Who is this Zhang Wen? He was a meritorious official who crossed the Yangtze River with Emperor Hongwu and was a veteran general with numerous military achievements.

Although he wasn't granted the title of Marquis right after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, he was still enfeoffed as the Marquis of Huining and given a stipend of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain measure) in the twelfth year of the Hongwu reign for his meritorious service. In truth, he was a founding duke or marquis, and his rank was not low.

Even when Zhang Wen was enfeoffed as a marquis, he was one of the most outstanding figures in the second round of merit-based rewards after the founding of the Ming Dynasty. In the twelfth year of Hongwu's reign, eleven marquises were enfeoffed, many of whom were enfeoffed for their meritorious service in the southern and northern campaigns of Lan Yu.

This Marquis of Huining, at first glance, seems to be a general under Duke Lan Yu of Liang, and also appears to be a member of the Chang faction. However, he is somewhat of a fence-sitter, observing the various factions. He seems to be thriving, and indeed, he is quite valued due to his abilities.

However, such opportunists may gain many opportunities, but when they fall on hard times, no one will be willing to vouch for them.

When the emperor wants to discipline some nobles, he naturally needs some pretext. Some nobles who are lax in managing their households and act lawlessly may become the first to be targeted, and may even become the targets of the emperor's crackdown.

It seems to be a common practice for founding emperors to kill their meritorious officials; they had no choice but to do so. Although these famous generals made great contributions to the establishment of the new dynasty, they often met with bad ends, mostly being discarded after their usefulness was over.

Killing meritorious officials is indeed a bad reputation, making people think that one is mean-spirited and ungrateful, and that one is ungrateful for betraying one's benefactors.

However, there is sometimes no other way. Military officers may become the largest group that undermines the rule of law, and their harm may even be greater than that of the imperial family.

These two founding emperors, who came from humble backgrounds, are also the two emperors in history most notorious for killing meritorious officials.

Zhu Yunying was ruthless; sitting in his position, there was essentially no room for leniency. He would naturally treat military meritors with favor. However, if these individuals hindered the development of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunying would show no mercy.

Lian Zining didn't know what to say, so he decided to say nothing. For example, looking at the imperial edict in his hand, the Marquis of Huining had overstepped his authority. Such a matter could not be ignored, and it had to be impeached and discussed in court.

As for how the emperor would deal with Marquis Huining, that was clearly something Lian Zining couldn't concern himself with, and it wasn't his place to care.

The opportunity to deal with Marquis Zhang Wen of Huining was simply because Zhu Yunying felt that Zhang Wen was a good target, and that this target was quite representative.

This was also a bad sign for Zhu Yunying, as there had been problems with the administration before. Even the strict laws of the previous Zhu dynasty could not completely prevent corruption, and the resurgence of corruption in the administration since Zhu Yunying ascended the throne greatly angered him.

As Zhu Yunying wanted to implement the land tax reform, some nobles had other ideas, and many of them became one of the main obstacles to Zhu Yunying's implementation of the land tax reform.

Those capable of leading troops in battle have basically all been sent out. Those remaining in the capital are either reliable, living in luxury, or simply spoiled and incompetent.

Now, dealing with these people doesn't feel like much pressure for Zhu Yunying. Besides, with Old Zhu gone, those "old ministers" have nowhere to turn to plead for mercy.

Xu Miaoqing was naturally unaware of what was happening in the court; her most important task at the moment was to nurture her pregnancy. Being able to bear another child for the emperor was her paramount concern; other matters were not her concern for the time being.

In order to allow Xu Miaoqing to focus on her pregnancy, Imperial Noble Consort Lian Qiongqiong, under the orders of Zhu Yunying and Xu Miaoqing, also began to take on some affairs in the palace.

"Your Majesty, today the Lady of the Marquis of Zhulu entered the palace to report on her grandson's dissolute and arrogant behavior," Lian Qiongqiong said to Zhu Yunying in a businesslike manner. "The Lady of the Marquis of Zhulu wishes to request an imperial decree to allow her grandson to enter the Martial Arts Academy."

Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhulu, was also one of Zhu Yunying's old guard and the first military officer to "join" him. He and Zhang He, the Marquis of Hanghai, were two key figures in Zhu Yunying's campaigns in Busan and Japan. These two played crucial roles in opening up sea routes and overseeing maritime transport.

Unfortunately, Zhang He died of illness. Although he was posthumously granted the title of Duke of En, he did not live to see Zhu Yunying ascend the throne. Among his sons, his eldest son Zhang Rong was appointed as the Commander of the Right Guard of the Navy. Although he was mediocre, he still managed to keep the family name from falling into ruin.

Zhu Shou didn't live to see Zhu Yunying ascend the throne, and most regrettably, his descendants were utterly dissolute. His son, though currently holding the official title of Commander of the Right Naval Guard, holds only a nominal position with no real power. If his son is incompetent, his grandson will likely be equally so.

This has led many to laugh at the situation, believing that whether it's Zhang He or Zhu Shou, their offspring, if they were even slightly capable, would certainly be able to make a great use of their fathers' achievements.

However, it seems that a good hand is about to be played badly, and the kinship and affection of the past may disappear because of the incompetent descendants.

Holding Zhu Ruyi, Zhu Yunying asked with a smile, "Oh? The Lady of Zhulu Marquis has even come to the palace to request an audience. It seems that her grandson is truly unruly to the extreme."

Although the Empress is entitled to discipline those underage officials, this is only in theory. The Empress generally doesn't interfere with them, even those from the imperial clan.

This forced Zhu Shou's wife to enter the palace to request an audience with the Empress, pleading for her to discipline her children and grandchildren. This shows that Zhu Shou's wife was truly at her wit's end. Her husband's lifelong reputation might very well be ruined by these unworthy descendants.

As for seeking help from Zhu Yunying, let's set aside whether Zhu Shou's wife was even qualified. Simply put, if she really reached Zhu Yunying, there would be no room for negotiation. It might not just be discipline; it could very well mean stripping her of her title, or even confiscation of her property and extermination of her entire clan.

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