Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 201: Five-Minister Co-Governance, Clear Division of Power and Responsibilities

There is one more concubine in the harem, and her title is Shen.

Wang Jiayue happily moved to a new home, Jingyang Palace.

Among the twelve eastern and western palaces, only the Yikun Palace is left without an owner.

The next day, the last person to arrive at the Forbidden City was Li Chengliang, who rushed back from the Beijing Camp outside the city.

After he was allowed to enter the city, Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue, Tian Le and Zhu Guozuo set out together to the Qianqing Palace.

The lineup was special, the number of people was small, and everyone knew that something big was going to be discussed.

Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue and Tian Le are naturally important enough, and Zhu Guozuo, as the Minister of Rites, is now only thinking of one possibility in his heart: Is it possible that they want to discuss the matter of filling the cabinet?
It doesn't seem like it. When discussing the replacement of cabinet members, why would we call on meritorious officials?
Or is it not just about filling cabinet posts?
When he arrived at the Qianqing Palace with mixed feelings, Zhu Changluo was already sitting on the throne.

After meeting him, the emperor gave them seats, and the five of them sat in a row in the Mingtang, the main hall of the Qianqing Palace.

Then Tian Yi and Chen Ju went over and closed the door, returned to Zhu Changluo, and stood on the left and right of the steps.

"Let me start by stating the main point." Zhu Changluo said directly, "I summoned you all here today to discuss the major changes to the central government offices."

Everyone was shocked and confused: the central government office had only been changed once and a half since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

The first time was during the Hongwu period when the Secretariat was abolished and the prime minister was deposed.

The latter half was nothing more than the establishment of the Silijian and the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. It is called half because their actual power and status have never been clearly defined in the official system, and their position is still essentially the emperor's secretary.

Now the emperor says he wants to make major changes to the central government offices.

No one had thought about this question, so they were not mentally prepared. Before knowing the emperor's intention, it was inconvenient to say anything immediately.

"In short, there are one room and four courts." Zhu Changluo looked at them and said, "The Imperial Study, Jinxian Court, Shizheng Court, Privy Council, and Jiancha Court. One room and four courts, each with a university scholar, to advise the emperor on government affairs."

Zhu Guozuo thought of filling the cabinet positions, but he didn't expect it to be this way.

In the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, only the sunlight from outside came in through the window panes. Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue were both looking at the emperor.

It is obvious that each of the four academies has a grand secretary, and each grand secretary of the cabinet has specific affairs to be in charge of.

In a way... this is the restoration of the prime minister, but there are five prime ministers in total.

Everyone was still waiting for the emperor to continue explaining his ideas.

"The Jinxianyuan, as the name suggests, selects talented people for the country and promotes trust and friendship." Zhu Changluo skipped the Imperial Study and looked directly at Shen Shixing and Zhu Guozuo. "The Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial College in Beijing, the Imperial Academy in Nanjing, the Imperial Temple, and the Honglu Temple are all managed by the Grand Secretary of the Jinxianyuan."

Shen Shixing and Zhu Guozuo's hearts skipped a beat. Shen Shixing looked at the emperor in disbelief: "...Ministry of Personnel?"

The Minister of Personnel was not allowed to join the cabinet because he had great power. And now this Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Rites is not only in charge of culture and education, but also in charge of the selection of officials?

"The Censorate reviews government affairs, military affairs, and personnel gains and losses." Zhu Changluo answered him with this, "There are senior scholars who are responsible for the six departments, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple."

The Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate is not here, so a word comes to everyone’s mind: Grand Censor.

Zhu Changluo then looked at Wang Xijue and said, "The Administrative Office is responsible for enforcing administrative orders and managing civil affairs. A senior academician will be appointed to manage the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Academy, and the Imperial Hospital. In addition to the three ministries, the Imperial Academy will be responsible for disaster relief. A medical and nursing home will be added above the Imperial Hospital, which will manage the Imperial Hospital, the military hospital, and the hospital for epidemic prevention."

He didn't mention the details, only the structure, but the Executive Yuan has made it clear. After removing the Ministry of Culture, Education, Personnel and the Ministry of War, it will focus on finance, as well as infrastructure, civil crime and disaster preparedness that must be maintained to ensure stable national financial needs.

At this point, it is very clear what the Privy Council is. In fact, the Privy Council was not something new.

As expected, Zhu Changluo continued, "The Privy Council is responsible for military preparations and military affairs. It has one Wuying Grand Secretary who is in charge of the Five Ministries, the Ministry of War, and the Imperial Household Department."

But the final Imperial Study was beyond everyone's expectation: "The Imperial Study has a Zhongji Grand Secretary, who is responsible for one thing: all officials above the fifth rank selected by the Jinxian Academy and above the fourth rank selected by the local government, unless there is an emergency, must go to the Tongzheng Academy under the Hanlin Academy for further study for one month to half a year, and only those who pass the examination can be appointed."

Shen Shixing calmed down from the unexpected incident in charge of the Ministry of Personnel.

In the final analysis, it was still the Ministry of Personnel and the Jinxianyuan who proposed candidates, and there was another review before the appointment in the Imperial Study, and after the appointment, there was supervision by the Jianchayuan. Similarly, throughout the whole process, the emperor always had the highest power.

Of course, there is also an invisible change: although there was an unspoken rule in the past that only those who were of Hanlin origin could enter the cabinet, in the future, as everyone moves up, they will basically have the experience of studying in the Hanlin Academy. Does this count as a Hanlin origin?

The Hanlin Academy is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Study, which means that in the future all local prefects and above, and doctors in the two capitals and above, will have to come before the emperor for quite some time.

Zhu Changluo looked at the five of them and said, "There are still many details to be discussed in the various ministries and yamen of the Central Government according to this general direction. Today, I will first discuss the general strategy with you, and then we will expand the scope. I will not deny that the establishment of five ministers, their powers and responsibilities, their hierarchical relationships and processes all need to be clarified. Once the discussion is complete, the three palaces that have not been built in the future will all be greatly modified."

He paused and then emphasized solemnly: "I rule the country, and the civil and military officials assist me outside. From now on, I am willing to try to change the pattern of the monarch and his subjects ruling the world together!"

Over the past two years, many of the problems of the Ming Dynasty have been brought to Zhu Changluo's attention. Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the position of prime minister and took direct control of the six ministries, so the power of the emperor was of course becoming more and more centralized.

But over time, although the cabinet did not have a prime minister in name, it had the power of a prime minister.

What's more, times are changing, and Zhu Changluo must loosen up and explore a new pattern that can both improve efficiency and stimulate changes in ideological cognition.

If the emperor treats all officials as his servants, it will only lead to the officials and nobles treating the poor people as their servants.

Now Zhu Changluo wanted to send a clear signal to the world: he agreed with the co-governance of the monarch and his subjects, but he did not agree with the idea of ​​"governing the world together with the gentry."

Interests are only one aspect; the promotion and increase in salary have already shown his attitude.

But ideals and ambitions are also one aspect. The world actually belongs to everyone, and there is no need to hide this. But the prime minister is actually a prime minister, who has his office set up in the outer court of the Forbidden City. The emperor provides such an open stage, but only the wise and capable people who really want to display their ambitions of governing the country and bringing peace to the world can enjoy this respect.

As the discussion deepened, Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue and others certainly understood the emperor's main ideas.

Personnel, financial affairs, military power and supervision were separated, and the Imperial Study became a "secretary cabinet" directly under the emperor.

This inner aspect is the most flexible and has huge room for evolution in the future.

The emperor divided the most important powers among several people. The most important change for the court was the creation of three more prime minister positions.

For the central and local governments, there are many issues that need to be considered.

For example, should the Education Commissioner continue to be managed by the local Criminal Commissioner in the future, or should the government offices in each province at least be aligned with those of the central government?
For example, local governors and governors-general have enormous power, especially above the three local officials. So how can we balance the contradiction that the Administrative Council at the central level is more important than the Inspection Council, while the inspection system is more important at the local level?
In the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, Li Chengliang never said a word.

It was actually a special favor for him to be called in the first batch.

The Wuying Grand Secretary of the Privy Council is of course still a civil official. But in the future, the Privy Council will have to define its powers. The five ministries and the Ministry of War are all under the Privy Council, and the Imperial Household Department, which owns the horse administration treasury, is also assigned to the Privy Council. Therefore, the Privy Council is very important in many matters such as the selection and appointment of military officers, the supply of food and military equipment, and the planning and command of wars.

It is definitely not something that can be influenced by a military minister alone.

The discussion about the Privy Council had not yet begun, and Li Chengliang was just listening.

If the Prime Minister is the Grand Marshal, then... perhaps there is also a position like the Grand General in the Privy Council.

There are actually quite a lot of details in power, and each specific power has dimensions such as source, execution, and supervision.

After discussing with them for a while, Zhu Changluo only said: "The biggest change this time is that I want to divide it into one house and four courtyards, and appoint five prime ministers. After that, the various government offices will be divided and subordinated, and all matters will be reported to one prime minister. The local areas can be kept as before, and the civil and military ranks and many honorary titles can be sorted out by the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites. If the financial budget can be settled in the next few years, then the three palaces can be rebuilt according to the new system, and I might as well directly decide the name of the prime minister."

He looked at everyone one by one: "It is natural for the gentry to be inspected at the local level. I am not a harsh monarch, but I am dedicated to governing the country. I honor and appoint virtuous ministers, increase their official positions and salaries, and I hope that all the virtuous people in the world understand my meaning. Gentlemen love money, but they get it in a proper way. The financial situation of the court should be stable and improving, so that all officials can enjoy their honorable positions without worrying about their family expenses. Gentlemen in the world should not be able to gain fame and privileges and then stay in the opposition to enrich their families instead of thinking about governing the country and bringing peace to the world."

"Being in power has its advantages and responsibilities, and being in opposition has its advantages and responsibilities. The truth is simple."

His tone was matter-of-fact, and they all looked over.

First, Shen Shixing said: "The Jinxian Academy educates the world and selects talents for appointment. It must think about how the great way of learning can benefit the country, and how the scholars of the world can stay close to the great way and not violate the laws of the country."

Then, Wang Xijue said: "When the Executive Yuan is administering government and ensuring the safety of the people, it must always think about what is truly stable and how to ensure that the people can live and work in peace and contentment and lead better and better lives."

After that, it was Tian Le and Li Chengliang: "The Privy Council protects the country and the people, but must always remember that forgetting war will lead to danger, and loving war will lead to destruction. Every time you use troops, you must consider whether you should use them, how to use them, and what you will gain and lose if you use them. You must consider both the present and the long term."

Finally, Zhu Guozuo said: "The same is true for the Imperial Study and the Inspection Office. They should be able to communicate with the upper and lower levels, check for deficiencies and fill in the gaps, and correct and revoke malpractices. They should unite the public and loyal, and be vigilant against the corruption of officials and scholars."

Zhu Guozuo is still not sure whether he can make progress this time, but he is very enthusiastic now.

Zhu Changluo finally asked: "Regarding this major change of the central government offices, what do you think about the general direction? If you all think it is worth a try, then the next step is to call the heads of each government office to discuss it together."

The emperor is willing to delegate power at this level, why should everyone stop him?
For Shen Shixing, he should have been the Prime Minister next. But how could the Prime Minister under the old system compare to one of the five ministers who held both the titles of Grand Master of the Imperial Clan and Grand Heavenly Official under the Jinxian Academy?

To Wang Xijue, it seemed that in the future, as long as the five ministers in front of the emperor decided what to do, no one would interfere with the prime minister's government affairs.

And for everyone else, three more aspects!
Tian Le knew that the emperor would have to take huge actions in the future to ensure that "all industries are included in the court", but the first step was to insert a military minister into the top power circle.

"Your Majesty governs the world with kindness and courtesy to the wise. I have no objection." King Shen and the other man bowed their heads.

"The ritual system is a fusion of ancient and modern times. I think there is nothing wrong with that." Zhu Guozuo even hoped to go further.

"I will follow your Majesty's will." Tian Le and Li Chengliang were very simple.

Zhu Changluo was very straightforward: "Okay, then summon the heads of the various government offices!"

(End of this chapter)