Huangming

Chapter 38: A sudden imperial edict caused an uproar in the court and among the people.

Zhu Youxiao picked up the edict he had dictated, and after confirming that there were no problems, he blew on it to dry it before stamping it with the imperial seal and sending it to Liaodong.

But as soon as Zhu Youxiao put down the edict, he saw Wei Chao's hateful old face.

Wei Chao couldn't hide the panic on his face.

"Wei Chao, speak your mind. There's no need to hesitate or be afraid to speak."

Wei Chao, with a fawning smile, said, "Your Majesty, Liu Yizhu and Han Kuang in the Grand Secretariat, as well as the Minister of Personnel, the officials of the Six Ministries, and the censors, all previously submitted memorials recommending Yuan Yingtai as the Liaodong Military Commissioner. Your Majesty issued the imperial edict without consulting the Grand Secretariat, which I fear..."

Zhu Youxiao remained expressionless and asked, "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid they will refuse to comply, and even if they outwardly accept the order, they will actually disobey it in secret."

The so-called imperial edict was an imperial decree issued directly by the emperor, bypassing the legal procedures of drafting by the Grand Secretariat and copying by the Six Ministries.

The reason why officials dare to resist and refuse to comply is because of the conflict between ancestral rules and established laws.

The Ming Dynasty's "Collected Statutes" stipulated that "all imperial edicts must be drafted by the Grand Secretariat and approved by the Six Ministries before they become law."

Because the imperial edict was issued without following legal procedures, it was regarded by the civil service as "violating regulations and disrupting the law."

The Ming Dynasty was said to have centralized imperial power, but even an imperial edict issued by the emperor could be refuted as illegal, which is quite ironic.

"Who are these 'them'?" Zhu Youxiao's eyes narrowed slightly, as if a murderous aura was emanating from them.

Wei Chao hurriedly knelt down, sweating profusely, and said, "This servant dares not speak recklessly about state affairs."

Zhu Youxiao's eyes were cold.

"You are the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. If you don't even dare to speak out about state affairs, then who will discuss them?"

He desires power, yet avoids doing anything that might offend others.

What use are you to me?
Wei Chao had no choice but to say, "Those civil officials regard imperial edicts as a raging flood or a ferocious beast. Those who resist imperial edicts will be numerous. Not only the Donglin Party, but also officials from the Zhejiang Party, Qi Party, and Chu Party will impeach them."

In the case of Xiong Tingbi's resignation, after the emperor's decision, the cabinet would draft an edict to persuade him to stay, but the edict would need to be copied and issued to the six ministries by the cabinet to be legal.

Zhu Youxiao bypassed these procedures, which was tantamount to depriving these people of their power in a disguised way.

This is a conflict between imperial power and the civil service.

When imperial power was strong, such as during the reigns of Yongle, Jiajing, and the early Wanli period, imperial edicts were often enforced.

Examples include the Yongle Emperor's relocation of the capital to Beijing and the Jiajing Emperor's Great Rites Controversy.

When imperial power was weak, during the reigns of Zhengtong, Hongzhi, and Chongzhen, imperial edicts were often resisted.

For example, the Ministry of War delayed Emperor Chongzhen's order to transfer Wu Sangui to Guanzhong.

There are risks involved in forcibly issuing orders.

In order to promote the Great Rites Controversy, Emperor Jiajing ordered 134 officials to be flogged in court, and 17 of them died from the beating, which made the relationship between the emperor and his officials very tense.

Emperor Wanli's "struggle for the succession" edict triggered 15 years of political turmoil, indirectly leading to the uncontrolled factional struggles at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

However, some things cannot be abandoned just because they are difficult.

If he continues to be constrained by these civil officials, how can he make the Ming Dynasty great again?
"I want to see who dares to resist, and who dares to outwardly comply but inwardly defy?"

If it was a trivial matter, Zhu Youxiao would simply let the civil officials do as they pleased.

But the situation in Liaodong is not something to be taken lightly.

With the Jurchens eyeing the region covetously, if the situation in Liaodong continues to deteriorate, the Ming Dynasty will be continuously bleed dry.

In such a situation, even the arrival of economic experts would be of no use.

Who would dare to disregard national affairs for the sake of a little bit of power?

Then Zhu Youxiao really had to become a tyrant.

Moreover, the sudden issuance of the imperial edict was not a whim of his.

If we don't muddy the waters a bit, how can we know who is loyal and who is treacherous, and who is trustworthy?
"This"

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, Wei Chao stopped trying to dissuade him.

Since His Majesty ascended the throne in the Wenhua Hall, he has been ambitious and determined.

I just hope this debate doesn't cause any major trouble.

The next day.

As dawn approached, the chill of late autumn turned into mist, spreading over the Forbidden City as if it were floating in the clouds.

Wei Chao personally brought Zhu Youxiao's imperial edict to the Wenyuan Pavilion.

East room of Wenyuan Pavilion.

Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe and a number of cabinet ministers have already taken up their posts at the cabinet.

Upon seeing Wei Chao, Fang Congzhe immediately stepped forward and asked, "What brings Eunuch Wei here?" Han Kuang, seeing that it was Wei Chao, also stepped forward.

"Eunuch Wei, has His Majesty granted Xiong Tingbi's request to resign?"

Wei Chao gave a forced smile and said, "His Majesty forbids it."

Not allowed?

Han Kuang's smile vanished instantly.

Han Kuang's smile didn't really disappear; it simply transferred to Fang Congzhe's face.

"The situation in Liaodong is complicated, and Your Majesty does need to understand it clearly before making any important decisions."

However, when Fang Congzhe saw Wei Chao take out the imperial edict, the smile on his old face gradually disappeared.

"What is this?" Fang Congzhe asked knowingly.

Wei Chao said, "It is His Majesty's decree."

Fang Congzhe took the imperial edict, opened it, and gasped as he read its contents.

"Imperial decree?" He looked at Wei Chao in disbelief.

The latter nodded.

"This is a violation of regulations and laws."

Han Kuang was already in a bad mood because the emperor rejected Xiong Tingbi's resignation letter. Now that he saw the emperor bypass the six ministries of the cabinet and issue an imperial edict directly, it was no longer just a matter of being in a bad mood.

Instead, he was furious!
How dare His Majesty?

Heaven knows how happy he was when he received Xiong Tingbi's resignation yesterday, thinking that His Majesty would dismiss Xiong Tingbi and promote Yuan Yingtai to the position.

After waiting a whole day, this is the result I received?

The psychological gap is just too big.

"Grand Secretary Fang, His Majesty has decreed that the item should be returned to Cining Palace intact."

Han Kuang took a hard line.

However, Fang Congzhe dared not do so.

He doesn't want to take the blame for this.

He was unwilling to offend the new emperor.

Fang Congzhe shook his head and slowly said, "Summon the cabinet ministers to the main hall for a meeting!"

The cabinet originally had seven members, but three were absent, leaving only four. With the addition of Sun Ruyou, the Minister of Rites, and Li Ruhua, the Minister of Revenue, who were promoted to the cabinet yesterday, there are now six.

The group proceeded from the east wing to the main hall.

The main hall is located in the center of the main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion. It has five bays in width and three bays in depth, with blue brick flooring and plain wooden beams and pillars.

This is where cabinet members held collective meetings and received the six ministries and nine ministers. On the wall hangs a plaque inscribed with the words "Correcting Errors and Restraining Mistakes" written by Emperor Yongle.

Han Kuang met Sun Ruyou and Li Ruhua and greeted them coldly.

He now understood that the Emperor dared to issue the imperial edict because he had promoted these two men to the cabinet, thinking he could control all the officials.

but.
The established laws of our ancestors cannot be changed!
Let alone promoting two people to the cabinet, even if it were ten or a hundred people, without the approval of the cabinet and the six ministries, they would be nothing but a piece of waste paper!
The group sat around a long sandalwood table, with the Grand Secretary in the center and the Second and Third Secretaries on either side.

On the table were placed the "Collected Statutes of the Great Ming" and the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" for reference in checking ancestral regulations.

After everyone was seated, Fang Congzhe took out Zhu Youxiao's imperial edict and said, "This is the imperial edict drafted by His Majesty. Should this edict be copied and sent to the Six Ministries?"

Originally, the drafting of imperial edicts was the responsibility of the Grand Secretariat, with the Six Ministries handling the drafting and distributing the documents. Now that the Emperor has done the work for them, they have to redo it in order to comply with the procedures.

Only the order has changed.

But this change is not just about the order; it is a power struggle between the imperial authority and the civil service.

"What I mean is, let Wei Chao return it to Cining Palace intact. His Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time, and issuing an imperial edict without authorization is a violation of the law. If His Majesty gets a taste of the benefits and develops a habit, what use are we? If we encounter a wise ruler, that's fine, but if he is willful, my Great Ming Dynasty may be in danger of collapse!"

Han Kuang's opinion was very clear.

After a moment's thought, Liu Yijing said, "Xiong Tingbi's actions in Liaodong have been biased. If he continues to hold this position, I fear there will be unrest in Liaodong. His Majesty is unaware of the true situation of the officials' impeachments and acts arbitrarily. The imperial edict must not be issued!"

Second Grand Secretary Liu Yi-ju actually did not want to clash with the new emperor.

He longed to have a relationship with the new emperor similar to that of the current late emperor.

however.

The new emperor's actions have repeatedly challenged his bottom line.

At this point, they were on the edge of a cliff, with no way to back down.

These regents should also teach the new emperor what he can and cannot do!
(End of this chapter)