The imperial court was thrown into turmoil. Some heavyweight information left many people feeling overwhelmed and unable to keep up. There were so many things happening at once that it was hard to keep up with them.

For example, the Crown Prince's appearance in court is a strong signal. However, considering the Emperor's age and health, there's actually no need to pay too much attention to this matter, nor is it necessary to consider the Crown Prince's future too much.

However, the Crown Prince had some understanding of court politics, and His Highness would actively express his opinions, which even the Emperor would consider. This made him stand out. This greatly excited the nobles of the Xu faction; this was their greatest backer.

In addition to these, the fact that the ruler of Zhongshan Kingdom visited the Ming court is also noteworthy. The Ming Dynasty had officially established tributary relationships with foreign countries, and was no longer just a figurehead.

This matter must be taken seriously, and it is considered by many scholars and writers to be a magnificent achievement, a manifestation of all nations paying tribute.

However, for all the civil and military officials, the most exciting and concerning thing right now is actually the Four Grand Secretaries that His Majesty mentioned. This is something that everyone can't ignore.

Although His Majesty has not yet made a decision, and this policy has not yet been implemented, many people can sense from His Majesty's words that these Grand Secretaries certainly wield immense power.

Although it was called a consultative body and had no official office, these people were able to see the memorials submitted to His Majesty, which was an extraordinary thing. This is what some people consider to be an alternative form of the Secretariat.

His Majesty's willingness to relinquish power is something everyone has to take seriously. Moreover, the abolition of the Secretariat and the complete removal of the Chancellor are things many people are still not used to, as the position of Chancellor has existed for a thousand years and many people still have preconceived notions about it.

Now that we have the opportunity to see the prime minister again, many people feel that this is the normal officialdom and the normal distribution of power.

After all, the Ming Dynasty had abolished the prime minister system less than twenty years ago, and many people still had some nostalgia for the prime minister and felt that the prime minister could limit the power of the emperor.

Both the Hongwu Emperor and the Ying Shi Emperor wielded immense power, a fact widely acknowledged and a source of considerable apprehension among many civil and military officials, making it increasingly difficult to become an official in the Ming Dynasty.

Now, perhaps we've seen some opportunities again, and maybe we really can have a prime minister again. Even if there isn't a prime minister, someone similar to one doesn't matter, as long as they can limit imperial power and improve the working conditions of officials.

Moreover, in the eyes of many civil officials, limiting imperial power was not necessarily the most important thing. The main reason was that it could also accelerate the rise of the civil official group's status, so that they would not be suppressed by military merit all the time.

Military officers have also begun to have their own ideas. The rise in the status of the civil service in recent years is something that is obvious to all, and many military officers are wary and worried about it.

Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Literary Excellence absolutely cannot be merely civil officials; it would be inappropriate to describe them as simply dabbling in literature. These military elite groups are well aware of this. Even now, there are quite a few scholars within these groups, whether they are merely dabbling in culture or wish to pass down their literary traditions through generations. Indeed, there are scholars among them.

These scholars also understood that they were no match for those who had studied diligently for years, especially those outstanding individuals who could enter the imperial court through the imperial examinations—they were the true seeds of scholarship.

In his early years, Xu Da, the former Prince of Zhongshan, served as the Right Chancellor of the Central Secretariat. Although not as prestigious as the Left Chancellor, Xu Da was indeed the Right Chancellor. Especially when Emperor Zhu ordered the abolition of the Central Secretariat and the position of Chancellor, Xu Da was able to retire unscathed.

What does this show? It shows that the Chancellor and the Secretariat were definitely not the core of the civil service. Regardless of Emperor Hongwu's motives for appointing Xu Da as Right Chancellor, the fact that Xu Da was Right Chancellor is unprecedented; this is a true example of a general becoming a chancellor.

Now that there is a precedent, it is natural to consider the interests of the military merit group. We cannot allow the civil official group to be transferred to the military merit group all at once.

Zhu Yunying had many matters to attend to. After court, he reviewed some memorials and dealt with some important issues, but this did not mean that everything was resolved.

Holding a memorial in his hand, Zhu Yunying carefully studied it, then stood up and asked, "How is the Empress doing?"

Wang Chengen immediately replied, "Your Majesty, all the women of the imperial clan and noblewomen have come to court to pay their respects. Among the imperial clan, two princesses and one princess consort have not yet come to the palace to pay their respects; they have all submitted memorials apologizing for their sins."

Zhu Yunying glanced at them and said, "We're all members of the imperial family, we're all connected by blood. You need the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to treat you, do you think we need to teach you these things?"

Wang Chengen understood perfectly, but there were some things he couldn't and dared not make decisions on his own. Only His Majesty the Emperor could personally issue decrees on these matters; if anyone else did so, it might be considered sowing discord among the imperial family.

It wasn't that Zhu Yunying was petty, but rather that many things required caution. If there were members of the imperial clan who disrespected the emperor and empress, that was certainly intolerable, and such matters would have to be dealt with severely and subject to the most rigorous supervision and investigation.

Wang Chengen continued, “Your Majesty, all the noblewomen have entered the palace. Her Majesty the Empress previously decreed that all noblewomen should bring their eldest daughters of marriageable age to the palace.”

Zhu Yunying shook his head and said with a smile, "It seems that our Empress is busy playing matchmaker with our Imperial Aunt and Imperial Sister. I don't know why, but everyone seems to enjoy these kinds of things."

These matters were indeed Xu Miaoqing's job, one of the Empress's duties, and these things could not be taken lightly. Marrying someone of equal social standing was a consensus in that era, not to mention the many political factors involved in such marriages.

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