Old Zhu continued, "Let's teach Yin'er properly these next few days. Although Yin'er is playful, he's not without limits."

Zhu Yunying naturally agreed with Old Zhu's assessment; Little Zhu did indeed have a playful side. However, in many matters, Little Zhu was also very obedient, and he was actually quite sensible in many things. He was a child with a touch of introspection.

Old Zhu was in a good mood and continued to discuss the matter of feigning illness with Zhu Yunying, something Old Zhu had experience with.

Even in his prime, the Iron Man Zhu Yuanzhang would occasionally fall ill. When he was sick, many people would become anxious and naturally gravitate towards him. When the Hongwu Emperor was unwell, it was naturally the Crown Prince who would rule as regent or oversee the country.

This wasn't just a phenomenon during the reign of the first Zhu (Emperor Hongwu). After Zhu Yunying became the Crown Prince, and especially after the death of the first Zhu, the old Zhu (Emperor Hongwu) also developed a habit of falling ill. This led to a sense of numbness among some officials; the Hongwu Emperor could fall ill whenever he wanted, entirely according to his own will.

Now Zhu Yunying needs to inherit this fine tradition, although Zhu Yunying is still young and the young Zhu is still very young. In reality, there is no need to rush to cultivate the young Zhu's faction in the court, but in order to increase the young Zhu's prestige, these things can be done.

The cabinet is, after all, a very sensitive matter, so having Little Zhu step in at this time isn't necessarily a bad thing.

It has to be said that Old Zhu's doting on Little Zhu is extraordinary; he considers many things for Little Zhu.

Even after the casual conversation, Old Zhu clearly wasn't completely relaxed. He must have had other concerns on this trip, not just about tree oil or the cabinet.

Old Zhu picked up a memorial and casually asked, "I remember saying a while ago that your eleventh uncle went to Goryeo and has already begun to govern the barbarian lands. Your seventeenth uncle has also been running around these days, just thinking about going to Goryeo to make a name for himself."

Zhu Chun has already gone to Goryeo and begun to participate in its governance. Governing newly conquered territory is no easy task, even though there are some officials brought from the Ming Dynasty there, it is far from enough.

As for Zhu Quan, he is indeed a bit anxious now. This prince, who loves military affairs, also knows that the war on the Goryeo side is coming to an end, and he is eager to go there now to wipe out the remaining enemies.

The most important thing is that now that it's over, I can rightfully receive a fiefdom and might become a ruler in the future, instead of just a wealthy prince as it seems in the Ming Dynasty.

"Seventeenth Uncle, it will be over in a few days." Looking at Old Zhu, Zhu Yunying emphasized, "Grandfather, you must tell Seventeenth Uncle that he likes martial arts and will have to prepare to lead troops into battle."

This was also what Zhu Yunying was worried about. Although the overall situation in Goryeo was settled, there were still forces loyal to the Wang family and the Yi family.

Or, to put it simply, the people of Goryeo didn't care whether it was the Wang or the Li family, as long as they weren't Han Chinese from the Ming Dynasty.

Old Zhu understood this principle and sighed, saying, "When this son grows up, he may not listen to his father. Now that he's gone to Korea, how can we control him? We'll see that kid will inevitably rebel himself."

Upon hearing what Zhu Yunying said, Zhu Yunying fell silent, essentially agreeing with Zhu Yunying's statement.

The emperor was far away, and although Zhu Quan was afraid of Zhu Yuanzhang when he was in the Ming Dynasty, once he went to Goryeo, he might have forgotten or disregarded some of Zhu Yuanzhang's instructions.

There are precedents for this. Zhu's other sons, not to mention in foreign lands like Goryeo, even within the Ming Dynasty, all wanted to let themselves go. Zhu had worried a lot about his sons who had been enfeoffed.

At this moment, Old Zhu also became serious and said, "Years ago, we found many reasons to get rid of some nobles. You are fighting wars all over the place, so you will inevitably have to bestow titles on some nobles as well. You should be aware of these things."

Zhu Yunying immediately understood his father's thoughts. After all, military merit was also paid a salary. In particular, some hereditary titles always received a salary from the court, which meant they shared the fate of the nation.

In his earlier years, at Zhu Yunying's urging, Zhu Yuanzhang had already reduced the privileges of the imperial clan. However, if there were military merits everywhere, Zhu Yuanzhang would certainly not be happy, and he was also worried that those military merits would become a burden on the court.

It wasn't just about salary; it was also because of the large number of military merits that this made them a powerful force that influenced the court.

It's often said that Emperor Zhu killed meritorious officials, and aside from some who were corrupt and lawless, there was also the underlying intention of Emperor Zhu to reduce the power of military officials and maintain a stable court. Restricting military officials was indeed necessary and had to be done.

Zhu Yunying looked at Old Zhu and said with a smile, "We know this in mind. Some people make new contributions and are granted titles and honors. Others either miss opportunities, suffer defeats, or are corrupt and lawless, so we can legitimately strip them of their titles."

Seeing Zhu Yunying nod, Zhu Yunying continued, "If we really want to find a charge, we don't think it's difficult. During the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han used the excuse that the gold for tribute was not pure enough to strip 106 people of their titles in one go. If it really comes to that, we can find some other reasons."

This isn't about discarding a useful tool after it's been used, but it's certainly the right thing to do; too many nobles might not be a good thing.

Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu understood and felt more at ease.

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