In a country with an autocratic monarchy, every word and deed of the emperor has great power. Tincture

Therefore, thunder, rain and dew are all your kindness.

You can be demoted thousands of miles away, and you can be high in the temple in an instant.

The power is overwhelming, and it can also lead to the death of one's body.

In the peak feudal era like the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as long as the emperor did whatever it took, it would definitely be possible.

This is also the reason why Zhang Juzheng's method of whipping and Yongzheng's method of sharing the land with farmers was so successful.

You must know that in the Eastern Han Dynasty, even if the founding emperor like Emperor Guangwu started to conquer the fields, countless people throughout the world rebelled.

Forcing him to compromise.

This resulted in the official rise of the mighty.

Even for Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the government system was only implemented in Guanzhong, and he did not dare to implement it throughout the world.

In this way, because of the emperor, the Zhou family suddenly reached the top of the hierarchy, which can be said to be the envy of others.

If Princess Kunning lives long enough, she can maintain such wealth for decades, no matter whether the emperor changes or not.

At the same time, the emperor's request to send envoys all the way to Europe was unanimously approved without regard to personal interests.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Prince Zhu's entire family was taken away with them.

"The duty of an envoy is to stay there permanently. Although the envoy is appointed by the royal guard, his official character must be determined and his contribution must not be let down."

The emperor said casually, half lying on the dragon chair, the soft cushions on the back were extremely comfortable.

Several pavilion elders lowered their eyes and listened, all of them obeying.

The cabinet during the Yan Chongxin period could be described as a perfect executor. Except for disagreements on issues of principle, they obeyed to the end at other times.

Therefore, in official circles, he is jokingly called the prime minister who takes orders only.

But who knows Yan Chongxin’s suffering?

In the early years of Shaowu's reign, the emperor established a new examination system, with the Imperial College's sacrificial wine as the main examiner, and doctors, teaching assistants, xuezheng, xuelu, dianbu, etc. as co-examiners, presiding over the examination.

As a result, the cabinet ministers and ministers in the eight ministries basically have no way to form cliques for personal gain.

After all, in the officialdom, disciples are the most reliable, not even relatives.

For example, Xu Jie and Yan Song, who are in-laws of each other, would be cruel to attack each other.

Once a disciple betrays him, his future will be ruined and he will not be able to survive in the officialdom, and may even affect his descendants for three generations.

Having no disciples means that in the imperial court, people can only gather for the sake of profit, and at the same time, they can also leave for the sake of profit.

The mud formed a house, and it dispersed when it rained.

As for the Imperial College Jijiu, he has been teaching and educating people, and he has never been able to become an official, and can only waste his opportunity.

At the same time, the tradition of Hanlin presiding over the provincial examination was also broken, and the academic officials of the Imperial College were selected and qualified.

This fundamentally eliminates the possibility of forming a party.

But what the emperor said made sense: "When it comes to learning, who can compare to the Imperial College?"

"For the country's moral integrity, the Imperial College is a perfect fit."

"As for Hanlin and the elders, just be good officials!"

Therefore, among the four cabinet members, Yan Chongxin, Zhu Mou, Feng Xianzong, and Du Yinxi, Du Yinxi was the only one who insisted on his own opinions and often made remarks that exceeded the rules, which made him stand out.

"Your Majesty is wise. When it comes to collecting information, no one can match the Jinyiwei. Now that he is out of the feudal vassal, he should be given the title of Doctor of the Ministry of Rites."

The doctor is of the fifth rank, and Qianhu is also of the fifth rank, which is a good match.

"It is appropriate to go to a foreign country and receive two salaries."

The emperor nodded slightly.

Hearing this, Yan Chongxin lowered his head and showed a smile on his lips.

"However, when the embassy is built, the Ministry of Rites will also have to pay for it, so let's share half of it!"

"yes!"

"Your Majesty, although Xiyi is far away, they have set up embassies and ambassadors. Now Korea, Japan, the vassal state of Kang, and the vassal state of Qin will naturally set up embassies as well."

Du Yinxi cupped his hands and said, "Otherwise, it would be a bit unfair to favor one over the other."

The emperor cast a surprised look: "Yes, Mr. Duge has thought carefully and drawn inferences from one case to another. This is indeed a good thing."

Seeing the emperor sitting up, several cabinet ministers bent down.

"There are three, six or nine state-owned enterprises, and the ambassador is no exception."

Several people raised their heads and heard the clear voice of the emperor in their ears.

"Therefore, the official title of an envoy who is close to the vassal is the fourth rank. By the way, the same should be the case in Korea."

"The second grade is Japan, Kang, Myanmar, etc., and the fourth grade is Cong."

"The third grade is the Western Europeans, which is the fifth grade." Tincture

In the ears of several people, the emperor's tone became more and more fluent, and even a little excited, just like a child who found a toy or a man who couldn't wait to see a woman.

"There should also be a distinction in the title. A close vassal is an imperial envoy, a vassal country is an ambassador, a barbarian country is an envoy, and the Jin Yiwei and the Ministry of Rites are under the dual leadership."

"The embassy should consist of ambassadors, military attaches, counselors, etc., and should be composed of no less than ten people."

"At the same time, the embassy is responsible for conveying the emperor's orders, communicating with each other, collecting and inquiring about military information, and managing overseas citizens, among other matters."

After hearing this, everyone suddenly realized.

It turns out that this is what an ambassador is.

This is indeed a good idea. Tincture

Referring to the parts given by the emperor, the cabinet began to plan in detail, subdivide them and put them under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.

The emperor looked at the words of several people and began to fill in the gaps, but he didn't say much.

The more they talked, the more they felt that the idea of ​​an ambassador was indeed good, and that the Ministry of Rites' jurisdiction was legitimate, because it was a necessary measure to demonstrate the Ming Dynasty's style and to monitor various countries at the same time.

If a country usurps, conquers the superiors, or rebels, if the embassy informs them, the court will not admit it in a confused way.

If you can intervene from the beginning, there will be no embarrassment after the established facts.

North Korea has rebelled several times. If the Ming Dynasty knew the details, they would definitely not ignore them.

This violated the feudal order and affected the fundamental interests of the emperor and Confucianism.

"Your Majesty, this matter is related to etiquette."

Feng Xianzong tried: "The ambassador needs to meet with the kings of various countries, and every move is related to the court's face. I'm afraid that Jin Yiwei will not be able to take up his role."

"Of course, when it comes to collecting news and intelligence, the Jin Yiwei should be very powerful, but if he can be made a military attaché or a deputy envoy, it would be most suitable to send someone with broad knowledge, courage and carefulness as an ambassador."

"After all, Ban Ding joined the army from afar, which is a clear proof."

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the cabinet fell silent and looked at the emperor eagerly, waiting for a reply.

There is no doubt that this is an instinctive usurpation of power by civil servants.

Zhu Yixi felt a sense of disgust in her heart.

But then he realized something more clearly: "If you let a civilian serve as an ambassador and travel thousands of miles across the ocean, if nothing else, your knowledge will inevitably increase."

"In other words, it means being able to open your eyes to see the world and understand the advantages and disadvantages of a foreign country."

Can cultivate some knowledgeable civil servants.

And if it were just the Jin Yiwei, they were humble and had little influence on the government. At most, they were more useful in gathering intelligence.

The emperor's silence directly chilled the atmosphere in the entire palace.

Feng Xianzong wanted to slap himself in the face for this matter. Why is there so much trouble?

Several pavilion elders looked at him with pity.

I'm afraid this wave is going to be bad.

After pondering for half an hour, the emperor finally spoke: "You are right, it does make sense."

These words seemed to have lifted a thousand kilograms of burden off him. The cool breeze blew and his back was soaked to the skin.

"Civil officials are more suitable than royal guards."

"Then select people from various ministries to serve as ambassadors, and then let Jin Yiwei serve as military attachés to collect intelligence."

Zhu Yixi lay down again, her tone was lazy, but these people listened respectfully, wishing they could carve it into their hearts with a knife.

"The ambassador is affiliated to the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Communications and Rites, and the military attache is the Jinyiwei. Zhishu and I can be considered as simultaneous listeners, so it will be clear."

"Your Majesty is wise——"

The four pavilion masters sang their congratulations in the same tone, which sounded very comfortable.

The atmosphere instantly became much more lively.
To be continued...