memorial on a corner of the imperial desk, took out a list from the top, and handed it to Zhu Yijun with both hands.

Zhu Yijun took it and quickly scanned it on the paper.

"There are so many memorials to the Honglu Temple today. Did they just come back from vacation?"

Chen Ju smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, Yu Dayou, the Marquis of Tongan, led the Suzaku Navy to defeat the Arab, Indian, and Portuguese navies in the South Ocean, which enhanced our country's prestige. The countries in the South Ocean were convinced and sent envoys to pay tribute to show their submission."

"What countries are there?"

Chen Ju quickly pulled out a book, opened it and saw the sticker on it, which was a summary of the contents made by the eunuch in the Imperial Household Department.

"In reply to the emperor, six countries including Bengal, Arakan, Calicut Zamorin, Bijapur, Gujarat and Toungoo have sent envoys to pay tribute."

"Taungyu Kingdom? The Kingdom of Taungyu whose ruler is Mang Yinglong?"

Chen Ju quickly looked down at the memorial, and after seeing the confirmed information, he quickly replied: "To reply to the emperor, yes, the ruler is Mang Yinglong's Toungoo Kingdom."

"Haha, he still has the nerve to send an envoy? Is he here to pay tribute, or to slap me in the face?" Zhu Yijun sneered, "He and the former Toungoo ruler Mang Shwe Ti were originally chieftains of Yunnan in the Ming Dynasty. As they grew more powerful, they lost their king and father and became rebellious.

They formed an army and started a rebellion, occupying a large area of ​​Yunnan in Ming Dynasty. There is a song in Yunnan that goes, "The government only loves a piece of paper, and has lost two thousand miles of territory." The emperor hated it deeply.

I haven't even gone to look for him yet, but he's knocking on my door instead. Pass the order down!"

Chen Ju immediately picked up the pen and paper on the imperial desk.

"The Toungoo Kingdom has been treacherous and disloyal for a long time. During the Jiajing period, they invaded and occupied thousands of miles of Yunnan land, which was very cruel. 'Can revenge be taken after nine generations? Even after a hundred generations.'

I am impatient and cannot wait for nine generations, I will take revenge in the third generation! I ordered the South China Sea Navy to arrest the envoys of the Kingdom of Toungoo and throw all the so-called tribute into the sea.

Then he was escorted all the way back to Toungoo, and a notice was given to the countries in the South China Sea that Toungoo was a traitor to the Ming Dynasty and anyone could kill him!
Send another order to the South China Sea Navy, led by Yu Dayou, the Marquis of Tongan, to blockade the coast of Toungoo, bombard the port, and support the example of Eastern Japan!

I will order that no one from the Kingdom of Toungoo can go out to sea, and that no city or people be built within a hundred miles of the coast!"

"According to the order!"

After Chen Ju finished writing, he waited for the ink to dry and then presented it to Emperor Zhu Yijun.

The text has been polished and is catchy, but the meaning is the same as what I said.

Zhu Yijun picked up the pen, signed "Guo Yi", and asked Chen Ju to go to the Shangbao Bureau to use the seal.

"Your Majesty!" Wanfu ran in hurriedly, his face full of surprise.

"Wanfu, what's the matter? You look so happy, it's like you flew in here."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Where does happiness come from?"

"Empress Shun is pregnant."

Concubine Shun, is Wang Lan'er pregnant?
The brush in Zhu Yijun's hand fell on the imperial desk with a thud.

(End of this chapter)