"Grandfather, you know that we have been thinking about balance all these years, and there are some things that your grandson also wants to do better." Zhu Yunying said to his father, "Grandfather also knows that the imperial family members have higher salaries, but we have no intention of cutting them further, so as not to cause gossip."

Old Zhu said irritably, "You've cut back on the treatment of the imperial clan quite a bit. If you ask us, you've been mistreating them. This is the best you can do now. You can't cut back on the imperial clan any further, or it will just be outrageous."

Zhu Yunying chuckled. Old Zhu's words probably weren't entirely wrong; Zhu Yunying wasn't particularly friendly towards the imperial clan. At least compared to his father, Zhu Yunying was much stricter on matters concerning the imperial clan—that was a fact.

There's no need to keep cutting it down, nor is there any need to try to elevate it further; the current state is fine.

Members of the imperial clan could wield certain power, and they weren't simply idle and complacent; their treatment was relatively better compared to imperial clansmen throughout history. This was essentially the extent of their power.

Most importantly, some additions were made, making it unlikely that the situation in history, where the Ming Dynasty's imperial family became too large and a burden on the court, would occur again. After all, the saying "the blessings of a virtuous man last for five generations" still applies, and the practice of demotion still exists.

This is the limit that he's reached; this is basically Lao Zhu's bottom line, and he can't go any further.

“We took a look the other day, and it turns out that the imperial family of our Great Ming Dynasty has some ability and ambition,” Zhu Yunying said with a smile. “Especially the illegitimate sons in the family, they all want to get a position, rather than just sitting around in the mansion doing nothing.”

Old Zhu nodded slightly. The eldest son inherits the family business and title, while the treatment of the second sons and others is downgraded. This means that these people still feel a bit of urgency and want to find something to do, which is normal.

Moreover, they are all of the Zhu family bloodline, and many of them are still quite proud at heart and want to do something.

"Keep an eye on your son." Old Zhu, unable to bear seeing Xiao Zhu's smugness, said irritably, "In a few days, we won't dare take the Crown Prince out of the palace anymore. Right now, everyone outside is saying your son is the biggest playboy in the Ming Dynasty. Even your fifth uncle is involved!"

Zhu Yunying was instantly speechless. His precious younger brother was truly not only the number one playboy in Yingtian Prefecture, but also the number one playboy in the entire Ming Dynasty. As for the previous Prince of Wu, he was now enthusiastically studying medicine; he had finally found something that interested him.

Xiao Zhu decisively changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of Fifth Uncle, the medical skills he's practicing have benefited countless people; this is also a blessing from our royal family. But I'm thinking that we should also start practicing medicine."

Old Zhu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "We've already had someone compile the History of Yuan."

There's a convention in compiling history books: the current dynasty compiles the history of the previous dynasty, recording its rise and fall, including major events. The Ming dynasty, naturally, compiled the History of Yuan. The chief editor was Song Lian, one of the teachers of the late Emperor Zhu Biao.

Zhu Yunying shook his head and said, "Grandfather, we're not compiling a history book. We know that's the responsibility of our Great Ming Dynasty to compile the History of Yuan. The book that Fifth Uncle is compiling is probably either about medicine or about flowers and trees. What we're thinking of is compiling a unique book."

Seeing the curious look in Old Zhu's eyes, Zhu Yunying said, "Grandfather, what we're thinking of is compiling a comprehensive encyclopedia that integrates the knowledge of all schools of thought, not just the classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections, but also astronomy, geography, yin and yang, medicine, divination, arts and crafts, Buddhism and Taoism, agriculture, and so on. We'll use the entire nation's resources to compile a comprehensive encyclopedia!"

Old Zhu stood up abruptly and asked seriously, "Ying'er, do you know how much manpower it would take to compile such a book? If you want to compile a grand encyclopedia, you'll inevitably have to do research, and you'll inevitably have to..."

"Grandfather, I understand," Zhu Yunying said directly. "But this is something that our royal family cannot do, and no one else can do either. People outside say we are fond of military affairs, but we haven't fought any wars in recent years; we've been governing the country. If we're going to do something civil, then we should do it spectacularly, making it the pinnacle of civil affairs!"

Old Zhu thought for a moment and said, "With the current strength of our Great Ming Dynasty, compiling such a grand encyclopedia is not a big deal. It will just take some time. But let's be honest, we're not spending manpower and resources to gain empty fame. That's not worth it."

That's just how Old Zhu is; compiling a book is definitely no problem for him, but the purpose of that book is another matter.

Old Zhu was clearly a typical pragmatist; what he truly wanted to know was the practical significance of this grand ceremony, which was the most crucial thing. As for other empty titles, Old Zhu didn't really care about them.

“Grandfather, how can this be considered mere empty fame?” Zhu Yunying spoke up, saying directly, “I suppose you know that in the past, aristocratic families controlled books and traditions, making it extremely difficult for scholars from humble backgrounds to rise above their station. Even in the Tang Dynasty, this phenomenon was prevalent. Those aristocratic families have endured for hundreds of years, isn’t that precisely because they were literate?”

In this day and age, there are already many illiterate people. A large part of the reason why some aristocratic families have been able to survive is because these people have a monopoly on knowledge. This is also one of the reasons why they continue to pass on their knowledge and grow stronger.

As for those from even earlier times, many people hid their books away; they were closely guarded secrets. This meant that much knowledge was not actually widely circulated, and many aristocratic families only needed to master a few classic texts to make a living.

The monopoly of knowledge is not necessarily a good thing. However, for some people, class stratification is definitely beneficial. For example, certain aristocratic families or upper-class nobles control the channels of upward mobility, allowing them to remain wealthy and powerful, while others are just ordinary people struggling to survive, living their lives in a daze while being controlled by them.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!