My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 73 Six important officials

Ministry discussions refer to the discussions between the cabinet and the six ministries.

When the prime minister's office was established in the Tang and Song dynasties, important national decisions were made in the prime minister's institutions such as the Zhengshi Hall or the Zhongshu Menxia.

After the Secretariat was abolished in the Ming Dynasty, when it was time for important officials to discuss matters, the prime minister had to go to the six ministries to participate in the discussions.

This was also the hidden reason why there were more and more conflicts between the Cabinet and the Six Ministries in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

The cabinet has the power of a prime minister, but not the title, and still needs to assume the obligations of a prime minister.

Of course, the saying goes that any political system ultimately depends on the people who implement it.

The cabinet of the Longqing Dynasty was full of talents, and the current cabinet was still able to control the six ministries. Gao Gong was concurrently in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhang Juzheng was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and Zhao Zhenji was in charge of the Ministry of Rites. The three cabinet elders were in charge of the affairs of the three ministries respectively, and the Ministry of War, Ministry of Works, and Ministry of Justice could not cause any trouble.

Is it just me who is included in this proposal?
I, Su Ze? Participate in the ministry meeting?

Why should I, a mere sixth-rank official of the Zuo Zanshan of the Chancellery, participate in the ministerial meetings?

The person in charge of delivering the message was Guo Zhun, the secretary of the cabinet. When Su Ze saw this young official, he did not neglect him.

The Zhongshu Sheren of the Ming Dynasty was different from that of previous dynasties. Although they were close ministers to the emperor and helped him draft imperial edicts, their importance was completely different from that of the two-system scholars in the Tang and Song dynasties who were regarded as reserve prime ministers.

This is because by the Ming Dynasty, the political system of the court had gradually matured, and literary talent was no longer the only criterion for determining the future of ministers. Official documents also gradually became more practical, which greatly reduced the importance of drafting imperial edicts.

The importance of literature in the administrative system declined, and the emperor's advisory bodies became the cabinet and the Imperial Household Department. Even though you are a close minister to the emperor, do you want to participate in national policies?
Do you think the Cabinet Scholars and the Imperial Household Department will criticize you?

Not only the status, but also the academic qualifications of the Zhongshu Sheren are declining.

The threshold for the position of Zhongshu Sheren is not high. Jinshi, Juren, or those who have inherited the imperial seal can hold this position as long as they pass a special calligraphy examination.

During the Chenghua period, there were also Jinshi who served as Zhongshu Sheren.

But by the Jialong period, Jinshi no longer wanted to take the position.

Now the Ming Dynasty officialdom has formed a promotion routine. The top Jinshi candidates all go to the Hanlin Academy to take the exam, and those who are at the bottom also have to take the Kedao exam. Who would want to be a Zhongshu Sheren?
Many of the current Zhongshu Sheren are appointed by imperial grace, that is, they are the sons of important officials.

Of course, there are different ranks among the Zhongshu Sheren, and the Zhongshu Sheren are further divided into Zhongshu Ke Sheren, Liangfang Sheren and Liangdian Sheren.

The Zhongshu Kesheren was responsible for drafting imperial edicts for the emperor and had the highest status.

The two chamberlains are the Zhongshu Sheren who help the cabinet to sort out the bills and documents.
The two palace secretaries were the Wuying Palace Secretaries and the Wenhua Palace Secretaries. They were responsible for copying royal books and doing miscellaneous work for royal institutions. They had the lowest status. In Su Ze's newspaper office and history museum, there were some Zhongshu Secretaries who were responsible for clerical work.

The Zhongshu Sheren, who was assigned to one of the two chambers and did miscellaneous work for the cabinet ministers, must have an extraordinary background.

Su Ze took the task, sent away the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Guo Zhun, and was met with Shen Yiquan's envious eyes.

"Brother Zilin! The cabinet asked you to attend the meeting!"

Isn't it just a meeting at the Ministry of War? My memorial can still be enforced. Su Ze had no interest in attending the meeting of the Ministry of War.

But Shen Yi Guan became excited and continued:
"Yes, it was you who first proposed the 'Strategy for Subduing the Rong'. The ministers will definitely want to listen to your suggestions."

Shen Yi Guan was so excited that people thought he was going to attend a ministry meeting.

Luo Wanhua raised his head and glanced at Shen Yikuan, then lowered his head and continued to edit the book.

Su Ze was busy with the newspaper's affairs, so the task of revising "The Emperor's Mirror" fell on Luo Wanhua's shoulders. He finally finished the outline a few days ago and now he has started to look up historical materials. Shen Yi Guan saw Su Ze's calm look and sighed again:
"That's right, Brother Zilin already has a place in the hearts of the ministers, so there's no need to rush to show it. It's a pity that even though we passed the imperial examinations, the ministers can't even remember our names."

Seeing Shen Yi Guan's resentful look, Luo Wanhua couldn't help but say:
"Isn't he just a cabinet minister? I met with Lord Zhao yesterday. Is it really that difficult to see him?"

Shen Yiguan looked at Luo Wanhua in surprise and said:

"How did you meet Lord Zhao?"

"After the outline of the Illustrated Explanation of the Imperial Mirror was completed, Lord Zhao, who was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, summoned me to discuss the outline and encouraged me, saying that it was well compiled."

"Ah! Brother Yifu, you!"

Seeing Shen Yi Guan's distressed look, Su Ze was also amused by him. After Shen Yi Guan had been making a fuss for a while, Su Ze asked:

"I know several of the cabinet ministers. As for the ministers, please introduce me to a few."

Hearing that Su Zeyou had come to him for help, Shen Yiguan showed a smug look, but he did not keep the secret, but said directly:

"This Minister of Personnel is Mr. Gao, so I don't need to introduce him in detail."

"Ma Sen, the Minister of Revenue, has requested leave of absence due to his mother's illness. Brother Zilin will not be able to see Minister Ma tomorrow."

Gao Gong directly served as the Minister of Personnel, while Zhang Juzheng was only in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. There was another Minister of Revenue, namely Ma Sen, Ma Bu Tang.

However, with a leader like Zhang Juzheng in charge, Mason didn't know whether he was truly filial or unwilling to go to work.

"The Minister of Rites, Gao Yi, was recommended by Elder Gao. He was originally the Minister of Rites in Nanjing and is currently on his way to take up his new post."

Gao Yi was a member of Gao Gong's party in history, but although both of them had the surname Gao, they were not relatives.

Gao Gong was from Henan, but Gao Yi was a fellow Zhejiang native of Shen Yiquan. Gao Gong recommended Gao Yi to be the Minister of Rites, apparently in order to restrain Zhao Zhenji.

It seems that Gao Gong's methods are more powerful than he thought.

That’s right. Gao Gong was able to control the political situation of the Longqing Dynasty as the second-in-command. How could his methods not be brilliant?
"The Minister of War, Huo Ji, is also an old minister of the previous emperor's dynasty. He was selected by the previous emperor because of his familiarity with military affairs."

"Minister of Justice Mao Kai, his personality is similar to Prime Minister Li's. I'm afraid he won't have any advice for the ministerial meeting."

"The Minister of Works, Lei Li, is focused on mechanical matters and has made no significant contributions to military affairs."

Su Ze was very interested in this Lei Gongbu.

There are not many records of Lei Li in Ming history. His main achievement was the reconstruction of the three main halls during the Jiajing period. However, Su Ze learned about the "Yangshi Lei" family from an online novel in later generations.

The Lei family was a family of architects in both the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Minister of Works, Lei, was an absolute expert in construction project management, the legendary civil engineering master.

But according to history, he should retire soon.

After introducing the six departments, Shen Yi Guan bowed respectfully to Su Ze:

"Thank you, Brother Zilin, for highlighting the bravery of our Zhejiang soldiers in your memorial, letting the world remember the blood shed by our Zhejiang soldiers in the Southeast Anti-Japanese War. Shen is grateful!"

I will be spending time with my family this weekend, so I won’t update any more. Thank you all for your support.

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(End of this chapter)