The Ming Dynasty needed more changes, and Zhu Yunying did not intend to develop the Ming Dynasty step by step, or in other words, according to the original historical trajectory.

The current ruler of the Ming Dynasty is not Zhu Yunwen, but Zhu Di, who successfully rebelled and is now the king of Japan.

This means that the lineage of the Ming Dynasty emperors did not change; it did not change from Zhu Biao, the eldest son of Zhu Yuanzhang, to Zhu Di, the fourth son whose birth mother was in doubt and who was forcibly claimed to be the legitimate heir.

Given this, the Ming Dynasty had no reason to 'favor' the imperial family, since Zhu Yunying was of impeccable lineage and legitimacy. Even if he were to reduce the power of the princes here, it would be done openly and gently, without any apparent instability.

Even if some members of the royal family harbored resentment and complaints, they were only complaining; they dared not say or do anything more.

So it's not unusual for Zhu Yunwen and his uncles to be planning a trip.

Zhu Yunying was unaware that her younger brother was urging her to take their uncles on a trip, and even if she did, she wouldn't say anything.

Ultimately, Zhu Yunying did not intend to raise the imperial clan like pigs, nor did he intend for the only pleasure of the Ming Dynasty's imperial clan to be having children.

The imperial family certainly needs attention, but only a little. He has many other things to do; a whole host of matters await Zhu Yunying's handling, and that is the most important thing.

"Let the imperial clan share in our joy on our birthday," Zhu Yunying said, glancing at the time chosen by the Imperial Observatory. "At my current age, if it weren't for my special status, it wouldn't be considered a 'birthday.' But let's do it this way anyway."

Zhu Yunying felt he was being quite considerate by choosing to bestow the title of Prince before his birthday. Although he understood that the prestige of a Prince in the Ming Dynasty was declining, and that many people now only cared about the Emperor's birthday.

But in any case, Emperor Zhu Yunying did what he was supposed to do, and that's about enough.

There's no doubt that Emperor Zhu (Liu Bang) treated the imperial clan well. And Emperor Xiao Zhu (Liu Shan) wasn't bad either; he still considered the imperial clan's interests.

Wang Chengen came over and whispered, "Your Majesty, Duke Cao is waiting outside."

Zhu Yunying nodded slightly, and Wang Chengen immediately went to convey the imperial decree. Li Jinglong's visit was clearly also about the Martial Arts Academy. These were matters that Zhu Yunying had been planning for a long time.

“Cousin, please don’t stand on ceremony.” Zhu Yunying smiled and raised his hand, appearing very friendly. “We’re all family, no need for formalities.”

Although that's what the emperor said, Li Jinglong didn't dare to be so careless as to think that he didn't need to follow etiquette.

In fact, Li Jinglong was sometimes quite puzzled. Given his background and talent, he should have been given important responsibilities. However, over the years, he always felt that he was still a little far from being truly valued.

To say that the emperor was kind to him was true; after all, he was Li Wenzhong's eldest son. However, Li Jinglong often felt that the emperor's kindness towards him was merely superficial, and that the emperor trusted the Chang and Xu families more.

Even Fu Youde and Lan Yu surpassed him. Mu Chun, too, was trusted more by the emperor and entrusted with important responsibilities.

The feeling was somewhat subtle, because in terms of his current position and duties, he was the emperor's confidant and one of the most powerful ministers in the Ming Dynasty.

Putting aside his own thoughts, Li Jinglong quickly submitted a memorial, "Your Majesty, preparations for the Martial Arts Academy are complete. The Emperor Emeritus has personally attended and issued many decrees. We have drafted the regulations, and we hope Your Majesty will review them."

Wang Chengen took the memorial and handed it over. Zhu Yunying looked at it carefully, while Li Jinglong simply waited.

"It looks alright." Zhu Yunying smiled with satisfaction and said, "Cousin, go back and follow this procedure. The Five Military Commissions are mostly filled by hereditary officials nowadays. Although there are also meritorious officials who are evaluated, we are not very satisfied with them."

This was also Zhu Yunying's true feeling; the speed at which the founding nobles had become corrupt and decadent exceeded his imagination. Especially among the sons of nobles, although some were quite successful, there were also quite a few纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats).

Even though Zhu Yunying had previously only stipulated that the inheritance of military titles would require evaluation, that was mostly a matter of principle, and the evaluation process itself wasn't particularly difficult. As long as one wasn't exceptionally incompetent, inheriting a title wasn't a major issue.

Li Jinglong naturally understood that the first batch of students in the Martial Arts Academy would obviously be selected from the hereditary officials of the Five Military Commands.

These people were indeed theoretically tied to the royal family and the Ming Dynasty, but many of them were only concerned with eating, drinking and having fun, forgetting the battles their fathers and grandfathers fought on the battlefield.

Valley Throw

Now, by stuffing these second- and third-generation nobles into the martial arts academy, not only are they all destined to become pillars of the nation, but it is also intended to put some pressure on them and slow down the rate of corruption and degeneration of the Ming Dynasty's military officials as much as possible.

Li Jinglong glanced cautiously at Zhu Yunying's expression, then said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus has decreed that the Crown Prince's study companion must enter the Martial Academy."

“This is a good thing. Our generation is getting old, and it’s time for them to govern the country,” Zhu Yunying said with a smile. “We will summon the Crown Prince’s study companions to the Martial Arts Academy. Although they are young, they can be trained now so that they can assist the Crown Prince in the future.”

For Li Jinglong, the real dilemma he faces is his age; if not handled properly, it could displease the emperor.

Simply put, the emperor is not yet thirty; he is still very young. It's clearly premature to start cultivating a successor's faction at this stage.

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