Fu Rang, with a fawning smile, said, "I know, which of those noble families doesn't envy me! But Your Highness, I still want to go to war; that's what a true man does..."

Zhu Xiong Ying said irritably, "I won't allow you to do this unless you have the Duke of Ying come to say it in person!"

Serving by the side of the Crown Prince was naturally the easiest way to rise in rank and be given important responsibilities. However, for some, simply serving as a personal guard by the Crown Prince's side was somewhat undesirable, and they felt that their talents were being wasted.

Fu Rang was like that; he wanted to go to war and fight on the battlefield. That was his pursuit. He was a complete brute and a warrior.

Three ministers under Zhu Xiong Ying arrived, and they were all quite excited. Serving the Crown Prince was a special position, and if the Crown Prince ascended the throne and they were still alive at that time, they would definitely be key ministers.

Moreover, they can now be considered 'important officials'. Especially Ru Chang, who was one of the earliest to follow Zhu Xiong Ying, is already a third-rank official. In the Ming Dynasty court, this would be considered an important official, and theoretically, one who is directly under the emperor's jurisdiction.

Zhu Xiong Ying, seated in the main seat, said, "The armies of the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Cao will return immediately. I humbly accept the order to verify merits and bestow rewards. This is a matter of great importance, and there must be no false claims or embezzlement. The imperial rewards must reach every meritorious person!"

Zhuo Jing immediately accepted the order, for this was a matter of great importance. "Your subject obeys!"

Zhu Xiong Ying laughed and then said, "Liang Yu, you will now take charge of the Ministry of Works. Zhen Zhi, you will lead the people. I will soon establish an academy where skilled craftsmen will all be recruited. From now on, you will be in charge of this Ministry of Works Academy, and I will directly manage it."

Yan Zhenzhi accepted the order. His courtesy name was "Zhenzhi," which is quite rare for someone to use their courtesy name as their given name.

Establishing a Ministry of Works Academy in Yingtian Prefecture would face some resistance, as the civil officials would feel it infringes on their interests and elevates the status of artisans.

However, in Beiping, Zhu Xiong Ying didn't care about such things. To put it bluntly, Zhu Xiong Ying was the local emperor. He controlled both military and political affairs. Although Zhu Xiong Ying sometimes didn't like to interfere in local matters, it didn't mean he didn't have the right to.

Zhu Xiong Ying remained firmly in Beiping, but soon received an imperial edict from Tianjin.

Emperor Zhu, feeling grateful for the army's numerous victories and new achievements, ordered the Crown Prince to take some of the meritorious generals to Tianjin to meet the Emperor.

Upon seeing the imperial edict, the meritorious soldiers were overjoyed; they could finally meet the emperor. However, Zhu Xiong Ying wondered, "Has the emperor already missed his grandson after only a month apart? Has he found a reason to do so?"