Zhu Yijun went to the Kunning Palace to drink soup, but Zhang Juzheng returned to the Cabinet with a heavy heart.
At this moment, although Zhang Juzheng's face was expressionless, he was feeling very complicated. Given his political wisdom, he certainly knew the intention of his emperor's student, but this was also a difficult choice for him.
"Minister Zhang!"
Seeing Zhang Juzheng come in, Shen Shixing smiled and greeted Zhang Juzheng when he saw Zhang Juzheng.
"Gather the ministers, let's discuss something!" Zhang Juzheng nodded to Shen Shixing and said.
Shen Shixing was stunned. Zhang Juzheng had just returned. Was he going to establish his authority?
However, Shen Shixing couldn't say anything. He nodded and said, "Alright!"
It didn't take long before the five cabinet ministers were seated together. Tea was served, and all five of them had grave expressions on their faces.
Zhang Juzheng had just returned, and he had gathered everyone for a discussion. No matter what it was, it was definitely not a small matter.
"I just went to see His Majesty, and His Majesty told me something."
Zhang Juzheng didn't beat around the bush and directly told them what had happened.
The ministers didn't say anything. They were all slowly digesting Zhang Juzheng's words.
It was indeed a big matter. For a moment, they didn't know what to say.
"This is a big matter!" Lv Diaoyang said with a sigh.
"His Majesty is going to hand over the military power to the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies!" Zhang Siwei added.
They didn't mention anything about the ancestral system. In fact, at their level, they naturally knew what it was.
Mentioning the ancestral system on this occasion would only make them a laughing stock.
"I'd like to ask for your opinions!" Zhang Juzheng said as he glanced at them.
"Both the Merit Selection Department and the Martial Selection Department are very important, and many officials are involved in them. The Merit Selection Department is still fine, as only the generals are gone. However, the Martial Selection Department is completely taken away from the Ministry of War. This is reducing the authority of the Ministry of War!"
Zhang Siwei pondered for a moment and said.
"His Majesty doesn't want civil officials to be in charge of military affairs!" As soon as Lv Diaoyang said this, the atmosphere became much more serious.
"In fact, His Majesty already had this idea!"
Shen Shixing also said, "From the Imperial Army to the capital barracks, His Majesty has always held military power. It is not surprising that he would do something like this."
Zhang Juzheng coughed. "Now is not the time to talk about this. I want to talk about the cabinet's attitude!"
The few of them were silent. They did not dare to open their mouths!
If he agreed, he would definitely be condemned by a large number of people. If he disagreed, it would be equivalent to offending the new emperor.
Although they were cabinet ministers, if they offended the emperor, things would become difficult.
Among the five ministers in the cabinet, Shen Shixing and Ma Ziqiang had the least experience and could not bear such a burden.
Zhang Siwei was wise to protect himself. Naturally, he would not oppose the Emperor on this matter.
Needless to say, there was no need to mention Lv Diaoyang. This old man was basically the mascot of the cabinet. It was not worth it to offend the Emperor at such an old age!
Zhang Siwei thought for a moment and said, "We will follow Cabinet Minister Zhang's lead!"
The other three also followed suit.
In fact, Zhang Juzheng had already guessed this result. It was not strange at all.
Wasn't the Emperor waiting for him to come back to talk about this matter because of this?
If he was not here, no one would do this.
The Emperor wanted him to suppress the voices of opposition. Zhang Juzheng also knew that he could suppress them, and only he could.
"Then let's do as His Majesty says!" Zhang Juzheng said after thinking for a moment.
In fact, Zhang Juzheng did not feel much about this matter. His next step was to settle the accounts of the land, not to reform the military.
Although this approach would weaken his power to a certain extent, his power was not in the military in the first place.
"Let's discuss it with the two ministers!" Zhang Juzheng said, "Call the Imperial Censorate as well. Don't make trouble."
The matter was settled in the cabinet.
In the afternoon, the cabinet asked Fang Fengshi, the Minister of War, and Wang Guoguang, the Minister of Personnel, to come over. The Imperial Censorate also came over. Together with the five cabinet ministers, they began to discuss the matter again.
Hearing this news, the two ministers immediately lost their composure.
The Emperor was going to reduce his power!
No one said that it was harmful for a general to be in power, nor did they talk about the chaos in Fan Zhen in the Tang Dynasty. No one talked about the Chenqiao Mutiny. They all knew where the main point of this matter was.
After thinking for a while, Wang Guoguang said first, "Is His Majesty determined to do this?"
Zhang Juzheng sighed and said, "Hasn't His Majesty been doing this for a long time?
From the Imperial Army to the military camp in the capital, and now to the Commander-in-Chief's Office of the Five Armies. "
"If we agree to this, there will definitely be a lot of discussion. Minister Zhang's days will be difficult!"
Wang Guoguang looked at Zhang Juzheng and shook his head with a bitter smile. "His Majesty wants us to appease the people below!"
There would definitely be a lot of people making a fuss over this matter. This was the difficult thing to do.
If something like an audience in front of the Wenhua Gate happened, the Emperor would definitely be unhappy.
"I can't do it now either!"
Zhang Juzheng didn't have much of a reaction. He said indifferently, "Since we've agreed, let's reply to His Majesty!"
After this matter was settled, Zhang Juzheng turned to Chen Zhao, the Imperial Censorate's Left. "Wen Hui, keep an eye on the Imperial Censorate."
"Okay!" Chen Zhao nodded and didn't say anything else.
After Zhu Yijun received Zhang Juzheng's reply, the news also spread in the capital's officialdom. This could be considered as Daming another major political event since Zhu Yijun ascended to the throne.
When he received this news, Zhu Yijun finally let out a sigh of relief.
Forbidden City, Wenhua Hall
Zhu Yijun sat quietly. He knew that this was only Zhang Juzheng. If it was someone else, this matter would be a mess. This wasn't what he wanted, nor did he want to see him. He hoped that this matter could be settled peacefully.
"Keep an eye on the capital. If anyone colludes and causes trouble, don't hesitate to arrest them in Dongchang!"
Zhu Yijun glanced at Zhang Jing and ordered indifferently.
In fact, Zhu Yijun was still worried. Even with Zhang Juzheng suppressing them, there would definitely be people who wouldn't be willing to give up.
These two yamen were truly lucrative jobs. No one would be willing to give them up.
In addition, those who thought that the generals were crude and not good enough to lead the people and even wanted to prevent the generals from gaining military power would definitely jump out.
"Yes, Imperial Majesty!" Zhang Jing was overjoyed and quickly agreed.
"Remember, investigate carefully. There must be concrete evidence and no false accusations."
In the end, Zhu Yijun still ordered, "Keep an eye on the people from the Martial Selection Department and the Merit Selection Department. Keep an eye on the people from the Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of War too."