"Alright, let's go to your great-grandfather's place." Zhu Yunying patted Little Zhu's head and said, "Let's see what your great-grandfather has to say. He'll probably want to analyze things with you."

Little Zhu grabbed his memorial and said, "Then let's go to the Qianqing Palace, Father. We won't go back to the East Palace today. We'll go back tomorrow and ask Mother to give us some robes."

Zhu Yunying nodded with a smile. Little Zhu clearly spent more time in the Qianqing Palace than in the East Palace, so there was no need to be alarmed that he didn't return. Just like when Zhu Yunying was a child, he basically lived in the Kunning Palace and didn't return to the East Palace either.

These things are nothing to worry about. You just get used to them and there's no need to make a fuss about them.

The Minister of Works and the Crown Prince both took the initiative to request an audience with the Emperor because of their own affairs, and there must have been many more people who wanted to see him. However, those people obviously didn't receive such treatment. The Emperor, who was extremely busy with state affairs, simply didn't have the time or energy to meet with so many people; he was far too busy to manage it all.

Zhu Yunying continued reviewing memorials, busy until he felt he had resolved some important matters, at which point he prepared to rest.

I used to think that Zhu Yunying was a real iron man, but after becoming emperor, he did feel that there wasn't enough time.

The emperor had to handle everything, big and small—a benefit of highly centralized power. However, there were times when the emperor did feel extremely pressed for time, and there were indeed things he couldn't manage.

Zhu Yunying once again considered establishing a cabinet system, realizing he really needed to get it in place ahead of schedule. Under his leadership, the cabinet's power would be quite limited, relegated to a subordinate role.

As for whether the cabinet's power would further expand in the future, or develop into the terrifying level seen in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunying felt he probably couldn't worry about that now. Perhaps it was necessary to impose some restrictions on the cabinet, which was also appropriate.

That's not right. The reason why the cabinet was so powerful in history was largely because the emperor had wiped out the elite of the Ming Dynasty's noble class in one fell swoop, which naturally led to the civil official group's power rapidly and overwhelmingly surpassing that of the military.

Such things are too unpredictable, so we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

While the cabinet may indeed have the potential to limit imperial power, its existence also had significant positive aspects. For example, the Jiajing Emperor historically did not attend court sessions, yet this did not affect the operation of the Ming Dynasty in the slightest.

This is not just because Jiajing was skilled in political maneuvering; it was also because the cabinet supported the operation of the empire.

The cabinet is indeed necessary. Zhu Yunying had been considering this matter for a long time, but he had not made up his mind. He had been working hard to improve the cabinet system.

Looking back now, these things could indeed be considered. Zhu Yunying did indeed accomplish a great deal. He has now smoothly taken over the throne from Zhu Yuanzhang, and not only has the administration been streamlined, but the court is also largely subservient to him.

Under such circumstances, if Zhu Yunying were to do something, there would be basically no major problems, and it would be almost certain that he would succeed.

This wasn't about being lazy. Zhu Yunying didn't necessarily want to make things easier for himself by creating the cabinet. He didn't think that the cabinet would allow him to take a break from his busy schedule or simply ignore court for ten or twenty years.

The establishment of the cabinet was also driven by stability concerns. A highly centralized imperial power certainly has its advantages; it eliminates the need to worry about constant verbal disputes and legal battles.

However, the highly centralized imperial power also meant that the Ming Dynasty, like a warship, needed a reliable helmsman. If the emperor were unreliable, the once-thriving Ming Dynasty could very well have taken a sharp downturn, and such a thing was not impossible.

At this point, Zhu Yunying needed the cabinet to limit imperial power. This wasn't to create trouble for himself, but rather to ensure stability and allow the Ming Dynasty to move forward more smoothly.

As Zhu Yunying pondered these matters, he slowly returned to Chunhe Palace and couldn't help but smile.

Chubby Zhu Wenkun was wearing quite a lot. The little fat boy was already round and chubby, and with all the clothes on, he looked even fatter. Lying on the tatami mat, Zhu Yunying wondered if Zhu Wenkun's head could even touch it.

But Zhu Wenkun didn't care. He kept moving, kicking his legs and stretching his little hands. He didn't need anyone to coax him. He just raised his little hands, seemingly observing his chubby little paws, and even babbled. He was enjoying himself.

Seeing his adorable chubby son, Joo Yoon-young was instantly overwhelmed with fatherly love. Regardless of whether the little guy was entertaining himself, he ran over and hugged him, which was obviously even more fun.

Zhu Wenkun was no pushover either. The little guy, with his fierce yet adorable eyes, stared at Zhu Yunying and cautiously reached out to try and push him away. There was no way around it; the child recognized people, and was still relatively unfamiliar with Zhu Yunying as his father.

It seemed like it took a while to react, but it's also possible that Joo Yoon-young's constant funny faces won the little guy's approval, which is why he laughed in his childish voice.

The laughter of children is obviously the most healing. Holding this heavy little chubby boy, Zhu Yunying felt all her fatigue disappear.

Xu Miaoqing sat to one side, continuing to sew clothes; her needlework was quite good.

"Yin'er actually submitted a memorial to us quite well today, which is commendable." Zhu Yunying bit Zhu Wenkun's pink cheek and then said, "He's better than me. When I was his age, I would go directly to my grandfather if I had something to do, instead of submitting a memorial. He's more disciplined than me."

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