Win Zheng developed numerous curiosities about the great Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, eager to learn how he rose to power and how he gradually transformed from a beggar to the ruler of all under heaven.
"The Hongwu Emperor was an extremely strong emperor who did something that no emperor in previous dynasties had done before. He abolished the system of the prime minister, stopped setting the three provinces and six ministries, and directly controlled the six ministries himself."
Eliminating the system of the prime minister and directly controlling the six ministries does indeed centralize all power in the emperor's hands, but is this truly beneficial?
After some contemplation, Ying Zheng realized the issues with this approach. Without a prime minister to share the administrative burden, the emperor, as the sole authority, would be very exhausted due to the numerous administrative matters that required his decisions.
In a strange tone, he asked, "Wouldn't the Hongwu Emperor be exhausted by doing so, without a prime minister to share the administrative burden?"
No wonder it was Emperor Qin Shi Huang who quickly recognized the drawbacks of Hongwu Emperor's abolition of the prime ministerial system. Li Nian stated, "Hongwu Emperor did not die from exhaustion after abolishing the system of the prime minister. Instead, he diligently governed for eighteen years after this reform."
Upon hearing this, Boss Zheng couldn't help but give a nod of approval to the Hongwu Emperor, praising him as a formidable figure. No wonder he could rise from being a beggar to ascend the throne.
Emperor Zheng was very interested and continued to ask, "What happened next? How did the subsequent Ming emperors fare? Did they restore the prime ministerial system?"
Li Nian said, "Hongwu Emperor possessed extraordinary vigor and energy, which enabled him to rise early and stay up late after abolishing the system of the prime minister. He tirelessly attended to administrative affairs, but he never anticipated whether his successors could follow in his footsteps."
"After the Hongwu Emperor passed away, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty that followed found their own energy limited and unable to be as diligent as their ancestors. Therefore, they established the Cabinet, promoted cabinet ministers, and had them assist in handling administrative affairs."
"Assisting in handling administrative affairs might lead to these ministers becoming the new prime minister, thus just circulating around the same path after all."
"In the beginning, the cabinet ministers were also referred to as supporting ministers, serving as advisors to the emperor. They were responsible for voicing opinions on matters where the emperor found it difficult to make decisions, and they had relatively limited authority."
"But over time, the cabinet gradually gained substantial power, no longer limited to just offering advice. They were also able to make decisions. The most senior cabinet minister was known as the 'Senior Advisor,' and some Senior Advisors during the Ming Dynasty held power as great as that of the prime minister before."
Indeed, as he had imagined, Hongwu Emperor abolished the prime ministerial system, but his descendants partially restored it to some extent.
"Of course, the Senior Advisor and the prime minister are different. The Senior Advisor is not a true prime minister, and most of the time, their power is far less than that of a prime minister. From this point of view, Hongwu Emperor's abolition of the system of the prime minister was indeed a success!"
After discussing the Three Provinces and Six Ministries system of the Ming Dynasty, Li Nian went on to talk about the Qing Dynasty: "By the time of the Qing Dynasty, although they were considered barbarians, one must admit that in terms of their system of royal bureaucracy, they reached a peak."
"The Qing Dynasty adopted the Ming system, retaining the six ministries and the cabinet. However, during the reign of Emperor Yinzheng of the Qing Dynasty, an institution called 'Junjiqu' was founded."
Emperor Zheng asked, "Is the Junjiqu a new cabinet?"
Li Nian thought for a moment and shook his head, "It's not quite, compared to the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty, the Junjiqu has a broad scope of authority, but the actual power of the military ministers is quite small."
Emperor Zheng was somewhat confused, only to hear Li Nian continue: "The Junjiqu has no official office, no special officials, no subordinates, and no fixed number of personnel. Instead, emperor-appointed officials from the third to fourth rank are selected to serve there."
"The military ministers were all holding multiple positions. They could participate in decision-making, but had no decision-making power. Accompanying the emperor, they executed orders directly from the emperor, drafted documents, and handled administrative affairs."
"The seals of the Junjiqu were handed back immediately after use. To ensure strict confidentiality, the messengers at the Junjiqu were selected from young boys under the age of fifteen who could not read. Moreover, there were special investigating commissioners sent to patrol back and forth at the duty location of the Junjiqu, preventing anyone from eavesdropping."
"Therefore, although the jurisdiction of the Junjiqu is broad, the power of the military ministers is limited. In fact, it is the original cabinet that the Ming emperors established."
After this explanation, Emperor Zheng had a general understanding of the Junjiqu's role and limitations. The officials of the Junjiqu were selected by the emperor, not specialized, and could be dismissed or appointed at any time. They had no decision-making power but could only propose opinions. Therefore, they could not issue practical government orders.
The Junjiqu was the system that Hongwu Emperor and Zhu Di wanted—a team to provide advice and strategies, but not to take action. The decisions were still left to us, the father and son.
Emperor Zheng immediately realized the benefits of the Junjiqu. It basically avoided the possibility of power-grabbing officials, greatly strengthening the emperor's power. As for the drawbacks...
When the emperor's power is too great and there is no balance, if the emperor is wise, the Junjiqu will be the most effective tool in the emperor's hands. However, if the emperor is foolish, the Junjiqu will be useless as well.
Moreover, once the emperor's control and command are removed, the Junjiqu would be like a group of headless flies, unlike the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, which could still operate for decades even if the emperor did not attend to his duties properly.
However, it must be said that for a king who desires centralization of power, the Junjiqu is indeed tempting. Suddenly, Emperor Zheng asked, "From the establishment of the Junjiqu by Emperor Yinzheng to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, the Junjiqu has always existed?"
Li Nian replied, "It has always existed!"
Emperor Ying Zheng had wanted to ask how the Qing Dynasty avoided having foolish or tyrannical emperors in the presence of the Junjiqu, but upon thinking about the Qing Dynasty's "secret succession system" and the rarity of imperial offspring, he decided not to ask.
He changed his question, "What kind of official system should my Qin Dynasty adopt?"
Hearing Li Nian's talk about learning from subsequent dynasties as a reference, the purpose was to revise the current official system of the Qin Dynasty, making it more convenient for himself and also more advantageous for the Qin Dynasty.
Li Nian knew that Ying Zheng would ask for his opinion, so after careful consideration, he said, "I believe we should take the system of Three Provinces and Six Ministries as the foundation and make appropriate modifications in accordance with the current situation of the Qin Dynasty."
Ying Zheng asked, "How should we modify it?"
Li Nian shook his head and said, "I am not sure what specific modifications should be made!"
Although he had searched for information from later dynasties, Li Nian couldn't come up with a way to modify the Three Provinces and Six Ministries system in the Qin Dynasty to create a perfect official system that would suit both Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the needs of the Qin Dynasty.
"My humble suggestions, Your Majesty, for Your consideration: if our Qin Dynasty were to adopt the system of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries, it is advisable to restrict the Six Departments and the Bureau of Revenue, as their powers are too great and their responsibilities are too numerous."
"Having too much authority would make the head of the department too powerful, and having too many responsibilities is not convenient for clarifying affairs, which can easily lead to confusion and errors in government orders. I believe that some of the six departments could be separated from the Ministry of State and directly under Your Majesty's control, such as the Department of Personnel, Warfare, Justice, and Finance."
"The Department of Personnel is responsible for the assessment and appointment or dismissal of officials. Such significant power should be held by Your Majesty."
"Additionally, the Department of War is crucial, as An Zhourong, a military commander of Later Jin, once said, 'The emperor must be powerful and have strong troops and horses.' The importance of the military power is self-evident. As the Department of War is directly related to military power, I believe it would not be suitable to be directly under the Ministry of State."
Hearing this, Meng Yi's eyelids twitched. Only this man dare speak these words in front of the king.
"The Department of Justice is in charge of laws and regulations, and it oversees criminal justice. The Ministry of State will need to consult the Department of Justice when implementing administrative orders, so it cannot be entirely removed from the Ministry of State. A portion should be retained."
"For example, when the Ministry of State is implementing administrative orders, if there are those who deliberately obstruct or disrupt them, the Ministry of State should have the authority to issue an order to apprehend them. However, it should not have the authority to conduct investigations and determine guilt."
