The fate of King Fu was actually determined from the very beginning. It was really a sign of the emperor's benevolence that he did not assassinate him directly.
However, Zhu Yixi casually said that the posthumous title, temple name, etc. of King Fu Zhu Yousong were all invalidated. To put it bluntly, he would not recognize his throne.
Just like Jianwen, it can only be referred to by the year name.
Of course, the reason why Zhu Yixi was so kind was because Zhu Yousong had no heirs and posed little threat to the imperial power. No one would elect a person who had no heirs as emperor.
The thorn in the side and the thorn in the flesh were the heirs of Chongzhen, such as Prince Zhu Cixiang. Although they would not cause a rebellion, they were enough to deceive people.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yixi said coldly: "If you beat a snake and you don't die, you will suffer from it instead. You can't compare it to Bei Yuan when it comes to establishing slaves."
"I agree."
At this point, what can I do if I don’t agree?
Jiang Yueguang wisely resigned first, leaving only three bachelors in the cabinet.
Zhao Shu, Zhang Shenyan, and Yan Chongxin stood with their hands folded, quietly waiting for the emperor's words.
Zhu Yixi looked at the three people.
The first assistant, Zhao Shu, is forty-nine years old and is from Shanxi. He is energetic; the second assistant is Zhang Shenyan, who is also from Shanxi and is sixty-nine years old. The last one is Yan Chongxin, the youngest, thirty-seven years old, from Hanzhong, Shaanxi.
The three people in the cabinet are all from the north, which is both unexpected and unexpected.
In fact, the reform of the Hanlin Academy was just the emperor's test of the waters.
Obviously, the effect is good, and both the Hanlin Academy and the cabinet agree with it.
But this time the knife of reform is slashed at the cabinet, and I don’t know what the consequences will be?
However, Zhu Yixi was confident in this, not only because of the prestige of the founding emperor, but also because the six ministers were obedient.
Jiang Yueguang, Lu Daqi, and Gao Hongtu were former members of the Donglin Party and had little connection with the cabinet; Zhu Mou, Feng Xianzong, and Wang Yingxiong were closer to the emperor.
It can be said with certainty that if the emperor does not cooperate, the cabinet will be empty.
"Since Taizu deposed the prime minister and Chengzu established a cabinet, the imperial court has lasted for more than two hundred years, up to the present day."
As soon as the emperor opened his mouth, he started talking about the history of the cabinet.
The three of them were a little confused, but at the same time they felt something in their hearts and immediately realized that this was related to the cabinet.
"For more than two hundred years, the cabinet has worked hard to assist the emperor and care for the people. There are wise ministers like San Yang, flattering and treacherous ministers like Yan Song, and powerful ministers like Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong."
"Of course, there are also those who do nothing but do nothing."
This was a bit heartbreaking, but the three of them could endure the loneliness, lowered their heads, and kept guessing.
Standing up, Zhu Yixi kept pacing. There was some chirping of birds outside the pavilion, prompting him to continue:
"When Emperor Shizong came, Yan Song used the power of the vote to execute his assistant ministers and admonishers (Yang Jisheng), setting a precedent..."
"Then Zhang Juzheng, together with Feng Bao, exercised autocratic power for ten years and implemented reforms rigorously. Emperor Shenzong took charge personally and abolished all new laws. He was grateful for the power of the cabinet and gradually gained more power..."
The more powerful the cabinet is, the more powerful the Supervisor of Ceremonies will be, such as Wang Zhen during the Yingzong period, Liu Jin during the Zhengde period, Feng Bao during the Shenzong period, and Wei Zhongxian during the Tianqi period.
It’s funny to say that Wang Zhi, who was in charge of the West Factory, was famous for his ability. Chenghua Liting was actually his performance when he served as a supervisor. Later, he supervised the army in Datong and made great achievements in resisting the Tatars...
Later, he fell out of favor because he had been in charge of Liaodong for a long time and was demoted to Nanjing.
During the Chongzhen period, the power of the cabinet was reduced, so naturally there was no eunuch power.
After finishing talking, the emperor asked a heart-wrenching question: "Now that there are no more directors of ceremonies, I wonder if the cabinet will become more powerful in the future. If there is another Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong, what will future generations do?"
At this time, the three of them were silent.
Zhang Juzheng's autocratic power was actually very disliked in the officialdom, because he took away the power of the six ministries, and other ministers also became subordinates and foils.
Could it be that the emperor wanted to set up another director of ceremonies?
These thoughts suddenly burst into the minds of several people.
But when they think of the horror of being targeted by eunuchs in the future and trying to apologize to the eunuchs, they feel panic in their hearts:
Han Chuang studied hard for decades, but he was not as good as a knife in the crotch.
Seeing that several people were still silent, after spending several years together, Zhu Yixi felt that he could not go around any longer, so he could only say: "Don't you think it's too much to use the power of the chief assistant to specialize in voting?"
The three of them were suddenly stunned, and then their eyes focused on Zhao Shu.
He didn't panic, he raised his head calmly and said:
"What your Majesty said is true!"
"The cabinet ministers are not classified in order. Since the Tianshun Year (Ying Zong), they have been divided into first, second and group."
"When it came to Emperor Shizong (Jiajing), the power of voting was transferred to the chief assistant, and even powerful ministers such as Yan Song and Zhang Juzheng emerged..."
To put it bluntly, after Jiajing ascended the throne, Yang Tinghe took over the power and transferred the power of voting to the hands of the chief minister.
In other words, the other assistant ministers all have suggestions for one thing, but the final result is decided by the chief assistant, who writes a vote and submits it to the emperor.
If you have different opinions, you won't be able to see the emperor at all.
Rather than being imagined by later generations, the opinions of the cabinet ministers were all unanimous, allowing the emperor to choose freely.
In this case, the power of the chief minister of the cabinet has been continuously increased, and the original principle of listening to both sides has turned into partial listening.
Once the chief minister is a virtuous minister, such as Zhang Juzheng, it will naturally bring unlimited benefits; but if the chief minister is a mediocre or treacherous minister, the harm will continue to expand.
It is precisely because of the great power of the chief minister that party politics began to prevail, because it was a winner-takes-all situation.
As long as he becomes the chief minister, the cabinet becomes his own, and the system of group ministers exists in name only.
In this case, the court discussion had to be pushed out. This was the emperor's attempt to hear different voices, especially on personnel rights.
"What do you think Yuan Fu should do?"
Zhu Yixi thought for a while, stared into Zhao Shu's eyes, and asked him directly.
"The ministers' proposal can be returned to the Jiajing prefecture and signed by all ministers..."
Zhao Shu was not a fool. Of course he understood what the emperor meant and immediately and decisively slashed his arm.
Zhang Shenyan and Yan Chongxin first showed a hint of surprise, then extreme astonishment, and then showed deep thought, their expressions changing very quickly.
"It would be quite troublesome if we group them together."
Unexpectedly, the emperor actually shook his head in denial.
Now, it was the three people's turn to be surprised.
If a group of people sign up, it means that there are three or four opinions on a matter, which all depend on the emperor's preference. Among equal opinions, the one who ranks first and holds the title of chief minister is naturally more likely to be chosen.
Take.
Just like a novel recommendation, can the exposure of the front position and the back position be the same?
To put it bluntly, it seems to be fair, but in fact it is just changing the soup without changing the medicine.
Zhu Yixi is not a fool. How could he repeat the same path? Wouldn't this make future generations suffer?
This chapter is relatively boring, it is about political system reform, but it is relatively simple and should be understood by everyone.