Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

After a while, the two arrived at Fengtian Hall.

Huang Yan led the two of them into the side hall. Zhu Di was half-leaning on the couch, pointing to the chair on the left side and motioning for the two of them to sit down.

After Zhu Di came to the throne, except for killing a group of loyal opponents, that is, those loyal ministers of Jianwen, the rest were basically retained by the original team. Then, over the past year or so, they slowly changed their blood. With each change, he could There are more people who can use it with confidence. In Zhu Di's view, these two people are considered heavyweight ministers.

"Let's talk about what we have at hand in advance."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The two responded.

Jian Yi was born in Zhongshushe. He had seniority. He had been in charge of the civil service for so long and had a wide network of contacts. Therefore, Jiang Xinghuo obtained the news about the confinement of the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi through Huang Yan, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony. Jian Yi was also there. Got it from other sources in a short time.

Jiang Xinghuo glanced sideways slightly, signaling Jian Yi to speak first.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Civil Affairs is currently focusing on two things. The most important thing is to pass the exam. The exam has reached the final stage. All ministries, temples, and departments have submitted their reports."

"Whether it will be effective or not, we have to tell in the first year."

Zhu Di leaned his chin with his hand on the couch. While expressing his position, he thought secretly in his heart. As far as Jin Yiwei's secret investigation is concerned, the administrative efficiency of various ministries and yamen has indeed improved significantly. Even judging from Jin Yiwei's own examination results, Same thing.

It is somewhat unbelievable to say that Jinyiwei was actually the department that first implemented and experimented with most of the administrative reform measures of the imperial court. Whether it was the year-end grand reward that was the same as the reward package of the feudal clan, or the examination of law. The pilot program started with Jin Yiwei.

The actual effect is also very good. The motivation of the knights in uniforms has become very strong. The number and ratio of solving cases and investigation have been significantly improved. Of course, some of them are indispensable in order to close the case as quickly as possible. After all, Jinyiwei is essentially just a spy organization of the feudal emperor, and we cannot expect them to be completely impartial in their execution.

Zhu Di looked at Jian Yi and said, "Are there any problems during the exam?"

"Your Majesty." Jian Yi quickly bowed and saluted, but he looked like he didn't dare to say anything.

"Why are you hesitating? If you have something to say, just say it!" Zhu Di said again.

"yes."

Jian Yi bowed again, and then said: "During the specific implementation of the examination method, it was generally reported that there are still some 'small problems'."

The 'little problem' that could be said from the mouth of the Minister of Civil Affairs must be more than just a 'little problem'. Zhu Di sat up straight on the couch, his eyes reddened by the charcoal fire in the brazier next to him.

In fact, the palace has better heating facilities and better charcoal, which can make the room warm as spring without any fire or sound, but Zhu Di likes the sound of charcoal "cracking" and exploding. It seems that only in this way can he make the house warm like spring without any fire or sound. He wakes up from time to time and does not indulge in warm and comfortable surroundings.

"explain."

"The first is what the Ministry of Civil Affairs discovered during practice. That is, the law stipulates that officials cannot be promoted, leave office (including transfer), or take up official positions before their previous cases are settled. No matter what the official's current status is, as long as he is involved in a need According to the verified information, even officials who are recovering from illness will still be summoned to answer questions. If the matter cannot be completed, they will not be promoted, leave office (including transfer), or become official, which will affect the normal flow of officials."

To Jian Yi's expectation, Zhu Di didn't react much to this. In fact, Jian Yi didn't expect the emperor to understand the difficulties of the staff in the actual implementation process at first, but now it seems that his guess about the emperor was not accurate. .

Jiang Xinghuo listened and roughly understood.

Although he did not have any trustworthy officials in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he could learn from ordinary contacts that the examination method had indeed had a great impact on the normal work flow of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in practice.

Matters such as personnel appointments do not mean that there will be no variables once they are finalized. If an official has not settled a few matters due to the examination, he will be unable to take office. This position is not waiting for anyone, and a large number of The delay resulted in a large number of personnel conflicts, many of which involved transactions involving job operations.

"What about the second and third ones? Read them together for me to hear."

"yes."

Seeing that Zhu Di was not angry, Jian Yi continued to boldly report: "The second is that local officials generally reflect that some things in the Kao Chengfa can be completed with human effort, while some things do not actually depend on the ability and ability of local officials. For example, if there are bandits, they must solve the case within a time limit, but even if three squads of government officers are dispatched to search the whole city, or if the local guard station is asked to assist in the suppression, it is unknown whether they can be captured in one round."

Zhu Di actually understood, and Jiang Xinghuo also understood that the situations reflected by Jian Yi were indeed the actual situations encountered during the advancement of the Kao Chengfa for more than a year.

Jiang Xinghuo looked at Zhu Di who was deep in thought and thought for a moment. He felt that as the emperor, he should turn a blind eye to this choice.

After all, there are almost no perfect policies in this world. Most policies are double-edged swords, with advantages and disadvantages. It is impossible to say that the examination method has all advantages and no disadvantages. This is not objective. The three people present are all Be very clear about this.

Therefore, choosing to escape is a very good option.

Although it is shameful to escape, in the end, the problem still exists.

But escaping does work.

Because as time goes by, new unwritten policy rules will automatically form, and these problems that seemed at the beginning will not be problems in the future.

As long as the policy is beneficial overall, it must be implemented consistently.

And this kind of thing is just like the Jinyiwei handling cases. In order to pass the exam, officials have to break down the tasks and push them down. If the real criminals cannot be caught, they will arrest people to make up for their crimes, and then torture them to extract confessions, and beat them into submission. Then the case is closed.

"Go on." Zhu Di pondered for a moment and motioned for Jian Yi to continue.

Jian Yi gritted his teeth and saw that the emperor did not have the idea of ​​'solving the person who raised the problem', so he simply shook his head and said: "It's okay to say that the three books of accounts are good. Tracking the progress of registering and registering is conducive to improving the efficiency of government affairs, but each It takes nearly ten days to complete the statistics and verification every month, and a lot of things from the local area to the central center are delayed because of this."

Zhu Di frowned and said, "Does Yizhi think these problems can be solved?"

Thousands of words flashed through Jian Yi's heart, but he finally replied: "I'll be honest, it's difficult."

After Zhu Di heard this, he couldn't help but laugh: "If you say this, then I will raise troops to quell the difficulties. How many times will we face difficulties and dangers, and there will be no solution? Everything depends on whether people want to try their best. ?”

Jian Yi said sarcastically: "Your Majesty's words make sense."

Zhu Di shook his head and said: "You civil servants only care about your own reputation and black hat, but you don't think about the country."

At this point, his tone suddenly became sharp and he said: "I want to be a stable official, and nothing will come to my door; I also want to be promoted and make money without having to do anything; I also want to be able to do things well. Coping with passing the exam, but not wanting to cause trouble, there are so many things in this world that have the best of both worlds?"

Jian Yi lowered his head and said nothing, and Jiang Xinghuo didn't say anything either, but both of them knew very well that Zhu Di was not simply scolding Jian Yi.

What's the point of reprimanding Jian Yi? Plug your ears and the problem still exists.

The emperor was just expressing his attitude.

Then, Zhu Di began to use the topic to highlight the theme of today's meeting with them.

The emperor was concerned about what exactly the Minister of Civil Affairs had done, but he was not concerned enough to inquire about it alone. He came to them both for another purpose.

"I took over this country from Taizu Emperor Gao. I just want the people of the world to live and work in peace and contentment. What if someone who is really capable, virtuous, and stronger than me becomes the emperor? What if you civil servants don't mind, I Do you really mind? I just want all the people in the world to have a good destination."

Zhu Di sighed as he spoke: "I am also a human being. Who doesn't want to live a down-to-earth life? But if I don't become the emperor, how can I maintain the order of the world?"

For the first time, Jiang Xinghuo felt that Zhu Di was unusually thick-skinned.

Well, this is just a time when Jiang Xinghuo has never seen Zhu Di need to perform like this before. Let’s not talk about it from afar, let’s just say that in recent years, it was Zhu Di who took Prince Ning’s hand and said, “When things are done, we will divide the world”; It was Zhu Di who held Zhu Gaoxu's hand and said, "If the prince is sick, you should encourage him." Zhu Di could say these nonsense without hesitation and without any hesitation if necessary, even if he didn't believe it.

Jian Yi said hurriedly: "I and others naturally hope that your majesty will live forever and that the Ming Dynasty will be prosperous forever."

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and said nothing.

If the incident in which the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi was imprisoned was not magnified, it would actually be a rare opportunity for him to finally make a profit.

"Ah!"

Zhu Di sneered: "Let's talk about the test."

After telling them about the big brother's affairs, Zhu Di felt that it was almost done. Sometimes the affairs between the emperor and the prince were conflicts, but if they talked about it too much, it would be a family scandal, and the nature was different.

The emperor can be dissatisfied with certain behaviors of the prince and can also take action, but if the ministers think that the prince is completely untrustworthy, it is not the emperor's original intention, because what the emperor needs is to weaken the existence that threatens his imperial power, and Rather than completely abolishing it and allowing the remaining forces to grow, checks and balances are the most important thing.

"The National Preceptor said that since the Imperial Examination Method was proposed by the National Preceptor, then the National Preceptor also has solutions to these shortcomings in its operation."

Zhu Di habitually left the problem to Jiang Xinghuo, telling himself that those who can do more work.

Faced with Zhu Di's behavior of "use it to death if it works well", Jiang Xinghuo didn't mind too much. After all, he led the reform, and he should be responsible for it if there were problems.

"There is still a way."

Jiang Xinghuo said calmly: "Actually, from an overall point of view, the advantages of the examination method outweigh the disadvantages. After all, the operation of the entire court is different with and without the examination method. It's like Like a belt."

Even Jian Yi cannot refute this point. In fact, the implementation of the examination law has greatly enhanced the administrative efficiency of the government at all levels from top to bottom, because the examination objectives of each department are different, and each department is responsible for the achievement. , it is a chain of links, well, in the words of modern management, it is "result-oriented". Only the results of key matters are assessed. I don't care how it is completed.

The advantage of this method is high efficiency, but the disadvantage is that it is relatively simple and crude, and many problems in the process cannot be taken into account.

But in terms of Zhu Di's style, he likes this.

After all, it is a relatively fair thing to have one level of management, and those below will be reviewed and assessed by the top, and then rewarded and punished based on the degree of achievement of the legal goals. As for whether it will lead to unjust, false, and wrongful convictions, it will It won't cause the push to be too hasty. Jiang Xinghuo may still care, but Zhu Di doesn't care.

"I don't think it's a big problem that officials are delayed in promotion because they passed the legal exam."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at Jian Yi frankly and said: "Whether it is the Ministry of Personnel or the local government below, there should be pre-examination when selecting and employing people. Whether an official can complete the examination should actually be done long ago. Seeing clues in the monthly records, rather than waiting for the final explosion, this kind of thing is a pile of accumulated disadvantages."

"So I believe that in the case of delayed promotions and transfers due to the delay in promotion and transfer due to the examination, at the central level, the Ministry of Civil Affairs should humbly interview and verify the officials of various ministries, temples, etc., and the subsequent examination at the local level should also be based on what I said in prison. , it is necessary to add feedback from the relevant subjects. In this way, officials who are in a dilemma will consider those who are quiet and courteous to the people as the best, while those who deceive superiors and deceive subordinates and pretend to be pretentious will be exposed even if they are lucky for a while."

"As for the impact of monthly status on official duties, just let the officials add value on their own. When the time comes, the bonus will be included in the test scores and rewarded."

Yes, Jiang Xinghuo’s handling method is also very direct. If you think it will affect promotion and transfer, then inspect the officials early, and don’t pierce your ears when you get on the sedan. If you think the quota for passing the legal exam is disturbing the people, then do what I said in prison and give it to the people. With a little power of speech, the satisfaction of the people can affect the passing of the examination; if your monthly registration delays official duties, then you can work overtime yourself, and the overtime work will be counted as extra points for passing the examination, and you will not be allowed to work in vain.

Jian Yi was speechless by Jiang Xinghuo's method.

If Jiang Xinghuo does this, will there be a series of subsequent problems? Definitely. Jiang Xinghuo himself has figured it out a long time ago. If you use public opinion as a reference, someone will inevitably fabricate it and use it to throw dirty water on his colleagues.

When working overtime counts as a performance test, there will definitely be a situation where a bunch of people light up the lamps and burn oil but end up not doing much at all.

But there is no other way, it is better than paying overtime and then being used as legal extra money by the subordinates.

It can only be said that the lesser of two powers harms each other.

Jiang Xinghuo's next words were a bit less polite: "As for the local areas, the imperial court can naturally leave it to the officials. If local officials cannot carefully screen them and still do things perfunctorily, they should be dismissed and eliminated impartially. If the officials cannot carefully screen them carefully, If you deal with it with the old methods, it means that the officials are incompetent, and the court should replace them impartially."

"If the Imperial Preceptor feels that the staff is incompetent, then the Imperial Preceptor will have full authority to take charge."

Jian Yi replied with neither salt nor coldness.

Regardless of whether Jiang Xinghuo deliberately wanted to embarrass him, or whether the two ministers should not show too much unity in front of the emperor, in short, Jian Yi was going to tear him apart at this time.

Zhu Di waved his hand to tell Jian Yi not to delve deeper, and then said to him: "What the Imperial Master said is not unreasonable, but there are some things that the officials must be able to do themselves. What others say does not count. What do you think is appropriate?" Woolen cloth?"

The emperor's words were clever, and he protected Jian Yi in disguise. Jian Yi also knew that this was an opportunity for him to stop arguing with Jiang Xinghuo openly, so he naturally bowed and replied: "The officials will discuss it when they get back." Come in detail."

Jiang Xinghuo looked at the two of them and felt quite satisfied in his heart. Doesn't the big vampire just like to see the disharmony between different forces? Just satisfy him.

Jian Yi paused, and then said: "However, I suggest that you still need to consider it carefully. You cannot put other things in an unimportant position just because you have passed the exam. This is putting the cart before the horse."

Zhu Di said: "I will consider this."

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Jian Yi and ordered: "Go back and check the results of this year's examination of the various central ministries and monasteries, and then draft a memorial and send it to me, without going through the cabinet and the General Affairs Department. Now Just go for it.”

This is what it means to let Jian Yi go directly to Mi Zhe and Zhu Di to see the final result in advance.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Jian Yi bowed and agreed, then turned and left.

After Jian Yi left, Zhu Di smiled: "Yi Zhi, everything else is good, but he is too old-fashioned and square."

The implication is that Jian Yi is doing a good job, and even the word "old-fashioned and upright" is not a derogatory connotation in terms of work attitude.

Jiang Xinghuo also smiled and said: "Your Majesty, Minister Jian is a smart man, he knows what to do."

Jian Yi finally left the show. Jiang Xinghuo and Zhu Di sang in harmony, and there was quite a tacit understanding. When it was their turn to be alone, Zhu Di changed his attitude slightly.

Zhu Di snorted and said: "Whether they are civil servants or military generals, they all think about Xiao Jiujiu in their hearts. They only care about their own black hats, but they forget that there are still too few people like Li Shu and Guoshi in the world."

Jiang Xinghuo said: "Your Majesty is right."

Yes, yes, I watch you perform, you continue.

In fact, for the emperor, is it really bad for a person who only cares about his own shame? Not necessarily, it can even be said to be the opposite. People with more weaknesses are easier to control, but people like Jiang Xinghuo are extremely difficult to control.

"I don't like these surrendered ministers who bow to me immediately, but now, I don't mind using it. But the test method is still good. Survival of the fittest. In this way, those who are capable will be at the top and those who are not will be at the bottom. It can't be said that it is more than ten In a few years, these people will gradually be eliminated.”

Zhu Di changed the topic: "How is the matter with the imperial examination materials and the School of Administration?"

Jiang Xinghuo answered truthfully: "The imperial court's annotation of the Six Classics has been released. As for Xunzi's theory of the Holy King, it has also been revised into a volume. The Imperial College Printing Office is working overtime day and night to rush the work and will make it as soon as possible at the cost. If the price is put into the market, this part of Xunzi's thought will also appear in the next imperial examination, accounting for at least one-fifth."

Zhu Di's expression softened a bit and he said: "This is an important matter. It must be promoted not only within the court, but also throughout the world. You must also study the new rules of the exam carefully and come up with them as soon as possible."

Jiang Xinghuo said: "Yes, as for the administrative school, it has now reached a large scale, but it cannot be used immediately. Even the first batch of students will take three to five years before they can be used. As for what His Majesty said, Replacing these people is probably something that can only be thought of in ten or eight years.”

"Officials from various ministries and monasteries, where are these batches of rotation training in the administrative school?"

"The effects are not visible yet, they are all short-term rotational training classes."

Jiang Xinghuo answered honestly. Although Zhu Di was a little impatient, he still held it back. He himself knew that blood exchange could not be rushed. He wanted to rely on short-term rotation training classes to greatly improve the administrative level and loyalty and patriotism of the civil servants in various ministries and temples. Heart, that’s also nonsense.

After talking about some miscellaneous things at hand, the work reporting session was over, and Zhu Di suddenly said something.

"It's not easy to be an emperor, and it's not easy to be a father either."

These words are sincere, not purely Versailles. Although the emperor is a noble person, the emperor's life is also very difficult. The emperor has to face a lot of pressure. In addition to controlling the civil and military ministers, he also has to deal with his own closest relatives.

The emperor must maintain a balanced appearance on the surface, ensure that the army is loyal to him, maintain the stability of the world, maintain the balance of power in the court, and beware of civil servants' over-the-top obedience. All these require the emperor to make great efforts. , and sometimes even fall into a situation of fighting alone. Only those who have experienced this kind of pain can understand.

Well, although few people can experience it personally.

This king, whom the world respects, faced a situation where everyone in the world was an enemy when he first came to the throne. He once fell into violence and extremes, and even made many ridiculous actions. In the end, he slowly relied on his strong willpower to become a king. Back to normal without turning into a complete tyrant.

And now, Zhu Di has finally found a path of his own, which is both simple and difficult.

Jiang Xinghuo suddenly said at this time: "Actually, the Second Prince misses you very much."

Zhu Di was suddenly stunned. At a certain moment, he even felt that he was hallucinating.

"What did you say?"