Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

"We've finished speaking. Who agrees and who disagrees?"

Inside the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang explained to his court officials that after abolishing the positions of Chancellor and the Secretariat, he would be implementing a cabinet system.

After waiting a short while, he raised his voice and looked at the crowd to ask.

This is something he absolutely has to do.

It must be done.

The Secretariat and the system of the Chancellor were truly unacceptable.

It was far too centralized.

Having reached that position, it would be a waste of power if one didn't oppose the emperor.

Even with the founding emperor still alive, prime ministers who dare to oppose him keep emerging.

What would happen if I were gone?
If we don't eliminate this hidden danger, it won't be so easy to solve it when Biao'er, Xiong Ying and the others become emperors in the future.

Therefore, I must get this done myself!

"The measures taken by the leader are very thoughtful, and the cabinet system is ingenious and well-thought-out."

The cabinet system can prevent the prime minister from monopolizing power.

Hu Weiyong, that wolf in sheep's clothing, will never appear again.

It won't delay your work.

This is truly a great act of kindness!

If such a system could be implemented, our Great Ming Dynasty would surely benefit immensely.

Immediately after Zhu Yuanzhang asked this question, someone spoke up, praising the cabinet system highly.

You don't even need to look to know who said those words.

There could be no one else but the unyielding and loyal Duke Li Shanchang of Han.

Not only was Zhu Yuanzhang unsurprised, but so were the many court officials present.

If he didn't speak these words at this moment, he wouldn't be the Duke of Han, Li Shanchang.

"Your Majesty, I also think this cabinet system is very good, and Your Majesty's considerations are very appropriate."

Liu Bowen also spoke up.

When Liu Bowen spoke these words, it was not out of deliberate flattery, but out of genuine praise.

He genuinely believed that the cabinet system established by Zhu Yuanzhang was quite effective.

It is said that when he suddenly heard his superior say that he wanted to abolish the position of prime minister and the Secretariat, he was shocked.

He was genuinely shocked, and then endless worries arose within him.

I'm afraid that if I get too carried away after taking office, I might do something reckless and disregard the consequences.

Without the Secretariat and the Chancellor, the Six Ministries were directly responsible to the Emperor.

The sheer volume of official business that those in power must handle daily is simply outrageous.

Even though the person in power has always been far more mentally capable than ordinary people, and has the Crown Prince Zhu Biao as a good helper.

The father and son were able to shoulder the responsibilities of the Secretariat, the Prime Minister, the Emperor, and the Crown Prince all at once.

But can this really last?

Having endured hardship in their position, they possess a resilient character and are able to withstand such a life.

However, who can guarantee that future emperors will be as hardworking and wise as the one who ascended the throne?

Not only is he diligent in his duties, but he also manages to handle many things in an orderly manner.

That is impossible.

But at this moment, after hearing about the cabinet system from his superiors, all his worries vanished at once.

Not only did the worries disappear, but they also became overjoyed.

I realized I had overthought things beforehand.

As expected of someone in a high position, their intelligence and talent are unmatched.

They always manage to come up with something new and interesting in many things.

Many of the new tricks he came up with have their merits.

From a higher perspective, this design is really good.

Moreover, once implemented, it can indeed largely prevent various issues, stop the prime minister from seizing power again, and ensure that government affairs are not delayed.

It can give officials a certain degree of participation...

After Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen spoke up and expressed their opinions on this matter.

The others also spoke up, expressing their agreement; not one of them objected.

Just kidding. Didn't you see how many people the emperor has already dealt with since Hu Weiyong rebelled?
They were extremely resolute in their stance on abolishing the Imperial Library and on the attitude of the Prime Minister.

There was absolutely no consultation with anyone.

At this point, some even suspected that Hu Weiyong's rebellion was deliberately instigated by the emperor.

The purpose was to abolish the position of Chancellor and the Secretariat.

At this point, the emperor offered a cabinet system that was still somewhat acceptable, completely blocking their last avenue for opposition.

In this situation, how could they possibly continue to oppose it?

Maybe you think your life is too long?
What else could we do? We could only agree.

None of the officials present voiced their opposition.

Given the current situation, opposing it would certainly not end well.

Even if they weren't immediately branded as Hu Weiyong's accomplices by the emperor, they would still receive special attention from the emperor in the future.

It's not impossible to send someone to your home to conduct a thorough investigation.

The emperor is capable of doing this.

Thus, the abolition of the Secretariat and the position of Chancellor, which should have caused a great uproar, was accomplished by Zhu Yuanzhang with ease.

It didn't cause much of a stir.

Zhu Biao watched his father's actions from the sidelines, feeling utterly amazed.

Father Emperor is indeed Father Emperor; he is always so reliable in handling matters.

They were able to get such a big thing done.

He learned another trick from his father.

That means when you're an emperor, you have to be tough when necessary.

However, at the same time, there are different ways and methods to do things.

It's not that if you become emperor, others will automatically accept you.

If you want to get things done, especially important things, then it is necessary to use some methods, seize the other party's weakness, and have a sufficiently good reason.

Taking action under these circumstances makes it much easier.

Even many court officials could not object.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood when he saw that the court officials had expressed their opinions on the matter.

I finally managed to get this done.

He had originally thought that, under such circumstances, there would be some stubborn people who would stand up and resolutely oppose him.

He had already made all the necessary preparations to kill someone.

Who would have thought that these court officials would be so righteous?

That's how you reason things out.

Without me having to say anything, they agreed to it.

Our own Great Ming Dynasty, this is the true meaning of a just and prosperous court.

Thinking this, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the court officials and spoke again.

"Okay, this matter is settled."

From now on, there will be no more prime ministers, and the Secretariat will also be abolished.

The position of Grand Secretary will be concurrently held by the Crown Prince!

Zhu Yuanzhang made the decision to appoint the crown prince as the Grand Secretary after careful consideration.

The Grand Secretary holds a high position and wields great power. Of course, no matter how high the position and how powerful the Grand Secretary is, it does not have as much power as the Prime Minister did when the Secretariat and the Prime Minister system existed.

Even someone like Zhang Juzheng is far inferior to the current prime minister.

However, as the position of Grand Secretary progresses, the power they wield becomes relatively substantial.

Now, the cabinet has just been established, and there is such a powerful emperor.

The cabinet can't make much of a splash.

However, the cabinet's power will certainly gradually increase in the future.

It can still retain some of the power of a prime minister.

This is especially true when dealing with capable and shrewd prime ministers.

The position of Grand Secretary is not only important, but also particularly good for personal development.

In that case, it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to appoint the Crown Prince as the Grand Secretary.

This position exposes me to a great deal of government affairs every day.

To be a good emperor, one cannot simply start without prior experience.

They are unfamiliar with, or even completely ignorant of, the operation of the political system and the solutions to various political affairs.

Doing it well is definitely not easy.

Even some exceptionally talented individuals usually need to suffer some setbacks and hardships in the early stages before they can grow rapidly.

However, if the crown prince were to be involved in government affairs more before becoming emperor, to know the hardships of the people, to understand how the political system works, and to know how to handle government affairs, etc.

After doing all this, you'll know how to handle many things when you become emperor again.

Having understood the many intricacies of officialdom, it will be much more difficult for those who become officials to deceive the emperor and treat him like a fool in the future.

Even someone of average appearance wouldn't be too useless after such rigorous training, which can be described as a sea of ​​questions.

He has something to offer that's presentable enough to be a ruler who maintains the status quo.

Moreover, the position of Grand Secretary is indeed important.

It's definitely more reassuring to let your own son do it than to entrust it to someone else.

It also makes it more conducive to the concentration of power.

Not only Zhu Biao, but Zhu Yuanzhang also decided that all future heirs of the Ming Dynasty would have to serve as Grand Secretary of the Cabinet for a period of time before becoming emperor.

Of course, this is the case under normal circumstances.

But what if, in the future, an incompetent emperor were to become emperor, and he were to die too young, before his son had even reached adulthood?

Just like Zhu Zhanji.

This led to the emergence of a young emperor.

Then we'll have to deal with that separately.

He could only choose to trust the wisdom of future generations.

Anyway, he, as the ancestor, has done his best to handle everything.

If things get really messy later on, he'll be powerless to do anything about it.

Humans are not gods, and cannot possibly control what happens a hundred years after their own death.

Some things can only be done to the best of one's ability, and that's all.

The assembled officials were not surprised to hear of Zhu Yuanzhang's appointment.

Zhu Yuanzhang trusted Zhu Biao immensely, and he went to great lengths and devoted countless efforts to nurturing him.

Their achievements are evident to all.

At this point, it would be perfectly normal to appoint Zhu Biao as the Grand Secretary.

Now, they are more concerned about who will serve as the Deputy Grand Secretary and the rest of the cabinet.

And what rules govern this?

It's clear that this cabinet will be an extraordinary institution in the future.

Even if the emperor said that the cabinet was only responsible for providing some relevant opinions and did not directly lead the six ministries.

But anyone who isn't stupid and has a little experience can tell that the cabinet has a bright future.

The cabinet may have a relatively low status now, but as time goes on, its status will rise higher and higher.

You don't need to look at anything else; just look at the fact that the emperor wanted to put his most valued son, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty and the next emperor, into the cabinet and make him the chief minister.

If the cabinet is not important, how could the emperor possibly make such an arrangement?

Besides these, there are other things that attract a lot of attention.

This immense attraction was Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

Although nowadays, in the eyes of many people, Crown Prince Zhu Biao is not as good as he used to be.

However, overall, he was still far more benevolent than Zhu Yuanzhang.

If they could also enter the cabinet, they would be able to have daily contact with the Crown Prince.

Try to make a good impression on the Crown Prince.

From now on, there will be many benefits and a bright future.

Even according to the emperor's regulations, the cabinet members themselves were not of high rank.

Even the Grand Secretary was only a fourth-rank official.

However, most of those present were seasoned veterans of the officialdom, not outsiders.

How could I not know the intricacies of this situation?
It's nothing more than a matter of low rank but high power.

When people become officials, they don't just look at the rank; they value the actual position they hold and the amount of power they wield.

This is what matters most.

"As for the Second Grand Secretary and the rest of the cabinet, we will not appoint them here for now."

We'll discuss this later.

To their disappointment, Zhu Yuanzhang did not appoint the second-in-command of the cabinet or the corresponding cabinet members on the spot.

This left many people who had been eagerly anticipating the event and secretly holding their breath feeling somewhat disappointed.

But it was just a little disappointing.

The fact that the emperor didn't make an announcement on the spot suggests that they still have some opportunities ahead...

In the Ming Dynasty, the system of officials entering the cabinet was established and had certain rules.

For example, only those who passed the imperial examination could enter the Hanlin Academy, and those who were not members of the Hanlin Academy could not enter the Grand Secretariat.

There is also a distinction between Shujishi (庶吉士) and others...

The Shujishi were the imperial court's reserve of talent; it was a very mature system.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not intend to continue using it.

He felt that this method of selecting the Grand Secretary did not align with some of his beliefs.

What he wanted was for prime ministers to rise from the ranks of prefectures and counties.

In addition to passing the imperial examinations, one must also have practical experience in governing a local area.

Through the various trials and tribulations below, from bottom to top, I experienced everything I could.

They truly understand the actual situation of the imperial court and its various aspects, and possess strong capabilities in this regard.

Only when someone like that enters the cabinet can they truly be effective.

The system for selecting officials for the Grand Secretariat, which was established in later Ming Dynasty China, was also effective in selecting talented individuals.

However, there are also plenty of mediocre people.

Moreover, most of those who entered the cabinet stayed in the capital.

It's not that there are no local workers at all, but rather that they make up a small percentage overall.

Moreover, the work they do in local areas is mostly not at the grassroots level.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt this was not a good thing.

He wants these people. They should have some grassroots work experience.

Then they climbed up step by step.

Putting aside other matters, take Zhang Juzheng for example. If he had spent a few more years gaining experience at the grassroots level, he would undoubtedly have performed his reforms better and more comprehensively… (End of Chapter)