Chapter 280 Cabinet Plan
"It's time to prepare for the construction of the Great Wall. Thank you for your concern, my lord." Zhao Xing said.
"I understand!" Han Zhang nodded.
Zhao Xing asked some other questions and then asked them to leave.
After Han Zhang and others left, Zhao Xing also left the hall and went to Longtu Pavilion.
Zhao Xing is still the crown prince, so naturally he cannot handle government affairs at the imperial desk.
He could only add a table on the side, and the eunuchs from the Ministry of Internal Affairs brought all the government affairs that needed to be handled by him yesterday and today.
Zhao Xing felt overwhelmed as he looked at the table that was almost piled high.
Although he had been processing the bundles two years ago, the bundles he processed actually only accounted for a part of them.
All the ribbons sent to the Eastern Palace had been processed by Han Zhang and his team.
All Zhao Xing needed to do was to look at Han Zhang and others' opinions and give his instructions.
Not all of them can be handled by Zhazi Hanzhang. Some that they are undecided about or need to be handled by the government will be sent directly to the government.
The government will deal with any matter it can handle directly. If the government cannot make up its mind, it will summon ministers to discuss and make a decision.
Normally, the government would hold a small court meeting every morning and afternoon, summoning important officials to discuss these matters.
Now all of these need to be dealt with by Zhao Xing.
In addition, there were some imperial edicts that required him to review and sign and stamp them with the imperial seal.
Even though it's a headache, I still have to do it.
Zhao Xing could only bury his head and get busy.
Fortunately, he has practiced it over the years and can handle most of the knots with ease.
If you can't make up your mind for the moment, put it aside for now.
"Your Highness, it's already past noon. Have your meal and take a rest first," Eunuch Liu reminded.
Eunuch Liu has been with the emperor for many years. Although he is only a eunuch, he is very familiar with the various processes of the emperor's daily administration.
The emperor then asked him to stay with Zhao Xing and remind him.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing put down his pen and stretched lazily.
Even though he has been practicing martial arts for many years, he still feels some back pain.
"Have someone bring the food over. I'll just eat here." Zhao Xing ordered.
"Yes!"
Eunuch Liu ordered the meal to be delivered and had a table brought over.
After the meal was ready, Zhao Xing was invited to come and eat.
Zhao Xing came to the dining table and sat down, thinking while eating.
The emperor's workload is too heavy. Although some of it is due to the backlog from yesterday, the workload is still considerable.
If you want to be a wise ruler, you must be busy like a dog every day.
Then what's the point of being an emperor?
"No wonder there were so many incompetent rulers in ancient times." Zhao Xing suddenly understood the incompetent rulers in ancient times.
Not everyone is as energetic as Zhu Yuanzhang, who abolished the prime minister system, shouldered all responsibilities, and still had time to favor concubines and give birth to a large number of sons and daughters.
"Oh, by the way, how could I have forgotten about the cabinet system!"
After Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister, his descendants were not as energetic as he was, so they came up with a cabinet system to save time.
When the cabinet first appeared, it was actually to help the emperor handle government affairs, and it did not have much actual power.
However, as the emperor later decentralized power, the cabinet became more and more powerful, and in the end it was almost no different from the prime minister.
However, although the cabinet system has various drawbacks, overall its advantages outweigh its disadvantages.
In history, the Ming Dynasty had the most bizarre emperors. If there had not been a cabinet system, the Ming Dynasty would have perished long ago.
Zhao Xing was thinking about the feasibility of implementing a cabinet system.
The Ming Dynasty was able to implement it because Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister system.
However, the Song Dynasty implemented a multi-phase system, which was actually intended to strengthen imperial power and also provided the basis for the implementation of a cabinet.
After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xing gave a bitter smile. Although it was possible for the Song Dynasty to implement a cabinet system, it was not that easy to implement.
If the cabinet system is implemented based on a few ministers, it will not be difficult to obtain the consent of the court officials.
But in this case, the position of cabinet minister would be too high.
After much thought, Zhao Xing also realized that it was not appropriate to set up a cabinet for the time being. However, Zhao Xing could set up a small cabinet.
The emperor had too many government affairs to deal with, so naturally he needed someone to give him advice.
For example, in the Song Dynasty, there were many Grand Secretaries of the Palace and the Cabinet.
The Grand Secretary is actually equivalent to the emperor's advisor, who can assist the emperor in handling government affairs and participate in discussions.
But in fact, the Grand Secretary of the Song Dynasty was just an honorary title.
Officials above the third rank in the court basically all had the honorary title of Grand Secretary.
The emperor's advisers and secretaries were actually Hanlin scholars.
What Zhao Xing wanted to do was to turn the title of Grand Secretary into a real position.
Some people with low official positions but good abilities were selected from the court, and were conferred the title of Grand Secretary of Longtu Pavilion to assist him in handling government affairs.
This way, he can feel much more relaxed.
However, these are just his initial ideas, and he can only start preparing after he ascends the throne.
Otherwise, if his father knew that he was thinking about how to be lazy before he even ascended the throne, he would probably be so angry that he would die.
In the afternoon, Zhao Xing dealt with the documents for a while. When it was almost Shen time, he asked Eunuch Liu to summon the ministers to discuss the matter.
The officials who participated in the discussion were only the chief officials and deputy officials of the three provinces, six ministries, the Privy Council, and the three departments, totaling no more than twenty people.
These people are the most powerful officials in the Song Dynasty.
Perhaps because Zhao Xing had just taken over as regent and people had not yet figured out his temper, the afternoon court meeting was unusually harmonious. More than a dozen issues were discussed in just over half an hour.
Although Zhao Xing had never attended a small court meeting before, he had heard that there were often long arguments over some issues at the small court meetings.
Of course, this also had a lot to do with Zhao Xing’s silence.
At the small court meeting, Zhao Xing looked completely receptive to advice and was willing to accept suggestions.
As long as there are many people supporting the matter, it will be passed directly.
Zhao Xing was very clear that he was now only the crown prince regent, and not many people really took him seriously.
Even if he speaks out, how many people will support him?
Anyway, my father is already preparing to abdicate. Only after he ascends the throne will it be the time for him to take drastic measures and show his prowess.
After discussing the matter, Zhao Xing asked everyone to go back and continue to deal with the ties.
I was busy until the evening, and there was still a small part left to be processed.
Seeing that it was getting dark, Zhao Xing stopped, stretched his body, and went to his father's bedroom.
Although the emperor couldn't get out of bed yet, he looked much better than yesterday. After Zhao Xing bowed, he smiled and said, "Today is your first day as regent. How do you feel?"
Zhao Xing came to sit beside the bed and said with a wry smile: "I finally understand the hard work of my father."
"Haha." The official smiled and said, "Fuer, you may not be used to it at first, but after a few days of getting used to it, it will be much easier. I believe you can do better than me."
"How can I compare with my father? I am lucky enough to be a ruler who maintains the status quo." Zhao Xing shook his head.
"Didn't you tell me before that I would pass the throne to you? You've only been regent for one day and haven't even ascended the throne, but why are you so lacking in confidence?" The emperor scolded with a smile.
"I was just joking at first, how could Father take it so seriously?"
The emperor smiled and said, "I asked the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to calculate it today. May 15th is a good day. It's almost February now, and there are still more than three months. Although the time is a bit tight, it is still sufficient. I have already told the Grand Chancellor about the abdication this morning. During this period, the Grand Chancellor will assist you in familiarizing yourself with government affairs. When the time is right, I will announce it to the world."
"Yes, I understand." Zhao Xing nodded.
"The Grand Chancellor is diligent and dedicated to his duties, and the Chancellor Shen is upright. If you have any questions, you can ask for their opinions. In addition, Wang Wengong, the Right Officer of the Ministry of Rites..."
The emperor told Zhao Xing about all the talents that could be used in the court.
Zhao Xing accompanied his father for dinner before saying goodbye and leaving.
He returned to the East Palace with the remaining tied clothes that had not been processed.
After returning to the East Palace, Zhao Xing went to the study and continued to work on the paper.
I worked until late at night to finish the process.
"Huh~Finally done."
Zhao Xing stretched and rubbed his sore eyes.
"Your Highness, the Crown Princess has been waiting in the bedroom for half an hour." Sanshui said.
"Hmm?" Zhao Xing frowned and asked, "Why didn't you report it?"
(End of this chapter)