Chapter 92 of the Cabinet of the Hundred Officials Regulations

This incident from Jiangnan is actually just an episode.

During the war in Annam, when the world was clear. Zhu Qizhen was not idle.

The compilation of the Ming Dynasty has entered a new stage.

If before, Wang Shu's compilation is more similar to the collation of the imperial court history since the Ming Dynasty. However, the modern era has entered the substantive stage, and Li Xian officially intervened and was appointed as the chief editor of the "Daming Huidian".

If Zhu Qizhen is not prepared to make any changes, it is just a confirmation of the changes in the government over the years.

Li Xian can recommend a highly respected minister to preside. Li Xian didn't have to intervene personally. If you think about it, you know that the first assistant of the cabinet will not be idle.

On the contrary, it was very busy.

Over the years, Zhu Qizhen has long stopped interfering in specific affairs, unless it is a major matter, it is all handled by the cabinet, and Zhu Qizhen is just checking the opinions of the cabinet.

If you are not satisfied, you can call it back, and if you are satisfied, you can use it.

Even if there is any dissatisfaction below, it is the cabinet that fights with the below, and Zhu Qizhen is more of a referee.

Therefore, the operation of the great tomorrow is centered on the cabinet.

Li Xian is definitely several times busier than Zhu Qizhen.

But Zhu Qizhen's attitude of wanting to mix private goods in the "Daming Huidian" was so obvious that Li Xian had to intervene in it and check for Zhu Qizhen.

After all, as the head of the cabinet, you have to assume the responsibility of a minister.

Zhu Qizhen focused on the "Daming Huidian" at this moment and asked, "How is the compilation of the "Hundred Officials Regulations"? ”

Li Xian said: "There is already a first draft. ”

Zhu Qizhen said, "Oh, let me take a look." ”

Li Xian immediately let him get it.

The so-called "Regulations on Hundred Officials" stipulates the structure and government affairs process of the Ming court, which is the scope of each official's responsibilities and what kind of restrictions they are subject to.

It can be understood as modern administrative law.

This is also one of Zhu Qizhen's strategies for boiling frogs in warm water.

Since a frontal assault is too risky, it will be a roundabout.

Zhu Qizhen also understands that as long as it does not involve their interests, even Li Xian will not confront the emperor in some details.

It's like the only way to reduce your salary, most of the time, you say yes to your boss.

After Zhu Qizhen opened it, he was dissatisfied just by looking at the catalog, and said, "Why aren't the cabinet regulations the first?" ”

The system of the regulations of the hundred officials is based on the six ministries and five armies, the governor's office, and then the Jiuqing Yamen one by one. The cabinet is not listed separately, but is attached to the Hallym Academy.

This is actually the position of the cabinet in the Ming system.

The cabinet itself was the secretary selected by Emperor Taizong from the Hanlin Academy. It is precisely because of this origin that there is an unspoken rule that non-Hanlin is not allowed to enter the cabinet.

Moreover, since Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne, the cabinet has been raised step by step, almost to the status of the Tang and Song Dynasty political affairs hall, but in the official documents of the Ming Dynasty, he is still a special institution subordinate to the Hanlin Academy.

Li Xian said: "This is the meaning of the ancestors. ”

In fact, Li Xian also knows that this will definitely change.

But what is presented to the boss, not to make the problem too big, to look left and right is a problem, but not to let the boss not find mistakes, if there is no mistake at all, how to let the boss show his authority?

The problems in Li Xian's cabinet were left to the emperor to play.

Without him, Li Xian is the first assistant of the cabinet, and he certainly knows that the cabinet is in the Ming political system, which is no longer what it used to be. He also wanted to enshrine the status of the Cabinet in the regulations. After all, as the head of the cabinet, he also wants to fight for the interests of his own department.

It's just that the head of the cabinet is not only the head of the cabinet, but also the head of the hundred officials, so he has to avoid suspicion in many things.

With other Li Xian making modifications, it is better not to leave a word and let the emperor move.

Zhu Qizhen was really in his calculations, Zhu Qizhen didn't think about it, and said: "Thinking about the original intention of the ancestors, I used the ministers of the humerus to govern the country, but the ancestors didn't see the use of the cabinet at that time. He paused slightly, and said, "The Cabinet Scholar is listed as a first-class scholar, and other additional titles are removed." And each university scholar is set up in the study room for human use, selected from the Hanlin Academy. The left and right edict rooms are also listed as the jurisdiction of your lordship. ”

Li Xian was taken aback and said, "Your Majesty, Taizu is not allowed to be a prime minister?" ”

Zhu Qizhen said: "Where is this prime minister, but he is just a scholar." ”

Li Xian naturally knew that Zhu Qizhen was just covering his ears and stealing the bell.

When Emperor Taizong placed the cabinet, in order to show that he was not resetting the prime minister, Emperor Taizong had several restrictions on the cabinet.

The first is that the cabinet scholars are five-rank officials. That's right, it's a five-grade official. Of course, in order to ensure the authority of the cabinet, in the Sanyang era, there was a way to strengthen the authority of the cabinet scholars, that is, concurrently serving as officials.

Cabinet scholars can generally concurrently serve as scholars in various ministries, or add three princes such as Taifu Taishi. In other words, most of the time, the cabinet scholars themselves are first-class, but their first-class official positions are not the first-class scholars themselves.

It seems that the university scholar is just a five-grade officer.

Now Zhu Qizhen has changed this matter back and determined the cabinet of university scholars. Coupled with the responsibilities assumed by the cabinet, the cabinet is the core of the Ming political system.

At this point, Li Xian is prepared.

After all, the inversion of cabinet duties and power has been made up for by various additions, but it is not as justifiable as it should be.

The second restriction is that there are no special subordinate officers for the Cabinet Officers.

The ancient prime minister was not alone. is an institution. As Zhuge Liang said, the palace is one, and the house is the prime minister's house.

In the Tang and Song dynasties, there were also subordinate institutions subordinate to the prime minister.

Therefore, in order to prevent the prime minister from abusing power, the cabinet does not have subordinate officials.

That is to say, when the cabinet scholars handle official affairs in Wenyuan Pavilion, they often have to do it themselves, and no one does it.

Even though there are people from the middle school who help, these people from the middle school do not say that they are specifically affiliated with a certain university scholar.

Now the significance of Zhu Qizhen's doing this. From now on, the scholars will have their own subordinates. The power of the scholar is extended and extended.

In this way, Zhu Qizhen has almost released all restrictions on the cabinet.

Although the cabinet is written as a cabinet, it is different from the prime minister of the Han and Tang dynasties in terms of power, or it has been reduced, but on the whole, it is not a problem at all to say that it is the prime minister.

Taizu's original iron law, Zhu Qizhen didn't dare to confront it head-on, so he naturally pretended to be confused. Hit the text on the edge.

Li Xian was a little silent for a while.

He weighed the pros and cons in his heart for a while, and said, "Your Majesty, the old minister will make changes when he goes down." ”

Li Xian has a lot of respect for the ancestral system, and he thought about it for a long time. And not just for his own authority. It's just that he still feels that the lack of a prime minister in Daming is not an advantage, but a disadvantage.

Not all emperors can be diligent like Emperor Taizu.

Even today's daily morning is not quitting. met with the minister, but the real comparison between him and Emperor Taizu's workload was the difference between heaven and earth.

He had a premonition that the emperors of later generations might not be able to compare even today. In this way, it is necessary to strengthen the power of the Cabinet.

Of course, he has selfish intentions, but he also has public intentions.

Zhu Qizhen heard Li Xian say this, and said secretly in his heart: "Mr. Li, my advantage is not so easy to take advantage of. ”

In fact, this first draft, without Li Xian presenting it, Zhu Qizhen has already read it.

Naturally, he had a lot to make changes. It's just that in some places, nature goes against the ancestral system. I'm afraid that after the tone is set, it will make hundreds of officials oppose it.

Naturally, someone has to top the tank.

It is estimated that more attention will be paid to the expansion of the cabinet's power than to the seemingly minor changes. Li Xian had to deal with it.

Zhu Qizhen's other changes were met with much less resistance.

Zhu Qizhen smiled and nodded, then opened the regulations, and he saw the officials first.

In fact, the number one is the Zongren Mansion. However, the Zongren Mansion is a negligible yamen in the court, and for many problems of the Ming vassal king, Zhu Qizhen has also put it on hold for the time being.

After all, when the time is ripe, there is no resistance to dealing with the vassal king. And the one behind the Zongren Mansion is the Ministry of Officials.

The officials of the Ministry of Heaven have always been very important, and they are the existence of the first assistant of the cabinet among the six ministries.

It is important to pay attention to it.