On Zhongshan Mountain, little Zhu rode on horseback. This was no longer the small pony he loved to ride as a child; it was a tall, magnificent horse, a Hequ horse. This is an ancient breed of horse, historically known as the Tuyuhun horse.

During the Western Han Dynasty, they were raising horses and importing fine horses from countries such as Wusun and Dayuan to improve local horse breeds.

During the Mongol period, horses were also raised in large numbers here, and the Hequ horse was one of the main sources of warhorses for the Ming Dynasty.

“Uncle, you should be the vanguard!” Little Zhu said to Lan Yuening, “Duke Liang is a pillar of the state and a great general. You must not disgrace the family name!”

Lan Yuening, the 'grandson' that Lan Yu adopted from Zhu Chun, the Prince of Shu, was now his grandson, a fact that filled Lan Yu with immense pride. Although he only had one daughter, so what? His grandson also carried the blood of the Lan family, ensuring the continuation of Lan Yu's lineage.

As for Lan Yuening, her name was changed twice. Not only did her surname change, but Old Zhu was also not very happy with the name that Zhu Yunying helped her choose at first.

The surname comes from the Lan family, the character Yue is the character of the Shu King's lineage, and Ning is the character bestowed by Emperor Zhu.

Despite her grandfather being Lan Yu, the most arrogant Duke in the Ming Dynasty, Lan Yuening grew up under the strict discipline of her great-aunt, Lady Chang Lan, and was well-behaved along with Chang Qi and others. Although she was somewhat arrogant, she was still quite sensible.

Chang Yuening turned around, clasped her hands in a fist salute to Xiao Xiao Zhu, and said, "Your Highness, I request to be the vanguard!"

Little Zhu was delighted and said to Zhu Wengeng beside him, "Wengen, you will be the deputy general and serve as the vanguard alongside the heir of the Duke of Liang."

Hearing what Xiao Zhu said, both Zhu Wengeng and Chang Yuening were clearly unhappy. This arrangement was really bad, and it seemed that no one was truly pleased.

Zhu Wengeng muttered to himself, "Your Majesty, I may not be able to be the vanguard, but if we manage to catch a deer, I'll certainly be able to eat it!"

Chang Yuening, who was quite familiar with Zhu Wengeng, was speechless about his cousin. He knew that his cousin was good at eating, drinking and having fun, and that he and his cousins ​​Chang Qi and Chang Lin spent their days surrounded by women and only knew how to have fun.

Little Zhu's face hardened, and she was very displeased. "What's wrong? You dare disobey my decree?"

Zhu Wengeng immediately dismounted and scrambled down, saying, "Your subject wouldn't dare!"

Like his father, Zhu Wengeng was adept at eating, drinking, and having fun, but he was also quite clever. They all knew that young Zhu, even the old Zhu, were the same; they often used informal terms like "zàn" and "wǔ" without the dignity of an emperor. But when they became serious, they would use "zhèng" and "gu".

Just as Chang Yuening was leaving with Zhu Wengeng and a dozen or so guards, Shuangquan jogged over and said, "Your Highness, the Princess has summoned the guards Li Xian, Li Rui, and Li Xu."

Little Zhu immediately perked up and asked gossipily, "What's going on? The Imperial Aunt just betrothed the eldest daughter of the Duke of Cao, and now she's going to arrange marriages for all three of the Duke of Cao's sons?"

Shuangquan said with a bitter face, "Your Highness, the heir of the Duke of Cao, Li Xian, is already married. This time, I'm afraid only Li Xu will be there."

Little Zhu immediately laughed and said, "Then we can't let the Imperial Aunt make the decision. The Duke of Cao is from the same clan, and we remember that the Duke of Cao's eldest daughter was also betrothed to our second uncle's family. Now she is the Princess of Qin. That won't do. The Imperial Aunt can only look at Li Xu. We have to make the decision on this marriage!"

Shuangquan naturally took note of these things. In reality, he understood that the Princess was merely conducting an evaluation and wouldn't actually arrange a marriage. Even if it wasn't His Majesty the Emperor who made the decision, it should have been the Empress who arranged the marriage; the Princess didn't have that authority.

The happy young Zhu was leading the imperial family and nobles on an outing, which looked like a scene of peace and prosperity.

As for what's happening in Goryeo, it's of no concern to these nobles of the Ming Dynasty. They only need to enjoy their current glory and focus on growing stronger.

Goryeo is really not worth paying much attention to. Perhaps in many people's eyes, Goryeo was just an opportunity to make a name for themselves. It's just a pity that their fathers and brothers all went to make a name for themselves, so Goryeo is definitely not a place for them to make a name for themselves in the future. They may have to consider other places.

Meanwhile, in the palace, Zhu Yunying massaged his grandfather's shoulders and said, "Grandfather, I'm planning to set up a cabinet."

Old Zhu squinted and casually asked, "The cabinet? What is the cabinet?"

Zhu Yunying explained, "It's for us to consult on policy. We plan to place three to seven people in it. Your Majesty also understands that back then there was the Secretariat, and there were left and right prime ministers. Your Majesty abolished the Secretariat and the prime ministers, and divided the power of the Secretariat among the Six Ministries."

This was something that Zhu Yuanzhang was quite proud of. The power of the prime minister had always been a powerful tool to restrain imperial power. Abolishing the prime minister meant a more centralized system of power, and the emperor's power was clearly even more supreme.

Zhu Yunying continued, "In his earlier years, my grandfather also established four Grand Secretaries: the Hall of Literary Glory, the Hall of Martial Valor, the Pavilion of Literary Profundity, and the Eastern Pavilion. He also established the Hall of Literary Glory as a Grand Secretary to tutor the Crown Prince. Our idea is to give these Grand Secretaries some things to do."

The title of Grand Secretary actually existed in the Tang Dynasty. The Grand Secretary was a senior secretary who assisted the emperor in drafting edicts and reviewing memorials. Their authority was roughly equivalent to that of the Secretariat Drafter in the Tang Dynasty.

Even the workaholic Emperor Zhu had to establish the position of Grand Secretary to advise the emperor because the workload was so enormous.

At this moment, Zhu Yunying said, "We plan to let the Grand Secretaries participate in state affairs. In the past, the Prime Minister could make decisions. But we certainly won't give them that power. The Grand Secretaries can discuss politics, and the Six Ministries can exercise their powers. The Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries will each perform their duties, which will make things easier for us."

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