As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunying was extremely busy. The noisy morning court session did not mean that the day's work was over; rather, it could be said that the day's work had just begun.

This is normal. Obviously, the emperor does not just preside over the morning court. The matters discussed in the court are indeed very important, but for an emperor, most of his work is still reviewing memorials, which is also the most time-consuming.

The act of reviewing and approving memorials can also reflect whether an emperor is diligent in his duties.

Rubbing his aching wrists, Zhu Yunying threw down the calligraphy brush in annoyance. "None of them have made any progress. They're always talking about trivial things and trying to show off their literary skills!"

The moment Zhu Yunying threw the brush, all the maids and eunuchs in the Wuying Hall, including Wang Chengen, knelt down. Even though they knew the emperor wasn't angry with them, they still had to kneel.

Zhu Yunying seemed to realize what was happening only after glancing at them, and then said, "Get up, all of you. I wasn't talking about you."

Perhaps it was because he had been sitting on the dragon throne for four years, or perhaps it was because Zhu Yunying had always been quite authoritative. Even though many people knew that the current emperor was relatively benevolent towards those in the palace, one still needed to be careful when necessary and show even greater reverence when appropriate.

With a sigh, Zhu Yunying muttered to himself, "The reason I've been so determined to create the Grand Secretariat is because there are just too many of these trivial memorials. All I do all day is review these memorials; I can't get anything else done!"

These are some of the negative effects of the emperor's absolute power, especially after the abolition of the prime minister system. The emperor directly controlled the six ministries, and all matters, large and small, across the country needed to be directly managed by the emperor. Naturally, this meant that there were simply too many things to handle, and being unable to keep up was the norm.

Just as Zhu Yunying was still grumbling, Wang Chengen whispered, "Your Majesty, Prince Zhou requests an audience."

Zhu Yunying raised his head and glanced at Wang Chengen, then asked, "Fifth Imperial Uncle has arrived. Did you say something?"

Wang Chengen immediately became cautious and explained, "Your Majesty, Prince Zhou said that the first draft of the 'Xiaokang Grand Canon' has been finalized, and we request Your Majesty to review it."

This piqued Zhu Yunying's interest, as this matter certainly warranted his closer attention.

This "Xiaokang Encyclopedia" is no ordinary work; it is essentially the encyclopedia of the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, this means that the emperor needs to pay more attention to this matter, and the court needs to provide more support for it.

Moreover, this ceremony holds other political significance for both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu De, which they care deeply about and will not take lightly. They strive to make this matter as perfect as possible.

The fact that it was the "Xiaokang Grand Ceremony" instead of Hongwu or Yingshi speaks volumes. Although Zhu Yuanzhang never became emperor, he was posthumously honored as Emperor Xiaokang, which also speaks volumes.

So even though this grand book was compiled during the reign of Emperor Yingshi, many people might think that Emperor Xiaokang started preparing for it, and Emperor Yingshi simply completed the final organization and improvement.

Zhu Yunying nodded and said, "Let Fifth Imperial Uncle go to the Qianqing Palace first, so that Grandfather can take a look. I will go there after I finish what I have to do here."

Wang Chengen naturally had no objections and hurriedly went to convey the imperial edict, which was what he should do.

Prince Zhu Su of Zhou had no objections. As a wise prince of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Su had accomplished a great deal over the years. He felt it was only natural to be in charge of compiling the "Xiaokang Encyclopedia," a task he was capable of handling well, and one of the things he was particularly interested in.

Emperor Xiaokang was his beloved elder brother, and besides, this encyclopedia was simply too magnificent. Even though he had previously compiled a book on plants, it was not even in the same league as this encyclopedia.

He certainly wouldn't be tired, since His Highness the Prince of Zhou didn't need to do everything personally. Most things could be left to the officials in charge of compilation. The Prince of Zhou wasn't there to wield the pen; his job was to manage and coordinate.

The Xiaokang Grand Canon is a truly remarkable artifact, and it certainly took the imperial court considerable manpower, resources, and time to complete.

However, Zhu Yunying did not think that such a thing was superfluous. He also understood that with the current literacy rate, it was impossible for all people to see this monumental work, and many people would only be able to see a few volumes at most.

However, all of this is worthwhile; having it or not having it are two completely different things. The imperial court also needs to do this kind of overall work well. This is not just a simple political project; such a monumental work will also bring certain positive effects to the development of the Ming Dynasty.

I should just keep reviewing the memorials. I may have lost my temper, but I still need to get back to work. Even if I feel impatient at times, as a diligent emperor, I have to keep reviewing the memorials after grumbling.

Many people are familiar with this kind of tactic. It is obviously not referring to Wang Chengen, but to the current Emperor Ying Shi.

Having finished all that, Zhu Yunying headed straight for the Qianqing Palace, where there were still many important matters to attend to.

Upon arriving at the gates of the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yingshi, who had initially seemed to be in a fairly good mood, suddenly lost his smile. This was naturally due to his precious eldest son, that little rascal who appeared to have reverted to his old ways.

Little Zhu, lying on the stone table, looked engrossed. His left hand was constantly turning the pages of the book, while his right hand was holding a seal and stamping it repeatedly.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!