Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 535 Decision
The cabinet of the Guo Dynasty, except for special circumstances, such as special positions, has an extremely strict and complete promotion mechanism.

For example, cabinet ministers must come from the Hanlin Academy and have served as local officials, and their official reputation, fame, and political achievements must all be excellent.

Then he will be nominated by the cabinet, and only after winning the imperial nomination can he enter the cabinet.

Whenever the court encountered important political affairs, or when a civil or military official was absent, the emperor would order a meeting of court officials to discuss and weigh the pros and cons, and then report to the emperor for his approval and decision. The discussion on the pros and cons of political affairs was called court discussion; the proposal on personnel promotion and appointment was called court recommendation.

According to the rules, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Minister of Personnel are recommended by the court or by special decree. The Vice Minister and the Chief Priest are recommended by the Ministry of Personnel together with the third rank and above. The Grand Minister of Rites (third rank) and below are recommended by the Ministry. The Ministry of Personnel will select the Tong Can and below at the Hongzheng Gate. The Chancellor is selected by the Cabinet, and the officials in various government offices are selected by the Seal Holder. For officials outside the court, only the Governor-General and the Governor-General are recommended by the court, and the Nine Ministers jointly recommend them, with the Ministry of Personnel in charge. When there are vacancies, the third rank and above officials will be selected.

Among them, the Minister of Rites is often the most popular candidate for entering the cabinet. For example, the former chief minister of the cabinet, Wei Wenzhengong, entered the cabinet as the Minister of Rites.

The previous Minister of Rites, He Yaomin, is now a cabinet minister and Grand Secretary of Baohe Hall.

The system that troubled the emperor the most was the appointment and dismissal of the cabinet of Daxia. The emperor could not promote his own people at will.

He could convey his intentions to the court officials in a subtle way, but the cabinet might not agree to nominate the person he wanted to promote, or the person might not pass the imperial court...

Sorry, he has no chance of being a cabinet minister. Even if the emperor put a knife to the neck of the courtier, it would not change the result of the court recommendation.

If a stubborn remonstrator from Daxia dares to carry a coffin and make trouble in front of the imperial city, whoever is on the throne will have to admit defeat.

A complete and strict promotion system can not only allow people with excellent character and talent to take charge of the country's affairs to the greatest extent possible.

It can also prevent the emperor from selecting incompetent people who can only flatter because of personal preference.

Just like at the beginning of Yuanyou period, the four great ministers of the cabinet, Qi Bohan, leader of the Zhejiang Party, and Chu Bangzheng, head of the Shu Party, were people the emperor wanted to get rid of, but the emperor had no way to deal with these two people.

In the end, he held his anger in for six or seven years before he adjusted the cabinet personnel with the delegation of power by the retired emperor.

"Your Majesty, I am already in my seventies and don't have much time left. Xia Lingxing and Guo Peigui are too soft-tempered, Wen Tongxuan is not good at governing, and He Yaomin is not good at strategy. Only Lin Ruhai is the best candidate for the post in terms of both talent and character..."

Cough cough cough...

In excitement, Zhou Jiong coughed repeatedly and his face turned an unhealthy red.

The emperor personally picked up the warm tea on the table, wanting the old man to have a sip of water to calm down.

However, Zhou Jiong did not take the tea, but instead grabbed the emperor's wrist tightly.

"Your Majesty, I have previously overlooked the biggest problem in whether the Great Xia Dynasty can last forever, and that is people!"

"No matter how the court system changes, no matter how perfect the system is, it is still implemented by people. Only people's thoughts, ambitions, and ideas are the most important."

"The words of the ancient sages have survived for thousands of years and are the foundation for self-cultivation, family management, governance of the country and peace in the world. However, the various schools of thought have led to chaos, and they have neglected the public interest in favor of their own interests, which has caused great harm. I, an old minister, am willing to sacrifice myself to seek the sage's words that benefit the country and to speak for the people."

"This road is long and rugged, and there will be swords and sabers ahead. If you are not careful, you may be doomed. The old ministers will die, but the great government will not stop. The only two people in the court who have enough prestige and outstanding talents are Lin Hai and Xu Jin. Xu Qingteng has great ambitions and talents, but he lacks qualifications. After the old ministers, Lin Ruhai can be the person in charge. After Lin Hai, Xu Jin will take over. After Xu Jin..."

Zhou Jiong turned his gaze to the stunned Jia Cong and smiled: "Your Majesty has good vision. Who would have thought that the boy who could trip himself when walking would have the potential to become a prime minister!"

……

The chief minister of the cabinet, Zhou Jiong, fell ill, and the central government affairs suddenly fell on the shoulders of the remaining cabinet ministers.

In the past, no one felt anything special, but when Zhou Jiong was not on duty one day, the remaining university scholars suddenly felt the pressure doubled.

And the most troublesome thing is that both the Cabinet Deputy Minister Xia Lingxing and several other university scholars seem to lack the ability to make decisions.

Don't underestimate this point. Due to the lack of decisiveness, even though several solutions to political issues were discussed, Xia Lingxing found it difficult to make up his mind which one to implement.

Finally, the case was brought to the imperial court, and the emperor implemented one of the measures.

"Master Zhou is right. Xia Ling is good at doing good things and should not be in charge of government!"

Prince Liu Hong, who was helping to handle government affairs in front of the emperor, obviously did not understand what the emperor meant and asked in confusion: "Father, I think Master Xia did a great job! Military and national affairs should be decided by the emperor. Isn't it good for the cabinet to draft a few more opinions for the monarch to choose from?"

"Daxia has a vast territory and tens of thousands of people. Every day, more than a thousand official documents are sent to the central government. If everything is reviewed by the king, can you last for one year or two years?"

The emperor's question made Crown Prince Liu Hong fall into deep thought. He had also handled those memorials before, and he had to read each one carefully, for fear of making a mistake and causing suffering to the people.

Something like this that is extremely exhausting mentally and physically would cost even the strongest person a few days at most, let alone a year, and would leave him bedridden.

Human power is limited, and the cabinet must have someone who is decisive and capable to take charge of state affairs.

The emperor did not lecture his son any further, but whispered to Xia Shouzhong:
"Daban, you must go to the Ministry of Revenue right now and summon Lin Ruhai to the palace!"

……

Although the wedding was approaching on June 6th, Jia Cong and Daiyu both focused their main energy on official duties.

On the third day of the first lunar month, news came from the Xuanda front that the first batch of war horses from the Anbei Protectorate had been delivered to the outside of the Great Wall and were taken over by people from the Imperial Household Department.

With money paving the way, there were almost no obstacles from beginning to end and the matter went smoothly all the way.

The officials of the Imperial Household Department were directly replaced. Every one of those newcomers who came from the Ministry of Personnel was full of energy and was afraid of displeasing their superiors, who would cut off their heads in anger. They did their work without any mistakes.

This gave Jia Cong ample time to discuss "knowledge" with old man Zhou Jiong who was on his "sickbed".

"Your Highness, I agree with what you said!"

In front of Zhou Jiong sat Jia Cong and Daiyu. After listening to Daiyu's opinion on women's schooling, he nodded and said, "The development of our dynasty seems to have reached a bottleneck. I have discovered before that population is one of the main factors restricting the development of our dynasty. If women can learn a skill, or even become officials in the court, it can greatly alleviate the population pressure of our dynasty!"

Daxia's population has exceeded 10 million. Is it a large population? A large population, but not a small one!

Millions of people were spread across vast territories, and many places were sparsely populated, with not even anyone cultivating the land.

Many women are born weak, but it cannot be denied that in many cases, women have more advantages than men.

"Just like the textile factory in the imperial farm, I think this is a very good example. Men farm and women weave. If women can get a reasonable salary for weaving, it will be enough to support the family... And the matter of the female doctor that Your Highness mentioned before, I think this is a very good plan!"

Whether it is the weaving factory and show house under the Ministry of Works or the clinic that Daiyu just founded, they are all major initiatives to encourage women to go out of their homes.

Moreover, in weaving factories and showrooms, the monthly salary of female workers is in no way inferior to what men earn from working outside.

Some technical female workers even earn more than officials of the seventh rank...

"Of course, knowledge is the most important. I will write to the cabinet to urge local governments to improve the public school system. Now that the law has been enacted, no matter who it is, they must abide by it!"

Jia Cong took the opportunity to interject, "The people are blindly following others, and most of them are lucky enough to be exempt from the law. The court should make a rule that if a school-age child fails to enroll, his parents should be punished by three months of corvée labor!"

"Corvée?"

Zhou Jiong frowned: "The corvée system has been abolished. It is not appropriate to bring it up again. It is better to impose a fine..."

"Don't do that! Lord, don't you know the moral character of our clerks?"

Jia Cong quickly stopped Zhou Jiong's terrible idea. What a joke! If he fined him, the clerks under him would probably laugh like crazy.

Zhou Jiong also realized his mistake, and with a wry smile, he changed his words and said, "You are right, fines are definitely not an option. But I am afraid that your policy of forced labor will also allow those clerks to take advantage of it."

"Ok?"

Jia Cong was extremely puzzled, but Zhou Jiong said leisurely: "Corvée labor is money!"

"Then... why not let the students' parents go to the school together and study with their children until they can recite the Great Xia Code from memory!"

As she spoke, Daiyu also started laughing.

Since you don’t understand the law and don’t abide by it, then go and learn the law well!
Zhou Jiong didn't expect Daiyu to come up with such an alternative idea. After careful consideration, it is really possible to make those ignorant and fearless people understand the majesty of the national law.

Imagine a rough guy holding the Daxia Law in a school building full of idiots...

I guess if he were a normal person, he would be too ashamed to raise his head!

"Also, the court should encourage culture and education. All school-age students who are admitted and have excellent academic performance, regardless of gender, should be rewarded with money and food..."

If the country's current financial resources were not insufficient to support comprehensive education subsidies, Jia Cong would have proposed even the egg and milk project.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Revenue did not have enough money, so Jia Cong was constantly drawing a map in his mind.

The pace of colonization must be accelerated. If the children of Daxia want to grow up, they must have sufficient money and food as a foundation.

Therefore, all of you Japanese and Western devils, get ready to accept the deep "love" from our Chinese Father!

……

When, when, when...

With morning bells and evening drums, the grand court meeting on the fifth day of June proceeded as usual.

After the ministers entered the palace, they were surprised to find that the chief minister Zhou Jiong, who had been ill for several days, had returned to the court.

After paying his respects to the emperor with "Long live the emperor", Xia Shouzhong shouted as usual, "If there is anything to report, please stand up."

At this time, Daiyu was the first to stand up in the Ministry of Rites team and held up the memorial that she had discussed with Zhou Jiong and Jia Cong two days ago.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report..."

Although the ministers were surprised, what Daiyu reported, whether it was urging local government offices to pay more attention to girls' enrollment, or forcing people to send their children of school age to public schools through laws, or rewarding those with excellent grades, did not affect their interests.

Everyone knew the status of the princess of the Lin family in the emperor's heart, and no one wanted to spoil the emperor's mood. With almost no opposition, the suggestion was quickly passed.

But what happened next was interesting. The chief minister of the cabinet, Zhou Jiong, suddenly spoke up and proposed to the emperor to increase the number of cabinet ministers.

This is just like someone pouring a bucket of water into a boiling oil pan, and it explodes!
Since the founding of Daxia, the prime minister was abolished first and then the cabinet was established.

The number of cabinet ministers can be as few as two at most and no more than five at most.

For example, during the Zhaowu period, it was almost a custom that there were always four grand secretaries in the cabinet.

Even in the Yuanyou Dynasty, four grand secretaries assisted in the administration in the first few years.

The current structure of the cabinet is as follows: Zhou Jiong is the chief minister of the cabinet and the grand secretary of Zhongji Hall; Xia Lingxing is the second minister of the cabinet and the grand secretary of Jianji Hall; Guo Peigui is the assistant minister of the cabinet and the grand secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion; Wen Tongxuan is the assistant minister of the cabinet and the grand secretary of Wuying Hall; He Yaomin is the assistant minister of the cabinet and the grand secretary of Baohe Hall; Hai Gangfeng is the assistant minister of the cabinet and the grand secretary of Dongge, and also serves as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

The cabinet of six members has the largest number of people in the country's hundred years.

But Zhou Jiong, the chief minister of the cabinet, actually wanted the emperor to increase the number of cabinet ministers. Isn't this a disguised way of dividing his own power? Is Zhou Jiong old and confused?
Of course not, Mr. Zhou Jiong is about to use his ultimate move!
"I believe that Minister of Revenue Lin Hai has a noble character and outstanding talents... Therefore, I propose today that Your Majesty promote Lin Hai to the Cabinet to assist Your Majesty in implementing the new policies..."

"Mr. Lin is indeed a man of both virtue and talent. According to the rules, he should be recommended by the court!"

The emperor would naturally not violate the rules that had been established over the past hundred years. Although he wanted to directly appoint Lin Ruhai into the cabinet, he would not break this rule.

Zhou Jiong and the emperor sang the same tune, and even a fool could see that this matter was already discussed long ago by the two most powerful people in the dynasty.

There was an uproar in the Fengtian Hall, and the eyes focused on Lin Ruhai were filled with shock, envy, jealousy and resentment.

The six ministries, nine ministers, as well as the Chief Censor, Chief Priest and two or three other officials nominated by public opinion began to vote. Lin Ruhai of course cast his own vote. Most of his colleagues who had a good relationship with him also voted in favor.

In the end, Lin Ruhai passed the court recommendation with an absolute majority of votes.

"In that case, pass on my decree to promote Minister of Revenue Lin Hai to the position of Assistant Minister of the Cabinet and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Mr. Lin, I will leave the matter of the new law to you!"

boom!
All the ministers understood that the promotion could not be stopped, but the emperor's last words were something no one had expected.

"Lin Ruhai entered the cabinet to preside over the reform!"

……

"Your Majesty, I am being roasted on the fire!"

In the Qinzheng Hall, Lin Ruhai smiled bitterly and bowed to the emperor: "The new law is difficult to implement. I have the heart to be a martyr, and I am not afraid of being roasted or boiled. However, I am afraid of delaying the important affairs of the country. Therefore, I would like to ask for an imperial decree from your majesty..."

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)