Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 360 Old Zhu's Bet! He came for the sake of the Ming Dynasty!

As he spoke, a look of deep emotion once again appeared on Old Zhu's face.

His gaze became deep and distant, as if he had traveled through time and space, immersing himself in the magnificent and turbulent years of the past.

Zhu Yuanzhang was well-versed in the power struggles and intrigues within the imperial court.

Like a seasoned chess player, he knows every move of the game inside and out.

Back then, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong was ambitious and abused his power, trying to win over the nobles of Huaixi and attempting to sideline the emperor.

To realize his wolfish ambition of seizing absolute power and dominating the court.

To be fair, when Hu Weiyong's power was at its zenith, the imperial power controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang did indeed suffer an unprecedented and severe blow.

The conflict between the power of the monarch and the power of the prime minister had reached an irreconcilable and intense point.

Contrary to popular belief, in real history, the power of the monarch did not always prevail in the struggle between the monarch and the prime minister.

At its root, one crucial factor is that after ascending the throne, the emperor, while seemingly possessing supreme power, actually quietly built an invisible wall between himself and his ministers.

Those brothers who once shared life and death and were as close as hands and feet have now become distant and indifferent due to the change in their status. One has become a high-ranking emperor, while the other has become a subject who bows down to him. Their statuses are vastly different.

This change, like the changing of the seasons, is natural yet unavoidable.

Just like the relationship between teachers and students, no matter how deep the affection is, the teacher is always the elder and the student is always the junior.

A natural boundary of identity always exists between the two.

However, the prime minister's situation was quite different.

As the head of all officials, the prime minister wielded immense power in the imperial court.

On the other hand, he was still able to drink and chat with other ministers without any scruples, just like an ordinary official, and call them brothers.

This close relationship meant that the connection between the prime minister and his ministers was far stronger than that between the emperor and them.

Ultimately, the emperor's power stems from the support and endorsement of his subjects.

Once this support is lost, the emperor's throne becomes like a castle in the air, teetering on the brink of collapse.

However, due to his noble status and special position, the emperor could not mingle with his ministers like the prime minister.

In this way, in the fierce competition between the power of the monarch and the power of the prime minister, the prime minister, on the contrary, could easily gain the upper hand by virtue of this special advantage.

This may seem absurd, but it is an undeniable and cruel fact.

Imperial power, due to its majesty and sanctity, was invisibly isolated and gradually moved towards the edge of alienation.

Faced with this predicament, Lao Zhu did not choose to lower himself and play the emotional card like Hu Weiyong did, trying to win back his former "brothers and friends".

Because Zhu Yuanzhang knew very well that the special status of the emperor was like an invisible shackle, binding his hands and feet.

No matter how hard I try, I can't achieve the same close relationship with my ministers as Hu Weiyong.

Therefore, Zhu chose to remain silent and observe coldly, letting Hu Weiyong jump around and frantically seize power.

At the same time, with his extraordinary political wisdom, Zhu Rongji brilliantly created the "secret service system".

By establishing the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Inspectorate, Zhu Yuanzhang kept Hu Weiyong's every move firmly under his control.

Without anyone noticing, Old Zhu had firmly grasped the reins of power in his own hands.

Finally, the time has come to make a move.

Hu Weiyong, who seemed to wield immense power and be invincible, crumbled instantly and proved utterly vulnerable under Zhu De's thunderous blow.

However, this battle ignited Old Zhu's vigilance, which burned like a raging fire.

He would never allow anyone to covet his imperial power or to "seize" or "compete" for it.

The conflict between imperial power and the power of the prime minister is, in essence, irreconcilable.

In order to completely eliminate this hidden danger, Zhu Yuanzhang resolutely issued an imperial edict to permanently abolish the position of prime minister.

And he proclaimed to the world: Anyone who dares to propose the establishment of a prime minister will be executed without mercy!

From then on, the position of Prime Minister was no longer held in the Ming Dynasty court.

In this way, naturally no one would be able to challenge the monarch's power.

The emperor truly achieved absolute power, firmly controlling the entire court in his own hands.

But there will never be a power vacuum.

Without the prime minister's assistance, the emperor had no choice but to take on the prime minister's responsibilities himself.

He was buried in mountains of official business all day long, exhausted and mentally drained.

As time went on, Zhu gradually realized that governing a vast empire with a large population was impossible with just his own strength.

You still need a capable assistant to share the heavy burden.

Therefore, when Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne and proposed to establish an office to handle state affairs, Zhu Yunwen did not object.

Firstly, the Administrative Office adopts a system of joint governance by multiple people, rather than having a single person hold all the power.

This, to some extent, disperses power and avoids excessive concentration of power.

Secondly, within the carefully designed organizational structure of Zhu Yunwen, the government affairs office only handled matters that the emperor did not concern himself with.

Only when the emperor was not involved in those matters could the government affairs office handle its daily affairs on its own.

Once the emperor personally intervened and issued an edict, the ministers of the government affairs office could only obediently kneel down, respectfully accept the edict, and strictly act in accordance with its requirements.

In this way, although the Office of Government Affairs actually exercises some of the Prime Minister's powers and is responsible for handling court affairs, in terms of the substance and influence of its power, it is far from comparable to the Prime Minister of the past.

Naturally, this would make it difficult to pose a substantial threat to the monarch's power.

Moreover, Zhu Yunwen was quite farsighted in establishing a separate Military Affairs Department in addition to the Political Affairs Department.

An administrative office without military power is like a tiger without its claws, posing no threat to the monarch's authority whatsoever.

However, this merely means that no single individual could openly challenge the emperor.

However, once a large number of officials spontaneously and tacitly reach a consensus and form a powerful force, even the supreme monarch will have to temporarily avoid their sharp edge.

This does not mean that the monarch had no way to deal with it.

Rather, it means that in such a situation, the monarch must use skillful and appropriate means to divide and weaken the enemy, and must never act rashly.

"Teng'er hasn't fully realized this yet."

"The truly difficult and troublesome matters in the imperial court are precisely those situations that even the enemy cannot clearly see."

Old Zhu muttered to himself in a low voice, his tone tinged with emotion.

He knew that while relying on secret agents to monitor and control those powerful ministers who attempted to seize power, this method was somewhat ineffective and difficult to resist when facing the power of a group.

"He needs to be tempered so that he can better grasp the essence of the art of rulership."

“From now on, he will naturally know how to deal with such complicated situations.”

Old Zhu pondered to himself.

His gaze inadvertently drifted to Yoshigaki beside him, a knowing smile playing on his lips as he teased, "Don't you guys always say that this kid is better at governing than us?"

"Hmph, this time, let him really hit a wall."

"You'll understand then that experience counts, and his grandfather will always be his grandfather!"

After saying that, Old Zhu threw his head back and burst into laughter.

The laughter was full of confidence and self-satisfaction.

Upon hearing this, Yoshigaki was stunned.

He never expected that the old emperor would still "hold a grudge" about the previous praise for Zhu Yunwen's ability to govern the country.

Even when people get old, is their competitive spirit still so strong?
"Your Majesty, perhaps His Majesty can resolve this crisis on his own with his wisdom?"

After a moment's hesitation, Yoshigaki whispered his thoughts. "Impossible!" Old Zhu replied decisively.

He then laughed and said, "This hurdle may seem ordinary and easy to pass, but in reality, it is the most difficult and challenging."

This time, Zhu Yunwen was not facing a single isolated opponent, but the entire bureaucratic group!

When they unite, the power they unleash is far greater than that of any single powerful minister or official.

Without some methods, it would be really impossible to deal with these people.

Old Zhu's eyes gleamed with confidence as he looked at Ji Yuan and enthusiastically suggested, "Don't you believe me? Why don't we take a gamble?"

Yoshigaki bowed slightly, a respectful smile on his face, and asked, "Your Majesty, what would you like to bet on?"

Old Zhu waved his hand dismissively and said, "Anyway, we know in our hearts that we absolutely cannot lose this time."

"Whatever you want to bet, we'll be there for you."

After a moment of thought, Yoshigaki slowly said, "As a eunuch, I have no children and have always served the Emperor Emeritus. I have everything I need, and I lack nothing."

"If we really have to gamble, all I want is a promise from Your Majesty."

Yoshigaki paused for a moment, then said slowly, "This servant begs the Emperor Emeritus to promise that no matter what mistakes this servant makes in the future, the Emperor Emeritus will not drive this servant away or make this servant leave your side."

He did not ask for anything like a "get-out-of-jail-free card".

After all, even today, there are quite a few people who have been granted immunity from death but have still been beheaded.

Everyone knows that thing is useless!
But as long as the old emperor doesn't drive him away, he's essentially granted a "get-out-of-jail-free card."

Old Zhu was slightly taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter: "You servant girl, what kind of bet is this?"

"However, it seems you don't lack anything else."

"Besides, we are all in the inner palace now and cannot go out. Even if we reward you with a lot of gold and silver treasures, it will be useless to you."

"Okay, we agree to this bet."

"However, we need to add one more point."

A sly glint flashed in Old Zhu's eyes, and his interest grew even stronger.

"If we lose, we'll summon everyone in the harem and admit in front of everyone that we were wrong and that we are not as good at governing as Hu'er."

"If you lose, you must do the same: admit you were wrong in front of everyone!"

"How about it?"

"Isn't this fair?"

Upon hearing this, Yoshigaki gave a wry smile and shook his head helplessly, saying, "How could this servant dare to ask Your Majesty to do such a thing!"

Old Zhu, however, disagreed and laughed heartily, saying, "Anyway, we're confident we can't lose."

"You rascal, are you afraid of losing face, so you don't dare to agree to our request?"

"No, this is settled."

"This time, I'll show you what it means to be a master well-digger—the deeper your eyes, the more familiar you are with the path."

"Teng'er is still too young. Compared to us, she's far inferior!"

"Hahahaha!"

……

Inside Nanjing, the streets were bustling with traffic and pedestrians, yet there was no sign of congestion.

This is because the streets in the city have been widened over the past period of time, making them much wider than before.

Therefore, despite the continuous increase in the population of Jinling City, the streets were no longer as crowded and cramped as before.

One after another, exquisite sedan chairs gracefully weaved through the bustling crowd.

A sedan chair landed steadily in front of a house that was not particularly luxurious or ostentatious, but exuded a simple and elegant charm.

The sedan curtain was slightly lifted, and a middle-aged man stepped out.

This person was the same censor who had previously argued with Yang Shiqi at the Censorate.

After getting out of the sedan chair, the man looked around and then steadily walked towards the front of the house.

At that moment, several gatekeepers were sitting in front of the gate, chatting leisurely.

The middle-aged man quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying:
"Please inform everyone that Ge Song, an imperial censor from the Censorate, has come to see Lord Zhan."

Indeed, the seemingly ordinary and unassuming house in front of us is the residence of Zhan Hui, the former Minister of Personnel and current Minister of State Affairs.

Normally, it would be extremely difficult for ordinary officials to pay a visit to Lord Zhan.

However, although the censors of the Censorate were not of high rank, they held a very high position in the officialdom and should not be taken lightly.

Upon hearing that it was an imperial censor requesting an audience, even the usually lazy and idle gatekeepers dared not slack off.

Those who are assigned to be gatekeepers here are all people who know what's important.

One of them quickly said, "Your Excellency, please wait a moment, I will go in and inform them."

"Wait!" Ge Song called out to him, "I would like to trouble you to say a few more words. I have come to visit you today because I have important information to report to Lord Zhan regarding tomorrow's grand court assembly."

"This matter is of great importance and is extraordinary."

"I hope that Lord Zhan can find the time amidst his busy schedule to meet with me."

He was so anxious because he was really worried that Zhan Hui would turn people away.

"Understood!" the doorman replied briefly before turning and walking inside.

Ge Song did not sit down to rest, but stood respectfully on the steps, waiting quietly.

After a while, the gatekeeper hurriedly returned and said, "Lord Zhan invites you, Censor. Please come with me."

Upon learning that he had not been turned away, Ge Song felt a great sense of relief, and his tense nerves instantly relaxed.

He hurriedly followed closely behind the gatekeeper, walking quickly into the mansion.

The mansion wasn't deep; after passing through an exquisite and elegant courtyard with lush flowers and trees, we arrived at the door on the left side of the courtyard.

The gatekeeper gestured and said, "Lord Zhan is inside. Please come in."

Upon hearing this, Ge Song quickly straightened his clothes before taking small, respectful steps forward and entering the room.

As soon as he entered, he immediately saw Zhan Hui's figure.

At this moment, Zhan Hui was sitting at his desk, writing something with complete concentration.

Ge Song took a few steps forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Ge Song, Censor of the Censorate, pays his respects to Lord Zhan."

After saying that, he assumed a posture as if he was about to kneel down and pay his respects.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Hui looked up, put down his pen, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

“Lord Ge, although you are only a sixth-rank official in the Censorate, you are not my subordinate. There is no need for such a grand ceremony.”

"Stop it quickly, don't make this old man suffer."

"Tell me, what urgent matter brings you to see me at this hour?"

Ge Song was only going through the motions; he didn't really intend to perform the kneeling ceremony.

Upon hearing Zhan Hui's words, he straightened his back, but still bowed slightly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said:

"My lord, I have come here today for the grand court assembly tomorrow, for His Majesty's holy reputation, and for the sake of the Ming Dynasty's empire."

……

(End of this chapter)