The Royal Palace, next to the Wenhua Hall.
A new "Shangting Chu" Yamen was established here. It was not located next to the main Yamen in Beijing around the Daming Gate outside the palace, but was located directly in the palace, matching the cabinet, and even closer to the Qianqing Palace than the cabinet.
The listing ceremony of the Shangting Department was presided over by Li Rong, who was a member of the Shangting Department. At the same time, the emperor made the decision and invited cabinet ministers Li Dongyang and Xie Qian. Originally Liu Jian was also invited, but what did Liu Jian want to do? Shame on me, I excused myself from going because I felt unwell.
In addition, another member of the Listening Department, Zhang Mao, also did not come.
As a result of this listing, except for Li Rong, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian, who were in charge of court affairs, the rest were just eunuchs and royal guards who worked in the palace.
"This place..."
Xie Qian stood at the door of the upper listening area, looked inside the door, and couldn't help but frown and glance at Li Dongyang aside.
Li Rong said with a smile: "In the future, whenever there is a major military matter, two pavilion elders may need to move here."
"No." Xie Qian said, "It's none of my business."
The implication is that I am not a member of the Internal Affairs Bureau. The person in charge of the Internal Affairs Bureau of our cabinet is clearly Li Binzhi. If you have anything to do with him, don't come to me.
Li Dongyang asked: "Is this preparation for Duke Cai Guo to return to Beijing?"
Li Rongdao: "It was arranged by His Majesty. We don't know the specific purpose. There are several sets of tables prepared inside, and the place is not spacious. Your Majesty said that after the spring of next year, several new houses will be built next to it..."
Li Dongyang glanced at the Wenhua Hall not far away and said, "Why choose this place? Will it not affect the prince's usual teaching?"
"Haha." Li Rong said with a smile, "Actually, His Majesty also wants the prince to start getting involved in government affairs as soon as possible. If it is set up here, shouldn't it be a good idea to let the prince have more time to come and study? They all hope that their children will become successful."
Xie Qian smiled.
He wanted to say.
As a prince, he is originally a dragon, or at most a young dragon.
"Yeah." Li Dongyang nodded.
In fact, he also understood that the emperor wanted Zhang Zhou to participate in court affairs, teach the prince, and be a consultant at the Qianqing Palace at any time. Otherwise, why would Zhang Zhou's "office" be set up in such a "weird" place? s position?
Li Rong then personally unveiled the sign, only to see the three characters "Shangting Department" hanging vertically. It may be that there was no room in the palace to hang the plaque. Looking at the font, he knew it was Zhu Youtang's handwriting.
"Two pavilion elders, please come inside."
Li Rong enthusiastically invited the two of them in.
Originally Xie Qian didn't want to go in, but seeing this strange layout, he couldn't help but be curious and wanted to go in and take a look.
After entering, I discovered that it was actually a separate house, with no distinction between inside and outside. The place was not as big as the cabinet room. However, because it was a temporary establishment, it was located closer to the inner garden of the palace, so it seemed The place is more expensive, a bit small and compact.
"Over there?" Xie Qian pointed to something wrapped in yellow cloth that looked like a chair placed near the front.
Li Rong said: "This is the throne. Your Majesty comes to the listening area occasionally, and there must always be a place to rest."
"Tsk, tsk, you are well prepared." Xie Qian did not change his venomous tongue.
Li Dongyang asked: "How many days will it be worth in the future?"
Li Rong said with a smile: "This is not something our family knows, but it is expected that the people who are promoted to high-ranking officials must have their own errands. It is said that His Majesty will discuss new candidates for high-ranking officials in the past two days. Didn't the two pavilion elders get the news?"
There are a lot of rumors, and anything that can be heard is meant to go against the cabinet. It's strange that the three cabinet ministers would care about such rumors.
Seeing that the two did not answer, Li Rong was quite embarrassed and said: "In the future, there will always be five or six people in the Shangting Department. If our family is not talented, we will become one of them. I hope that the two pavilion elders will take care of me." .”
"I don't dare." Li Dongyang cupped his hands and said, "I hope Eunuch Li can give me more support."
…
…
The location of the Shangting Office has been selected, and it is in the palace.
Probably he was directly responsible to the emperor alone.
The candidates for the Shangting Department must also be re-selected. Among the members who have been admitted to the Shangting Department before, apart from Zhang Zhou, who will definitely be retained, it is unclear whether others can enter.
On the second day after the official establishment of the Shangting Office, Zhu Youtang mentioned the matter to the ministers at court.
Fengtian Temple.
"... Dear gentlemen, this is the yamen I have set up. Although it can be established permanently, the people inside will not always be there. The person chosen must have the ability and be able to assist me. In the north, A person who provides assistance in military and political affairs."
"Previously, I used Bingkuan, Ying Gong, Ge Lao and others to serve as temporary people. Now it's time to officially select people. Because their responsibilities may be inconsistent with my own responsibilities, what I mean is that the selected personnel People who are in the Shangting Department do not need to have much official status to support them. Even a new scholar can be admitted to the Shangting Department."
Zhu Youtang's meaning is very clear.
Previously, all the ministers, such as cabinet ministers, ceremonial supervisors, eunuchs, ministers, and dukes were serving as ministers, which seemed too formal.
It goes against the original intention of these people to just serve as consultants to me.
So what I mean is to select some people who don't have much official positions in the court, but can be dedicated to what they do. This is my original intention.
Being told by the emperor...
Liu Jian and others felt a little more at ease in their hearts. If all the ministers and dukes were selected as before, it would be clear that they were challenging the cabinet. But if a group of unknown middle- and lower-level officials were replaced, it would not be easy to hear them. No matter how great his influence is, he is at best an advisor to the emperor and will not directly compete with the cabinet.
But when they thought about it again, wasn’t that how the original cabinet came to be?
Although the members who join the cabinet are basically from the Imperial Academy, before joining the cabinet, they may have been just ministers and lecturers. It is rare for those who can join the cabinet as bachelors. It was only during Hongzhi that the origin and status of ministers who joined the cabinet were raised. The qualification requirements are just higher.
Zhu Youtang said: "In this way, each of the six departments will recommend two people in these two days. One of them will be below the rank of minister. Foreign ministers who have the ability to manage the army can also be recommended. There is no need to choose in the governor's house!"
Zhang Mao came out and said: "Your Majesty, the veterans and others also want to contribute to the imperial court."
For Zhang Mao, he finally got the opportunity to participate in decision-making as Wu Xun, so he just canceled the power of our governor's government to interfere in government?
Zhu Youtang said coldly: "Mr. British, haven't you been in poor health recently? You can't even handle court meetings. Isn't it too difficult for you to have you on duty in the Shangting Office every day? The five temples also recommended each one. One person will be selected from the rank of Shaoqing or below, and then those from the Yanwu Hall and those with military experience in the northwest can also be selected. The preliminary candidates will be decided within two days, so let's leave it at that."
…
…
The emperor opened the topic, but did not talk too much about it.
There is probably a sense that I am just opening the chapter, and as for how things develop, I have to take it one step at a time.
After the court meeting, when walking out, Xie Qian said bluntly: "I'm afraid not all the people recommended are just a cover. Your Majesty already has a candidate in mind."
They pretended to listen to opinions extensively, but in fact the decision had already been made.
This is somewhat disrespectful.
Li Dongyang corrected him: "How could your Majesty not have a preliminary candidate in mind?"
The only thing missing was Zhang Zhou's name, or someone recommended by Zhang Zhou.
The newly appointed Minister of Civil Affairs, Ma Wensheng, smiled and said: "It seems that who can enter the listening office in the future must have His Majesty's appreciation and must have a higher understanding of military and political affairs, but I don't know if he has the authority to vote?" "
This is a bit of a slap in the cabinet's face.
Xie Qian glared at him and said, "Mabu Tang, you don't mean to say that in the future, votes involving the military and political affairs will go to the hearing office, while those involving people's livelihood will belong to our cabinet, right?"
Ma Wensheng smiled and said nothing.
Liu Jian saw that Xie Qian and Ma Wensheng were arguing first, while others were watching the fun like melon-eaters. He couldn't help but said coldly: "The specific responsibilities of the Shangting Department have not been determined clearly yet. What's the point of talking about this?" ? Since the original intention of establishing the Shangting Office is for military and political affairs, then we should first fill it with people who understand military and political affairs. Do you have any opinions?"
Saying it means not saying it.
But Liu Jian's final words are still effective, at least others no longer talk about it casually.
…
…
In less than two days, each yamen submitted the members of the listening office that they wanted to recommend and handed them over to Zhu Youtang.
This time, Xiao Jing personally presented the memorial.
"Your Majesty, there are two people from each of the six departments, one from each of the five temples, plus one person recommended by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, there are a total of eighteen people. I wonder if we should add more candidates from the six subjects?" Xiao Jing asked cautiously.
Zhu Youtang opened it and looked at it casually. He frowned and said, "I said that a new Jinshi could be appointed, but Guanzheng Jinshi was used as the recommendation. What does this mean? Could it be that among the two Guanzheng Jinshi , and have the ability to participate in important court affairs?"
Xiao Jing wondered: "Probably...most officials in the six departments have to perform their own duties and have no time to be distracted."
In fact, Xiao Jing also knew it very well.
When the Sixth Department recommends members of the Shangting Department, anyone who has an opinion on the matter will recommend some inconspicuous people. The lower the status of the recommended person, the more it means that the Shangting Department has no say in the Ming Dynasty.
The emperor could still understand this little thought.
Seeing that the emperor was still looking at the list, Xiao Jing couldn't help but ask: "How many people will your Majesty choose from it?"
"No." Zhu Youtang said, "Since you are a senior minister, you must have at least the qualifications of a minister or above before I can make a decision. Or you must be from Yanwu Hall and have made achievements in local military and political affairs, such as the current Lu Wan, the governor of Liaodong."
"ah?"
Xiao Jing was somewhat surprised.
It turns out that what the emperor told his ministers about choosing someone below the rank of minister or young minister was just a cover.
Deliberately testing the attitude of those ministers?
Xiao Jing will inevitably think, is this necessary? Anyway, those ministers all know that His Majesty established the Shangting Office to counter the main civil servant forces in the DPRK. Why are they doing such mysterious things?
As for Lu Wan...
Xiao Jing was also thinking, now that there are specific candidates, he is just joining in the fun by choosing again and again.
Zhu Youtang said: "Actually, I don't have any more final decisions on the selection of the Shangting Department. I mentioned it to the superior this time to see the reaction of the ministers. It seems that they don't have much idea about the Shangting Department. Confidence, do you think I am just a whim?"
Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty has misunderstood. The officials in the court are all bent on sharing your Majesty's worries."
"Really?" Zhu Youtang said, "I think only Bingkuan is more dedicated. Let's make a preliminary decision on Lu Wan and Wang Qiong. Bingkuan doesn't need to be mentioned. We will consider the remaining three as appropriate. .”
Xiao Jing took a look and found that the emperor had already made a good plan for the total number of members of the Shangting Department.
six people.
The three people have even been decided, namely Zhang Zhou, who is about to take up the post of Minister of War, and Wang Qiong, the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Only one Lu Wan was withdrawn from the post of governor of Liaodong, but what official position Lu Wan will hold after returning to the court is still unclear. It’s hard to say.
Half of the seats have been decided. How can this be called undecided?
Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty, do you want the Lu governor who came to Liaodong to come back? If so, I'm afraid it must be as early as possible. Since last year, Liaodong has been troubled by things such as the establishment of slaves. Previously, Uncle Xinjian had been transferred to Xuanda, and now if Lu When the governor comes back, I'm afraid there will be no one in Liaodong who can take charge of the overall situation."
Zhu Youtang was not worried at all and said: "Isn't there still Tang Yin?"
"ah?"
Xiao Jing didn't react for a moment, so he reminded, "Your Majesty, Tang Yin is now the governor of Bohai, and he is in the south of the Yangtze River."
Zhu Youtang said: "Someone needs to be responsible for going to sea, but planning for shipbuilding and other matters has actually been planned. It doesn't make much difference whether Tang Yin will take charge of it. I heard that Xu Jing was very diligent around Bingkuan. You can just keep Xu Jing and serve as an assistant to Duke Wei. Do I have to release two important ministers at once for the sake of a shipyard that has not yet become a success?"
Xiao Jing was startled again.
Two "important ministers of the country"?
The ones you won’t talk about are Xu Er and Tang Yin, right?
At least Xu Yan counts as one, but Tang Yin... Thinking about Tang Yin's past overthrow of the North Korean monarchy, saying that he is an important minister of the country, barely counts.
"But it's hard to say whether Tang Yin can fight a war. Regarding Hanyang City in Korea, although he personally led the charge into the battle, he was forced to a desperate situation. However, Liaodong is now in a defensive situation. I still have to wait for Bingkuan. After coming back, discuss it carefully with Bingkuan. As for Lu Wan...'s position, I will keep it for now."
Zhu Youtang didn't seem to be forcing Tang Yin to take the lead.
Xiao Jing said: "Wang Xian, the governor of Jizhou, seems to have made certain achievements in military and political affairs."
"Yes." Zhu Youtang nodded, "He was also recommended by Bingkuan, but I am not very satisfied with his attitude."
With just one sentence, Xiao Jing understood that no matter how many people were put into the so-called Shangting Department, they would all be from Zhang Zhou's side. Even if there were one or two people who were not from Zhang Zhou's faction, they would only be from the neutral faction. , or put it in to make soy sauce, or to hide it from others.
That listening place will actually be Zhang Zhou's stage from now on.
Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty, except for these few, the rest need to be ministers or above. I'm afraid that there will be slack in the six departments' errands."
Zhu Youtang smiled and said: "Being in the Shangting Department is not an errand that needs to be done every day. It does not conflict with its responsibilities. It is like that the members of the Shangting Department each have their own division of labor. If it is Wang Qiong, he is responsible The dispatch of military supplies and fodder; Lu Wan is responsible for the selection of military generals at the Yanwu Hall and the Governor's Mansion; needless to say, Bingkuan coordinates everything... I actually want the prince to come over occasionally to check in."
"His Majesty……"
"I don't let him come in all the time, but occasionally let him go in and participate in discussions on military affairs during breaks. Even if he is just an observer, it will be helpful for him to govern the country in the future."
Xiao Jing nodded hurriedly and said: "Yes."
"Okay, I still need to think more about who to choose for the Shangshang Department. Recently, many people have told me that they want to enter the Yanwu Hall... In the future, the Yanwu Hall will also be a channel for joining the Shangshang Department. " Zhu Youtang said.
Xiao Jing reminded: "Your Majesty, after all, most of the Yanwu Hall is a military position in the Governor's Mansion."
"Who said that?" Zhu Youtang said, "In the future, civil servants will go to the northwest to lead troops. If they don't know how to use divine artillery and flint guns, how can they win the battle? In the future, in addition to the martial arts class, the Yanwu Hall will also have a Confucianism class. This is all set up for the purpose of leveling the grassland. Even if it is not for the grassland, it will be necessary to stabilize the world and conquer the barbarians in the future."
Xiao Jing felt even more nervous when he heard this.
This probably means that in the future, those who come from the imperial court and want to obtain high positions must come from the Yanwu Hall.
Yanwu Hall is equivalent to another "Hanlin Academy". Anyone who does not have the qualifications of Yanwu Hall will not have the confidence to gain a foothold in the government in the future.
And Zhang Zhou is probably the chief instructor of Yanwu Hall, equivalent to the founder of the Hanlin Academy.
…
…
In the eyes of the ministers of the DPRK, the position of Yanwu Hall is still very ordinary.
In addition to the people from the Yanwu Hall who are used in the military and political affairs of Jiubian, in the past year or so, due to Zhang Zhou's absence in the capital and other reasons, the second phase of the Yanwu Hall was only half-opened and people were transferred to various places in Jiubian. The period is even more distant.
Originally, the minister was worried about the rise of Yanwutang's power, but now he is worried about Shangtingchu.
But I am afraid that things will develop in a "bad direction".
With Zhang Zhou about to return to the court, the matter of "registering for the exam" in the Yanwu Hall has become a trend among the nobles of the capital, led by Zhang Heling, a member of the first golden graduating class, as well as Cui Yuan, Zhou Tang, Zhang Lun Led by Liu Jing, Marquis of Anyuan and others, there were as many as fifty or sixty applicants for martial arts in Beijing.
If you add in the generals without titles from various places, the number of applicants is close to 300 people.
This is only the military position served in the governor's mansion, not counting the literary classes that may be opened.
Those who sign up must first submit their names to the Ministry of War. This is because Zhang Zhou will serve as the Minister of the Ministry of War when he returns to the court, and the emperor's intention is to use the Minister of the Ministry of War to concurrently serve as the admiral Yanwutang. Of course, if Zhang Zhou becomes the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the future, The person who supervises the martial arts hall becomes the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
It all depends on what kind of errand Zhang Zhou is doing.
When the list appeared, Xiong Chong, the left minister of the Ministry of War, felt that the matter was a bit big... It seemed that the entire governor's office was moving closer to Zhang Zhou alone. Someone from the Yanwu Hall was about to become a force that could influence the court. He quickly notified the matter secretly. Arrived at Ma Wensheng, the former Minister of War.
Then Ma Wensheng informed Xie Qian.
After Xie Qian read the list, he said with an indifferent expression: "Follow the crowd, what is the purpose of Yanwu Hall? Learn how to fire cannons? Or learn the art of war? Can the offices of the Ministry of War no longer need to be established?"
Ma Wensheng said: "Yu Qiao, I'm really not being alarmist. I think the Yanwu Hall has been developed according to the intentions of His Majesty and Zhang Bingkuan. Then it really doesn't make any difference whether there is a military department in the court or not. From the Song Dynasty onwards, military and political affairs have to rely on literati. The past, I’m afraid it needs to be changed.”
(End of chapter)
