Emperor Hongwu's anger was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, especially since he specifically summoned all civil and military officials to court this time, indicating his extreme rage. Furthermore, the fact that both the emperor and empress were punished suggests that some matters had crossed Emperor Hongwu's bottom line.

The punished Zhu Yunying didn't seem to be angry or ashamed. He simply rose calmly after the old emperor left and slowly walked towards the imperial steps. Since the retired emperor was no longer sitting on the dragon throne, it meant that Emperor Yingshi would be sitting on it.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Yunying looked down at the imperial family members and civil and military officials kneeling below the steps, his expression calm.

"Your Majesty, please return. All the women in the palace are in Fengxian Hall. Please go and settle them in," Zhu Yunying said slowly to Xu Miaoqing.

Xu Miaoqing naturally accepted the order and left immediately. If it weren't for her grandfather's wishes, she wouldn't have been qualified to come to Fengtian Hall at all. Now, she could be considered to have successfully retired, having essentially performed her part well.

However, we cannot be complacent. Most of the play has been performed well, but there is still one last part to go. We cannot afford to falter at this point; we must finish strong to ensure that we can cooperate with the emperor to make this grand performance a complete success.

At this moment, the civil and military officials were somewhat apprehensive; they were naturally afraid of the retired emperor's wrath. However, they should not mistake Emperor Ying Shi for a pushover. This young emperor was never lacking in skill, and he was also very experienced in governing the country.

Even though it seems like only the second year of Ying Shi's reign, this person had already handled quite a few important affairs of the court several years ago.

When Emperor Ying Shi was punished by the retired emperor, it naturally meant that his ministers would also be punished.

Zhu Yunying looked at Yu Xin and slowly asked, "Minister of Revenue, do you know the significance of the Red Granary?"

Yu Xin immediately stepped forward, knelt down without saying a word, and said, "Your subject accepts punishment!"

Zhu Yunying produced a memorial and said, "The Empress ordered the allocation of supplies, but the Ministry of Revenue is unable to do so in a timely manner. The Ming Dynasty has only been established for a little over thirty years, and it's already so slow? Previously, I wanted to eliminate redundant officials because I felt there was inefficiency throughout the court. Now it seems I wasn't wrong about you; you dare to disregard even the Empress's decree and delay even the matter of the Red Warehouse?!"

This time, it wasn't just Yu Xin, or just the officials of the Ministry of Revenue; all the civil and military officials in the court knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

In truth, Yu Xin also felt wronged. He was well aware of what Hong Cang represented. Many people also knew that Hong Cang had indeed helped many scholars at the Imperial Academy. However, some felt that over the years, Hong Cang had become an example of the imperial court bestowing favors upon scholars.

Empress Ma used to love her people like her own children, but now the royal family may only be doing this to honor her legacy, or simply to bestow favors.

It's not that we're being negligent, but sometimes the payments might be a little late, a few days late, or we might need to send several reminders before they take it seriously and allocate the funds quickly.

Even some officials in the Ministry of Revenue felt that this shouldn't be their business. Since it involved the Red Granary, a matter for the imperial family, the supplies should be provided by the imperial treasury, not used to bestow favors.

The saying "All land under heaven belongs to the emperor" holds some truth. The fact that this land also belongs to the Zhu family also has some merit.

However, in some people's eyes, this world belongs to all the people. It is true that the emperor is the sovereign and father, but that does not mean that the emperor can do whatever he wants, nor does it mean that some things must be done entirely according to the emperor's decrees.

For example, this time, many court officials knew that the emperor's private treasury was actually quite wealthy.

After all, the Maritime Trade Office was initially under the jurisdiction of the imperial family, especially since it seemed that it was initially managed by the current emperor, who was then only the crown prince. It was only later that it was handed over to the "former emperor," who then incorporated some of the affairs of the Maritime Trade Office into the Ministry of Revenue.

Goods from Southeast Asia, or local specialties from Japan and Korea, naturally brought considerable revenue to the imperial court. However, many people also understood that a large portion of this revenue flowed into the imperial treasury, and that was no small sum.

Initially, the Ministry of Revenue, or the civil service group, happily took over a portion of the imperial treasury's functions, delighted to see the court gain another source of revenue. Naturally, they kept a close watch on it, and any attempt by the imperial family to reclaim it was unacceptable. The imperial family, along with the nobility, were engaged in maritime trade, leading many to complain that this was a competition for profits with the common people.

Zhu Yunying naturally knew what some people were thinking; otherwise, Yu Xin wouldn't have separated the imperial treasury and the national treasury so clearly before. It's not easy for the royal family to reclaim power once it's been relinquished; imperial power is in the hands of the emperor, and naturally, he won't easily relinquish it.

Looking at Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunying said, "Hongcang is a legacy of the Empress Dowager and cannot be taken lightly. Moreover, it concerns scholars, and the nation's treatment of scholars must not be taken lightly. The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Imperial Academy shall send officials to follow up. Prince Xu, Zhu Yunwen, shall supervise the investigation on behalf of the Imperial Clan Court."

Yu Xin's expression was bitter; his Ministry of Revenue was about to have to send manpower and resources. He no longer had any desire to gain merit; at this moment, he could only pray that nothing else went wrong, or he would be doomed.

What Yu Xin thinks has little to do with Zhu Yunying; Zhu Yunying has his own plans.

Looking at the assembled officials, Zhu Yunying spoke again, "Previously, some people submitted memorials saying that the imperial treasury is too rich and the imperial family is too powerful. They also said that the nobles are banding together to seize the interests of merchants, and that our Ming Dynasty is full of nothing but merchant affairs."

This made many people eager to try their luck, and they felt that this was an opportunity.

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