The Cabinet System of the Ming Dynasty: The Game of Power and the Strengthening of Imperial Power.
Since Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty, the cabinet system has become an important part of China's political system. Zhu Yuanzhang was born as a cattle herder and was very illiterate, so he realized that he needed a literate consultant to assist in handling government affairs. So, he set up a palace scholar, and these literate people became his attendant advisers, among which famous figures such as Song Lian were among them. The prototype of the cabinet emerged, however, although the scholars at that time could assist in handling government affairs, they did not have the right to make decisions, and all decision-making power was still firmly in the hands of Zhu Yuanzhang.
With the advent of the Zhu Di period, the cabinet system ushered in a new development. Hanlin Academy** was selected as a scholar of the Pavilion and included in the Wenyuan Pavilion. Xie Jin is one of the famous scholars, who compiled the "Yongle Canon" and is known as one of the three great talents of the Ming Dynasty, and served as the first assistant of the cabinet. During this period, scholars of Wenyuange began to be trusted by Zhu Di and began to participate in decision-making, marking the formal formation of the "cabinet".
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, scholars were given a new power, the right to vote, that is, to pre-process the cantata to relieve the pressure of the emperor's work. However, the ultimate decision-making power remained in the hands of the emperor, and the power of the cabinet, although increased, was still subject to the emperor.
When Zhang Juzheng became the first assistant of the cabinet, it was when the emperor was young, so the power of the cabinet was further expanded, and the original six ministries almost became subordinate organs of the cabinet, and the power of the cabinet reached its peak. However, unlike the prime minister, the cabinet was not an informal administrative body, but rather an advisor to the emperor. Therefore, the power of the cabinet depended on the degree of trust of the emperor. In the Ming Dynasty, the emperors seemed to be a little lazy, for example, the twenty-fourth year of Jiajing and the thirty-fourth year of Wanli did not go to court for a long time. With the existence of the cabinet, although the foreign dynasty can still function normally, the decision-making power is always in the hands of the emperor, which also shows a kind of scheming of the emperors.
At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, in addition to the cabinet, the Council of Ministers of the King of Parliament was also established, and then the South Study was established, forming a three-legged situation of the Cabinet, the Council of Ministers of the King of Parliament, and the South Study. However, with the passage of time, the functions of the cabinet were gradually weakened, and the military aircraft department was established during the Yongzheng period, and the status of the cabinet gradually declined. Although the Cabinet Fellow has become an honorary title, its power is no longer what it once was.
In general, the cabinet system from the Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty played an important role in Chinese politics, it was a product of the monarchy, although it once played an important role in politics, but in the end it still failed to play an effective role in restraining the imperial power. The rise and fall of the cabinet reflects the power game and the strengthening of monarchy in the ancient Chinese political system.