At this moment, another minister stepped forward, speaking very solemnly, "Your Majesty, the Confucius family of Qufu has been posthumously honored and bestowed gifts by emperors throughout history. Their lineage is well-established, and they have been granted titles for generations. The former Duke Yansheng was personally conferred the title by the Emperor Emeritus."

At this moment, Zhu Yunying also spoke up, saying, "The genealogy is well-ordered? Since the twelfth year of Emperor Gaozu of Han, when Kong Teng, the eighth-generation descendant of Confucius, was enfeoffed as the Lord of Sacrifices, the eldest direct descendant of Confucius has had a hereditary title. Over the next thousand years, the title changed repeatedly until it was changed to Duke Yansheng in the second year of the Zhihe era of the Song Dynasty. Is that the logic?"

That makes sense. Zhu Yunying is now sticking to the principle of primogeniture, and that's enough.

Whether or not a title is granted is certainly a very important matter. However, there are some things that are clearly not something that can be granted simply by wanting to. This is especially true of the granting of titles during the Mongol Yuan dynasty, which naturally makes for even more contentious issues.

"If the name is not correct, the words will not be proper"—this is the reason Zhu Yunying is clinging to now, and it is also what many people are discussing.

The scene was bustling and noisy, and Zhu Yunying knew that it would remain so for the foreseeable future. He didn't believe anything would change, and that maintaining this state of affairs would be necessary for the foreseeable future.

Kong Ne doesn't need to return to Qufu for now. Until it's determined whether his title of Duke Yansheng is legitimate, he should stay in Yingtian Prefecture. After all, he is a descendant of Confucius, and especially since it concerns the head of the 'Great Ming Civil Officials' and the title of Duke Yansheng, this cannot be taken lightly. A serious investigation is necessary, without any ambiguity.

Zhu Yunying remained nonchalant, and many people could see that the Emperor was intentionally suppressing Kong Ne. But it didn't matter; as long as Zhu Yunying maintained a 'serious and impartial' demeanor, Kong Ne would be left in a difficult position.

There were many things to do in the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Yunying didn't have much time or energy to keep arguing with those people. His opinion was undoubtedly firm; he was determined to sweep away the 'mystery' and 'nobility' of the Duke of Yansheng, and it would be impossible for the Kong family to continue to be high and mighty.

For Old Zhu, the next thing was even more important: he was going to take his children and grandchildren back to his hometown.

Emperor Zhu Yunying, of course, obediently saw off his grandfather. The grand procession left Yingtian Prefecture and headed towards their hometown, Fengyang.

Besides the Emperor Emeritus's retinue, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and even the princes and princesses' retinues were all displayed. Old Zhu was absolutely majestic at this time, not only because of his imperial retinue, but also because he now had a large family of children and grandchildren. This was a truly high-profile return to his hometown, a true triumph.

Returning to his hometown was, in Lao Zhu's opinion, the real opportunity to show off. He was filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for this trip to pay respects to his ancestors, even feeling that it might be the last time he would return to his hometown to visit his parents' graves.

After all, he was getting on in years, and Old Zhu was well aware of his health condition. Returning to his roots was impossible; he would probably have to be buried in Xiaoling Mausoleum, unable to return to his parents' side.

Old Zhu seemed excited and expectant, so he was eager to try. Zhu Yunying, on the other hand, had nothing to regret; his family would be back soon. Zhu Yunying could treat this period as a vacation, enjoying the bachelor life alone in the palace, only needing to think about work and not anything else.

Old Zhu then left Yingtian Prefecture, and it seemed that the 'capital' of the Ming Dynasty was now only occupied by Emperor Zhu Yunying. At this time, Zhu Yunying had more say, and perhaps only then could he be considered truly autocratic.

This shouldn't do any harm; Zhu Yunying believed he could handle the situation.

As for court politics, Zhu Yunying was already very familiar with it and handled many things with ease. Now that his grandfather could temporarily relinquish control, Zhu Yunying felt that he could perhaps manage even more matters during this period.

Let's put ourselves to a small test, to see if we can control the political situation without any powerful backing!