At the end of the year and in the twelfth lunar month, the capital city is noisy with wind and snow, and most government offices are rushing to close their operations, but some places are unable to do so and still have to operate until the end.
Yan Shoufu's heart was as cold as the weather, and he lacked the excitement and joy of being the Shoufu for two months.
Outside the right gate of Chang'an, I met Zhang Bangqi, another minister who was also on duty at Wenyuan Pavilion.
At this time, it had not been long since the last cabinet adjustment. Due to bureaucracy and the inactivity of Chief Yan, the title of the new generation of bachelors has not been officially determined. Therefore, for the time being, Zhang Bangqi can only be called a cabinet minister who has joined the cabinet, not yet.
As a bachelor.
Little knowledge about officialdom in the middle and late Ming Dynasty: cabinet ministers are not necessarily bachelors, but bachelors must be cabinet ministers, with Qin Dewei being an exception sometimes.
Zhang Bangqi followed Yan Shoufu into the palace city, complaining as he walked: "Qin Dewei is really doing random things in Zhejiang, trampling on all laws and rules!"
Yan Song was too lazy to listen to such complaints and asked instead: "Did Qin Dewei mess up the matter?"
Zhang Bangqi was stunned for a moment before replying: "What should I do? Not yet."
Yan Song reprimanded him unceremoniously: "Those incompetent folks of yours have the energy to complain to you, so why not think about how to make Qin Dewei mess up the matter!
As long as Qin Dewei's errand goes wrong, all their difficulties will naturally be solved!"
Zhang Bangqi nodded in agreement, "They are also thinking of a way, and they are very motivated. They can at least create some trouble for Qin Dewei."
Yan Song couldn't help but lamented: "If you just create some trouble, it's not enough! Living in the same era as Qin Dewei is really a great misfortune for us!"
Zhang Bangqi: "."
What's the weird way to say that you are in the same era as Qin Dewei? There is a forty-year age difference between you, Yan Shoufu, and Qin Dewei, right? Can this be considered the same era?
Then Zhang Bangqi and Wang Yangming’s father Wang Hua from the next county can be considered the same era!
After that, the two of them entered Wenyuan Pavilion and heated up braziers to warm their bodies.
Nowadays, there are four cabinet ministers, Yan Song, Zhang Chao, Zhang Bi, and Zhang Bangqi, working in the middle hall of Wenyuan Pavilion. It is really a bit crowded. It is even more unimaginable to wait for Qin Dewei to return to the court.
However, several old and new cabinet ministers were unwilling to go anywhere else. They all expressed that they wanted to carry forward their style and crowd into the central hall, and the court had no choice.
The cabinet is meeting today, and there are some major issues that need to be "voted" before the end of the year to avoid delaying progress.
Therefore, Wang Tingxiang, who was in charge of the Military Aircraft Department on his behalf, also strolled over, and as a representative of the absent Grand Scholar Qin Dewei, he came to the last seat.
According to the current operating rules, voting on major matters requires five people to vote, and Qin Dewei's vote was entrusted to Wang Tingxiang instead.
Yan Shoufu took the note and said: "Thirteen officials from Fujian and Zhejiang in Beijing have jointly submitted a letter asking the court to reaffirm the maritime ban, strictly prevent Japanese communication, and increase the recruitment of soldiers from coastal prefectures and counties in order to prepare for Japanese aggression."
Wang Tingxiang said in surprise: "How can a dozen of people just sign their signatures be treated so seriously by Mr. Yan Ge and put out for a vote?
How free do you, Yan Ge, always have to pay attention to such trivial matters?"
Yan Shoufu said angrily: "If you don't want to have this meeting, just go out! I let you, Wang Junchuan, sit here because you are here to replace Qin Dewei, not to imitate Qin Dewei's speech!"
Wang Tingxiang: "."
Although he was scolded, it made sense and he was speechless.
The tone of what he said just now is a bit like Qin Dewei's. He has sinned and sinned, and he needs to seriously reflect on himself.
If this continues, I am afraid that the end of the year will not be guaranteed and there will be problems with historical evaluation.
After Yan Shoufu finished criticizing Wang Tingxiang, he said directly: "Let's vote! I agree with this memorial!"
Zhang Bangqi also said without hesitation: "I also agree."
Another newcomer, Zhang Bi, couldn't make up his mind, so he looked at Zhang Chao, waiting for Zhang Chao to express his opinion first.
Anyone who is well-informed knows that the person who has made the most money through the sea ban in the past two months is Qin Dewei. It is hard to say what Qin Dewei's attitude towards the sea ban is.
Zhang Chao thought for a while and then expressed his stance: "I agree."
There is no way to object to this. First of all, Qin Dewei has never given any instructions to relax the sea ban. Secondly, the sea ban is still an official policy of the imperial court. Reiterating the sea ban is politically correct and there is no way to object.
So in the end, this joint memorial was unanimously approved by the cabinet vote.
Yan Shoufu was not surprised at all by this result, and continued: "Regulations on increasing the recruitment of rural soldiers in coastal counties need to be finalized as soon as possible so that coastal counties can prepare early!
My opinion is that in order to prevent Japanese pirates, the number of township soldiers in each county can be expanded to 500, and the number of soldiers in the prefectural city can be expanded to 3,000!
The cost of recruiting rural soldiers is mainly based on local donations, and weapons are provided by the local military weapons bureau. Every five rural soldiers can be given two sharp weapons!"
What Mr. Yan Ge said was all business and there was nothing wrong with the truth. The other cabinet ministers could not find any objections and all agreed.
Even if Qin Dewei himself were sitting here, he would not be able to object to the recruitment of rural soldiers from coastal counties to fight against the Japanese.
At this time, Yan Shoufu put down his words, "These were the major military and state affairs that we were anxious about a year ago. The rest are issues of etiquette, especially the etiquette of cabinet ministers."
What is the etiquette of cabinet ministers? It is nothing more than the order and the title of the bachelor.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon. During the Chinese New Year, whether it is a court meeting or a suburban ceremony, all rituals are involved. The status of cabinet ministers cannot be made do as it is now.
The reason why it is said to be "make do" is because the current cabinet etiquette system is indeed in a relatively chaotic period.
The title of "Grand Bachelor of the Ming Dynasty Cabinet" was originally an honorary title and could be said to be added casually.
Later, when the cabinet system matured, cabinet bachelors became institutionalized and had obvious official rank characteristics.
By the middle and early Jiajing Dynasty, there were a total of five titles of Grand Master that could be used by cabinet ministers.
From lowest to highest, they are the Grand Bachelor of Dongge, the Grand Bachelor of Wenyuange, the Grandmaster of Wuyingdian, the Grandmaster of Jinshendian, and the Grandmaster of Huagaidian. Note that there is no Grandmaster of Wenhuadian here.
Among them, Dongge University Scholar is considered a low-end entry-level model, used by newcomers, novice cabinet ministers, or younger juniors, such as Qin Zhongtang;
As for Wenyuan Pavilion and Wuying Palace, they are regarded as middle-end titles. There are also senior ministers with strong reputations who join the cabinet and are directly promoted to the Grand Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion. After that, they are promoted to the Grand Bachelor of Wuying Palace.
Currently, Teacher Zhang’s name is Wenyuan Pavilion, and Yan Shoufu’s name is still Wuyingdian.
The two Grand Bachelors of Jinshen Hall and Huagai Hall are considered high-end titles. Those who can be added to the Grand Bachelor of Jinshen Hall are basically the first assistant. The first assistant is more senior and is the Grand Bachelor of Huagai Hall.
For example, Zhai Luan, who was expelled two months ago, is the Grand Bachelor of Jinshen Palace.
Under normal circumstances, there are basically about three people in the cabinet, so the five titles of Grand Master are enough, and there is even a surplus.
After knowing the etiquette system of the cabinet ministers mentioned above, you will understand why the current cabinet etiquette system at the end of the 20th year of Jiajing is very chaotic, and even the New Year's court meeting does not know how to arrange it.
The first assistant, Yan Song, was only a bachelor of Wuyingdian, and his subordinate titles were only Wenyuan Pavilion and Dong Pavilion, which were occupied by Teacher Zhang Chaozhang and Qin Zhongtang.
If the two newcomers Zhang Bi and Zhang Bangqi want to increase their bachelor's title, they will not have any extra titles. They can only share them with Zhang Chao or Qin Dewei.
The title of Bachelor of Wuyingdian is very inappropriate for Yan Shoufu, so according to the convention, it should be adjusted upward.
Yan Shoufu was moved up in the front, and two new people suddenly came later. Should the names of Zhang Chao and Qin Dewei also be moved up to make room for the newcomers?
If all were adjusted upwards in large quantities, wouldn't mid-to-high-end bachelor's degrees become worthless?
Therefore, Yan Song specifically raised an issue of cabinet etiquette. It was really not just a matter of idleness. It was indeed an issue that had to be resolved a year ago.
According to normal practice, how to adjust the title of a bachelor depends entirely on the emperor's will. However, this is a special period and the emperor has temporarily lost his mind.
Yan Song spoke again: "This matter has also been reported to the Queen Mother. The Holy Mother has decreed that it is not appropriate to ask ministers to recommend academicians. Therefore, the ministers are asked to draw up their own plans according to the usual practice and then report to the Holy Mother for approval. In addition, all the names are added.
Waiting for His Majesty to wake up."
Wang Tingxiang said subconsciously: "Isn't that just like me?"
The acting presiding officer of the Military Aircraft Department was also given a pronoun!
Others don't have Wang Tingxiang's leisurely game mentality. They are all stakeholders. After hearing Yan Song's words, they were thinking about something in their hearts.
Although the title of Grand Bachelor and actual power are two different things, they can only show a little bit of the hierarchy, but other than that they don't have much meaning.
But who can completely ignore it and let themselves be inferior to their colleagues? Even if the title is a little higher, it is still high. Isn’t the pursuit of being higher than others in the officialdom?
Seeing that the others were silent for a while, Yan Song continued: "There are five titles in the Diange Palace. The highest one, the Huagai Palace, can be left empty for now. I will be promoted to the Jinshen Palace, and Zhang Chao will be promoted to the Wuying Palace."
The remaining Wenyuan Pavilion is given to Zhang Bi. Although Dongge is repeated, it doesn't hurt to let Zhang Bangqi add another Dongge Grand Scholar."
Suddenly it sounded like this arrangement was very reasonable.
Yan Song was originally the nominal chief assistant. It was normal for him to be promoted to the high-end Grand Bachelor of Jinshen Palace. It was normal for Zhang Chao, as an old man, to be promoted to Wuying Palace.
It is also reasonable for the two newcomers Zhang Bi and Zhang Bangqi to be divided into Wenyuan Pavilion and Dong Pavilion according to their seniority.
While others were pondering the benefits and losses involved, Wang Tingxiang, who was watching with cold eyes, discovered a bright spot.
Then Wang Tingxiang said: "Isn't Yan Ge always in a hurry? Don't be too busy drafting the name of the palace first, there are more important things to do!"
Yan Song asked: "What happened?"
Wang Tingxiang said directly: "We should first arrange the order of cabinet ministers and clarify the etiquette of superiority and inferiority, and then draw up the names of the cabinets according to the specific situation!"
What Wang Tingxiang said is not wrong. Theoretically speaking, the cabinet does have an order first, and then determines the positions of the first assistant, second assistant, and group assistant.
Moreover, the order of the cabinet, if there is no interference from unexpected factors such as the emperor, the names will be ranked strictly according to the order of entry into the cabinet.
Yan Song smiled and said: "With these few people, the situation is clear at a glance. Do we need to rank them in order? The first is me, the second is Zhang Chao, the third is Zhang Bi, and the fourth is Zhang Bangqi!"
The names I just drafted were also drafted in this order, there is nothing wrong with them!"
Speaking of this, Mr. Yan Ge suddenly felt a little sad. No one in the cabinet could compete with him except Yan Song!
Zhang Chao was only sent to the cabinet half a year ago, on the eve of Qin Dewei's departure to Zhejiang; Zhang Bi and Zhang Bangqi were both brought into the cabinet two months ago after a lucky break when Zhai Luan was expelled.
It's not fair at all that a bunch of noobs in the cabinet have the same number of votes as Yan Song!
At this moment, Wang Tingxiang suddenly asked again: "Did Yan Ge always forget people on purpose? Isn't Qin Dewei not a cabinet minister?"
Hearing this name, Yan Song felt a headache and subconsciously said: "Even if he is included in this, what will happen?"
Does a young man in his twenties still want to surpass everyone?
Wang Tingxiang only said: "If I remember correctly, Qin Dewei joined Zhiwen Yuan Pavilion in the 18th year of Jiajing, only one year later than Yan Ge Lao."
Everyone: "."
Looking back carefully, Yan Song supported the emperor on the issue of proclaiming his clan and entering the temple in the 17th year of Jiajing, so he was able to join the cabinet.
As for Qin Dewei, in the second year, after Emperor Jiajing came to visit the south, he added the title of "entering Zhiwen Yuan Pavilion" for Qin Dewei. Of course, he did not make any advance arrangements.
In other words, purely from the perspective of "entering the cabinet", Qin Zhongtang is indeed only one year later than Yan Song.
This qualification is definitely more than enough to surpass the "three" who were admitted to the cabinet half a year ago and two months ago.
So if we strictly follow the traditional order, the youngest Qin Dewei is the second one? The second place of the cabinet minister is actually what everyone often calls the second assistant!
Wang Tingxiang said to everyone: "I heard that the ranking of cabinet ministers only depends on the time before and after they entered the cabinet, not their age!
So besides Mr. Yan Ge, Qin Dewei is the one with the most seniority!
But you all turned a blind eye and just sent it away to a bachelor of the East Pavilion who was the last person accompanying you. I, Wang Tingxiang, can't stand it!"
Wang Tingxiang's interruption immediately fell into silence in the middle hall of Wenyuan Pavilion, but his heart was as active as ten thousand horses galloping past.
Damn it! After fighting for a long time, Qin Dewei is the "second in the world"?
Not only were the enemy's people unwilling to admit the reality, but even Zhang Chao from our own side was silent, rarely offering any help.
Yan Shoufu's thoughts changed rapidly at this moment, and suddenly he also discovered an opportunity!
So Yan Shoufu immediately asked Wang Ting: "Originally, it was planned that Zhang Chao, the most senior CI minister, would be the second person in the cabinet, but now you have pushed Qin Dewei to the front!
Then I don’t understand, who should be ranked second? Zhang Chao or Qin Dewei?”
Although it is not stated explicitly, everyone knows that the second assistant is the second assistant. If the first assistant steps down or dies, the second assistant will usually take over.
Thinking of this, Yan Shoufu felt like he was sitting on the crater of a volcano! Qin Dewei wouldn't go crazy and try his best to kill himself just to be the Shoufu, right?
But everyone else just felt that Yan Shoufu's move was a bit like killing three soldiers with two peaches.
Now Mr. Yan Ge threw out the peach, but Qin Dewei was far away in Zhejiang and couldn't react, so everyone turned their attention to Zhang Chao who was present.
If it were someone else competing with Qin Dewei for second place, there would be no need to worry, the result is doomed.
But as Qin Dewei's chief master, Zhang Chao is still very powerful when facing Qin Dewei!
