The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 297 Cabinet
A somber atmosphere pervaded the capital, brushing past everyone's eyes.

Before the autumn wind blows, the cicadas are already aware of it.

Even ordinary people could feel the tense atmosphere from those convoys heading to the capital.

Not to mention the officials in the capital!

After the cabinet forcefully rejected all the memorials submitted to the relevant ministries, all eyes, both inside and outside the court, immediately turned to it.

There were expressions of surprise and uncertainty, regret and sighs, righteous indignation, and hearty laughter.

Some worry that another storm is brewing, and who will be able to escape unscathed?

Regardless of their inner thoughts, it was clear to anyone with eyes that the already tense situation was about to escalate completely.

Everyone knew that this order came from the Grand Secretary Lee Hyun-mok, and it was a declaration of his firm stance.

Politics is the art of compromise. Now one side is attacking, but Lee Hsien-mu refuses to compromise and chooses to overturn the table.

There's only one possible outcome to this—a fight to the death.

It determines not only who is superior, but also who lives and dies.

It could be a matter of human life, or it could be a matter of political life or death.

From this moment on, everyone is in the ring, and until a winner is decided, this round cannot be left unfinished.

Those with gentle natures regret their actions, feeling that they have made too much of a fuss and it will be difficult to resolve the situation.

Those with a stubborn and headstrong personality fear nothing more than a peaceful world and are willing to stake everything on their lives and personalities, much like a gambler who has lost his mind.

This marks the first time since the establishment of the cabinet that it has stood in direct opposition to the Six Ministries, the various provincial and central government departments, and the existing system established by the Hongwu Emperor after the abolition of the prime ministership.

The various provincial and ministerial offices were almost unable to remain silent. This time, even more memorials flooded the palace, and almost every memorial fiercely criticized the cabinet.

The memorial was filled with—

"What right does the cabinet have to intercept memorials from the central government, provinces, and local governments? Who gave it the right to reject them? Cabinet ministers isolate themselves from the outside world and sever the connection between the emperor and his ministers. What crime do they dare to commit?"

"The Six Ministries have direct access to the Emperor's ears. This is a system that has been passed down since the time of Emperor Taizu. It is a legal system written in the Great Ming Code. What exactly is the status of the Grand Secretariat that it dares to violate such a system?"

"Although the Cabinet has the power to draft proposals, it is ultimately just a suggestion. Everything must be approved by Your Majesty. We urge Your Majesty to speak up and punish the Cabinet for overstepping its bounds."

After the first batch of memorials arrived at the palace, more and more extensive memorials were soon sent to the palace.

Almost every memorial to the throne seized upon the cabinet's violations of the system to criticize it. This was not only driven by Li Xianmu's political enemies, but also by many ministers who were already dissatisfied with the cabinet system.

There were high-ranking officials from the six ministries, as well as local governors and provincial governors, all of whom were high-ranking officials of the imperial court.

"With such a serious mistake made by the cabinet, Grand Secretary Lee Hsien-mok should resign to appease public opinion."

"The Grand Secretary, a high-ranking official, has aroused criticism from court officials throughout the land. Can he truly be upright? I beg Your Majesty to issue an imperial edict ordering Li Xianmu to return to his hometown and no longer be placed in the imperial court. Otherwise, how can the people of the land be convinced of his integrity?"

"The Six Ministries decide matters, and the provinces divide the affairs into three parts. This is the established law of our ancestors. As a result, the Great Ming Dynasty has no problem with powerful ministers. Since Li Xianmu became prominent, the power of the cabinet has been increased internally, and governors have been appointed as regional governors. The established law of our ancestors has been completely destroyed. What benefit has the Great Ming Dynasty gained? The only benefit is that Li Xianmu's authority has grown stronger day by day. It is Li Xianmu who wants to become a powerful minister of the Great Ming Dynasty!"
Your Majesty, we humbly beseech you to unleash your fury and punish Xianmu for his wolfish ambitions!

One memorial after another, each more vehement than the last, nearly overwhelmed the court. Their sheer force even prompted Zhu Zhanji to cancel the grand court assembly under a pretext.

Of course, since it was a political battle, there were also a large number of people on Li Xianmu's side. Both sides held their own opinions, and there were various debates not only in the imperial court but also in the martial arts world. It was truly a case of each showing their own unique abilities, and you could hear some discussion everywhere on the streets and alleys.

……

The atmosphere in the Li residence was equally tense. How could they not know what was being said in the capital?

A dozen or so people were gathered in the mansion, most of them with worried expressions. The fierce and overwhelming scene had taken them somewhat by surprise.

Logically speaking, the current state of Neo-Confucianism and Li Xianmu should not be like this.

“Prime Minister, the attacks have become increasingly intense these days. The Grand Court Assembly cannot be suspended indefinitely. The current counterattacks are far from sufficient. This time, our opponents are far more aggressive than expected. I do not understand why this is the case.”

Yang Rong couldn't understand it. He didn't think that the School of Mind would attract so much jealousy and be attacked by so many people. So he was completely baffled by the overwhelming attack.

However, when he looked up and saw that Li Xianmu's face showed no anxiety and remained as calm as a still lake, his heart gradually calmed down as well.

After looking around at everyone, Li Xianmu said calmly, "In this great political turmoil, who are our friends, who are our enemies, and who are the bystanders? If we understand this question, we will solve half the problem."

Among the enemies, what are the reasons for their hostility towards us? Are there any enemies we can turn into friends? Are there any groups we can divide and conquer? And who is irreconcilable? Once we understand this, all the problems will be solved.

Those present were not political novices and had a deep understanding of Li Xianmu's words.

History is full of political stories of turning enemies into friends, such as the famous reconciliation between generals and ministers.

And many stories of people who were originally enemies but later became close friends.

Even people with differing political views, such as Su Shi, Wang Anshi, and Sima Guang, maintained good relationships in private and would even visit each other.

However, if there is a difference in stance, then there is absolutely no possibility of reconciliation, such as between patriots and traitors.

For example, Li Xianmu would never reconcile with or befriend notorious thieves or corrupt officials who brought disaster to the country.

"Since the Yongle era, how many enemies have we defeated? I'm afraid it's countless. And the entanglements of interests involved are even more complicated and difficult to unravel."

Everyone fell silent. Naturally, there were countless examples of how the School of Mind was developed and popularized by Li Xianmu, becoming one of the strongest political forces today. Naturally, it rose to power by stepping on the corpses of countless people.

After all, there are only so many seats. If the people of the Mind School take the seats, then others won't be able to sit.

Now that Li Xianmu is the Minister of Personnel, everyone knows that officials of the Xin Xue faction will inevitably occupy various positions even more quickly in the future.

This is by no means an exaggeration. The Minister of Personnel, or even a Vice Minister of Personnel, or even a junior official in the Ministry of Personnel, can influence the appointment of lower-ranking officials, or even officials of the fourth or fifth rank, to a certain extent.

The power and influence of officials in the capital have remained the same throughout history and across the world; otherwise, it would not be possible for a second-rank provincial governor to rise to the rank of third-rank vice minister upon entering the capital, which could still be considered a promotion.

"Now that I am the Minister of Personnel and the Grand Secretary, I am enjoying immense prestige, but the higher one climbs, the colder it gets. I am probably a thorn in the side of many people. They all think that I am their backer, and that they can take whatever they want from this official position in the Ming Dynasty. This is the reason why some people are hostile to me."

Li Xianmu took a sip of tea, shook his head helplessly, and said: "Now the cabinet holds great power, and the ministers, vice ministers, the Censorate, and high-ranking officials in the provinces are quite dissatisfied with this. Naturally, they have set themselves against the cabinet. So once those die-hard Neo-Confucian scholars start to attack the cabinet, these people immediately join the fray."

The die-hard Neo-Confucian scholars were targeting me, while these people aimed for the cabinet system. Thus, they quickly reached an agreement, resulting in this torrent of petitions.

"Do they not see that the cabinet system is of great benefit to the dynasty?"

"When the draft proposal system was first implemented, the advantages and disadvantages of the cabinet were already clearly explained. If there is no cabinet, are we going to let eunuchs seize power?"

"He is truly short-sighted; he is not worth discussing anything with."

The people in the room spoke with righteous indignation.

Li Xianmu slowly surveyed everyone, his gaze carrying a strange meaning, until everyone in the room stopped.

"Actually, I've always known that even among you, there are some who are dissatisfied with the cabinet system, especially after I became the Minister of Personnel. Even without the position of Grand Secretary, my power is great enough. Some people know that the position of Grand Secretary is dispensable, so they also hope that the cabinet system can be abolished."

Li Xianmu's words were truly earth-shattering, causing everyone in the room to speak up in explanation. Everyone knew how much Li Xianmu cared about the cabinet system, and how much he valued the Grand Secretary even more than the Minister of Personnel.

Li Xianmu didn't care about everyone's explanations; he hadn't said those words casually.

With the implementation of the drafting system and the emperor's emphasis on the cabinet, the whole country witnessed the rapid rise of the cabinet's power. In many places, the six ministries had to rely on the cabinet, while the cabinet asked very little of the six ministries and even controlled their performance evaluation.

Apart from the Ministers of Personnel and Revenue, who can still rival the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, the other four ministers have already fallen behind the Grand Secretaries.

In the Neo-Confucianism Party, besides Li Xianmu, there was also Yang Rong, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. The orthodox faction within the Neo-Confucianism Party has gradually weakened in recent years because Yang Rong has become increasingly powerful.

Yang Rong was even the de facto second-in-command of the Neo-Confucianism faction. If Li Xianmu were to meet with an accident, Yang Rong should be the leader in terms of official position and power, and even in terms of maintaining the status of Neo-Confucianism in the court. But how could the others possibly accept that?

As Li Qi's direct disciple, Wang Gen personally established a foothold in Zhejiang and Jiangnan, becoming one of the greatest contributors to the development of the School of Mind. He is currently the Minister of Works and naturally would not submit to Yang Rong.

Zhao Zhen, who has now been promoted to Right Vice Censor-in-Chief and is in charge of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, will not submit to Yang Rong.

They all believed that Yang Rong's powerful position was based on the existence of the cabinet. Once the cabinet ceased to exist, Yang Rong would be nothing more than an ordinary second or third-rank official, just like they were now.

Since the positions of Minister and Censor-in-Chief were already filled, Yang Rong might not be as good as them.

Only someone like Li Xianmu, who made outstanding contributions and gained a distinguished reputation in every official position, could win their hearts and minds.

Li Xianmu naturally and keenly realized the reason for the emergence and spread of this idea—the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet had not been replaced for too long!

After the cabinet was established in the early years of the Yongle reign, it was only changed once in the early years of the Yongle reign, and only a group of old people came and went, and no one else ever came in.

In other words, in the eyes of the world, the cabinet is not yet a permanent institution, but rather it binds the cabinet to the current Grand Secretaries.

"It's normal to have some thoughts, after all, people are more concerned about inequality than scarcity."

Li Xianmu took in everyone's expressions and said calmly, "A report has come from Gansu that local officials are embezzling the court's disaster relief funds. I intend to petition His Majesty to send Grand Secretary Huang Huai to Gansu as governor to investigate this matter."

He then dispatched Grand Secretary Jin Youzi to inspect various towns, and later appointed him as Governor of Liaoning, stationed in the north.

The cabinet is very busy. With two people gone, two more need to be added. A court meeting will be held then, where court officials will recommend officials of the third rank or above from among the officials and the general public to join the cabinet and assist in state affairs!

boom!
The people present could no longer contain their shock and stood up one after another, making a series of clanging sounds. The teacup that Yang Rong had just been holding even fell to the ground. One can imagine how shocked they were by the news.

These words were more than just shocking; they were downright shocking.

If word gets out, the entire political arena of the Ming Dynasty will likely tremble and shake.

Whether Li Xianmu carried the weight of the two capitals and nineteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty on his shoulders is unknown, but it is no exaggeration to say that if he swayed, the entire Ming Dynasty would indeed shake.

Arranging for two Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and sending Huang Huai and Jin Youzi abroad with ease might seem like a pipe dream to others, but no one doubted what Li Xianmu said.

"Prime Minister, is it really necessary to..."

Yang Rong was somewhat unsure of how to feel. The two Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet had just left the cabinet. He, Jin Youzi, and Huang Huai had worked together in the Cabinet since the early years of the Yongle reign.

More than 20 years have passed now.

The sudden change of personnel is making me feel somewhat uncomfortable.

But he was an extremely intelligent person, and he understood the deeper meaning behind Li Xianmu's actions almost instantly.

Firstly, it demonstrates to the world that the position of Grand Secretary in the Cabinet is a powerful one, allowing for entry and exit from various ministries and provincial posts. It is no different from other official positions and is not exclusive to the current few Grand Secretaries, but is open to all officials.

Secondly, by focusing on the selection of Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet, the emperor was creating the impression that during the Yongle era, Grand Secretaries were chosen arbitrarily by the emperor, and even low-ranking officials who had only been in office for three or four years could be admitted to the cabinet.

However, after deliberation, only high-ranking officials of the third rank or above are qualified to be nominated for the cabinet, which to some extent demonstrates the high status of the cabinet.

"The Prime Minister's move is truly brilliant!"

As a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Yang Rong was naturally the first to react and immediately flattered, "Once this move is made, it will greatly reduce the hostility of bystanders, and may even divide and conquer them, and may even bring political enemies into the Cabinet. Once they are in the Cabinet, they will not be able to turn the world upside down."

All power was in the hands of the Grand Secretary.

The others also realized what was happening and praised Li Xianmu's clever move.

"This is merely the first countermeasure," Li Xianmu said calmly. "This alone is not enough. The matter of Gansu is the real top priority."

(End of this chapter)