The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 271 Confused
Jian Yi's decisive admission of his mistake created a rather somber atmosphere in the hall, leaving many people feeling uneasy.

We were ready to fight to the death, why did Your Majesty surrender first!
Among the civil officials in the current court, Li Xianmu is undoubtedly number one in terms of merit, bloodline, and kinship. No one can rival him. However, if one had to find someone to challenge Li Xianmu, it would only be Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel.

Although Jian Yi's achievements were far inferior to Li Xianmu's, his seniority as an official was far too profound, making him arguably the most outstanding person in the court at that time.

He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign (1389) and was appointed as a Zhongshu Sheren (a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat). His original name was Rong. Emperor Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang) was pleased with his sincerity and bestowed upon him the name "Yi".

The Jinshi degree obtained in the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign was highly prestigious, roughly equivalent to the first batch of college entrance examination candidates after the Cultural Revolution.

As is well known, after the imperial examination was held in the fourth year of the Hongwu reign, the Ming Dynasty stopped the imperial examination system and instead used the recommendation system of the Han Dynasty until the autumn examination was held again in the seventeenth year of the Hongwu reign.

In the eighteenth year of the Hongwu reign, the imperial examination was held again in spring. It was the first time in twelve years that the examination for the Jinshi degree had been held, and it was a gathering of the most outstanding candidates.

Jian Yi passed the imperial examination and became an official in that year. There were no Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examination) before him, and almost all the Jinshi after him had died.

Jian Yi was able to serve as an official in the bloody and bloody central court of the Hongwu reign for thirteen years, which speaks volumes about his character; he was definitely someone who could withstand the test.

This is also the fundamental reason why Li Xianmu was quite tolerant of Jian Yi.

During the Jianwen reign, Jian Yi was already the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. After the Jingnan Campaign, he was promoted to Left Vice Minister and then to Minister of Personnel. From then on, he held the position of Minister of Personnel during the Yongle reign, a position he still holds today.

Li Xianmu just said that he had students all over the world, which was certainly a malicious remark, but to some extent it was also true. Having served as Minister of Personnel for more than 20 years, his influence in the court and among the people was extremely terrifying.

Emperor Taizong relied on his maturity and prudence. Jian Yi was also a staunch supporter of Zhu Gaochi, and he would stay behind whenever Zhu Gaochi was in charge of the country.

During the Yongle era, in addition to the Crown Prince's faction and the Prince of Han's faction, there was also a distinction between the Northern Expedition faction and the Remaining Faction, based on the three previous Northern Expeditions. Jian Yi was naturally the core of the Remaining Faction.

If Li Xianmu were to comment on him, he would say that he was simple and honest, and sincere in his dealings with others, but he was too focused on maintaining the status quo. He was a typical Neo-Confucian scholar who could only follow the established practices and had no chance of creating anything new.

During his twenty years in office, Li Xianmu had conflicts with many people, including verbal disputes and life-or-death situations. But arguments are not always a bad thing; at least they have the potential to change people.

But Jian Yi was like a rock in a latrine, both smelly and hard. He was already sixty-three years old and had studied the Four Books and Five Classics and Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism his whole life. It was impossible to change him. Any change would be considered heresy by Jian Yi.

He's a stubborn old man; anyone with elderly relatives knows that it's impossible to change their minds. That's why Li Xianmu never thought of getting Jian Yi to join his side.

Jian Yi admitted his mistake on this point, but that's all. If you really think that Jian Yi has given up, then you're overthinking it.

But taking advantage of Jian Yi's admission of defeat, Li Xianmu immediately spoke up.

"I have a question for you all. What brings you all here today?" Li Xianmu looked at everyone and asked with a sigh, "And what is your reason for opposing the cabinet's draft proposal?"

Is it that they truly care about the entire land, or is it simply because it differs from tradition that they resolutely oppose it?

Upon hearing this, Jian Yi said solemnly, "Lord Shouzheng, we are all important officials of the court. Our thoughts and ideas are naturally for the benefit of all people in the country. Apart from His Majesty, there should be no one in this world who makes decisions arbitrarily. We have some thoughts to share here."

As the sage said, truth becomes clear only through debate.

The Ming Dynasty has its own ancestral rules and national conditions. If everything is done without following these rules and conditions, the country will surely cease to exist. This is why we are here.

"Ancestral rules are acceptable, and so are national conditions."

"But ancestral rules and national conditions cannot be discussed together. Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty once said, 'The ancestral laws are not to be followed blindly.' What do you all think of what he said?"

Li Xianmu deliberately brought up Wang Anshi, who was a typical treacherous minister in ancient times. His reforms caused chaos throughout the country, and he was even responsible for the demise of the Song Dynasty.

as predicted.

The people in the hall began to curse Wang Anshi, calling him a treacherous villain.

Li Xianmu laughed and said, "I also think that the laws of our ancestors are the foundation of our dynasty. How can they be abolished? When the late emperor was alive, he often abolished the laws of the previous dynasty. I would then remonstrate with the late emperor that the laws of our ancestors should not be changed and that we should restore the Great Proclamation in order to curb the dark wind of corrupt officials throughout the country."

However, the late emperor said that this law was too strict and should not be implemented, which I deeply regret.

Now that all the officials also feel that the ancestral laws cannot be changed, and since the important ministers of the court are all here, and His Majesty is also present, why don't we all remonstrate together to restore the Great Proclamation, and punish those who greedily take sixty taels by skinning them alive and stuffing them with straw!

What do you all think?

As Li Xianmu spoke, the Fengtian Hall fell silent, with only cold, labored breathing remaining. No one had expected Li Xianmu to be so ruthless; they had only wanted to fight, but Li Xianmu wanted to perish with them.

Restoring the Great Proclamation? Are you kidding me?

Li Xianmu could not possibly restore the Great Proclamation. If he had, the Ming Dynasty would not have lasted even fifty years and would have perished.

The Great Proclamation was something only emperors like Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, who founded dynasties on a whim, could afford to use, and it caused immense harm to the country.

An example will make it clear.

If you were a local official, your job would be to plan the development of the area for the next five or even ten years, but now, you could die at any time because of some small mistake.

Now you have two choices—

First, continue to fulfill your responsibilities.

Second, seek a way to avoid death.

This isn't actually a multiple-choice question; it's a mandatory one.

Because as long as you do things, you will inevitably make mistakes, you will inevitably compromise, and you will inevitably get some mud on your body and no longer be clean.

Even Li Qi, a transmigrator with a system, had only one goal during his eight years in the Hongwu era: to survive. Besides staying alive, he also devoted a little energy to doing other things.

Li Xianmu also tacitly allowed his subordinates to do some borderline things.

What about the others?

If the officialdom is too far removed from ordinary people, the same applies to the business world.

When the business environment is good, more people invest and start businesses; when the environment is bad, everyone just wants to save money.

If the Ming Dynasty did not have a stable political environment that allowed most officials to pursue their careers with peace of mind, then the entire dynasty would inevitably come to a standstill.

Whether politics is clean or not actually depends on only one thing: whether officials can be promoted step by step based on their specific achievements.

This is why historians criticize the eunuch politics of the Ming Dynasty, believing that the period of eunuch rule was politically dark, because eunuchs promoted and demoted officials solely based on their preferences and flattery, leaving honest officials with no chance. Even at the height of Zhang Juzheng's power, he didn't go so far as to imprison and kill anyone who opposed him.

At most, he would be demoted.

But almost every powerful eunuch, such as Liu Jin and Wei Zhongxian, did this, and did it without any restraint.

The Ming Dynasty had finally escaped the Hongwu era, and no one would allow it to go back to that point.

Li Xianmu would not allow it either.

But that doesn’t stop him from using this incident to endorse what he really wants to say.

The biggest theoretical basis of Jian Yi and others was that "the laws of our ancestors cannot be changed," while Li Xianmu used the "sharpest counterexample" to attack this theory.

If anyone brings up this phrase again in the future, immediately take out the "Hongwu Great Proclamation".

Jian Yi and others put forward an argument, but Li Xianmu refuted it with an existing counterexample, thus rendering the argument untenable.

Jian Yi and the others began to sweat. They were all intelligent people and naturally understood the terrifying nature of Li Xianmu's words.

To agree to implement the Great Proclamation again is tantamount to courting death.

If you disagree, then the idea that ancestral laws cannot be changed becomes a joke.

If ancestral laws can be selectively changed, then why can't a cabinet be established and given the power to draft proposals?
If loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyal.

The laws of our ancestors are either absolutely immutable or can be changed in any way; there is no middle ground. No one has ever said which aspect can be changed and which aspect cannot be changed.

Zhu Zhanji watched the scene in the hall with a leisurely air, a playful smile on his face. The predicament of Jian Yi and the others was so amusing that it was hard not to laugh.

His teacher, Li Xianmu, still retains the charm of his youth, always getting to the heart of the matter in his words and actions, leaving people speechless.

Looking at the rather unpleasant but speechless expressions on everyone's faces, Li Xianmu said leisurely, "It seems that you all do not truly disagree with the statement that our ancestors' teachings are not worthy of emulation."

We should learn from the good things our ancestors did. For example, our Great Ming Dynasty governed the world with loyalty and filial piety. We should serve our ruler with loyalty, our parents with filial piety, and then spread the great principles of benevolence and righteousness throughout the world. Zhang Zai's four sentences are words that we scholars can take as a model for all ages.

We must follow the present way, doing what our ancestors did wrong, what was outdated, and what had never existed before.

These words eased the tension between Jian Yi and the others. It seemed that Li Xianmu did not want to escalate the conflict completely and left them with some face.

"The cabinet was first created by Emperor Taizong. There was no such system during the reign of Emperor Taizu. This system has only existed for thirty years and is still in its infancy."

Since it's a newly established cabinet, isn't it normal for His Majesty to add powers to it? Why then is it considered unchangeable, to the point that it's brought up before His Majesty, as if the country is truly on the verge of collapse?

Li Xianmu smiled slightly and said, "When Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, first established the Secretariat, then after two hundred years of the Later Han Dynasty, and several hundred years later, the Three Departments and Six Ministries system was finally established, with the Secretariat as the core. If we always say that the laws of our ancestors cannot be changed, where would all of this be?"

Do you gentlemen agree with what I have said?

Li Xianmu spoke eloquently and logically, especially his statement that the cabinet was still in its early stages, which put the cabinet in an invincible position. If there was anything wrong with the cabinet, it was that it was still in its early stages and could be added or modified.

It's practically an invincible state that can't be selected!
These rapid-fire words left Jian Yi and the others feeling utterly helpless. Li Xianmu had crafted a well-structured system with just a few words, leaving them feeling completely at a loss for words.

Jian Yi pondered for a moment before slowly speaking again: "Even if what Lord Shouzheng said earlier makes some sense, if the cabinet is above the six ministries, it will have the appearance of a prime minister even without the title."

Our dynasty abolished the position of Chancellor and transferred power to the Six Ministries precisely because we feared that some officials might wield too much power and even threaten the Emperor.

In the end, they still believed that the power of the cabinet would increase rapidly, but Zhu Zhanji had already heard Li Xianmu explain the cabinet's procedures, so he was quite at ease.

Besides, he's not stupid; he certainly wouldn't hand over all power to the cabinet.

Therefore, as soon as Jian Yifang finished speaking, Zhu Zhanji said loudly: "Minister Jian need not worry about what he is worried about. I have already made up my mind. The cabinet only has the power to draft proposals, but not the power to make decisions. I will establish various government offices in the inner court that correspond to those in the outer court. From then on, the power to make decisions will be in the hands of the inner court."

"Unless I give my approval, the cabinet will never issue a single decree."

Li Xianmu subconsciously glanced at Xia Yuanji, and sure enough, a flash of anger crossed Xia Yuanji's face, and the rest of the people in the hall also frowned deeply.

The eunuch in charge of the Eastern Depot is now extremely powerful, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is like a dog in front of the Eastern Depot. The current emperor trusts the eunuchs, lets them study, and even participates in various affairs. Now, they even want to participate in decision-making?

The system of inner and outer courts has existed since ancient times. Emperor Wu of Han established this system in order to weaken the power of the prime minister.

And now it's happening again.

At this moment, Jian Yi and the others looked at Li Xianmu, only to see a hint of mockery on Li Xianmu's face.

It's as if they're being mocked.

Go ahead and stir things up, stir things up until the cabinet loses even the power to draft proposals, until the Ming Dynasty's memorials are handed over to eunuchs for review, then you'll be happy!
Their faces grew increasingly grim as they thought about it. If their memorials were to be reviewed by eunuchs, it would be better for them to fall into the hands of the cabinet.

At least everyone here is from a scholarly background. Although there are factional disputes, they are just disputes between people. What are eunuchs anyway?
Xia Yuanji's face remained indifferent, but inwardly he cursed the idiot.

Jian Yi was quite conservative, but his conservatism was also aversion and extreme aversion. Although he disliked the philosophy of mind, he disliked eunuchs interfering in politics even more.

Seeing that no one in the hall responded, he looked around, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the inner court offices you just mentioned, are they the Twelve Directorates, where eunuchs interfere in politics? I offer my advice..."

"All right!"

Zhu Zhanji didn't let him continue, and his voice turned low, "I know what I'm doing, so I won't trouble you, Minister. What we're discussing today is the draft of the cabinet proposal."

Looking at the emperor's gloomy face, and then at Li Xianmu standing indifferently before the assembled officials.

Jian Yi was somewhat bewildered.

He had originally opposed the cabinet's draft proposal, but the emperor's words silenced him. However, the emperor forbade him from discussing the eunuchs' interference in politics and insisted that he return to the topic of the cabinet's draft proposal.

Jian Yi felt as if he were in a vast ocean with only a small boat beneath his feet. He drifted aimlessly, rocking and swaying, not knowing where he came from or where he was going.

The silence in the Fengtian Hall was deafening.

A breeze outside the hall stirred the wind chimes under the eaves, making them tinkle.

(End of this chapter)