As Lu Xun once said, looking at someone carry a burden doesn't seem difficult, but when you carry it yourself, it can break your back.
If we were to simply speak in theory, there might be thousands or tens of thousands of ways to cage imperial power. However, when it truly comes to putting those theories on paper, even if imperial power itself is willing to be caged, it's unlikely that even one of those thousands or tens of thousands of methods would be reliable.
The biggest problem lies in the opposition between public power and private power.
Does public power need to be strengthened? Yes.
Does private power need to be strengthened? Yes.
To put it plainly, both public and private power have areas that need strengthening and areas that need weakening. The real crux of the matter is how to achieve a stable balance between the two.
If one side overwhelms the other, there are only three possible outcomes. The first is that public power is stronger than private power. This situation is similar to the dynasties of the Central Plains, only without imperial power.
The second possibility is that private power is stronger than public power. This is similar to the situation in Europa. In this scenario, it becomes irrelevant whether the head of state is an actor or a dog, as long as it doesn't hinder everyone's ability to make money.
The problem is that neither of these scenarios is particularly suitable for the Central Plains. Instead, the third possibility, that of a complete overthrow and a fresh start, is much more likely.
After a long silence, Zhu Jinsong tapped the table with his finger and said, "I intend to reform the imperial court. The first to be reformed will be the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries."
Hearing Zhu Jinsong's words, Zeng Cheng and the other prominent officials were immediately energized.
The Ming Dynasty's system was, in some respects, quite absurd. For instance, a Provincial Administration Commissioner held a rank of Zheng Erpin (Senior Second Rank), while a Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat held only Zheng Wupin (Senior Fifth Rank) or Cong Wupin (Junior Fifth Rank).
Although many people were trying their best to vie for that Senior Fifth Rank position, the rank itself still sounded somewhat unappealing.
Zhu Jinsong stated, "In the future, there will be no more Six Ministries. Instead, ministries will be established based on need—for example, the Bureau of Railways will be separated from the Ministry of Works to form the Ministry of Railways, and the postal relay system will be separated from the Ministry of War to form the Ministry of Posts."
"Regarding the specifics of the separation, Minister Zeng can discuss it thoroughly with the other officials. A memorial can be submitted later."
"In addition to the Six Ministries, the Grand Secretariat will naturally also be reformed. Firstly, the rank of the Grand Secretaries will be adjusted from the Fifth Rank to the First Rank, with the Grand Tutor holding the Senior First Rank and the Assistant Grand Tutor holding the Junior First Rank. All ministries will also be under the jurisdiction of the Grand Secretariat."
Zeng Cheng was stunned. After exchanging glances with the officials from the other Six Ministries, their expressions were somewhat disbelieving.
Previously, in the Ming Dynasty, since the Yongle era, the authority of the Grand Secretariat had grown stronger day by day, and even the affairs of the Six Ministries could be questioned by the Grand Secretaries.
Later, after Zhu Jinsong re-established the Ming Dynasty, the overall structure was similar to that of the Ming Dynasty before the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, with the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, and the Five Courts.
However, no matter how great the authority of the Grand Secretaries was, their official rank was still only Fifth Rank, significantly lower than that of the Ministers of the Six Ministries. Even if they could inquire about the affairs of the Six Ministries, it had to be done through certain procedures.
But if the reform was carried out according to Zhu Jinsong's proposal, it would effectively place the Grand Secretariat above the Six Ministries, and the Ministers of the Six Ministries would officially become subordinates of the Grand Secretariat.
However, this was only a superficial change. The true underlying meaning was what shocked these prominent figures.
Placing the Six Ministries under the Grand Secretariat meant strengthening the authority of the Grand Secretariat, which in turn implied that imperial power was making concessions to ministerial power—could Zeng Cheng, a powerful Grand Secretary, make the emperor concede to him?
Especially for veterans like Liu Huaiwen, who had followed Zhu Jinsong in rebellion since Yuhuangshan, or the brothers Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun, their gazes towards Zeng Cheng were filled with ill will.
Startled by the looks from Zhu Erdan, Liu Huaiwen, and others, Zeng Cheng quickly stood up from his seat and bowed to Zhu Jinsong, saying, "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"Since the Grand Chancellor system was abolished by Emperor Taizu Gao, our Ming Dynasty has only had the system of the Six Ministries. Later, Emperor Yongle established the Grand Secretariat, but it was merely for advising Your Majesty."
"If the reform is carried out according to Your Majesty's words, wouldn't it be equivalent to placing the Grand Secretariat above the Six Ministries and re-establishing the power of the Chancellor?"
After a moment of thought, Zeng Cheng gritted his teeth and declared, "This is a chaotic decree. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me, but I dare not obey."
Zhu Jinsong chuckled and said, "Minister Zeng, please sit down first and let me explain."
As Zeng Cheng sat down with trepidation, Zhu Jinsong continued, "Strengthening the authority of the Grand Secretariat, separating the Six Ministries, and placing them under the Grand Secretariat is something I have considered deeply."
The officials from the Six Ministries thought to themselves, "You've considered it deeply, but suddenly our Six Ministries have become many ministries. Are the Ministers of the Ming Dynasty still valuable?"
Zhu Jinsong glanced at the officials and turned his gaze to Liu Huaiwen. "Uncle Huaiwen, if we count the Ministry of Revenue's affairs, including the revenue bureaus in various regions and the national treasury, as well as matters concerning overseas immigration, border trade, and maritime trade, can Uncle Huaiwen still manage?"
Upon hearing Zhu Jinsong address him as "Uncle Huaiwen," Liu Huaiwen honestly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I am indeed somewhat overwhelmed. I have to handle various official matters until late every night. If Your Majesty hadn't abolished the morning court, I would have had very little time even for sleep."
If Zhu Jinsong had called him "Minister Liu" or "Minister of Revenue Liu," it would have meant that Zhu Jinsong wanted to hear official pronouncements. Even if he had to speak the truth, he would have had to phrase it eloquently. However, by replacing "Minister of Revenue Liu" with "Uncle Huaiwen," it meant he only needed to answer honestly, as this indicated the Emperor wanted to hear his true feelings.
Zhu Jinsong chuckled again and looked at Song Yucheng, the Minister of Works, asking, "How much work does the Ministry of Works have now? Minister Song, can you still manage?"
Song Yucheng unconsciously touched his head and said with a self-deprecating laugh, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works was originally responsible for all engineering projects in the empire, such as rivers, roads, and bridges, as well as imperial tombs, city walls, and palaces. Now, there's also the Bureau of Railways... I am indeed somewhat overwhelmed."
Zhu Jinsong nodded and did not ask the Ministers of War, Personnel, Justice, or Rites. Among these ministries, only the Ministry of Rites was relatively relaxed; the rest were not.
This could be seen from the hairline of these prominent figures.
Zhu Jinsong continued, "The reason I want to separate the ministries is not only to alleviate the burden on you, my ministers, but also to improve the efficiency of the ministries and for the future Five-Year Plan."
"As for placing all the ministries under the Grand Secretariat, equating it to re-establishing the Chancellor and weakening imperial power while strengthening ministerial power... I don't even mind this matter, so why should you?"
"Let me be clear, I have long wanted to weaken imperial power and strengthen public power in the court."
"In my vision, the emperor can preside over life, but not over death. If someone violates the laws of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor can grant a special pardon, but he can no longer issue decrees that are immediately enforceable as before, and cannot decide life and death with a single word."
At this point, Zhu Jinsong glared at Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun and reprimanded, "What, do you two still think that Grand Secretary Zeng can force me to issue such an edict?"
Being reprimanded by Zhu Jinsong, Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun immediately became more subdued.
Zhu Jinsong was right. If Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was unwilling, there was indeed no one in the world who could force him to issue such an edict.
Not to mention anything else, consider the Five Military Commissions. Although the Five Military Commissions controlled the military power of the empire, and any Grand Commander or Commander of a military region could be considered a powerful figure holding significant military strength, who among them would dare to act presumptuously before Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?
As long as Zhu Jinsong willed it, if he shouted on the street, the armies of the Ming Dynasty and the people of the Ming Dynasty would resolutely follow Zhu Jinsong. The Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, the Five Military Commissions, and other such bodies would not even have the courage to make a sound.
Zhu Jinsong tapped the table a few times with his fingers before speaking again, "I have been thinking, how can a country prosper without decline?"
"Zhou? The Zhou Dynasty's empire lasted for eight hundred years, almost the longest in history. Afterward, the Qin Dynasty perished in its second generation, the Han Dynasty lasted for less than four hundred years, and most subsequent dynasties lasted for two to three hundred years, with many lasting less than a hundred years."
"The Ming Dynasty, from its establishment by Emperor Taizu Gao until Emperor Chongzhen, lasted for over two hundred and seventy years. Afterward, the Qing Dynasty lasted for one hundred and fifty years. How should our Ming Dynasty fare?"
Zeng Cheng and Zhu Erdan did not dare to respond.
To say that the Ming Dynasty could last for ten thousand years?
From the current perspective, the Ming Dynasty could indeed last for ten thousand years. After all, the common people wholeheartedly supported Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. If he said to fight a war, the people of the Ming Dynasty would be eager to fight with their own provisions; if he said to build roads, the people of the Ming Dynasty could also build roads with their own provisions. With the people's support, why would it be strange for the empire to last for ten thousand years?
The problem was, no matter how wise and powerful Zhu Jinsong was now, would he remain so in his later years? At that time, would the common people of the world still support him as they did now?
Perhaps some would say yes. After all, Liu Ye Zhu (likely referring to Emperor Jing of Han) caused so much trouble, yet in the end, he only issued an edict of self-reproach, and the Han Dynasty, which was on the verge of chaos, stabilized once again. Therefore, even if Zhu Jinsong caused trouble in his later years, he could simply issue an edict of self-reproach.
But what about after Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?
Assuming Zhu Jinsong remains wise and powerful, when his son is born, the common people of the world will support Zhu Jinsong's son because of Zhu Jinsong, just as the people of Chang'an supported Crown Prince Liu Ju. However, who can guarantee that Zhu Jinsong's son will be as wise and powerful as Zhu Jinsong?
Educated by good teachers? Zhu Jinsong's personal guidance?
Don't be foolish. How strong a foundation did Zhu Yuanzhang leave for Zhu Yunwen? How much did he personally guide him? Yet Zhu Yunwen still lost his empire.
So, to say that there is no empire that lasts for ten thousand years, and to ask Your Majesty to take it easy?
Isn't that courting death!
Therefore, regarding Zhu Jinsong's question, none of the prominent officials dared to answer, not even his own brothers, Zhu Erdan and Zhu Sanshun.
Zhu Jinsong tapped the table again and asked Zeng Cheng, Zhu Erdan, and the others, "Let's rephrase the question: throughout the dynasties, what were the main reasons for their downfall?"
Hearing this question, Zhu Erdan immediately exclaimed, "I know this question! My Imperial Brother once said that the reason for the downfall of dynasties was mostly because the common people could no longer live, and the reason for the common people being unable to live was mostly due to land annexation."
Zhu Jinsong nodded with a smile and continued, "Anything else?"
Zhu Erdan was taken aback and asked, "Anything else?"
Zhu Jinsong nodded and said, "Every dynasty has established laws. Except for the Song Dynasty, all dynasties strictly prohibited land annexation. While it was good in the early period of establishment, after three to five generations, the methods to curb land annexation would lose their effectiveness. Why is that?"
"Perhaps you will say it is due to corrupt officials colluding with local gentry. However, throughout the dynasties, there were also institutions like the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Censorate. Why did corruption and collusion with gentry still occur?"
After asking these two questions consecutively, Zhu Erdan was somewhat dumbfounded. Zhu Sanshun, however, frowned and said, "Does my Imperial Brother mean that the emperor could no longer control the court?"
Zhu Jinsong nodded and said, "The founding monarchs of all dynasties were basically powerful leaders who established their empires through military might and knew the hardships of the common people. After a few generations, emperors were often raised by women in the inner palace and had no knowledge of the hardships of the common people or experience in governing localities. Deceiving such an emperor would be very simple."
"Therefore, the downfall of dynasties, while not unrelated to land annexation and corrupt governance, also cannot escape the responsibility of the emperors themselves."
"Take Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, for example. Regardless of how much of his early wisdom and power was genuine, if we only consider his actions later in life, can he escape responsibility for the downfall of the Tang Dynasty?"
Speaking of this, Zhu Jinsong couldn't help but sigh, "I consider myself to be diligent and caring for the people, and I am doing a good job now. However, human strength is finite. If the rise and fall of a country and the stability of its people are entrusted to the emperor, how long can this emperor last? In this world, there is ultimately only one Hongwu Emperor, and even the Hongwu Emperor..."
Zhu Jinsong did not continue the rest of his words.
When a ruler dies, the policies disappear.
Zhu Laosi's (likely referring to Emperor Yongle) great talent and strategy are undeniable, but it is equally undeniable that during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, the people could still accuse officials and even tie them up to bring them to the capital to report grievances. After Yongle, this was no longer reliable.
Moreover, even with powerful rulers like Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Laosi, there were still instances of rebellion under their rule.
Zhu Jinsong said, "Since relying solely on an emperor is not enough, what if we divide the emperor's power among the Grand Secretariat?"
ps: Sacrificing "The Great Tang: I've Revealed Myself, I am the Scumbag驸马!" to the heavens!