Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 347: Dramatic Changes in the Officialdom
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Ju was seriously ill.

Perhaps it was because Zhu Changluo had left Beijing before, and he had exhausted his last bit of energy after returning from Changling.

After Zhu Changluo returned to Beijing, he fell ill and could not get up. For this reason, Zhu Changluo kept him in the Silijian room in the palace for these days.

Seeing Liu Ruoyu reporting the news with red eyes, Zhu Changluo put down the memorial signed by the five ministers.

"Let me go and take a look."

I heard that he was in better spirits, but he had not been able to eat for more than three days. It was obviously his last breath.

The emperor was in good health, and the Silijianzhifang was not far away.

But Wang An was still extremely shocked by the fact that the emperor came in person to the eunuch's deathbed.

He, Zou Yi, Liu Ruoyu... countless eunuchs in the palace had received Chen Ju's favor and admonitions. Seeing the emperor coming, Wang An burst into tears: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid my godfather is not going to make it..."

Zhu Changluo nodded and walked to Chen Ju's bed.

Holding his dry hand and looking at it, Zhu Changluo's eyes were a little dazed: "I still remember that year when my father was so angry that he wanted to kill me, and Wan Huarou grasped the sharp blade..."

Chen Ju was also surprised. Now, facing the emperor's gaze, he just smiled gently.

"Are there any family members you're worried about?"

After Zhu Changluo finished asking, Chen Ju shook his head again: "Your Majesty...state affairs are urgent..."

"Your Majesty, I was called godfather by the servants, but he never acknowledged me and only treated me as his disciple." Wang An sobbed, "Godfather's family was poor, and he strictly followed the palace rules after entering the palace. Even though he was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, he never helped the family."

Zhu Changluo looked at him silently, and after a while he said, "Wang An, please send someone to pick them up. The palace in Chengde will need people in the future. You go down first."

"Yes, I thank Your Majesty for your grace on behalf of my godfather!"

When there were only two people in the small room, Zhu Changluo sighed softly: "You have guarded the mausoleum for my father for a long time, I am very grateful."

Chen Ju knew what he was talking about, and smiled with relief: "Your Majesty... It is God's will... I have lived up to my ancestors and have lived up to the people... I am already at peace, Your Majesty does not need to..."

What the two were talking about was nothing more than the "palace coup" that year.

Chen Ju was naturally considered an "accomplice", which was a great torture for him who always respected the laws of his ancestors and the teachings of sages.

He went to guard the mausoleum not only for himself, but also for Zhu Changluo.

So Zhu Changluo said he was grateful.

Chen Ju paused and took a deep breath, "Your Majesty, I want to ask for mercy..."

"You said."

"I want to use... a standing coffin..."

The so-called standing coffin means burial in an upright position.

The coffin is placed upright, so the grounding area is small and it is difficult to absorb the earth's energy. Therefore, it is not easy to find the most accurate Feng Shui treasure land by tapping the acupoints and guiding the meridians. Ordinary people cannot afford this method, and only dignitaries can do it. After all, it requires "high-level people" to choose the right location. The saying "If the ancestors are buried upright, the descendants will definitely be prosperous" is based on the premise that the "standing" position is correct.

So Chen Ju said he was asking for grace.

Zhu Changluo was also a little surprised: "In your home..."

Chen Ju shook his head: "I have no descendants, I only care about the country..." Then he looked at Zhu Changluo meaningfully: "Let me continue to guard the tomb..."

Zhu Changluo understood, and after looking at him for a long time, he nodded: "I promise you."

Chen Ju was never completely at peace.

The method of vertical burial is "not for oneself".

He had no descendants, so the purpose was just to "punish" himself and protect the Ming Dynasty - after all, he believed that there was a soul after death.

"At the beginning of my reign, I was lucky to have you and Wanhua." Zhu Changluo put down his hand and stood up. "Don't worry, I will definitely be like you hoped, worthy of my ancestors and the people!"

Let’s take a last look at him, because Zhu Changluo is not a cold person, and he does not treat them as slaves.

Tian Yi and Chen Ju were both very special eunuchs. They might have had other selfish motives, but after receiving education, they cherished their status as "literati" even more and had their own integrity in many major issues.

Zhu Changluo ascended the throne ahead of time, otherwise Chen Ju would have had a "bigger stage". He protected many people during the party struggles in the evil book case and the Chu Zong case, and after his death, all officials mourned and buried him.

Now he has no room to perform, but he still blames himself for his "infidelity" in the 28th year of Wanli.

Zhu Yijun has died, and now Tian Yi and Chen Ju have passed away one after another, leaving one less eyewitness to the "establishing a crown prince and then abdicating the throne" incident.

Zhu Changluo then went to talk to Empress Dowager Li about it. Empress Dowager Li also silently gave him a scroll of scriptures and said that it should be buried with Chen Ju.

I don't know whether it was to suppress him so that he would not reveal the secret even after his death, or to thank him for his loyalty to the country.

The eighth year of Taichang passed like this. The battle of Jiefanzhai in Fushun, Liaodong, and Guandong began on the night of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, while the city of Beijing was only celebrating the festival.

Then the first issue of the "Xueyong" newspaper in the ninth year of Taichang was published to the world, detailing the changes in Xuanfu Town, Liaoxi Town, Liaodong Town, and the establishment of Chengde Prefecture and Liaoning Province.

From this year on, the Ming Dynasty had two capitals and fourteen provinces.

But this was just the beginning, because in the imperial edict, the arrangements of government offices in Liaoning Province and Chengde Prefecture were very different from those in other provinces, prefectures and counties.

First of all, Liaoning Province no longer has the Military Commandery and the Criminal Court, but instead has a Public Security Bureau and a court.

In terms of military preparations, all arrangements were made by the Left Army Governor's Office. There was only one provincial military region in Liaoning Province, and the garrison troops in the territory were managed by a lieutenant general and a staff officer.

Even the name of the Provincial Administration Commission no longer exists, and it is renamed the Liaoning Provincial Government. However, it is different from the central government's Administrative Council, and has six departments under its jurisdiction: agriculture, water conservancy, industry and commerce, culture and education, transportation, and finance.

In addition to the Liaoning Provincial Government, there was an additional Liaoning Provincial Executive Council, which had a governor-general in charge of Liaoning government affairs. Although he had no special government offices under him, he was the de facto head of the province. According to the rules, he was sent by the Metropolitan Censorate.

The heads of the Taxation Department, the Public Security Department, and the Frontier Affairs Department in Liaoning Province only attended the Executive Yuan meetings, but were not under the jurisdiction of the head of the Liaoning Provincial Government. Also attending the Executive Yuan meetings were the military district staff, the head of the Liaoning Provincial Inspection Department, the Liaoning Governor, and the head of the Liaoning Civil Service Department of the Ministry of Personnel, who was a vice minister of the Liaoning Provincial Government.

Chengde Prefecture has a similar structure, except that it is more responsible to Beijing - currently, the prefectures and counties in the north and south of the province report directly to the central government.

Anyone who is interested can naturally see that this is probably the wind direction.

This means... does the central government need to have three more ministers in charge of taxation, public security, and regional administration?
There is no doubt that at least some of the clerks in the Ministry of Personnel, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Revenue seem to want to reduce the number of central government officials in Beijing, and have sent many of them to the local areas. The provincial government has a general director with the title of a third-rank assistant minister, the prefecture government has a fifth-rank doctor, and the county government has no such director.

The closer you get to the county, the more important it is to civil affairs.

However, the two positions of public security and supervision were extended to the end. The prefects, county magistrates, and county magistrates all held titles of the Censorate.

The logic of Ming Dynasty officialdom seemed to be about to change completely.

(End of this chapter)