Especially now that the emperor seems all smiles, it would be strange if Ru Chang thought His Majesty had no temper.
After all, the emperor in front of him always had a smiling face, but he was extremely decisive in his heart. One moment he could be a humble and respectful person, but the next moment he could issue an edict to lock up and imprison his "beloved minister".
Two years ago, His Majesty raised the rank of the six ministers to the first rank, which naturally made many people happy and speculated about His Majesty's thoughts. In fact, they were all pretty much the same.
Generally speaking, everyone felt that the civil officials in the court were generally weak in rank and power. His Majesty did not want to see an imbalance of power between civil officials and military officers, so he intentionally supported the power of the civil officials.
After all, in general, the military forces at the beginning of a nation's founding usually overwhelmed the civil service, which is nothing to say about that.
Furthermore, over the years, the civil service of the Ming Dynasty has been constantly hit hard and plagued by bad news.
The abolition of the prime minister system meant that the civil officials suddenly lost their de facto leader. The complete abolition of the prime minister system also deprived the civil service of any opportunity to truly challenge the military leadership.
Furthermore, in these past few years, the Duke Yansheng, who was originally the head of the civil officials, was made to lose face and be reduced to his original status by the newly enthroned Emperor Yingshi. Many civil officials also lost face as a result, and their confidence in speaking weakened.
His Majesty is suppressing the power of the military elites, something many people can see, given how powerful the military elites of the Ming Dynasty truly are.
However, while the military clique was suppressed, the civil service clique was also in a difficult situation. Moreover, both Emperor Hongwu and Emperor Yingshi lacked trust in the civil service.
Emperor Ying Shi's aversion to Confucianism was a point of contention among many scholars, but they were truly powerless to change it. After all, Emperor Ying Shi's attitude towards scholars was considerably more amiable than that of Emperor Hongwu.
Seeing that Ru Chang remained silent, Zhu Yunying said without any pretense, "Your companion, do you think that although the rank of Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet is low, they can participate in the deliberation of state affairs, and thus their power is inevitably lowly but great? Besides, what if their power grows stronger in a few years?"
Ru Chang nodded, not hiding her thoughts, "Your Majesty, I do have some concerns. Although the Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Literary Glory are only fifth-rank officials, they can participate in court affairs and have long served the Emperor. Even if they do not have superiors now, they may become more independent in the future."
Zhu Yunying laughed and said, "I'm afraid it won't be in the future. Right now, many people are also thinking about the Grand Secretary of the Hall, aren't they?"
This put Ru Chang in an awkward position, because what the emperor said was true. Many people could sense the enormous potential of the Grand Secretary, and the position was simply too tempting.
Not to mention His Majesty's intention to redefine the duties or roles of the Grand Secretaries, even the former Grand Secretaries are eagerly awaited by many, because being in His Majesty's presence is worthy of attention and offers more opportunities to shine.
Looking at Ru Chang, Zhu Yunying continued, "We also have requirements for the ministers of the Six Ministries. They should have experience as officials who are close to the people and who govern a region. The Grand Secretaries of the Hall should not just be people who read books in the Hanlin Academy and talk big."
Ru Chang's face immediately turned awkward, because in reality, his position as Minister of Personnel could be considered a shortcut. If he hadn't served His Majesty from an early age, how would he have had the opportunity to become the Minister of Personnel?
In reality, Ru Chang's appointment as Minister of Personnel was somewhat unsuitable, given that he had always served under Zhu Yunying. In terms of experience governing a region, Ru Chang lacked such experience; his career path was that of a traditional scholar, always one of high-ranking and respectable officials.
Moreover, Emperor Ying Shi did not try to hide it much; his words, which implied contempt for some Confucian scholars, left Ru Chang feeling deeply offended.
But even though Ru Chang felt like he had a bone stuck in his throat, he had no better solution. He had been with Zhu Yunying for nearly twenty years, so he naturally knew the character of Emperor Ying Shi. This was not the first or second time that similar words had been spoken.
Ru Chang was suddenly somewhat dazed and shocked. It seemed that His Majesty had been planning the matter of the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet for a long time, and it wasn't something that had been going on for just a day or two.
The six ministers must have experience as officials close to the people and in charge of local administration, and the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet should also have such experience. Perhaps His Majesty has been preparing for this for a long time.
It could even be said that the path to promotion for Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and Ministers of the Six Ministries was clearly defined by Emperor Yingshi.
If nothing unexpected happens, scholars in the Ming Dynasty who pass the imperial examinations will likely be appointed as officials in other provinces. A county magistrate of the seventh rank, for example, might have the opportunity to be transferred back to the capital and join the cabinet as a councilor if he/she has outstanding political achievements and exceptional talent.
If one performs well after joining the cabinet, they will need to be sent to a local post again, where they will be in charge of a region. Only if they have the opportunity and ability can they be transferred back to the capital to serve as a vice minister in one of the six ministries, and then plan for the position of minister.
This promotion mechanism appears to have been clearly defined by Emperor Yingshi, and if he were to further strengthen it, then future civil officials of the Ming Dynasty would have to follow this method for promotion.
The rules established by the Hongwu Emperor were ancestral rules, and emperors generally had no choice but to obey them. They absolutely could not do anything that violated the ancestral rules, otherwise they would damage their reputation and be branded as disrespectful.
Seeing Ru Chang deep in thought, Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "Don't overthink it. Just focus on doing your job properly. The matter of the Grand Secretary in the court is to discuss the Grand Secretary position again. As for the companion, just carefully consider it and don't get involved too much."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
