Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 694: The Imperial Household Department

Zhu Shenzhui appointed Kang Youfu as the deputy director of the Ministry of Revenue for this purpose. This method is a stopgap measure now. It is impossible to completely bypass the Ministry of Revenue in the future. Make arrangements in advance and set up a new one. When the time is right, overthrow and reset the entire Ministry of Revenue. In this way, there will be less trouble.

Zhu Shenzui's idea can be said to have taken all aspects into consideration, from the central government to local governments, from local governments to the military, from the military to the Jinyiwei, as well as the Shanxi merchants and the interest groups behind them. As long as it can be put into operation, all parties will benefit.

Once successful, these groups would naturally become Zhu Shenzui's supporters, forming a large and complex new economic and even political group around Zhu Shenzui, thereby enhancing Zhu Shenzui's strength and further consolidating his position.

Of course, this is just a preliminary idea. Although there are still many details that need to be discussed, the framework has been set up and even slight changes will not affect the overall situation.

Moreover, Shanxi is just the beginning. In the future, not only Shanxi, but other places can also follow this example to gradually open up. In other words, Shanxi is just the "special zone" for foreign countries that Zhu Shenzhu is preparing to start. Once there are good results, other places will follow suit.

"By the way, when you go to Shanxi you will not only represent me, but I will also give you a position." As he said that, Zhu Shenzhui picked up a piece of paper beside him and handed it to Kang Youfu. Kang Youfu hurriedly took it with both hands, opened it and took a closer look. He was stunned when he saw the three big words written inside.

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs?"

Seeing Kang Youfu's confusion, Zhu Shenzhu nodded and told Kang Youfu that the Imperial Household Department was a newly established government office, but it did not belong to the six ministries, nor was it under the jurisdiction of the cabinet, and it was not even one of the official government offices of the court. The so-called Imperial Household Department was equivalent to the internal organization of the royal family, directly responsible to the emperor, and nominally in charge of palace affairs, so it was completely different from other government offices of the court and only needed to be set up by the emperor himself.

For example, the East Factory that has always existed in the Ming Dynasty, or the West Factory and Inner Factory that had been abolished before were such institutions. Even the Imperial Household Department was such an institution. In fact, they were not formal government offices, but just yamen set up by the emperor in the inner court.

But the Imperial Household Department is different from the above-mentioned agencies. The East Factory, the West Factory and even the Inner Factory are all secret agencies, whose purpose is to monitor the Royal Guards, check and balance each other, and strengthen the emperor's ruling power. The Imperial Household Department is nominally only responsible for palace affairs, and in terms of this function is equivalent to the Grand Chamberlain, but the Imperial Household Department is not an eunuch agency, which is different in comparison.

To describe it in one sentence, the eunuch organization is within the royal family, that is, it is responsible for and managed by the inner court, but the Imperial Household Department is also nominally responsible for palace management, but its management is external. In other words, the Imperial Household Department is the emperor's external steward, and its status is equivalent to that of the Grand Chamberlain, but they are not eunuchs.

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs has one Minister of Internal Affairs, whose rank is temporarily set as the fourth rank. You will serve as this Minister of Internal Affairs. In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has seven departments, namely Guangchu, Duyu, Zhangyi, Accounting, Construction, Shenxing, and Qingfeng. They are responsible for the royal finances, storage, guards and escorts, mountain and swamp hunting, etiquette, royal farm rent and taxes, engineering, punishment, animal husbandry, etc. Among them, Guangchu and Accounting departments will be in charge of Hengtong Ticket Office in the future. You should carefully select the specific candidates and then report to this king for confirmation."

"By the way, the name of Hengtong Ticket Office should also be changed. What do you think of changing it to Ming Royal Bank?"

"This name is very good. I have no objection." Kang Youfu quickly expressed his agreement.

Nodding, Zhu Shenzhui continued, "After you return to Shanxi, have Zhu Minfeng, Zhu Minyu and Zhu Qiuqi arrange to come to the capital immediately. I will select suitable positions for them in the Seven Departments. The chief officer of the Seven Departments will be temporarily appointed as the fifth rank, equivalent to the doctor of each department, with two chief officers and assistants. You can discuss the specific details with Zhang Xijun and come up with a plan as soon as possible."

"I will follow your order. I will discuss this with Lord Zhang as soon as possible and submit a proposal to Your Majesty." Kang Youfu nodded repeatedly, feeling even more ecstatic. This Ministry of Internal Affairs looked ordinary, but in fact it was not simple. Especially when Zhu Shenzhu carefully explained to him the responsibilities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the work of the seven subordinate departments, Kang Youfu immediately realized the importance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Imperial Household Department is actually a small-scale Six Ministries, and even has more authority than the Six Ministries. The jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department overlaps with that of the Six Ministries. The Guangchu and Accounting Departments have the authority of the Ministry of Revenue, the Construction Department has the authority of the Ministry of Works, the Punishment Department has the authority of the Ministry of Justice, the Capital Guard Department has the authority of the Ministry of War, the Ceremony Department has the authority of the Ministry of Rites, and the Qingfeng Department is in charge of cattle, sheep, and horses, and is related to agricultural affairs, and also manages some military affairs. It can be said that the Imperial Household Department, except for not having the authority of the Ministry of Personnel, has overlapping authority with five of the Six Ministries.

Although the title of the Minister of the Imperial Household Department was not high, being only the fourth rank, Kang Youfu did not mind it at all, because this fourth rank was determined based on Kang Youfu's current official position, rather than the actual rank of the Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

In Kang Youfu's view, Zhu Shenzhui's establishment of the Imperial Household Department was equivalent to seizing power from the six ministries of the imperial court, and at the same time strengthening control over the Ming Dynasty through the Imperial Household Department. More importantly, the Imperial Household Department also had the purpose of making money for the royal family. Over time, the status of the Imperial Household Department could be imagined.

Zhu Shenzhui's purpose in setting up the Imperial Household Department was just as Kang Youfu had thought. In order to compete for power with the civil service group, successive emperors of the Ming Dynasty tried almost every possible means, but the results were not very good.

Among them, the famous Emperor Zhengde moved out of the palace in order to avoid being controlled by civil officials, and lived in the Leopard House to handle state affairs. In order to gain military power, he even changed his name to Zhu Shou and proclaimed himself the mighty general and commander-in-chief. This was truly unprecedented.

Although Emperor Zhengde gained some military power and personally led his troops to fight against the Mongolian prince, achieving an unprecedented victory, it was precisely because of his actions that the civil service group was extremely worried, and eventually the whole group joined forces to deal with the emperor, resulting in Emperor Zhengde's death in an unclear manner.

Later, Emperor Jiajing learned the lesson of Emperor Zhengde and began to use means to suppress civil officials with civil officials, and to take the approach of political balance and mutual restraint. Jiajing was really smart, and this approach worked well in his hands, and the effect was very good. Unfortunately, no matter what Jiajing did, he could not change the root of the problem. What he did was just to alleviate the situation. In addition, his means were not something that anyone could do. If you don't have Jiajing's IQ, changing an emperor would never work.

After that, it was Wanli. After Wanli lost the battle with the civil officials, he became discouraged and began to hide in the harem as a homebody, directly playing badly and resisting passively. This approach also failed to change the status quo. Moreover, because of Wanli's inaction, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty continued to decline after Zhang Juzheng, which eventually led to Nurhaci's rebellion and the defeat at Sarhu. The Tianqi Emperor used another method, reusing Wei Zhongxian, implementing the imperial party in the name of the eunuch party, and frantically suppressing the clean stream and the civil service group. It can be said that the Tianqi Emperor's method is the strongest among the above emperors, and the effect is also the most significant.

Although Wei Zhongxian was illiterate and came from a ruffian family, he achieved something that even Emperor Zhengde could not do. With the help of Wei Zhongxian, Emperor Tianqi almost succeeded. Unfortunately, he could not escape the same fate as Emperor Zhengde in the end. He fell into the water and died of a serious illness at a young age. After his death, Emperor Chongzhen came to the throne, and everything Emperor Tianqi had done came to nothing.

Since Zhu Shenzhui came to Beijing, he has been extremely cautious. Even now the entire palace does not trust outsiders at all. All guards are Mongolians to prevent outsiders from taking advantage of the situation. He is extremely careful about food, clothing, and daily life. Even for tea and water, Zhu Shenzhui never asks others to do it for him. He will make sure that there are no problems at all.

Zhu Shenzhu decided to set up the Imperial Household Department after careful consideration. The Imperial Household Department is a unique institution in the Qing Dynasty and has never appeared in previous dynasties. History has also proved that the Imperial Household Department is useful. Through the Imperial Household Department, the emperor can skip the six ministries or even the cabinet in many cases and do many things he wants directly without being restricted by the court.

Since it is a good idea, why can't it be used? Zhu Shenzhui would not use it just because the Imperial Household Department was established by the Qing Dynasty. As long as it is beneficial to him, he would certainly use it. He had already thought of the candidate for the Minister in Charge of the Imperial Household Department. This person, Kang Youfu, is the most suitable. As the chief shopkeeper of Hengtong, it is best for him to be the Minister in Charge.

The current Imperial Household Department is just a concept, with only a framework, but Zhu Shenzhui believes that with Kang Youfu's ability, it won't take long for him to set up the Imperial Household Department. Once the Imperial Household Department is established, he can bypass the cabinet to do some things without being bound by the six ministries. At the same time, he can also use the Imperial Household Department to control the army. With the Jinyiwei Yamen in his hands, he will have even less to worry about.

"Kang is blessed!"

"Wei Chen is here!"

"There is one more thing you need to prepare in advance."

"Please give me your instructions, my Lord."

"I plan to trade by sea from Shandong. When you go to Shanxi, you can tell the Shanxi merchants a little bit about this when you discuss border trade. If they are interested, you can write them down one by one. When the time is right, you can go to sea from Leiden, or go to Korea, or go to Japan. As for the specific operation, you can refer to the rules of border trade. How do you do it?"

Kang Youfu thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, this may work. Although I have never done sea trade, I have heard that sea trade is very profitable. If it can be done, the profit will be great, not less than border trade. But I am worried about three points."

"Tell me carefully."

"First, maritime trade requires seagoing vessels. Although Shanxi merchants have been doing business for many years and have no problem with goods and manpower, they do not have seagoing vessels. Moreover, sailing on the sea requires sailors and nautical charts, which are also difficult."

"That's not difficult." Zhu Shenzhui said casually, "Leiden already has a navy. Dongjiang Town has all withdrawn to Shandong. The navy of Dongjiang Town is also in Shandong. Dongjiang Town has been engaged in smuggling and maritime trade privately since Mao Wenlong's time. There are many navy members who are familiar with the sea routes and good at sailing. When the time comes, we can use these navy to transport goods back and forth."

"If that's the case, then there's no problem. As for the second point, it's about the trade route. I heard that Korea is now controlled by the Jiannu. If you go to Korea, you may be suspected of aiding the enemy. If you are criticized by the court, it will not be a small matter. If you go to Japan, most of the trade with Japan is controlled by the southerners, especially Zheng Zhilong in Fujian..."

"This is not a big problem. Zheng Zhilong is now an official appointed by the court. I will give him a handwritten letter. Since it is a trade, it is nothing more than profit. If I give him some profit, Zheng Zhilong will not refuse."

Kang Youfu added a third point: "Thirdly, once Shandong's maritime trade starts, there will probably be many opponents from the southern merchants. Although the Ming Dynasty has banned maritime trade, there are still many people from all over the south going out to sea, just like the Shanxi merchants going to the grasslands, which cannot be stopped despite repeated bans."

"These merchants are backed by aristocratic families and even officials from the imperial court. If these people join forces to oppose, it may be disadvantageous to Qiansui."

"Hahaha! I thought it was something else." Zhu Shenzhui laughed and said, "These are all trivial matters. Why do you think I asked you to win over the Shanxi merchants and let the northern merchants do this? Once this happens, there will be opposition and support. Just let them fight. Anyway, you are not directly involved in maritime trade, but just operate it based on Hengtong Ticket Office... No! Ming Royal Bank. Even if there is a fuss, it will not be your fault, let alone me."

"Besides, it's better to make a fuss about this matter. If it's not a fuss, I will feel uneasy. Only when there is a fuss, I will have the opportunity to take action."

When Kang Youfu heard Zhu Shenzui say this, he suddenly realized Zhu Shenzui's real intention and was completely relieved.

(End of this chapter)