During this period, it was the law of the first year of the Republic of China, which was responsible for the cabinet system, with the prime minister of the cabinet as the supreme person in charge, the president responsible for administrative affairs and promulgating laws, and all matters needed to be discussed and established by the National Assembly and then stamped by the president to take effect.
To put it simply, the president can "do whatever he wants", but it can only be enforced with the consent of the Senate, including but not limited to the official system, the appointment and removal of officials, diplomacy, all opinions and legal amendments, the implementation of the president's privileges, and almost all other rights, that is, the president is just a ruthless stamping machine.
In the middle is Xu Shichang
You think that the great president, the supreme, the emperor of the Republic of China, the actual great president, is subject to man, the stamping machine.
The premier is the most powerful one in the Republic of China's institutions, in addition to nominally lowering the president, this is the legal restriction that Sun Wen gave to Yuan Shikai a provisional president in order to gain Yuan Shikai's support to overthrow the Qing court, and to restrain Yuan Shikai from implementing the constitutional system.
And why did Xu Shichang listen to Duan Qirui? After all, the boss of the Republic of China is still Nominally Xu Shichang, and if he does not stamp the Congress, he will also be constrained in doing things, and it is always okay to engage in disputes between the government and the court, right? Yes, but to a limited extent.
Duan Qirui statue
Because Sun Wen originally tried to restrict Yuan Shikai through the provisional law, he failed, and without a gun in his hand, naturally there was no stable regime.
Xu Shichang and Duan Qirui are the same reason, not only in the institution the power is weaker than Duan Qirui, in the hard power outside the institution, there is also a far difference, Duan Qirui is almost Yuan Shikai's heir, or the leader of the Anhui warlords, and Xu Shichang is only a literati, no own army power, inside and outside, are far weaker than Duan Qirui.
Even in the National Assembly, Duan Qirui had an important right to speak from the time of Yuan Shikai, and after Yuan Shikai until he was deposed, he was prime minister almost all the time, except for the time when Yuan Shikai died and Zhang Xun was restored, which can be described as deeply rooted.
The so-called situation is stronger than people, and we have to bow our heads, which is the case.