Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 46 Virtual and Real
After the title system was determined, Zhu Youjian did not discuss other matters. He knew that enough had happened today, and he needed to give the officials some time to digest and adapt to the changes.

The most important thing now is to give titles to officials at all levels as soon as possible in the name of ascending to the throne and gaining grace. Establish a new title-adding system so that the original titles will not be abandoned.

This matter naturally fell on Yang Jingchen, the minister of the Ministry of Personnel who was specially promoted to supervise and promote. So after the court ended, many people greeted him and they were very pleasant.

Yang Jingchen was frightened and felt a little unreal. Before the Chang Shen meeting was held, he was still a minister who had just taken up a post in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. After the meeting, he became the assistant minister who specially supervised the promotion and promotion, was in charge of the Literature and Selection Department, and was promoted to the envoy.

And it is certain that as long as he does this well, the emperor is likely to promote himself to the position of minister. Those courtiers who have received additional titles will not have much objection. He may become a minister before Cao Sicheng.

Minister, envoy, minister; minister, minister; bachelor, minister, auxiliary minister, chief assistant.

This promotion route is already in front of you. You just need to be loyal to the emperor and make him feel useful.

A bright future is beckoning to him. Yang Jingchen finally knows why Fang Zhuanghui mentioned Zhang Fuking:
Zhang Fujing was awarded Jinshi at the age of forty-seven and became the first assistant in just a few years.

Fang Zhuangwei used him to explain that the official position of a minister was nothing. As long as the emperor valued it, he could be promoted in a few years. If the emperor doesn't take it seriously, a threshold can be stuck for more than ten years.

Just like those ministers who did not participate in the regular meeting, I am afraid they still don't know that there are two steps between them and the minister: envoys and ministers. Without the emperor's attention, you may never be promoted in your lifetime.

This made Yang Jingchen sigh:
Only now do I understand what the old gentleman meant that day!

Without encouraging him to become Zhang Fujing, Fang Zhuanghui would not mention Zhang Fujing at all. Since it was specifically mentioned, it was already made clear.

After Yang Jingchen figured this out, he made up his mind to be completely loyal to the emperor, strive to gain the emperor's respect and become the second Zhang Fuking.

The first thing to do now is to implement the title promotion system determined at the Standing Committee meeting and determine the candidates for permanent court officials. This matter must be decided before the daily meeting on September 6th. Yang Jingchen only has one and a half days left.

If the information transmission time is also taken into consideration, he needs to confirm the title promotion this afternoon and disseminate it tomorrow.

"The level of titles to be added has already been decided at the regular meeting. It just needs to be implemented one by one."

"One day will definitely be too late to write and pass on the imperial edict. Tomorrow we can only announce the list to determine the candidates for the permanent court officials."

"This list must be complete. People who are unable to attend regular court meetings must not be allowed to cause trouble or be criticized. Please refer to me for a copy during the court meeting."

"Try to be fair and just and strictly follow the rules."

After explaining his arrangements to the officials of the Literature and Selection Department, Yang Jingchen realized that the most important thing for him now was to increase the titles of the officials of the six departments and determine the candidates for the permanent court officials. So he directly brought back the officials from the Literature and Selection Department who had just concluded the meeting, and devoted himself to the intense preparation of the list. He had no time to pay attention to the outside discussions about the standing meeting.

But other people started talking about it. With the end of the regular meeting, almost everything that happened at the meeting was spread through various channels. Everyone was very curious about the first thing the emperor decided upon after establishing the Standing Committee.

However, even though all the ministers knew that the emperor might do great things at the first standing meeting, they did not expect that the changes would be so drastic.

By simply changing the fictitious title, the emperor completely broke the previously agreed rules for the promotion of senior officials. How to be promoted in the future depends on the titles of officials at all levels.

"Who can tell me whether the Fourth Auxiliary Minister has real power or whether he has a false title?" an official asked doubtfully.

Another official had an inscrutable smile, shook his head and said:

"If you say it is true, it is true; if you say it is false, it is false." "Anyway, there is no government office, it all depends on your Majesty's will."

"When Your Majesty wants to use it, it is real; when Your Majesty does not use it, it is imaginary."

"Just like the cabinet bachelor, the only official subordinates are the imperial edict room and the imperial edict room Zhongshu Sheren, but who dares to say that it is false!"

Now many people understood. An official next to him said:
"The Fourth Auxiliary Officer is the predecessor of the Cabinet Bachelor. Now His Majesty's re-establishment of the Fourth Auxiliary Minister is the same as setting up the Cabinet."

"It is said to be a false title, but it can have real power through His Majesty's trust. Your Majesty wants to use the four ministers to disperse the power of the cabinet."

A Hanlin Academy official was puzzled and said:
"The intention is so obvious, the four bachelors in the cabinet just watch His Majesty act nonsense?"

"Don't they know that this is dividing the responsibilities of the cabinet?"

The official who shook his head said:

"How do you know that the four cabinet ministers don't know?"

"Now that they have become ministers, they can legitimately rank in front of the ministers of the six ministers without adding the title of minister."

"It seems that some powers have been dispersed, but in fact their authority is even stronger!"

After everyone heard the words and thought about it, they felt that it was indeed the case. The cabinet bachelor's class was ranked in front of the six ministers, and they initially relied on the title of minister. Later, the class of bachelors who entered the cabinet as ministers also ranked in front of the six ministers, but in the end they were somewhat unjustified.

Nowadays, the cabinet bachelor, who has been promoted to the first-rank minister of auxiliary government, and from the first-rank official minister, can legitimately be ranked in front of the six ministers who have been promoted to the second-rank minister. This is a big plus for them.

Overall, there are gains and losses between the cabinet and the six ministries, and it is hard to say who loses and who gains. So some people are confused:

"Why does Your Majesty want to change it like this? Is it not as good as before?"

The official who shook his head said:

"Not good! Of course it's not good!"

"The original rules were established by convention, but the current rules are set by His Majesty."

"Which rule do you think is better for His Majesty?"

"What's more, Huang Shoufu is already Zuozhuguo, Young Master and Crown Prince's Grand Master, Grand Bachelor of Zhongji Palace, and Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. If Your Majesty doesn't change the rules and add him as an auxiliary minister, are you going to give him three additional ministers as a reward for his achievement in reaching the highest level?"

"Even if His Majesty dares to add it, does Huang Shoufang dare to accept it?"

The only civil servant who was born and raised in the Ming Dynasty was Zhang Juzheng, and even Yang Tinghe, who assisted Emperor Jiajing in ascending to the throne, declined. Huang Liji is so virtuous and capable that he dares to accept the birth of Jia Sangong? Thinking of this, everyone understood better the reason why the emperor appointed four ministers. It was really Wei Zhongxian who was handing out official positions indiscriminately, leaving the emperor with no title!

However, although Huang Liji failed to give birth to Jiasangong, his reputation as an assistant minister still made everyone envious. They all thought that only because of the smoke coming out of his ancestral grave could he become the first official chief minister of the Ming Dynasty with his mediocre deeds. With this name, Huang Liji can stand out among the previous chief assistants and will definitely leave his name in history.

(End of this chapter)