Why did the emperor rebel?

Chapter 50 The Cabinet
The cabinet is located in the southeast corner of the palace city, entering from the Donghua Gate, to the north is the Wenhua Hall, and to the south is a row of corridors where the cabinet is located.

The cabinet of the Ming Dynasty was first established in the time of Emperor Taizong Wen.

Emperor Taizu abolished the prime minister, dismissed the central government, weakened the Tongzheng Department, and formed a political system with six ministries under the direct control of the emperor. Although the imperial power has been strengthened unprecedentedly, the price is that all the government affairs of the court are suppressed by the emperor. on the person.

Emperor Taizu was fighting in the south and the north, and he immediately conquered the world. He was full of energy, and naturally he could handle it.

But when it came to Emperor Taizong, it was no longer possible.

It is not to say that Emperor Taizong's energy is not as good as Emperor Taizu's, but because Emperor Taizong won the throne because of Jing Nan, although the court and the public did not dare to speak, but after all, he was not in the right position, and he had to prove to the world with great deeds. The elderly are the most suitable to sit on the throne.

As a result, Emperor Taizong couldn't devote all his energy to dealing with government affairs, and he needed to allocate a considerable part of his energy to navigating borders.

It was against this background that the cabinet and the supervisor were born.

According to the practice of the court, the six ministries and the temple supervisors and other administrative institutions are called the outer court, and the 24 supervisors, including the ceremonial supervisor, controlled by the inner eunuchs are called the inner court.

The cabinet is precisely located between the outer court and the inner court, and plays the role of reconciling the internal and external, and the overall and confidential role.

However, that was the power of the cabinet in the late Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Taizong was also an emperor with a strong desire to control. Although he established a cabinet, it was more for consultation purposes. At the same time, he also gave the students of the Hanlin Academy an opportunity to observe and participate in politics.

It may sound unbelievable, but one of the initial intentions of the cabinet was to allow the students of the Imperial Academy to participate in political affairs.

This is also the key to the inseparability of the cabinet and the Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Taizu was very strict with officials, but he treated scholars very favorably. As the highest institution for scholars, the Hanlin Academy, since its inception, has been the place where Wenchen Qingliu raised his hopes.

You must know that Daming used the imperial examinations to select scholars, and all the scholars who were admitted were all those who had studied hard for ten years, and had sufficient mental and perseverance, but the biggest disadvantage was that they had never really participated in political affairs.

The Hanlin Academy is the place where these new scholars use to observe politics, but the Hanlin Academy is a place of pure flow after all.

Therefore, Emperor Taizong set up a cabinet, and selected outstanding people from the Hanlin Academy and entered the direct cabinet to preview the aircraft, relieve the emperor's pressure, and exercise his ability to participate in the government.

Therefore, the tradition of the cabinet is that the ministers came out of the Hanlin, which was also the prototype of the late Ming Dynasty when non-Hanlin were not allowed to enter the cabinet.

By the time of the first emperor, the world had been peaceful for a long time. Although the first emperor was wise and decisive, he was neither the one who lived a hard life like Emperor Taizu nor did he decide the world through hundreds of battles like Emperor Taizong, so his temperament inevitably tended to be comfortable.

Therefore, in order to reduce the pressure of handling government affairs and further elevate the status of the cabinet, the first emperor first incorporated the Zhongshu Section, which was responsible for transcribing and arranging ancient books, into the cabinet and became a subordinate agency of the cabinet. The imperial court assigns the power of the imperial court to the cabinet. At the same time, whenever there is a major policy, the cabinet must be called to discuss it, so that the cabinet's status in the court will gradually rise.

And the moment that really made the cabinet limelight was the time of "Three Yangs".

After the death of the first emperor, because he was young and weak today, he left the Grand Empress Dowager Zhang to follow the government. At the same time, he ordered five ministers of the cabinet, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu, British Minister Zhang Fu, and Minister of Rites Hu Xi, to assist the government.

San Yang, who was most trusted by the previous emperor, also became the entire core of the court situation at that time with the support of the Empress Dowager Zhang.

Not only in the name of the cabinet, but also exercised the right to vote, but also basically fixed the system of the cabinet.

Before Sanyang, there were two basic sources of cabinet members, one was a Hanlin bachelor who served concurrently, and the other was a minister with Hanlin experience, but the nature was for consultation.

All the cabinet ministers, including the Hanlin scholars, will not give up their positions and will still be in charge of their own yamen.

At the time of Sanyang, Sanyang, in the name of the auxiliary minister, held the title of three divisions and three princes. Although he still served as a Hanlin bachelor, he had already placed his focus on the cabinet.

As a result, in the seventh year of orthodoxy, the Hanlin Academy moved to a new house. When it was completed, there was no place for Sanyang on the main throne. Qian Xili, the head of the Hanlin Academy at that time, even said confidently: "This is not the Sangong's mansion."

Although their seats were finally restored at San Yang's insistence, this incident was enough to show that in the minds of the courtiers at that time, the cabinet was not only an affiliated dispatch of the Hanlin Academy, but an independent institution.

It was the court practice that an official could not hold two positions, that is to say, an official could not be in charge of two yamen at the same time. Since San Yang was in charge of the cabinet, even if he also served as a Hanlin bachelor, he could only have a false title, not a real position.

At that time, it should be regarded as the early Ming Dynasty, when the power of the cabinet was at its peak.

However, even within the civil ministers, there will still be factional battles. After all, the establishment of the cabinet is not customized in writing, and it relies more on the authority of the auxiliary minister of Sanyang.

Therefore, as soon as San Yang died, the six ministries regained the dominance of the government. At the same time, the young emperor gradually grew up. With a lot of ambition and hard work, the cabinet's voting power was greatly weakened, and it was restored to prepare for consultation. status, and the power of the cabinet has also fallen into a low ebb.

But even so, the cabinet's power to draft edicts was retained.

More importantly, although at this time, due to the lack of power of the cabinet, the tradition of serving as a Hanlin bachelor was restored, but the cabinet was still regarded as an independent institution.

Before the Civil War, there were five ministers in the cabinet, namely Cao Nai, the left servant of the Ministry of Personnel, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, Miao Zhong, a servant of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of the Imperial Academy, Chen Xun, a servant of the household and a scholar of the Imperial Academy, Gao Gu, the servant of the Ministry of Industry and a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and Gao Gu, a scholar of the Imperial Academy. Read Zhang Yi.

When the Son of Heaven went on his expedition, he took away the top-ranked Cao Nai and the bottom-ranked Zhang Yi, and both of them are now dead.

Therefore, there are only three people left in the cabinet. Cao Nai and Miao Zhong, who is ranked second, are naturally ranked first in the cabinet. However, he is frail and sick. .

Therefore, it is Chen Xun and Gao Gu who are really in charge of the cabinet now.

The cabinet and Wenhua Palace correspond far away.

After the two had lunch, they stood under the porch and looked at the courtiers of Xunqi and Qi who came in and out of the Jiyi Hall, and happened to see Yu Qian and Chen Yi walking out together.

After a while, Gao Gu said: "After this day, the honorable ministers, civil and military, and Lord Yu have met at least seven or eight..."

"There should be. On the first day of the general administration, King Yu was so diligent in administration, which is a blessing for the community..."

Chen Xun opened his mouth, but his tone was inexplicable, and Gao Gu did not answer.

After a while, Chen Xun asked, "Shiyong, according to what you see, what is the meaning of King Yu's order today?"

Shiyong is the word of Gao Gu. Both Chen Xun and Gao Gu were born in the Hanlin, and the two are about the same age.

Early this morning, the two of them were called into the palace, and under the order of the Queen Mother, they drafted an edict for the establishment of the crown prince.

I thought that this matter would make King Yu dissatisfied, but I didn't expect that the two of them waited and waited, and Jin Ying actually waited for Jin Ying to pass the order and restore the cabinet's right to vote.

Although King Yu made it clear that this was an expedient measure in a special period, both Chen Xun and Gao Gu were well-versed in the court situation, so how could they not understand the meaning of it.

Everything in the courtroom started from an expedient measure. It was an expedient measure at the time of Sanyang, and it is an expedient measure now.

If you do this twice again, it will be expedient and expedient, and maybe it will become a system...

Gao Gu shook his head, also hesitantly, and said, "I'm not sure about this Prince Yun's mind, either. Eunuch Jin said that it is because the situation is difficult and the affairs of the court are complicated.

"Do you believe this?"

Before he finished speaking, Chen Xun sneered and said.

　Ask for collection, ask for recommendation, ask for monthly ticket~~~
　　Thanks to the book friend River King for the 500 starting point reward~~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)