Chapter 217 The ambition of Hanlin bachelor Gui E
Zhu En was reprimanded by Zhu Houzhao and resigned voluntarily, and the position of Minister of Rites became vacant again.
For some reason, the Minister of Rites of the Zhengde Dynasty was always prone to trouble.
Zhang Sheng, the Minister of Rites, was sentenced to death for treason.
Mao Cheng, the Minister of Rites, was executed by Xu Jin, a former cabinet minister, for his intention to establish a new emperor.
It seems that no official has been able to secure this position, which is the easiest official position in the DPRK to enter the cabinet.
Zhu Houzhao actually did not have high requirements for the Minister of Rites. Among the seven ministers (one new department was added), he only accepted that the Minister of Rites could be pedantic and stubborn.
However, this does not mean that Zhu Houzhao doesn't like that the Minister of Rites is an official who knows nothing but loves to talk nonsense. The key is that he can't say anything even if he is blind.
"The imperial bureaucracy system needs to be changed. From now on, except for the Ministry of Justice, the remaining six ministers, provincial governors and cabinet ministers will be recommended by the chief assistant of the cabinet, and then voted by the cabinet, the sitting nine ministers and the six sections of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. , if it exceeds Half of them agree, and then ask for my approval. I must personally interview the recommended person. I don’t ask about his qualifications, but his talent first. If the recommended person’s talent is not good, I will hold the chief minister accountable. How did you recommend it? "
Zhu Houzhao knew that the Ming Dynasty was different from previous dynasties because Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister system, which resulted in the unclear powers of the Ming Dynasty prime minister, that is, the administrative head who handles daily administrative affairs. In name, the emperor was both the head of state, the administrative head, and the military commander.
Although this is conducive to the monarchy, it is unrealistic.
Because not every emperor is as energetic as Zhu Yuanzhang, even if the prime minister system is abolished, there will be official positions similar to the prime minister to replace the functions of the prime minister, such as the current cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty.
However, because the cabinet was a temporary institution at the beginning, its administrative functions have never been clear, and it does not even fully function as a central institution.
Because of this, it was sometimes difficult for the emperor to control the civil service group by controlling the cabinet, because many civil servants, especially the former six ministers, did not take the cabinet seriously at all. After all, they were not legally subordinate to the cabinet, and they were not Recommended by people in the cabinet, they are recommended by the entire civil service group.
In history, Zhang Juzheng, in addition to receiving support from the inner court, also had to control six ministries before he, as the chief minister of the cabinet, could carry out reforms. However, despite this, many civil servants still did not buy his account as the chief minister of the cabinet. Anyone who wants the cabinet to control the six subjects will be opposed.
But now, Zhu Houzhao wants to put a tight spell on the entire civil service group and give them a steward, that is, let the chief minister of the cabinet truly have the administrative power of the prime minister. Military power must not be given, and the supreme military commander must be himself! But in terms of administration, the chief minister of the cabinet can have the real power to command hundreds of officials, so that the emperor can directly control the entire civil servant group by controlling one chief minister of the cabinet.
After all, I am not Zhu Yuanzhang and cannot fight against the entire civil service group by myself. I can learn from Jiajing and use the cabinet to control the civil service group. In fact, in the original history, the power of the cabinet began to expand during the Jiajing Dynasty. , the cabinet truly had the real power of the prime minister, and so-called powerful ministers such as Yan Song appeared.
"Your Majesty! Please think twice. If this is the case, the power of the chief minister of the cabinet is too great. Aren't all civil servants in the world just like his lackeys? We are the ministers of the emperor, not his disciples!" At this time, the head of the Hanlin Academy Academician Jiao Huangzhong stood up. He knew that this move was superficial. It seems that His Majesty is relinquishing power to the Chief Minister of the Cabinet, but in fact he is looking for another leader for the civil service group, just like a shepherd looking for a sheepdog to guard the sheep. Jiao Huangzhong knows that in the future, as long as His Majesty controls the Chief Minister of the Cabinet It is equivalent to controlling all civil servants.
But Jiao Huangzhong could not say this directly. He could only try to organize Zhu Houzhao on the grounds that the power of the chief minister might be too great.
"You are all my disciples. Even if the chief assistant is your superior, he is only your superior in government. As long as you don't bend your own knees, can the chief assistant let you bend? The chief assistant is not a king and has no authority. Dealing with you, let alone The officials of the Sixth Section and the censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate have no right to impeach you, they only have the right to recommend you! Moreover, not all civil servants need to be recommended by the chief assistant of the cabinet, but civil servants such as the three law departments do not need to be recommended by the chief assistant of the cabinet!"
When Zhu Houzhao said this, Jiao Huangzhong knew that he could not stop His Majesty the Emperor from intending to strengthen the power of the cabinet. He only sighed in his heart that in the future, there will be more people who want to be cabinet ministers, and the officials in the world will no longer be interested in concentrating on it. When it comes to admonishing Your Majesty, I should only focus on being the chief minister under one person and above ten thousand people. I should only think about changing the world by myself, and not think about changing the king. The king will be freer, and I am afraid that there will be more stupid kings in the future. also!
As expected in Jiaohuangzhong, Zhu Houzhao knew that doing this would make the emperor freer. Even if the emperor made alchemy and did carpentry, he could make the world run normally. Even if the young emperor came to the throne, he could start a new generation of ZTE, as long as the civil servants did not use it. Through despicable means, the emperor achieved great rule of the world by controlling his first assistant.
But sometimes there is a real gap between reality and ideals. The emperor wants to control the chief minister, and the civil service group also wants to control the chief minister. Even in the late Wanli period in history, Gu Xiancheng of the Donglin Party, a first- and fifth-rank official, was able to link up with officials all over the world. He interfered in the selection of cabinet ministers and even controlled cabinet politics, forcing the chief minister of the cabinet, Fang Congzhe, to step down.
No matter how the government will develop in the future, at least the cabinet's powers need to be clarified and expanded in line with the historical trend. It is also the best way for Zhu Houzhao to continue to use the factory guard system.
After all, civil servants are also human beings, and they must have the highest goals. If they are not allowed to see that they can have the highest power, they will not have the intention to progress and embrace the ideal of governing the country and bringing peace to the world. Otherwise, they will only think that reforming the world is the emperor's own. thing.
"I obey the order!"
Wang Hua, the chief minister of the cabinet, raised his hand first. He knew that if he changed it according to what His Majesty said, he, the chief minister of the cabinet, would become the so-called prime minister. He didn't know whether to be happy or worried. He felt like he was sitting on a On the stove, I felt hot and couldn't get off for a while.
Gui E, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, looked at Wang Hua, the chief minister of the cabinet. He couldn't help but smile. He was even happier than Wang Hua. He knew that once he became the chief minister in the future, he would no longer be just a clerk of the emperor. But you can really lead all the officials in the world to do things that bring benefits and eliminate disadvantages.
Gui E secretly calculated who else was ahead of him and when he would be able to achieve the position of chief assistant.
Liu Yu, the second assistant to the cabinet, also gave Wang Hua a meaningful look. For the first time, he felt that Wang Hua should retire.
Zhu Houzhao saw the expressions of these people in his eyes, and he found that the civil servants were already making secret plans, and no longer focused on dealing with himself, the king.
(End of chapter)