After Zhu Jingyuan watched Shen Fu leave, he sat on the chair and thought about another question.

The history of Shenzhou, the Ming Dynasty, the Zhu family, and the people, their present, and their future.

and the past, present, and future of himself as an emperor.

What exactly are the kings and emperors of Shenzhou?

The original pictogram of the word wang was an axe, so it was supposed to be someone in the group who held the axe, controlled the military power and the power to punish.

The axe is also an important ritual vessel in the sacrificial activities, and there is always an axe-shaped 黼 in the first twelve chapters of the emperor's dress.

The original pictogram of the national character of Shenzhou was "囗歌", which was an area guarded and controlled by the army.

The origin of the monarch and state titles of Tessie is markedly different.

The English word king is derived from the root kin-, usually associated with clan and family, and cognate with gen-, which means bloodline and reproduction.

Therefore, the meaning of the English king should be the leader of the group of descendants of the same ancestor.

The original meaning is closer to the patriarch of Shenzhou, and it is indeed an exaggeration to translate directly as king.

Translated as kingdom, the word king adds the abstract noun suffix -dom to add the meaning of decrees and rulings.

It can be seen as a place where the patriarch adjudicates collective affairs, and it may be more appropriate to translate it as a tribe or tribe.

However, in the Middle Ages in Europe, the scope of kings' rule continued to increase, and their actual power continued to rise.

Eventually, it also had the actual status of a king and kingdom similar to that of the East.

The word emperor, translated emperor, derives from the Latin noun imperator, which literally means "commander, commander", and later became ruler.

In fact, it seems to be relatively close to the meaning of the king of Shenzhou.

Translated as empire, it comes from the Latin imperium, which means "to command, rule, dominate", and by extension, to jurisdiction.

It was supposed to be an area ruled by a military commander.

So it seems very fitting that this empire translates directly into kingdom.

The status of the "king" of Shenzhou reached its peak in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Originally, he was a commander and clan leader who controlled military power, and he once again achieved the status of a religious leader through King Wen and Zhou Yi.

King Zhou was already the Son of Heaven and the co-lord of the world at that time.

Therefore, the status of the Zhou Dynasty should correspond to Rome, and the Han Dynasty also said that Rome "all countries look up to it like Zhou Jing".

It's just that in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the subordinates who were supposed to be Zhou Tianzi's vassals also became kings one after another, causing the king's status to begin to dwarf.

To put it bluntly, the quantity is too large to be worthless.

After the First Emperor destroyed all the kingdoms, he did not continue to use the title of Zhou Tianzi.

In addition, an even more noble honorific title was created - "Emperor".

The original hieroglyph of the emperor is a symbol that resembles the tail feathers of a peacock, and there is a horizontal "king" written horizontally on the lower side.

Originally, it was supposed to mean the crown of the king of Shang, or a ritual vessel symbolizing the power of the king of Shang, which may have been decorated with a peacock feather.

When it came to the Zhou Dynasty, Wang Zheng, who was horizontal on the side, came over and placed it directly below the crown symbol, which had the meaning of great and beautiful.

After Qin Shi Huang was proclaimed emperor, the upper part of the emperor became self, which had the meaning of beginning.

The emperor can also be extended to a more advanced king.

There is no definite interpretation of the origin of the pictogram of the emperor, and it has been a relatively abstract symbol from the beginning.

For example, a short horizontal line is added to the upper end of a rice character, and two short vertical lines are added to the two ends of the middle horizontal line.

Some have judged that it may have been wood tied together, similar to the cross brackets of a brazier.

However, the long horizontal in the middle, as well as the vertical lines at both ends of the long and horizontal lines, cannot be explained for the time being, and there is no need for horizontal sticks to tie the brazier shelf.

However, according to the content of the oracle bone inscription, the meaning of this symbol can be deduced.

In the early Shang Dynasty, the emperor was the most honorable object of sacrifice.

The merchant could not even ask the emperor directly about anything, but had to ask the ancestor to speak to the emperor.

The emperor will not directly respond and do anything personally, but will "order" the natural gods of the four directions of wind and earth to do something.

It looks like a symbol of the Most High God.

But by the middle of the Shang Dynasty, the emperor had become the honorific title given by the Shang king to his late father.

In the end, the living Shang king also used the imperial name.

Along with this process of change, in the early Shang Dynasty, there were special people in charge of sacrifices, and later this position was taken over by the Shang kings themselves.

At the same time, in the end, the emperor was taken over by the king of Shang.

Zhu Jingyuan seriously doubted that it was the Shang king who realized that the sacrifice was of no practical use, and that the gods would not engage in any actual rewards or punishments.

That's why they try to attribute theocracy to themselves, and then continue to use theocracy to rule the country and its people.

Therefore, the emperor always has a theocratic connotation.

By the time of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it may have been the literati who borrowed the wisdom of the legendary emperor and emperor to persuade the current monarch to be a little personal.

It may also be that ancestor worship has reached a peak.

At that time, people may have messed up all kinds of bad things and realized that the legendary gods were useless.

At the very least, God is full of uncertainty.

However, since the formation of a clear patriarchal system in the Zhou Dynasty, the sub-feudal system has been widely practiced for hundreds of years.

My well-documented ancestors are very reliable, and my ancestors can leave me a solid family business, and can make me a nobleman and a prince or even the son of heaven.

As a result, some people summarized and created the stories of many gods and monarchs, including the Three Emperors and Five Emperors.

Claim that they are the common ancestor of all people.

In the end, Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, believing that his credit surpassed that of these legendary ancestor emperors.

Therefore, he synthesized the names of the three emperors and five emperors and called himself emperor.

At this time, the emperor was actually synonymous with the Son of Heaven, and it was a replacement for the status of the King of Zhou.

In the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang once again divided the vassal states, and the status of the king and the kingdom gradually dwarfed, becoming nobles under the emperor.

In later dynasties, the feudal system gradually came to an end, and the king eventually became the highest title of the clan.

The current emperor of the Ming Dynasty, according to the Romanesque honorific title and the form of enumeration of powers, should have at least several such identities:

The King of all kings, the co-ruler of all the world, the supreme leader of all mankind, the supreme holder of all powers, the leader of all the spokesmen of the gods.

The supreme administrative head, the supreme military commander, the supreme judicial magistrate, the supreme legislative arbiter, and the supreme theocratic religious leader of the Shenzhou Celestial Empire.

Even if the puppet emperor loses all real power, he is still the religious leader who controls the supreme divine power, similar to the pope.

Is it good that the emperor has this absolute, truly supreme authority?

From the standpoint of being the goal of absolute power, it is of course an absolute good thing.

In the craft of power control, the King of England can be counted as a schoolboy, the King of France can be counted as a secondary school student, and the Emperor Lucia can be counted as a college student.

As for the emperor of the Ming Dynasty...... That has to be at the level of an academician......

The Ming court was the most stable court in the history of Shenzhou, and there had never been a de facto minister or harem interfering in politics.

Except for Zhu Di's domestic violence against his nephew, the Ming Dynasty was not breached by the rebels until the end of his life, and the two hundred and forty years were basically stable.

This has never happened in any dynasty.

The authority of the Ming Emperor after the Renwu Dynasty has surpassed that of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty in history.

Now Zhu Jingyuan's own authority has once again reached an unprecedented peak.

Some people have already discussed that Zhu Jingyuan's status among emperors has surpassed all emperors in history.

On the basis of the founder of the First Emperor, it has once again taken a big step forward.

has become the real co-master of the world.

But Zhu Jingyuan knows the truth of prosperity and decline.

In particular, the next generation will face a world that is many times more complex than it is now.

It is an era when the Internet and even the mobile Internet are fully rolled out, and the vast majority of billions of people will truly enlighten and enlighten their minds.

At the same time, the population of Zhu Ming's royal family will also swell to tens of millions.

In the Internet age, the existence of the rulers of the world is directly in front of everyone, and everything that the emperor has will become extraordinarily conspicuous.

The monarch is a natural backbiter.

Once encountering the disadvantage of public opinion, the slightest mistake of the monarch will be infinitely magnified.

How should the emperor and the royal family behave in such an era?

How should the future Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the future Zhu Ming royal family continue to be stable?

This is a problem that Zhu Jingyuan has to consider.

Zhu Jingyuan once considered borrowing from the so-called constitutional monarchy system in the history of the Taixi states.

However, after Zhu Jingyuan thought about it a little more deeply, he quickly gave up the idea of a Thai-Western constitutional monarchy.

The context and framework of China's social development are completely different from those of the Taixi countries, and in many places they may even be reversed.

Historically, the so-called constitutional monarchy system was widely practiced in the Taixi countries, and the direct reason was that their centralization of power was not complete, and the forces within the country could not be gathered.

It does not have an advantage in the complicated and treacherous Taixi battlefield and external expansion.

If the King of England can have complete control over the power at home, then I am the state, and what parliament is there to have?

If the bourgeoisie of the Taixi countries could completely control the power in the country by themselves, there would be no need for the existence of the monarch to hang on it.

The French bourgeoisie tossed and turned three times, and finally brought down the monarch completely.

France can even be regarded as the destruction of the country three times.

The assessment in the history books is actually quite accurate, and the constitutional monarchy is the product of compromise.

Neither the traditional aristocracy nor the bourgeoisie could have absolute superiority.

Therefore, the monarch is used as the master of the country, and the constitutional document is used as an agreement document to gather the forces of all aspects of the country.

And then resist all kinds of external enemies, and strive for greater interests in the international community.

Or to coordinate the complex relations of various aspects of the country and stabilize the political and economic order within the country.

At the same time, most of the Tessie kingdoms were originally parliamentary.

Most of them were brought out from Roman times, which had been nominally a republic from beginning to end, and most of the Ctessi had become accustomed to and approved of this method of negotiation and decision-making.

It is precisely because of this that it is difficult for them to centralize power.

Most of the monarchs of the Tessie kingdoms did not have the status of religious leaders in the first place, and most of them gave up their legislative and judicial powers.

Constitutionalism is the passage of legislation by parliament to limit the monarch's remaining executive power.

Many monarchs find it difficult to accept this kind of constitutionalism because they have only these executive powers left, and they really let a little less.

The Ming Emperor has taken all the power to himself and has gathered the vast majority of the strength of the entire country.

Why bother with a compromise like a Thai-Western constitutional monarchy?

Zhu Jingyuan felt that what he could refer to was not the compromise product of the Thai-Western constitutional monarchy.

At that time, the bourgeoisie had not yet matured, so it had to use the monarch as a bridge to cooperate with the traditional aristocracy.

When the bourgeoisie has really matured, and after the full-fledged monopoly bourgeoisie has been formed, they will have their own means of controlling the world.

In fact, it controls most of the world's means of production, the world's most important resources and assets, and most of the world's important organizations.

But he doesn't openly say that he has such an ability.

To a certain extent, they themselves are hidden behind the scenes, putting on a group of particularly conspicuous spokespersons to withstand the public's attention, scrutiny and criticism.

This technique worked well until he crossed by himself.

However, the current Ming Dynasty and this world are completely different from any country in the previous life.

The key is that the biggest asset of the Ming Dynasty is the Ming Emperor.

There's no way to be completely invisible.

Therefore, we cannot directly copy these schemes, but can only learn from them selectively.

We can try to change the general perception of the emperor in advance when the era of public media and the Internet arrives.

Try to establish a kind, high-end, and kind image.

In his normal life, he focuses on helping various vulnerable groups, including the elderly and orphans, as well as the disabled.

You can often attend relevant events publicly, directly ask the imperial court to deal with related matters, and even directly take money from the royal consortium to subsidize related matters.

Special attention is paid to responding to natural disasters and personally leading relief and post-disaster reconstruction efforts.

When there is a disaster, he will appear in public, give direct orders to the imperial court and the four major industrial groups, and always keep an eye on the progress of related matters.

We are concerned about cutting-edge industries such as the building of military forces, the research and development of cutting-edge technologies, and space exploration activities.

Regularly attend relevant industry events, express views and visions for these industries, and provide policy and financial support for them.

She enjoys popular culture and entertainment industries, including multimedia and film dramas, as well as computer games.

Regularly participate in mass entertainment industry events and express their opinions and suggestions on the forum community.

All in all, when the emperor appeared in public, he was basically involved in this form of affairs.

Do not participate in serious political meetings involving all kinds.

Let ordinary people think that the emperor himself is sincere and kind, and what he pays attention to and is responsible for is an absolutely high-end industry, and what he likes is down-to-earth entertainment products.

Actually, these things are really important.

However, these things basically do not directly affect the vital interests of the vast majority of ordinary people.

At the same time, the matters that affect the vital interests of ordinary people and the miscellaneous affairs related to the clothing, food, housing and transportation of ordinary people are handed over to the court officials headed by the minister of Jiuqing.

Let the principal officials of the Central Government Office and the Yamen at all levels make frequent public appearances through television and the Internet.

Moreover, they participate in all kinds of serious political activities, as well as all kinds of decision-making and discussion meetings that involve real and concrete matters.

Let these officials, as representatives of the imperial court, directly face the people of the new era.

Let the people think that this is the division of labor between the emperor and ordinary ministers, and the limit of matters related to them is that the ministers of Jiuqing can handle them.

It's not that the emperor has no power, but that the level of power is too high to directly affect ordinary people.

The Emperor was a higher level of arbiter.

An open Internet platform for public evaluation of officials could be built.

If an official makes the people angry, the emperor will stand up at the right time and dismiss him according to the will of the people.

In order to make this system more credible, the emperor also needs to effectively decentralize power.

The decentralization of power by the Emperor of Shenzhou is not the same as the monarch of Taixi accepting the constitution of the parliament, completely ceding his power to a certain interest group.

Instead, they temporarily delegate some of their power to their direct subordinates.

The nature of the compromise and cooperation interest groups was very different from that of the bureaucrats directly subordinate to the emperor himself.

Emperor Daming only gave power to the ministers of Jiuqing, and the ministers of Jiuqing could only serve for three terms of nine years at most.

The normal term of office of the Ming Emperor is basically about 30 years, and the key is that these Jiuqing ministers can be appointed and dismissed at any time.

Whether the emperor is a military commander or a religious leader, he still effectively holds the supreme decision-making power, and still controls the entire empire de facto.

As for the decentralization of administrative powers, it is not a big deal.

Delegating power does not mean that you do not control the situation, or even that your ability to control it will be reduced.

The practice is similar to "cleaning up non-performing assets".

Leave the decision-making power of various affairs that do not affect the overall situation to the corresponding Shangshu and Jiuqing to be directly responsible.

This was already done during the time of Emperor Shizu Guangwu.

Had to do the same.

There are too many things in the Celestial Empire, and it has increased exponentially compared to when it was closed to the country, and it has increased exponentially again after the beginning of industrialization.

Even a workaholic like Zhu Yuanzhang can't handle so many complicated affairs in this era.

In the process of delegating power, Emperor Shizu gradually developed a set of criteria to determine whether the emperor needed to intervene in certain things.

What level of severity should be reached, what level of personnel involved, and what level of cost should be required before it needs to be reported to the emperor for direct knowing.

On this basis, how many levels have been further raised need to be decided and dealt with by the emperor himself.

Clarify what types of things there are, no matter how large, you don't need to report to the emperor.

What types of things, no matter how small, should be known to the emperor.

What Zhu Jingyuan wanted to do was to raise the standard of the things handed over to the emperor again on this basis.

The other low-level ones are assigned to Jiuqing to be responsible.

Zhu Jingyuan is now the real co-master of the world, and he has more things to face than before.

The specific things directly related to the ordinary people at the bottom can indeed only be regarded as trivial things here in Zhu Jingyuan.

The things that Zhu Jingyuan needs to deal with directly, except for the special industries and industries in which he is directly involved, are basically at the level of rules and system construction.

So the image of the emperor that Zhu Jingyuan wants to show is indeed true to a certain extent.

Zhu Jingyuan and later Emperor Daming will inevitably change to the status of legislator, adjudicator, and supervisor.

The actual level of executive power and decision-making will naturally continue to sink.

This process of shifting the center of gravity of power is also diametrically opposed to the process of power change in the historical Tessie monarchs.

The Tessie monarch first lost his status as a religious leader, then gradually lost his legislative and judicial powers, and finally the constitution lost some or all of its executive power.

The Ming Emperor would first relinquish some of his executive power and focus on legislative, judicial, procuratorial, and religious status.

In the management of the company, it is equivalent to that the chairman of the group no longer manages most of the daily affairs, and is directly handled by the ministers and general managers of the branches.

I focus on the system, direction, philosophy and investment affairs of the whole group.

The actual number of affairs handled by the ministers of Jiuqing should have already exceeded the prime ministers of previous dynasties.

It's just that the ministers of Jiuqing are only responsible for a single aspect, not all the affairs of a country, so there is no prime minister.

Based on his current and future identity, Zhu Jingyuan also began to draw up some new reform plans.

Strengthen and enhance the status and role of the legislative and judicial systems, and completely separate the legislative system from the administrative system.

The legislative power was separated from the Criminal Department, and the Criminal Law Yuan, which was not under the responsibility of Jiuqing, was set up under the direct supervision of the emperor.

It is equivalent to the Dali Temple of the Supreme Court, which was not under the jurisdiction of Jiuqing in the first place, and now its status has been further improved.

Establish a more detailed legal and judicial system, and clarify the boundaries of the executive power of ordinary officials, so that they can only move in specific spaces.

The Imperial Court was also separated from the administrative system and placed under the direct supervision of the emperor.

The financial power of examination and approval was separated separately, and a final account center was set up that was not under the responsibility of Jiuqing, which was directly supervised by the emperor.

(End of chapter)