The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 270 Court Debate
Faced with the provocation, Li Xianmu showed no particular expression, and did not even stop walking. He merely glanced at it indifferently before heading straight for the Fengtian Hall.

But silence is the highest contempt.

Li Xianmu didn't speak, but his slightly contemptuous expression clearly conveyed the message: You're right, I am the prime minister, so what can you do about it?

The cabinet members following behind Li Xianmu laughed out loud, and then followed him away.

"you……"

The Vice Minister of Rites, who had spoken provocatively, was naturally anxious.

Xia Yuanji stopped him and scolded, "What are you doing? Is this how you talk to a high-ranking official?"

"Don't you have any manners at all? Is your brain filled with shit?"

The Vice Minister of Rites exclaimed in astonishment, "You..."

He didn't understand why Xia Yuanji would rebuke him so harshly, a remark that surprised both the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Personnel, Jian Yi.

“Wei Zhe,” Jian Yi advised, “you went too far just now. Minister Li was only speaking out of anger. It was quite inappropriate for you to directly insult him.”

Xia Yuanji didn't reply, but just snorted and walked forward. Everyone was quite puzzled and embarrassed by this. Before they could even go to the hall to debate with Li Xianmu, their own people started fighting. It was truly a laughing stock.

Xia Yuanji did this because he had previously discussed the matter of eunuchs with Li Xianmu and understood what Li Xianmu was thinking.

When he first heard the emperor's praise of the Grand Secretariat for suppressing the Six Ministries, he was naturally both surprised and angry. But after calming down, he realized that this matter could curb the eunuchs' interference in politics. After all, no matter how great the power and responsibility of the Six Ministries were, they were too far removed from the emperor. Only close ministers like the Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat could influence the emperor more closely.

Although Xia Yuanji was also fixated on the struggle between the Six Ministries and the Cabinet, he was more concerned about the issue of eunuchs interfering in politics. He firmly opposed eunuchs interfering in politics, believing that if eunuchs did, the Ming Dynasty would inevitably fall apart.

Li Xianmu and the others who were walking in front naturally heard the argument and quarrel behind them. Li Xianmu turned around and looked at Xia Yuanji, nodding slightly.

The cabinet members also turned around and looked over, then spoke in hushed tones, perhaps with some doubt in their voices.

At this crucial moment, Li Qi is naturally paying attention to this matter.

Seeing Xia Yuanji's reaction, he felt somewhat moved.

Xia Yuanji was naturally a pragmatic civil official, a typical upright and honest civil official.

There are not many people like Xia Yuanji. People of this type share a common political inclination: a dislike of eunuchs interfering in politics.

Ministers who came from the Yongle era witnessed firsthand the great deeds and achievements of Zheng He and others, but even so, it could not conceal their aversion to eunuch interference in politics.

In the history of the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs were mostly synonymous with wicked and treacherous officials, and they wielded immense power. Even the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and the Ministers of the Six Ministries had to kneel before them. The Grand Eunuch Wang Zhen was even more powerful; princes and princesses had to address him as "father-in-law," and even dukes had to kneel and pay their respects to him.

What upright official could endure such humiliation?

Even if they could endure it, it was only because they harbored the desire to get rid of these eunuchs. For example, Li Dongyang, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet during the Zhengde period, endured humiliation and hardship in order to get rid of Liu Jin, and resigned immediately after achieving a great victory.

Many people would unconsciously stand in the emperor's position and think that eunuchs were relatively better, but Li Qi would not think that way.

In his view, if the emperor is a being that embodies both light and darkness, a being that is both good and bad, then the eunuchs are basically the evil side of the emperor. All the virtuous eunuchs in history combined cannot cause as much harm as one great eunuch.

This monstrosity—completely uncontrolled by the system, lacking personal beliefs, incapable of governing, and close to the central government—should never have existed in the first place!
Even if there were eunuchs, they should have been scholars who were castrated and sent to the palace, not people like Liu Jin and Wei Zhongxian who couldn't even read a word and were allowed to rule the country.

What's the difference between this and picking a spirited young man from an electronics factory to be the head of state?
Li Qi's political leanings naturally influenced Li Xianmu. Although the Li family maintained relatively friendly relations with many eunuchs, including Zheng He, they maintained a critical attitude towards the others, except for those like Zheng He who had indeed made contributions.

Xia Yuanji sensed Li Xianmu's political inclination, so he was willing to put aside the long-standing disputes between the various factions in the civil service cabinet and work hand in hand with Li Xianmu.

With these thoughts in mind, the ministers who had been summoned to the palace had already entered the Fengtian Hall.

Upon seeing the main hall where the emperor held court, the officials immediately fell into a solemn silence.

Emperor Taizu always held meetings and handled government affairs in the Fengtian Hall, and naturally, grand court assemblies and other important events were also held there.

However, when Emperor Taizong succeeded in the Jingnan Campaign, the Fengtian Hall was burned down along with Jianwen's palace. So, the meetings were held in the Huagai Hall, and the Fengtian Hall was only used for extremely important occasions such as the Grand Court Assembly.

His Majesty's choice of this location today is by no means an accident, but rather a deliberate one.

……

After the officials entered the hall, Li Xianmu naturally stood at the front of the line of officials, followed by Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, and Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue. Then the cabinet members and other officials took their places.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat somber.

Because the emperor's face was expressionless, Zhu Zhanji spoke directly after everyone had arrived: "Since all of you are here, I will say a few words."

This morning, all the officials gathered in front of the palace gates, making a scene known to everyone. They trampled the court's reputation underfoot; how arrogant they were!

Zhu Zhanji's voice carried a hint of anger. He had expected his ministers to object, but the extent of their opposition was truly unexpected. When he was in the palace and heard these ministers gathering in front of the palace gates to object, he felt a wave of dizziness.

If the common people knew about this, how would they view him as emperor? With so many ministers opposing him, would they say he was a foolish ruler?
When the ministers heard the emperor's words, which were tinged with anger, they immediately felt a chill in their hearts, knowing that this matter had truly angered the emperor.

"I am guilty!"

Since the emperor ascended the throne, he had never spoken to his ministers like this before.

Many eyes fell on Li Xianmu, who stood before the assembled officials. Li Xianmu narrowed his eyes slightly, adopting an indifferent attitude, showing neither pride nor solemnity, as if he were truly detached from the matter.

But he is the central figure in this political turmoil! If the cabinet gains such power, the biggest beneficiary will naturally be Li Xianmu. Given the emperor's trust in him, he is practically no different from the prime minister.

At such a moment, Li Xianmu's composure is both admirable and astonishing.

Although Li Xianmu was frantically devising arguments for the debate to come, he didn't really care, because the essence of the debate was to persuade the bystander, and that bystander was the emperor.

Unfortunately, he had already completed this step ahead of time. Li Xianmu had thoroughly explained the advantages and disadvantages of the cabinet system to the emperor, so those who opposed it could not cause any trouble.

Zhu Zhanji was not the kind of puppet emperor whom his ministers could not control. Even Li Xianmu, who had all the advantages, could not control Zhu Zhanji. As long as Zhu Zhanji wanted to, he could do anything.

This was an unfair argument; the referee was his man, how could he possibly lose?

He might as well just take off his official hat.

Seeing everyone below unanimously admitting their guilt, Zhu Zhanji felt even more choked up. At this moment, he understood even more why it was necessary to strengthen the power of the cabinet. With the emperor facing these ministers every day, it would be a miracle if he didn't get angry to death.

It would be better to summon close ministers to the cabinet and then let the cabinet ministers deal with these sharp-tongued ministers. Thinking of this, Zhu Zhanji became even more determined.

He looked at Li Xianmu, believing that Li Xianmu would not disappoint him and would surely silence these opposing ministers. If Li Xianmu could really do it, he would give Li Xianmu a great gift.

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhanji couldn't wait to speak: "I have seen all your memorials. You all disagree with my granting the cabinet the power to draft proposals, right?"

The Vice Minister of Rites was the first to stand up and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, I do not agree with this matter. This is a violation of ancestral rules."

Yang Rong and Li Xianmu exchanged a glance, walked straight out, and said calmly, "Minister Li said that this matter violates ancestral rules, but I don't know which ancestral rules it violates?"

"Emperor Taizu clearly stated in the Imperial Ancestral Instructions that his descendants should not restore the prime minister system. Isn't this a violation of ancestral rules?"

"Does Vice Minister Li think this move is a restoration of the prime minister system? Does Vice Minister Li think that a cabinet with draft proposals is a prime minister's office?"
If Vice Minister Li truly believes this, then I suggest he relinquish his high position in the imperial court and return to his hometown. After all, his understanding is no different from that of the common people.

Before Yang Rong could finish speaking, a burst of laughter erupted in the hall, the sarcasm in which was obvious.

The Vice Minister of Rites immediately blushed and retorted, but Yang Rong didn't give him a chance at all. He spoke quickly and urgently, but his words were clearly audible.

Are the Six Ministries subordinate to the Cabinet? Do the Six Ministries obey the orders of the Cabinet? In every dynasty and every prime ministerial office, which one did not have the Six Ministries obeying its orders?
A Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, a fifth-rank official—in which dynasty throughout history was the rank of prime minister so low?

Yang Rong questioned one by one, "The prime ministers of all dynasties have the power to decide matters. Let me ask you, even if the cabinet has draft proposals, does it have the power to make decisions?"
When Lord Shouzheng introduced this system, he clearly stated that all decision-making power rests with His Majesty. We will only implement what His Majesty approves, and anything His Majesty does not agree to will be disregarded!

The Cabinet has always been loyal to His Majesty. What are your intentions in comparing the Cabinet to a prime ministerial body? Do you believe that we, the members of the Cabinet, aspire to be treacherous ministers like Hu Weiyong?

Yang Rong's questioning was stern and harsh. Although he was not known for his dignified and composed demeanor, he was, after all, a veteran official of three dynasties. When he put on a stern face, he was quite authoritative, especially since his words were reasonable and well-founded, which made people feel intimidated.

When the Vice Minister of Rites spoke up, Jian Yi sensed something was wrong, because the cabinet was clearly different from the prime minister's institution, and using the ancestral system as a pretext would inevitably cause problems.

But now that the Vice Minister of Rites had already started this confrontation, Jian Yi watched him retreat step by step and could only speak up to defend him, "Scholar Yang, there's no need to be so aggressive. Vice Minister Li is just not very precise in his speech."

When Su Xun wrote "On the Six States," he wrote, "Today they cede five cities, tomorrow ten, and then they can have a night's rest. But when they rise and look around, the Qin army is already at their doorstep." During Emperor Taizong's reign, the power of the cabinet was far less than it is today, yet it has gradually become the powerful institution it is today. How can one not be worried?

"Will the cabinet one day become the prime minister's body?" This was merely Li Shilang's concern.

Li Xianmu finally opened his eyes slowly. Jian Yizhen truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned bureaucrat who had worked his way up through the ranks for so many years; he was indeed capable.

He effortlessly refuted all of Yang Rong's arguments, using only the word "possibly," a word that is utterly invincible.

Because the future holds countless possibilities, in the actual history of the Ming Dynasty, the Grand Secretariat never became the prime ministerial institution until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

But then again, is it possible that on another timeline, the cabinet truly became a real prime ministerial body?
In response to such questions, if one were to refute the idea that the cabinet could not be the prime minister's body, one would fall into the trap of self-justification, as the word "possible" is something that cannot be clearly refuted no matter what.

Li Xianmu was naturally not that foolish. He stopped Yang Rong from speaking again, looked at Jian Yi, and said solemnly, "Then Xianmu also wants to congratulate Minister Jian. He has served as Minister of the Heavenly Court for three dynasties, and his disciples are all over the world. He is no less than Di Renjie, and may even be comparable to the Yuan family of Runan, who held high office for four generations at the end of the Later Han Dynasty."

Upon hearing Li Xianmu's words, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed again. The cabinet naturally cheered, while the six ministries looked rather grim.

Di Renjie was undoubtedly a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, and the fact that he had countless disciples was a testament to his talent. However, the result of having so many disciples was the Shenlong Revolution, which led to Wu Zetian being overthrown from the throne.

As for the Yuan family of Runan, they were not worth mentioning. Although they were not criticized like Cao Cao, they could hardly be called loyal ministers.

In this context, the way Li Xianmu phrased these two statements made it seem as if Jian Yi was usurping imperial power and cultivating his own influence in the position of Minister of Personnel.

"Lord Shouzheng's words are truly excessive. Minister Jian is devoted to the public good; how can this be tolerated..."

“Yes.” Li Xianmu interrupted the Vice Minister of Personnel, still indifferent, “When the Duke of Zhou feared rumors, Wang Mang was humble before his usurpation.”

A single word like "maybe" can pierce a person's spine, even costing them their life.

Everything in this world has countless possibilities, just like a pebble I casually toss here could land anywhere.

Xianmu felt that in this situation, it was best not to use words like "maybe." What did Minister Jian think?

The hall was silent.

Only Li Xianmu's voice echoed.

Jian Yi felt extremely uncomfortable being blocked, but his expression changed again and again. Finally, he solemnly said, "Minister Li is right. I was wrong just now. I hope you gentlemen will forgive me."

Jian Yi admitted his mistake, and the situation in the palace changed once again.

(End of this chapter)