In a row of houses, several pavilion elders work in the middle hall, located in the center, while the rest of the family members and officials at the back of the hall are located in the side rooms on both sides.
Therefore, the cabinet bachelor is also called the middle hall.
As for the ministers of the six bureaus, they often work in the government offices, so they are respectfully called bureaus.
In the Qing Dynasty, although the military office was narrow and small, the name Zhongtang was still used and became synonymous with the prime minister.
"Zheng Sen is quite famous in Beijing——"
"You are very brave, you have suppressed bandits, and you have done it for several months. It seems that you will be promoted..."
At lunch time, the eunuchs of the inner court brought meals, and the officials behind the hall chatted one by one, talking about Zheng Sen.
Different from Jinshi trainee officers like Zhongshu Sheren, Tanghouguan is a permanent official in the cabinet, with a low and powerful position.
After all, it is the center of the Ming Dynasty, how could it be left to interns?
They are quite familiar with serving these pavilion elders, so they are naturally not restrained.
A dozen or so people ate in one room, taking their time.
"I heard that Zheng Damu is the eldest son of Marquis Nan'an?"
"That's right, your honorable queen..."
"That is, as Zheng Sen's disciple of Mr. Mu Zhai (Qian Qianyi), how can there be no one inside and outside?"
At this time, a smarter person whispered: "Besides, there is news from Guangxi. Qian Muzhai is teaching and educating people there. He has sincerely repented. Now he is seriously ill. I'm afraid there will be news in less than two days...
"
"this……"
Many people took a breath of cold air.
Although the Donglin Party has been torn into pieces, how can a party that has existed for decades be eliminated so easily? How many people secretly sympathize with it?
Furthermore, as a deputy minister of the cabinet, although Zhang Shenyan has drawn a clear line with the Donglin Party, how can the connection between them be eliminated?
He was born in the Hanlin Academy, and after being honored as a noble, he has a lingering influence from the Donglin Party, and now he is joined by a close disciple of Qian Qianyi.
Good guy, even if he is an idiot, his official career will not suffer any setbacks.
"The future life is terrible!"
A court official couldn't help but sigh: "I'm afraid he will return to Beijing in a few years."
"That won't happen."
At this time, an official from the back hall put down his chopsticks and said calmly: "I heard that Your Majesty has always been thinking about the prime minister and the prefectures and counties. How can you know the suffering of the people if you don't experience it several times in the local area?"
"Furthermore, political achievements can only be achieved at the local level. What can you do if you work around the six ministries every day?"
This is true!
Everyone nodded. In recent years, this has indeed been the case.
The emperor changed, and the rules naturally changed.
As for the cabinet, a mere Hengshui County is not worth mentioning to the entire Ming Dynasty.
But he couldn't resist Zheng Sen, a boy who would cause trouble. The emperor asked Shuntian Prefecture to dismantle the water mill, and he followed suit. This is called a beauty.
When the emperor heard this, he smiled lightly and said, "That's right."
Now, the cabinet is full of talented people. How can they not understand the emperor's holy will? This is a person who is in the heart of the emperor!
"This Zheng Sen, after all, knows how to do things."
In the middle hall, Zhang Shenyan drank a cup of tea and smiled lightly.
"Being a Jinshi, you have two skills."
Yan Chongxin also agreed, but his eyes were directed towards Zhao Shu.
"After all, my qualifications are a bit shallow."
Hearing this, Zhao Shu chuckled and said: "Young talents have abilities, but they must not be forced to grow, but they must be cultivated properly."
"Yes, what the chief assistant said is true." Zhang Shenyan nodded and agreed: "Just press it, after the new year, I will be older, so it won't be too late."
As I said, the New Year is almost here in a blink of an eye, so what are these two months?
Zhao Shu still drank tea and said calmly: "Well, let's do it this way! We can't leave any clues."
His eyes wandered between the two of them, and finally he stayed and concluded: "After all, it won't be long before we have to add more people."
As soon as these words came out, Zhang Shenyan and Yan Chongxin's expressions did not change, but the atmosphere suddenly became more solemn.
As early as two years ago, the emperor had divided the power of the cabinet, and several cabinet ministers were responsible for their own affairs.
For example, the first assistant is mainly responsible for the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War, and the second assistant is responsible for the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War. As the group assistant of Lao Mo, he can only speak in the Ministry of Punishment.
In the Ministry of Personnel, the personnel department, several cabinet ministers have the right to sign, but the chief minister's speech is more important.
The newly added Lifan Yuan and Organization Department have not been divided yet. Several people are gathered there, waiting for Lu Daqi to enter the cabinet!
"Lu Bingbu has gone to Ningxia and will be back soon."
Zhao Shu said solemnly: "Let's sum it up first so that others won't have any grudges."
To put it bluntly, several departments are here. If you take one more bite, he will take one less bite.
Although several people are in charge of their own departments, they are not clearly divided and live their own small lives, because the emperor has assigned deputy authority.
For example, Zhao Shu is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War, but only the Ministry of Hunan can really make the final decision. Zhang Shenyan of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry also has deputy signature authority.
That is, the right to sign and confirm, without a countersignature, the draft will not be submitted at all.
Having the right to countersign can't accomplish anything, but it can do bad things, so you can put your foot in it and add some influence.
The cabinet has changed from three to four, and some deliberations have to be held.
"Let's take a break!" Zhang Shenyan was not fooled and said directly: "No matter how we negotiate the outcome, people will be dissatisfied."
"It's better to leave it to the Holy Judge."
Yan Chongxin thought about it and agreed.
With power here, people's hearts are like gluttons. No matter how much they eat, they will be dissatisfied. This matter has to be decided by the emperor.
"Well, that's it!" Zhao Shu didn't take it seriously and put down the teacup.
He didn't have much on his mind, but he felt a bit regretful about the breakdown of the cabinet balance.
The three of them cooperated smoothly, and even if there were some minor conflicts, it didn't cause any serious problems. It took a few years for them to get along comfortably.
Now the imperial court has added an Organization Department, and the cabinet will also have a new member.
The power to hold the ministry and the power to serve as deputy signatures all had to be fought over, and the cabinet became lively.
He originally wanted to let the three of them talk to each other, but he didn't want to be misunderstood by Zhang Shenyan, so he had to give up.
Zheng Sen, however, could not care less about the capital's reaction. He suppressed the bandits and crushed them, which made him famous in Hengshui County.
Therefore, he settled down and began to work on the method of education.
Social studies, this is a government-run school that began to flourish during the Hongwu period. Social studies were established in all prefectures, states, and counties. Their main task was to educate children under the age of 15. It was an important form of rural enlightenment education.
Because of its low cost, it is an important way to enlightenment for many people.
However, during the Tianqi and Chongzhen years, the government declined and the localities were uneasy, so local social studies naturally declined.
After inspecting several declining social studies, Zheng Sen looked at the county warehouse that was missing more than half, gritted his teeth and said: "We will give each social studies teacher a stone of food as support."
"In addition, send invitations to all the gentry in the countryside. I want to encourage students to study and help them with their salaries."
Enlightenment is a matter of lasting benefit, and the gentry must do their best.