Old Zhu knew how to cultivate Little Zhu's prestige, and Zhu Yunying also had some plans in mind.

Over the years, the favoritism shown by the elder Zhu and the younger Zhu towards the younger Zhu has been evident to all, and this can be said to be the greatest source of the younger Zhu's prestige. However, this is not enough. Even though the younger Zhu was made crown prince at a young age and has the support of the Xu faction among the military officials, these are still not enough, as they are all 'external forces'.

Especially as Little Zhu grows older, it's natural that he needs to have some prestige. Zhu Yunying is aware of this, and it's one of the things he's currently focusing on—to increase Little Zhu's prestige.

When Zhu Yunying was a child, everyone knew of the favoritism shown to him by Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma, and everyone also knew that he received unwavering support from the Chang lineage after his birth. These factors naturally contributed to the stability of Zhu Yunying's position.

However, as Zhu Yunying's reputation for precociousness spread, and as he gained control of more and more of the navy and lifted the sea ban, his prestige continued to increase.

The discovery of silver mines in Japan, and his supervision of the construction of the new capital in Beiping, in particular, undoubtedly enhanced his prestige. Of course, there were also a series of other events involved.

External support is very important, but one's own skill level is equally crucial.

It's not just about making the civil and military officials feel the prestige of young Zhu, but also about making the imperial family members understand his status as the crown prince.

As for the matter of young Zhu disciplining the imperial family members, Zhu Yunying doesn't actually need to worry too much at the moment. Most of the matters are currently internal affairs of the Zhu family and are quite easy to control.

Simply put, this was a feudal era where the patriarch held absolute authority within the family. For example, with just a glance from Old Zhu, no one in the entire Zhu family dared to defy him. In such times, the saying "If the father commands the son to die, the son has no choice but to die" wasn't without reason.

Zhu Yunying may not care too much about the affairs of the young Zhu, but he needs to pay more attention to the important matters of the court. These are turbulent times, and Zhu Yunying is obviously not idle at all, as there are many things that need to be dealt with properly.

Although Zhu Yunying seemed to have resorted to a rogue tactic and temporarily resolved some troubles, it was only temporary. Zhu Yunying knew that in the coming period, many people would be preparing for a series of disputes surrounding the position of Minister of Revenue.

There is no doubt that Yu Xin is now in prison, but no one can guarantee how Zhu Yunying will deal with him.

In some people's eyes, Yu Xin may have made some mistakes, but not enough to warrant death. If he works hard, he might have a chance to be treated leniently. After all, he is a veteran official of the court, and he has done a good job as Minister of Revenue. He deserves preferential treatment from the court.

Others, however, clearly disagreed. They felt that Yu Xin's actions were entirely his own fault, as he had violated the laws of the court and put the emperor in a very unfavorable situation.

Under such circumstances, Yu Xin naturally needed to be punished most severely, with absolutely no leniency. Moreover, with Yu Xin downfall, there was an opportunity for a new Minister of Revenue to emerge, and many officials would have the chance to be promoted as a result.

This matter seems to have nothing to do with the military officials; it appears to be an internal power struggle within the civil service. However, many people also understand that the military officials certainly hope to have a Minister of Revenue who is closer to them, rather than a troublesome one.

In reality, for the military elite group, it would be best if all six ministers were representatives of the Huai-Xi noble clan. They absolutely must not be from the Zhejiang faction, as that would clearly not be in the military elite group's interest.

Back then, people like Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong had close ties with the noble families of Huaixi, but that's no longer the case.

The Minister of Personnel, Ru Chang, was from Huguang. The Minister of Rites, Chen Di, was from Ningguo Prefecture in Southern Zhili. The Minister of Justice, Bao Zhao, was from Luzhou in Shanxi. The Minister of Works, Yan Zhenzhi, was from Suzhou Prefecture in Southern Zhili. In fact, Yu Xin was a fellow townsman of both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu De, from Linhuai in Fengyang Prefecture.

The six ministers, in the true sense, were 'northerners' – that is, Bao Zhao.

The military clique disliked the Zhejiang faction, which, along with Liu Bowen and others, was one of the largest civil official groups at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. While the Zhejiang faction was no longer particularly powerful within the Ming Dynasty's civil official system, it still retained a significant number of key members.

In fact, Zhu Yunying was not too happy to see that all six ministers were from the south, and that it had taken six hundred years to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, even though the Ming Dynasty had been established for more than thirty years. However, Zhu Yunying also knew that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun did not necessarily mean that the people's hearts were with the country. This was one of the reasons why Zhu Yunying moved the capital to Beiping; the people's hearts could not be abandoned.

Over the years, Zhu Yunying had been trying to win over the hearts of the people in the north and had been promoting some northern officials. However, the literary style in the north was not as good as that in the south, and there were simply too many southern officials in the court.

Therefore, it would be best to appoint a Minister of Revenue from the North this time to balance the power of civil officials in the North and South. This is something Zhu Yunying should do.

Sure enough, when the morning court session resumed, a series of discussions immediately broke out in the court. Xia Yuanji seemed a little anxious. Yu Xin was his mentor. Although he was from Changsha Prefecture in Huguang and could be considered a fellow townsman of Ru Chang, Yu Xin had shown him great kindness.

Now that Yu Xin is in trouble, Xia Yuanji naturally wants to protect his mentor. Moreover, this whole affair was caused by his own bank, which makes Xia Yuanji even more anxious.

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