The next day.
The sky is bright.
As usual, the officials entered the Meridian Gate and rushed to Fengtian Hall.
Unexpectedly, he saw Zhu Qizhen who had been waiting for him in Fengtian Temple Square.
What happened today? All the officials were confused!
In the past, court meetings were filled with ministers waiting for the emperor, but today it was completely reversed, as if the sun was rising in the west.
"My lords, please stand at your seats. The Emperor is holding a court meeting here today." The chiefs of the Imperial Horse Guards maintained order.
Baiguan complained in his heart: In this world of ice and snow, it is not possible to freeze people while going to court outside.
They were used to attending court in the palace, and the clothes they wore were not thick, so they could not bear the pain.
Complaints are complaints, but no one dares to say them out.
After all, most people have been standing outside the palace.
After struggling for a quarter and a half, everyone finally arrived.
When the eunuch on duty saw the emperor's signal, he immediately screamed: "The court meeting has begun."
"I see you, Your Majesty. Long live my Emperor! Long live your Majesty...!" All the officials trembled and saluted.
The court meeting had just begun, and they couldn't bear the cold anymore. The little officials behind them usually went to court outside the palace, and they were wearing thick clothes. They were used to it, and they didn't feel any discomfort.
"All the ministers are equal!" Zhu Qizhen said with a smile.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The ministers stood up and returned to class, trembling.
Zhu Qizhen smiled slightly and said loudly: "Since ancient times, civil servants have given advice and soldiers have fought to the death. Civil servants and generals have performed their duties without interfering with each other..."
The ministers were confused after hearing this, wondering what the little emperor had in mind.
Li Qing was a little surprised. He thought that the little emperor would let him perform, but he didn't expect that the little emperor would perform the performance himself.
This way, Li Qing no longer has to stand on the opposite side of the civil service group.
But similarly, Zhu Qizhen also had no way out.
Zhu Qizhen said a lot of clichés until he ran out of words, then he changed the subject: "But now all the guarding ministers are from civil servants, which is very inappropriate. I have decided to recall all the guarding ministers from now on and abolish them." A system in which civil servants guard the local area.”
"brush--!"
All the big guys changed their colors. This had a great impact on them.
Once this system is changed, their power will be greatly reduced. Many civil servants thought of the Hongwu and Yongle Dynasties and the fear of being dominated by military generals.
"Your Majesty, think twice!" Guo Jing was the first to leave.
Nowadays, his status has been rising. As the head of the Six Ministries, he must stand in the front in order to stabilize his status and image as a heavenly official.
"Wait a minute and think about it." Zhu Qizhen interrupted, "I haven't finished speaking yet."
"...Yes." Guo Jing returned to class.
Zhu Qizhen continued: "Taizu stipulated that officials must return to their hometowns after reaching the age of seventy. I couldn't bear to see all the ministers still having to work on state affairs at such an age, so I decided to resume the work from now on. Ancestor system.”
"ah?"
At this time, all the big guys were dumbfounded.
Guo Jing was seventy-one, Hu Hui was sixty-eight, Wang Ji was sixty-six, Yang Pu was seventy, Liu Zhongfu was sixty-nine...
According to Zhu Qizhen's logic, these people are either retiring in place or on the road to retirement.
There are only a few young people who can become ministers or ministers. Firstly, they waste a lot of time taking the imperial examinations, and secondly, they have to wait for qualifications.
It takes twenty years, or even longer, to go from being a Jinshi in a new subject to reaching the position of Minister or Minister.
Yu Qian was able to rise quickly because of Li Qing and because he scolded Zhu Gaoxu, which Zhu Zhanji greatly admired. Others did not have such a good fate.
Those who are not very lucky will stay in the Hanlin Academy for more than ten or twenty years, and may never even get ahead.
After finally getting to this position, who wants to leave?
Everyone understands the principle of drinking cold tea, and Yang Shiqi is a lesson learned from the past.
But the problem is, this is really the system prescribed by Zhu Yuanzhang.
It's really hard for them to just push back.
Zhu Qizhen's divine hand really caught them off guard.
“Don’t worry, gentlemen, you have devoted your whole life to the imperial court, and the imperial court will not treat you badly.” Zhu Qi Zhen said proudly, “The imperial court will still pay salaries to all officials who have returned to their hometowns after reaching the age of seventy!
The salary will be paid at half of the original salary for five years. "
Who cares about this little salary?
Wang Ji cautiously came out of the classroom and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say. I don't know whether to say it or not."
"Don't talk about it yet, just listen to me."
Wang Ji: "..."
Zhu Qizhen continued: "Officials who return to their hometowns after serving their official duties can return home wearing official uniforms and brocades. All the imperial inns on the way back to their hometowns are open to the public free of charge. You don't have to spend a penny. In addition, you will receive fifty taels of silver and five pieces of silk... "
Barabara...
It’s full of sincerity, but it’s all tchotchkes.
They don't like it at all!
Zhu Qizhen said a lot in one breath, and he looked like he was "seeing whether I am generous or not."
"What do you think?" Zhu Qizhen looked at the big bosses.
The big guys thought... not so much.
Guo Jing was the first to stand up. If he didn't stand up, he would have no choice. He was already seventy-one years old. Once he agreed, he would not be allowed to retire where he was.
"Your Majesty, Taizu stipulates this to prevent officials from getting older and incompetent, causing delays in important national affairs." When it came to Taizu, Guo Jing did not dare to force it, "But there are always exceptions to everything, right?"
He cleared his throat and said with a smile: "Take me for example. Regardless of my age, my body is in good shape and I can eat three bowls of rice in one meal."
A waste of rice... Zhu Qizhen had a bad impression of this guy, "Just because you can eat doesn't mean you can do it!"
"I'm capable, I may have done it." Guo Jing said hurriedly, "I handle government affairs very well, and there is never any backlog or delay. Please give me a clear warning from your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, I am in good health too." Wang Ji followed closely.
Although he was not yet seventy, he was not far away, and he did not want the young emperor to issue such an edict.
"Your Majesty, I am in good health too," Liu Zhongfu said immediately.
…
A group of people were chattering non-stop, with an attitude of 'I can plow two acres of land'.
The bosses were extremely nervous.
But the people below the assistant minister are gearing up, they can't wait for a long time, but if the people above them don't move, they have nothing to do.
This is also the source of tension among the bosses. After they leave, the people below can immediately take over. They have no bargaining chips at all.
When Yang Pu saw that it was almost done, he left and said: "Your Majesty, let's talk about the ministers guarding the city, shall we?"
Zhu Qizhen frowned delicately: "I care more about the retirement of officials..."
"Your Majesty, I think what your Majesty just said is absolutely true." Wang Ji cupped his hands and said, "Civil officials and military generals each perform their own duties, and there really should be no confusion."
Liu Zhongfu continued, "I wonder if the emperor wants to cancel the guarding ministers or appoint new ones?"
Zhu Qizhen pretended to be interrupted, looked very dissatisfied, and hummed: "I have decided to send eunuchs from the Imperial Horse Guards to guard the place in the future."
"Absolutely not!" Wang Ji's face changed and he said hurriedly: "The eunuchs of the Tang Dynasty supported and overthrew the emperor, and Tong Guan of the Song Dynasty... The emperor thought twice and must not let the eunuchs control the army."
"Your Majesty, think twice. Eunuchs are in charge of the army, which will cause endless troubles." Not only the big bosses, but also everyone was unanimously opposed.
In their eyes, eunuchs are not human beings at all.
They would rather return the power to the generals than see the eunuch come forward, just a eunuch, why?
Zhu Qizhen said: "My lords, please rest assured that the guarding eunuchs only supervise the army and have no real power."
"That won't work either." Wang Ji was the first to stand up and object. "Your Majesty, Rijiuren's ambitions will definitely expand. Your Majesty's trip... there is indeed something wrong with it."
Zhu Qizhen hummed, "Let's put this matter on hold for now. Let's talk about returning to our hometown after becoming an official."
All the big guys: "..."
Seeing the deadlock, Yu Qian came out and said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan."
"Oh?" Zhu Qizhen asked curiously, "What's the plan?"
"The emperor can follow Taizong's example." Yu Qian said.
Zhu Qizhen: "?"
Ministers: "??"
Okay, why does it involve Taizong again?
The officials couldn't help but become nervous. He was a ruthless person. They didn't want to mention it if they could.
"What does Yu Aiqing mean by this?"
Yu Qian smiled slightly: "Taizong set up the Jinyi Guards to supervise all officials. In order to prevent the Jinyi Guards from relying on power and misbehaving, Taizong also set up the Dongchang as a check and balance. In this way, there will be no situation where one family dominates."
"Ai Qing means... to send someone to supervise the eunuchs?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Yu Qian cupped his hands and said.
"Who is the right person to send?" Zhu Qizhen asked.
Yu Qian said loudly: "The Metropolitan Procuratorate supervises the censor."
"I second the proposal." Guo Jing said quickly, "Your Majesty, this policy is appropriate for the minister. He has the power to supervise the censor. This way, the situation of a single family being dominated by one family is eliminated."
"I also second the proposal."
…
Li Qing finally relaxed after hearing this, and everything was executed according to the script.
The guarding ministers were changed to guarding eunuchs, and the guarding eunuchs were supervised by the supervisory censor. Such interlocking links made it difficult for either party to grow bigger.
Things went smoother than expected, but Li Qing knew that the civil service group would definitely counterattack in the future.
Without him, they have lost too much this year.
