Perhaps it seems that some leeway has been left, but that's only because those people still seem to have some merit, some value, and some necessity in their existence.

Punishing Ru Chang was definitely not Zhu Yunying's way of being stingy. Although the treatment of officials in the Ming Dynasty was indeed not very good, certainly not as generous as that of officials in the Song Dynasty, Zhu Yunying obviously did not need Ru Chang's three months' salary.

The reason Ru Chang is being punished now is simply because Zhu Yunying is somewhat dissatisfied with the Ministry of Personnel. As the Minister of Personnel, Ru Chang is naturally implicated. This is also because Ru Chang himself has been somewhat negligent in his duties, and all of this is only to be expected.

Moreover, Zhu Yunying had no intention of giving Ru Chang any face; this matter would definitely be reported in the official gazette and publicized.

Zhang Wen alone carries considerable weight, and now the Minister of Personnel, the head of the Six Ministries, has also been implicated. The emperor's most trusted confidant has also been punished because of corruption in officialdom. This is clearly no small matter.

The emperor's determination to rectify official corruption is unwavering, and this is a testament to that determination; therefore, more people should be aware of it. While civil and military officials may appear powerful, they should still be cautious in their words and actions, and not assume that having power allows them to act arbitrarily.

After Ru Chang left, Chang Mao came running over again, all excited. "Your Majesty, are you really ordering me to confiscate your property by imperial decree?"

"What's wrong?" Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh and said, "Uncle, are you having second thoughts?"

Chang Mao shook his head and said, "I have not had much contact with Zhang Wen to begin with, so naturally I would not hesitate to do so. Even if I were to confiscate his property, I'm afraid some people would say that I am abusing my power."

After all, Chang Mao was a descendant of Chang Yuchun and the emperor's maternal uncle. It wasn't really too outrageous to confiscate the property of such a powerful relative; at most, it would only cause some gossip.

As for Xu Huizu not being in Yingtian Prefecture, Chang Mao was naturally the banner of the military merits. Sending Chang Mao to confiscate their property at this time might make some military merits feel a sense of shared fate, realizing that the military merits of the Ming Dynasty were indeed struggling to make a living.

After all, Chang Mao, as the head of the nobility, was also helping the emperor and speaking with him, without giving much consideration to the interests of the nobility group.

Zhu Yunying didn't pay much attention, and just said with a smile, "Uncle, let's not mince words. Uncle's status is special. As long as we are in power, Uncle will probably not have real power. Our Kaiping Prince's lineage should also be separated from those nobles."

Hearing Zhu Yunying explain so clearly, Chang Mao naturally understood as well, "Your subject obeys the decree."

In fact, Chang Mao himself was well aware that since the current emperor was his nephew, it was naturally difficult for Chang Mao to seize power. After all, the status of a maternal relative was very special and sensitive, especially since this was Chang Yuchun's eldest son, making his status even more sensitive.

Throughout history, emperors and ministers have always been wary of the interference of maternal relatives in politics.

In other words, many people knew that Chang Mao was a spoiled brat who couldn't shoulder heavy responsibilities; otherwise, he would likely have become a target in the court.

Just like Xu Huizu now, although he seems to be special now, in a few years, Emperor Yingshi will definitely support other forces and gradually sideline and render Xu Huizu powerless.

Since the emperor had spoken, Chang Mao naturally knew what he had to do. Although he was indeed somewhat of a playboy and had done many foolish things, Chang Mao was also quite sensible about many things.

Zhu Yunying continued, "You should also understand that if we didn't hold absolute power, the Kaiping Prince's lineage would definitely be the target of the court officials' attacks."

Chang Mao nodded repeatedly. If it weren't for Emperor Ying Shi's absolute power, the Kaiping Prince's lineage would have truly become the target of many people's attacks.

After all, attacking the emperor's relatives is the lowest-cost method, which can quickly make one famous in the literary circles and even become a minister favored by the emperor. Naturally, this is a way for many people to rise to power.

Chang Mao thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “Your Majesty, Zhang Wen’s residence still has several fine horses. Back then, he fought in Lanzhou, conquered Shu, quelled the Western Qiang, campaigned in Yunnan, and participated in the Northern Expedition, achieving many victories. He seems to enjoy collecting the armor and weapons of defeated generals. Why don’t we take them back?”

Looking at Chang Mao, Zhu Yunying seemed to understand exactly how his precious younger brother had gone astray.

Zhu Yunying herself was now a little confused about whether Chang Mao was deliberately tarnishing his own reputation or simply trying to gain a small advantage.

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