The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 269 The Grand Secretary

Li Xianmu left the Huagai Hall with light steps, the sunlight falling on him and dispelling the chill.

Emperor Zhu Zhanji agreed to his suggestion.

This is a major step forward for the country's political system!
In the early years of the Yongle reign, the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet were all officials responsible for compilation, preliminary review, and lectures. They worked in the Wenyuan Pavilion inside the Meridian Gate, without appointing their own subordinates, and were not allowed to monopolize the various departments and offices of the Six Ministries.

The memorials submitted by the six ministries and other departments did not need to go through the cabinet.

From today onwards, the six ministries will have to act to some extent according to the Cabinet's wishes, especially the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Justice, whose work is mostly based on formalities.

The Ministry of Revenue was responsible for approving various financial appropriations, the Ministry of Works for approving various budgets, and the Ministry of Justice for handling various cases, such as death penalty cases, which required the emperor's personal approval.

Zhu Zhanji acted very quickly. Before the first year of Xuande's reign truly arrived, he wanted to assemble an efficient governing team, and the new cabinet was an indispensable part of this team.

Soon an imperial edict was issued: "Memorials from various government offices shall be sent to the Office of Transmission, then to the Emperor, and then to the Grand Secretariat for preliminary review and recommendations, before being submitted to the Emperor for approval."

All the memorials sent to the palace by the Office of Transmission were kept in duplicate, usually in three copies: one for the person who submitted the memorial, one for the Office of Transmission, and one for the palace archives.

Such momentous news naturally shocked countless people.

When the news reached the Six Ministries and other government offices, almost everyone, from ministers and vice ministers to ordinary officials, was stunned. They weren't fools; of course, they knew that this matter would greatly enhance the power of the cabinet.

From now on, all memorials from the six ministries will have to be reviewed by the cabinet first. Does that mean that any impeachments will also have to be sent over first?

The first to oppose it was the Censorate.

After the departure of the former Left Censor-in-Chief Zheng Huan, the new Left Censor-in-Chief immediately reorganized the Censorate.

He didn't make any major moves after taking office, but he never expected to receive such an outrageous imperial decree.

He immediately summoned all the censors of the Censorate and said in a deep voice, "Since the establishment of the Censorate during the reign of Emperor Taizu, we have been granted the power to report on matters based on hearsay. Whenever there is an impeachment, it should be submitted to the Emperor. But now it has to go through the Cabinet, an institution without any rank. This is trampling on the system of the dynasty. I will write to His Majesty to object. What about my colleagues?"

"We must comply with the Constitutional Court!"

"The Cabinet has no right to supervise the memorials submitted by my Censorate!"

Most of the censors were indignant, and only a few remained silent. However, under the circumstances, they did not voice their opposition. The Left Censor-in-Chief looked at the crowd's reaction and nodded in satisfaction.

He didn't want to confront Li Xianmu, but he genuinely believed that a mere cabinet with no official rank could possibly overshadow the Censorate.
Moreover, they are an agency that oversees officials, so how can they be suppressed by the cabinet? What value does the Censorate have then?
They were loyal to the emperor.

Even if His Majesty wants the cabinet to add more work for the sake of efficiency, the work of the Censorate should not be decided by the cabinet.

Yes.

As the Left Censor-in-Chief, having spent decades navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, he knew very well why the emperor had created the draft memorial system. It was simply because reviewing memorials was too tiring, so he wanted to slack off.

However, the prime minister system could not be truly restored. After all, the imperial ancestral precepts clearly stated that anyone who dared to restore the prime minister system would be attacked by the whole country. Even the emperor dared not mention it, so the cabinet, a hybrid of two systems, was created.

Left Censor-in-Chief Wang Tong had a clear plan: he would submit a memorial to the emperor and go to the palace to explain the matter to him, and that the Censorate should not allow the Grand Secretariat to interfere.

Wang Tong's mind was in turmoil. He said in a deep voice, "Since all of you colleagues share the same thoughts as me, then go back to your rooms and write your memorials. Once everyone has finished, we will send them together to the Office of Transmission."

Write it today, write it again tomorrow, write it every day; this matter must be nipped in the bud.

"General!"

Before Wang Tonghua could finish speaking, someone rushed over and exclaimed in surprise, "Chief Censor, the Six Ministries have gone to kneel and plead with His Majesty to rescind his decree."

Wang Tong frowned slightly, and immediately understood why. In the court, although the Left Censor-in-Chief and the Ministers of the Six Ministries were both among the Seven Ministers, their responsibilities were different.

The censors were a group of upright officials who impeached people and did not deal with actual affairs; in short, they had no resources at their disposal.

The Six Ministries truly control countless resources of the Ming Dynasty. Now that they are being overshadowed by the Cabinet, they must be much more anxious than the Censorate.

However, Wang Tong was still somewhat surprised that they went directly to kneel and remonstrate. "Did all six ministries go? Did the Ministry of War go too?"

The Minister of War is Li Xianmu. If even the Ministry of War opposes this, it will inevitably cause a political storm.

"Chief of Staff, we..."

What I haven't finished saying is—should we still participate?

The six ministries and the cabinet have long had major conflicts, and this incident has simply brought them to a head.

This is no small matter. If I get involved, I might get into trouble, but staying out of it doesn't seem right either.

Wang Tong hesitated for a moment, but quickly made up his mind and said loudly, "This matter is contrary to the laws of our ancestors, so we cannot sit idly by. I urge you all to write a memorial as soon as possible, and then go to the palace together to ask His Majesty to withdraw the decree."

……

"Mingda, this matter has caused quite a stir."

"The reaction from the Six Ministries was extremely strong, and even many people from the Ministry of War participated. I'm afraid this won't end well."

Inside the Wenyuan Pavilion, the cabinet ministers were also discussing this matter. They were naturally pleased that the emperor had agreed to it, but on the condition that they could overcome the current difficulties.

Yang Shiqi looked at Li Xianmu and said in a deep voice, "Mingda, I think there is no need to pay attention to them. They will naturally leave when the time comes. After all, there is nothing wrong with this matter, and they can't say anything about it."

Li Xianmu gazed out the window of Wenyuan Pavilion at a willow tree whose branches and leaves were gradually turning yellow. Several months had passed since the death of the late Emperor Zhu Gaochi, and the capital was gradually entering autumn and winter again. The first year of Hongxi was about to end.

The Ming Dynasty will usher in a new era.

Li Xianmu said calmly, "Some unreasonable things are naturally not worth paying attention to, but this matter is a harbinger of changes in the political system of the Ming Dynasty, and we must always draw a line between right and wrong."

If we cannot defeat and subdue the Six Ministries, they will not be convinced and will certainly clash with the Cabinet on various occasions in the future, which would be disastrous. We must clearly explain why they oppose us so much, and also explain the benefits of the draft proposal system to the entire country, thus isolating those who oppose it.

Yang Rong was the first to react, "Mingda means that we should let the world see that the reason they oppose it is because their interests are threatened."

"This is a bit difficult, especially since they are all civil officials. If they attack each other like this, won't that make them a laughing stock for the military officers?" Huang Huai was a moderate person and somewhat disapproved of such a fierce struggle.

Yang Shiqi frowned slightly and said with dissatisfaction, "If they want to attack us and oppose us, then of course we should resist. Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"

Huang Huai was speechless upon hearing Yang Shiqi's impolite words.

Jin Youzi and Yang Pu remained silent upon seeing this.

Within this cabinet, Li Xianmu was the head, as were the court officials, followed by Yang Shiqi.

Yang Shiqi served the late emperor for over twenty years, and among the cabinet ministers, he was second only to Li Xianmu in terms of ability, seniority, and merit.

When Li Xianmu ceased to serve as a cabinet minister at the end of the Yongle reign, Yang Shiqi took the lead in the cabinet.

Ironically, these two men were quite similar in some ways, both being extremely tough. If Yang Shiqi had been comparable to Li Xianmu, the cabinet would never have been so peaceful.

Even so, since Li Xianmu rejoined the cabinet, there have been ten disputes within the cabinet, eight of which involved Li Xianmu and Yang Shiqi.

It was destined that two strong-willed people would work together, just as Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng both had the talent to govern the country, but they could not get along.

Li Xianmu believed that Yang Shiqi was even more autocratic than himself, especially in his exclusion of dissidents, which was far too much. At least Li Xianmu would consider whether the other party had any talent. For example, Jian Yi, although the two had always been at odds, he had not taken any action against Jian Yi because of the death of Emperor Taizong.

Yang Shiqi was different. Regardless of whether someone was talented or not, as long as they were not in his faction and were in his way, they would immediately be ostracized.

Jin Youzi, Huang Huai, and Yang Pu held the lowest power in the cabinet and naturally could not speak much. Only Yang Rong could speak up, saying, "Shiqi, don't be impatient. Let's hear what Mingda really thinks."

"The dispute between the Cabinet and the Six Ministries was inevitable. As the Minister of War, it would be unreasonable for me to get involved in this matter."

Li Xianmu brought up another identity to make his words more convincing: "The reason I made this suggestion to the emperor is because His Majesty wants to make good use of eunuchs. Now His Majesty has set up schools in the palace to let eunuchs study."

His Majesty is not a very diligent emperor, so there is no way he can finish processing all these memorials. Who will take on this task then?
If not the cabinet, then it must be a eunuch!

Li Xianmu's words caused a huge stir, leaving all five members of the cabinet stunned and never expecting to hear such a statement.

But upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense. The reason the emperor granted the cabinet the power to draft proposals was because the emperor was negligent in his duties. If every emperor were as diligent as Emperor Taizu, then there would naturally be no need for such proposals.

Even for someone like Emperor Taizong, one secretariat would suffice.

It can be said that the emergence of the cabinet's draft proposal was not accidental, but inevitable!

Upon reflection, the five cabinet members suddenly understood.

"If these words were spoken to the court officials, this matter could very likely be resolved directly."

Huang Huai was somewhat excited; this solution was exactly what he had in mind.

The others pondered this. It did sound like a good idea. No matter how fiercely the Six Ministries and the Cabinet fought, they were still united in the face of eunuch interference in politics.

Li Xianmu shook his head. "This method can certainly dissuade many people, but it is still a power grab from the Six Ministries. Eunuch interference in politics is a future matter. We don't even know if the current officials will still be around at that time."

The current stripping of power is imminent, and a major uproar is inevitable. The only question now is how His Majesty intends to handle this matter.

As they were speaking, a palace servant came over and said in a shrill voice, "Scholars, His Majesty has ordered the officials of the Six Ministries and other government offices to enter the palace. I would like to invite you all to enter the palace to present your reports."

Hey!
The six cabinet members exchanged glances. The emperor had actually chosen to bring the two sides face to face. Did he believe they could resolve the situation, or was he trying to back down?

After Li Xianmu and the others responded, they headed from Wenyuan Pavilion toward Fengtian Hall. On the way, they happened to encounter a group of people from the Six Ministries entering the palace.

"Aren't these the cabinet ministers?"

It was a loud, defiant sound.

In the Tang Dynasty, "Ge Lao" was a title for the Secretariat Attendants and the Chancellor, which were respectful titles for prime ministers, such as the very famous Di Renjie, the Ge Lao.

Similarly, there is the term "元辅" (Yuanfu), which originally referred to an important minister of the court, but is now often used to specifically refer to the prime minister.

As the cabinet's power gradually increased, Li Xianmu and others usually referred to themselves as "the cabinet ministers" in public, and many people would respectfully call them "the cabinet elders," but today they are here in the open.

It had a somewhat sarcastic tone.

This is a mockery of Li Xianmu and others for dreaming of becoming prime ministers!

This single sentence reveals the thoughts of the Six Ministries. For a thousand years, the Six Ministries have been subordinate executive agencies of the prime minister. Only in the Ming Dynasty did the Six Ministries hold such a high status.

Once you've got it, you don't want to lose it!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the early days of the cabinet, its existence greatly strengthened the monarchical autocracy. This was because the cabinet was established with the high degree of strengthening of imperial power in the early Ming Dynasty. The source of power was granted by the monarch, and the Grand Secretaries of the cabinet had to act in accordance with the monarch's will. They had almost no restraining effect on the monarch's power and could only become a tool for the monarch to strengthen autocracy. Therefore, the monarchical autocracy in the early Ming Dynasty was more severe than in previous dynasties, which contributed to the degree of monarchical autocracy in the early Ming Dynasty.

The argument held by some historians that the cabinet was a counterbalance to imperial power is completely wrong. The implementation of the drafting system was not, in essence, a seizure of the emperor's decision-making power, but a victory over the Six Ministries. It was a move by the cabinet to boost its own power.

After the drafting system was introduced, the cabinet had the power to make suggestions, the six ministries had the power to implement them, and the emperor (directorate of ceremonial) had the power to make decisions on the drafting of imperial edicts. The inner and outer courts checked and balanced each other, and the cabinet and the six ministries checked and balanced each other. The Grand Secretaries of the cabinet did not pose any threat to the imperial power at all, and the extent of their power depended entirely on the degree to which the emperor approved of the drafting results.

Some historians argue that the power of the cabinet was based on the power of Li Xianmu (Li Wenzheng) during the Xuande and Zhengtong periods. This is putting the cart before the horse. Li Xianmu's power came from the trust Emperor Xuanzong placed in him. As recorded in historical books, "Whenever the emperor had doubts, he would consult Li Xianmu." This was due to Li Xianmu's personal power and had little to do with the cabinet system.

From the Secretariat during the Yongle reign to high-ranking officials of the second or third rank during the Hongxi reign, and then to those with advisory power during the Xuande reign, the status of the Grand Secretariat steadily rose, gradually surpassing that of the Six Ministries. However, the Six Ministries would not sit idly by; the next significant elevation of the Grand Secretariat's status would occur during the next adjustment of official ranks. —From *The Evolution of the Political System in the Ming Dynasty*

(End of this chapter)