Chapter 577 Who is the enemy and who is the friend

Zhao Zhenji and Zhang Juzheng were thinking about it in their hearts.

I dare not not think about it.

The emperor’s political schemes were inherited from his ancestors and were personally trained by Emperor Sejong. Anyone who had served as a minister to Emperor Sejong had a shadow of unknown size in their hearts.

That’s not all. The emperor’s political strategies are even better than his master’s. In particular, he is good at planning, and can be called a master. Often, once he makes a move, it takes others a long time to understand it.

Over time, the ministers had to think carefully about every move the emperor made.

Zhu Yijun did not give them time to think about it.

“Lord Dazhou, Master Zhang, Qi Jiguang, Huo Ji, Li Chengliang, Ma Fang, Xiao Wenkui, and Ma Lu have all returned to Beijing to report their positions. Has the Advisory Council approved their military achievements in conquering and subduing the right wing of Mongolia?”

“In reply to the emperor, the Council of Advisors has decided that Qi Jiguang should be promoted to county duke, Huo Ji, Li Chengliang, Ma Fang and Xiao Wenkui should be made marquises, and Ma Lu and others should be made earls.”

The conferment of titles and honors is a special favor from the emperor and does not require a court meeting.

“Qi Jiguang was promoted to Duke of Laiyang County, Huo Ji was promoted to Marquis of Ningxiang, Li Chengliang, Ma Fang, and Xiao Wenkui were each promoted from Earl to Marquis, and Ma Lu was promoted to Earl of Gaoyang. Qi Yan, ask the Imperial Household Department to draft an imperial edict, pass it to the military government, and officially announce it to the whole country.”

“According to the order.”

Zhu Yijun rinsed his mouth with the tea, spit it into the copper basin, and then wiped his hands and face with a towel in warm water.

“Master Zhang, Lord Dazhou, let’s go out for a walk to help digest the food.”

“Yes.”

Zhu Yijun walked in front with his hands in his sleeves, while Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji followed behind him on his left and right.

“The weather in the capital is getting hotter and hotter. The officials in various government offices are handling government affairs in the scorching heat, which is really hard. I will tell Yang Jinshui later to allocate some money from the inner treasury to give to the officials in the capital as summer heat prevention expenses.”

Zhang Juzheng immediately said: “On behalf of the officials in Beijing, I would like to thank the emperor for his great grace.”

“Master Zhang is implementing the performance evaluation system. I know everyone is complaining.

If you can comfort him, then comfort him. But rules are rules. If he keeps crying and making a fuss, you can give him some candy. If he wants to get away with it, then I will tell him not to eat anything for the rest of his life!”

“The Emperor’s Holy Might.”

“The Shuntian Prefecture Tongpan Office Shen Court is trying the case of Lin Youcai. Does Master Zhang know about this?”

“I know.”

“Master Zhang, you can understand why I want to publicize this case and ask the Imperial Household Department to follow up on this matter and preach it well.”

Zhang Juzheng glanced at Zhao Zhenji and continued, “Your Majesty, I have a wild guess that Your Majesty has made this case a model for judicial reform in the Metropolitan Procuratorate.”

“Legal reform is what Dazhougong has been doing. But it is only one of its aspects.”

One?

There is another one.

What is this second one?

Zhang Juzheng answered honestly: “Your Majesty, I am stupid and can’t think of what your second choice is.”

Zhu Yijun stopped and turned to look at Zhang Juzheng, “Master Zhang, Lin Youcai was a clerk, a minor clerk from a miscellaneous background; Huang Huaibi and others who poisoned him were officials, all of whom were officials from the right background.”

Officials and officials!
Zhang Juzheng’s expression changed slightly, and Zhao Zhenji, who had been calm and composed just now, couldn’t help but be moved.

The emperor’s strategy of killing two birds with one stone was very clever.

Zhu Yijun walked leisurely to the pavilion by the lake, and Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji followed him in.

“Master Zhang, in any struggle, we must first figure out who our enemies are and who our friends are. If we figure out these two points, we will get twice the result with half the effort.”

Zhang Juzheng said solemnly: “I beg Your Majesty to give me some advice.”

“In July of the third year of Hongwu, Palace Attendant Censor Xun Shi and Censors Wang Ziqi and Hu Ziqi were appointed as Censor and Assistant Censor of Guangxi. Emperor Taizu ordered, ‘Be strict in governing officials and be lenient to the people.’ In September of the ninth year of Hongwu, Fujian Councillors Wei Jian and Qu Zhuang beat corrupt officials to death. Emperor Taizu not only did not blame them, but instead gave them a seal to commend them, ‘The ruler governs his ministers with courtesy, and the ministers govern their officials with law. When officials are deceitful, the government is corrupted, and when the government is corrupted, the people suffer. I have always felt sad. Only benevolent people can hate people.'”

Zhu Yijun glanced at Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji, and continued to ask: “Master Zhang, do you know where the officials of our dynasty come from?”

Zhang Juzheng replied: “The Emperor is testing me.

There are two sources of civil servants in the Ming Dynasty: one is the qianchong and the other is the qianchong. Qianchong means that the common people are qianchong officials. The “Da Ming Hui Dian” says, “All qianchong officials are selected from farmers who have no criminal record, are under 30 years old and can write.”

In the first month of the 18th year of Hongwu, the Ministry of Rites approved that all the students who failed the annual tribute examinations would take the exam again, and those who failed the exam again would be punished to become clerks.

In the 27th year of Hongwu, it was ordered that any student who had been on stipend for ten years but had made no progress in his studies would be punished and made an official.

During the Yongle reign, the Ministry of Rites recommended that students from the northern provinces who had been in school for more than six years but failed the examination should be made into civil servants. In the Zhengtong reign, it was further stipulated that if students had been in school for more than six years but did not understand literature and science, all those who were on government stipends would be made civil servants, and those who were on government stipends would be demoted and made civilians.

Students in the academy were appointed as clerks, and candidates and instructors were appointed as clerks. Candidates who failed the exam were employed as teachers on trial basis. In the 31st year of Hongwu, candidates who failed the exam were given an exam. More than 400 candidates passed the exam and were appointed as professors of prefectural schools, instructors of state schools, and county instructors according to their rankings. Nearly 100 candidates who failed the exam were punished by being appointed as clerks of the state.

During the Hongzhi reign, it was stipulated that all students, scholars, and students who participated in the provincial examinations, as well as candidates who participated in the metropolitan examinations, who were found to have committed fraud during the search, would be punished and sent to serve as an official.

Zhu Yijun nodded approvingly: “Master Zhang formulated the performance evaluation system and worked hard on the old system of officials in our dynasty.”

“Your Majesty, I am so flattered. If I want to follow a thorough approach, I must trace the causes and consequences to ensure that everything is done properly.”

Zhu Yijun turned around and looked at the lake. “In the fourth year of Hongwu, Taizu ordered all officials and entertainers to wear black clothes to distinguish themselves from officials and civilians.

When the imperial examination was held, the Secretariat requested that all students, talented people, and clerks be allowed to take the exam. Emperor Taizu issued a clear edict that clerks were corrupt and were not allowed to take the exam. The Great Edict and its sequel and third editions repeatedly denounced the harm caused by clerks.

From this we can see that the country has discriminated against and distrusted officials since the establishment of the dynasty. People in the world also regard being an official as a lowly person. Every time I read this, I sigh with regret. “

Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji remained silent. They understood the general meaning of Zhu Yijun’s words, but they wanted to hear more and deeper thoughts.

“Master Zhang, Lord Dazhou, most of the officials of the imperial court came from the imperial examination system. A good man is one who can be called out at Donghua Gate. He is good at poetry, songs, and literature.

They all talk a lot and make suggestions, each one more powerful than the other.

But actually?
There are very few people who can really handle civil affairs and deal with the complicated and complicated matters.

In the end, all government affairs of the country were handled by clerks. These despised clerks became the implementers of national consciousness and national power, the actual executors of all state affairs, and the only ones who dealt with the people most directly.

In the eyes of the people, what is the mighty power of heaven? It is the officials of the various government offices. “

Zhang Juzheng and Zhao Zhenji were silent. This was the unavoidable truth.

Zhu Yijun sighed and said, “Everyone in the court looks down on officials, but officials can seek wealth and honor for themselves.

They can take advantage of officials’ incompetence and do their own thing, either to achieve something or to cheat. They can also collude with officials, either to seek benefits for the country and the people, or to commit corruption and pervert the law.

After the Chenghua period, clerks became a way for scholars who had no hope of passing the imperial examinations and for farmers’ children who had no way to make a living to seek a way out, which was passed down from generation to generation. So they began to pay for the position.

The East Factory reported that in the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign, if one wanted to be a clerk, one had to pay 30 taels of silver before taking the exam. After passing the exam, one would be qualified to be a clerk and fill a vacancy. One also had to pay dozens to hundreds of taels of silver as a substitute and a replacement to the officials before one could be appointed as a clerk as soon as possible.

The price is clearly marked, and no one is cheated. “

Zhang Juzheng suddenly had an idea and understood why the emperor had insisted on passing the examination, adding clerks to the official roster of the Ministry of Personnel, abolishing their menial positions, and treating them equally with officials.

Zhu Yijun continued: “The clerks were fined and their reputations were stripped, and their future was hopeless, so they only cared about personal gain. The clerks spent hundreds of taels of silver to seek the position, so naturally they wanted to find ways to recover the principal and interest.

It just so happens that all practical affairs of the court are in their hands. They can hide bad things from their superiors, but they cannot hide the officials’ privacy from them.

Unhealthy official conduct and corrupt administration are mutually reinforcing.

Master Zhang, Lord Dazhou, I am recruiting new clerks and combining the officials into one. This means that I want to combine the official style and the official administration together, unify their management, and rectify them all at once. “

At this point, Zhu Yijun said in a serious tone: “Master Zhang, when you implemented the system of examinations, you were not fighting against the Zhejiang Party or the Shanxi Party, but were actually fighting against a huge bureaucratic group.

Forced by your system of examination and evaluation, they are all united together passively, and even your Chu party may have some people who are disloyal. Because this is an infringement on their vital interests, they will definitely fight back.

At this time, Master Zhang, we must distinguish clearly who are our enemies and who are our friends.

First we need to make more friends. As we become stronger, our enemies will gradually decrease, and our friends will increase. In the end, victory will belong to us.”

Zhang Juzheng’s eyes lit up. “The emperor is asking his ministers to win over the officials to check and balance those officials who resist the performance evaluation system?”

At this moment, his heart was in turmoil.

He finally understood what was going on.

At the beginning, the emperor ignored the strong dissuasion from both the court and the public and insisted on adding the clerks to the official register and then subjecting all officials to the same system. It turned out that it was all for this step today.

Although officials and clerks share the same system, historical legacies still exist and the artificial division between officials and clerks remains.

The emperor now asks me to take advantage of this division and use clerks to deal with officials.

Zhao Zhenji’s heart was also in turmoil, and he secretly admired Zhu Yijun’s foresight.

With this move, Zhang Juzheng’s performance evaluation system came alive and there was no need to worry at all.

He clapped his hands and cheered: “Your Majesty is wise, this is a great plan.

The performance evaluation system is nothing more than setting limits to evaluate work and holding people accountable for work. All practical work in each government office is handled by clerks, and the people who are least afraid of being evaluated for their work performance are clerks.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhu Yijun with admiration in his eyes: “Mr. Zhao is right. Looking at the performance evaluation results of various government offices before, only one in ten practical clerks failed the test, while more than half of the regular officials failed the test.

Now the emperor has shown mercy and enrolled clerks as officials, and their career paths are the same. If an official fails the examination, the clerks will take his place, since they were the ones who did most of the practical work before.

In this way, I will not be afraid of the blackmail of those officials. If the test results are not satisfactory, I dare to send all the officials of a government office to study classes and ask clerks to replace them. “

Zhao Zhenji continued to echo, “Your Majesty is wise, and has pointed out a clear way for Prime Minister Zhang to control officials by using officials.

Regardless of whether it is the right path or the wrong path, as long as you can do the work, you will be given a chance to pursue a career in government. Regardless of whether it is a science test or a supplementary test, as long as you can select talents that can be used, you can have a try. “

Science test!

Zhang Juzheng keenly heard the hidden meaning in Zhao Zhenji’s words.

Now the Emperor has enrolled all the clerks in the central and local government offices, and has also recruited thousands of royal family members as officials. Together with the talents trained by the Imperial College and many academies, there is no shortage of manpower to do the work.

He was so ruthless that he found reasons to suspend the imperial examinations for a few years. This would not affect the government and state affairs at all, but it would make scholars all over the world suspicious.

The imperial examinations were suspended, but those who were admitted to the Imperial College, Jintai Baita and other academies could still become officials, so they would apply for the Imperial College and the New School without hesitation.

Your Majesty is right. The reason why Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism flourished in the current dynasty was not because it truly grasped the great principles of heaven and earth, but because Emperor Taizu stipulated that one could become an official by studying it.

Zhang Juzheng hesitated for a moment, then decided to have a frank talk with the emperor about the reform of the imperial examination.

Zhang Juzheng wanted to talk, but Zhu Yijun didn’t, at least not now.

He said to Zhang Juzheng: “Master Zhang, I want to talk to Lord Dazhou about judicial reform.”

I have made it very clear, Master Zhang, you can take your leave now.

Zhang Juzheng was depressed, and his desire to talk became even more urgent.

“Your Majesty, I have some ideas about the imperial examination and would like to report them to Your Majesty.”

Zhu Yijun smiled faintly and blinked his eyes. “Master Zhang, don’t worry. I will have a good talk with you in a few days.”

Zhang Juzheng suddenly realized that the emperor was waiting for news from Jiangnan to be reported back to Beijing.

I knew that nothing good would happen to this Hai Heizi once he left Beijing.

This time when he went to the south of the Yangtze River, he was erratic and played around with military tactics. He even scared his cunning mentor so much that he had to entrust his son to him. He must have caused a big fuss in the East China Sea!
If Hai Rui makes trouble in the East China Sea, the emperor will have a lot of cards in his hands. Then come and talk to me.
What’s the point of talking about that?

But the emperor has made it clear that he wants to wait until the truth in Jiangnan comes out before talking to me. Do I dare to force him to talk?

I really don’t dare.

Deep down, Zhang Juzheng was really a little afraid of this student.

Yan Song and Xu Jie, who were much more powerful than him, were both tormented by him. How could he not be afraid?

Li Chun came running over: “Your Majesty, an urgent report from the Rong government!”

The Rong government reported urgently that there was urgent military information.

Zhang Juzheng glanced at Zhu Yijun and knew that there would be no chance of success today.

(End of this chapter)