Why has the last official letter from the Heavenly Official never been submitted?
Under the bright candlelight, Gao Gu's eyebrows wrinkled and he fell into deep thought.
The previous emperor gave Lao Tianguan the false title of Taibao, which already showed that it was a foregone conclusion that Lao Tianguan would become an official.
Moreover, this matter will definitely be settled before the end of the year.
No matter how long it takes, even with the prestige of the Heavenly Official, there will definitely be criticism among scholars.
Now, there are only more than twenty days left before the New Year's Day, but there is still no movement from the Heavenly Official.
Everyone in the government and the public is speculating whether there is any unfinished business with Heavenly Official.
This is actually not difficult to guess.
The old official has long wanted to become an official, which is known to both the government and the public.
This time, taking advantage of Shi Pu's case, the Heavenly Official begged for the body again. Although His Majesty did not approve it, it was clear that he had no intention of forcing it to be kept.
One is willing to leave and the other is not forced to stay. Logically speaking, it is a matter of following procedures.
The old Heavenly Official was almost stuck. As soon as the last memorial was approved and received, he handed over the next one without any intention of being attached to it.
But after the second memorial was rejected, the emperor sent a special official to express condolences.
After that, Lao Tianguan, who was only one step away from completing the official appointment process, suddenly stopped moving.
Therefore, most of the courtiers felt that the emperor had something else that needed to be handled by the heavenly officials, so they were stuck at this step.
Only the emperor's status can stop the old man who wants to go.
However, before Chen Xun mentioned this matter, Gao Gu had never thought of linking these two things together.
Now that I think about it, is it possible...
Gao Gu pondered and asked: "Brother Dezun means that the reason why the old Heavenly Official has stayed until now is because His Majesty hopes that he will preside over this cabinet minister's appointment before taking office?"
Chen Xun nodded, finally put down the tea sets in his hands, and said seriously.
"That's it. Your Majesty left the old Heavenly Official behind, so there must be something that only the Old Heavenly Official can accomplish. Now the government is in a smooth state, and all the ministries and temple supervisors are performing their duties. Only the cabinet is newly established, and the regulations are uncertain.
There is no old routine to follow.”
"Moreover, the power of selecting cabinet ministers overlaps with the power of selecting cabinet ministers, so it must be clearly distinguished."
"With his achievements in Liaodong, Wang Ao became the chief minister, and the cabinet now has a person in charge. Under such circumstances, if he is willing to join forces with you and me, then Wang Wen, a newly promoted official minister, may not be able to seize the throne.
The right to select cabinet ministers."
"In this case, only with the prestige of the Heavenly Official can we take back the power to elect ministers from the cabinet that has joined forces to the Ministry of Personnel."
Gao Gu's expression was a little complicated. After a moment, he sighed and said.
"So, from the very beginning, His Majesty had a backup plan to control the cabinet?"
When the second memorial from the Heavenly Official was dismissed, there were still several days before the Winter Solstice.
At that time, they had not yet discussed with Wang Ao the addition of cabinet ministers.
In other words, whether Wang Ao mentioned this matter or not, the emperor had already made up his mind to hand over the power of selecting cabinet ministers to the hands of the Ministry of Personnel.
Chen Xun nodded and said with some regret in his tone.
"Yes, if what I have predicted is correct, from now on, when the cabinet is added to the cabinet, it will either be through the selection process or through the recommendation of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. There will no longer be recommendations from cabinet ministers."
However, it only took a moment for Chen Xun's expression to return to calmness and he continued.
"However, this is not necessarily a bad thing for us."
After hearing this, Gao Gu finally regained his energy and asked.
"What does Brother Dezun mean by this?"
Chen Xun did not answer immediately, but picked up the tea set aside and started brewing it again.
After brewing a pot of fragrant tea, the aroma of tea slowly lingered, and Chen Xunfang opened his mouth.
"As Wang Jiugao said, Your Majesty has not allowed you and me to recommend cabinet ministers because he is afraid that the cabinet will be controlled by you and me and become a weapon to seize power and intensify the contradiction between the inner court and the outer court."
"This applies to you and me, and naturally it also applies to Wang Jiugao!"
Gao Gu was stunned for a moment, then finally a smile appeared on his face, he nodded and said.
"Yes, although he is the chief minister, His Majesty has spoken first. All ministers in the cabinet are assistant ministers, and there is no difference in rank."
"His Majesty will not allow us to control the cabinet, and naturally he will not allow him to control the cabinet. I am afraid that in the future, the cabinet will still be a powerful force."
After coming to this conclusion, Takagu felt much more at ease.
The reason why he felt worried before was actually because he was worried that without the authority of the Hanlin Academy, he would truly be reduced to a subordinate minister who could only be controlled by Wang Ao.
But when Chen Xun said this, he also reacted.
Although the emperor wants to recommend ministers, these newly promoted ministers may not necessarily be Wang Ao's people.
This is why Chen Xun said before that Wang Ao was not just like Wang Wen, but Jian was a member of the Sacred Heart.
If Wang Wen enters the cabinet, given the emperor's trust in him, I am afraid that other ministers will bow to him and obey his orders.
But Wang Ao...
At least for now, the emperor has not shown any preference or trust that is different from ordinary people for anyone other than Wang Wen.
Therefore, if nothing unexpected happens, even if the cabinet ministers recommended by the court this time are not their people, they must be people that Wang Ao cannot fully control.
Only in this way can the situation of mutual restraint within the cabinet be ensured.
Chen Xun skillfully ordered two cups of tea from the purple clay pot, pushed one cup in front of Gao Gu again, and said with a rather proud look on his face.
"Wang Jiugao thinks he is smart, but after all, he has not been in the capital for a long time and does not know the emperor well enough. He only sees that the emperor wants the cabinet to restrain each other. The emperor's real intention is not what he can think of immediately."
After his expression calmed down, Takagu didn't bother to argue with this salesman from his hometown and asked directly.
"What's the purpose?"
Chen Xun said seriously: "Of course it's about the position of the cabinet in the government after that!"
Mentioning this matter, Chen Xun no longer sat down, but stood up, paced back and forth in the room, and pondered.
"Today, although Wang Jiugao didn't say it clearly, what he said was nothing more than blaming me for being blinded by his official position and bent on expanding the power of the cabinet. This aroused the emperor's fear and almost led the cabinet astray."
"But how does he know that I have been in power for many years? How could I not even understand this situation?"
Chen Xun looked through the night and seemed to see someone who was elated. A trace of disdain flashed across his face and he said coldly.
"In the final analysis, the cabinet holds the power of voting. The people who join the cabinet are all important ministers of the court. The cabinet has a special status and does not participate in the decision-making of general affairs. Unlike Zhongshu and others, it is completely in the hands of the emperor."
"Therefore, the potential of the cabinet is far beyond what we see now. It is conceivable that with the emperor's unreserved support, it is not impossible to dominate the six ministries."
"Now that the cabinet is newly established, every bit of power, as long as it can be won, will become a precedent in the future. The reason why I am so aggressive is just to find out where the bottom line of the cabinet's power lies in the emperor's mind.
.”
Gao Gu's heart moved and he asked.
"Brother Dezun means, the matter of Tingtui?"
Chen Xun nodded and said: "Yes, the Emperor did not stop anything we did before. The matter of the Heavenly Official is enough to show that His Majesty has been prepared for this. The new cabinet needs to have its own authority, but it is not possible.
Infinite expansion.”
"It can be seen from the incident of Tingtuan that, at least in His Majesty's mind, the cabinet must not go beyond the Ministry of Personnel, which is the head of the six departments."
Chen Xundao took two steps back and forth in the house.
"Nowadays, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the outer dynasty is dominated by the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Husbandry, and the Ministry of Inspectorate, followed by the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Work."
"Based on my guess, according to the emperor's plan, the cabinet's status in the court should be higher than that of other ministries, but slightly inferior to the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Metropolitan Inspectorate."
"The same is true for the position of Chief Assistant. Although it is comparable to the Seven Ministers, it should be placed below the officials of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Chief Inspector."
"Other assistant ministers, including the second assistant minister, have the title of minister, but their actual power is not great. Their influence in the court is roughly comparable to that of the official department, the minister of the household department, or the censor of Youdu who is sent to the governor."
"However, if the chief minister wants to use the power of the cabinet to control the six ministries, it is absolutely impossible."
"Furthermore, according to the temperament of our Majesty, this is definitely not a temporary solution, but will find ways to completely fix this situation."
Takagu frowned, obviously thinking about whether these words were credible.
In the imperial court, no matter how bad the situation is, they are not afraid of it. What they are most afraid of is not seeing the situation clearly and making wrong judgments.
Just like today, if they had not misjudged the emperor's thoughts, they would not be so passive.
What is the importance of the cabinet in the heart of the emperor? This matter involves the general direction in which they should work in the future. Naturally, they must be cautious.
After a moment, Takagu said cautiously.
"Brother Dezun, this matter is of great importance. It's not that I don't believe you. However, this is just speculation after all. What happened today has taught us a painful lesson. If we make the wrong judgment again, I'm afraid there will be no room for improvement."
Chen Xun had obviously expected that Gao Gu would ask such a question. A smile appeared on his face and he spoke.
"Shi Yong's considerations are good. After all, this is my guess. However, it is not difficult to verify it. However, I need a memorial from you, Shi Yong."
A trace of imperceptible vigilance appeared in Gao Gu's eyes, and he asked: "What memorial?"
Chen Xun didn't pay attention to Gao Gu's little abnormality. He took a deep breath, a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes, walked to Gao Gu's side, and whispered a few words.
After Gao Gu heard this, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Brother Dezun, will your Majesty really agree to this?"
Chen Xun looked like an old man and said: "Don't worry, as long as my guess is correct, your Majesty will only be happy to see the outcome of this matter."
Gao Guxian was obviously very hesitant, but Chen Xun's attitude was very firm, so he finally nodded and said.
"In that case, I will accompany Brother Dezun again and take another risk."
This chapter has been completed!