Upon seeing Chang Mao, Zhu Yunying immediately said, "Elder brother, bring a chair for your uncle."

Chang Mao didn't stand on ceremony, mainly because he knew that formalities wouldn't be very useful, so it was more appropriate to express his gratitude directly.

After Chang Mao took his seat, Zhu Yunying didn't stand on ceremony and asked, "Uncle, what are your thoughts on matters of state?"

Chang Mao paused for a moment, somewhat uncertain, "Your Majesty, is it about the King of Zhongshan, or about the Grand Secretary of the Hall?"

Zhu Yunying was not surprised by Chang Mao's attitude. "Naturally, he was referring to the matter of the Grand Secretary. Does the King of Zhongshan really need to trouble his uncle? He's already entered the court; the Ministry of Rites will handle the etiquette. If there really is a war, would his uncle be willing to go?"

Chang Mao was not embarrassed and said frankly, "Your Majesty, if there is a war, I am willing to die for you. However, my abilities are limited and I am afraid that I will hinder Your Majesty's important plans."

This was quite frank, but Chang Mao's frankness left Zhu Yunying speechless. Faced with Chang Mao's undisguised laziness, Zhu Yunying was choked and didn't know what to say.

However, considering Chang Mao's personality and abilities, Zhu Yunying didn't think Chang Mao was just slacking off. This was absolutely the truth from Chang Mao. If Chang Mao were to be put in charge of important matters, then Zhu Yunying would really be asking for trouble. Chang Mao might be able to handle small matters well, but it would be better not to use him for important military and national affairs.

Trust and ability are actually two different things, and Zhu Yunying is increasingly aware of this.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunying's words, Chang Mao hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I do wish to submit a memorial. I fear that the position of Grand Secretary might displease the Emperor Emeritus. I have discussed this with others and feel that it is inappropriate for Grand Secretaries to participate in political affairs. Your Majesty currently holds great power, but it is hard to guarantee that the position of Grand Secretary might become the Secretariat in the future."

It seems that Chang Mao has made some preparations. Many people can actually see that this Grand Secretary of the Hall of Fame really has a chance to become the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and it can even be said that there is a chance to create another kind of prime minister.

Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded. Of course he knew what a Grand Secretary of the Hall of Fame meant, and he also knew that the cabinet had grown stronger throughout history, even suppressing the six ministers and military officials.

The so-called Grand Secretary was actually not much different from the Prime Minister; these were some of the historical trends that Zhu Yunying knew.

Even knowing these things, Joo Yoon-young knew that he couldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Some things still needed to be done, and he couldn't just see the bad side and ignore the good side.

Looking at Zhu Yunying's expression, Chang Mao said in a low voice, "Today in court, Minister Ru and others made reasonable points. If the Emperor Emeritus does not approve this matter, His Majesty will likely suffer some criticism, and many things will become difficult to do."

Zhu Yunying looked at Chang Mao and said with a half-smile, "Grandfather naturally knows about this matter, and we shouldn't make such a big decision on our own."

Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Chang Mao breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the Emperor Emeritus knew about this matter; since the Emperor Emeritus knew, it naturally meant that the Emperor Emeritus would not object or offend the current emperor.

Chang Mao's biggest worry was that Emperor Ying Shi would make decisions on his own. What if Emperor Ying Shi held a meeting of Grand Secretaries to discuss politics one moment and then Emperor Hongwu issued an edict to depose him the next?

If these things were to actually happen, Chang Mao believed that Emperor Yingshi would have no choice but to acquiesce, and the court officials would not say much. After all, Emperor Hongwu was the founding emperor, and even though Emperor Yingshi's prestige was currently high, he could not be compared to Emperor Hongwu.

If those things were to happen, it would be a great blow to Emperor Ying Shi's imperial authority.

Seeing Chang Mao's cautious demeanor, Zhu Yunying couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed everyone was in the same boat; serving one emperor was difficult enough, let alone two. Moreover, both emperors were domineering and had very strong opinions.

Chang Mao was being cautious at this moment, naturally because he was worried about offending Emperor Ying Shi. Even though he knew that Emperor Hongwu doted on Zhu Yunying, it was still difficult for an emperor to make decisions on his own and to have the approval of the retired emperor on many matters.

Furthermore, while the ministers cared about Emperor Yingshi's attitude, they cared even more about the opinion of the retired emperor. This made the situation even more difficult to accept, especially for a brilliant and ambitious emperor like himself.

Zhu Yunying didn't find it hard to accept, mainly because there were some things he knew that others didn't.

It's perfectly normal to overthink things when you're unsure, and some of your worries are understandable.

Seeing Chang Mao's expression, Zhu Yunying said, "Grandfather knows about this, but he doesn't intend to say anything. As for Uncle, don't tell anyone else either, and don't let anyone else know that Grandfather knows about this."

Chang Mao was instantly dumbfounded. What did all these layers mean?

Seeing that Chang Mao still seemed a bit confused, Zhu Yunying didn't mince words. "Grandfather knows we're planning to establish a Grand Secretariat for political consultation. He doesn't like it, but he doesn't intend to abolish it either. Does Uncle understand now?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Chang Mao tried carefully to sort out his thoughts. He seemed to understand some of the reasons behind it, and it seemed that there were some strange and unusual things going on here.

Chang Mao seemed to be slowly understanding something, and tentatively asked, "Does Your Majesty mean that the Emperor Emeritus knows about this, but is just pretending not to know?"

Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded. There was no need to hide these things from Chang Mao. "It's good that Uncle knows about these things. If others find out, it will definitely cause trouble. We'd rather avoid trouble."

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