While the elders were all stunned, Wang Ao on the side was the first to understand and spoke.
"Your Majesty, I think that the imperial censor's memorials can be divided into two types: clear memorials and secret memorials."
"The Mingzhuo is just like what I said. You are not allowed to discuss the political affairs that have not been discussed by the court without authorization. Remonstrances and criticisms to the emperor must be accompanied by superior officials. In this way, it can restrain the officials from abusing the power of remonstrances and disturbing the court discussions."
"In addition to this, we can also grant the right to secretly report the secret memorial. The secret memorial will be specially sealed and will not be sent to the Secretary of General Affairs but directly to the cabinet. After being drafted, it will be sent directly to the palace and the contents will not be leaked to the outside world."
"Different from the Ming memorial, the content of the secret memorial allows the censor to discuss government affairs, directly admonish the emperor, report local conditions, and impeach court officials. If there is evidence, the secret memorial will be sent to the court for discussion and the matter will be dealt with accordingly. If there are any mistakes or omissions, it will be dealt with accordingly. His secret memorial will not disturb the court proceedings."
"In this way, all the censors' worries will be gone, and the atmosphere will be clarified."
There are six subjects and thirteen roads, and there are a large number of people, mainly among the thirteen roads censors. The full number of customized censors can even exceed a hundred.
In fact, there are not many of these people concentrated in the capital. Most of them are patrolling in the local area.
But it is obvious that although it is said that it is to inspect local areas, if problems are found there, on the one hand, it will provoke local officials and be easily retaliated and suppressed, and on the other hand, the reputation gain will not be large enough.
Inspecting places and finding out problems is also my job, and I can get to a higher level during the evaluation period at most. However, it takes a long time to accumulate a reputation among scholars. Relatively speaking, there is a tradition of admonition and criticism. Your Majesty, this is obviously a sure-fire deal.
In addition, another reason is that as a science and technology official, to put it bluntly, he relies on impeaching others.
However, this kind of thing needs to be tried and tested. Sometimes, the place being inspected is managed very well, and there is nothing major, and there is nothing to say in the report. Besides, the officialdom is intricately intertwined, with local officials with real power, and big bosses in the capital. , more or less related.
When it comes to impeachment for major matters, it is easy for officials to protect each other and be reduced to trivial matters. In this way, even if it is to complete their performance, Kedao officials also like to express their opinions on major court affairs and small matters of the Tian family. view.
It doesn’t matter whether you understand it or not. Whether it is useful to the court is another matter. In short, hand over the memorial first. This kind of memorial has high security (meaning it will not offend other ministers) and can accumulate reputation (meaning caring about the country, (He cares about the court), and he can also gain a good reputation as a direct remonstrator, so why not do it?
However, it would be different if it were replaced by a secret performance.
First of all, since it is a secret report, it means that unless the cabinet and the emperor take the initiative to announce it, others will not know what it is.
In this case, those who want to use an excuse to remonstrate with the emperor and invite names to gain authority will naturally lose the meaning of the memorial.
More importantly, with this level of confidentiality, the censors did not have to worry about their memorials being intercepted or being known by local officials in advance before submitting the memorials, and then they would be able to let go of the memorials secretly.
From this perspective, Wang Ao's idea is indeed the best of both worlds.
but……
"The secret memorial system is indeed a good method, but since it is a secret memorial, why should it be sent to the cabinet first and directly to the palace? Wouldn't it be better?"
After Wang Ao finished speaking, Wang Wen frowned and raised a question.
Therefore, there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies.
Just now, the two Mr. Wang were working together to squeeze out Chen Yi. Now, after hearing that Wang Ao was secretly trying to expand the power of the cabinet with private money, Wang Wen immediately turned against him.
In contrast, Chen Yi also shook his head and said.
"What Lord Tianguan said is reasonable, and what the chief assistant said can certainly dispel the concerns of the censors. However, has the chief assistant ever considered that the reason why the censors can only express it openly is because they have the power to monitor Baisi. , are also subject to supervision by Baisi."
"If we give him the right to secretly report, then there will definitely be some young people who will take this opportunity to make trouble in front of His Majesty. Although they will not disturb the court proceedings, they will easily bewitch Your Majesty."
"Moreover, if the ministers don't know the content of the remonstrance, it will definitely make everyone feel in danger. How can they concentrate on their work?"
So, in an instant, the palace changed from Wang Ao and Wang Wen teaming up to deal with Chen Yi to Wang Wen and Chen Yi teaming up to deal with Wang Ao.
However, if you listen carefully, you will find that although Wang Wen and Chen Yi are both opposing Wang Ao, their views are still very different.
Wang Wen was just dissatisfied that Wang Ao had left the secret memorials in the hands of the cabinet, because in this way, the cabinet's powers would inevitably expand.
In the imperial court, the amount of information available has always been a large basis for making accurate judgments.
People who have reached their status are naturally more aware of this.
Because the cabinet has voting power, it has an advantage over other ministers in obtaining information.
If the secret report was only sent to the cabinet, then, as Chen Yi said, they all turned a blind eye to what the censors had reported to them. On the contrary, the cabinet knew clearly, so how could it be done? ?
To put it bluntly, Wang Wen felt that the secret memorial was feasible, but it was not feasible to hand it over to the cabinet. Chen Yi went a step further and directly denied the role of the secret memorial.
Faced with the doubts of the two people, Wang Ao responded calmly, bowed his hands to the emperor above him, and said.
"Your Majesty, the concerns of Tianguan and Zongxian are justified."
"As the General Constitution has said, in the secret memorial system, there will inevitably be young people who gossip and make false accusations out of thin air. However, with the current trend of science and technology, wouldn't this situation disappear without secret memorial?"
As he spoke, Wang Ao turned around and looked at Chen Yi and others, speaking decisively.
"The biggest reason for this situation is that Ke Dao has the right to report things!"
"So, whether it is a secret report or not, the officials of the Department of Science and Technology will be suspicious of it!"
Hearing this, Chen Yi frowned and was about to refute.
Wang Ao was clearly trying to make excuses.
Indeed, gossiping and chasing rumors are the side effects of hearing about something.
However, he did not mean to say that today's science and technology is clean, but he meant to emphasize the counter-supervision role of courtiers in science and technology.
The common characteristic of Qingliu Kedao is that they have the same name!
The reason why this trend was formed is to prevent the officials from making false accusations at will. If the secret memorial is changed, the courtiers will not know the content of the remonstrance, and naturally, this check and balance effect will disappear.
Nowadays, there are certainly people who take risks out of desperation, but most people, whether because of their own integrity or because of their reputation, will always restrain themselves.
However, once this kind of check and balance disappears, then it is conceivable that such gossip will continue to appear one after another.
Now, Wang Ao is deliberately confusing these two concepts.
However, before he could refute, Wang Ao continued.
"Of course, I heard that the purpose of the memorial is to smooth the way for speech. I also understand what the General Constitution means."
"Because of this, I said that the memorial cannot be sent directly to the palace, but must be sent to the cabinet for approval before being sent to the palace."
"Your Majesty is wise and wise. Even if a young person stirs up troubles, you can still see into his heart. However, the kings of future generations may not have such a holy light as your Majesty."
"The cabinet is established for consultation purposes. When the secret report is sent to the cabinet, it must be drafted by the cabinet ministers to help His Majesty distinguish between right and wrong between loyal and traitorous people."
"In this way, it can not only maintain confidentiality, but also prevent His Majesty from being deceived and deceived. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"
Ah this...
Wang Wen was stunned for a moment, but he was a little surprised. He didn't expect to say this.
However, if you think about it carefully, it seems that this is indeed the case.
We are all veterans. Although sometimes there may be things that we did not consider before the window paper was punctured, but after Wang Ao made it clear, everyone has a general understanding of the secret system. .
In fact, there is nothing to guess, there is a template in front of you.
Jinyiwei!
To put it bluntly, this secret reporting system was not invented by Wang Ao, but had existed for a long time. The imperial court had always had more than one supervision system.
The Six Subjects and Thirteen Paths are the largest system, but in addition, there are Jinyiwei and Dongchang. Although the power of supervision is not stated in the terms of reference, it is often ignored.
However, these two institutions actually bear the responsibility of supervision.
The scale of the Six Sections and Thirteen Roads is large, and the content of supervision is also more extensive. From the inspection of officials' bad conduct to dereliction of duty and violation of the law, up to the six ministries, down to local government offices and county offices, they are all within the scope of supervision.
Relatively speaking, Jinyiwei and Dongchang are small in scale, and the content of supervision is relatively simple. Jinyiwei is mainly responsible for detective patrols, but in fact, it is mainly used to monitor officials in the capital for serious crimes such as rebellion and party formation.
Of course, under normal circumstances, this situation is rare, so now, Jinyiwei is more used to detect criminal cases and arrest ministers, and the attributes of a violent organization are more obvious.
As for Dongchang, under the leadership of Eunuch Shu Liang, his power has grown stronger and stronger. Although he is not involved in the court affairs, he has three religions and nine schools, covering everything. When it comes to market news and the trends of public opinion in the capital, no one is better than Dongchang.
However, after all, Dongchang is managed by eunuchs, so it cannot be regarded as a system with the imperial court. Let’s not mention it for the moment. Jinyiwei has always been directly under the emperor. The information collected by Jinyiwei and the memorials submitted have never gone through any yamen. Play to the emperor.
This is a common practice. It has been like this since the Hongwu period. It is nothing new!
Nowadays, this is just applied to the science and education of the outer dynasty.
Of course, Kedao officials and Jinyiwei are different after all. In essence, Jinyiwei is responsible to the emperor, but Kedao officials are responsible for the country and the country.
Therefore, the Jin Yiwei obeyed the emperor's will. However, in addition to the power of supervision, the officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology also retained the right to remonstrate with the emperor.
This leads to the fact that if the secret memorial system is used in Ke Dao, it must be improved. First, as Chen Yi said, it prevents young people from making trouble and deceiving the saints. Secondly...
This point is difficult to express, but the ministers present all have a common tacit understanding, that is, Ke Dao cannot be completely turned into a replica of Jin Yiwei. Otherwise, without the constraints of Ke Dao, and the imperial power is extremely expanded, it will be very difficult to It is easy to lead Ming astray again.
The Supreme Emperor is a good example. Although His Majesty is wise today, they must consider the future. From this perspective, it is indeed a good way to introduce cabinet participation.
As Wang Ao said, the function of the cabinet itself is to provide counsel for government affairs in order to prepare for consultation. Therefore, it is natural to have advance knowledge of government affairs.
Moreover, the cabinet is located in the palace. Unlike the external yamen, the staff is simple. Especially now, after the cabinet and the Hanlin Academy are separated, the two will not work part-time for each other. Therefore, the cabinet rarely has contact with other yamen, and confidentiality is kept Also relatively strong.
It seems like...
Damn it? !
Why does Wang Wen feel that he has been convinced? !
Looking at Wang Ao's unfazed attitude, Mr. Wang couldn't help but snorted and said nothing. At the same time, Chen Yi also pondered and did not speak again.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu finally opened his mouth and said.
"I think what the chief assistant said is a good idea!"
He, the emperor, spoke with a different weight than Wang Ao. As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Qiyu saw that Chen Yi still looked worried, as if he wanted to say something.
However, he raised his hand, stopped the other party's words, and said.
"I know that the ministers still have doubts about this, but now, everything is just talk on paper. What the General Xian is worried about may happen or may not happen. Even if it does happen, will it be within the scope that the court can bear? It is unknown whether the imperial court can bear it."
"All the ministers are doing it for the sake of the country. I understand this. However, I always feel that what should be tried should be tried. The court is not yet at the point where it cannot afford even this small change."
"Well, let's do what the chief assistant said. From today on, any court affairs that are not involved in the area where Kedao officials are in charge will not be discussed by the court. Kedao officials are not allowed to make rash comments and report. The affairs of clans are left to local officials and patrols. The Taoist censor's replays, involving the affairs of the Tian family, are all given to Shi Zhong and those below the Qiandu censor. No solo is allowed. The superior official must accompany the performance. If the superior official does not allow it, the solo can only be performed."
"In addition, a seal is given to the official of the Department of Science and Technology. It is cast by the Ministry of Rites and engraved with the name and the words "Secret Report". Any official who stamps this seal is not allowed to open it without authorization in any yamen. The General Affairs Department only records the name of the official who submitted the report and the date of arrival in Beijing. No more copies will be kept. After they are sent directly to the cabinet, they will be opened by the cabinet ministers in person. After the votes are drafted, the originals will be sent to the palace. They are not allowed to be copied separately. The contents of the memorial are not allowed to be disclosed to other officials without the imperial decree."
After saying this, the other ministers naturally couldn't say anything more, so they could only bow their heads and accept the order, saying.
"I obey the order!"
"Um……"
Zhu Qiyu nodded and said.
"But besides these, there is one more thing."
"Today I summoned all the ministers to discuss matters to rectify the atmosphere in the officialdom. As I said just now, science and education are the basis for clarifying the atmosphere of the court. Therefore, we must hurry up to fill the gaps in science and education."
"There are not enough personnel in the department, so naturally the supervisory departments are powerless. This is a matter for the officials, and the heavenly officials need to pay more attention to it."
After being slapped, Tianzao will naturally be given.
In other words, the measures just taken are not actually a slap in the face. In addition to limiting the power of remonstrance of Kedao, these measures actually expanded the power of supervision of Kedao, giving them the power that only important officials of the imperial court could have. Possess the right to play directly.
Although it is an incomplete version, there is no doubt that with the support of hearsay reports, this secret report system will inevitably greatly strengthen the power of officials to intimidate the local area.
After all, it used to be possible to get wind of the impeachment, but now, there is no telling when it will be mentioned.
From this perspective, Ke Dao's power has definitely been strengthened.
Of course, this is in exchange for limiting the right of remonstrance of the ministers, so necessary comfort is still needed. In fact, this is what the ministers present expected.
Yan Guan's excessive attention to the Tian family is the reason why the emperor has been unwilling to reuse Ke Dao. Now that this problem has been basically solved, it is inevitable that in order to rectify the official atmosphere, the power of Ke Dao will rise.
And this first step, of course, is to have enough manpower and strength!
It has to be said that when Wang Wen treated the emperor's imperial edict, he was still respectful and obedient enough, no matter what he thought in his heart, but he received the edict very quickly.
"I obey the decree."
After accepting the order, Wang Tianguan responded quickly. After pondering for a moment, he spoke again.
"Your Majesty, although there is a vacancy in the department now, it is not serious. How many people need to be filled in this election and what standards should be used to fill them? Your Majesty, please make it clear!"
(End of chapter)
