Nanjing.
As the remaining capital of the Ming Dynasty, the system of these two capitals was actually criticized by many courtiers.
Among them, the group of people who cheered the most were the Jiangnan gentry and Jin gentry.
At first, the Ming Dynasty settled in Nanjing, and those who were close to the water came first. The Jiangnan gentry passed the imperial examination and became the Jiangnan Jin gentry, and once had the right to speak in the court.
For example, during the Yongle period, when Emperor Yongle established his cabinet, five of the seven cabinet bachelors were Jiangxi Jin gentry, and more than half of the southern officials above the court were at one time.
This is one of the reasons why Zhu Di decided to move the capital to Beijing, and Zhu Gaoxu also strongly supported it.
There is no way, the political situation in the court pays attention to a balance, and it cannot become the voice of a certain faction or a certain person!
The emperor's mind is the way of balance, such as civil and military balance, such as the balance between north and south. Once either side is out of balance, it will cause disaster.
Even Emperor Taizu Gao, who was obedient to his words, had a shocking scandal involving the North and South List case during the Hongwu period!
After the Ming Dynasty moved its capital to Beijing, the political center naturally shifted. However, Nanjing was the capital of the country in the past, so it left behind a central team, seven ministers, the Metropolitan Inspectorate, the General Affairs Department, the Fifth Military Governor's Office, the Hanlin Academy, and the Imperial Academy. and other institutions, the levels of officials are also the same as those in Beijing.
When Zhu Gaoxu came to the throne, he issued an edict to determine the position of Beijing as the capital and Nanjing as the remaining capital.
From then on, the word "Xingzai" was removed from the government offices in Beijing, and the word "Nanjing" was added to the government offices in Nanjing, which meant the final establishment of the two-capital system in the Ming Dynasty.
The central agencies in Nanjing mainly manage the corresponding affairs of Nanzhili. It cannot be said that they have no real power, but compared with Beijing, they are definitely far inferior.
Because of this, most of the yamen in Nanjing have empty posts and are very idle. Officials who serve are called "officials in hiding".
So by the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the central institutions in Nanjing had actually become elderly care institutions. In addition, officials who failed in the party struggle often seemed to be transferred to Nanjing at the same level, but in fact they were demoted to Nanjing.
But it is different now. The Seven Ministries of Nanjing also have certain real power, mainly because the Southern Zhili area where Nanjing is located governs fifteen prefectures and three Zhili prefectures, which is equivalent to the current Jiangsu, Anhui and Shanghai provinces, but There were no three departments: the Chief Secretary, the Inspector General Department, and the Metropolitan Command Department. The functions and powers carried out by the three departments were originally handled by the Six Ministries in Nanjing, among which the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs and the Nanjing Ministry of War had the most power.
The current Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing is Zhu Gaoxu's absolute confidant, Zhou Chen and Zhou Xunru.
This passionate young man who used to be a little green now has a beard now, and because he has been in charge of the Nanjing Household Department for many years, he has gradually developed the demeanor of a superior person under the pampering situation.
Suddenly hearing that His Majesty the Emperor was on a tour to the south, Zhou Chen was a little surprised, but not panicked. He immediately led officials from various ministries and departments in Nanjing out of the city to welcome him.
There's nothing he can do about it, he's almost getting used to it.
His Majesty, the Wude Emperor, likes to do unexpected things the most.
Zhu Gaoxu first chatted with Zhou Chen for a few words, and then looked at Zhang Ben, the Minister of War in Nanjing.
This picture is from an old minister from the Hongwu period. He was awarded the title of Jiangdu Magistrate as a Imperial College Student, and then rose up in officialdom. Although he did not have any outstanding political achievements, he managed government affairs with the word "stable", which is unshakable. The buckled Xunli.
Moreover, Zhang Ben was an upright official, and Yongle Emperor Zhu Di also knew this. Once when Zhu Di hosted a banquet for his ministers, he placed a silverware on everyone's bank and gave these to everyone present, except for Zhang Ben's case. When the pottery was placed, Zhu Di said to him: "Aiqing is known as 'Poor Zhang', and the silverware is of no use." Zhang Ben kowtowed in thanks.
Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu was quite optimistic about this book. After Chen Qia was promoted from the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing to the Minister of the Ministry of War in Beijing, it was Jin Zhong, an important minister of Yongle, who took the initiative to request to stay in Nanjing. However, Jin Zhong also died of illness a few years later, so Zhu Gaoxu asked Zhang Ben took his place.
This veteran minister did a pretty good job. He acted in a strict and orderly manner without any omissions, except for the emphasis on the word "stable".
Zhu Gaoxu first held a banquet in honor of these Nanjing officials to comfort them for their achievements in staying behind. After the banquet was over, Zhang Ben and Zhou Chen were left alone to talk.
Zhou Chen didn't take it seriously. When the Emperor came, he would definitely want to talk to him in secret. Whether it was the Shanghai Naval Base and Naval Academy, or the development of industry and commerce in South Zhili over the years, these were all issues that His Majesty was concerned about.
However, Zhang Ben was a little flattered. He was already old and could reach the position of Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing. His official career was already over.
The reason why Zhu Gaoxu kept Zhang Ben was also very simple. He wanted to hear the views of this veteran of the Four Dynasties on the new policies of the imperial court in recent times.
In view of the last reform of the imperial examination, if Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji had not gone to ask the old man Chen Ji to speak, Zhu Gaoxu would have made a big mistake. So from then on, Zhu Gaoxu did not dare to give orders casually. Any major reform For any project, he would summon some elders of the Three Dynasties or Four Dynasties to ask for their opinions, so as to check for leaks and fill in the gaps.
As the saying goes, "Having an old man in the family is like having a treasure." He spent his whole life struggling in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty. He has walked more roads than Zhu Gaoxu has eaten!
Their understanding of the official system of the Ming Dynasty and their understanding of the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty far exceeds that of Zhu Gaoxu, the Ming Emperor!
These are all treasures of talent!
This book is a good candidate right now.
"Old Minister, I just want to ask you, are there any shortcomings in these new policies of the state?"
Hearing this, Zhang Ben was stunned for a moment, and then showed a troubled look.
It is really difficult to answer this question of His Majesty the Emperor!
Who doesn't know that these new policies implemented by the imperial court are basically all done by the majesty in front of you?
Do you really dare to say what's wrong with this?
That's a slap in His Majesty's face!
"Your Majesty, I forgive you. I am old and feeble-minded, so I don't know..."
"Old Minister!" Zhu Gaoxu grabbed his hands and said sincerely: "Don't think too much, I am serious."
"As the saying goes, both listening will lead to enlightenment, and partial belief will lead to darkness. The purpose of my implementation of these new policies is naturally to reduce the burden on the people and to make our Ming Dynasty prosperous."
"But I am the Emperor of Heaven after all, so the people around me only compliment and support me. No one dares to point out the king's faults. I have always been very uneasy in my heart!"
"Old Minister has worked hard for the country all his life, and he doesn't want to see hidden dangers left by the country, right? If Old Minister has something to say, it doesn't matter. I pardon Old Minister and he is innocent!"
After hearing this, Zhang Ben was also very moved.
His Majesty the Emperor is not, as those courtiers said, dictatorial and dictatorial, unable to listen to what others say!
Look, how humble and polite!
Since His Majesty the Emperor has spoken, he cannot refuse the book.
"Your Majesty, there are roughly three new policies for the country at the moment."
"The first is the new policy implemented by Yang Shiqi under the cabinet order!"
"Secondly, Yang Rong, a great scholar in the cabinet, is patrolling the country and establishing free education!"
"The third is that temple supervisors from central ministries and temples have settled in local areas and set up branches in local areas!"
"The rest of the national policies, such as ocean trade and the Western Expedition to Central Asia, are military projects. As a civil servant, I won't comment too much on them."
"So today we will briefly talk about the three major new policies, starting with the third item where the Central Ministry's temple supervisors will be stationed..."
Zhu Gaoxu: "..."
Well, I seem to have found an old baby who likes to chat!
