Jiajing Chengming

Chapter 205: All of them were imprisoned and tortured for the crime of forming a clique!
Because after Wanli took power, his favorite method was to let censors provoke important officials and let the Ministry of Personnel compete with the cabinet, so as to achieve checks and balances and maximize his personal power.

That's why Zhu Houcong thought so.

But Zhu Houcong knew well that Wanli's actions would eventually lead to his downfall.

After all, the officials are not fools. Over time, they will all know that this is the emperor's routine, and they also know that the emperor cannot be relied upon at critical moments.

As a result, the cabinet ministers began to act rotten, or simply followed the officials of the six ministries and the censors to fight against the emperor.

Anyway, your emperor won't support us, and you even condone the six ministries and the Ministry of Justice to undermine our cabinet ministers. In that case, can't our cabinet ministers just give in and turn against you to undermine your emperor's work?

This led to the fact that in the late Wanli period, the government simply gave up. There were vacancies in the cabinet, the six ministries, and the Ministry of Rites, and sometimes the government was too lazy to fill the gaps.

Therefore, unless Zhu Houcong wanted to be like Wanli, not wanting to reform the system or take any responsibility, he would have to resort to this balancing act.

But Zhu Houcong naturally wouldn't do that.

He certainly had a desire for power, but as someone from later generations, his cognition was different from that of people of this era. He believed that tying everyone to the chariot of his own civilization expansion would be more conducive to strengthening and consolidating power than seeking balance and engaging in infighting.

That is why Zhu Houcong said that the officials in the outer court looked down on him.

But Zhu Houcong had to admit that not all traditional emperors really regarded the art of balance as the best imperial technique.

The more powerful emperors in history knew that the most brilliant imperial strategy was to carry out institutional innovation.

For example, the cabinet system.

Because the invention of the cabinet system really helps the emperor to flexibly centralize and delegate power.

If the emperor really wants the cabinet to reform and eliminate malpractices for him, and as a decision-making body with real power, then the cabinet can actually serve as a prime minister.

If the emperor does not want the cabinet to get involved anymore and just want it to exist as a secretariat to draft imperial edicts, then the emperor can directly take away its power because the cabinet does not have the title of prime minister.

Therefore, it is obvious that the inventor of the cabinet system wanted to allow the power of the prime minister to serve the imperial power in a more flexible way.

Previously, the chief minister of the cabinet, Jiang Mian, refused to work for the emperor Zhu Houcong, so Zhu Houcong could directly take away his power. Anyway, Jiang Mian did not have the title of prime minister, so taking away his power would not cause any institutional trouble.

Now that the cabinet is willing to work for Emperor Zhu Houcong, Zhu Houcong can naturally delegate power. If necessary, he can even directly let the cabinet chief become the executive vice emperor.

As I said, the chief minister of the cabinet does not have the title of prime minister, so no matter how much power the emperor gives him, the emperor can take it back.

Moreover, as long as the emperor is willing, not only the chief minister of the cabinet can become the executive vice emperor, but even the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department and the Minister of War can become the executive vice emperor.

In the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were many people who could be called executive vice emperors, such as Yu Qian, Liu Jin, Zhang Juzheng, Wei Zhongxian...

Anyway, it depends on whether the emperor is willing.

Back to the topic.

Zhu Houcong did not intend to play a balancing game, but to support the cabinet, so after the eunuch Gu Dayong knelt down, he ordered:
"Anyone who impeaches the cabinet will be considered to be trying to form a traitor and betray the emperor for personal gain! All of them will be arrested by the Jinyiwei and sent to the Zhenfusi Imperial Prison to be tortured for the reasons! Then we will hear the question and punish them!"

"Yes!"

Since these officials said that the cabinet was forming a faction, Zhu Houcong simply punished these officials for the crime of forming a faction to teach them a lesson. They should not think that the emperor really liked them fighting each other to the point of ignoring the overall situation of the court and always bringing up the faction as an excuse.

I have emphasized many times that there are no treacherous ministers in the court, only loyal ministers!
Each of them always wants to make a distinction between loyalty and treachery, and insists that the Han and the traitors cannot coexist. They insist on forcing me to personally define a group of treacherous ministers!
The Jinyiwei immediately set out to the six departments, six ministries, five temples, the Censorate, the Hanlin Academy and other government offices to arrest people according to their names.

"go!"

"hurry up!"

"You are a gang, all of you will be sent to jail!"

"We are not forming a party, it is the cabinet that is forming a party!"

"That's right, we are gentlemen. Gentlemen form friendships but do not form factions. It is the cabinet that is forming factions, not us!"

When Zhu Mingyang, the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, and others were arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, they were quite horrified and could not help but screaming in pain.

"Let us out!"

"We are not forming a party, it is the cabinet that is forming a party!"

Even in the imperial prison, many of the arrested officials were still shouting unwillingly.

Zhu Mingyang even cried out loudly.

Fang Xian had to persuade him: "Brother Zhu, stop shouting, it's useless. Your Majesty is clearly not the kind of ordinary emperor who only wants to monopolize power and would rather sit back and watch the infighting in the cabinet and the department intensify. Instead, he wants to be a ruler with great talent and strategy!"

After hearing this, Zhu Mingyang sat down dejectedly on the ground: "Isn't he afraid that all the court officials will rely on the cabinet, and even the inner court and the Jinyiwei will rely on the cabinet, so that the cabinet will become bigger and bigger in the future and completely sideline him?!"

"I don't know why he's not afraid."

Fang Xian smiled bitterly and said, "Logically, our emperor is a very smart emperor. He would not fail to think of this. He would not rather sit back and watch himself become a puppet in the future than let the country become rich and the people become strong, right?"

……

……

"You are not allowed to plead for these imprisoned officials!"

"Take back all the resignation letters as well."

"What I want is a truly prosperous country and a strong people, not a wealthy and powerful dictator!"

Qingning Palace.

Because all the cabinet ministers had resigned, Zhu Houcong summoned them again and spoke to them.

After that.

Zhu Houcong then said: "Therefore, I hope that you will all be like me and focus on doing great things for the country and the people!"

then.

Zhu Houcong stood up and walked to the "Kunyu Wanguo Quantu":

"Look at this picture. After seeing this picture, you will know how many important things the country has not yet completed." "For example, the restoration!"

"The ancestral land that was lost during the Hongzhi period, is it going to be lost forever?"

"It's not just Hetao, there's also Hamiwei."

"In addition, from the perspective of the great cause of China as a whole, has the momentum of the Han and Tang dynasties been truly restored?"

"This is also the long-cherished wish of Emperor Taizu Gao. Are we, the rulers and ministers of later generations, going to forget his aspirations?"

"Also, with such a vast world, have you ever thought about this? If we live in complacency and do not rule the surrounding areas as soon as possible, will there be another Aguda or Temujin in the surrounding areas, which will bring great disaster to China?"

"As the saying goes, be prepared for danger in times of peace. It's not just about whether we should pay attention to the surrounding areas, but also about this river. It's bursting and flooding more and more frequently. Should we manage it?"

"Also, after the capital was moved to Beijing, the long-term transportation from north to south was a burden, and there were also growing conflicts between the Han and local peoples in the southwest."

"Of course, the most fundamental issue is the increasing contradiction between population and land, and the court's increasing inability to fully control the number of acres and population in the world."

Zhu Houcong talked incessantly.

After finishing speaking, Zhu Houcong looked at the ministers and said, "I'm sure you have all thought about these issues before, and even made great aspirations to solve them when you were young. You are all descendants of Neo-Confucianism, so I don't need to recite the Four Sentences of Hengqu. You should know what the responsibilities of Neo-Confucianists are."

Naturally, the cabinet ministers cannot and will not deny it.

After all, everyone goes through adolescence.

In addition, Confucianism does emphasize self-cultivation, family management, governance of the country and peace in the world, rather than individualism.

"Your Majesty truly has great ambitions, and it is a blessing for our country!"

"But I humbly believe that the affairs of the world are so vast and unsystematic, yet so intertwined and interconnected, that often one move affects the entire body, and so many things may not be accomplished in one generation!"

"Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to have a son, then establish the foundation of the country, and then select a senior scholar to teach him. As for other important matters, we should do them when we can, and we cannot force it."

Mao Ji then bowed and started talking.

He had always wanted to be a peaceful prime minister, assisting an emperor who was not so ambitious but not so foolish, and do some repair work.

Therefore, even though the emperor showed great ambition and reminded him of the passionate aspirations he had made when he was young, he still hoped that the emperor would seek stability, focus on the present, and not easily change the laws of his ancestors.

"If one generation can't accomplish it, does that mean our generation won't do anything great?"

Zhu Houcong asked back.

Fei Hong said at this time: "Your Majesty is right! The ancestors planted trees for the descendants to enjoy the shade. We cannot expect the descendants to do great things, nor can we do nothing just because Your Majesty has no children yet. Your Majesty is the ruler and we are the subjects. We all eat the blood and sweat of the people. We cannot only plan for our children and grandchildren, but also for the world."

Mao Ji then prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, what Elder Fei said is true, but I am mediocre and I am just filling the position because I am old and feeble. I am afraid that I am not qualified to be Your Majesty's balance of power. Therefore, I beg to retire and ask Your Majesty to choose another wise minister as the chief minister!"

Mao Ji chose to give up his position directly.

He really didn't want to be the prime minister who could do great things. Even if the emperor had this intention and was willing to support him and give him power, he still didn't want it.

Yang Yiqing couldn't help but secretly shake his head when he saw this, thinking that everyone has their own ambitions. If it were him, he would be eager to have such an opportunity to make drastic changes to the world.

After all, it is difficult to find an emperor with great ambitions.

"No!"

"Even if you don't want to take on a big responsibility, you should still understand the big picture."

"The Minister of Personnel has just left, and the officials of the three judicial departments are still being recommended by the court. At this time, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet is going to be replaced. Should the reform of Huguang be carried out?"

Zhu Houcong directly rejected Mao Ji's request.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Mao Ji never begged for his remains again.

However, he did not go against the emperor's will and plead for the officials in prison, but he also did not choose to act arbitrarily in the cabinet and put forward constructive policies, but instead handed over power to the cabinet ministers.

Therefore, after returning to the cabinet, Mao Ji took the initiative to ask Fei Hong and other cabinet ministers: "Your Majesty has high hopes for us. I wonder what you think, how should we respond to this high hope?"

"What Yuanfu said in front of the emperor is actually correct. Once we start to do many things, they will affect the entire body, so we should be cautious."

Fei Hong said something at this time.

Mao Ji couldn't help but glance at him after hearing this, and was speechless, thinking: "Why didn't you say this in front of the emperor?"

"We need to be cautious in doing things, but we cannot not do them. At least for now, we need the cabinet to recommend people who are willing to do things, so that people below us can form a culture of being willing to do things and actively doing things."

Yang Yiqing then put forward his own views.

Fei Hong nodded and said, "That's right. None of the important things your majesty mentioned are fair and just policies that are in line with human nature! Only employing people based on virtue is bound to be detrimental to politics. After all, many gentlemen are virtuous, but they are also pedantic!"

"What happened to the moral gentleman?"

"How can a man achieve anything without virtue?"

"We cannot allow the cabinet to open the door to personal gain after Your Majesty has shown us his grand ambitions!"

Shi Yan expressed his opposition at this time.

Yang Yiqing said: "A person without virtue does not necessarily fail to accomplish anything! And having virtue does not necessarily mean that he will not do bad things! Moreover, you should understand that there are many people in this world who talk about the words of saints, but few people who really act according to the words of saints. And what Your Majesty wants to do is not what the gentry of the world want. Therefore, if you want to accomplish your kingly cause, you can only use people who are willing to work first."

Shi Yan said nothing more about this, obviously agreeing with Yang Yiqing's statement.

Mao Ji said after a while: "Then we should recommend officials who dare to do things first."

Just saying.

A secretary from the Central Secretariat came in to report, "Your Majesty summoned the nine ministers to the Wenhua Palace to discuss the matter reported by the Jinyiwei that the governor of Huguang was dismembered by thieves!"

The cabinet ministers were shocked when they heard this.

(End of this chapter)