Extra: Great Honoring of the Heroes (1/2)

In the first year of Tianxi, on the third day of August, the first grand court meeting was held after Emperor Lü and Emperor Qin ascended the throne.

In addition to the original Pingzhou team, there were also a few old ministers of the Dali Dynasty.

Old ministers such as Shen Wan and Zhou Chengzhong were all selected capable ministers, and they had not violated laws and disciplines. Among them, Lin Ran and Wang Yuan were prominently listed.

He felt bad when he saw Lin Ran and Wang Yuan. These two people defected to Emperor Lü as soon as he entered Chang'an, and then they were reused by her.

These two people assisted Zhang Zhongxian in reviewing the officials with problems in Dali. They were still standing here because they had passed their test.

Then, the ministers of Pingzhou and the old ministers of the Dali Dynasty met in the hall.

Both sides looked at each other, quite embarrassed.

At this time, Zhang Xian, Zhang Zhongxian, Liu Guanlin, Yao Songwen and others came to say hello, and the three brothers of the Qin family and military generals such as Sun Ming, Chang Zhilan and Wei Kuang also came.

"Lord Shen, Commander Lin, Lord Wang, Lord Zhou, how are you?"

"Tokyo, Tokyo."

Shen Wan and Zhou Chengzhong looked at these people with happy faces, and they felt mixed emotions. Your Majesty, these people were once ministers and generals of Dali. After being dismissed by the Dali court, they all ran to the rival family. Now, the descendants of the Song family have successfully destroyed their own country.

Zhang Xian and his men also acted as middlemen to introduce Shen Wan and Xue Xu and others. Because they all knew each other but had never dealt with each other.

They had just exchanged greetings for a while when the bell for court rang.

A loud voice sang, "Emperor Lu has arrived, all the ministers kneel to welcome him!"

"Long live the Emperor Lu."

"All the ministers stand up."

After the civil and military officials got off their knees, Lu Songli said, "I and the Emperor Qin were blessed by the heaven and were honored to ascend the throne. Now I, Lu Songli, have just taken over the throne, and I am extremely terrified. I am afraid that my inconsiderateness will harm the foundation of the country and affect the people."

"How can I feel at ease in this case? However, my strength will eventually be exhausted, so I hope that all the ministers will assist me and revitalize my country. The new dynasty of the Ming Dynasty. "

"I know, Your Highness, you have the meritorious officials of Pingzhou who followed me in the uprising, and you are also the ministers of the previous dynasty. "

"But now, I will not hold grudges and use talents. I promise that as long as you are loyal to the country, I will reward you even if you are enemies. Don't worry about me settling old scores again. "

"From today on, you are all ministers of the new dynasty of the Ming Dynasty, no difference. "

Your Highness, all the ministers knelt down and shouted, "Long live the Emperor Lu."

Shen Wan and Zhou Chengzhong next to him looked at each other, and then quickly lowered their heads.

The two thought to themselves, regardless of whether what the Emperor Lu said just now was true or false, but since she said it, they would just believe it. Besides, the old ministers of Dali, those with problems have been settled, and she certainly won't settle old scores again.

Lu Songli continued, "The new dynasty should have a new look. Next, I will announce three major events! Come, announce the first imperial edict!"

At this time, the eunuch chief steward beside her opened the imperial edict and began to read it aloud.

The eunuch chief steward who read the imperial edict was none other than Li Jieying.

Li Jieying was very unfamiliar to Guo Chunsheng and other Pingzhou officials. At this time, they stared at him one by one, wondering where this man came from?

Zhang Xian and other officials who jumped from Dali to Pingzhou were thoughtful.

Shen Wan and others felt a little bit sour in their teeth. How could Li Jieying, a eunuch, get along so well in the new dynasty?

Lin Ran was not surprised. He was in charge of the palace ban before, so he naturally found some clues. But the other party's tail was well collected, and it was troublesome to investigate. He had a lot of things on his hands, so he turned a blind eye.

Li Jieying didn't care what they thought. This was his first day serving Emperor Lu. He had to work hard to perform, right?

The ministers realized that the first major event that Emperor Lu mentioned was to change the official system.

The Ming Dynasty changed the previous dynasty's system of three dukes and nine ministers to the system of three provinces and six ministries.

In the court, civil and military officials stood in two rows.

They all knew that Emperor Lu implemented the system of three provinces and six ministries to prepare for the enfeoffment of meritorious officials.

Li Jieying was reading out loud the three provinces and six ministries system proposed by the new dynasty: "The three provinces are the Zhongshu Province, the Menxia Province, and the Shangshu Province!"

"The six ministries are the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Punishment under the Shangshu Province."

"In addition, each ministry has four departments, a total of 24 departments. The rest remain unchanged, such as the Censorate and the Dali Temple."

Lu Songli listened quietly, and at the same time, he was observing the reactions of the civil and military officials in the palace through the crown.

The system of three dukes and nine ministers is a comprehensive central administrative system that integrates administrative, military, and supervisory powers.

The three-province and six-department system divides state affairs into three main links: decision-making, deliberation, and execution, which are respectively handled by the Zhongshu Province, the Menxia Province, and the Shangshu Province. The six ministries specifically implement various government orders. This division of labor makes the administrative process clearer and more efficient.

The superiority of the three-province and six-department system over the three-gong and nine-minister system is that it has clear division of labor, mutual supervision, mutual restraint, decentralized prime ministerial power, centralized imperial power, improved administrative efficiency, and strengthened central ruling power.

The team of ministers who followed Lu Songli before listened most seriously. They felt that there must be a reason why the three-province and six-department system could be announced by Emperor Lu as the first major event.

Some old ministers of Dali did not care, thinking that Emperor Lu was sensational.

However, no matter what the ministers in the court thought in their hearts, they pretended to listen carefully.

But the more they listened, the more they felt that such a structure felt okay?

Lu Songli glanced briefly and then withdrew her gaze.

Li Jieying continued to read, "Among them, the Zhongshu Province is responsible for drafting and promulgating the emperor's edicts, the Menxia Province is responsible for reviewing government orders, and the Shangshu Province is responsible for executing government orders."

"The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of the appointment and removal of officials, examinations, promotions and transfers, etc."

“The Ministry of Rites is in charge of etiquette, academies, diplomacy, etc. The Ministry of Households is in charge of financial matters such as land, household registration, and taxation.”

"The director of the Ministry of War selects military attachés and military status, ordnance, military orders, etc."

"The Ministry of Punishment is in charge of legal punishment and prison, which is parallel to Dali Temple."

"The Ministry of Industry is in charge of engineering construction, etc."

"The six ministers are called Shangshu, and the Vice Minister mainly assists the Shangshu in managing the headquarters."

"Detailed information on the system of three provinces and six ministries will be distributed to each ministry later. This is it!"

"Huang Lu is wise!"

Your Highness's ministers, those who can stand here now are all pillars of the country, and they are also some of the most talented or intelligent people of this era.

After listening to the whole story, they found that the power structure of the new dynasty was very intriguing.

Especially the old ministers of Dali were even more shocked. Oh my god, there is something special about their queen. This new power structure is very complete and forward-looking.

If the entire new dynasty implements the three-province and six-department system, such a clear division of responsibilities will not only improve work efficiency, but also transfer responsibilities to departments and individuals.

Moreover, Zhongshu Province, Menxia Province and Shangshu Province have formed a relationship of mutual supervision and mutual restraint, which is conducive to reducing decision-making errors.

The most important thing is that the three provinces and six ministries dispersed the original power of the prime minister to three provinces and six ministries, which dispersed the power of the prime minister and strengthened the imperial power.

It's just that their ultimate goal as ministers has to be changed. In the future, no matter how they become princes or ministers, they will not be as attractive as before.

Experts will know if there is one as soon as they take action.

Their Emperor Lu is amazing, but they just don’t know who drafted this official system?

While these Dali veterans were shocked by Emperor Lu's talent, the officials in Yuanping Prefecture had long been accustomed to the governor, no, Emperor Lu's resourcefulness. They all looked at Dali's old officials with contempt.

As for the issues they are worried about, they are not worried at all. What does it matter if the power of the prime minister is weakened? Anyway, they asked themselves, who can achieve the position of being inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people in the court ruled by Emperor Lu? Stop dreaming, okay? It is good now that the power of the prime minister is spread to six departments. Although no one can eat the meat, six people can drink the broth. It is not as good as sharing the joy of everyone.

Some shrewd people are already guessing what kind of official position they will get in the following merit-based rewards.

Don't even think about it, Minister of War, it must be in Qin Heng's pocket of the Qin family.

The power of the Minister of Civil Affairs is so great that he must be the confidant of Emperor Lu.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance is not bad either. Someone glanced at Wu Ren, Ji Wuyin, Gu Huaisheng and others.

The Minister of Punishment must be Zhang Zhongxian.

The Minister of Industry must know something about engineering construction and have the ability to coordinate...

Among these six departments, only the Rites department is not very good? Too little power.

While the officials were speculating, Lu Songli came up with the second imperial edict, which was to divide the meritorious officials.

In Li Jieying's loud voice, the ministers were extremely excited when they heard his name.

"...I respect my father Lu Desheng as the Supreme Emperor, my mother Jiang Xiuzhu as the Queen Mother; I posthumously designate my father-in-law Qin Yue as the Anyuan Emperor, and my mother-in-law Gu Yue as the Queen Mother. I designate my elder brother Lu Zhiyuan as Prince Cheng, and my younger brother Lu Mingzhi as Prince Shuo. The elder sister Lu Songyun is the eldest princess of Huai Ning. The eldest brother Qin Heng is Prince Zhuang, the second brother Qin Yan is Prince Su, the third brother Qin Zhao is Prince Ning! The fourth brother Qin Ming is posthumously named Prince Zhong, and the fifth brother Qin Yun is Prince Guo."

This is an imperial edict to reward the Qin and Lu families. The ministers are not surprised, but this reward is really generous. What does it mean for one person to attain enlightenment, for chickens and dogs to ascend to heaven? This is what it means.

After awarding the Qin and Lu families, the next step is to award the meritorious officials.

"...Since the incident, all the ministers and ministers have devoted themselves and their wisdom to assist Emperor Lu and Emperor Qin in stabilizing the country, and their contribution is indispensable. Now I will reward the ministers to show their virtue and encourage all officials."

"Xue Xu is a man of outstanding intelligence and dedication to his duties... he was awarded the title of Marquis of Annan and Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and was granted food to thousands of households as a reward."

"Wu Ren, loyal and upright, very smart...appointed as the Minister of Household Affairs."

"Zhang Zhongxian, fair and strict, benevolent and wise... was appointed Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, with a reward of one thousand taels..."

"Dong Jichuan... was appointed Minister of War."

"Gu Huaisheng...appointed as Minister of Industry."

"Wang Dong... was named Yushi Dafu."

"Lu Desheng was named Minister of Rites."

"Yao Song heard that he was appointed Minister of Dali Temple."

"Zhang Xian, Guo Chong, Liu Guanlin, and Shen Wanfeng are appointed as ministers under the sect."

"Ji Wuyin was granted the title of Minister of Household Affairs."

"Pei Zheng was granted the title of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs."

"Wu Chi was granted the title of Minister of Rites."

"Cao Huating was granted the title of Temple Master of the Ministry of War."

"Wang Yuan was appointed Minister of the Ministry of Punishment."

"Xian Feng is the commander of the imperial army and is responsible for the security of the inner city of Chang'an. Lin Ran is the commander of the imperial army and is responsible for the security of the outer city of Chang'an."

…

There are also military generals who have made meritorious deeds, and they are all named generals of various levels according to their merits.

Li Jieying read the long list for two to three quarters of an hour without stopping.

At the end of the imperial edict, "In the past, people's livelihood was very difficult, and I feel very sorry for it. Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty has ended, and the Ming Dynasty has begun. I have decided to grant amnesty to the whole country, free of taxes for three years and one year of corvee, so that I can rest and recuperate with the people."

"Long live Emperor Lu, long live long live."

The shouts of the ministers were full of strong emotions and sincere.

Lu Songli was sitting on the dragon chair, looking at this scene, and nodded slightly. This was a big reward, and there would be an imperial edict coming later to award the reward individually.

The third imperial edict was to implement the imperial examination system.

"... Those who pass the imperial examination are classified as imperial examination scholars. Regardless of whether they are from a noble family or from a poor family, as long as they have real talents and practical knowledge, they can be appointed. Talents are the people who will rule the world. The Ming Dynasty needs talents, and they must be able to serve the world. Only those who have left behind will not be buried.”

Lu Songli made no secret of her intention to "gather talents and recruit talents".

The ministers all felt Lu Huang's vigorous and resolute actions. She threw out three important things in the first court, and she was really not afraid that they would not be able to bear it.

The aristocratic families looked at each other, and they all knew that they could not stop Emperor Lu.

After these two years of fighting, the family's strength has actually been weakened a lot. Take the Sanjin family in Hedong as an example. Even if they later switch to Pingzhou, their current strength is not as strong as when they were at their peak.

They now fully understood that no one could stop what Lu Songli was going to do.

In addition to the imperial examination system, Xie Zhan had wanted to implement it before, which was a vaccination for them. They could only sigh in their hearts and accept it.

At this time, Lu Songli dropped another bombshell, "In addition, women can also participate in the imperial examination."

What? ! Shen Wan and other Dali veterans, as well as Pei Zheng and other officials from aristocratic families, were dumbfounded.

On the other hand, Xue Xu, Zhang Xian and other subordinates from the Pingzhou team reacted normally. They just paused and then did whatever they needed to do. Didn't Lu Huang's approach just follow Pingzhou's approach? It's normal and normal.

Lu Songli: "The Ministry of Rites is responsible for the imperial examination."

At this time, the ministers realized that the Ministry of Rites was not important, but the Ministry of Rites was very important, okay?

Lu Desheng was not around at this time, and the current Minister of Rites, Wu Chi, was gearing up. He glanced at the ministers present, with a look like "Whoever dares to object, he will confront him."

Only then did the ministers realize that Emperor Lu had asked Wu Chi to take part in the imperial examination in order to support those families whose next generation had no sons. My dear, is this emperor's mental skills self-taught?

Lu Songli didn't care what the ministers thought.

The purpose of the imperial examination is to show favor to the world. As a scholar, if you learn literature and martial arts, your goods will be with the emperor's family. What she wants is the emperor's disciples!