The Ming Dynasty: A bookstore sells the history of the Ming Dynasty, leaving Emperor Chongzhen bewil

The Grand Council?

This was the first time Emperor Chongzhen had heard this term, so he couldn't help but look puzzled.

Zhu Ziming explained: "The so-called Grand Council was an institution that appeared in the Qing Dynasty, used to handle emergency military affairs and also to assist the emperor in handling government affairs."

"The Grand Council was completely under the direct control of the Emperor, holding supreme military and political power, and was the highest governing body of the state."

"However, the Grand Council was never a formal institution. There were no formal regulations regarding its office space and the number of officials. It also had no ranks or salaries. All positions were held part-time, and there was no fixed number of officials. Their terms of office were unlimited, making it equivalent to the emperor's private secretariat."

Emperor Chongzhen understood most of what Zhu Ziming was saying, but he still frowned, clearly not fully comprehending the Grand Council he had mentioned.

"What are the advantages of the Grand Council compared to the Ming Dynasty's Grand Secretariat?"

Zhu Ziming was not surprised by Chongzhen's question.

Although the name "Military Affairs Bureau" often appears in film and television works or novels and many people have heard of it, probably not many people really know about it.

"Good question!"

Zhu Ziming asked, "Compared to the Ming Dynasty's Grand Secretariat or the Directorate of Ceremonial, what improvements has the Grand Council made?"

"First of all, the Military Affairs Office has no formal establishment, and its 'temporary' nature means that it can be dissolved at any time. Its members have no institutional power base and cannot form a stable force."

"Secondly, the Grand Council was entirely appointed by the emperor, so its power was simply an extension of the emperor's will and it lacked independence."

"Thirdly, the Grand Councilors were all concurrently holding other positions. After taking office, they were directly under the emperor's command and their honor and disgrace were tied to the emperor's. It was difficult for them to form an independent bureaucratic group that could oppose the imperial power."

"Fourth, the Grand Council was a private council where the emperor and the Grand Council ministers discussed state affairs. All decrees were sent directly and secretly by the Grand Council, completely bypassing the public procedures of the cabinet and the six ministries. This created the secrecy of the Grand Council, and the decision-making process was highly closed. It cut off the channels for outside officials to intervene or form factions to interfere, while reducing many intermediate links and greatly improving the efficiency of doing things."

With this comparison, Chongzhen basically had a clear understanding, and he nodded while showing an interested expression.

Suddenly, Chongzhen thought of something, and his eyes lit up.

Yup!

Isn't this the Grand Council of the Ming Dynasty?

No organizational structure, no ranks, no salary, part-time, temporary, confidential, closed, highly efficient...

The bookstore perfectly matched all the characteristics of the Grand Council as described by Zhu Ziming.

Once he understood this, Chongzhen suddenly saw the light.

Although he only visited twice, each visit gave Chongzhen a completely new understanding, which made him increasingly certain that the bookstore was his reliance for changing the Ming Dynasty.

"I have another question for you, sir. If I were... if you were Emperor Chongzhen, and you couldn't appoint Yuan Chonghuan, who would you appoint?"

Zhu Ziming thought for a moment and replied, "Sun Chengzong."

……

When I came out of the bookstore, it was already evening.

Wang Chengen waited faithfully outside for most of the day, and finally saw the Emperor reappear. He hurriedly went to greet him.

"His Majesty!"

"Return to the palace!"

Emperor Chongzhen decided to rush back to the palace, since he had been away from the palace for almost a day.

On the way back to the palace.

Emperor Chongzhen was repeatedly pondering everything Zhu Ziming had said that day.

If he hadn't come to this bookstore, perhaps he would still be debating whether or not to appoint Yuan Chonghuan.

And then there's his elder brother. It turns out he's always lived under his brother's care, which is why he had such a carefree life all those years. His brother took on everything for him and handed the Ming Dynasty over to him intact, but he didn't understand his brother's predicament. If he hadn't come to this bookstore, he might never have understood.

"My brother should be like Yao and Shun."

Looking back now, he finally understood the true meaning of his elder brother's words.

There was also Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch faction, the Donglin Party, and even himself—everything overturned his understanding.

Zhu Ziming provided a tremendous amount of information, and he needs to digest it properly.

Emperor Chongzhen was lost in thought the whole time, and before he knew it, he had returned to the palace.

By this time, it was almost completely dark.

In front of the tall and majestic vermilion palace gates, Emperor Chongzhen's carriage suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

Emperor Chongzhen, inside the carriage, was taken aback.

"Your Majesty, Lord Han and Lord Qian..." Wang Chengen hesitated, then stopped.

Emperor Chongzhen opened the curtain of the carriage and looked out, only to see two people blocking the way.

It was two cabinet ministers, Han Kuang and Qian Longxi.

"Your Majesty, I greet you!"

The two knelt down in the wind and snow, the falling snowflakes covering their beards and hair.

Get up.

Emperor Chongzhen gestured for the two to rise, then asked with a grave expression, "What's wrong?"

Han Kuang didn't answer immediately, but instead asked defiantly, "Your Majesty, where have you been? Do you know we've searched the entire palace, looking for you all day long!"

The emperor could not leave the palace at will. Under normal circumstances, frequent departures from the palace would be regarded as "immoral" or "neglecting his duties," which might invite advice from ministers or even criticism from historical records.

Emperor Zhengde, Zhu Houzhao, frequently left the palace without permission to tour and indulge in pleasure, which provoked fierce protests from court officials and made him a typical example of a foolish emperor.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't say anything.

"What exactly happened?" Chongzhen asked patiently.

Han Kuang then presented a booklet to Emperor Chongzhen, saying, "After several days of investigation, we have compiled a list of the eunuch faction. Please take a look!"

Emperor Chongzhen breathed a sigh of relief and took the booklet.

At first, he thought something serious had happened, making the two cabinet ministers wait for him to return in the wind and snow. After all, these were turbulent times, and it wouldn't be surprising if something major happened while he was away for a day or two.

But now...

That's it?

Before going to the bookstore, Emperor Chongzhen must have attached great importance to this list, because he had previously issued an edict to thoroughly investigate the eunuch faction, with two cabinet ministers, Han Kuang and Qian Longxi, leading the investigation in conjunction with Minister of Justice Qiao Yunsheng, to review the treason case. This shows how much importance Chongzhen attached to it.

But now, Chongzhen has little interest in this list.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't even glance at the list before addressing Han Kuang and Qian Longxi:

"I am tired. We will discuss this again tomorrow."

After leaving these words, Chongzhen lowered the curtain of his carriage, signaling Wang Chengen to enter the palace.

As the carriage slowly entered the palace, Han Kuang and Qian Longxi stood frozen in place. Snowflakes drifted down, covering their heads, and the north wind howled against their faces, yet they seemed oblivious to it all…