Jiang Xueyan said with a smile, "Your Majesty is exceptionally imposing today."
Indeed, I have heard people outside saying that His Majesty possesses the legacy of the Founding Emperor.
The person speaking was a maid from the Kunning Palace back then, someone who had once served the Empress; I wonder where Fu found her.
Previously, Fu had asked Zhu Ci to select palace maids to help him handle trivial matters. Zhu Ci had originally thought it was unnecessary, but a single sentence from Fu had dispelled the thought.
The Grand Secretary asked, "Does Your Majesty intend to wear the ceremonial robes by himself in the future?"
Zhu Ci..
Not to mention the layers of those ragged clothes, but there is a specific way to wear every single layer, then there is a whole bunch of accessories. These kinds of tedious formalities should be abolished!
It's just that, in order to emphasize the legitimacy of his succession, these things cannot be changed for the time being.
After all, the Analects says: When the father is present, observe his will; when the father is gone, observe his actions; if one does not deviate from the father's way for three years, one can be called filial.
The Emperor is the role model for the world, so he must naturally be filial, but given the things Zhu Yousong did before, if he does not change the current state of Great Ming, I fear it truly will be ruined.
The people below were likely also afraid that he would not change, so besides matters of etiquette, the two words "former Emperor" were rarely uttered from their mouths.
On the contrary, Fu Zhi mentioned the late Emperor most often, but every time he did, it was about what he had secured from the late Emperor.
Zhu Ci compromised, so he had several more palace maids by his side, most of whom had previously served in Kunning Palace.
These palace maids had spent a year living in constant peril, so they would grasp at every opportunity with all their might. Consequently, at this very moment, this palace maid named Wu Xia was showing signs of wanting to compete with Jiang Xueyan.
However, she also knew her place and would not interrupt; when doing things, she prioritized Jiang Xueyan, but she would still find every opportunity to make herself stand out.
Zhu Ci asked after hearing this, "You've read books?"
Wu Xia hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, this servant only knows a few characters; I have read books such as *Nu Xun* and *Nu Ze*."
Zhu Ci frowned. "Throw both of those away. Read something else in the future; you'll need it."
Wu Xia was slightly taken aback; he wanted to ask what books he should read, but he didn't dare.
She could only wait until Zhu Ci went to handle state affairs before cautiously asking, "Miss Jiang, what did His Majesty mean by saying to read more of other books?"
Jiang Xueyan glanced at Wu Xia and said, "When His Majesty had people teach us to read before, we were taught the same introductory books that men read, such as the Three Hundred and Three Thousand. Whatever they read, we read."
Wu Xia..
She had read it too!
She just didn't know what kind of person the Emperor liked. Back then, the Empress had caught the late Emperor's eye because of her beauty, but later the late Emperor grew to dislike her because she read too much and loved to argue logic, which is why he neglected her.
The Emperor was, after all, the son of the late Emperor, back when he was in the palace, he possessed much of his father's manner, so she naturally had to be more conservative.
She just didn't expect that she would end up being the one to trap herself.
Has this Emperor.. truly changed?
In Wu Xia's heart, the former Crown Prince, who was now the Emperor, was still that same person who was very quiet and only liked eating, drinking, enjoying himself.
Zhu Ci did not care about the impression he left in others' minds; what he needed to do first was to reorganize the imperial institutions.
Although he is currently the only proper master in the palace, there are still many people needed from top to bottom.
He originally thought he wouldn't need so many servants, but the problem was that a palace this large always required people to maintain and repair it.
The imperial palace is not much different from civilian housing; if people maintain and live in it, it can stay in its original condition, but once it is left uninhabited and untended, it will quickly fall into ruin.
In addition to this, there are those responsible for the Emperor's meals, clothing, ceremonial processions, guards, so on; all of these require people.
It was impossible not to make arrangements, so the only option was to streamline them.
It was just that Zhu Ci hadn't known much about these things before, many of the palace records had been lost; fortunately, Zhu Ci was still here.
The structure of the palace and the imperial court might be the first things Zhu Ci learned. If he didn't even understand those, how could he govern his subordinates?
Zhu Ci felt somewhat conflicted as he entered the Qianqing Palace; when he had first entered the Imperial Palace in Nanjing, the Qianqing Palace was already in a state of disrepair.
Even Zhu Yousong lacked the financial resources to renovate the Qianqing Palace, choosing instead to build the Xingning Palace as his sleeping quarters.
I didn't expect that the Marquis of Huating, Fu, had actually repaired the Qianqing Palace in total silence.
This would have taken a considerable amount of time. Had he been prepared all along? Or was he repairing it for himself back then?
It shouldn't be. If he were building it for himself, he should have declared himself Emperor directly, or even established himself as a king, rather than bowing down in submission to his younger cousin.
Zhu Ci took a casual glance as he stepped into the Qianqing Palace, he was even more astonished in his heart.
The furnishings within the Qianqing Palace could no longer be described merely as priceless; even to Zhu Ci, whose eyes were accustomed to fine things, the contents of the Qianqing Palace were enough to make one gasp.
Zhu Ci knew exactly how poor he was; perhaps it wasn't quite right to say poor, but rather that his cousin was a practical man who would rather pour every cent into the army than spend it on his own comforts.
Then there was no need to guess whose handiwork all these things were.
When Zhu Ci stepped into the West Warming Pavilion, he happened to see his cousin standing with his hands behind his back before a tree carved from green jade.
He didn't have time to look closely at the tree before bowing and saying, "Your servant.."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Zhu Ci said, "There is no one else here. There is no need for such formality, Cousin. In the future, please act the same way in private."
Zhu Ci nevertheless completed his salute: "Your servant, Zhu Ci, pays respects to Your Majesty."
After speaking, he stood up and said, "Your Majesty, propriety must not be neglected."
He was, after all, the Minister of Rites, if word of this got out, he feared he would be impeached.
Zhu Ci did not dwell on the matter, instead saying, "The main reason I sought out my elder cousin was to find out what the palace's internal structures were like back then."
Zhu Ci..
Once again, it was confirmed that Zhu Yousong was truly a scoundrel; he actually taught the Crown Prince nothing at all!
With his cousin's talent, if he had been able to receive guidance from famous masters and great scholars, Great Ming would never have fallen to its current state.
Of course, although it looks prosperous now, the foundation his cousin inherited was essentially no different from a blank slate!
After a moment of silent resentment, Zhu Ci sat down and began to explain everything in detail to the Emperor.
The internal structure of the palaces in Nanjing was not much different from that of Beijing. There were the twenty-four eunuch departments, which included the twelve supervisions, four bureaus, eight offices, as well as the four bureaus of the female officials of the Shanggong Bureau.
However, this was the regulation after the Yongle era. At the founding of Great Ming, female officials had the Six Bureaus, Twenty-Four Departments, the Palace Administration Department. After the Yongle era, except for the four Shanggong Departments, all other powers and responsibilities were transferred to the eunuchs.
Not only that, but the ranks of female officials were also much lower than those of the eunuchs; the highest rank for a eunuch was fourth rank, whereas female officials were sixth rank.
As Zhu Ci spoke, he drew a structural diagram.
This thing was only written on paper and wasn't very clear, but when drawn out bit by bit using a mind map, it became very clear and easy to understand.
Zhu Ci also found this method of recording quite novel, he followed along, watching while explaining in detail.
Once everything had been recorded, Zhu Ci saw his imperial cousin mark an X with a red pen in the Six Admissions.
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised. "Your Majesty, this is??"
“Although the Six Admissions assists the Emperor, it is extremely easy for its power to become excessive and affect the entire court and the people. There is no need for another person who can stand on equal footing with me, the Grand Secretariat, the Censorate.”
Zhu Ci said nothing. Ever since the structure of the imperial court had been re-established, he had discovered that although many of the institutions' names remained the same, many other things had changed.
The Grand Secretariat no longer held absolute power, as it was now checked by the Censorate; however, the results of the Censorate's inspections still required the Emperor's approval, while the Emperor's decrees required the Grand Secretariat's seal before they could leave the palace.
He didn't know if this was good or bad, but for now, it seemed alright.
As for the palace.. he would not interfere; these were the Emperor's private affairs, not something he could control.
In addition to the Six Admissions, Zhu Ci also established several eunuch institutions, such as the Shangshanjian, Shangbaojian, Shangyijian, Zhenggong Bureau, the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau.
The Twenty-Four Yamen had been reduced by six, leaving eighteen Yamen.
Zhu Ci took a glance and found that the bureaus his cousin had struck out were all parts that overlapped in function with the female official system.
He immediately understood that his cousin intended to restore the structure of the six bureaus and one department of female officials from the era of the Founding Emperor.
And all the original powers of the Six Admissions were given to Siyan under the Shanggong Bureau.
Not only that, but Zhu Ci also raised the ranks of the female officials; the highest-ranking eunuch was a senior fourth rank, the highest-ranking female official was also a senior fourth rank.
As for balance, if one did not want the eunuchs to become too powerful, one would have to find them an opponent of equal strength.
In addition to this, Zhu Ci also established another institution for the female officials called the Shangzhi Bureau, which consisted of four departments: Sizhi, Sili, Sijia, Sisu.
Zhu Ci looked at this and found it somewhat confusing. What was this for?
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Things in the Imperial Palace are more troublesome than fighting a war; just let me go out and fight! *Cat peeks its head through the railings. jpg*
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 136
Zhu Ci wrote it down casually and said, "Let's settle on this name for now; this place will be responsible for trade."
Zhu Ci was stunned. "Ah? The Imperial Family will personally participate in commerce?"
Zhu Ci sat there contemplating for a long while before saying, "Actually, I am thinking that in the future, national taxes will no longer support the imperial family, or rather, they will be given to the Emperor or the imperial relatives in the form of a salary."
“What?” Zhu Ci said, looking somewhat restless. “Your Majesty, I'm afraid this might invite opposition.”
"Hmm? Who would oppose it?" Zhu Ci looked at the paper he had been scribbling on.
Zhu Ci was about to say something when he suddenly realized that there were hardly any imperial relatives of Great Ming left.
He was the only one left in the court; the capable ones, the Prince of Tang Zhu Yujian and the Prince of Lu Zhu Yihai, were seeking independence, while the rest were merely scraping by.
It's not that there wasn't any opposition.
As for the imperial court.. I expect the civil and military officials would be overjoyed, so naturally, they wouldn't oppose it.
Zhu Ci thought for a long time before finally asking, "What about after that?"
What he really wanted to ask was, what would happen to His Majesty's descendants?
After all, not everyone possesses the business acumen of His Majesty the Emperor.
Zhu Ci already knew how Zhu Ci had started his career; although Fu had helped him, if his cousin didn't have the things Fu needed, how could Fu possibly give him money for nothing?
Zhu Ci understood the meaning behind his words and fell silent for a long while.
He indeed did not seem to have thought about anything regarding future generations, always feeling that it was too early to think about such things.