Wei Zhongxian quickly knelt down and kowtowed to thank the emperor for his nephew's grace.

After sending Mr. Wei away, Zhu Youxiao pondered for a long time and felt that it was both a reward and a warning to Old Wei so that he would not dare to deceive the emperor.

As for Wei Liangqing, an honest farmer, he was sent to the Zhenfu Division to serve as a Jinyiwei, which was considered a job and a salary. No one expected him to do an outstanding job.

Zhu Youxiao put away his thoughts and reviewed a few more memorials. The palace maid reported that His Royal Highness Prince Xin was waiting for an audience outside.

Prince Xin Zhu Youjian came in to pay his respects and was greeted by his royal brother's warm smile and cordial greeting.

Since there was no plan to send the princes to live abroad, they had to be given a job. Although Zhu Youjian was young, he asked his elder brother for permission to go to the Ministry of Rites to observe government affairs.

"Observing government affairs in the Ministry of Rites, have you gained much knowledge? What knowledge have you learned?" Zhu Youxiao asked with a smile.

Zhu Youjian sat on the embroidered cushion, bowed and leaned forward, saying: "My brother, I have learned a lot about rituals, music, religion, ethnicity and foreign affairs. I feel that my horizons have broadened a lot."

The Ministry of Rites was under the jurisdiction of four Qinglisi, namely, the Ceremonial System, the Ancestral Temple Sacrifice, the Host and Guest Office, and the Fine Food Office, which were responsible for the administration of rituals and music, schools, religion, ethnic groups, and foreign affairs.

In modern times, the Ministry of Rites is equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs + Ministry of Education + Ministry of Culture + Religious Affairs Bureau + Ethnic Affairs Commission, plus some functions of the General Office, as well as the State Guesthouse, etc. It is very important.

Of course, in the Ming Dynasty, although the Ministry of Rites had many functions, its weight among the six ministries was not as important as the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Revenue. Zhu Youxiao also attached great importance to the Ministry of Works, which made the Ministry of Rites even lower in status.

But in Zhu Youxiao's mind, the Ministry of Rites' functions in diplomacy, education, ethnic affairs, etc. are of self-evident importance to the country, it just depends on the priority.

For example, now we are facing both external enemies and internal troubles, and natural disasters are approaching. Building up the army, making money, and stabilizing society are the top priorities.

"Well, diplomacy is indeed important." Zhu Youxiao nodded and said with a smile, "There are countless countries outside the Ming Dynasty. Whether they are enemies or friends, whether to fight or to appease, how to get along with them is a great knowledge."

Zhu Youjian laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you are right. I never thought that there would be so many Western barbarian countries thousands of miles away, such as the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Britain, and France, fighting each other all day long."

Although the Ministry of Rites is not Zhu Youxiao's current focus, he still instructed them to master some knowledge.

With the maps and explanations brought by the missionaries, the Ministry of Rites was able to understand the countries in the world more clearly, and no longer mixed up the red-haired barbarians and the western barbarians.

"It's all a struggle for interests!" Zhu Youxiao paused and said, "There are no permanent friends between countries, only permanent interests."

Zhu Youjian pondered carefully, nodded as if understanding something, and said, "Your Majesty, your words are profound and profound. I will definitely keep them in mind."

After a pause, Zhu Youjian smiled and said, "Brother Your Majesty, I have discovered a talented person in the Ministry of Rites. I wonder if I could recommend him to the court?"

"Since he is a talented person, why can't he serve the country?" Zhu Youxiao signaled the palace servants to serve tea to Zhu Youjian, and said casually, reaching out to pick up the teacup.

Zhu Youjian was encouraged by his brother and said, "Yuan Chonghuan, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, is a Jinshi..."

Ugh! Zhu Youxiao almost spit out the water in his mouth and couldn't help coughing repeatedly.

Wang Tigan hurried forward and patted the emperor on the back. Zhu Youjian also stood up, his face full of concern.

After a while, Zhu Youxiao stopped coughing and waved his hand to indicate that it was okay.

After a short pause, Zhu Youxiao looked at Zhu Youjian with a strange expression and said, "Go on."

Zhu Youjian blinked his eyes and continued, "Yuan Chonghuan is a generous and courageous person who likes to talk about military affairs. When he was the magistrate of Shaowu County, he would discuss frontier affairs with old veterans and retired soldiers. He understood the difficult situation in the frontier and was worthy of being a frontier talent."

Zhu Youxiao lowered his eyes and did not blame Zhu Youjian. Yuan Chonghuan had been given special treatment many times in history, and it was not without reason.

The first time, he was recommended by the Imperial Censor Hou Xun and promoted to Director of the Military Affairs Department; the second time, he rode alone to inspect the situation outside the Great Wall and returned to the court to report the situation at the Great Wall. The court officials praised his talent and promoted him to Assistant Commissioner, Supervising the Army Outside the Great Wall; when Sun Chengzong was on a border expedition, he was given another important position...

In Zhu Youxiao's view, Yuan Chonghuan, firstly, had the advantage of being a Jinshi (Jinshi) and claimed to be proficient in military affairs, which allowed him to be valued by civil officials repeatedly in the general environment of respecting culture and suppressing military power; secondly, Yuan Chonghuan's ability to talk about military affairs on paper was indeed impressive.

Zhang Dai, a historian and writer during the Ming and Qing dynasties, once made a rather unkind assessment of Yuan Chonghuan, saying: "... he would discuss world affairs with his arms raised, often boasting without shame. But he spent his days dreaming, lost in the mists and clouds of his courtiers, unaware that he was under a spell. He spent five years trying to destroy the invaders, but they were unable to do so, and he destroyed himself..."

In other words, Yuan Chonghuan's words were indeed inflammatory and persuasive. No wonder many people regarded him as a frontier talent and said that he was proficient in military affairs.

In a period of "many upright officials in the court", Yuan Chonghuan was able to obtain miraculous promotions and advancement by "launching satellites". However, Zhu Youxiao believed that if Yuan Chonghuan was used in military affairs, the higher his official rank, the faster the situation would deteriorate and the more disastrous the Liao Dynasty would be.

"I've had three years of experience as a county magistrate, learning how to use troops and understand the difficulties of war from veteran soldiers, but I've never experienced a single battle." Zhu Youxiao's lips curled up slightly, and he said with a faint smile, "Do you really think you can tell a border talent just by looking at his words?"

Zhu Youjian was a little stunned, and subconsciously asked: "So my brother knows this person?"

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "As soon as the Guangning War broke out, Yuan Chonghuan secretly left the border, claiming to be reviewing the situation outside the Great Wall. Upon returning to the court, he boasted, 'Give me troops, horses, money, and grain, and I alone can defend the mountains and seas.' I will not hold him responsible for leaving his post without permission, but will simply transfer him from the Ministry of War."

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