In the Ming Dynasty, the Great Court Meeting was held on the first and fifteenth day of each month. The Great Court Meeting was purely a ceremonial activity. Its purpose was to let officials see the emperor, show the majesty of the imperial power in the solemn ceremony, and at the same time increase Officials have a sense of belonging and honor. Almost all Beijing officials above the sixth rank will attend the court meeting. With so many people and such a noisy scene, political affairs are usually not discussed, but this court meeting on the first day of April is obviously different from the past.
On the morning of the first day of April, according to Chinese people's usual habit, the lower the rank, the earlier the officials came and waited at their seats in a polite manner. The grand maesters were the last to arrive, walking along the path left in the middle of the procession of officials.
The three bachelors looked forward with indifferent expressions and walked forward leisurely. That kind of detached prime ministerial demeanor cannot be learned by being an official for one or two years. The courtiers couldn't help but cast envious glances at them. , even Beijing officials, and even many Beijing officials of fourth and fifth grades, had the opportunity to meet these three cabinet bachelors only at the Great Court Meeting. The troika composed of these three people drove from Hongzhi Dynasty to Zhengde In the Ming Dynasty, power continued to flourish, and these three talents were truly at the core of the power of the Ming Dynasty.
¡°However, despite the calm posture of these three people on the surface, deep inside their hearts are turbulent.
Last night, Li Dong summoned him late at night, and the three bachelors happened to be planning to break up with Li Dong. There was a lot of talk about the New Deal issue outside. If the rumors are true, then Li Dong plans to bypass the cabinet to control the government. This must not be done.
"Your Majesty, I have heard a lot from the outside world recently about the new policy that the imperial court will promulgate and implement. However, as cabinet bachelors, we have no idea. I really don't know what use we old men have to your majesty!" Liu Jian and others came up. The people asked Li Dongxing for his crime.
"Grandmaesters, please don't be angry. This is all a trick played by Liu Jin. As soon as I heard that the New Deal can increase the revenue of the national treasury, I was sure of it. However, I planned to let him discuss it with you before promulgating it. I didn't expect his The servant was lax and leaked the news. Hey" Li Dong made an annoyed expression.
Among the three great scholars, Liu Jian had the most irritable temper. Hearing Li Dong's words, he frowned, "Your Majesty, the first two of these three new policies are just that, but the third is actually a policy of national subjugation! I'll hand you over for prosecution." Money can exempt you from guilt or reduce your sentence. I would like to ask, after this, won't those corrupt officials become more rampant, and then our government will be corrupt and unscrupulous? Then Liu Jin clearly wants to bring His Majesty eternal infamy! I want to ask Impeach him for his disobedience!"
"Oh?! This bastard, thank you for reminding him, otherwise he almost got fooled! In this case, let's not rush to implement the three new policies. The three great scholars will discuss and see if there are any changes in Liu Jin's new policies. Let¡¯s consider it carefully before promulgating it.¡±
Liu Jian was stunned. He still had a lot of words to say. Li Dong was too persuasive. He glanced at the other two bachelors. The expressions of the two men were similar to his. They had planned to take turns before they came. Using wheel fighting to kill Li Dong's will and make him take back his life, Liu Jian said something unexpectedly, and Li Dong accepted it.
"Your Majesty is wise!" The three of them hurriedly bowed in praise as if they were afraid that Li Dong would regret it.
Li Dong waved his hand, "But Liu Jin's new policy has reminded me. As the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, I can't just wait for death. I can't rely on you people to come up with ideas for everything. I also have to do my own thing." That¡¯s it!¡±
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about this matter. Your Majesty is still young. Once you have learned all the words of sages, you will naturally know how to govern the country!" Li Dongyang quickly consoled him.
"Hehe I have read some books recently and gained some experience of my own. I plan to make a new policy. Please give me your opinions." As he said this, Li Dong handed over the test method that he had written long ago from the desk. Three majors. If this examination method is to be implemented, the three great scholars must be convinced. These three people have been cabinet great scholars for many years. Many people in the court are inextricably related to the three great scholars. They are either their students or they are promoted by them. Without their support, if Li Dong wanted to implement the examination method, it would be just empty talk.
The three of them thought it was funny in their hearts. Li Dong was really a teenager. When he saw others engaging in the New Deal, he felt itchy and wanted to engage in the New Deal. He said to himself that you had only read a few books. Don¡¯t be like a tiger but become a dog. Come on.
Li Dong's test method is not long, and the candlelight in the room is very bright, so it is not troublesome to read, but even so, the three of them read it up and down several times, and then raised their heads with sweating profusely, incredulously Look at Li Dong.
"How is it?" Li Dong asked with a smile.
The three of them all looked like they were hesitant to speak. To be honest, these three people had been cabinet bachelors for many years, so they naturally knew that the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was corrupt.??, the officials were procrastinating in their work and lacked efficiency. The three of them also wanted to reform, but they could not find an effective way.
If the examination law can be implemented, setting limits for those who have passed the examination and assigning responsibilities to officials, then the cabinet can register according to the account books and review whether officials have completed the tasks they need to undertake. Violators can be held accountable according to the examination law. Officials will be able to protect themselves. If you hold an official position, you will definitely work diligently and hard. No matter in every aspect, this law is exactly in line with the current long-standing shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, and is actually a good policy that benefits the country and the people.
However, the scope of this law is too broad. From the six central ministries to remote mountainous areas, from civil servants to military generals, everything is covered. It is very difficult to implement, and I am afraid it will encounter fierce opposition from the officials. After all, who is the official? I don't want to put such a tight curse on my head.
"Your Majesty Although this decree is good, if you want to implement it, I'm afraid there will be many obstacles. I I think it's better to proceed slowly!" After hesitating again and again, Liu Jian still spoke to persuade.
"I think these officials are just too comfortable. If we don't give them some extra credit, how can they do their best for the court? Since you all agreed, let's do it this way. The cabinet will capture the president! Tomorrow the court will promulgate and implement it!"
"Your Majesty" Liu Jian wanted to persuade him again
"Oh, by the way, there are only a few people in the cabinet. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it, so let the Supervisor of Ceremonies work with you to inspect! From now on, everything will be held accountable and inspected at every level. Why worry about officials slacking off in their work!"
After listening to Li Dong's words, Liu Jian immediately spoke to dissuade him, "Your Majesty, this matter is against the ancestral system! Inspection of local officials has always been the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. How can such important authority be entrusted to the inner court? I fear that in the future Chengwei has the potential to leave nothing behind!"
"The Ministry of Personnel? The Metropolitan Procuratorate?" Li Dong sneered there. "They have been monitoring for so many years, and what results have they produced? They colluded with local officials and worked together. They are all the same! I can't trust them, but you have a point. That¡¯s right, that¡¯s why I want the cabinet to arrest the president!¡±
"Your Majesty" Liu Jian was still unwilling to give in. At this time, Li Dongyang quietly tugged on Liu Jian's sleeves and shook his head slightly.
"I called you here today just to talk to you first! I will talk about the test method at the meeting tomorrow, and you have to help me!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Dongyang and Xie Qian were the first to bow to accept the order. Liu Jian hesitated for a moment, then bowed and replied, "I obey the order!"
After leaving Dongnuan Pavilion, Liu Jian immediately asked Li Dongyang, "Why did you pull me just now?"
"Your Majesty has made up his mind. You can't persuade him. I'm afraid your persuasion is too harsh. If your Majesty gets angry and asks the Supervisor of Ceremonies to arrest the general manager, then all the officials in the world will look at Liu Jin's face!"
"But"
"With a few of us old men suppressing Liu Jin, he won't go too far. I think your majesty's method of passing the examination is not bad. If it can be implemented, it will be a great benefit to the country and the people!" Xie Qian was also advising beside him. With.
"Hey" Liu Jian sighed and turned back to the direction of the Astronomy Network. The lights were not out yet. He frowned and muttered to himself, "I hope we can suppress Liu Jin"
The official singing ceremony at the court meeting has not yet come out, so the officials below can be casual, and the officials close to the left and right can chat with each other to relieve their boredom.
"What kind of charter do you mean His Majesty? Is the New Deal a fiction or is it true?"
"Who knows!"
¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible that Liu Jin was deceived by His Majesty¡¯s young age?¡±
"If this is really the case, I will write a memorial to impeach Liu Jin for his rebellion, and alert your majesty!"
"Brother Bao's words are reasonable. After the court is over, we will hand over the coupons together!"
"After the dynasty is over, can I invite you all to listen to Dream of Red Mansions? It is said that the original cast of Dream of Red Mansions has arrived in Beijing and is preparing to hold a meeting. I finally got a few theater tickets. Are you interested?"
"Of course"
"Silence"
On both sides of the high platform of Fengtianmen, there were more than a dozen eunuchs standing there. After ringing the cloud plate on the platform, the eunuchs all shouted in unison. These people were all specially trained. More than a dozen people shouted at the same time. came out and suddenly suppressed the noise in the square.
The officials, big and small, immediately stopped talking and began to straighten their robes and correct their manners. There were censors responsible for observing etiquette at court meetings. If they caught them making mistakes, it would be unworthy of them to participate in the ceremony.
"Play music" Li Dong, who was wearing an imperial robe, slowly walked up to the high platform accompanied by monotonous and solemn music.
"Bow" The officials all bowed to the ground, and Li Dong sat on the dragon chair.
"Get up" and kneel down, thisThe beginning of the court meeting: ¡°Meeting the ceremony¡±
"Long live my emperor, long live the emperor!" All the officials chanted in unison and bowed three times and kowtowed nine times.
"The ceremony is over"
Li Dong bowed to the singing official! "The singing officer was startled, but the emperor's order was difficult, so he bowed and retreated.
Li Dong stood up with a smile. There was silence in the audience. The officials below were all wondering why the emperor was up. There were other etiquettes that he had not done. Li Dong cleared his throat.
"This year is already the first year of Zhengde, and the new government must have a new atmosphere. Last night, I discussed with the three great scholars and planned to implement the examination method in our government! The cabinet will publish the specific implementation measures in the Dibao within a few days. , all ministries, states and governments must strictly implement it and must not slack off!"
The tone of Li Dong's words was not high. The ministers in the audience who stood slightly behind did not even hear clearly. Even those who heard clearly in the front were confused. What is the test method? However, since Li Dong did not mention the New Deal, it means that the New Deal is simply spreading lies and cannot be done accurately, so that's fine.
"Yes, Your Majesty! I obey your order!"
"Retreat!"
Everyone was shocked. This meeting was just to announce such a thing? But seeing that Li Dong had turned around and left, the meeting couldn't go on any longer. It was better to find out what the exam method was. Why didn't it look like a good thing?
A few days later, the law for passing the examination was released, which shocked the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty. However, this is not something that can be criticized. Doesn¡¯t it mean that whoever fails the examination is afraid of being passed? Doesn't it mean that he is an inactive official? This Li Dong is really ruthless, killing people without even drawing blood.
However, according to the past rules, new officials take up their posts with three fires. When Li Dong becomes emperor, he wants to be ambitious. After the fire is over, he probably just does whatever he needs to do. So some officials don't care, thinking that they can just grit their teeth and stand firm. It passed, but they gritted their teeth and didn't wait until the day it was over.
Because this time Li Dong is serious, so serious that it¡¯s a bit disgusting. For example, some local officials reported that it is too difficult to collect taxes. If you say you want to collect 100,000, it will be 100,000. If there is a debt, where can you tell me to go? Go hunting for money?
Facts have proved that Li Dong is still very democratic. Soon, he promulgated regulations that from now on, as long as a certain amount of local taxes is received, even if the whole amount is confiscated, there will be no penalty.
The officials were happy because it would be easier to handle with this standard. In the future, if they could not collect enough, they would report it as a natural disaster or something like that to fool them. However, when the quota came down, everyone was dumbfounded because the "certain amount" was 90%.
***, aren¡¯t you obviously trying to trick people? I can receive 90%, why bother complaining to you?
Compared with the complaints from civilian officials, the military generals are even more distressed. The law stipulates that officials must record things completed within a year. It is easy for civilian officials to handle it. There are so many local government affairs, and they can write down whatever they want. But you let What do our generals write? Is it possible to write about me leading troops to train for a year? Li Dong also gave full consideration to this point. Banditry was serious in the Ming Dynasty, and the border areas were frequently invaded by enemy chiefs, and pirate bandits breed at sea. . . Aren't these all things? Why don't you do it?
***, if I can beat those people, I would have beaten them long ago. Do you think they are still useful?
"However, Li Dong used practical actions to tell those officials that whether you can do it or not is your business, and whether you should be punished or not is my business.