Regardless of whether the nobles, officials, and merchants in Shuntianfu and Yingtianfu were still lucky, Zhu Jianyan, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, continued to stay in Yingtianfu with the Ming court to usher in the thirteenth year of Ankang.

However, after the Lantern Festival in the thirteenth year of Ankang, on the first day of the resumption of the operation of the imperial court, and on the first morning of the new year, someone put another equally important issue on the table.

Li Hongbin, the sixty-three-year-old current secretary of the ministry, asked the old man to return to his hometown.

As soon as Li Hongbin finished speaking, the court immediately fell completely silent.

The resignation of an old official can be directly addressed to the emperor in private, or it can be said openly in the court.

However, in most cases, the emperor will be privately ventilated in advance.

Especially high-ranking bureaucrats above the level of Shangshu.

On this basis, if the minister really wants to retire, and the emperor needs it, it will be implied that the official will resign publicly at the early court.

The Emperor will approve it on the spot and do something else.

Li Hongbin was born in Nagasaki County, Toyohara Province, and was the left long history of the former Toyohara King's Mansion.

After the withdrawal of the Fengyuan Kingdom, Li Hongbin became the left political envoy of the Fengyuan Political Envoy, and the grade was from the third grade.

Li Hongbin was originally a long-sleeved man who was good at dancing, and he played a very active role in the process of the withdrawal of the Fengyuan State from the feudal domain and the establishment of a province.

The king of Fengyuan and the original officials were appeased, and the political envoys who cooperated with the subsequent arrangements of the imperial court completed the reform.

In the 12 years since then, Li Hongbin has won the exam every three years.

From Fengyuan Buzheng to participate in politics from the left, he was promoted all the way to the official department of the second grade.

Although after Jiuqing, the official department is no longer a foreign official, but it is still the most popular position in the book.

Li Hongbin was able to get the post of secretary of the ministry, and there was a certain coincidence in it.

First of all, Li Hongbin himself is indeed capable, and he is very good at being a person.

At the same time, the emperor deliberately erected a benchmark for officials from a vassal state.

Dispel the suspicions of officials from feudal origins, and prevent officials from local origins from discriminating against officials from feudal domains.

Let everyone believe that in the eyes of the emperor, the Ming people from the vassal kingdom are also Ming people, and they are no different from the natives.

In the end, Li Hongbin's age is more coincidental, and he will be sixty-three years old in the thirteenth year of Ankang.

The position of the secretary is the last stage of the emperor's selection of the successor.

After the sixty-three-year-old Li Hongbin became the secretary of the ministry, he no longer had the opportunity to be promoted to Jiuqing normally.

Now it is possible to retire two years before the emperor's retirement, and give up the position of the secretary of the ministry.

Now that Li Hongbin has publicly resigned, whether it is indicated by the emperor or not, as long as the emperor agrees, it is impossible to appoint another official secretary at this time, and it is very likely that the selected heir will directly take over.

So the emperor's heir is about to be officially revealed.

Although almost all high-ranking bureaucrats knew that Zhu Jianyan's heir had actually been determined a long time ago.

Zhu Jianyan has a total of six sons, and only three have completed the practical training on governance this year.

The key is the difference in treatment between the three princes, which can even be described as the difference between cloud and mud.

Someone is just too prominent.

When he was only fifteen years old, when he was still the emperor, he directly got the title of prince.

Later, through the armistice peace talks, he got a bunch of super-standard rewards and became the richest prince.

I also run Daming Airlines and Dashi Garment Company, two super manufacturers.

still holds the past of the big food country, which is really a rich and oily feudal country.

The other two stayed up to their thirties, completed all the local governance training, and just got the title of prince.

At present, they can only live on the prince's income.

But no matter how obvious speculation is, speculation is speculation after all, and the emperor's final announcement of the official news still kept everyone focused.

Zhu Jianyan looked at Li Hongbin, who bowed slightly, and then opened the resignation note brought by the secretary.

Zhu Jianyan basically didn't hesitate, so he directly picked up the pen and criticized two lines:

"Li Hongbin, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, was promoted from the first grade of Jiuqing Tsukazai, crowned as the son of Nagasaki County, and allowed to return to his hometown."

Zhu Jianyan's secretary once again took over the recital of Emperor Zhu Pihou and read out Zhu Jianyan's order on the spot.

Li Hongbin bowed again and thanked him.

Then the most tense moment came, and all the courtiers pricked up their ears, waiting to verify their guesses.

Zhu Jianyan directly asked the secretary to draft the purpose on the spot:

"Appoint Zhu Jingyuan, the fourth son of the emperor, as the secretary of the ministry."

There were no surprises, and all the officials breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

If the emperor made a mistake at this time and did not designate Zhu Jingyuan to be the secretary of the ministry, the court would not be at ease.

What is already unstable for some people may become even more volatile.

If Zhu Jingyuan is not allowed to be the heir, there will be a lot of major problems in the current excellent situation.

The resources that Zhu Jingyuan has in his hands will become a big trouble for the next emperor.

But at the same time, the entanglement in my heart became strong again.

The matter of announcing the heir was directly handled in Yingtianfu, and the emperor really didn't want to go back to Shuntianfu.

Now that the news is finally confirmed, Zhu Jingyuan himself is secretly relieved.

Although he has done all kinds of things and caused a lot of trouble for his father, he trusts himself.

Zhu Jingyuan honestly bowed down to thank him, took the holy decree prepared on the spot, and then made another question clear:

"Father, it's appropriate for us to return to Shuntian Mansion?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone at the scene pricked up their ears.

Ordinary ministers are embarrassed to ask this question, but Zhu Jingyuan is just right.

Even if the emperor doesn't answer, he won't blame anyone.

Zhu Jianyan glanced at Zhu Jingyuan, and his heart was still so direct to this kid:

"Why do you want to return to Suncheonfu? Do you want a home in Suncheonfu? ”

Zhu Jingyuan immediately said:

"Erchen is indeed homesick, but more importantly, Shuntianfu is the national capital.

"It's been a year and a half since my father's southern tour, and I've spent two New Year's Dollars in Yingtianfu.

"The people of Shuntianfu are looking forward to it, hoping that my father can return to the north as soon as possible."

Zhu Jianyan said directly:

"Yingtianfu is also the national capital, the old city of Shuntianfu is Beijing, and Yingtianfu City is Nanjing.

"For more than 300 years, the imperial court has spent most of its time in Shuntianfu, and the people of Yingtianfu are also looking forward to it.

"From now on, let's stay in Yingtianfu for a few hundred years......

With Zhu Jingyuan's cooperation, the emperor finally made his words clear.

Although there is no Yingtianfu, the imperial court will stay in Yingtianfu for "hundreds of years".

This is no different from moving the capital.

When the news was confirmed, the court immediately remembered the whispered discussions.

Some officials from bureaucratic families have basically accepted their fate.

Yingtianfu is also very good, the water town in the south of the Yangtze River is indeed more comfortable than Shuntian, and the living and entertainment facilities are more abundant.

But bureaucrats with property at home are more difficult to accept.

Officials from the south actually did not want the imperial court to continue to stay in Yingtianfu.

From Jiangnan, which is far away from Beijing, to the root of the imperial city under the emperor's nose, the market and officialdom will become harsh.

Many things that can be done before may not be able to be done in the future.

What could have been influenced and mastered by oneself has more powerful individuals to interfere.

The officials in the north also did not want the imperial court to completely return to Tianfu.

They have become accustomed to using the connections of the central court to deal with various matters in life.

Completely away from the central court, not only will the lifestyle change, but the key is that the market rules will be reshuffled.

If you are far away in the south of the Yangtze River, your influence on your hometown will definitely weaken.

However, due to the system created by Emperor Shizu, the current emperor of the Ming Dynasty is very strong, and he basically has the authority of the ancestor level.

The emperor wants to return the capital, this is not to move to a strange place, but to return to the old capital, and it is difficult for the courtiers to resist.

Many people began to look forward to the return of Shuntianfu after the new emperor ascended the throne.

At the beginning, Chengzu Zhu Di moved the capital to Shuntianfu in the nineteenth year of Yongle, and died in the twenty-second year of Yongle.

Zhu Gaochi, who succeeded to the throne, thought about moving back to Yingtianfu.

As a result, Zhu Gaochi died less than a year after being emperor.

Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, who succeeded to the throne, liked the north as much as his grandfather, but he didn't want to move back.

It's all due to Tianfu's plan, and that's it.

The current emperor Zhu Jianyan is still in Tianfu, but the heir Zhu Jingyuan seems to prefer the north.

Zhu Jingyuan is definitely not a person with premature aging, if you want to return to Shuntianfu, you definitely have time to complete the formalities.

So many people began to pin their hopes on Zhu Jingyuan.

It's just that they don't know, and they all should be in Tianfu, which was originally Zhu Jingyuan's suggestion.

Otherwise, even if Zhu Jianyan had considered something similar in his heart, it would be difficult for him to really decide to really move the capital over.

So if nothing else, the gang is doomed to disappoint again.

However, whether they are disappointed or not in the future, there is finally an official phased response to the matter of whether the emperor will return to Suncheonfu.

Until the new emperor succeeded to the throne, the matter did not need to be discussed anymore.

No matter what you think, let's honestly work in Yingtianfu for a few years.

Zhu Jingyuan was appointed as the secretary of the ministry, and after the emperor answered the question of not returning to Shuntianfu, the court settled down.

After the two most important matters were decided, Zaochao began to deal with daily affairs.

The new plans for the new year, the reforms that will begin and continue to be promoted, the various projects and affairs to be maintained, and the various things that need to be confirmed by the emperor are all brought out and discussed.

The morning pilgrimage on the first day of the new year tends to be longer and more eventful.

So it lasted until noon and didn't finish.

However, the early dynasty ended normally, and the corresponding officials returned to work in the yamen.

The emperor is responsible for the decision-making of the level for which he is responsible, and Jiuqing and the various ministers also need time to deal with their own affairs.

If you can't do it in one day, you can only start it separately.

Wait until the morning of the next day to continue discussing the unfinished issues.

After Zhu Jingyuan went down to the court, he first went to dinner, and in the afternoon he returned to the Yamen of the Jianghuai Political Department to preside over the opening meeting of the Yamen of the Political Envoy Department.

The new Jianghuai political envoy has not yet arrived, and Zhu Jingyuan has to continue to take on this job.

Li Hongbin, who has resigned, will continue to take on the work of the secretary of the ministry.

Two days later, the new Jianghuai political envoy arrived, and Zhu Jingyuan began to handle the handover task.

It was not until February 15 of the thirteenth year of Ankang that Zhu Jingyuan finally finished the work of the political envoy and went to the yamen of the ministry to handle the handover of the secretary of the ministry to Li Hongbin.

Li Hongbin is very satisfied with his retirement benefits.

Because of his age, he was not qualified to be Jiuqing, but in the half month before he retired, he became Jiuqing.

He also received a viscount for life as he wished.

It can already be regarded as an honorable retirement.

If you are born in a vassal country, you can get such treatment, and you can definitely be regarded as an honorable retirement.

All this is thanks to the Prince of Great Food.

When Zhu Jingyuan came to the ministry, Li Hongbin directly led people to greet him outside the courtyard.

When he saw Zhu Jingyuan getting out of the car, he immediately bowed down and saluted.

Zhu Jingyuan hurriedly walked over and helped up the very respectful Li Hongbin:

"Tsukasa is polite......"

After the two met, Li Hongbin did not immediately take Zhu Jingyuan to handle the handover, but invited Zhu Jingyuan to his office.

asked Zhu Jingyuan to sit down in his place, sat opposite Zhu Jingyuan, and then began to give Zhu Jingyuan a "lecture":

"Your Highness, before the formal handover, please redeem the old ministers and sell the old for a while.

"Please listen to the old minister's words, about some miscellaneous affairs that are not part of the official work, but have a certain impact on your official position."

Zhu Jingyuan smiled and nodded directly, this is obviously what he wants to know and should know:

"Tsukasa Zai, please speak, listen to the late students."

Li Hongbin hurriedly smiled and waved his hand:

"Your Highness is polite, the old man will never dare to hide anything, now let's start with the position of the official secretary itself.

"It's not easy to be an official in the Ministry of Officials, especially after the official establishment of Jiuqing.

"It is directly related to the appointment and dismissal of all officials other than Jiuqing and Shangshu, and it also has an impact on the appointment and dismissal of Shangshu and even Jiuqing.

"According to the experience of His Majesty Emperor Shizu Guangwu, there is a limit to the number of people who can be directly familiar and understood by any one person.

"The number of second-grade officials has exceeded the upper limit.

"Officials above the third grade are already two orders of magnitude higher.

"Therefore, even when Your Majesty wants to select a new Shangshu, in most cases, he will listen to the opinions of the Ministry of Officials.

"Even if other officials have recommendations, or even His Majesty himself has an impression, he will ask the officials to consult the relevant files.

"The Ministry of Officials holds the files of the bureaucrats of the world, and the answers given to His Majesty's inquiries will affect the careers of the vast majority of the bureaucrats at the lower levels and even at the same level.

Not to mention that there are very few people who can sit in complete selflessness.

"Even if I did, other people involved in business dealings and arrangements would not believe that the minister in this position could be impartial.

"As long as the person concerned suspects that his arrangement is unfair, he may hold a grudge against the people in the ministry.

"It's no longer Tsukasa's Ministry of Rites, and it's the first to bear the brunt.

"In order to secure this position and do a good job in the work of the ministry, there must be a semi-public rule other than the rules.

"Let the vast majority of people in officialdom be able to recognize and accept, as fair and easy to verify as possible, a set of rules for the selection and selection of people in the officialdom.

"In the absence of His Majesty's direct appointment, the vast majority of official positions are arranged according to this rule.

"Let the people involved know why they were selected and why they weren't.

"Principal officials of the Ministry of Officials should be aware of this rule and abide by it as much as possible.

"Your Royal Highness, as the prince, can make exceptions in officialdom, and you can not care about the rules of officialdom.

"As long as a person with a normal brain will not have any positive confrontation with the prince who serves as the secretary of the ministry on the surface.

"No matter what His Highness thinks, no matter how His Highness wants to be the secretary of this ministry, all the official affairs of the ministry arranged by His Highness must be completely smooth......

"No matter what the officials have in mind, they will definitely cooperate with the prince at this time to do a good job of the official book.

"But ......"

Li Hongbin paused slightly when he said this, carefully observing Zhu Jingyuan's reaction.

Although Li Hongbin is already a retired person, the previous words have been said bluntly enough.

However, the words behind this "but" will be more straightforward and even arrogant......

If His Royal Highness can understand on his own, it would be better if Li Hongbin himself didn't have to say it directly.

Zhu Jingyuan was also very cooperative, and picked up Li Hongbin's words quite seriously:

"The prince's primary task as the secretary of the ministry is to figure out the logic of personnel appointments and dismissals in the court.

"And figuring out the rules of the bureaucracy, both explicit and implicit.

"If the prince doesn't go deeper, he will simply be complimented by his subordinates, and he will spend two years in this position.

"The two years of being an official may be very smooth, but after that, they may be out of touch with the court.

"When anything, when any major decision is about to be made, it is impossible to predict the reaction of the bureaucracy.

"So please don't hide your secrets."

Zhu Jingyuan can roughly guess that most of the so-called selection rules are based on seniority.

Plus a few other strings attached.

Which positions can be promoted to which positions, what conditions the corresponding personnel meet to be eligible for promotion, and I will enter the queue list after meeting those conditions.

What special qualifications do you have to cut the queue?

What special official positions require and what special conditions are required, and so on.

Li Hongbin's appointment as the secretary of the ministry actually involves various rules related to it.

This can be regarded as a part of China's traditional culture.

The direct appointment of the emperor is the exception of the exceptions, and all the rules are useless.

So, is it useful for the emperor to still go and understand these rules?

Still very useful......

In the appointment of a third-rank or even second-rank official, if the candidates recommended by the Ministry of Officials and other Jiuqing obviously or even completely do not conform to this set of rules, then the emperor can consider asking Dongchang to investigate whether there is corruption in it.

If the emperor does not understand these rules, the bureaucracy runs the risk of getting out of control.

The Ministry of Officials is the most convenient place to have direct access and knowledge of these rules.

Therefore, Emperor Shizu Guangwu left a rule, and the heir selected by the emperor must go to the ministry for a walk......

Li Hongbin listened to Zhu Jingyuan's response, and knew that this highness knew it in his heart.

I also breathed a sigh of relief, so that talking to someone who understands is worry-free.

Li Hongbin was very happy to surrender his hand to Zhu Jingyuan:

"His Royal Highness is really smart, the old minister must know everything, and he must be endless......"

(End of chapter)