Xu Miaoqing quickly washed up and dressed, then immediately headed towards the main hall.

When she saw Zhu Yunying enjoying a drink by himself and Jiang Huan standing beside him looking radiant, she smiled.

Xu Miaoqing gestured for Jiang Huan to rise and said, "Your Majesty, if those censors see Commander Jiang acting like this, they will surely submit a memorial to the throne."

"Haha!" Zhu Yunying laughed and said, "The Empress is right. I never liked that my uncle and father wore the same robes before. I was dissatisfied with the Ming imperial family's dress and rank. But after my grandfather set the rules, I broke them from time to time."

Xu Miaoqing was naturally aware of this matter. Zhu Yuanzhang himself came from a peasant family, and moreover, when the country was newly established, many aspects of etiquette were not yet perfect. Not to mention the past, even ten years ago, the princes and the crown prince wore almost identical clothes and carriages. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang treated his sons equally.

Zhu Yunying, intentionally or unintentionally, had his subordinates submit memorials, which effectively established the rules for the attire of the imperial family, which could not be transgressed. The regulations for the official robes of civil and military officials were even stricter, and they certainly could not be worn haphazardly, especially those military officers who had previously appeared rough and uncouth.

The bullfighting robe, along with the python robe and flying fish robe, was not originally part of the official dress system due to its similar patterns to the emperor's dragon robe. Instead, it was a special gift bestowed upon eunuchs and high-ranking officials of the Ming Dynasty. Receiving such a robe was considered an immense honor. The bullfighting robe was a more formal garment than the python robe and flying fish robe.

It would be fine to bestow the flying fish robe upon Jiang Huan, after all, he was originally from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and his rank was high enough.

But now, they've gone straight for the bullfighting robes. Although the current bullfighting robes aren't as prestigious as those from the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, everyone knows that such bestowed robes are rare and extremely special, the kind of bestowed robes that only members of the imperial family could receive.

Jiang Huan is currently only a commander of a thousand men in the Eastern Depot, because the Eastern Depot's rank is not high enough. On the other hand, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is a third-rank official.

"Now that you mention it, we need to make some changes to our Eastern Depot." Zhu Yunying laughed and pointed at Wang Chengen. "The Empress knows this good-for-nothing. Let him lead the Eastern Depot and make him the supervisor. This good-for-nothing doesn't do anything, and he can't do it well either."

Wang Chengen didn't care. It seemed like His Majesty was scolding him, but only close relatives could receive such favor.

“Your Majesty, I also think Wang Chengen is not capable of handling this matter.” Xu Miaoqing poured Zhu Yunying a cup of wine and said, “He has always served Your Majesty, how would he know about such things?”

Wang Chengen was deeply grateful, but in truth, he was also filled with apprehension about the position of Director of the Eastern Depot. It seemed like a high-ranking and powerful post, but he wasn't actually skilled in those areas. Furthermore, he was already the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and to also lead a secret service agency was more than just an honor; it could easily lead to his downfall at any moment.

Zhu Yunying nodded slightly and said, "From now on, we still can't let the Grand Eunuch lead the Eastern Depot. The Eastern Depot should still be managed by the Inner Court. But having only a thousand-household commander isn't enough. Let's also give two deputy commanders, both of them the rank of third grade."

Jiang Huan was thrilled. He felt that if he had been castrated, he would definitely have become a high-ranking eunuch. But if he hadn't been castrated, he would have become a third-rank commander, which was basically the same rank he had reached when he was in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As for not getting the position of head of the Eastern Depot, that's not a big deal. The difference between the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is that one is internal and the other is external. The emperor cannot completely hand over the secret service to "external officials." Even if all the commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are the emperor's confidants, there still needs to be some restrictions.

The Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard checked and balanced each other, preventing the emergence of an abnormally powerful entity. Having a eunuch oversee the Eastern Depot also facilitated the emperor's control over certain individuals and events. Jiang Huan never intended to become the head of the Eastern Depot; being a powerful second-in-command was enough for him. That was his future, that was his importance.

Zhu Yunying and Xu Miaoqing chatted and laughed, so the matter of the bullfighting outfit was no longer a concern. Jiang Huan was now at least a third-rank official, which, although somewhat exceeding the standard, was still barely qualified.

Old Zhu used to have his brother-in-law Li Zhen wear a dragon robe with five-clawed golden dragons, so Zhu Yunying having his confidant wear a bullfighting outfit was hardly unusual. These rules were set by Old Zhu and Young Zhu for others; they weren't particularly applicable to them, and they would break them when necessary.

In a good mood, Joo Yun-young drank some wine, but thankfully he remained relatively rational. A small sip was enough; Joo Yun-young wasn't a heavy drinker, and his alcohol tolerance was rather average. Once the atmosphere was right, he stopped.

As Zhu Yunying prepared to go to court, Wang Chengen naturally hurriedly began making preparations as well.

"The Emperor wants us to go to the Wuying Hall after court?" Old Zhu got up, mainly because he was old and needed less sleep.

Shuangquan quickly said, "Wang Daban repeatedly instructed that we should report to His Majesty only after he wakes up."

Old Zhu got up, not caring at all. "We can't sleep either, let's set off for the Wuying Hall. I remember the matter of the Minister of Rites is still being discussed, let's go and take a look. There are some things that we still need to handle."

The matter of Ren Hengtai is still under discussion, but it is now basically confirmed.

Lian Zining wasn't really wronging Ren Hengtai. It was true that this guy had been secretly buying barbarians into slavery, and he had also neglected his duties in handling the Annam affairs—these were all facts. All of this meant that Ren Hengtai clearly couldn't hold onto the position of Minister of Rites.

The current debate in the court is about the selection of the next Minister of Rites and the punishment of Ren Hengtai.

The selection of the Minister of Rites is naturally a very important matter, but for now, we can only recommend some candidates who seem promising. Ultimately, the decision on who will become the new Minister of Rites will certainly rest with the Emperor.

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