Research On The Relationship Between The Imperial Cabinet And The Ministries During The Ming Dynasty From The Chenghua To The Zhengde Reigns

During the Ming Dynasty,from the Chenghua reign to the Zhengde reign,there were significant changes in the relationship between the imperial cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel.At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty,the imperial cabinet divided the power of personnel selection from the Ministry of Personnel through the legitimate method of recommending individuals for posts with personal guarantees.However,in the sixth year of the Chenghua reign,the baoju system was abolished,and the Ministry of Personnel gained expanded power in personnel selection.The imperial cabinet lost the legal channel to intervene in the Ministry of Personnel’s personnel selection and could only indirectly influence it.In order to limit the power of the Ministry of Personnel,the cabinet suggested changing the recommendation system for cabinet and regional officials to being jointly recommended,and this proposal was successful.During the Hongzhi reign,the selection process for cabinet officials changed to being recommended by the Ministry of Personnel.Under the jointly recommended system,a power balance was achieved between the cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel.However,Jiao Fang’s entry into the cabinet as a Minister of Personnel during the Zhengde reign disrupted the power balance and established the six Ministers of the Government as the pathway to cabinet promotion.Moreover,there was also a significant change in the status of the imperial cabinet in the hierarchy of court protocol.After the fifth year of the Chenghua reign,the imperial cabinet’s ranking in the court examination of examiners and reviewers was higher than that of the Ministry of Personnel,breaking the previously established ranking order.This indicated that the status of the imperial cabinet had begun to surpass that of the Ministry of Personnel.Through the study of the relationship between the imperial cabinet and the six ministries during the Chenghua to Zhengde reigns,it can be seen that the imperial cabinet’s status and court protocol had started to surpass that of the Ministry of Personnel,laying the foundation for the imperial cabinet’s domination over the six ministries in the Jiajing reign and beyond.