Daming 1805

Chapter 481
Regardless of whether the nobles, officials, and businessmen in Shuntianfu and Yingtianfu were lucky, Zhu Jianyan, the Ming emperor, led the Ming court to stay in Yingtianfu to usher in 13 years of Ankang.

However, after the 13th Lantern Festival in Ankang, on the first day the court resumed operation, and the first morning court in the new year, someone put another equally important issue on the table.

The 63-year-old Li Hongbin, the current Minister of the Ministry of Officials, went to the Shushu to ask his old age to return to his hometown.

As soon as Li Hongbin finished speaking, the hall immediately fell silent.

Regarding the resignation of an old official, you can report directly to the emperor in private, or you can say it publicly in the court.

However, in most cases, they will communicate with the emperor in private beforehand.

Especially senior bureaucrats above Shangshu level.

On this basis, if the minister really wants to retire, and the emperor also needs it, he will hint that the official resigns publicly in the early court.

The emperor will approve it on the spot and do other things conveniently.

Li Hongbin was born in Nagasaki County, Fengyuan Country, and was the Zuo Changshi of the original Fengyuan King's Mansion.

After the Fengyuan Kingdom withdrew from the vassal, Li Hongbin became the left political envoy of the Fengyuan Chief Envoy, and his rank was from the third rank.

Li Hongbin is a man with long sleeves and good at dancing, and he played a very active role in the process of withdrawing Fengyuan and establishing a province.

The king of Fengyuan Kingdom and the original officials were appeased, and the chief envoys arranged by the subsequent court completed the restructuring.

In the following 12 years, Li Hongbin got excellent in the exam every three years.

From Zuo Shenzheng, Fengyuan Chief Political Officer, he was promoted all the way to the second-rank official minister.

Although after having Jiuqing, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials is no longer an official of the outer court, but it is still the most popular position in the Shangshu.

Li Hongbin was able to get the position of Minister of the Ministry of Officials, there is a certain coincidence in it.

First of all, Li Hongbin himself is indeed capable, and he is also very good at being a man.

At the same time, the emperor intended to set a benchmark for officials from a vassal state.

Eliminate the doubts of officials from the vassal state, and prevent local officials from discriminating against officials from the vassal state.

Let everyone believe that in the eyes of the emperor, the Ming people who were born in the vassal state are also Daming people, no different from the natives.

Finally, Li Hongbin's age is quite coincidental. Ankang turned 13 in 63 years.

The position of Minister of the Ministry of Officials is the post of administrative training in the last stage of the heir selected by the emperor.

After the 63-year-old Li Hongbin became the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, he has no chance to be promoted to Jiuqing normally.

Now it is possible to retire two years before the emperor's retirement, giving up the position of Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

Now that Li Hongbin has publicly resigned, no matter whether it is the emperor's signal or not, as long as the emperor agrees, it is impossible to appoint another Minister of the Ministry of Officials at this time, and there is a high probability that the selected heir will directly take over.

So the emperor's successor is about to be officially revealed.

Although almost all senior bureaucrats know that Zhu Jianyan's successor has actually been determined long ago.

Zhu Jianyan has a total of six sons, only three of whom have completed administrative training this year.

The key is the disparity in treatment between the three princes, which can even be described as the difference between clouds and mud.

Someone is simply too prominent.

When one was only 15 years old, when he was still the emperor, he directly got the title of prince.

Later, through the truce and peace talks, he got a bunch of super-standard rewards and became the richest prince.

I also run Daming Airlines and Dashi Clothing Firm, two super manufacturers.

Still holding the past of Dashi Kingdom, a feudal country that is really rich.

The other two survived until their 30s, completed all the local governance training, and just got the title of prince.

At present, they can only live on the prince's salary.

But no matter how obvious the speculation was, it was speculation after all, and the emperor finally announced the official news, which still made everyone concentrate.

Zhu Jianyan looked at Li Hongbin who was bowing slightly below, and then opened the letter of resignation brought up by the secretary.

Basically without any hesitation, Zhu Jianyan picked up a pen and wrote two lines:

"Li Hongbin, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, was promoted from the first rank to Jiuqing Zhongzai, and he was granted the title of Nagasaki County Son, and he was allowed to retire and return to his hometown."

Zhu Jianyan's secretary once again took over the memorial after the emperor Zhu's approval, and read out Zhu Jianyan's order on the spot.

Li Hongbin bowed again to thank him.

Then came the most tense moment, all the courtiers pricked up their ears, waiting to verify their guesses.

Zhu Jianyan directly asked the secretary to draft an order on the spot:

"Appoint Zhu Jingyuan, the fourth son of the emperor, as Minister of the Ministry of Officials."

There were no accidents, and all the officials were relieved.

If the emperor commits a crime at this time and does not appoint Zhu Jingyuan as Minister of the Ministry of Officials, the whole court will not feel at ease.

The already unstable situation may become even more turbulent.

If Zhu Jingyuan is not allowed to be the heir, there will be a lot of major problems in the current good situation.

The resources in Zhu Jingyuan's hands will become a big trouble for the next emperor.

But at the same time, the entanglement in his heart became stronger again.

The matter of announcing the heir was handled directly in Yingtian Mansion. The emperor really didn't want to go back to Shuntian Mansion.

Now that the news was finally confirmed, Zhu Jingyuan himself secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

Although I have done all kinds of things and caused a lot of trouble for my father, he still trusts me.

Zhu Jingyuan bowed obediently to thank him, took the imperial decree prepared on the spot, and then clarified another question:

"Father, is it appropriate for us to return to Shuntian Mansion?"

As soon as this remark came out, everyone at the scene pricked up their ears.

Ordinary ministers are embarrassed to ask this question, but Zhu Jingyuan is just right.

Even if the emperor didn't answer, he wouldn't blame anyone.

Zhu Jianyan glanced at Zhu Jingyuan, and his heart towards this kid was still so direct:

"Why do you want to return to Shuntian Mansion? Do you want to go home to Shuntian Mansion?"

Zhu Jingyuan immediately said:

"My son is indeed homesick, but more importantly, Shuntian Mansion is the capital of the country.

"It has been a year and a half since Emperor Father's southern tour, and he has spent two New Years in Yingtian Mansion.

"The people of Shuntian Prefecture are all looking forward to it, hoping that the father will return to the north as soon as possible."

Zhu Jianyan said directly:

"Yingtianfu is also the capital of the country, the old city of Shuntianfu is Beijing, and the city of Yingtianfu is Nanjing.

"In the past 300 years, the imperial court stayed in Shuntian Mansion most of the time, and the people of Yingtian Mansion were also looking forward to it.

"From now on, stay in Yingtian Mansion for hundreds of years..."

With the cooperation of Zhu Jingyuan, the emperor finally made his words clear.

Although there is no return to Yingtian Mansion, the imperial court will stay in Yingtian Mansion for "hundreds of years".

This is no different from moving the capital.

When the news was confirmed, the court immediately remembered the murmured discussions.

Officials from some bureaucratic families have basically accepted their fate now.

Yingtian Mansion is also quite good. Living in the Jiangnan water town is indeed more comfortable than Shuntian, and the living and entertainment facilities are more abundant.

But bureaucrats with property at home are more difficult to accept.

Officials from the south actually did not want the imperial court to stay in Yingtian Mansion.

From Jiangnan, which is far away from the capital, to the root of the imperial city under the eyes of the emperor, the market and officialdom will become harsh.

Many things that were possible in the past may not be possible in the future.

There are more individuals with power to interfere with things that can be influenced and controlled by themselves.

Officials in the north also don't want the court to completely return Duying Tianfu.

They have become accustomed to using the relationship of the central court to deal with various affairs in life.

Completely away from the central court, not only will the lifestyle change, but the key is that the market rules will be reshuffled.

Being far away in the south of the Yangtze River, the influence on my hometown will definitely weaken.

However, due to the system created by Emperor Shizu, the current emperor of Ming Dynasty is very powerful, and basically has the authority of Chengzu level.

What the emperor wants to return the capital is not to move to a strange place, but to return to the old capital, and it is difficult for the courtiers to resist.

Many people began to expect that after the new emperor ascended the throne, he would return Dushun Mansion again.

At the beginning, Zhu Di moved the capital to Shuntian Mansion in Yongle 19, and died in Yongle 22.

Renzong Zhu Gaochi, who succeeded him, wanted to move Duo back to Yingtian Mansion.

As a result, Zhu Gaochi died after less than a year as emperor.

Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, who succeeded him, liked the north as much as his grandfather, but he didn't want to move back.

Also, Duying Tianfu's plan has just come to nothing.

The current emperor, Zhu Jianyan, is still in Tianfu, but the successor, Zhu Jingyuan, seems to prefer the north.

Zhu Jingyuan is definitely not a premature aging person, if he wants to return Dushuntian Mansion, he will definitely have time to complete the formalities.

So many people began to pin their hopes on Zhu Jingyuan.

It's just that they didn't know that it was Zhu Jingyuan's suggestion to respond to Tianfu.

Otherwise, even if Zhu Jianyan had considered similar things in his heart, it would be difficult for him to really decide to move the capital here.

So if nothing else, this group of people is destined to be disappointed again.

But no matter whether they are disappointed or not in the future, there is finally an official phased response to the matter of whether the emperor will return to Shuntian Mansion.

There is no need to discuss this matter until the new emperor succeeds.

No matter what your thoughts are, let's work honestly in Yingtian Mansion for a few years.

Zhu Jingyuan took office as Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and after the emperor answered the question of not returning to Shuntian Mansion, the court became more stable.

After the two most important matters are determined, the morning begins to deal with daily affairs.

The new plan for the new year, the reforms that will start and continue to be promoted, the various projects and affairs to be maintained, and various things that need to be confirmed by the emperor are discussed one by one.

The morning time on the first day of the new year is often longer and there are more things to do.

So it continued until noon and didn't finish.

However, the early court ended normally, and the corresponding officials returned to work in the yamen.

The emperor is responsible for decision-making at the level he is responsible for, and Jiuqing and the ministers also need time to deal with their own affairs.

If you can't finish it in one day, you can only do it separately.

Wait until the morning of the next day to continue discussing those unfinished issues.

After Zhu Jingyuan went to court, he went to eat first, and in the afternoon he returned to the Yamen of the Chief Secretary of Jianghuai to preside over the opening meeting of the Yamen of the Chief Envoy.

The new Jianghuai chief envoy has not yet arrived, and Zhu Jingyuan will continue to take on this job.

Li Hongbin, who has already resigned, will continue to serve as Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

Two days later, the new Jianghuai chief envoy arrived, and Zhu Jingyuan began to handle the handover tasks.

Until the 13th day of February in the [-]th year of Ankang, Zhu Jingyuan finally finished the work of the chief envoy and went to the official office to handle the handover of the official secretary with Li Hongbin.

Li Hongbin is very satisfied with his retirement benefits.

Because of his age, he was not qualified to be Jiuqing, but he became Jiuqing in the half month before retirement.

He also received the lifelong title of a viscount as he wished.

It can already be regarded as an honorary retirement.

Being born in a vassal state, being able to receive such treatment can definitely be regarded as an honorary retirement.

All this is thanks to Prince Dashi.

When Zhu Jingyuan came to the Ministry of Officials, Li Hongbin directly led people outside the courtyard to greet him.

Seeing Zhu Jingyuan getting off the car, he immediately bowed and said hello.

Zhu Jingyuan quickly walked over and helped Li Hongbin who was very respectful:
"Takazai is too polite..."

After the ceremony, Li Hongbin didn't immediately take Zhu Jingyuan to the handover, but invited Zhu Jingyuan to his office.

Ask Zhu Jingyuan to sit down in his own seat, sit opposite Zhu Jingyuan himself, and then start to "lecture" to Zhu Jingyuan:
"Your Highness, before the official handover, please redeem the old minister for a while.

"Please listen to the old minister to say a few words about some miscellaneous affairs that have a certain impact on your assumption of this official position, apart from the job of the Minister of the Ministry of Officials."

Zhu Jingyuan nodded directly with a smile. This is obviously what he wants to know and should know:

"Takazai, please tell me, Wansheng will listen carefully."

Li Hongbin quickly smiled and waved his hands:

"Your Highness, you are being polite, this old man will never dare to hide anything, let's start with the position of Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

"The Minister of the Ministry of Officials is not easy to be an official, especially after the official establishment of Jiuqing.

"It is directly related to the appointment and removal of all officials other than Jiuqing and Shangshu, and it also affects the appointment and dismissal of Shangshu and even Jiuqing.

"According to the experience of Emperor Shizu Guangwu, the number of people that any one person can directly know and understand is limited.

"The number of second-rank officials has already exceeded the upper limit.

"Officials above rank three are already two orders of magnitude higher.

"So even when His Majesty wants to select a new minister, in most cases, he will listen to the opinions of the Ministry of Officials.

"Even if other officials have recommendations, or even His Majesty himself has an impression, he will ask the Ministry of Officials to check the relevant files.

"The Ministry of Officials holds the archives of the bureaucrats all over the world, and their answers to His Majesty's inquiries will affect the official careers of most subordinates and even bureaucrats at the same level.

"Not to mention that very few people can sit down to complete impartiality.

"Even if I really did it, other people involved in business dealings and arrangements will not believe that the minister in this position can be impartial.

"As long as the party suspects that his arrangement is unfair, he may harbor resentment towards the officials.

"The Minister of Rites, who is no longer Zukazai, bears the brunt of it all.

"In order to secure this position and run the work of the Ministry of Officials well, there must be a semi-public rule other than the rule.

"A set of official selection rules that can be recognized and accepted by most people in the officialdom, as fair as possible and easily verifiable.

"In the case that His Majesty does not personally appoint directly, most of the official positions are arranged according to this rule.

"Let the relevant people know why they were selected and why they were not selected.

"The main officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs should understand and abide by this rule as much as possible.

"His Royal Highness, as the prince, can make exceptions in the officialdom, and he doesn't need to care about the rules of the officialdom.

"As long as a person with a normal mind will not have any direct conflict with the prince who is the official secretary.

"No matter what His Highness thinks, no matter how His Highness wants to be the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, all the affairs of the Ministry of Officials arranged by His Highness must be completely smooth...

"No matter what the officials think, they will definitely cooperate with the prince at this time to do a good job as the Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

"but……"

Li Hongbin paused for a moment when he said this, carefully observing Zhu Jingyuan's reaction.

Although Li Hongbin is already a retired person, the above words are straightforward enough.

However, the words behind this "but" will be more straightforward and even presumptuous...

If this Highness can understand by himself, it would be better if Li Hongbin himself doesn't have to say it directly.

Zhu Jingyuan was also very cooperative, and took up Li Hongbin's words quite seriously:

"The prince's primary task as Minister of the Ministry of Officials is to figure out the logic of the appointment and removal of personnel in the court.

"And figuring out the rules, both explicit and implicit, within the bureaucracy.

"If the prince doesn't go deep, and is simply flattered by his subordinates, he will spend two years in this position.

"The two years of being an official may be very smooth, but after that, you may lose touch with the court.

"When you encounter anything, when you are about to make any major decisions, you can't predict the reaction of the bureaucracy.

"So I ask Zai Zuka not to hide his secrets."

Zhu Jingyuan could roughly guess that the so-called selection rules are mostly based on seniority.

Plus some other provisos.

Which positions can be promoted to which positions, which conditions the corresponding personnel meet to be eligible for promotion, and when I meet those conditions, I will enter the queue list.

What special qualifications do you have to jump in line.

Which special official positions need special conditions and so on.

Li Hongbin's appointment as Minister of the Ministry of Officials actually involves various rules related to it.

All of these can be regarded as part of the traditional Chinese culture.

The emperor's direct appointment is the exception among the exceptions, and all the rules are useless.

So, is it useful for the emperor to understand these rules?

Still very useful...

In the appointment of a third-rank or even second-rank official, if the candidates recommended by the Ministry of Officials and other Jiuqing obviously or completely do not conform to this set of rules, then the emperor can consider asking Dongchang to investigate whether there is corruption.

If the emperor did not understand these rules, the bureaucratic system risked getting out of control.

The Ministry of Officials is the most convenient place to directly contact and understand these rules.

Therefore, Emperor Shizu Guangwu left a rule that the heir selected by the emperor must go to the official department...

Listening to Zhu Jingyuan's response, Li Hongbin knew that His Highness knew it well.

I also breathed a sigh of relief, so talking to a sensible person is a peace of mind.

Li Hongbin bowed his hands to Zhu Jingyuan very happily:

"Your Highness is indeed extremely intelligent. The old minister must know everything and say everything..."

(End of this chapter)