It wasn't particularly surprising for the Crown Prince to appear in court; it was quite common. The Crown Prince's position in the Ming Dynasty was secure, and many civil and military officials were well aware of this. The idea of ​​seeking favor with a promising prince was practically nonexistent in the Ming Dynasty.

Everything was governed by rules, or rather, by established patterns. The primogeniture system was clearly implemented with unwavering resolve in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunying, with a majestic and imposing gait, walked up the steps and sat down. At this moment, all the civil and military officials performed the ritual of bowing and kowtowing three times, marking the beginning of the ceremony.

Zhu Yunying spoke directly, saying, "Crown Prince, since you have come to court, stand before the imperial steps."

Little Zhu, with a stern face, bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor."

After saying this, young Zhu ascended the steps of the imperial palace, a sight the civil and military officials were accustomed to. During the reign of the Hongwu Emperor, the then-Prince Zhu frequently stood on these steps. The term "Your Majesty" could also be used to address the Crown Prince in the Ming Dynasty, as the Crown Prince often stood on the imperial steps; the Zhu family's etiquette was different.

Little Zhu turned to face the civil and military officials and asked directly, "Is there any official from the Court of State Ceremonial who has entered or left the capital?"

This was also a rule of the Ming Dynasty, a rule of the morning court. The emperor's court sessions were not only for discussing state affairs, but also included receiving officials who had left the capital. Officials leaving the capital needed to request imperial favor, and the same applied when they returned; they needed to express their gratitude.

If the emperor chose to summon them, these people would need to enter the palace to pay their respects. If the emperor refused to see them, they would perform the ritual of five bows and three kowtows from a distance, either in the courtyard or outside the Meridian Gate, and then they could go about their business.

The officials of the Court of State Ceremonial were somewhat troubled, as these matters all required reporting. It seemed the Crown Prince hadn't communicated with the Emperor, because the Emperor had decided yesterday not to receive officials arriving in or leaving the capital. Presumably, those officials weren't of high enough rank, and naturally, the Emperor couldn't receive everyone.

After the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial reported the news, Little Zhu asked again, "Have any foreign envoys entered the capital?"

At this point, the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial became serious. "Your Majesty, King Chadu of the Ryukyu Kingdom of Chunzan died in the 28th year of the Hongwu reign. His son, Wuning, succeeded him, but no envoy has been sent to announce his death."

Zhu Yunying's expression darkened, and he said, "Ryukyu, the wolves of Zhongshan!"

At this point, people no longer cared about the story of "the wolf of Zhongshan". In fact, many people felt that the ruler of Zhongshan was exactly as described by Emperor Ying Shi. He was an ungrateful wretch who needed to be taught a lesson.

The reason for this is that the present-day Ryukyu Kingdom has a history, with records dating back to the Song Dynasty. After the reign of Emperor Eizu of Ryukyu, it split into three kingdoms: Southern Ryukyu, Central Ryukyu, and Northern Ryukyu. There were also some other tribes and minor chieftains.

In fact, in the early years of the Hongwu reign, King Chadu of the Ryukyu Kingdom of Chuzan sent his brother Taiki and others to the Ming court with the envoy Yang Zai, offering tribute. Subsequently, King Paniji of Hokuzan and King Cheng Chadu of Nanzan also paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty. From then on, the three kingdoms of Hokuzan, Chuzan, and Nanzan began to pay tribute to the Ming government, using the Ming Dynasty's reign title, and becoming vassal states of the Ming Dynasty.

More than ten years ago, the King of Shannan and the King of Zhongshan joined forces to fight against the King of Shanbei. They attacked each other. Emperor Taizu ordered Liang Min, the Inner Palace Supervisor, to issue an edict ordering the three sides to "cease hostilities and allow the people to rest." The three kings obeyed the order and jointly sent envoys to the court to offer tribute.

Even ten years ago, in order to acquire the technology to build large ships and protect envoy vessels from sea damage, Ryukyu also received shipbuilding and navigation skills from thirty-six families in Fujian sent by the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunying seems to be somewhat dissatisfied, and there appear to be some reasons for this; the Ming Dynasty is taking this matter very seriously.

At this moment, Little Zhu became serious and turned to face Zhu Yunying, "Your Majesty, the Ryukyu Kingdom of Chuzan was originally a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty. Now that its ruler has passed away and his son has succeeded him, how dare we not report this to the Ming Dynasty? Your Majesty, I believe that we should send an envoy to reprimand Wu Ning and order him to come to the court to apologize!"

As soon as Xiao Zhu finished speaking, it immediately sparked whispers among the civil and military officials, many of whom felt that the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty was truly angry.

To be honest, it's quite unreasonable that Chadu hasn't sent an envoy to the capital yet. Whether it's Chadu's death or Wu Ning's ascension to the throne, both require reporting to the Ming Dynasty. Even Wu Ning's ascension requires official recognition from the Ming.

Sending envoys to reprimand is perfectly normal, and this is the attitude that the Ming Dynasty, as the suzerain state, should have. The Ming Dynasty has every reason to be angry about Wu Ning's actions, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

However, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty directly demanded that Wu Ning, the ruler of the Zhongshan Kingdom, personally go to the Ming court to apologize, which seemed extremely severe. Normally, this would mean sending an envoy to the capital to apologize, which is a relatively familiar procedure.

The Ming Dynasty's crown prince acted unpredictably, perhaps because he was young, which led to slightly harsher measures being taken.

Zhu Yunying nodded slightly, indicating his approval. "The Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial shall issue an edict ordering Wu Ning to come to the capital to plead guilty before he can be granted investiture by the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yunying has essentially set the tone for this matter. The ruler of Zhongshan had not sent any envoys to the capital even five years after the death of his predecessor. The Ming Dynasty could not allow this to happen, as it was contrary to reason and law.

Zhu Yunying felt that such a decision was justified. The Ming Dynasty now possessed such strength, and since it had become a vassal state of the Ming, it naturally needed to accept some of the Ming's rules; it couldn't act arbitrarily in everything.

The Ming Dynasty would protect the Ryukyu Kingdom of Chuzan and provide them with some technical and trade support. However, since they had chosen to receive some benefits from the Ming Dynasty, they naturally needed to fulfill their duties as vassal states. The Ming Dynasty was not one to be merciful and lenient; that was impossible.

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