Imperial City, Political Affairs Hall.
After a new round of political reshuffle in February, it officially became the most authoritative and important political institution of the Han Dynasty, faithfully fulfilling its responsibilities of inheriting the emperor's orders and delivering them to various departments.
After a round of adjustments, the power of Zhengshitang has been strengthened. At least compared with before, the shadow of the film title Liu Chengyou that hangs over its head has become lighter.
It can be said that the Zhengshitang, which mainly has two functions: review, refutation and execution, is the most important authority of the Han Dynasty today, and it has attracted the attention of everyone.
Although the newly established cabinet is closer to the emperor, it embodies the emperor's will. As the brains of the empire, it controls the direction of military affairs, and its status is evident.
However, for the huge bureaucracy of the Han Dynasty, the authority of the two was not comparable. The most important reason, which directly controls the bureaucrats and affects their career, is the political hall.
As for the central brain of the huge Han Empire, as long as the national politics remains clear, the situation remains stable, various systems are improving day by day, and society continues to move forward, there is no need to think too much. All that is needed is to stay awake and help the emperor grasp the general direction of the country's development so that the giant ship of the Han Dynasty can sail steadily, go safer and farther.
Under this tone, the authority of Zhengshitang has naturally been substantially strengthened. Why did Zhu Yuanzhang abolish Zhongshu Sheng and abolish the prime minister? It was because Zhongshu Sheng had too much power, and Zhongshu Sheng's prime minister had too much power, which threatened the imperial power.
Today, the political affairs hall of the Han Dynasty also performs such functions and controls the ministries, offices, and prefectures and counties of the world. The only difference was the emperor's attitude towards it.
Emperor Liu also had a strong desire for power, but he knew one thing deeply, that is, it was impossible for the emperor to rule the world by himself, and concentrating the world's power in one hand was also unhealthy and unreasonable.
No matter how diligent the emperor is, it is difficult to take care of everything. Even if he can do it, the final result will most likely be death from exhaustion. Special cases like Zhu Yuanzhang are not representative, but Yongzheng explained this point well.
On the other hand, Emperor Liu also clearly realized that the prime minister system could not be truly abolished. Didn't the Ming Dynasty also have an agency such as the cabinet?
Therefore, Emperor Liu did not struggle with the issue of the existence of the political hall, but only considered checks and balances. Although imperial power and prime minister power were in conflict, they were also interdependent. In the Han Dynasty, the power of the prime minister came from the imperial power, and Emperor Liu needed to rely on the prime ministers to help him regulate yin and yang and govern the world.
Moreover, the power of the political hall has indeed been strengthened, but the power of the prime minister still remains decentralized, with the three main prime ministers checking and balancing each other.
Zhao Pu was neither a founding hero nor a well-known aristocrat. He did not even have any fame. From a small local official to the current minister, he was lacking in qualifications and popularity.
The few years he spent with Emperor Liu and his achievements in the southwest only gave him the qualification to be promoted to prime minister. However, those who are dissatisfied with him do not know who they are, and it is difficult for them to secure their position. Naturally, they do not dare to rely on their power to show off their authority.
And it took him a full fifteen years since he was recommended by Liu Ci to get to this point, so he would naturally cherish it more in order to retain the holy family and fulfill his ambitions.
Li Ye, the uncle of the state, has a bad reputation. There are many people in the court who are afraid of him, and it is difficult to unite people's hearts. However, being placed in the position of Zuocheng, the minister, is a kind of restriction on Zhao Pu. This Uncle Li Guo has never been at ease.
As for Song Qi, in terms of foundation and background, he is even worse than Zhao Pu. He was directly promoted to the position of prime minister, and he really only played a supporting role, just to do things.
On the side of the three prime ministers, there are two prime ministers: finance and privy ministers, one for finance and one for army, for balance. In Emperor Liu's consideration, this configuration will last for a long time, and may even become customized in the future.
In the early years, there were seven people in Zhengshitang and Pingzhangshi. However, Emperor Liu later felt that there were too many and three were too few. Five was just right.
Emperor Liu finally made a decision after twenty years of trying to achieve a stable and reasonable decision.
Another point is that no matter which one of the prime ministers of the Han Dynasty, they have local resumes and rich political experience. Including Li Ye, he had served in Daozhou successively. After more than ten years of hard work, he was able to enter Beijing. He also worked as a clerk in the Ministry of Punishment for several years. Without these prerequisites, even if he was the Queen Mother's most beloved brother, Emperor Liu would not be able to promote him to the throne and promote him to prime minister.
Although the "professionalism" of the Privy Council is stronger, there is no need to question Shi Shouxin's qualifications. He has a rich resume. Whether he is running the army in Beijing or serving as a commander on an expedition, he has sufficient experience. And running the army is also governing politics. It has always been It's not just about leading troops to fight.
The prime minister must be appointed from the state headquarters, and the strong generals must be appointed from the army. This is the policy that Emperor Liu has always adhered to. This is especially obvious in today's Han Dynasty.
Of course, in recent years, the highest-ranking people in the political hall are not the prime ministers. Not to mention Emperor Liu, there is only Prince Liu Yang. He has a special "office" here. He spends most of his time here, handling state affairs with Zhao Pu and others. He can now do many things directly. Instructions have been issued. What is necessary is to report to Emperor Liu regularly and accept examinations.
After the leniency case, Liu Yang was reviewing a charter, which was an order for the public security merits and demerits of county magistrates and prefects across the country. Regarding the maintenance of public security, the Han Dynasty has always emphasized that in recent years, officials from various places have attached great importance to it, so that banditry is prohibited within the four seas and the people do not dare to commit crimes.
Over the years, many officials have been rewarded and promoted as a result. However, it is not enough to go too far. In order to get promoted and advance, some cases of excessive use have occurred across the country, and even have the opposite effect, causing the consequences of turning good people into thieves, and even bending the law and subjugating the people.
The censor Feng Bing discovered this situation when he was inspecting the prefectures and counties. He picked a few cases and summarized them and reported them, which immediately attracted Liu Yang's attention. After reporting to Emperor Liu, he received an edict to punish the officials involved, and issued a merit and demerit order to regulate and restrain them. Now, the draft has been completed.
"Your Highness!" Zhao Pu walked in when Liu Yang was in a daze.
"Ms. Zhao, sit down!" Liu Yang smiled.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Perhaps due to the influence of Emperor Liu, I have a good impression of Zhao Pu and Liu Yang, especially after working together in the past year, I have a deeper understanding of them. In Liu Yang's view, Zhao Pu is so capable, as if nothing can be difficult for him. No matter what difficulties he encounters, he can always provide a solution.
This is a capable minister who does practical things and has unique insights. Even if not all things are handled so properly and convincingly, the flaws cannot be concealed. Furthermore, in the position of prime minister, the most important thing is that things are done well and problems can be solved.
As the Prime Minister, Zhao Pu is resolute, capable and efficient, and also well-organized. When Wei Renpu was in power, he was more tolerant and generous, and the top and bottom were more harmonious, but it has to be said that Liu Yang prefers the current atmosphere in the court.
"What's the matter?" Liu Yang asked.
"These are several memorials. I have already approved them. Please review them. If there is anything wrong, please give me your instructions!" Zhao Pu reported them one by one: "These are the soldiers of the Southern Expedition. It is enough to reward them for their merits." Start distributing it.”
"Secretary of Finance reports that regarding the exemption of summer taxes in Southwest Daozhou, the specific states and counties have been delineated!"
"This is the result of last year's merit examination submitted by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, regarding the list of officials at the prefecture and county level, promoted, demoted, punished, and demoted."
"Seventeen more Guanzheng Jinshi have been appointed."
"..."
Seeing Zhao Pu reporting a series of events, Liu Yang couldn't help but smile bitterly. Things never stop happening. He somewhat understood how the white hair on Emperor Liu's head came from. Emperor Liu back then was very hands-on in everything and worked day and night.
Nowadays, he is assisted by all the officials in the political affairs hall, which sometimes makes him feel burdened. On the other hand, looking at Zhao Pu's calm and calm performance, I have to admire him in my heart.
No matter what he was thinking, he still had to read the memorials one by one. Fortunately, Zhao Pu had prepared a good review, which saved him a lot of energy.
