Zhu Yunying did not deliberately show favoritism towards certain scholars or interest groups. Because he was the emperor, it naturally meant he needed to maintain a balance of power to better control the situation.

When he attended court again, Prince Xu, Zhu Yunwen, apologized, but many people noticed something was amiss.

For example, some so-called elegant gatherings were actually hosted not only by Fang Xiaoru and Huang Zicheng, but also by His Highness Prince Xu. However, His Highness Prince Xu has now completely distanced himself, and it seems that Fang Xiaoru and Huang Zicheng did all the work.

Everyone was not stupid, and they all understood that this was clearly Prince Xu shirking responsibility. But what could they do now? The emperor seemed to agree with this explanation, and although Prince Xu would be punished, everyone knew that the punishment wouldn't be too severe.

Most importantly, even if the emperor wanted to do something about this, it would be difficult, because the retired emperor had unusually expressed his concern about the matter. In fact, it could be said that he made a decision before the current emperor, which would probably make the current emperor quite frustrated.

His Highness Prince Xu's mother, Lady Lü, could only go to the Eastern Mausoleum to pray for blessings, while Prince Heng, Zhu Yunwen, had already established his own residence. This sixteen-year-old boy's current task was to prepare for his marriage this year to the daughter of the Deputy Commander of the Sichuan Provincial Military Commission.

There's no need to worry about the fifth prince, Zhu Yunhuoxi. He's about to be officially named the Prince of Yu. Although he's only eleven years old, he's a proper prince, so there's no need to worry about him being left unattended.

It's no exaggeration to say that if it weren't for the Fifth Prince, Lady Lü might have been exiled to Dongling years ago. After all, the Great Zhu was a devoted man and certainly hoped that all the women he had loved would stay by his side.

This is because the practice of funerary sacrifice was abolished; otherwise, given Zhu Yuanzhang's personality, he would have wanted to take those people with him in death. Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely contradictory; on the one hand, he seemed to be restoring some Han Chinese orthodoxy, but he also did a lot of things that reversed the course of history.

The Prince of Xu was punished with six months of confinement, and Lady Lü was exiled to guard the imperial tombs. These seem like severe punishments. However, many people also know that these were relatively lenient punishments, merely a minor deterrent, and only meant to be observed by outsiders.

Consider Fang Xiaoru and Huang Zicheng; these two could be considered to have ulterior motives. Forget about their "talent for the top scholar" or "the seeds of a scholar"—when the emperor wasn't going to show mercy, they were simply destined for the marketplace.

Don't talk about being wronged. These two are officials, after all, but instead of doing their jobs properly and serving the country with loyalty, they're just wasting their time. Sometimes, mediocre officials are more destructive than corrupt ones.

Even though some people pleaded for leniency, most people remained indifferent, because some things had indeed crossed the emperor's bottom line.

As for Han Xun, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Dongping, and Liao Yong, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Yong'an, they shouldn't even think about escaping unscathed. Not only were their titles revoked, but they also ended up being executed at the execution ground.

For the Han and Liao families, the biggest blow was the murder of their rightful heirs to the titles, and the abolition of their titles.

Marquis Han Zheng of Dongping certainly never imagined that his voluntary submission when the political situation was unclear would indeed bring him such rich rewards. He died peacefully, but unfortunately, his son did not allow his efforts to continue.

Liao Yongzhong probably never imagined that he would be executed by Zhu Yuanzhang for overstepping his bounds, and that his grandson would also be executed by the grandson of the Hongwu Emperor for misconduct.

But what more can be said? Many people know very well that once something crosses the emperor's bottom line, it becomes difficult to resolve. If the emperor is ruthless, he can be ruthless even towards his own family members, let alone outsiders.

However, if Han Zheng and Liao Yongzhong were alive, they might find some solace. Although they lost their titles, there was no collateral damage; their lineage would continue. At most, their entire household would lose its high-ranking power.

Even after losing their titles, they still retained some connections and official positions. Compared to ordinary people, they were certainly better off, though perhaps not as prominent as before.

If you're smart enough to live a quiet life, you might have a chance to be reinstated in the future. But if you harbor resentment towards the emperor, then it's hard to say.

Two hereditary marquises were killed, two marquises were stripped of their titles by the court, two civil officials lost their heads, and dozens of students from the Imperial Academy lost their official careers.

This wave of warnings seems to be effective, as it will make many people aware of certain things.

Civil officials should behave like civil officials and not get too close to military officials, especially not to use their salaries to associate with members of the imperial family. This is even more true for military officials; the distinction between civil and military officials is not a joke, and they should not even think about becoming too close to members of the imperial family or princes.

As for the imperial clan, they should understand a little better. Although the emperor wouldn't overly restrict them, they shouldn't take it all for granted. There were no problems with the imperial clan members eating, drinking, and having fun, and they were also free to do things if they wanted to.

However, it's best to follow the rules, avoid contact with military officials, and refrain from interfering in court affairs, as that is something the emperor absolutely cannot tolerate.

Some warnings were indeed necessary, and Zhu Yunying carried them out with a clear conscience. As an emperor, one often needs to be somewhat ruthless; being too benevolent is not necessarily a good thing.

In Zhu Yunying's view, some so-called benevolence and virtue were useless. What he wanted to see were actual achievements, not empty fame.

This matter has now been settled. Perhaps after this moment of enlightenment, those scholars aspiring to an official career will understand some of the lessons learned.

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