Chapter 92 The Cabinet of the Regulations of the Hundred Officials

This incident that came from Jiangnan was actually just an episode.

When the war in Annan was in peace and the world was clear, Zhu Qizhen was not idle either.

The compilation of the Ming Dynasty Congregation has entered a new stage.

If it were before, what Wang Shu compiled was more similar to the sorting of the anecdotes of the court since the Ming Dynasty. However, modern times have entered the substantive stage, and Li Xian officially intervened and was appointed as the editor-in-chief of the "Ming Dynasty Collection".

If Zhu Qizhen is not prepared for any changes, it is just a confirmation of the changes in the government over the years.

Li Xian can recommend a respected minister to preside over the presidency. Li Xian doesn’t need to intervene in person. Just think about it and know that the cabinet chief minister will not be idle.

On the contrary, he is extremely busy.

Over the years, Zhu Qizhen has long stopped interfering in specific common affairs. Unless it is a major matter, it is all handled by the cabinet. Zhu Qizhen is just checking the cabinet's opinions.

If you are not satisfied, you can just use the printing.

Even if there is any dissatisfaction below, the cabinet will compete with the lower body, and Zhu Qizhen is more of a referee.

Therefore, the operation of the world in Ming Dynasty is centered on the cabinet.

Li Xian is definitely several times busier than Zhu Qizhen.

However, Zhu Qizhen's attitude of wanting to mix private goods in the "Ming Dynasty Collection" was so obvious that Li Xian had to intervene in it and check it out for Zhu Qizhen.

After all, as the chief minister of the cabinet, you have to assume the responsibility of the minister.

Zhu Qizhen now focused on the "Da Ming Hui Dian" and asked: "How is the compilation of the "Regulations on Hundred Officials"?"

Li Xian said: "The first draft is already there."

Zhu Qizhen said, "Oh, let me see."

Li Xian immediately asked to pick it up.

The so-called "Regulations on Hundred Officials" stipulates the structure of government affairs in the Ming Dynasty, which is the scope of responsibility of each official, what restrictions are subject to, etc.

It can be understood as modern administrative law.

This is also one of Zhu Qizhen's strategies to boil frogs in warm water.

Since the risk of a frontal attack is too great, then proceed in a roundabout way.

Zhu Qizhen also understood that as long as it was not involved in their interests, even Li Xian would not forcefully confront the emperor in some details.

It’s like it’s just not that you’re going to get your salary down. Most of the time, you say yes to your boss.

After Zhu Qizhen opened it, he was dissatisfied with just looking at the directory and said, "Why is the Cabinet Regulations not the first?"

The system of the regulations of the hundreds of officials is to arrange the six ministries, five armies, and nine ministers' yamen one by one. The cabinet is not listed separately, but is affiliated to the Hanlin Academy.

This is actually the position of the cabinet in the Ming system.

The cabinet itself is the secretary selected by Emperor Taizong from the Hanlin Academy. It is precisely because of this origin that there are unspoken rules that the Hanlin Academy cannot enter the cabinet unless it is Hanlin.

Moreover, since Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne, the cabinet has been gradually raised and almost reached the position of the Tang and Song Dynasties Political Affairs Hall. However, in the official documents of the Ming Dynasty, it is still a special institution affiliated with the Hanlin Academy.

Li Xian said: "This is the meaning of the ancestors."

In fact, Li Xian also knew that this would definitely be corrected.

However, the things presented to the boss do not make too big a problem. Looking left and right is a problem, but the boss cannot make mistakes. If there is no mistake at all, how can the boss show his authority?

The problems in Li Xian’s cabinet were left for the emperor to play.

Nothing else, Li Xian is the chief minister of the cabinet. Although he knows that the cabinet is no longer the same as before in the Ming Dynasty political system, he also wants to write the position of the cabinet into the regulations. After all, as the chief minister of the cabinet, he also wants to fight for his own department.

However, the chief minister of the cabinet is not only the leader of the cabinet, but also the leader of all officials, so we should avoid suspicion in many things.

Instead of making modifications by other Li Xian, it is better to keep silent and let the emperor move.

Zhu Qizhen did not think about it carefully, and said, "Thinking about the original intention of the ancestors, he used the ministers of the humerus to govern the country, but at that time the ancestors did not see the use of the cabinet." He paused slightly and said, "The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet is listed as the first rank, and other additional titles are removed. Each Grand Secretary set up a room for the Central Secretariat as the use of the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and selected it from the Hanlin Academy. The left and right imperial edicts are also listed as the cabinet's subordinates."

Li Xian was shocked and said, "Your Majesty, Taizu is not allowed to be the prime minister?"

Zhu Qizhen said: "This is not the prime minister, it is just a grand senator."

Li Xian naturally knew that Zhu Qizhen was just stealing the bell.

When Emperor Taizong set up a cabinet, in order to indicate that he was not re-establishing the prime minister, Emperor Taizong had several restrictions on the cabinet.

First, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet is a fifth-rank official. It is not wrong to read it, it is a fifth-rank official. Of course, in order to ensure the authority of the cabinet, in the Sanyang era, there was a way to strengthen the authority of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, that is, to serve as an official.

The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet can generally serve as the Minister of the Ministry of Education, or be given three Dukes, such as the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. In other words, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet is usually the first rank, but their first rank official position is not the Grand Secretary himself.

It seems that the Grand Secretary is just a fifth-rank senior.

Now Zhu Qizhen has changed this matter back and determined the first-class Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. In addition to the responsibilities undertaken by the Cabinet, the Cabinet is determined in system to be the core of the Ming Dynasty's political system.

Li Xian was prepared for this.

After all, the inversion of cabinet positions and power has been made up for by various additional officials, which is not as legitimate as it is.

The second limitation is that the Cabinet Grand Secretary does not have a special subordinate.

In ancient times, the prime minister was not a person or an institution. As Zhuge Liang said, the palace and the palace were integrated, and the palace was called the prime minister's mansion.

There were also subordinate institutions affiliated to the prime minister in the Tang and Song dynasties.

Therefore, in order to prevent the prime minister from abusing power, the cabinet did not have subordinate officials.

In other words, when the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet handles official duties in Wenyuan Pavilion, he often has to do it himself, and no one takes action.

Even though the Central Secretariat was helped, these Central Secretariat did not say that they were specifically affiliated with a certain Grand Secretary.

Now Zhu Qizhen’s significance is that in the future, the Grand Secretary will become his own subordinates. The power of the Grand Secretary will extend from another.

As a result, Zhu Qizhen almost relaxed all restrictions on the cabinet.

Although the cabinet is written as a cabinet, it has different powers or reduced from the prime ministers of the Han and Tang dynasties. However, overall, it is not a problem to say that it is the prime minister.

Zhu Qizhen did not dare to confront Taizu's iron rule at the time, so he naturally pretended to be confused and made a fool of himself.

Li Xian was a little silent for a moment.

He weighed the pros and cons for a while and said, "Thank you, your Majesty, I will make changes when I go down."

Li Xian respected the ancestor system very much. He thought about it for a long time, not just for his own authority. But he still felt that the Ming Dynasty had no prime minister, which was not an advantage, but a disadvantage.

Not even that emperor can work as diligent as Emperor Taizu.

Even though this person is constantly meeting ministers every day, he is really a difference between heaven and earth compared with Emperor Taizu.

He had a premonition that the emperors of later generations might not be able to match even today. In this way, it is very necessary to strengthen the power of the cabinet.

Although he has selfishness, he also has public intentions.

After hearing what Li Xian said, Zhu Qizhen moved his heart and said, "Mr. Li, my advantage is not that easy to take."

In fact, Zhu Qizhen had already read this first draft without Li Xian presenting it.

Naturally, there are many places that need to be modified. However, some places naturally violate the ancestral system. I am afraid that after setting the tone, all officials will object.

Of course someone will have to push the tank.

Compared to the seemingly trivial changes, more people's attention will be on the expansion of cabinet power. Li Xian must deal with it.

Zhu Qizhen's other modifications were much less resistance.

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded, then turned on the regulations. He first saw the Ministry of Personnel.

In fact, the top ranks is the Zongren Mansion. However, the Zongren Mansion is a negligible yamen in the court, and Zhu Qizhen has temporarily put aside many issues with the Ming Dynasty's vassal kings.

After all, when time is ripe, there is no resistance to dealing with the vassal kings. The Ministry of Personnel is ranked behind the clan mansion.

The Heavenly Official of the Ministry of Personnel has always been very important, and it can compete with the existence of the cabinet chief among the six ministries.
Chapter completed!