The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 244 Heavenly Grace (Fourth Update)

cabinet.

The group took their seats, and the atmosphere was very lively, with almost everyone wearing a smile.

After enduring twenty years of hardship, now that the crown prince has ascended to the throne, they will soar to new heights.

“In the future, the cabinet will no longer be the lowly entity it once was. In Hong Xi’s reign, even the Six Ministries will have to defer to the cabinet.”

Li Xianmu made no attempt to hide his laughter, and the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet burst out laughing. The Emperor trusted the Cabinet, and all political matters were discussed through the Cabinet, and imperial edicts were issued from the Cabinet. Therefore, the Cabinet was practically half of the Council of State Affairs.

To leap from a fifth-rank official to half a prime minister is a remarkable achievement; otherwise, they would have become arrogant long ago.

"Since we're having a small meeting here today, let's get straight to the point. Although I hold the position of Minister of War, I will definitely focus on cabinet affairs in the future."

"The Cabinet can coordinate the six ministries; if this work is done well, its benefits extend throughout the entire country. I will resolutely and unwaveringly promote the upward development of the Cabinet's powers and responsibilities."

Li Xianmu made these remarks because he was the Grand Secretary, a position that had not appeared until the Jiajing era in history. However, due to Li Xianmu's outstanding status, he appeared much earlier, during the Hongxi era.

Of course, the title of Grand Secretary was not a system, but rather Li Xianmu's resume was far superior to that of others.

Li Xianmu held almost all the affairs of the Six Ministries, and also served as a governor of local areas on several occasions. He also served as a military advisor during the Northern Expedition. It can be said that there was no other official in the entire Ming Dynasty with such extensive work experience.

Therefore, Zhu Gaochi appointed Li Xianmu as the chief minister in charge of cabinet affairs. If there were any disagreements between them, Li Xianmu's opinion should be followed, and then the matter should be reported to the emperor.

"Since Lord Shouzheng is the chief minister, we will naturally follow his advice. The importance of the cabinet lies in the well-being of the nation. The greater the power of the cabinet, the better it can coordinate the six ministries and even extend to the thirteen provinces."

Yang Shiqi immediately chimed in, saying that among the cabinet, besides Li Xianmu, he was the one with the highest prestige and seniority. "After all, the Six Ministries are not subordinate agencies of the cabinet, so I think the most urgent task is to figure out how to get the Six Ministries to cooperate with our work as much as possible. Otherwise, once we are sidelined by the Six Ministries, we will become an empty shell."

Yang Shiqi hit the nail on the head: the biggest difference between the cabinet and the State Council lies here.

The Council of State Affairs had its own executive bodies, namely the six ministries of the Ministry of Personnel.

The Council of State Affairs held the financial and personnel power over the six ministers, vice ministers, and all officials. It could legitimately control them and make them obey its orders. Moreover, the Council of State Affairs had decision-making power, and once an order was issued, people had no choice but to comply.

But the cabinet itself is just a secretariat with no real power. If it encounters a powerful minister who simply ignores you, then you are truly helpless.

The ministers of the six ministries could participate in court discussions and speak directly with the emperor. Therefore, the cabinet could only control the six ministries through a combination of coercion and bribery.

"Shiqi, there's no need to rush. Whoever gains His Majesty's trust will have power, and whoever is closer to His Majesty will have the initiative. We have a 20-year relationship with His Majesty. In this struggle, how could the Six Ministries possibly be our match?"

Li Xianmu smiled slightly, "Anyone who dares to cause trouble will have their power within their department divided, and they will be held accountable. As long as the power of assessment is in our hands, who can turn the world upside down?"

Everyone leaned back, pondering the matter. After a long while, they all nodded in agreement. Li Xianmu was absolutely right. Ultimately, His Majesty only trusted them now.

The court consulted them on almost all major policies, and even the selection of officials and scholars was based on their opinions.

They were by the emperor's side every day, and their influence on the emperor was far greater than that of the six ministers.

……

Even in the depths of winter, the capital city is still quite desolate, with hardly any beggars to be seen on the streets or in the alleys.

On this frigid day, the Li residence was bustling with activity as countless high-ranking officials and nobles vied to present their visiting cards, hoping to catch a glimpse of Li Xianmu.

Li Xianmu, the most favored and important minister in the eyes of the current emperor, known as "Li the Half-Prime Minister," deserves this adoration.

At present, the Grand Secretariat holds the most power in the court, and Li Xianmu holds the most power among the Grand Secretariat. Apart from Yang Shiqi, who occasionally has some dissenting opinions, Yang Rong follows Li Xianmu's lead, and the others are mostly obedient or neutral.

With the added position of Minister of War, Li Xianmu was naturally the most sought-after figure in the capital.

At the Li residence, Li Fang and Li Mao came to discuss this year's ancestral worship ceremony. After Princess Lin'an passed away, the three brothers would naturally not live together anymore.

Looking at the commotion outside, Li Fang couldn't help but laugh loudly, "Third Brother is really quite powerful now. Even when the Duke's Mansion was at its peak, it wasn't this impressive."

Li Mao also smiled broadly, "Pretty much. Back then, my grandfather was the Duke of Han and had a good relationship with a group of nobles. He was also the head of the civil officials and had a good relationship with them. His house was always bustling with visitors back then, not much different from now."

Li Fang laughed and said, "From now on, when we see our third brother, we should respectfully address him as Lord Shouzheng!"

"My two elder brothers are too kind," Li Xianmu said before he even entered. He walked in from the outer room, dressed in official robes, his black gauze hat resting on his arm, a broad smile on his face. "Did my two elder brothers come here just to tease their younger brother?"

Li Fang and Li Mao quickly got up and helped Li Xianmu sit down on either side. "Third brother, what do you think about this year's ancestral worship ceremony?"
There are many things to consider in the clan now. Your nieces are all of marriageable age, and they can't wait any longer; they're all becoming old maids. Could you see which ones shouldn't marry, or if there are any good candidates, and help them choose?"

Given the Li family's current status, arranging a marriage is naturally not easy. Even if they don't consider social status, they need to have potential; at least a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) is required to catch the Li family's eye.

Li Xianmu waved his hand and said, "Brother, don't rush. Wait a while longer. I just returned from the palace to discuss an important matter. His Majesty intends to restore the titles of some noble descendants!"

Reinstatement!

Li Fang and Li Mao stood there dumbfounded. Even though they had said many years ago that they might be reinstated in the future, the probability was probably only about 50%.

His Majesty has been on the throne for several months and has never mentioned this matter. Li Fang and Li Mao both thought it was impossible, but they never expected that it would actually be brought up now!

Li Mao was the first to come to his senses, shaking Li Fang vigorously and laughing loudly, "Big brother, you're going to be a Duke!"

"You're going to be a Duke! The Li family's title of Duke of Han is coming back!"

Li Fang was completely overwhelmed by the immense joy and couldn't come to her senses for a moment. She could only keep murmuring, "I'm going to be a Duke! I'm going to be a Duke!"

As she spoke, tears began to stream down her face.

Li Xianmu saw this and realized it was no good; it seemed like she had hysteria. He immediately gave his second brother, Li Mao, a look. Li Mao then slapped Li Fang hard on the back, causing her to stumble and almost fall to the ground, face-planting.

But at least it woke him up. Li Fang looked at Li Xianmu with burning eyes and asked incredulously again, "Third brother, does His Majesty really want to restore our family's title?"

“That’s right. Not only our family, but also His Majesty’s maternal family, the Duke of Wei, will have their titles restored.”

The title of Duke of Wei was first stripped during the Yongle reign, then restored, and then stripped again after Empress Xu's death. Now that Zhu Gaochi has ascended the throne, he has finally chosen to restore the title.

Li Mao exclaimed in surprise, "If the Duke of Wei is restored to his title, and the line of the Duke of Dingguo is added, wouldn't that mean one family has two dukes?"
The Xu family is truly illustrious.

Upon hearing that the Duke of Wei's family had also been restored to their titles, Li Fang felt a strong sense of reality and pondered, "I remember that the Xu family from Nanjing also sent a betrothal letter. Now that our two families have been restored to their titles, wouldn't it be perfect if we became in-laws? It would show our gratitude to the Emperor for his grace."

Upon hearing this, Li Xianmu looked at his elder brother with curiosity, "Brother, you actually have such foresight?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mao couldn't help but burst out laughing. He then tried to cover it up by saying, "It's normal to laugh about such a joyous occasion as the restoration of a noble title."

Li Fang patted Li Xianmu hard and said proudly, "You must respect your elder brother. Your elder brother will soon be a Duke of the highest rank."

Upon seeing this, Li Mao and Li Xianmu burst into laughter. The restoration of their titles was a joyous occasion that should be celebrated by all in any family.

After the three of them finished laughing, Li Fang casually asked, "But Third Brother, you just mentioned your foresight and wisdom, is there any news?"

Li Xianmu put away his smile. "His Majesty may intend to have the Duke of Wei and my elder brother guard Nanjing. After all, most of the major dukes of the Ming Dynasty, except for the Duke of Mu, are in Beijing, which creates an imbalance between the north and the south."

Going to Nanjing?
Li Fang and Li Mao immediately stopped smiling.

At present, there are five hereditary dukes in the Ming Dynasty: the Duke of Yingguo, who is the most meritorious noble, followed by the Duke of Dingguo, the Duke of Qiguo, the Duke of Chengguo, and the Duke of Muguo.

Among them, the Duke of Mu, also known as the Prince of Mu, was stationed in Yunnan. The other four dukes were all in Beijing, each holding a position in the Five Armies Commandery through marriage. Even though the descendants of these five dukes had fallen on hard times, they still held different positions in the hearts of the royal family. Each of them had daughters in the palace, thus being related to the imperial family by marriage.

Now, with the addition of the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Han, who are about to have their titles restored, the Ming Dynasty will have seven hereditary ducal mansions. Sending these two families to Nanjing would be a very appropriate political check and balance.

“This is actually a good thing,” Li Xianmu said in a deep voice. “The resources in Beijing have basically been divided up, while Nanjing is still a blue ocean. Moreover, although Nanjing is far from the political center, it is a wealthy place, much better than the cold and harsh Beijing. It’s a good job that ordinary people would beg for.”

Li Fang remained silent for a long time before saying, "But both Father and Mother's graves are in Beijing, and besides, after leaving Beijing, I will no longer be able to help you, my third brother."

wrong! "

Li Fang suddenly realized what was happening and immediately changed her mind, saying, "I can only go to Nanjing, and I must go to Nanjing."

Li Mao also realized that if Li Fang stayed in Beijing, it would affect Li Xianmu's career. How could a family have such a huge influence in both politics and military affairs at the same time?
For Li Xianmu's future, Li Fang had to be politically exiled, and going to Nanjing was the best option the emperor had given him.

If it were a different emperor, he would have simply sent Li Fang to guard Annam, just like the Duke of Mu's mansion, and there would have been no objection, after all, it was an imperial grace to restore his title!

(End of this chapter)