Although Huang Liji had to agree with the two goals put forward by Chongzhen, in the past few months that he had been with the emperor, he felt that these two seemingly empty slogans would not be the purpose of Chongzhen's meeting today.

Just as he was pondering what Chongzhen wanted to do with these two goals, Zhu Youzhen finally spoke again.

"If we want to solve the problem of food and clothing for the people of Daming, we must naturally develop the production capacity of Daming agriculture and the same industry.

If you want to develop social productive forces, the most important thing is to directly face the local officials of the Ming people, especially the more than 3,000 magistrates who manage the Ming Dynasty.

As the saying goes, a snake can't do without a head, and if the county doesn't do a good job, it is the people of a place who are directly affected. Therefore, the officials should re-screen the counties in various places, and those who are capable will go up and those who are incapable will go down.

In the future, officials will be promoted by the Ministry of Officials, and those who have experience in ignorant counties shall not be the ministers of the feudal territory, and the ministers who are not feudal shall not be the first assistants. ”

"Your Majesty, those who join the cabinet will be Hanlin, this is the ancestral system." Zhang Ruitu was shocked, and interrupted the emperor's words in disregard of etiquette.

For these ministers from Hanlin, Chongzhen's statement is undoubtedly cut off, and the scholars of the Hanlin Academy who have been trained in the capital have a way to heaven.

Zhu Youzhen was not dissatisfied with Zhang Ruitu's gaffe, he just said calmly: "In the past, the task of the cabinet was mainly to draft an edict for the emperor, and naturally it was to enter the cabinet with outstanding talents.

However, the main task of the current cabinet is to develop the productive forces and solve the problem of food and clothing for the people of the Ming Dynasty, so it is natural to let practical officials who can solve problems enter the cabinet. Do you think what I said is wrong? ”

Although the emperor's rhetoric harmed the interests of his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy, Huang Liji's heart settled down. Although with the support of Chongzhen, he promoted the cabinet reform system, and also achieved political power not far from Zhang Juzheng.

But up to now, Huang Liji hasn't figured out what he wants to do with this power.

Since the establishment of the cabinet system by Chengzu, the political goal of the ministers who entered the cabinet was to obtain the lost power from the imperial power.

In the past, if the cabinet did not do well, it could be pushed to the emperor, because the emperor was not diligent in government, which led to the gradual deterioration of state affairs.

However, after the establishment of the new cabinet, Chongzhen has transferred administrative power to the cabinet, and Huang Liji may be able to use the excuse that Chongzhen interferes too much, resulting in the cabinet being unable to effectively implement its own policies for governing the country, but it must not be that the emperor has not delegated power, so the cabinet can not do anything as a shield.

Although the two goals set by Chongzhen seem a little unrealistic, for Huang Liji, there is a shield that can resist the attack of Yanlu.

Huang Liji fully supported the emperor's proposal to reform the official system, not to mention that he still waved these two banners to clean up the local officials who were the majority of the Donglin Party.

If it were not for the two goals proposed by Chongzhen, Huang Liji would have wanted the policies issued by the cabinet to be implemented at the local level. At most, it is to adjust a few officials at the level of governors, and further adjustments will inevitably be attacked and impeached by the Qinglius.

But now, according to the emperor's proposal, even if all the local officials of the Ming Dynasty have been adjusted, those Qingliu people do not dare to openly jump out and speak against it.

Before the others spoke, Huang Liji preemptively said: "Your Majesty's proposition, the old minister is infinitely in favor of it. However, will such a large-scale adjustment make some people say that the old minister is retaliating and engaging in party fighting? ”

Zhu Youzhen bowed slightly at Huang Liji and said: "If we don't promulgate standards and arbitrarily dismiss and promote officials, it will naturally be easy to be criticized." So wouldn't it be better for us to formulate a standard first, and then promote and select and dismiss officials according to the standard? ”

Huang Liji took the opportunity to ask: "Then what is Your Majesty's so-called standard?" ”

Zhu Youzhen said quickly: "First verify the average agricultural output, industrial and commercial output value, field tax, and industrial and commercial tax revenue of each county in the past few years, and then we make a statistics every year.

Of course, in addition to these figures, we should also confirm how many water conservancy facilities, roads, and other things that benefit the local people's livelihood during his tenure. If a magistrate didn't do anything during his tenure, he obviously shouldn't be rewarded and promoted.

Of course, in order to achieve all of the above, the officials must first rectify the interior, and we cannot expect a group of incompetent people to select capable talents. ”

Huang Liji quickly expressed his support for Chongzhen's plan to adjust the ministry, and he very much hoped to take this opportunity to arrange his own personnel in the ministry.

With the support of Xu Guangqi and Huang Liji, the cabinet members had to once again approve Chongzhen's package of reshuffling Ming officials.

Accomplishing his purpose of attending today's cabinet meeting, Zhu Youzhen decided to give some feedback to these cabinet ministers.

He turned his head and whispered a few words to Wang Chengen, and Wang Chengen took a seal box from the desk behind him and placed it in front of Chongzhen.

Zhu Youzhen opened the seal box, took out the official seal inside, pressed it on the white paper in front of him, and then put the seal back.

Then he pushed the seal box to Huang Liji and said: "In the future, the cabinet will no longer need to borrow the seal of the Hanlin Academy, this seal is the treasure of the cabinet." In the future, the use of this treasure in all the policies issued by the cabinet will represent the decrees of the imperial court, unless they are overturned by an edict. I hope that the Cabinet will make good use of this treasure. ”

Huang Liji felt that his heart was beating so fast, although the cabinet reform system was implemented, he still had some illusory feelings, and he was not sure whether the emperor was delegating power to the new cabinet.

But now seeing this seal, he finally believes it. Although Chongzhen was too casual when he awarded the seal, he didn't care at all.

When Huang Li looked at the seal in front of him in a daze, Shi Fenglai, who had already stood up beside him, hurriedly reminded: "Get up and thank you." ”

Only then did Huang Liji come to his senses, got up and led the ministers to salute Chongzhen and accept the treasures of the cabinet.

Zhu Youzhen then said: "I have finished what I want to say, next ministers, please re-formulate a work plan according to the goals we have set, I hope that your work plan will be different from before..."

After establishing two goals for the cabinet, Zhu Youzhen left the cabinet ministers who were a little agitated and left the courtyard of the Wenhua Hall with Wang Chengen.

After leaving the courtyard, Zhu Youzhen instructed Wang Chengen beside him: "Let Liu Jingting communicate with Yao Shiheng, and the two goals of the cabinet should be published in full and commented on."

In addition, Liu Jingting was asked to arrange for personnel to run a Jinghua Business Daily, which would publish news about the local areas of Beizhili, and publish the prices of prices in the counties under Beizhili on a monthly basis. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, the Jinyi Guards commanded Zhang Shijie to ask to see him." Lian Shanxiang, who was waiting outside the courtyard gate, stepped forward to report to Chongzhen.

Zhu Youzhen looked up at Zhang Shijie in the distance, nodded and said, "Let him come over, has Isabella already set off?" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Lian Shanxiang agreed and asked the palace guards to let Zhang Shijie come over.

After Zhu Youzhen dismissed Zhang Shijie's salute, he heard a news that made him a little stunned.

"Yang Wuhou is dead? How did he die? Zhu Youzhen couldn't help asking.

Zhang Shijie lowered his head and replied cautiously: "It was killed by Dong Weixian, who had a grudge against Tongyang Wubo." ”

"Just him? What about the family around Yang Wubo? Zhu Youzhen didn't believe it anymore, in this era, there were no more than a dozen family guards around the noble, and he didn't believe that an old soldier could break through the guards of more than a dozen people and kill a Hou Ye.

"After Yang Wubo was demoted by His Majesty and confiscated most of his family assets, he had to dismiss most of his family, leaving only a dozen family slaves in the family. After the Lantern Festival, Yang Wubo left the capital and headed south in accordance with the holy order.

They stayed at Tongzhou Station that night, and then Yang Wubo said that he wanted to go out for a walk, so he went out with a house slave, but was attacked by Dong Weixian, who had been following him. The house slave suffered some minor injuries, but Yang Wubo was stabbed several times and died. ”

Zhu Youzhen was only silent for a while, then sighed and said, "Since Yang Wubo is dead, let his family return to the capital." Is there any descendant behind him? As for Dong Weixian, he sent a sea fishing document to arrest him. ”

"Yang Wubo left a son and a daughter, Dong Weixian did not flee after the killing, but surrendered to the local arrester in Tongzhou who rushed to hear the news, and now he has been taken into the prison of the Criminal Department."

Zhu Youzhen was a little stunned, he could understand Dong Weixian's feelings of revenge, after all, when the national law could not protect the people, it could not be expected that the people would still fear the national law.

But what he can't understand is that Dong Weixian didn't run away after taking revenge, Daming is not the Celestial Empire of later generations, there is no such strict military and police system in this era, as long as Dong Weixian flees the scene, basically no one can catch him.

Zhu Youzhen looked up at the sky, and said hesitantly: "It's not early, the Portuguese are still waiting for me in the Xuanwumen Chapel, go to the Chapel first, and then say, Zhang Du commanded you to come with you." ”

Zhu Youzhen walked towards Donghua Gate as he spoke, and Zhang Shijie followed without hesitation. Outside Dong'an Gate, Zhu Youzhen and the others got into the carriage that had been prepared a long time ago, and then went around the imperial city for half a circle and drove all the way towards Xuanwu Gate.

When he was about to arrive at the Xisi archway, Zhu Youzhen suddenly ordered the carriage to change to the direction of the Criminal Department. In an office room in the compound of the Criminal Department, several officials were kicked out, and Zhu You, who walked into the room, ordered the prosecutor to bring Dong Weixian up for questioning.

Zhang Shijie and Lian Shanxiang guarded him left and right, and Xue Zhen, the secretary of the Criminal Department, also put down his official duties and wanted to accompany Chongzhen to interrogate the prisoner, but the emperor refused.

Looking at Dong Weixian, who was covered in bruises below, Zhu Youzhen just frowned, and asked out loud: "I can understand your feelings of seeking revenge on Yang Wubo, but since the revenge has been avenged, why did you come to surrender?" ”