When Yang Lian arrived at Liu's house, he found that the rest of the people had already arrived.

Minister of Rites Sun Shenxing was putting down his teacup heavily at this moment, and said with a look of satisfaction, "Keshi was a voluptuous beauty, but also a licentious character. She frequently entered and exited the palace, much to the surprise of many, and rumors spread everywhere. Now that she's dead, it's a good thing."

"Brother Liu, you are wrong. Ke Shi was not an ordinary wet nurse. She was the wet nurse of the current emperor. She was only forty years old and was in the prime of her life. How could such a person die?" Liu Yijing asked in return.

This question made Sun Shenxing a little confused. He blushed and stammered, "A woman's death is not worth mentioning."

"It's just excessive indulgence." Although this was the rumor, it was a matter deep within the palace, and the details of the truth had never been discovered by outsiders. If someone was caught spying on the palace, the consequences would be no better.

"In my opinion, it's not that simple. You all know it." Yang Lian stepped into the study and took a sip of tea. After a while, he looked at the people with different expressions and said slowly, "The red sun is about to rise."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this. Yang Lian's words had touched a corner of their hearts. They stopped discussing anything else, and the tea tasted dull. They all stood up, said goodbye, and went home, each with their own thoughts.

Inside the palace, after being treated by the imperial doctors, Zhu Youxiao ate some exquisite snacks that Chen Hong had specially ordered the imperial chef to prepare. After he felt better, he strolled around the palace with his hands behind his back.

A bird was pecking at a pot of Strelitzia reginae not far away. Zhu Youxiao watched for a moment and muttered, "If death is useful, then it should die." After muttering this, he opened his mouth and ordered, "Chen Hong, pass on the order to let Wei Zhongxian take charge of the Eastern Depot."

Dongchang, the name of an official office, also known as the Dongjishichang, was a privileged supervisory agency, secret service agency, and secret police agency during the Ming Dynasty in China.

In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Jinyiwei was on par with the East and West Factories, and their activities were intensified. They were often collectively referred to as the "Factory Guards."

The Dongchang had more power than the Jinyiwei and was only responsible to the emperor. It could supervise and arrest subjects at will without the approval of the judicial authorities, thus starting the eunuchs' interference in politics in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youxiao had a very intuitive understanding of the Ming Dynasty. Whether it was the political system or the cultural customs, there were great differences.

The ministers in the hall all talk about benevolence, righteousness and morality, but when it comes to actually getting something done, the Dongchang Jinyiwei are much more useful, and they are also needed for some things that are not decent enough.

This country is in such a state of disrepair that to govern it properly we have to resort to some shady methods.

How could a talent like Wei Zhongxian be turned away? Moreover, during the Ming Dynasty, all the powerful eunuchs were tacitly approved by the emperor.

The Ming Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials. Military officials in the court could not maintain the same checks and balances as in other dynasties, and their status was too low. If the Dongchang Jinyiwei were gone, wouldn't those ministers rebel?

The so-called Governor of the East Factory, whose full name is the eunuch who works in the official school of the East Factory, is abbreviated as Governor of the East Factory or Governor of the East Factory.

The name of Factory Master became famous in later generations. This was the reward Zhu Youxiao gave to Wei Zhongxian, and it was also the first step in making use of Wei Zhongxian.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Chen Honggang trembled when he heard that Wei Zhongxian was the commander of the East Factory. He quickly agreed and retreated outside with his body bent, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

The Palace of Heavenly Purity was the most important place in the Ming and Qing dynasties, where the emperor lived and worked.

The name of the Palace of Heavenly Purity comes from the Tao Te Ching: "In the past, those who obtained the Oneness, the heaven obtained the Oneness and became clear, the earth obtained the Oneness and became peaceful, the gods obtained the Oneness and became spiritual, the valleys obtained the Oneness and became abundant, all things obtained the Oneness and became alive, and the princes and kings obtained the Oneness and became the chastity of the world."

The Palace of Heavenly Purity has a double-eaved hipped roof with yellow glazed tiles and sits on a single-layer white marble platform. There are nine ridge beasts on the eaves, and the upper layer under the eaves has single-curved, double-raised, seven-stepped brackets, and the lower layer has single-curved, single-raised, five-stepped brackets, decorated with golden dragon and seal paintings, and three-intersecting six-diamond flower partition doors and windows.

Looking at the majestic palace in front of him, Zhu Youxiao didn't know whether he would be scolded by the emperors of the Ming Dynasty for doing carpentry work in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, but he didn't care. If the Ming Dynasty had come to this state, it still had many years of national life to live, and many things would have been ignored.

Apparently, the eunuch had good execution ability. The items in the studio were neatly arranged, ranging from small carving knives to large planers, with all kinds of tools available.

"Alright, all of you, please leave." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and drove away the few firemen in the studio. "From now on, no one is allowed to enter here without my order. Anyone who violates this will be executed!"

His studio didn't need any outsiders. Another reason was simple: how did an emperor establish his authority? Maintaining secrecy was a good way.

Zhu Youxiao decided to keep this place secret from outsiders, but in reality, it was nothing to him. Besides doing some carpentry work here every day, it was just a place for him to think about things. But the emperor, after all, wanted mystery.

After inspecting the room, Zhu Youxiao turned and left. He glanced at Chen Hong, who was waiting on the side, and said, "Send a few people over to help Madam Fengsheng's family hold the funeral in a dignified manner."

Chen Hong quickly bowed and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I understand!" Then he bowed and retreated, and asked someone to arrange this matter.

Zhu Youxiao stretched his muscles and said slowly, "Bring up all the papers from these days. I want to take a look." Then he turned and walked towards his study.

He needed to look at the question book and understand the recent situation in the Ming Dynasty so that he could decide what to do next.

A "tiben" is actually a memorial submitted by ministers to the emperor during this era. In comparison, most people in later generations know about "zouzhe", but "zouzhe" and "tiben" are not the same thing.

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