Whether Xiao Zhu is busy or not is a matter of opinion. However, it's certain that even if Xiao Zhu is doing something now, it's because Lao Zhu or Xiao Zhu have given him instructions; otherwise, he would be relatively free.

This means that, relatively speaking, as the crown prince, young Zhu certainly needs to study, and his academic pressure has always been quite high. He also needs to master a wide range of skills and knowledge. Therefore, compared to ordinary children, young Zhu is definitely not as 'carefree'.

However, this is quite normal. Although the academic pressure is great, Xiao Zhu doesn't need to worry about food, clothing, or future prospects. Even regarding family property, Xiao Zhu doesn't need to worry about her other brothers and sisters fighting over it.

One cannot have both fish and bear's paw. As the Crown Prince, young Zhu enjoys unparalleled glory, but he also bears considerable responsibility.

The same applies to Joo Yun-young; he made his own choices, so he had to bear the consequences himself.

Back then, he kept urging Zhu Yunying to abdicate. He ascended the supreme throne, and the fate of the nation fell on his shoulders. These were Zhu Yunying's choices, and also his responsibilities and obligations.

The matter of geographical discovery still needs to be accumulated slowly. Although Zhu Yunying also understands that if we want to make geographical discoveries, we must be prepared to risk human lives and many people will have to take great risks to try to venture into the ocean.

However, one should be prepared before taking risks, rather than recklessly risking human lives to do something that is simply impossible.

The Ming Dynasty's navy still needed to learn long-distance navigation and continue to conquer the oceans—this was beyond doubt. All of this was in preparation for the upcoming great geographical discoveries.

However, what Zhu Yunying needs to do now is to handle matters in the court. There are still many things that need to be dealt with.

The matter concerning the cabinet is now a major concern for many court officials, almost as important as the visit of the King of Zhongshan to the court in recent times, and absolutely cannot be neglected in any way.

In some people's eyes, the visit of the King of Zhongshan to the Ming Dynasty was merely the establishment of a tributary relationship. This concerned etiquette and the dignity of the court, which was naturally a momentous event. However, the Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Literary Brilliance were different; they influenced national policy.

These are the most fundamental issues; the Ryukyu Kingdom of Chungsan is utterly insignificant in this matter.

This depends on the perspectives of the civil and military officials. It's quite normal for them to have different judgments and understandings about these two matters.

When the morning court session resumed, the matters of great interest to many civil and military officials were the arrival of the King of Zhongshan and the arrival of the Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Fame.

Some officials, represented by Ru Chang, reiterated their old arguments. What they cared about was not just the duties and position of the Grand Secretary, but also whether such practices conformed to the ancestral system established by the Hongwu Emperor.

This matter was of utmost importance to Ru Chang and the others. It was all about rules and etiquette, concerning matters of legitimacy and rightful conduct. They believed it absolutely could not be treated lightly.

In fact, Ru Chang and others certainly supported the idea of ​​a Grand Secretary, because it could indeed limit imperial power to some extent and slightly elevate the status of the civil service, which would certainly be a good thing for them.

This matter wasn't actually difficult. Even before Emperor Yingshi ascended the throne, he had already persuaded Emperor Hongwu to change many rules. These things weren't difficult at all; all Emperor Hongwu had to do was issue an imperial edict, and all the problems would be solved. After all, Emperor Hongwu had only abdicated, not died.

Given Emperor Hongwu's doting affection for Emperor Yingshi, and Emperor Yingshi's abilities, it would have been an extremely simple matter for Emperor Hongwu to issue an imperial edict.

However, when Ru Chang and others brought up this matter, Emperor Ying Shi was definitely feigning ignorance. Emperor Hongwu would never issue such an imperial edict, and would never acknowledge the legitimacy of Grand Secretaries having the power to participate in politics.

It's not that Zhu Yunying acted on his own initiative without informing Emperor Zhu, but rather that Zhu Yunying and Emperor Zhu had decided from the beginning to make the title of Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory illegitimate and to continuously restrict the development of the cabinet.

Legitimacy? That's nonexistent. This is what Emperor Yingshi did behind Emperor Hongwu's back, and this is where Emperor Yingshi violated ancestral rules. Everyone just pretended not to know. Not to mention Zhu Yunying, even among his descendants, if anyone had the guts, they could straighten out the cabinet and then accept the infamy of violating ancestral rules.

Regardless of the reasoning, the Hongwu Emperor certainly didn't know about this matter, or if he did, he would have pretended not to.

The matter of the Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Fame was not resolved at all, and the morning court session ended hastily, leaving many people feeling unsatisfied.

Just as Chang Mao arrived at the Central Military Governor's Office, before he could even sit down, a young eunuch approached him solicitously. Many people understood that it must be some decree from His Majesty, given the Duke's high position, power, and noble status.

As expected, the young eunuch said ingratiatingly, "Your Excellency, the Emperor summons you to the Wuying Hall."

Although he had some reservations, Chang Mao knew there shouldn't be anything for him to handle at the moment, but he only kept his thoughts to himself. Even though he was the emperor's close maternal uncle, he still had to be mindful of the distinction between ruler and subject, and couldn't put his nephew in a difficult position.

Although it seemed unnecessary to have a eunuch escort, it was still better to follow the rules. Chang Mao then headed towards the Wuying Hall. Regardless of what his nephew, the emperor, had to do, as long as the instructions were given, that was Chang Mao's style over the years.

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