A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 56: Abolish the Prime Minister and Establish a Cabinet

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister of the Left, Hu Weiyong, sent his trusted ministers out to sea a month ago to ask for elite warriors from the Japanese country in order to assassinate Your Majesty in the capital." Lin Xian saluted the emperor and said respectfully.

"Oh? Then do you have evidence? Otherwise, Mr. Hu may even kill you for slandering an important minister." Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have a bit of ridicule in his words.

"Your Majesty, here is Hu Weiyong's handwriting." After hearing this, Lin Xian immediately took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it over.

Someone from the palace took it and presented it to the emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang took it, but did not look at it. Instead, he slapped it on the table and stood up. At this moment, he finally no longer concealed his anger:
"Hu Weiyong, you are so brave!"

"I appointed you as Prime Minister to assist me in governing the world. You are on the good side. You are arrogant and rude, misuse your power, and have no respect for your superiors. How arrogant!"

"The office of prime minister has been around for a long time, and there are many lawless people. However, I think that you are loyal and prudent, so I entrust you with a big responsibility. I don't think you want to do something evil today, how can I tolerate you!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Hu Weiyong saw such an emperor for the first time.When he faced Zhu Yuanzhang who really showed his fangs, he finally realized that his so-called methods and various preparations were just a joke.

He led 24 people from Haozhou to Jiqing and then conquered the world. From a beggar to a dragon to rule the world, he was not an opponent of the same level as him from the beginning.

But, if that's the case, why has he indulged me until today...

Hu Weiyong didn't understand, but many years of political experience told him that after the emperor made his attitude clear, the officials would start to take sides.

Sure enough, just when Hu Weiyong was panicking, there was a commotion among the ministers, and then several more people stepped out.

"Your Majesty, I impeach Prime Minister Zuo for arrogating and decorating his vessel with dragons and phoenixes."

"Your Majesty, I have reported that Hu Weiyong secretly hid the dragon robe and forged weapons in secret. He has been disobedient for a long time!"

This voice was very familiar. Hu Weiyong turned around and saw his confidant Tu Jie, who was kowtowing desperately on the floor.

In an instant, the tree fell and the hozen scattered.

Zhu Yuanzhang quietly looked at the lively court in front of him, with a sneer on his lips, and looked at Hu Weiyong with an almost pity look.

"Come here, capture this traitor!" he shouted.

The Han generals immediately stepped forward, and the ministers retreated, leaving Hu Weiyong alone in the center of the hall.

He saw the pro-army man who accepted him thousands of taels of silver and promised to be his lackey.

But the hundred households turned their heads and did not look at him.

He was desperate.

The pro-army soldiers stripped off the former prime minister's luxurious robes, put a knife on his neck, and roughly escorted him down the hall. Hu Weiyong kept his once high head lowered throughout the process, saying nothing.

At this time, another censor stood up:
"Your Majesty, I impeach Lu Zhongheng, the Marquis of Ji'an, and Fei Juan, the Marquis of Pingliang, for colluding with Hu Weiyong, raising private troops, and plotting evil! I have clear evidence here." He handed over a memorial.

After Zhu Yuanzhang read the memorial, he seemed to know this situation for the first time.He was furious and kicked several cases in front of him, his eyes widened, and his voice echoed in the hall like thunder:
"Okay, okay, two marquises and a group of ministers all followed him to rebel! Am I, the emperor, incompetent? Huh?"

His Highness was speechless.

"Okay." "In the past, Huo Guangxing deposed the emperor. Later, Wang Mang usurped the throne, and Cai Jing was so treacherous that he ascended the throne. Now, my Prime Minister Zuo has done this treason again."

"It is clearly an important position in the country, but they are all treacherous and sycophantic! I see no other benefit except raising a big rat and coveting the big position! What is the use of such a position!"

"From today on, I will dethrone the position of Prime Minister! The six ministries belong directly to me, and all major events in the world will be decided by me!"

As soon as these words came out, all the courtiers raised their heads in unison, with shock written in their eyes, and some even stepped out of the crowd to play.

This is the system of prime minister that began in the Zhou Dynasty!After thousands of years of countless dynasties, how can they be easily abolished?

But looking at Zhu Yuanzhang's stern eyes and the shining blades of his personal guards, they understood that if they came out to dissuade him now, they might be labeled as Hu Weiyong's associates on the spot.

So they swallowed their words, but their lives still mattered.

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, as if he was waiting for someone to step forward, but no one objected for a long time, so he breathed heavily and sat back on the dragon throne.

"Retreat from the court! You should take this as a lesson, reflect on it, and surrender yourself as soon as possible if you have done anything illegal. Maybe I can get a lighter punishment."

The ministers were obedient and hurriedly exited the palace.
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"Your Majesty, it is certainly possible to depose the prime minister, but the six ministries belong directly to the emperor... Your Majesty certainly has the ability to govern the world, but future emperors may not be as diligent as your Majesty."

Yan Ling made suggestions to Zhu Yuanzhang.

No one is a workaholic like Lao Zhu. There is no problem in deposing the prime minister. The imperial power is concentrated on the emperor, but accordingly, a large number of matters that should be handled by the prime minister also fall on the emperor's head.

The emperor of the Ming Dynasty was not a fool. He was willing to divide the power. The workload was too heavy and it was impossible to divide it. When the prime minister was born, he was originally intended to assist the emperor in handling government affairs.

Moreover, the emperor's level of government affairs varied. Some emperors had a mediocre IQ. At this time, having an old man who had come up from the bottom to help could obviously govern the country better.

Not only that, the cabinet system appeared earlier, which was also beneficial to Yan Ling.

The cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty can be said to be the most advanced political system in the world at that time.It is extremely conducive to the stability of the court, and it also prevents the operation of the court from changing because the emperor himself is lazy in politics, addicted to women, and so on.

With the virtue of Emperor Wanli, the Ming Dynasty could maintain operation without collapse under the cabinet system.

Instead, it was a certain emperor who took too much control and made the world a mess.

More importantly, since Zhu Yuanzhang deposed the prime minister, the struggle between ministerial power and imperial power in the Ming Dynasty has officially begun.

The cabinet system, at least from its inception, was indeed a system that did not threaten the imperial power but could also assist the emperor in handling government affairs.

As for how the cabinet system will develop in the future, why should Zhu Yuanzhang know about it?
You need to know that the Yan family in the future will also be indispensable for scholars...

"Your Majesty entrusts the kings to each other, which shows how much you love your children. How can you bear to see your descendants busy with government affairs day and night? What's more, no dynasty can have a wise king from generation to generation. If a mediocre and weak generation comes out and ignores the affairs of the government, the court will overthrow. "

"I suggest that we set up another department called the Cabinet to assist the emperor in handling affairs."

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(End of this chapter)