As far as Zhu Su and Zhu Yunwen were concerned, they felt that some people were causing trouble, which was simply creating problems for them.

Their special status was a given, especially Zhu Su, who was the Imperial Clan Court's Director. His duties went beyond simply managing the imperial clan registers, compiling the Imperial Genealogy, and recording the births, deaths, marriages, and other matters of the imperial clan's children. He also relayed the statements of the imperial clan and recorded their crimes and transgressions. These were all part of his job.

The newly appointed Prince of Qin and Prince of Jin may seem to have some dissatisfaction with the emperor, but based on Zhu Su's understanding, his two princely nephews would at most grumble a few words, and the magnanimous emperor would not care about such things.

However, some other members of the imperial family, including his second son, certainly displeased the emperor.

It's certainly true that people should strive for better opportunities, but it's intolerable if some people try to achieve their goals through underhanded tactics. Most importantly, their clumsy methods are easily exposed, and if not handled properly, could lead to internal divisions – that would be a serious matter.

The retired emperor is still alive. He doesn't want to see his brothers killing each other, nor does he want to see his descendants killing one another.

A warning is necessary. The smart thing to do at this point is to quickly apologize. Even if you don't apologize, immediately back down and let it go. That would be a minor punishment to serve as a warning, and the matter would be over.

However, if any unrealistic ambitions remain, then the next step may be to face the emperor's wrath. Although they are indeed members of the imperial family, this does not mean they can act lawlessly, be truly fearless, or cross the emperor's bottom line.

Some things are still just the beginning, and Zhu Yunying is only giving a heads-up. If they can be resolved internally, that would be ideal.

Although matters concerning the imperial clan are important, for Zhu Yunying, the most important thing right now is clearly the affairs of the court. Especially in these turbulent times, he obviously doesn't have much energy to care about those incompetent younger brothers.

These younger brothers are a bit of a handful, but that's only because of their special status, which sometimes puts Zhu Yunying in a difficult position.

However, this does not mean that these younger brothers have any power. In fact, Zhu Yunying can control the wealth, honor, life and death, status and so on of these members of the imperial clan.

The matter of Marquis Zhang Wen of Huining has now become a focus of attention for many people in the court. Whether they are nobles or civil officials, they all feel that the handling of Zhang Wen is closely related to their interests.

The nobles' thoughts were simple: the court hadn't dealt with them for several years. Especially with Zhu Yunying's ascension to the throne, everyone felt it was a smooth transition of power, so there was no need to worry about interference from maternal relatives or arrogant generals disregarding the new emperor.

But now that Zhang Wen is to be dealt with, many people are getting nervous. Zhang Wen is arrogant and domineering, but the other nobles are not necessarily any better; these people are not to be trifled with either.

The civil officials saw this as an opportunity for their advancement, especially since Lian Zining had been the first to impeach Zhang Wen. This could even be considered the first time that civil officials, representing the civil officials, had formally humiliated the once arrogant and domineering military officers.

Even though Lian Zining was the emperor's father-in-law, his civil official attributes were more obvious.

The imbalance between civil and military power at the beginning of the dynasty should be further reversed. Raising the rank of the Six Ministers is not enough, after all, the Ming Dynasty does not have a prime minister at present, and it is estimated that the Ming Dynasty will not have a prime minister to 'check imperial power' in the future.

The six ministers were not enough, and even though many civil officials had their ranks slightly elevated, it still wasn't enough. After all, the so-called head of the civil officials, the "Duke Yansheng," had lost his lofty privileges and was now merely a family that worshipped at the Confucius Temple in Qufu.

To put it bluntly, the current Duke Yansheng is no different from some families that guard imperial tombs and royal mausoleums.

Zhu Yunying sat on the dragon throne, looking very calm, simply listening to the civil and military officials arguing.

This situation has been going on for quite some time, mainly because this matter has dragged on for a long time. Ever since Zhang Wen was impeached, everyone has been arguing about how to deal with him; that's the key issue.

At this point, they were no longer just small fry; some heavyweights also entered the fray.

Ru Chang, with a serious expression, held a tablet in her hand. "Your Majesty, Marquis Zhang Wen of Huining and his son have seized farmland, assaulted officials, and disregarded the laws of the land."

Chang Mao, standing to the side, frowned slightly. Marquis Huining was still not powerful enough. When his uncle was only a marquis, he also seized farmland and even dared to drive away and beat up the censors who came to inquire.

This can only mean that Zhang Wen has grown old and lost his arrogance due to his military achievements, or perhaps Zhang Wen knows that his importance is not as great as Lan Yu's.

Ru Chang continued, "The imperial court is implementing the land tax reform, which is a national policy. The Marquis of Huining, enjoying the state's stipend, shows no loyalty to the emperor, nor concern for the people..."

"Minister Ru is exaggerating." Chang Mao didn't care whether to be polite or not and interrupted directly, "To say that he seized farmland is going too far. Zhang Wen and his son simply took farmland and concealed the property."

Chen Di was furious and confronted Chang Mao, saying, "Lord Kaiping, Zhang Wen and his son seem to be seizing land. They're only dealing with ordinary farmers, and their servants are beating and harassing them. The price they're paying for the land is also far below market value. What more can be said about such blatant extortion?!"

Chang Mao adopted the debating style of a scholar, saying, "The Marquis of Huining's actions are indeed inappropriate. However, we have heard that the magistrate and assistant magistrate of Huaiyuan County have all opened the door wide for him. If it weren't for the instigation of those incompetent officials, how could the Marquis of Huining have accepted so much land?!"

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