Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

To hold the Qianqiu Festival for Queen Zhou, entertainment is naturally indispensable.

According to the palace's practice, theater troupes can be invited to the palace during the Qianqiu Festival to perform dramas in the palace.

After Zhu Youjian decided to remake ritual music, the status of the music was greatly improved.

So he planned to use this incident to hold a drama festival in the capital. Select the best troupe and enter the palace to perform.

In this way, we can not only have fun with the people, but also divert the attention of the people in the capital. To prevent the affairs of the Tang and Chu vassals from spreading in the capital.

For this reason, he summoned Song Jin, the eunuch in charge of the imperial prison, and asked the Bell and Drum Division, who was assigned to the imperial prison, to take care of this matter.

Moreover, Liu Zongzhou was invited to ask for someone:

"Li Yu, who wrote "Qing Zhong Pu", is still in your husband's house now, right?"

"My husband wants to recreate ritual music. You can give him more guidance and let him do well in music and drama."

Li Yu followed Zhou Maolan to Beijing and indeed stayed in Liu Zongzhou's house these days. That's why the "Qing Zhongpu" he wrote was seen by Liu Zongzhou and then presented to the emperor.

Liu Zongzhou was extremely happy when he heard that the emperor wanted to use him. He also remembered the injustice done by Huang Zongxi, Zhou Maolan and others, and said:

""Qingzhongpu" is not finished yet."

"This drama is all based on reality. When will it end?"

When Zhu Youjian heard this, he immediately understood what Liu Zongzhou meant. The reason why "Qing Zhong Pu" has not been completed is that Zhou Shunchang's posthumous name has not yet been decided, and Zhou Maolan's matter of redressing his father's injustice has not yet concluded.

Fortunately, this matter has been concluded, Zhu Youjian said with certainty:

"The Ministry of Officials has finalized the list of ministers who will donate gifts to the deceased and submitted it to me."

"As long as there is no objection at the meeting, it will be officially announced."

"Zhou Shunchang, formerly a member of the Literary Selection Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, was posthumously given to the Minister of Taichang Temple."

"The descendants of Zhou Maolan and other ministers who died in death can be favored as imperial students. As long as they can pass the etiquette, law and calculation examination, they can be awarded official positions in the future."

"You can write this at the end of "Qing Zhongpu"."

This pension cannot be said to be low. The minister of Taichang Temple ranks at the forefront among the minor nine ministers. After the adjustment of the nine temples, the minister of the Ministry of Rites also serves as the minister.

Zhou Shunchang's posthumous posthumous gift can be regarded as an excessive gift compared with his previous official positions.

As for Zhou Maolan, she even has the opportunity to become an official and maintain the Zhou family's family status.

Liu Zongzhou was very satisfied when he heard the result. There was no rush to ask about the shirts donated by Huang Zunsu and others.

He knew that since Zhou Shunchang was posthumously awarded the title of Minister of Taichang Temple, Huang Zunsu would certainly not be low. There is no need for him to ask now, he will find out another day.

When talking about this matter, Zhu Youjian said to Liu Zongzhou with a sigh and a joke:
"The officials have been very busy in the past few months. Not only are they busy selecting officials, they are also busy recruiting ministers and giving gifts to ministers."

"Fang Shangshu has requested from me several times and always wants to resign."

"I finally kept him here, and he recommended Yang Jingchen to act as the Minister of Staff to handle ministry affairs when he was ill."

"As a result, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will lose one minister, and the current right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Dong Qichang, is not very involved in affairs."

"So I plan to recruit a right-hand minister from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Sir, do you have any candidates that you can recommend to me?"

Fang Guiwei's resignation was finally officially raised after the sit-in crisis passed and the official election in February was completed.

Following Zhu Youjian's prompts, he still occupied the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and then recommended Yang Jingchen, the left minister of the Ministry of Personnel, to act as Minister of the Ministry of Personnel on the grounds of old age and illness.

As a result, the only senior officials in the Ministry of Personnel were Yang Jingchen, the left minister, and Dong Qichang, the right minister.

But how did Dong Qichang get the position of Right Minister? Many people know the reason——

He was summoned to the capital by the emperor to help Yuan Keli. He was not in charge of the staff at all. He was actually busy teaching the emperor to write and presiding over the examination of Ming Shu.

After Fang Guiwei retired, Yang Jingchen was actually the only one left in charge of the official affairs department.

In order to prevent others from criticizing him for dominating the Ministry of Personnel, and to show that he had no idea of ​​deposing officials and forming cliques for personal gain, Yang Jingchen's first suggestion after taking charge of the position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was to request the appointment of a right minister of the Ministry of Personnel to handle the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel. .

This official position should be regarded as very important. Zhu Youjian had long decided to firmly hold the staff. To avoid the emergence of Donglin Party like Zhao Nanxing, who uses the power of the official department to exclude dissidents.

But Zhu Youjian really had no one to choose as the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Last year, the selection of officials from the two capitals and local governors had almost exhausted the number of officials he valued.

Others who are being trained are not suitable for promotion to this position at the moment.

So when chatting with Liu Zongzhou, Zhu Youjian asked him. See if Liu Zongzhou has any friends who can take up this position.

Since Liu Zongzhou was appointed to remake ritual music, he gradually realized that he and the emperor were a grasshopper on the same rope. If the remake of ritual music fails, the fate of both of them will not be much better.

Therefore, he did not pretend to be noble at this time and said that he would be recommended by all the ministers. Instead, he seriously thought about who was suitable for this position.

Just thinking that his close friends Gao Panlong, Huang Zunsu, and senior brother Feng Congwu had all passed away in the past few years, he couldn't help but feel sad, and endured the heartache and said:

"Everyone who can be recommended by the old minister has been harmed by the eunuchs."

"I heard that His Majesty spoke highly of Li Ruoxing last year and his words were reported to the Independent Commission Against Corruption."

"I think this person can serve as a civil servant. With his integrity and talent, he should be qualified for this position."

He had seen Li Ruoxing's sentence "Every fiber of the people is the destiny of the people" at the Independent Commission Against Corruption of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. At that time, he also asked carefully who said this sentence.

Now that the emperor asked him to recommend the Minister of Civil Affairs, Liu Zongzhou immediately thought of Li Ruoxing's name. I think this person's conduct is suitable for serving as a civil servant.

When Zhu Youjian heard the recommendation, he also thought of Li Ruoxing.

Because Li Ruoxing was listed as a member of the Donglin Party, the case against him was not cleared up. After Zhu Youjian heard Yuan Keli's recommendation last year, he only asked his case to be retried and did not appoint him immediately.

Now that Li Ruoxing's case has come to a conclusion, he has not contacted many Donglin Party members since he came to the capital. In addition to the recommendations of Yuan Keli and Liu Zongzhou, Zhu Youjian was quite satisfied with his resume as a local official and an official of the Three Laws Department, so he nodded in approval:

"Li Ruoxing has been included as a candidate and will be recommended by the court at a later date."

"There is also the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple. Do you have a candidate?" This is the position vacated by Ruan Dacheng. Of course Liu Zongzhou, the censor of the capital, knew about his impeachment by the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

He even guessed that the emperor wanted to use the name of corruption to punish Ruan Dacheng for framing Wei Dazhong. So he thought for a while and said:
"The Imperial Academy's editor Zhen Meng is qualified for this position."

"He was the number one scholar in the second year of Tianqi. He only served for a few months before being demoted."

"Now that I have returned to the DPRK, I should be promoted appropriately."

Zhu Youjian was not satisfied with this choice. Wen Zhenmeng was famous, but he only served as an official for a few months. If he was directly promoted from a sixth-rank editor to a fourth-rank Shaoqing, what would other officials who worked hard for the imperial court think?
So Zhu Youjian frowned, rejected this candidate, and said:

"Wen Zhenmeng's time as an official was too short. After he recovers, it will be enough to be promoted to the rank of Sixth Grade Minister. It is not appropriate to be promoted too much."

"Are there any other candidates?"

Liu Zongzhou thought for a moment and said:

"Ye Linwei, the director of Taixue, and Chen Renxi, who presides over the military examinations, can be promoted appropriately."

Zhu Youjian knew Lin Welding and Chen Renxi even more. This person was Queen Zhou's teacher and once explained "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" to Queen Zhou. The reason why he was appointed as the examiner of the martial arts examination was also because of Zhu Youjian's trust.

It can be said that Chen Renxi and Liu Hanru can both be called old ministers of Qiandi, and they will definitely be of great use in the future. However, this person had already been promoted when he was restored, and it was not suitable to be promoted again in the short term, so Zhu Youjian said:
"Chen Renxi has other uses, and his resume is inappropriate."

"Lin Weld's qualifications are barely enough, but I want to keep him in Taixue to uphold his integrity, so it's best to recommend others."

According to Lin Weld's experience and his deeds of resisting the construction of the temple, he is qualified to be responsible for the imperial wine ceremony. Zhu Youjian is not satisfied with Ma Zhiqi, the current Taixue sacrifice wine, and plans to find time to replace Lin Welding.

So he asked Liu Zongzhou to propose a few more candidates.

Liu Zongzhou was a little helpless at this time, because most of the people he wanted to recommend were not suitable for this position.

After thinking about it, he could only look away from the Hanlin Academy officials and said:
"I was originally assigned to Xuelong from the criminal department. According to the old system, he can be promoted to Shaoqing."

"Your Majesty said that the old man's old ways can be improved this time according to the old system."

Zhu Youjian didn't know much about Jie Xuelong. After asking, he learned that he had impeached Zhang Wuxu, and that he was quite knowledgeable in border defense and finance. He had been promoted from an official position, and he was quite satisfied with this candidate. said:
"Jie Xuelong is on the list of candidates and will be recommended in court when the time comes."

He listed Jie Xuelong as a candidate for the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple, and he already had his heart set on this person. Prepare to let Yang Jingchen control and promote him.

However, before the grand ceremony could be held, something happened again, which forced Zhu Youjian to summon the ministers to discuss another official position:
"Fei Zhaoyuan, Minister of Guanglu Temple, passed away while in office."

"His third-ranking envoy will be given the posthumous title of minister, and his obituary will be published in the newspaper."

"Who do you think can take the vacant position of Minister of Guanglu Temple?"

Fei Zhaoyuan's sudden death was not expected by Zhu Youjian. He could only let people handle Fei Zhaoyuan's funeral affairs, and at the same time look for a new candidate for the minister of Guanglu Temple.

It was so difficult to discuss with Liu Zongzhou the candidate for the position of Shaoqing of Honglu Temple before, so Zhu Youjian did not discuss it in private this time. Directly convene a standing meeting to deal with the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, and plan to decide on the candidates for the Minister of Guanglu Temple and the Shaoqing of Honglu Temple at the meeting.

Candidates for these two positions are recommended by the ministry according to the previously established recommendation method. Senior officials from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites can recommend candidates.

Yang Jingchen was now acting as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he first proposed candidates, believing that Xie Sheng and Fan Jingwen, who were formerly doctors of the Literature and Selection Department and had been granted the title of Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, could be qualified for this position.

Among these two candidates, Xie Sheng was forced to leave by Donglin Party Zhao Nanxing, while Fan Jingwen was from Donglin Party. It can be said that Yang Jingchen, who has just assumed the position of acting Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is very stable in the candidates recommended for this meeting. No matter which party you belong to, you can find support. Moreover, these two people were both officials of the Ministry of Personnel and could satisfy the officials of the Ministry of Personnel.

Wen Tiren, the Minister of Rites, was more inclined to Xie Sheng. Because he was already at odds with the Donglin Party and needed to win over officials who were at odds with the Donglin Party. In addition, Xie Sheng was a member of the Shandong Dezhou Guards. Based on his understanding of the emperor, he should be leaning towards this person.

However, Zhu Youjian had no tendency to choose the minister of Guanglu Temple. Dong Qichang, Li Biao and others all recommended Fan Jingwen and regarded Fan Jingwen as a positive candidate. Zhu Youjian appointed:
"Fan Jingwen came back to power and served as minister of Guanglu Temple."

"Xie Sheng came back and asked him to come to Beijing to take office."

Then they were asked to recommend the young minister of Honglu Temple. As hinted before, Yang Jingchen lived up to his expectations and manipulated Jie Xuelong to become the positive candidate.

The two vacant official positions were finally resolved, and the court remained stable as a whole. Zhu Youjian breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the officials in the Wenhua Hall, and suddenly said:
"Many of the officials who were reinstated last year and this year have not yet taken office."

"The Ministry of Personnel should send someone to remind them to make it clear that for officials who fail to hold office within a certain period of time, if there is no reasonable explanation, the appointment will be invalidated."

"This deadline should take into account the importance of the official position and the distance."

"Han Xu is from Shanxi and Li Qiyuan is from Beizhili. These two are so close to the capital. Why haven't they taken office until now?"

Zhu Youjian was very annoyed when officials did not take up their posts after being appointed. There were so many things going on in the court, and he didn't have time to wait for some officials.

In particular, some officials, whether sincere or fake, had to refuse the appointment repeatedly before they were willing to accept it.

Han Xu and Li Qiyuan declined several times one after another. Zhu Youjian didn't know whether they were raising hopes or something else. Anyway, I was very dissatisfied with them for not taking office.

Especially Han Xu. This man himself did not come to take office, but the officials in the court blamed the emperor. It was believed that the emperor treated his veteran minister harshly and did not let him serve as the chief minister. Therefore, many officials came to the meeting and believed that according to the usual practice, Han Xu should be appointed as the chief assistant.
Zhu Youjian was very angry at these memorials, and even speculated that Han Xu was raising his hopes and wanted to create a momentum of public support. Therefore, he specially instructed the staff to urge the officials who had not yet taken office to take up their posts——

Develop a new system to crack the situation at hand.

The ministers listened to the emperor's words and had their own thoughts in their hearts. Some people have already guessed that the emperor's order was aimed at Han Xu, and he had already expressed dissatisfaction with this bachelor who had not taken up his post for a long time.

If Han Xu insists on not taking office, the emperor may really invalidate the previous appointment and never reinstate this person.

But if Han Xu took office because of the emperor's threat, it would also be a blow to his prestige.

It can be said that it is Han Xu who is sitting on the candle now. The emperor used this method to attack his prestige.

Li Qiyuan, who was mentioned at the same time, was only affected. But if he doesn't express his position well, it will also be difficult for him.

After Li Ruogui, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment, learned about the incident, he wrote a letter that day and had it sent home——

He and Li Qiyuan were from the same hometown, and both were from Nanhe County, Shuntian Prefecture, Beizhili. Now that something happened to his fellow villagers, of course he had to report it.

Li Ruogui once acted as the Minister of the Ministry of Justice for a period of time, and participated in many standing meetings. I know that the emperor will not say meaningless words in such a meeting.

Li Qiyuan and Han Xu were named by the emperor together. If they did not express their attitude, the emperor would be angry. From now on, his posthumous name and the future of the Li family's children will be affected.

Out of friendship with his fellow countrymen, of course Li Ruogui had to remind him.

Even more people reminded Han Xu. They were very concerned about the Donglin Party's only ruling bachelor. But there are also many Donglin Party members who are dissatisfied with Han Xu's delay in taking office.

After the emperor's speech, they wrote letters one after another, urging Han Xu to take office as soon as possible. Let the Donglin Party in the DPRK have a spokesperson on important matters in the DPRK. (End of chapter)