The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 174 I desperately want to join the department (Fifth update)
Even Zhu Di, who had the highest hopes for Li Xianmu, did not expect that Li Xianmu would actually bring back the so-called Japanese emperor to the Ming Dynasty after a year and a half in Japan, and also bring back documents formally declaring Japan's submission once again.

The Hall of Literary Glory.

Zhu Di circled Li Xianmu several times, leaving Li Xianmu somewhat speechless. He asked, "Your Majesty, is there something on my face that makes Your Majesty stare at me for so long?"

"Your face isn't covered in smears, but your brain is. I want to see how your brain works."

"Your Majesty need not praise me so highly. Su Qin and Zhang Yi of ancient times could make the feudal lords tremble when they were angry, and bring peace to the world when they lived in peace. Guo Yuanzhen of the Tang Dynasty overthrew Tibet. Those were truly extraordinary talents. I merely used the strength of the Ming Dynasty to mediate with a small country like Japan. It is nothing special."

"You're too modest. You've made another great contribution, so I'm going to promote you again. Tell me, which of the Six Ministries do you want to go to? You don't need to go to the Censorate anymore. If you go to the Censorate, I won't even dare to speak up anymore."

"May I go to the Six Ministries and also hold a position in the Grand Secretariat? If that's not possible, then I'll stay in the Grand Secretariat. I have many things I want to do, and it will be easier for me to enter the palace from the Grand Secretariat."

"It's not that it's impossible, it's just that there's no precedent for it. So, tell me, where do you want to go?"

"Your subject is going to the Ministry of Rites."

Zhu Di looked over curiously and said, "I thought you would go to the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Personnel."

The Ministry of Personnel was the most powerful of the six ministries, known as the "Heavenly Official." Next was the Ministry of Revenue, which had personnel and finance. However, unexpectedly, Li Xianmu chose the Ministry of Rites. Although it was nominally the head of the six ministries, its actual power was that of the three lower ministries, only slightly stronger than the Ministry of Works.

"Leaving aside the Ministry of Personnel, why does Your Majesty think that I would want to go to the Ministry of Revenue?"

"You spearheaded the Japanese silver project, and it's almost yielding results. Aren't you going to the Ministry of Revenue to oversee it?"

Li Xianmu chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, the matter of silver will probably take several more years. At least until things calm down in Japan, by then I will probably have left the Ministry of Rites. I would like to transfer to one of the Six Ministries and see what it's like to experience it."

Zhu Di was taken aback, not expecting this to be the case. Just as he was about to slap Li Xianmu on the head in annoyance, he heard Li Xianmu say again: "Your Majesty, the silver mine in Iwami Silver Mountain has already yielded tens of millions of taels of silver with just a slight exploration."

Your humble servant believes that this matter should not be entrusted to the departments under the Ministry of Revenue. The departments under the Ministry of Revenue are too low-level to handle silver mines that are related to the fate of the nation.

Your humble servant estimates that the number of miners working in the mines will likely exceed 100,000, which is almost equivalent to the number of miners in a remote prefecture. Given its importance, it should be established as a separate office, similar to the maritime transport office, at least a fourth-rank independent office, comparable to a prefect.

"Establish a separate government office for silver mines." Zhu Di pondered upon hearing this. "Not only silver mines, but I think we should also separate the management of gold, silver, copper and iron mines into a separate government office, specializing in mining affairs, with a rank of the third grade. Then, we can set up various departments below based on different mineral veins."

What do you think of this?

Li Xianmu pondered for a moment, then said, "I think it's feasible."

Zhu Di immediately made the decision, "Then it's settled. Once things have calmed down in Japan, we'll announce it. After that, you shouldn't go to Japan for the time being, right?"

"I will go again when Japan calms down and the credentials are signed. After I returned this time, my mother will not allow me to go to such a far place again."

Zhu Di chuckled mischievously, “Some time ago, your mother came to the palace and told me that the daughter of the Duke of England will be of marriageable age in two years. She was worried that you would not be able to return from Japan for two or three years, which would delay your marriage, so she asked me to keep you in the capital.”

Li Xianmu said with some helplessness, “Mother is always very anxious about my marriage. She always wants to see me get married and have children. I don’t know why, even though I am already enjoying my grandchildren.”

“You’ve never been a parent, so you naturally don’t understand,” Zhu Di said with emotion. “Parents always favor one child. Your mother favors you, so she worries about you.”

After expressing his feelings, Zhu Di waved his hand and said, "Three days from now is an auspicious day. On that day, I will use the head of the false emperor to offer sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. As for the so-called empress and princess, if I give them to my subjects, they will probably hate me. So I will keep them under house arrest and let them fend for themselves."

Thinking of the appearance of the so-called Japanese imperial family, Zhu Di and Li Xianmu had the same expression, full of disgust. They thought they were just a pile of shit, and even touching them made them feel disgusted.

"Then I shall take my leave."

After bowing, Li Xianmu left the Huagai Hall.

This trip to Japan was extremely worthwhile. This great achievement, combined with his contributions in Jiangnan, allowed him to skip five years of preparation and be promoted directly to the position of Vice Minister of Rites.

However, these people who have been promoted so quickly are unlikely to be promoted again in the short term, since they don't have many more merits to earn them a promotion.

There are still fourteen years until the emperor's death. Even if he relies on time to hone his skills, even if he has to transfer to several departments, he can be promoted to Minister in eight years at most. After becoming Minister, he can transfer to various departments and make his resume impeccable.

By then, he will truly have his entire court filled with former protégés and officials.

Thinking of that bright future, even Li Xianmu couldn't help but feel a little excited. So far, everything was going according to plan, and even a little ahead of schedule.

Back in Wenyuan Pavilion.

Upon seeing Li Xianmu's radiant face, the group knew good news was coming. They all knew he was about to be promoted, so they rushed forward to congratulate him and then inquired about His Majesty's plans. Li Xianmu stated directly, "His Majesty intends to appoint me as Vice Minister of Rites."

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with envy and amazement.

Li Xianmu hadn't even reached adulthood yet, but he was already a third-rank official, and it was all thanks to his numerous achievements that no one could find fault with him.

The cabinet members were all intelligent people, and they guessed that Li Xianmu had probably gone to the Ministry of Rites on his own initiative. As for why, his colleagues who had served in the cabinet for so long all guessed that it must be related to the imperial examination.

Do not forget that he also carries the identity of a key figure in the School of Mind. The School of Mind has waited for so many years and finally got a high-ranking official of pure lineage, and he even holds such a crucial position as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

The imperial examination of the ninth year of the Yongle reign had just ended.

The best time to begin minor reforms is now. If you wait until the eve of the provincial or metropolitan examinations, it will be too late, and even the emperor will not agree to the reforms.

"His Majesty said that I will retain my position in the Wenyuan Pavilion, so I will probably return to the Wenyuan Pavilion from time to time to work with you all. Please don't forget that I am one of your own."

Li Xianmu smiled as he tossed down a heavy bomb!
As expected, the crowd, who had remained calm when they heard that Li Xianmu had been appointed as the Vice Minister of Rites, exclaimed in surprise.

"Mingda, this isn't a funny joke. Are you serious?"

Even the usually composed Yang Shiqi asked urgently, "Does His Majesty really intend for you to enter the Ministry of Rites and also serve in the Wenyuan Pavilion?"

After Li Xianmu gave his definitive answer, a long silence fell over the Wenyuan Pavilion, and the air seemed to freeze.

Li Xianmu certainly knew why they were so shocked and speechless.

Because the cabinet is the emperor's secretary, as mentioned before, a cabinet without a draft system has no power of advice whatsoever.

In reality, this is still giving the cabinet too much credit. Not only do they not have the right to make suggestions, but since the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are only of the fifth rank, they are often in a very awkward position when formally handling government affairs.

The first level of officialdom crushes people to death.

This is not just talk.

However, Li Xianmu is currently a third-rank official. In the civil service system, excluding provincial governors and other officials outside the capital, the only officials above him are the Ministers of the Six Ministries and the Left and Right Censors-in-Chief.

The Vice Minister of Rites, who also served as a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, wielded power that likely surpassed even that of the Minister of Rites. After all, the Vice Minister of Rites was not only a subordinate of the Minister but also served as a check and balance on his authority, in addition to the all-encompassing power of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

Li Xianmu has actually risen to the rank of one of the Nine Ministers!
"How could His Majesty agree to such a strange decree?"

The group was completely baffled. They couldn't understand why the emperor would agree to promote Li Xianmu to a high-ranking official position at such a young age. Was the emperor really not going to leave any room for the crown prince to be promoted?
If Zhu Di knew what they were thinking, he would surely laugh and say, "If you can understand my thinking, then I might as well let you take the throne."

Li Xianmu could somewhat guess Zhu Di's thoughts, but he didn't care. As long as the power was real, that was enough. He entered the Six Ministries for the purpose of reform.

As Yang Shiqi and others had guessed, the first person to enter the Ministry of Rites was to reform the imperial examination system. Large-scale changes seemed impossible at the moment, as a vice minister of the Ministry of Rites did not have that much authority. However, he was already capable of changing some aspects of the imperial examination content.

Most importantly, as the Vice Minister of Rites, concurrently a Hanlin Academician and a Grand Academician of the Hall of Literary Glory, he was the chief examiner for the metropolitan examination, and no one could compete with him for that position.

The chief examiner in the ninth year of the Yongle reign was his senior fellow student, Wang Gen. As the second-place scholar in the third year of the Yongle reign, he later served as a Hanlin Academician, a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, and then as a secretary in one of the Six Ministries. In addition, he was a great Confucian scholar of the School of Mind and had a high reputation among scholars, so it was not a problem for him to serve as a chief examiner.

After the imperial examination, Wang Gen was transferred to Zhejiang to serve as an assistant to the provincial inspector, holding the positions of deputy provincial inspector and vice inspector, as well as supervising the education and cultural affairs of the province. This was a fourth-rank official position, following the custom of promoting officials from the capital by one rank when transferred.

Now that he has been transferred to the position of Vice Minister of Rites, echoing Wang Gen, the prestige of the School of Mind will surely be greatly enhanced. In addition, the fact that the School of Mind has served as the chief examiner for two consecutive terms will also create a powerful momentum.

Li Xianmu was quite moved.

After returning from mourning in the sixth year of the Yongle reign, he experienced so much in just five short years. First, he facilitated the relocation of the capital, then he followed the emperor on a northern expedition, later he rescued the crown prince twice, then he toured the Jiangnan region, and finally he even went to Japan, captured the Japanese emperor and brought him back to the Ming Dynasty, and facilitated the ownership of the Iwami silver mine.

Promotion may seem quick, but compared to all the hard work involved, it doesn't seem like much.

"Li Xianmu".

Li Xianmu muttered to himself, "I can't be complacent. Have I forgotten my father's Seven Grievances?"

(End of this chapter)