Da Ming under the microscope! In a large system of officials, each person's status and authority are different. Fan Yuan, Liu Jing, Huang Ningdao and others, they belong to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Supervision of the Imperial History and the local government respectively, but who has the highest position of power? For a small "people's silk tax", there is an undercurrent surging between them, fighting openly and secretly, what is it for? What is the scene in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty?
Dynasty Hub: Capital and Metropolitan Procuratorate
The government and the opposition are shaky, and the government is difficult, which is a common portrayal of the Ming Dynasty. In this turbulent era, the core power of the dynasty was concentrated in the capital, the emperor held the supreme power in his hands, and the officials of the government and the opposition were surrounded, as if they were all vying for favor.
The Imperial Court can be said to be the core of the central institution of the Ming Dynasty. As the existence of the eyes and ears of the Son of Heaven, it has been entrusted with the important task of picketing hundreds of officials and stating right and wrong. The left and right imperial histories are served by the second-rank high-ranking civil and military ministers, who are responsible for leading the work of the whole hospital; The left and right deputy capital imperial history is the positive three products, and assists the left and right imperial history to deal with specific affairs; The left and right are the four products, responsible for assigning tasks and supervising cases.
The post of Du Yushi was the highest supervisory organ of the Ming Dynasty, and its power was so great that it can be imagined. They can not only directly deal with officials below the sixth rank, but even the senior officials above the fifth rank, if there is any violation of discipline and fraud, the imperial history can also directly participate in the emperor, and it will be cut by Long Yan. It can be said that the imperial historians are the "eyes" of this era, and others have no way to hide.
Fan Yuan, who was originally the imperial history of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, was a high-ranking official of the fourth grade, and his power went without saying. However, fate was impermanent, and after losing in a political struggle, he was cut down from his post and removed from his official position, so he could only stay away from the government and the opposition and live in seclusion in the countryside. Although Fan Yuan himself has been stripped of his official position, he still regards himself as the former imperial historian and boasts about it to the outside world, so he has also won some fame in the local area.
One day, there was movement in the Fan family's old house. It turned out that the person who came to visit was Liu Jing, the Fengxing Inspector and the Imperial History. Liu Jing was dressed in a military uniform, wearing a twin, and a sword at his waist, majestic and majestic, he was actually the Imperial History sent by the Metropolitan Procuratorate! As the superintendent of the "Eyes of the Son of Heaven", his visit this time must have important military information.
Patrol the imperial history: the eyes and ears of the Son of Heaven, the power is extraordinary
Lord Goshi stepped in. The porter made a report, and then led Liu Jing into the main hall of the Fan family.
Liu Jing is not an idle person. As the Fengxing Inspector Imperial History, his authority can be described as staggering. The so-called "patrol press", as the name suggests, is the meaning of inspecting various places and governing according to the officials. Liu Jing's position is equivalent to the eyes and ears of the emperor, acting as the responsibility of inspection and supervision.
Thirteen supervising imperial history, a total of more than 100 people, all dispatched by the imperial court to distribute to various places, always monitor the words and deeds of local officials. They often disguised themselves as different identities to secretly visit the people's sufferings and be ready to participate in the imperial court at any time. Once corrupt acts such as embezzlement and bribery, favoritism and irregularities are discovered, they will be severely punished.
As the leader of the Imperial History, Liu Jing's power can be described as formidable. In addition to the civil and military officials below the sixth rank in the imperial court, who can be directly dealt with by the supervision of the imperial history, even the senior officials such as the five-rank prefect and the fourth-rank Tongzhi, as long as the circumstances are serious, Liu Jing can also directly report to the emperor, and the saint will personally decide. When the local officials saw Liu Jing, they were all silent, and they didn't dare to make a mistake.
"This time, I have been instructed by the lord to inspect whether the household tax in Renhe County is real. Liu Jing said to Fan Yuan, "I heard that the case of 'Taxation of People's Silk' has involved some officials, and if it is found that there is corruption and fraud, then it will be severely punished according to law." ＂
The case of "Taxation of People's Silk" has had a wide impact. There are illegal activities such as double taxation in the Shuai family house in Renhe County, which has aroused the dissatisfaction of the majority of poor people. The county official Mao Zhen was arrogant, and he was openly rude to Lord Yushi, which made matters worse. Such a catastrophe naturally attracted great attention from the imperial court.
Fan Yuan also knows a lot about this case. As the former Imperial History of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he has his own unique views on the yin and yang of the government and the opposition. Right now, I saw that Lord Yushi was furious, and I thought that this matter was not so simple.
Fengxing Province Upstart: Huang Ningdao's ambitions
Just when Lord Yushi was inspecting Renhe, Fengxing Province also set off a wave of waves. Huang Ningdao, the new governor of Jin'an Prefecture, can be said to be the source of this storm.
Huang Ningdao was originally an overseer in the imperial city, and he was at the top of the seventh rank. But who expected that fate was impermanent, and he lost in a struggle between the government and the opposition, and was dismissed and demoted, so he had to leave Beijing and go to the remote Jin'an to serve as the prefect. Although the grade has been raised to the fourth grade, it has actually risen and fallen secretly, and the power position is not as good as before.
Huang Ningdao was naturally worried about this. He was originally a supporter of Zhang Juzheng's reforms, but he just lost his footing for a while and was excluded. Now that there is a big case of "Rending Silk Tax", Huang Ningdao naturally wants to take advantage of the situation and regain his place in the government and the opposition.
So, Huang Ningdao secretly hid Zhang Juzheng's plea for checking the acres of land into the complaint brought by Liu Jing. He hoped to use the majesty of the Imperial History to thoroughly investigate Renhe's Huding Tianfu and provide an opportunity for Zhang Juzheng's reform. With just a small ignition, it may be possible to rekindle the fire of reform in the government and the opposition.
Huang Ningdao has his own careful plan for this. He was originally born in imperial history, and he was an old acquaintance with Liu Jing. Now, with the help of the "Rending Silk Tax" case, on the surface, it is to clarify the facts, but in fact, it is to take the opportunity to re-enter the core of the government and the opposition, make a name for himself, and regain power for himself. Once the corrupt elements in Renhe County are overthrown, he can rely on this merit to ask the imperial court to reuse it, and maybe he can resettle Zhang Juzheng's old grudges!
Although this plan is risky, the odds of winning are really not small. Liu Jing, as the master of the imperial history, has the right to investigate all suspicious points in Renhe County. As long as he is willing to help Huang Ningdao with this, it will be just around the corner to clear the obstacles to the "Ren Ding Si Xuan" case. At that time, Huang Ningdao will take advantage of this to make a comeback and take revenge on Zhang Juzheng's plan, which can be carried out step by step.
The helplessness of county officials: the dilemma of grassroots government
Compared with the power struggle between the upper echelons of the government and the opposition, Renhe County is really too small. But it was this small county governance that became the fuse of the struggle between the government and the opposition.
Fang Maozhen, the magistrate of Renhe County, was originally an innocent person. It's a pity that power degenerates people, and after many years in power, he has already contracted some small habits. For example, when collecting Ding Tianfu, he always likes to keep more private pockets; For example, for those poor people who come to the door to redress grievances, there will also be some evasion of prevarication. Still, in the entire county, Fang Maozhen's authority is unmatched.
However, Fang Maozhen is not alone. On the contrary, the faction of the county marshal Jiamo, which has spread in Renhe for decades, firmly controls the key to grassroots power. Whether it is collecting taxes or dealing with disputes, Shuai Jiamo and others must first reap the benefits. Over time, the poor people have been miserable, but they have repeatedly had no way to redress their grievances.
At present, Lord Yushi personally visited the "Ren Ding Si Xuan" case, and Fang Maozhen was naturally frightened. The corrupt tricks of the county officials were not hidden in front of Liu Jing. So, Fang Maozhen personally found Shuai Jiamo, hoping to win them over to deal with it together. As long as we unite as one and cooperate with the rhetoric, there may be a glimmer of life.
What Fang Maozhen didn't expect was that Shuai Jiamo's tricks were far more than that. In order to reverse the situation, they secretly bribed officials, and even colluded with the cronies around Lord Yushi to secretly cross Chen Cang. Watching these corrupt elements fish in troubled waters, Fang Maozhen was angry and helpless. Once again, he realized that innocence was a luxury in this corrupt grassroots regime.
Officialdom hierarchy: the vertical division of power
Up and down the government and the opposition, it is really a big dye vat where interests wrestle. From Emperor Zhengyipin to Jiupin County, the power of officials actually reflects the essence of the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty.
In the Ming Dynasty, where imperial power was supreme, all power came from Long Yan. The emperor of Zhengyipin is the highest decision-maker of this system. He can appoint courtiers, or with a wave of his hand, he can raze any government and opposition dignitaries. Although the senior officials at all levels have a certain degree of autonomy, they must obey Long Yan's orders.
The minister of Zheng Erpin's Zaifu is the direct controller of the power of the government and the opposition. On the civilian side, there are cabinet chiefs and assistants, and military attachés are governors and governors who command the internal and external armies. They were the emperor's cronies and key figures in the realization of the emperor's will.
Zheng Sanpin is the minister of the Ministry of Shangshu and the Imperial History of the Metropolitan Inspectorate. They are in charge of government affairs throughout the country and monitor the government of hundreds of officials, so they are regarded as the backbone of the power of the government and the opposition.
As for the four products, they include local dignitaries, such as Liu Jing, the governor of the imperial history, and Fan Yuan, the former imperial historian. Although they are not dignitaries of the government and the opposition, they still cannot be underestimated because they control the real power of one party.
On the other hand, below the positive five grades, the power is becoming more and more insignificant. Fang Maozhen, as the benevolent and magistrate of the sixth grade, has limited authority. As for those Jiupin counties, they are even more insignificant and insignificant.
The Ming Dynasty had its own bureaucratic style. The whole system is huge and tight, with a vertical division of power from top to bottom, and checks and balances in every link. But it is precisely this that has also planted the bane of countless corruption. Everyone is chasing the pinnacle of power, competing for the top position by unscrupulous means, and even the side of Lord Yushi cannot escape the poisonous hands of corruption. It seems that there are more hidden inside stories in this battle between the government and the opposition.