The new policies naturally do not consist of reforms that lack practical significance, nor are they measures that cannot truly benefit the people. Zhu Yunying genuinely disdains those empty rhetoric.
Zhu Yunying spoke up and continued, "Our Ming Dynasty's treasury is still quite full, but over the years, it's time to reform the redundant officials and bureaucrats in our Ming Dynasty. I observed the government a few years ago and now that I'm in charge, I also feel that some officials should be removed to save some salaries."
This really hit the nail on the head for Lao Zhu; being able to save some money was definitely a good thing for him.
Zhu Yunying continued, "Since we intend to be lenient in sentencing and reduce prisons, we will reduce the number of people in the Court of Judicial Review. We also plan to reduce the number of positions in the Five Military Commissions, merge and consolidate prefectures and counties, and strengthen the governance of the prefectures and counties."
Emperor Zhu Yunying's ideas were naturally of no consequence to him. If he were still on the throne, he would have done these things sooner or later, even if he didn't intend to now; some things simply had to be done.
Zhu Yunying and the old Zhu were chatting away. His new policies, in general, aimed to benefit the people and improve the efficiency of the court. While further enriching the national treasury, he also sought to strengthen the Ming Dynasty's national power over the next few years, striving for a prosperous people and a strong nation.
Despite the facade of civil administration, Zhu Yunying clearly intended to strengthen control over the prefectures and counties. While it was common in feudal dynasties for imperial power not to extend to the countryside, Zhu Yunying still needed to maintain control over the Ming territory; actual control was essential, and this had been a key focus for him in recent years.
Old Zhu was in a good mood, and while Zhu Yunying was talking, he would occasionally offer his own thoughts and make some additions.
These are all very necessary things. The Ming Dynasty doesn't need to start any direct policy changes right now. Some policies from the Zhu Yuanzhang era do indeed need some continuity.
However, both Zhu Yunying and Zhu Yuanzhang were well aware that now that the new emperor had ascended the throne, they could begin to slowly implement new policies and start making small-scale changes to some of the Ming Dynasty's policies. This would facilitate the subsequent series of changes and further promote them throughout the Ming Dynasty.
Lying on the couch, Xiao Zhu thought carefully and then said, "Grandpa, I've been thinking about it. Do you think the rank of Minister of the Six Ministries is a bit too high? How about we just keep it as a first-rank official?"
In the Ming Dynasty, the current first-rank officials were theoretically the Left and Right Imperial Clan Directors and Left and Right Imperial Clan Members of the Imperial Clan Court, responsible for the registration of the imperial family and the compilation of the Imperial Genealogy. Although their authority may seem limited, they were theoretically first-rank officials, a position usually held only by princes.
Furthermore, there are the Three Masters: Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Protector, all of whom hold the first rank. In fact, the Left and Right Commanders-in-Chief of the Five Military Commissions are also first-rank officials, as are the additional titles such as Left and Right Pillars of State, Grand Master of the Palace, and Grand Master of the Palace, all of whom are first-rank officials.
Old Zhu rolled over and immediately said, "Then let's make it a first-rank official. The prime minister we finally managed to get rid of was only a first-rank official. We can't be too lenient with those scholars. If we make them first-rank officials today, they'll be thinking about becoming prime minister again tomorrow."
Let's start with the first rank, which is theoretically slightly lower than the Five Military Commands.
Remembering something, Zhu Yunying immediately said, "Grandson is preparing to give this to my eldest aunt's family, to show them some respect."
Old Zhu was taken aback and said irritably, "What's wrong? Haven't we been treating Mei Yin well?"
“We’re talking about my eldest aunt, my aunt from Lin’an,” Zhu Yunying immediately explained. “Li Qi is doing quite well in Tianjin, and Li Shanchang died a long time ago. We also plan to write a respectable memorial for him.”
Li Shanchang was demoted largely because he acted too cleverly. He appeared to have retired, but he was merely directing operations remotely and even pushed Hu Weiyong and Zhu De into a power struggle.
Zhu was taken aback. Princess Zhu Jingjing of Lin'an was his eldest daughter, and he valued her quite a bit.
Old Zhu thought for a moment and said, "We feel that not killing Li Shanchang is already giving him some face. We have to make it clear that we've abolished the title of Duke, so you can't give it back to them. How about this, we'll give your two cousins an official position. After we die, we'll give them even more face."
Zhu Yunying disagreed and immediately said, "It doesn't matter. We can still give them some face now. Li Shanchang certainly won't give them high positions, but for the sake of our eldest aunt, we can appoint our cousins as commanders or vice prefects. That would be a respectable position for the royal family."
The rank of third grade is the highest it can be; there are differences in kinship. Giving him a sinecure with no real power is sufficient!
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