In other words, Zhu Yuanzhang's great-grandchildren were even more prestigious than the first-rank civil and military officials. When princes, dukes, and marquises met Zhu Yuanzhang's cousins, they had to treat them as equals, and their status was even slightly lower.

The rank of a Grand Secretary in the Hall of Literary Brilliance is indeed not high, only a fifth-rank official. In terms of local officials, it would be equivalent to a sub-prefect or a commander of a thousand households. It's not really a high-ranking and powerful position, but it does have some real power.

We've all seen plenty of nobles, members of the imperial family, or relatives of the empress who have no real power; they're all just for show. Many officials only show them some respect on the surface.

As for what Ru Chang said, everyone can understand it. When Emperor Hongwu abolished the Secretariat and the position of Chancellor, he clearly stipulated that the Ming Dynasty was no longer allowed to have a Chancellor. This can be said to be an ancestral system.

Even if the current Emperor Ying Shi holds great power, he cannot easily violate such ancestral rules, otherwise it would not only be a great disrespect, but also a great act of filial impiety, which would not conform to the universal values ​​of this era.

Ru Chang said this partly to remind everyone, including the emperor. On the other hand, she naturally hoped that Emperor Ying Shi could persuade Emperor Hongwu to take the lead in promoting the establishment of the cabinet.

After all, some of the rules set by Zhu De were actually only valid to be overturned by Zhu De himself, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Zhu Yunying glanced at Ru Chang, feeling that Ru Chang was also trying to sow discord between him and the civil service. Ru Chang was also trying to secure enough benefits for the civil service system so that it would be perfectly legitimate.

Zhu Yunying wanted the cabinet to be illegitimate, to be deliberately difficult. But Ru Chang, whether out of good intentions or with ulterior motives, was practically forcing Zhu Yunying to make a decision. A brief silence fell over the Fengtian Hall.

While Zhu Yunying remained silent, the little Zhu, whose eyes were darting around, stepped forward again, "Your Majesty, I believe that Minister Ru's words are reasonable."

At this point, Zhu Yunying became utterly blunt, shouting angrily, "You think I'm being unreasonable? Are you implying that I haven't considered things thoroughly? I've been on the throne for four years, and all matters, big and small, still require the Emperor Emeritus's decision?"

Little Zhu Mali knelt down, seemingly frightened, "Your subject dares not!"

The Crown Prince had already knelt down to beg for forgiveness. Faced with Emperor Ying Shi's wrath, all the civil and military officials could no longer stand and also knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Even if many people don't feel guilty, they still need to kneel down at such a moment. This is a matter of attitude, a matter of stance, and those who can stand in the court still know their limits.

Zhu Yunying, still seemingly enraged, pointed at the young Zhu and said, "When you accompanied the Emperor Emeritus to court before, you didn't know how to be careful with your words and actions. Now, you're still the same! You show no improvement whatsoever, so step down!"

Little Zhu immediately kowtowed obediently, his attitude very upright, "Your subject knows his crime, Your subject takes his leave!"

The lowly official slowly left the Fengtian Hall under the watchful eyes of the entire court. He had originally planned to attend the main court session in formal court attire. But alas, he was driven away before the court session had even begun.

Zhu Yunying couldn't help but chuckle inwardly; little Zhu really was a tool. Bringing him to court had been an unexpected bonus; when awkward situations arose, a simple scolding of little Zhu would suffice, easily resolving some issues.

If it weren't for Zhu Yunying's intervention to defuse the awkward situation, Zhu Yunying would have been in an embarrassing position, and might have even resorted to an angry outburst and leaving the court.

As for scolding Little Zhu, that's not a problem at all. There's no need to worry about damaging Little Zhu's dignity or affecting his prestige. Zhu Yunying is very clear about this.

It's true that they're scolding Little Zhu now, but on the other hand, Little Zhu is now able to express his opinions on court affairs, which is actually a remarkable achievement.

Although he was reprimanded, considering Little Zhu's age, it was really nothing. Soon everyone would forget that Little Zhu had been reprimanded and would only know that His Highness the Crown Prince had begun to participate in court affairs, even if it was just some minor matters.

This is truly remarkable. Back when Zhu Yunying was this age, he basically didn't participate in court affairs. At most, there were some rumors, such as people knowing that Zhu Yunying was favored and that His Highness the Crown Prince was privately referred to as 'Crown Prince' by Emperor Hongwu and others.

The situation is different now. Little Zhu has 'entered the inner circle' and is gaining more and more influence in the court.

It wasn't just Little Zhu who understood these things; in fact, Little Zhu understood them all. Although they had been driven out of the Fengtian Hall and it was still dark outside, fortunately, the imperial city was brightly lit.

Looking around, Little Zhu asked, "Didn't Dad send someone to take us home?"

A middle-aged eunuch following Little Zhu said obsequiously, "Your Highness, His Majesty is still in the morning court session and has not given any instructions, so this servant dares not ask any further questions."

Little Zhu sighed like a little adult and said, "We can't go to Mother's place. If we go, she'll definitely ask questions and might worry. Wenkun is still sleeping, and he might wake up if we go there. Let's go to the Qianqing Palace and find Great-Grandfather."

Even though the Crown Prince was expelled from the Fengtian Hall, he was still His Highness the Crown Prince, and still the object of many palace maids and eunuchs' desire to curry favor. The Crown Prince's status remained supreme.

A group of eunuchs and maids carrying lanterns followed Little Zhu. They were all very cautious. They didn't know anything about double yellow or anything like that. They only knew that the Crown Prince had been reprimanded by the Emperor, so they were naturally worried that His Highness was in a bad mood.

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