My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 460 What's with the traitor's arrogance?
February, the capital.

After the first month of the lunar calendar, construction on the new public housing for the five departments of the Secretariat-Chancellery finally resumed.

Luo Wanhua has been spending all his time at the construction site these days. He reported to Su Ze that, at this rate, the Fifth Office of the Secretariat and the Sixth Office will no longer need to share offices with the Sixth Office in three months.

This was naturally a good thing for the officials of the five departments of the Secretariat and Chancellery.

After all, most officials felt a lot of psychological pressure working alongside these officials from the Six Departments.

Su Ze thought this was quite good. With the Six Ministries overseeing things, the cost of internal supervision was saved. The efficiency of the Five Offices of the Secretariat-Chancellery after their establishment was also thanks to the Six Ministries.

With the five departments of the Secretariat-Chancellery on track, Su Ze, the inspector in charge of the five departments, actually had less to do.

Every morning, Su Ze would go to the five offices under the Zhongshu Menxia (Secretariat) and convene a meeting with their chief officials to hear their reports on the previous day's work.

Then Su Ze would go to the cabinet to await the orders of the four cabinet elders.

Generally speaking, the affairs managed by the Grand Secretaries are handled by their respective five chief secretaries, who are also their political secretaries. Therefore, what Su Ze needs to coordinate are some cross-departmental matters.

For example, this reform of the Ministry of War involves multiple departments, requiring the cooperation of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Rites. It also requires the Office of Transmission to transmit government orders to various localities, which requires the overall coordination of the five offices of the Secretariat and Chancellery.

However, Su Ze usually entrusts these matters to Luo Wanhua, who is reliable and handles all matters in an orderly manner.

Therefore, Su Ze felt at ease entrusting these matters to Luo Wanhua.

In the beginning, when other government departments didn't cooperate, that's when Su Ze had to step in.

However, after the two events of recommending cabinet ministers and reforming the Ministry of War, the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers no longer dared to resist the official duties of the five departments of the Secretariat and Chancellery. Luo Wanhua's work also encountered no further obstacles, and the need for Su Ze to take charge became less and less frequent.

However, Su Ze has had another matter to attend to these days.

Every now and then, he would be summoned to the palace by the emperor to give lectures on the classics.

Although he was supposed to be giving lectures to the emperor, Xiao Pangjun was actually present every time.

Not only Su Ze, but the emperor also summoned the four Grand Secretaries and important officials from various departments to the palace for lectures during this period.

Su Ze understood that this was a way to use the lecture as a pretext to get the Crown Prince and the important officials of the outer court familiar with each other.

Thinking about this, Su Ze still felt somewhat sad.

Emperor Longqing probably had a premonition about his own lifespan, which is why he wanted the crown prince to establish contact with the outer court as soon as possible.

Because it was a formal lecture, Su Ze still had to prepare his lessons carefully each time.

The content of the Emperor Longqing's lectures was also related to the practical affairs of the outer court. It was not simply the content of the Four Books and Five Classics, but more like a political tutoring class for the crown prince.

Little Fatty Jun took these courses very seriously and received unanimous praise from the ministers of the outer court.

Su Ze had some free time, but the Sixth Department was extremely busy.

Li Ji, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, escaped a calamity by not submitting a memorial with the Ministry of War after suffering a setback with Yan Yonghe, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Personnel.

The Six Ministries were not involved in the controversy surrounding the resignation of the Ministry of War, so they were not affected when the emperor purged the Ministry of War.

However, several censors who resigned along with the Ministry of War officials were "retired" by the emperor.

However, Li Ji felt no gratitude towards Yan Yonghe; on the contrary, he felt deeply humiliated.

The six officials in charge of supervising the imperial secretaries were only of the seventh rank, and their reputation was the lifeblood of these officials.

This time, Li Ji was not involved in the Ministry of War's turmoil, but because of this, it was widely rumored in the outer court that he had joined the "Su Party," and there were even rumors that the Six Ministries had been "tamed" by the Cabinet and the five departments of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, becoming their "lackeys"!
Several censors from the Censorate who had previously associated with Li Ji distanced themselves from him because of this.

Li Ji was deeply ashamed. Since the establishment of the General Staff Department, he kept a close eye on it every day, trying to find a problem of military officers interfering in politics, and to write a strong letter to impeach the General Staff Department in order to avenge his previous humiliation!
Li Ji stared at the General Staff Headquarters for a long time but found no problems!

Among them, the one he was particularly wary of was Li Rusong, the chief of the Operations Division!
It can be said that the entire military reform began with Li Rusong's memorial on the Northeast strategy, which led to his transfer to the Imperial Guard by the emperor.

Li Rusong was Su Ze's favorite student at the Military Academy. When Li Rusong submitted a memorial, Su Ze submitted a memorial in support of it.

The Operations Division is the most core organ of the General Staff. Based on past experience, these military officers, who are close to the emperor, will inevitably try to interfere in politics!

But this time, Li Ji's experience failed!

Since the establishment of the Operations Department, Li Rusong has spent his days either writing furiously in his official residence or visiting the libraries of the Imperial College or the Hanlin Academy to review various materials.

Besides that, Li Rusong read all kinds of military books, from ancient military books to modern military books, including Qi Jiguang's manuscripts. Li Rusong read them day and night.

Is this still a military general?
Li Ji was dumbfounded!
Are you training military officers or scholars for the imperial examinations?
Li Ji thought back to his own years of studying hard, and he hadn't been this diligent!

Shouldn't you military generals be arrogant and domineering? Shouldn't you interfere in politics? Shouldn't you curry favor with the emperor and offer him slanderous advice?
You, the head of the operations division, are actually studying military strategy?
Li Ji quickly deduced that this was probably Li Rusong's disguise; he wasn't really reading, but rather plotting some conspiracy.

Therefore, Li Ji continued to keep a close watch on the Operations Division of the General Staff.

"Is Censor Yan recovered from his illness?"

"I was planning to visit you a few days ago, but I didn't expect you to get better so quickly."

Yan Yonghe stepped into the Sixth Department Corridor. He had applied powder to his face, dressed up as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, and greeted his colleagues warmly.

Li Ji, however, realized that Yan Yonghe was faking illness.

Every time the court debates ended, Yan Yonghe would just recover from his illness. What a coincidence!
If there were any members of the Soviet faction in the Sixth Department, Yan Yonghe was definitely one of them!
Li Ji then recalled that when the cabinet had just taken over the appointment of officials below the seventh rank, Yan Yonghe had taken a letter from the Six Ministries to the Ministry of Personnel to pressure them to transfer the files.

After that, the relationship between the five offices of the Secretariat and the two officials of the Ministry of Personnel grew closer, and they would be brought along to their daily tea gatherings.

When the five departments of the Secretariat and the Chancellery allocated rooms to the six ministries, they also entrusted the right of allocation to Yan Yonghe. Because of this, Yan Yonghe's reputation in the six ministries grew day by day.

The Soviet faction has already jumped out on its own! Yan Yonghe is one of them!
After realizing this, Li Ji harbored even greater hatred for Yan Yonghe.

No wonder the Sixth Department has been suffering setbacks lately; it turns out that Yan Yonghe, a traitor, is among them!
Seeing Yan Yonghe accept the welcome from his colleagues as if he were the head of the Sixth Department, Li Ji became even angrier. What's with you, a traitor, acting so high and mighty!
Just as Li Ji was about to lose his temper, another official, Zhang Shu, rushed in.

"Li Jushizhong, that Li Rusong has submitted a memorial!"

Li Ji stood up in great joy!

Li Rusong, that treacherous yet seemingly loyal fellow, finally couldn't hold back any longer!
This memorial is undoubtedly an attempt to interfere in state affairs!
Thinking that he had been waiting for more than half a month and was finally about to see results, Li Ji stood up excitedly.

Where has the memorial been sent?

"Just sent to the Ministry of Justice!"

"Let's go! To the Ministry of Justice!"

The Six Ministries had the authority to investigate all officials, and they also had the right to review the memorials submitted by officials.

Of course, this viewing was under the supervision of officials of the Office of Transmission, and could only be done within the Office of Transmission.

This is also the power of the Six Offices Censors, who can prepare impeachment memorials in advance regarding your memorials.

The fact that the Ministry of Justice could review memorials could put immense psychological pressure on the person who submitted them, indicating that the Six Ministries were already keeping an eye on him!

At this point, the other party is also prone to losing their composure and revealing more flaws. Li Ji hurriedly left the Six Disciplines Corridor with Zhang Shu. Yan Yonghe raised his head, looked in the direction the two had left, and revealed a subtle expression.

Another official from the Ministry of Personnel, Chen Sanmo, came up to them.

"Lord Yan, these days, we have been working with the five departments of the Secretariat and the Chancellery to issue documents to the Ministry of Personnel. This is for record-keeping."

Yan Yonghe waved his hand and said:
"While I'm away, Chen Lang can handle the matters of the Ministry of Personnel. Why bother showing them to me?"

Chen Sanmo still respected Yan Yonghe very much.

This senior colleague was approachable and offered valuable guidance to a newcomer like myself, making our collaboration quite pleasant.

"But."

Yan Yonghe looked at Chen Sanmo with a puzzled expression and asked:
"Is something bothering you, Chen Lang?"

Chen Sanmo shook his head and said:
"Nothing major has happened these days. Everyone was assigned to their dormitories a while ago and they are all thanking Director Yan."

"However, many of my classmates say that our Six Ministries are now in cahoots with the Five Offices of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, and some even say worse."

Although Yan Yonghe was "recuperating" at home, he was well-informed. He said with a smile:

"So you're saying our Sixth Division is just a lackey of the Jiangsu Provincial Procuratorate, is that it?"

"Lord Yan already knows?"

"It's just rumors in the capital, why take it to heart? If we're afraid of what people say, how can we, as officials, still do our jobs?"

Chen Sanmo nodded in agreement, but then felt that something was amiss.

In the past, not being afraid of public opinion meant that the Six Ministries were not afraid of powerful and influential people. Why does it feel like public opinion is different now than before?
Seeing Chen Sanmo's hesitant expression again, Yan Yonghe decided to give him a good lesson.

Yan Yonghe said seriously:

"These days, our Personnel Department has been helping the five offices of the Secretariat and Chancellery to access the Ministry of Personnel's archives, which has drawn a lot of criticism, hasn't it?"

Chen Sanmo nodded repeatedly.

These days, when Yan Yonghe is on leave, Chen Sanmo is frequently seen going in and out of the Ministry of Personnel, and he is often the subject of gossip and pointing fingers.

After all, the other supervising secretaries at most didn't hold back the five branches of the Secretariat and Chancellery, but the supervising secretaries of the Ministry of Personnel really helped Su Ze!
Because of this incident, several of Chen Sanmo's classmates broke off their friendship with him.

Yan Yonghe then asked:

"Chen Lang, these past few days, have you followed my instructions to review these lists and investigate these candidates?"

Chen Sanmo nodded quickly and said:
"Of course! I personally placed the interview requests for several candidates."

The visit form is similar to a democratic evaluation form. It is a supervisory tool used by the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel to inquire about the public opinion of candidates from their superiors, colleagues, and subordinates when evaluating and promoting officials.

This is also an important way for the Sixth Section to exercise its supervisory power.

"Has Chen Lang discovered any bad apples who are hindering their promotion?"

"This is natural!"

Chen Sanmo said proudly:

"I discovered and impeached several of these corrupt officials, and one of them was transferred to the judicial authorities for prosecution!"

Yan Yonghe asked:
"Do the five departments of the Secretariat and Chancellery consult our Ministry of Personnel for every promotion?"

“Of course! Song Zhihan, the head of the Personnel Department, respects our department’s opinions very much. He requires our approval for every candidate.”

Yan Yonghe Dao:

"If that's the case, what are you still saying, Chen Lang?"

"This is our Ministry of Personnel borrowing the five offices of the Secretariat and Chancellery to exercise supervisory power. In all these days, have you ever worried that the task of reviewing records could not be completed?"

Chen Sanmo was stunned for a moment, and it seemed that this was indeed the case.

According to the performance evaluation system, the six departments had to write performance evaluation records in the cabinet, determining their monthly impeachment tasks. If they failed to complete these tasks, they would be fined, and if they failed to complete their work for an extended period, they would be punished.

The cabinet also uses the performance evaluation system to assess the six departments.

However, since the Ministry of Personnel began assisting the five departments of the Secretariat and Chancellery in selecting officials, Chen Sanmo has achieved remarkable results, exceeding his monthly targets and earning commendation from the Cabinet.

Chen Sanmo has won much praise for supervising the selection of cabinet members on several occasions, and the cabinet also appreciates his abilities.

Yan Yonghe said:
"As officials of the Censorate, our duty is to be unafraid of public opinion and simply fulfill our responsibilities."

"Why bother with the gossip of those petty people?"

After Yan Yonghe's words, Chen Sanmo felt much of his frustration relieved.

Just then, an official from the fifth office of the Secretariat-Chancellery came to the two men and said to Yan Yonghe:
"Lord Yan, Lord Chen, this is the list of officials to be appointed by the cabinet. Please review it. Several of these positions have been vacant for years, and the cabinet ministers are pressing us for approval."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sanmo reflexively said:
"Okay, I'll finish reading it in the next couple of days."

The official then showered Chen Sanmo with flattery, trying to win him over, and Chen Sanmo declared that he would work overtime to finish watching it that day.

Seeing Chen Sanmo like this, Yan Yonghe felt that what he had just said was a bit superfluous. Didn't you cooperate quite well with the five branches of the Zhongshu Menxia?
This is not Chen Sanmo's fault. In doing so, the Ministry of Personnel has the power to veto the appointment and removal of officials below the seventh rank.

This is immense power.

Currently, the list of officials below the seventh rank is drafted by the five departments of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, which have the authority to draft it.

The Ministry of Personnel supervises and exercises veto power.

The cabinet makes the decision and holds the power of choice.

This carries far more weight than the previous practice of focusing on impeaching people outside the court!

After the establishment of the five offices under the Secretariat, the power of the Six Ministries was clearly enhanced, and they even received dormitories from Su Ze.

But some people are stubborn and insist on going against Prosecutor Su.

Yan Yonghe looked in the direction of the Office of Transmission, thinking that Li Ji was stubborn and wouldn't give up until he hit a brick wall.

Li Rusong is Su Ze's disciple; how could he let you find fault with him so easily?
Inside the Office of Transmission, looking at the mountain of documents, Li Ji asked the clerk Xu Shuli:

"You're saying this is Li Rusong's memorial to the throne?"

Xu Shuli said with a forced smile:
"Li, these were all transported here by horse-drawn carriage by the Warfare Department. Would you like to look at them page by page?"

Li Ji's face turned green, but he still gritted his teeth and said:
"Look! Look at every single page!"

(End of this chapter)