Yuan Chonghuan got up early in the morning, washed and cleaned, and prepared to enter the palace.
Because he already had an official position before he came to Beijing, he did not live in the Guangdong Guild Hall. Instead, he chose Xila Hutong, which is where most officials coming to Beijing would choose.
The Guangdong Guild Hall is the residence for people coming to Beijing.
Before ordinary officials return to Beijing, they will first be granted an official position by imperial edict.
After receiving the imperial edict in his hometown, Yuan Chonghuan first resumed his duties as Zuodu Censor of the Procuratorate and Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War.
He also hinted that he should supervise Ji Liao.
Xila Hutong is full of high-end inns, specially prepared for officials coming to Beijing from other places. The main reason is that the location is good, just outside Dong'an Gate and less than a mile away from the Imperial City.
It is very convenient to enter the Forbidden City.
Even if it’s morning, you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night, and you don’t have to suffer too much.
Today is the day when the platform calls for the right person, which is no small matter.
Yuan Chonghuan carefully went over what he was going to say in his mind and made sufficient preparations.
Chongzhen has never met Yuan Chonghuan. For such an important position, the emperor will definitely interview him in person. Success or failure will depend on today.
Yuan Chonghuan verified his documents at Dong'an Gate, walked another mile to Donghua Gate, and entered the Forbidden City under the leadership of the eunuch.
This was also his first time entering this splendid palace, and he felt quite stressed.
The pressure from the palace was on the one hand, but mainly the pressure from within Donglin was too great.
The platform calls for the right person, what a great name.
There have been monarchs and ministers in all dynasties, and historians will record them.
But calling the right person on the platform was not so sacred in the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, it was during the period when the emperor went to court unofficially that he temporarily gathered the academicians, cabinet members, and those related to the important matters that the emperor needed to decide on at that time to hold a meeting.
It is equivalent to a royal meeting.
Most of the time they are temporary in nature and arranged according to the needs of emergencies.
As for this platform, where is it in the Forbidden City?
In fact, it is at the back door on the east side of the Baohe Hall of the Forbidden City today.
According to historical records, the platform: Jianji Hall (Baohe Hall) is in the middle and backward, high above the Sanlin white jade railing and opposite to the Qianqing Gate, also known as the Yuntai Gate.
On both sides facing the latter, the east is called the back left door, and the west is called the back right door, which are the left and right doors of Yuntai, also known as "platform".
When summoning cabinet ministers and other officials, it is usually on the platform, which is the back left gate (it is still called this name on the map of the Forbidden City today).
This place is not on the three steps of the three main halls, but on the flat ground on the east side of Baohe Hall, which was called the left gate of Yuntai.
Open the left door of this Yuntai, and behind it is the square between the front three palaces and the back three palaces.
Friends who have been to the Forbidden City know the location.
Looking to the north, you can see the Yuqing Palace Gate, Qianqing Gate and the bungalows at the military aircraft office.
Moreover, this platform was not opened for one person alone. Yuan Chonghuan did not have that much dignity to allow the emperor to summon him alone.
Today's meeting is a bit like a big leadership office meeting in later generations.
A bunch of people are waiting for the meeting with things they want to report. When it's your turn, you will naturally be asked to go in and report your work, and then the boss will give instructions.
If you agree, leave the meeting. If you disagree, either give up or go back and revise it and come back to the next meeting.
Nine Thousand Years Old is finished, and Donglin is bound to rise again. This opportunity is very important.
In China, personnel has always been politics, and the direction of political trends depends on personnel changes.
Therefore, it is very important to choose a breakthrough point and what kind of person you choose.
First, this candidate must be a direct descendant of Donglin, with upright roots and a bright future. Only then can he focus on seeking benefits for Donglin. It opened the ice for Donglin's overall comeback.
Second, this candidate must be approved by the emperor. He must have certain abilities and past achievements.
Third, the emperor must have a realistic need to promote this person. That is to say, a person must be arranged to do something. And this candidate cannot be one person, it must be a number of candidates recommended by various political factions, and one of them must be selected.
After comprehensive consideration, Donglin chose Yuan Chonghuan. He was a student of Sun Chengzong, who was the master of Emperor Tianqi.
Sun Chengzong cleaned up the severe situation and chaos caused by the fall of Liaodong due to the fierce fight between Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen, re-established the Guanning-Jin defense line, and pushed the battle line from Shanhaiguan back to the Daling River in Jinzhou.
As his student, Yuan Chonghuan was the direct executor of Sun Chengzong's policies. He stabilized the refugees, restored production, and successively won the Ningyuan Victory, Ningjin Victory, and the bombardment of Nurhaci.
Yuan Chonghuan had military exploits in Liaodong. He was a rare talent who was born in the second rank of Jinshi and was familiar with military affairs. It is in line with the Ming Dynasty's national policy of using civility to control military affairs, and at the same time it avoids laymen leading experts.
At present, the emperor is most concerned about the war situation in Liaodong. Liaodong also urgently needs a minister to coordinate everything. Yuan Chonghuan is familiar with the situation and has successful cases in the past. More importantly, he has been persecuted by the eunuchs, which can be easily accepted by the emperor.
Yuan Chonghuan himself also thought clearly about these powerful relationships. He arrogantly believed that there were really not many candidates with abilities and qualifications that exceeded his own, and the emperor did not have many choices.
Today, the supervisor Ji Liao should be able to hold the snail with ten fingers and be sure of it.
While he was waiting outside the platform, a meeting was taking place inside.
The rules of the platform call are that the ministers stand in awe on both sides of the court, civil and military, and the emperor sits on a temporarily moved throne in the middle, with a large carved case in front of him.
When you encounter a problem, just call on the official's name. The official will kneel down and answer the question. When the emperor expresses sympathy for his senior officials and gives special treatment, he can also stand there and speak.
After a while, Wang Chengen came out, cupped his hands and said, "But Mr. Yuan, the left minister of the Ministry of War."
Yuan Chonghuan immediately bowed his hands respectfully and said, "It's my humble official. Thank you for your service, father-in-law."
"Master Yuan, please come in with me. They are talking about the important matters accumulated in various places during this period. After they are dealt with in a while, His Majesty will summon Master Yuan."
After saying that, he took Yuan Chonghuan into the platform and arranged his station position.
Yuan Chonghuan has been working in the local area. Although he has also served as the director of the Ministry of War, he is not qualified to participate in such a high-level meeting held by the platform.
He immediately pricked up his ears and listened carefully.
This is a unique learning opportunity and an on-site observation to understand the operation of the center.
He looked out of the corner of his eyes and saw the emperor sitting on the throne, meticulous and serious.
The emperor is so young, he still has the childishness of eighteen years old. But he tried his best to pretend to be serious, as if he was afraid that the officials would look down on him when they saw that he was young.
Young people are more passionate and emotional.
He is impatient, eager for success, and lacks patience.
I gradually gained some confidence in my heart.
He pricked up his ears and listened correctly.
Chongzhen asked Zhejiang officials: What happened to the pirate intrusion?
He replied that he had a problem last fall and left after five days.
Ask Jiangxi officials: Why are the funds allocated to the royal family not given?
The answer is: Jiangxi is poor. It has many mountains and few fields, and is very barren. The relevant departments are not yet able to solve the problem.
When Yuan Chonghuan heard Jiangxi officials and the emperor crying about poverty, he immediately pricked up his ears to see how the emperor would deal with it.
Chongzhen frowned and thought for a moment.
No further questions were asked.
Ask officials in Huguang: There were people in Hubei causing riots last summer. What is happening now?
He replied: It's okay now. After the turmoil, I feel more stable.
Ask Fujian officials: What happened to the pirates?
The answer is that pirates are different from land thieves, so the policy of appeasement is the main one.
Question: Then why did you kill pirate Li Kuiqi again?
He replied: Li Kuiqi is different from Zheng Zhilong. Even if he is recruited, he cannot be used by the government. Now there are still people who are uncertain about surrendering. I am not sure.
Q: What should I do?
The answer is that the best policy is to develop local armed forces in rural areas, increase the development of firearms and equipment, and use war as defense.
Ask Henan officials: The phenomenon of arbitrary charging is too serious in your country, and relevant personnel must be punished!
Answer: He has been dismissed recently.
Ask Shandong officials: There is a difference of hundreds of thousands in the wages you should give to Xuanhua and Datong towns. What's going on?
He replied that it had been sent recently.
Chongzhen immediately asked: How much did you pay?
The answer was, 7,000 taels.
Chongzhen sighed and seemed to suppress his anger. He said it was too little to be patient. National defense is at the forefront and military pay is not a trivial matter. Don't neglect your duties!
Ask Shanxi officials: In the spring of this year, many people in Shaanxi rebelled, and bandits were so rampant. Are they all from Shaanxi?
The answer is: These bandits are very mobile. They are in Shanxi for a while, and then go to Shaanxi for a while. We need to intensify the efforts to exterminate them, but there are only a few soldiers and a small amount of pay.
Chongzhen asked a little strangely: Didn't you say that everything was wiped out a while ago? Why did it appear again?
He replied that they came and went on the border between Shanxi and Shaanxi, and now they have also occupied the meander of the river.
Ask, how did you lose Hequ?
The answer is that there is internal response.
Question: Who is Neiying?
The answer is that they are basically hungry people.
Ask Shaanxi officials: Those bandits and hungry people are responding to each other. What should the local government do?
He replied that these bandits dispersed when they met the officers and soldiers, and then gathered again after the officers and soldiers retreated, which was difficult to handle.
Chongzhen said, the bandits are also my subjects. If you can appease them, please appease them!
Yuan Chonghuan nodded secretly when he heard this. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty were tolerant to the people. They never implicated the nine tribes in rebellion and only killed those involved. His majesty's handling of this was considered to be kind.
He replied that the policy of appeasement has been used recently. The most serious situations recently are in Yan'an and Yichuan.
Ask Guangdong officials: You are going to be governor of Nangan, where thieves are rampant. What are you going to do?
The answer is that it is mainly a mountainous area and borders four provinces. The best way is to implement the Baojia system and strengthen the local militia.
Chongzhen said that this needs to be implemented. Also, what's the situation with thieves at sea?
The answer is that the pirates from Guangdong mainly come from Fujian, and there are many ships and large weapons, so the best way now is to guard the sea gate and prevent them from landing.
Next, there are Guangxi officials, Sichuan officials, Yunnan officials, and Guizhou officials, one by one.
Then, Chongzhen delivered a concluding speech, asking all high-ranking officials to set an example and cherish the people. Good political performance will naturally be rewarded with promotions. Those who are corrupt and bend the law will have strict national laws and will never lend lightly.
Yuan Chonghuan did not expect that the emperor would be so diligent at such a young age and deal with so many problems in one day, and he was a little moved.
After all, Wanli's influence on everyone was too bad. Now that there is such a diligent emperor, I am still very excited.
Then another group of senior officials were summoned to emphasize the importance of the governor's work.
Chongzhen solemnly pointed out that if the governor is virtuous, all officials will be virtuous. At the same time, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of the work of the official department, pointing out that the assessment of officials and subordinates must not be relaxed, and those who find problems must not be lenient and condoned.
Finally, Chongzhen said to the Minister of Civil Affairs that as long as you and your colleagues in the Ministry of Civil Affairs work sincerely, "the affairs of the world will not be difficult."
At this time, a young eunuch said softly: "Master Yuan, you will be here soon."
279. One-to-one call on the platform
