Since joining the Wu Prince's Mansion, Chen Ye has felt much less pressure. After all, he used to feel a kind of inexplicable pressure living in the palace, but now he feels a rare sense of ease and freedom.

He has now completely controlled several powerful generals among the military officers.

Among the civil officials, Zhang Shan, the Minister of Revenue, was already one of his men.

At this moment, the political landscape of the court underwent a tremendous change. Zhu Yunwen's attempt to promote Zhang Shan to Minister of Revenue was also a signal to the civil officials: those who opposed him would face death.

However, those who realize their mistakes and join one's own camp will reap continuous benefits.

And he did indeed prove his abilities, transforming himself from a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue into a second-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue in the blink of an eye.

To accomplish this so easily during Zhu Yunwen's counterattack is truly astonishing.

However, despite Zhu Yunwen's demonstrated strength, the civil officials in the court still tended to favor him.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the interests involved.

Ultimately, they still hoped and preferred to support Zhu Yunwen, a civil official, to ascend the throne. Of course, in Zhu Yunwen's eyes, these things were no longer important. Since these civil officials were willing to support him, he had already given them enough benefits.

If they are unwilling to support me, it wouldn't be difficult to eliminate them one by one.

After making up his mind, Zhu Yunwen didn't worry too much about the matter.

In his residence, the ten Imperial Guards that Zhu Yuanzhang had arranged for him were still at his disposal.

In addition, there was a steward who was a former employee of the Chang family.

He had close ties with Zhu Yunwen's mother's family. Chang Sheng, one of the Chang brothers, had previously told Zhu Yunwen that he had helped Zhu Yunwen choose this steward and that he was absolutely trustworthy.

This once again demonstrates Chang Sheng's meticulousness; he knew that Zhu Yunwen had lofty ambitions and was secretly plotting something of earth-shattering significance.

It is absolutely essential that no part of one's daily conversation be leaked, so having a trustworthy butler is absolutely necessary.

Even some maids and servants were put to the test after rigorous screening to ensure they had no problematic backgrounds before we felt comfortable with them.

After returning from the imperial court, Zhu Yunwen sat in the main hall and drank a few cups of tea.

Today in the imperial court, the Minister of War's attitude towards Zhu Yunwen was as unfriendly as ever, and his words were full of hostility.

Clearly, Zhu Yunwen's complete ouster by Zhu Yunwen had provoked strong dissatisfaction among the civil officials.

These civil officials were clearly preparing to oust Zhu Yunwen.

In the imperial court, the future crown prince must have the support of the officials. If the crown prince and the officials are at odds, it is definitely not a good sign.

These civil officials deliberately sidelined Zhu Yunwen, which was also sending a signal to the emperor, intentionally or unintentionally, that Zhu Yunwen would have difficulty maintaining good relations with the civil officials.

It might not be a good thing for such a person to become emperor, but Zhu Yuanzhang did not interfere much in this situation.

He was more interested in seeing how Zhu Yunwen would respond.

Therefore, Zhu Yunwen had made up his mind and then decided to take action against the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of War wields considerable power.

Almost everything related to the military was handled by the Ministry of War.

They were responsible for various military matters, including the transfer of military power, the organization of the army, the manufacture of military equipment, horses, and so on. In short, they were in charge of all matters related to the army except for fighting on the battlefield.

In fact, during certain special periods, if the Minister of War also possessed strong military capabilities, it was not uncommon for him to lead a region on the battlefield.

However, in the present Ming Dynasty, there are many military generals, so it is naturally not the Minister of War's turn to go to the front line.

Therefore, the Minister of War today has almost no power other than ensuring logistical support and conveying the emperor's military orders.

In other words, they do not have actual control over troops within the military.

Even now, actual military power is still in the hands of a few generals in the court.

For example, the Chang brothers, Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, and some regional princes.

After taking a few sips of tea, Zhu Yunwen felt that having the Ministry of War under his control might not be such a bad thing.

Just then, the steward walked in and Zhu Yunwen said:

"Your Highness, Minister of Rites Li Yuanming invites you to a gathering at the Hundred Flowers Garden."

Zhu Yunwen raised an eyebrow slightly and said:

"The Minister of Rites invited me? What does that mean?"

The butler said:

"This garden has always been a gathering place for literati, scholars, and dignitaries. People usually gather there to indulge in refined pursuits, compose poems, and express their talents."

It's not unusual for the Minister of Rites to enjoy entertaining guests in such places. This time, I heard that the Minister of Rites invited many literary talents to stroll through this Hundred Flowers Garden, supposedly to create some kind of Hundred Flowers Gathering.

It's laughable, really, considering it's already winter. Aside from a few plum blossoms, most of the other flowers in that flower garden have probably withered and died. I don't know why it's even called a "Hundred Flowers Gathering."

After sitting in his chair in silence for a moment, Zhu Yunwen sneered and said:

"They've come with ill intentions."

The butler paused for a moment, then quickly reminded him:

“Your Highness, if he invited you, then you are the one who should be there.”

Zhu Yunwen nodded and said, "That's right, I am the one who came, so I said that the one who came was not well."

He got up and straightened his clothes:

"Bring me a horse. Since the Minister of Rites has invited me, how can I refuse?"

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