The interference of maternal relatives in politics seemed to be a certain possibility in the Ming Dynasty.

For example, the Chang lineage had already formed a huge faction due to Chang Yuchun's achievements. In addition, his successor, Lan Yu, was exceptionally capable and had become one of the most outstanding military pillars of the Ming Dynasty.

Not to mention that the Chang lineage seems to be highly valued, since their patron is Emperor Ying Shi. Zhu Yunying's Chang lineage is very obvious, a fact known to everyone.

However, many people also understand that the Chang lineage has no successor, and Chang Mao is not capable of shouldering the responsibility. What's more critical is that the Chang lineage actually has difficulty truly controlling the Five Military Commands. Especially the Central Military Command; although Chang Mao can currently intervene, that's only because Xu Huizu is not present.

As for the future Little Zhu, let's not even mention that Xu Huizu is already forty. The main issue is that the Ming Dynasty had a long-standing system where military and political affairs were completely separated. The Five Military Commissions seemed to hold a prestigious position, but they only had the power to command troops, and their authority was restricted by the Ministry of War.

This is also due to military merit; the former Grand Military Commission was divided into five Military Commissions. Even though Xu Huizu now holds the Central Military Commission, this greatest heir of the Xu faction has become a pillar of the Ming Dynasty's military.

However, many people also know that Xu Huizu could not completely control the military power of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention that the emperor was always interfering.

There are quite a few relatives of the emperor in the Five Military Commands, such as Li Jinglong and Feng Cheng, and now they are even thinking of getting Mei Shunchang and others involved.

The Five Military Commands are no longer the "private domain" of military merit; relatives of the empress have become an important force within the Five Military Commands.

Under such circumstances, the emergence of interference in politics by relatives of the empress or powerful ministers suddenly became much more difficult. As for the civil service group, even after more than thirty years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the civil service group was still in a relatively weak position when facing military officials.

Even though Emperor Ying Shi seemed to be consciously supporting and elevating the civil service, the foundation of the civil service was too large. Moreover, while supporting the civil service, Emperor Ying Shi never stopped keeping a close eye on them, so they shouldn't think about becoming arrogant in the short term.

Zhu Yunying was in a good mood and looked at Mei Yin, saying, "Second Uncle, my cousin Jiujiang is doing well in the Martial Arts Academy. Now, it's not appropriate for him to continue in charge of the Left Army Commandery."

Among the five military governorates, the Central Military Governorate was headed by Xu Huizu, the Left Military Governorate was originally under the command of Li Jinglong, the Right Military Governorate was headed by Feng Cheng, the Front Military Governorate was headed by Lan Yu, and the Rear Military Governorate was headed by Fu Youde.

While Feng Cheng appears slightly weaker, the Right Army Commandery oversees the Tiger Guard Right Guard, the Garrison Right Guard, the Naval Right Guard, the Wude Guard, and the Guangwu Guard in the capital. It also commands the Yunnan Regional Military Commission, Guizhou Regional Military Commission, Sichuan Regional Military Commission, Shaanxi Regional Military Commission, and Guangxi Regional Military Commission, along with their respective guard posts.

In other words, Feng Cheng controls the situation inside the capital, while Mu Chun controls the outside. These are the emperor's two brothers-in-law.

Mei Yin didn't mince words. He knew the special nature of the Martial Academy and that Li Jinglong, this rising star, had seemingly been separated from the military. However, this Duke Cao, who no longer held a large army, actually wielded considerable power. The Martial Academy could be said to have the potential to control the future mid-to-high-ranking generals of the Ming Dynasty.

Looking at Mei Shunchang, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Go and study the naval tactics carefully. In the future, you might still need the navy to be promoted to a high rank and general. We will be of great use to you."

Mei Shunchang immediately stood up and hurriedly accepted the order, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Liu Zhi smiled and reminded him, "The former Marquis of Zhulu and the former Marquis of Hanghai served under Your Majesty in their early years. Although both of them have passed away, they have many good generals under their command."

Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Fourth Uncle is right. Don't feel it's taboo. Go and visit them more often. We have lost two pillars of the family. It's a pity that they were always busy with military affairs and their offspring were not particularly outstanding."

Mei Shunchang naturally knew what he should do. He was in his early twenties and also wanted to make a difference. Because of his background, his starting point was naturally incredibly high. But what kind of achievements he could make in the future depended on his own efforts.

Even if he could inherit the title of Duke of Rongguo in the future, he would only think about achieving great success and having his title passed down through generations, rather than just being a relative of the emperor.

“My uncle-in-law just loves reading too much.” Zhu Yunying laughed, and said with some regret, “The late Earl of Chengyi was not only proficient in astronomy and mathematics, and not only able to write poetry and prose. Even now, my grandfather still praises his eighteen strategies for current affairs submitted to the throne in his early years. If it weren’t for the Earl of Chengyi’s advice, my grandfather’s pacification of Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang and his northern expedition to the Central Plains would probably have been fraught with difficulties.”

Liu Zhi was not embarrassed and said frankly, "I am foolish and have tarnished the reputation of my ancestors."

Liu Zhi had no choice; after all, his grandfather was Liu Bowen, who was not only very famous but also indeed talented in literature and military affairs. However, Liu Bowen had never been favored by Zhu Yuanzhang because he was too deeply involved with the civil official group in eastern Zhejiang.

Therefore, Liu Zhi now enjoys reading and writing. He is one of Emperor Ying Shi's most trusted uncles, simply because his wife is Princess Anqing, Zhu Yunying's aunt, and that is enough.

Although not as gifted as his grandfather Liu Bowen, Liu Zhi was not stupid; he knew how to protect himself. His status was already special enough, so it was best for him to avoid causing any trouble and simply enjoy his wealth and peace.

Zhu Yunying really had no way to deal with this "uncle-in-law". It wasn't that he hadn't given him some opportunities, but this uncle-in-law was just someone who devoted himself to literature, had a wide circle of friends, and enjoyed indulging in the pleasures of nature.

What's even more problematic is Zhu Yunying's aunt, who seems to really enjoy this kind of life and shows no desire for her husband to be 'successful' at all.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!