The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 264 New Dynasty
The new emperor had just ascended the throne and adopted Xuande as his reign title. The following year would be the first year of Xuande, and a general amnesty was granted.

No matter what one thinks in one's heart, the wheels of history keep rolling forward without ever stopping.

Emperor Renzong's funeral was a grand affair, and he was finally buried in the imperial mausoleum in September.

Prior to this, the global situation had already changed dramatically.

In the palace, on the palace road, Yang Rong and Li Xianmu walked side by side. Yang Rong sighed slightly and said, "Lord Shouzheng, now that the new emperor has been enthroned, the people in the court and the local areas are immediately restless. The minds that were finally settled during the Hongxi era have become restless again."

Li Xianmu understood perfectly: "A new emperor brings a new court. Can all the old ministers of the late emperor gain power in the new dynasty?"

Doesn't the new emperor place his own trusted confidants in various departments?

After all, the new emperor had been named the crown prince since the Yongle era, and he had a whole team of supporters. Just as the crown prince's faction rose up after the previous emperor ascended the throne, the new emperor also had such a group of followers.

These people also have many subordinates, and these people are bound to seize a portion of the power.

Throughout history, few regents have met a good end, and the emperor's fault is not the main reason; it is mostly due to political infighting.

For example, the several regents appointed by Emperor Wu of Han fought fiercely, leaving only Huo Guang as the sole survivor.

Li Xianmu didn't pay much attention, and only said lightly, "Mutual struggle is human nature, and it is unavoidable. We just need to keep a close watch on things and prevent the struggle from affecting the whole country."

Seeing Li Xianmu's nonchalant expression, Yang Rong hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Lord Shouzheng, yesterday I was on duty in the Hall of Literary Glory, and His Majesty intends to replace me with a Left Censor-in-Chief."

Li Xianmu was taken aback. The current Left Censor-in-Chief was Zheng Huan, a giant of the School of Mind. He had served as Minister of Rites and Minister of Revenue before being transferred to the position of Left Censor-in-Chief, in charge of supervision. He had always been one of Li Xianmu's most capable political allies.

Now the emperor actually wants to transfer him away.

Li Xianmu thought for a moment and realized that the Left Censor-in-Chief was in charge of the Censorate and could supervise all officials. Historically, it was an important position in the court, second only to the prime minister.

The new emperor immediately set his sights on this position, aiming to seize control of the officials and consolidate power. Coupled with the actions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, it must be said that the emperor's thinking was very clear.

The two walked side by side on the palace road. Li Xianmu comforted him, saying, "The new emperor has just ascended the throne, and it is only natural to replace some of the old officials. No matter what, Zheng Huan was not summoned by the late emperor before his death, so naturally he had to be dealt with. I don't think it's just him alone."

"After entering the palace today, the situation in the capital and throughout the land will undergo a major change."

As it turned out, they were right; Zhu Zhanji's arrangements came very quickly.

Today, the six ministers, the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet, and the Left and Right Censors-in-Chief are seated on either side. There are thirteen people in total, all of whom are high-ranking officials of the second rank. Any one of them would be a prominent figure in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom.

"Zirong, didn't Lord Shouzheng come with you? Where is he?"

Yang Rong glanced back and said, "Lord Shouzheng has already been summoned by His Majesty. He will probably enter the palace with His Majesty later."

Upon hearing that Li Xianmu had been summoned alone, the reactions of those present varied. Naturally, they all felt envious, knowing that the emperor still trusted Li Xianmu, after all, he was the emperor's tutor and a close elder.

However, everyone also became slightly solemn, knowing that today's court meeting was probably not so simple. The emperor actually wanted to consult with Li Xianmu first, instead of speaking directly to the ministers.

The atmosphere in the hall visibly became tense, and many people were uneasy. After all, five of the thirteen people had not been summoned before the late emperor's death, which was a congenital deficiency.

Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao will arrive.

Emperor Zhu Zhanji, Li Xianmu, and palace attendants entered from the rear of the hall. Zhu Zhanji sat at the head of the table, while Li Xianmu stood in the first position on the left.

"These past few days, you have all worked hard on the funeral arrangements for the late emperor. Now everything is ready, and we are just waiting for the new dynasty to begin." Zhu Zhanji smiled and said, "When I think about the important matters of the new dynasty, I still want to carry on the policies that the late emperor's dynasty did not complete."

Before the late emperor passed away, he made a major decision to divide the provinces, but it was not implemented in time. Now that I have ascended the throne, I will do this important thing concerning the Ming Dynasty and its people first.

However, after much deliberation, I realize that the newly established provinces, after being divided into separate entities, will inevitably have numerous and complex affairs. Only by sending officials from among the high-ranking court officials to serve as their local leaders can I feel at ease.”

!!!

As soon as the emperor uttered these words, everyone in the hall, who were all highly politically astute, immediately realized that the emperor was about to make adjustments to their positions!

Everyone involuntarily looked at Li Xianmu, only to see that Li Xianmu was keeping his eyes down and his ears focused on his mind, making it clear that the emperor had already discussed the matter with him.

In fact, it wasn't just a matter of discussion; the idea of ​​transferring some officials out of the capital under the pretext of splitting up the provinces was originally Li Xianmu's idea.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Dividing the provinces is a long-term plan for the court. I wonder who has caught Your Majesty's eye and been able to do such a great thing for the court."

Li Xianmu's agreement set off alarm bells for several people, but reality does not change according to human will.

"The five newly established provinces of Liaoning, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan and Gansu are all provinces that have not been established before, so five people are needed."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the five officials—the Left and Right Censors-in-Chief, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Works, and the Minister of Rites—immediately changed. No matter how you looked at it, it was clear that the emperor was targeting them.

As expected, the emperor soon called out their names one by one, bestowing upon them high honors: "The division of the provinces is of great importance. The newly established provincial administration commissions and governors must have absolute authority. If the provincial administration commissioner is a second-rank official and the governor is also a second-rank official, I am worried that they will not be able to maintain order. Sending a second-rank official from the court will surely ensure success and intimidate the region!"

Of the six ministers, apart from Li Xianmu, Minister of War, Jian Yi, Minister of Personnel, and Xia Yuanji, Minister of Revenue, the other three were transferred out of the capital and appointed as governors and censors in Anhui, Hunan, and Gansu provinces, respectively.

Left Censor-in-Chief Zheng Huan was transferred to Jiangsu Province to concurrently serve as Governor-General and Censor-in-Chief, while Right Censor-in-Chief was transferred to Liaoning Province to concurrently serve as Governor-General and Censor-in-Chief.

They were all chosen to assist the local governors after the division, but the people who were actually divided were not them; instead, other people were selected to go there.

The emperor spoke with great passion, but the five men were as if they had lost their parents. Officials in the capital were one rank higher than local officials. For a provincial governor who was a second-rank official, becoming a third-rank vice minister in the capital was considered a promotion.

The rank of a second-grade governor or censor-in-chief is roughly equivalent to that of a third-grade vice minister.

Sending a second-rank official as a provincial governor or censor-in-chief is a clear demotion.

The fact that five high-ranking officials of the second rank were demoted at once surprised even the other ministers who were not affected; it was truly a grand gesture.

Seeing the sudden silence in the hall, Li Xianmu asked without changing his expression, "Your Majesty, are the ministers serving concurrently when they go out to work?"

Zhu Zhanji laughed and said, "Of course, it's a concurrent post. Otherwise, how can we make the local authorities fear us and not dare to take advantage of the division of provinces to do their own thing?"

The word "concurrent appointment" brought a slight sense of relief. Since the trend was unstoppable, they could only comply. Soon, everyone began to think about this matter. Putting aside the emperor's desire to change the structure of the upper-level officials, sending a second-rank official to serve as governor of the newly established Provincial Administration Commission was indeed a brilliant idea that could quickly establish the local order.

With such a group of high-ranking officials going out to inspect the provinces, the local officials naturally felt extremely cautious and dared not do anything wrong during the chaos of the division of the provinces.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes to see that these second-rank officials who were transferred out of the capital were neither on the late emperor's list of trusted advisors nor on the new emperor's list of confidants. This is the reason why they were transferred from the positions of the Seven Ministers.

Therefore, if the governor wanted to do something, local officials were willing to fight to the death, thus checking and balancing each other to prevent any one official from becoming too powerful and successfully completing the major task of splitting the provinces.

The more I think about it, the more brilliant this idea seems.

Moreover, it is very much like the style of Li Xianmu, taking into account every aspect of a matter.

Faced with the new emperor's personnel reshuffle, most people remained silent, while the five people whose names were mentioned all expressed their gratitude—such was the emperor's power.

They always manage to put the people they want in the positions they need.

In the rear hall, Zhu Zhanji asked Li Xianmu for his opinion, "Does the teacher think that it is somewhat inhumane of me to exile an old minister as soon as I ascend the throne?"

After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Xianmu spoke to Zhu Zhanji, the gist of which was as follows—

"Most of the ministers in the court today are those who stayed from the Yongle era. They are all quite old, and regardless of their health, they will eventually have to retire."

In the military, there is a tradition of experienced soldiers mentoring newcomers; the same principle should apply to politics, where there should always be a need to cultivate pillars of the government capable of shouldering great responsibilities.

If all these elderly people retire or pass away, are they just going to stand by and watch the Ming Dynasty make mistakes?

Your Majesty's idea of ​​replacing some officials with new ones is commendable, but the selection process must be carefully considered. The Ministers of the Six Ministries and the Left Censor-in-Chief hold important positions in the government and should not be underestimated.

For Zhu Zhanji, this was a very "Li Xianmu" answer, always viewing the major events of the dynasty from a very high perspective.

The scope is fully expanded.

"My beloved ministers have worked hard and made great contributions over the years. Now you are going to travel thousands of miles away for the sake of the country. I am very pleased. I hereby bestow upon you the title of Grand Master of the First Rank."

This grand gesture even shocked Yang Shiqi and his men. The Seven Ministers were transformed into governors, which naturally meant a significant reduction in their power. But to be honest, it wasn't so bad; they had simply gone from being Seven Ministers to regional governors.

It's not about retiring to a position, nor is it about truly leaving the power arena.

Now that the emperor has offered a newly appointed Grand Master of the Palace, it's all worth it, since many people here might never be able to produce an official post of this rank in their entire lives.

Currently, only Li Xianmu in the palace has been promoted from the first rank to Grand Master of the Palace. This was a special honor bestowed upon Li Xianmu by Zhu Zhanji after he ascended the throne, in order to highlight his status as the Imperial Tutor. It is the highest honor among civil officials at present.

Moreover, Li Xianmu received the title of Grand Master of the Palace because he was already the Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince. Zhu Zhanji then added the title of Junior Preceptor to him, which was already a first-rank official position. The title of Grand Master of the Palace was simply a natural progression.

A precise political exchange created five vacant high-ranking positions of the second rank in the imperial court, and there were only eight such positions to begin with!
Now the emperor had a wealth of political resources at his disposal, giving him more room to maneuver in the subsequent political maneuvering.

Seeing that everything was going smoothly, Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but glance at Li Xianmu.

Li Xianmu taught him many things, and today is another lesson: how to achieve one's political goals without resorting to bloodshed.

After this important matter was decided, Li Xianmu took charge and discussed who would be sent to divide up the provinces. Wang Gen was the one the late emperor had already decided on, and the Southern Zhili region was to be given to him.

Gansu and Liaoning, these two provincial administration commissions, are different from the inland provincial administration commissions, and they shoulder more military responsibilities, so the selection of personnel to be sent there must be careful consideration.

The selection process continued until midday before all candidates were chosen.

As the officials left the hall, Zheng Huan walked alongside Li Xianmu, a bitter smile on his lips, and said, "Mingda, from now on, we'll be relying on you alone in the capital."

"I couldn't escape it after all."

Li Xianmu didn't know what to say. Zheng Huan was originally a member of the Emperor's faction and was unwilling to join the Crown Prince's faction. Later, when he wanted to join, he no longer had a core position.

After Zhu Gaochi ascended the throne, Zheng Huan was transferred from his position as Minister of Revenue to become Censor-in-Chief, which meant he was somewhat marginalized, as Zhu Gaochi did not care much about the Censorate.

Now that Zhu Zhanji has ascended the throne, it is inevitable that Zheng Huan will leave his core official position. The position of Left Censor-in-Chief, which is a high-ranking and powerful position, is not one that he, a former member of the former emperor's faction, can occupy.

"Jiangsu is one of the most important provinces of the Ming Dynasty. After you arrive in Jiangsu, remember to develop commerce and handicrafts. I have very important plans for Jiangsu in the future, and you need to lay a solid foundation."

Besides, the situation in the capital changes daily; who knows when another ministerial post might become available, allowing you to return to the capital from Jiangsu.”

Zheng Huan was startled because he saw the cold glint in Li Xianmu's eyes.

"Mingda, now that you hold the highest position among ministers, does anyone dare to challenge your authority?"

Li Xianmu said expressionlessly, "I am just an important minister, not a powerful minister. Even powerful ministers have people who oppose them from time to time, let alone me."

Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the power structure of the court has been reshuffled once again, and I, a minister from the old era, am naturally the target of everyone's criticism.

Leaving aside external matters, focusing solely on the internal workings of the School of Mind, now that you've gone to Jiangsu, and my senior brother has already secured a position among the Seven Ministers, changes will inevitably occur within the School of Mind.

Zheng Huan's expression darkened. The School of Mind was not a monolithic entity; he and Wang Gen were one of the two major factions.

Previously, their faction held an absolute advantage in official positions within the School of Mind. He was one of the Seven Ministers, Yang Rong was a core minister of the emperor, while Wang Gen was far behind.

But now he has been forced out of the game.

Rising and falling, like the ebb and flow of the tide, it gradually changes.

Thinking of this, Zheng Huan was startled and whispered, "Could it be His Majesty...?"

Li Xianmu pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said, "It's highly unlikely. The School of Mind is not strong enough to need internal division. Most importantly, with me here, the School of Mind will not engage in internal strife."

These words were tinged with arrogance!

Li Xianmu was the true pillar of the philosophy of mind!
(End of this chapter)