Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 237 The system of secret music
The third day of February.

Afterwards.

Hall of Martial Arts.

Zhu Gaoxu sat behind the imperial table, while cabinet adviser Fang Xiaoru, Minister of Rites Yu Yanzhao, and General Affairs Minister Quan Jin sat on both sides.

"I'm summoning you all this time because I want to hear your opinions on something."

Zhu Gaoxu got straight to the point: "Since the Han Dynasty, when the Eight Ceremonies were set up, hundreds of officials would report confidential matters. In order to prevent leakage, they would be sealed and presented in a soap bag, which was called 'Fengshi' or 'Seal'. You should know why the former Han Dynasty Shall we establish a system for 'shangfengshi'?"

Fang Xiaoru, Yu Yanzhao, and Quan Jin are all famous Confucian scholars who have read poetry and books, and of course they know the origin of "fengshi".

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, minister Zhang Tang revealed the memorial he was about to submit on economic decisions to merchant Tian Xin and others, which aroused Emperor Wu's suspicion: "What I have done, the people of Jia often know about it, and they will benefit from it. It is similar." Anyone can tell me my plan."

Zhang Tang was investigated for this matter and ended up being forced to commit suicide.

In view of this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty stipulated that in the future, confidential political reports must be sealed in a black bag.

Later, when Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty succeeded to the throne, in order to break through the monopoly and blockade of information outside the palace by powerful officials in the court, ensure smooth channels for submission of memorials, achieve the purpose of secretly impeaching the dictatorship of powerful eunuchs and secretly debating politics and reporting gains and losses, etc., the "Shangfeng Shizhi" was implemented ".

"Your Majesty wants to imitate this system?"

Fang Xiaoru asked respectfully.

Zhu Gaoxu did not answer this question directly, but first talked about an old incident.

"In the 11th year of Yongle, the imperial censor Chen Ying asked his subordinate to write a memorial for him. However, this junior official copied the draft of the memorial privately and sold it to the tabloids. As a result, what he wrote was known to everyone, and there was no secret at all. Because what he reported involved the royal family, Chen Ying committed the crime of disrespect and deserves death. Fortunately, my father was kind and spared Chen Ying's life and demoted her to a commoner."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished talking about this old incident, he changed the topic and said: "Since then, all the ministers have personally written the memorials, and staff are strictly prohibited from spreading them to outsiders. However, there are still some officials who have made their memorials known to everyone. Therefore, I decided to implement it. The system of sealing secret reports."

"The secret memorial is different from the ordinary memorials and title books. According to my opinion, whether it is public or private, any content that involves confidentiality and is inconvenient to be disclosed should be written in a secret memorial. The secret memorial must be written by the official himself. The words and writing can be used casually. No explanation is required. The format of the official document will be sealed and sent out after it is written. I will personally approve the secret memorial and will not let others do it for me."

Yu Yanzhao expressed his position directly: "During the Tang and Song Dynasties, if ministers submitted secrets, they would also be sealed. In the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties, things reported by ministers were often leaked, so I agree with your majesty's proposal and are strictly prohibited from making it public. The unapproved official memorials prevent the court's decisions from being leaked in advance."

"Your Majesty, if it is a confidential matter, there is nothing wrong with using the sealing system."

Fang Xiaoru put forward his unique opinion and said respectfully: "But if the matters discussed by the ministers are fair and aboveboard, they should not be kept secret."

"Except for the officials in the capital, memorials and inscriptions from officials from various places are delivered through the post station. Some of them are transmitted from remote places to the capital for one or two months. After entering the capital, they are forwarded by the general affairs envoy. This way back and forth. , at least a few months, at most half a year has passed, and the situation described in the initial memorial may have undergone new changes."

Zhu Gaoxu said eloquently: "Moreover, there is a great possibility that the contents of the memorial and title books will be leaked on the way, and there is even the possibility of being tampered with. If this is the case, the real situation cannot be reached, and I will not know the sufferings of the people and the sufferings of the people. The specific situation of governance by local officials.”

"In addition to the public submission of official documents, officials from various places are allowed to seal the memorial in the form of a sealed private message, send someone to deliver it directly to the capital, and deliver it to the imperial palace at the palace gate, without being forwarded by the yamen. The official's If what you say is true, I will choose it and use it. If what you say is not true, then since my heart is clear, I can also write instructions in handwriting."

"Thousands of miles away, it's like meeting someone face to face. In addition, I can clearly see the good and evil intentions of local officials."

Zhu Gaoxu's reason for implementing the secret report was very high. Compared with the traditional submission of official documents, the secret report was both fast and confidential, but it made Fang Xiaoru feel a chill down his spine.

In this way, all ministers who can submit secret reports will become the eyes and ears of the Ming Emperor.

If lower-level officials are dissatisfied with the superior's style of work, they can file a secret complaint against them.
The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty did not know what officials from various places reported to the Ming Emperor through secret reports. Not only did everyone feel at risk, but at least it could achieve the purpose of intimidating the officials.

Although this system of secret reports directly reaching the holy audience will prompt officials to supervise each other and further consolidate the imperial power.However, over time, whistle-blowing and false accusations will become prevalent among officials, thus forming a bad atmosphere. Officials will become disloyal and disloyal, which will be extremely harmful to the entire officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, if the secret memorial system is promoted, there will be three major disadvantages."

Fang Xiaoru did not object directly, but questioned: "First, the so-called secret report is a report that cannot be observed by others. This is tantamount to encouraging ministers to inform each other. Except for those who have the courage to do their job, all other ministers must be in danger. To protect myself.”

"Secondly, ministers and ministers from various places communicate secretly, and the content of what they say is unknown to each other. Even if some officials are falsely accused, they have nowhere to appeal. Your Majesty is not close to your ministers and ministers from various places, and there will inevitably be people who believe that they are not related to your Majesty. The relationship is relatively close, and it is used to hijack the superior or others."

"Thirdly, ministers and officials from all over the country will speak secretly and speak at a higher level, which will definitely arouse suspicion from above and below, which is not conducive to the implementation of imperial decrees. There are even local officials who work together to protect each other, just to prevent someone from going beyond the level to file a complaint."

"Mr. Fang is opposed to the secret memorial system?"

Zhu Gaoxu asked lightly.

Fang Xiaoru replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am not objecting, but I am explaining the shortcomings of the promotion of secret memorials."

But Yu Yanzhao answered: "Your Majesty, I believe that besides keeping secrets, the system of secret reports has four other benefits."

"Let me try." Zhu Gaoxu said, stroking his beard.

"Yes."

Yu Yanzhao said respectfully: "Firstly, although secret reports will make officials, especially colleagues, inform each other. But in this way, no one will dare to do corrupt, disobedient, or unruly things behind His Majesty's back. .”

"Both, Your Majesty attaches great importance to the secret memorials and will give priority to reading the secret memorials. This will greatly improve the timeliness of the communication to the subordinates."

"Third, after the secret reporting system is implemented, ministers and officials from all over the country can speak out and give advice, which is equivalent to opening up a wide range of opinions. In this way, no officials will make preparations such as transferring stolen money or destroying evidence because they know the information that is not good for them in advance. Or kill someone and silence them.”

"Fourth, officials from various regions will report local matters to His Majesty through secret reports. In this way, Your Majesty will have a more comprehensive understanding of the local people's sentiments and the quality of local officials' governance, and adjust the policy strategy according to the actual conditions of each region."

At the end of his speech, Yu Yanzhao stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty, I believe that the benefits of implementing the secret memorial system outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore, I agree with the secret memorial system."

"What do you think the envoy has to say?"

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Quan Jin, the minister of general affairs who was over seventy years old, and asked loudly.

Quan Jin bowed his hands and said, "I agree with your Majesty's proposal."

"In that case, it's settled."

Zhu Gaoxu looked at Fang Xiaoru and said, "Sir, please help me draft an edict for me to implement the secret memorial system."

"The old minister obeys the order."

Fang Xiaoru quickly stood up, bowed and accepted the order.

"I'm waiting to retire."

Yu Yanzhao and Quan Jin also stood up and bowed to each other one after another.

PS: Thank you brothers for your support!I have been very busy recently and my time for coding is limited. When I am not busy for a while, I will do more coding!
(End of this chapter)