Just a breakfast made many ministers in the court burst into tears of gratitude.

It was as if he saw hope for the future of the Ming Dynasty.

Is that a bit exaggerated?

This is not an exaggeration. Perhaps even Zhu Ying did not realize how horrifying his idea of ​​giving officials more benefits is today.

Officials in the Ming Dynasty had a lifelong tenure system, and there was no such thing as retirement.

The most common normal retirement is to ask the emperor for mercy.

Generally speaking, this happens when people really reach an age where they can no longer work, such as those in their sixties or seventies, who are plagued by illnesses and have blurry eyesight.

Even so, the emperor would never agree to your request to beg for your remains.

Otherwise the reputation will be bad.

There are also a few more special and dangerous types, some of whom were demoted or exiled.

The crime of exile can be either serious or minor, and life or death basically depends on the emperor's will.

It doesn't necessarily mean that those in exile will have a bad life.

Some old ministers were too stubborn and relied on their seniority to bully others. After being exiled by the emperor, their lives were similar to those of ordinary people. There were no shackles or anything during exile, and they just went there on their own unless they were convicted.

If the emperor wanted to kill someone, he would usually make arrangements in secret.

Because of the lifelong system, there is no such thing as a retirement pension.

The saying "people leave and the tea gets cold" is very suitable for the situation of officials.

As for the benefits, let alone.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very stingy. The work intensity of being an official in this era was more than ten times that of previous dynasties.

His salary is not high, but he likes to kill corrupt officials.

I am already satisfied as long as I can see the sunrise the next day. What benefits can I talk about?

It was at this darkest moment for officials of all generations, on the way to the morning court.

Hot buns, dumplings, and various pastries.

Even next to this, the officials prepared hot water for washing hands and faces after breakfast.

This kind of considerate feeling is something that today's officials can never accept, let alone dream of.

"Young eunuch, may I ask if breakfast like today's is a special gift from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, or will it be available every day in the future?"

After Liu Sanwu washed his hands and face, the eunuch came up to help him tidy up his clothes. This made Liu Sanwu feel very strange, and he couldn't help but ask.

As soon as these words were spoken, many officials who were wolfing down their food immediately stopped what they were doing, pricked up their ears, and listened to the young eunuch's answer.

"In reply to your Excellency, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's decree is that every morning court in the future will be arranged like today, not just today." The young eunuch replied with a smile while helping Liu Sanwu to bow.

This answer made hundreds of officials present feel ecstatic.

Many ministers even praised directly:

"Your Highness, you are truly kind and righteous."

"There is no wiser king than this. With His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, we old guys will surely live a much more comfortable life."

"Yes, I didn't expect His Royal Highness to be so considerate. It seems like just a small thing like breakfast, but from this, I can see that His Royal Highness loves us deeply."

"From now on, we will wholeheartedly assist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and dedicate our lives to this glorious Ming Dynasty."

From the Dragon Boat Festival Gate to the main hall, almost all the civil and military officials were singing praises to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. For them, this was truly a ray of light in the darkness.

In particular, the civil officials, led by Liu Sanwu, were originally very worried that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was too fond of military men and neglected the civil officials.

It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also very caring towards his civil officials.

At the morning court, Zhu Yuanzhang felt something strange.

Today, all the ministers seemed to be very energetic. Whether they were speaking or analyzing many aspects, they were very hard-working. Compared with previous court meetings, it was a completely different feeling.

According to the current situation, it seems that the court meeting can be described as lifeless.

Especially on many issues, many ministers dared to speak out boldly and had fewer taboos.

"Can any of you tell me, my dear minister, what good things have happened in the court that we don't know about?"

After a minister reported that the matter had been dealt with, Zhu Yuanzhang finally couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked.

When the ministers below heard His Majesty say this, they all turned their eyes to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Lian.

Following the guidance of hundreds of gazes, it was none other than the eldest grandson.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Grandson, could it be that you are the one who caused the changes in the court?"

Zhu Ying replied, "Grandpa, this may have something to do with my grandson's morning arrangements."

"Yesterday, my grandson heard that the head of the Ministry of War had arrived and fainted after the court meeting. He was sent to the Imperial Hospital. Then I learned that many ministers in the court did not have time to eat breakfast in the morning because they were too far away."

"This also led to the fact that the ministers in the capital of the Ming Dynasty all came to court on an empty stomach."

At this point, Zhu Ying looked towards the hundreds of ministers in the Fengtian Palace, took two steps forward, and said loudly: "The more than 60 million people in my Ming Dynasty must be governed by the hundreds of ministers in the Fengtian Palace."

"From my point of view, everyone is dedicated to their duties, working from dawn to dusk, and devoting themselves to the people of this Ming Dynasty."

"Your body not only belongs to you, but also to the Ming Dynasty. If you are ill, it will also affect the people of the Ming Dynasty."

"Thinking of this, I feel that I should pay more attention to the health of the ministers in many aspects, so I came up with the idea of ​​arranging for them to arrive early in the Dragon Boat Festival Palace before the morning court."

“Now it seems that the effect is significant.”

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that it was actually related to breakfast.

Of course he knew about the breakfast incident, but he never thought that it would have such a big impact.

Or in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, many ministers got up early and asked their servants to prepare breakfast for them.

Having breakfast is not a big deal.

Officials in Beijing receive a high salary, but it is not impossible that they cannot afford breakfast.

In fact, this is because Zhu Yuanzhang ignored people and himself.

The biggest problem is appetite.

Because of the distance, many ministers had to get up at three in the morning to attend the early morning court.

In the second half of the night, it is generally difficult to eat and people don’t have much appetite, which means they can’t eat much.

This has a lot to do with the work and rest time during the Ming Dynasty.

In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang would also give a banquet after the court meeting, which was equivalent to breakfast, and most ministers did not want to waste this money.

Generally speaking, it has a lot to do with salary.

For people like the Shangshu, it is much better, after all, they live in official residences which are close to the government, so they can sleep longer and enjoy breakfast.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said affirmatively: "Since this idea of ​​Da Sun is good, it should be included in the system as soon as possible, and we will make arrangements according to it in the future."

Zhu Yuanzhang was very satisfied with the spirit of the ministers at this morning's court session.

Actually, it’s normal to think about it.

I get up at three in the morning and work until about eleven in the morning, without eating for such a long time.

It's okay for a day or two, but over the years, it's a completely different story.

With the ministers cheering "Long live the emperor", Zhu Ying gained a very good reputation among all the civil officials.

Even the Hanlin Academy began to think that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was a wise ruler.

It seems that he is not so resistant to the improvement of the warrior's previous low position.

There seem to be more ideas about the reform of the imperial examination system.

As the court meeting progressed, it soon came to an end.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Is there anything you haven't reported yet? Please tell me."

The ministers below were silent, but Zhu Ying said, "Grandfather, I have something to discuss with you."

After saying that, Zhu Ying took out a memorial from his arms, walked two steps to the old man's side, and handed it directly to him.

This is naturally against the procedure. Normally, it should be given to the eunuch first and then to Zhu Yuanzhang.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally would not care about this. The censors below, who liked to keep an eye on etiquette, also shrugged their eyelids and pretended not to see it.

Zhu Yuanzhang opened the memorial, which contained the "Talent Recruitment Plan for Overseas Vassal States" compiled by Zhu Ying yesterday.

Prince of Jin, Zhu Gang, who was below, seemed to sense something and looked at his father expectantly.

After all, this matter ultimately needs the consent of the emperor before it can proceed.

After reading the introduction at the beginning, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but look up at Zhu Ying. Seeing Zhu Ying nod slightly, he continued reading.

Due to time constraints, it was already early in the morning when the memorial was completed. During the morning court, Zhu Ying was busy with other matters, so when he arrived at Jinshen Hall, the court was almost over and he did not explain it to the old man in detail.

After reading it, Zhu Yuanzhang felt mixed emotions.

He had always been afraid that his eldest grandson would be too unfamiliar with his uncles and would suppress them too much after taking office.

Now it seems that Zhu Yuanzhang is starting to worry again, wondering whether his eldest grandson is too friendly to these uncles.

From beginning to end, this memorial is about helping the princes who are going overseas to establish their own countries to make the best possible preparations.

It even includes some of the Ming Dynasty's support measures for the vassal kings.

"Grandson, are you sure you want to do this?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked in a low voice.

Zhu Ying replied: "Grandpa, I have already thought about it."

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished listening, he returned the memorial to his eldest grandson and said, "Then let your eldest grandson speak for himself about the recruitment announcement."

Zhu Ying took the memorial, walked to the front of the steps, and without opening it, he spoke directly:

"I feel the difficulty of the overseas fiefdoms of the imperial uncles and the scarcity of talent in the inner court, so I have specially set up an overseas talent recruitment hall for the vassal states."

"The so-called Overseas Talent Recruitment Hall is a place where talents are recruited regardless of their background. Anyone who can pass a simple interview can become a vassal of the feudal state, and their rank will be determined according to the feudal state's system."

"All vassal state officials will be treated one rank lower in rank within the Ming Dynasty according to their clan relationship. After serving in the vassal state for five years, they can apply to return to the Ming Dynasty to report on their work."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court was in an uproar.

And before that, Zhu Yuanzhang asked his eldest grandson, "Are you sure?"

Obviously that's where it is.

According to what Zhu Ying said now, the treatment in recruiting talents for the princes was unimaginable.

What this means is that as long as you pass the examination of the Overseas Talent Recruitment Hall, you can choose a vassal king and follow him to serve as an official overseas.

Not only that, as long as you serve as an official overseas for five years, you can return to the Ming Dynasty.

According to the clan relationship, a second-rank official in a vassal state was equivalent to a third-rank official in the Ming Dynasty.

All officials could easily guess that when this Overseas Talent Recruitment Institute was established, scholars from all over the world would flock to it.

What is the purpose of reading?

Today, the scholars in the Ming Dynasty can tell you very clearly that it is for the purpose of becoming an official.

If you want to be an official, you can't be a scholar, you have to at least be a juren.

It is difficult for ordinary people to understand the difficulty of the examination for Juren. In Zhu Ying's mind, it is probably the concept of Tsinghua University's Yao Class in later generations.

Now, there is such an opportunity. You don’t even need to be a scholar. You can become an official directly as long as you pass the examination of Overseas Talent Recruitment Hall.

Although this position is a bit far away, he is still an official of the Ming Dynasty after all. The most important thing is that if he works for five years, there is still hope of returning.

Apart from anything else, even those scholars who have obtained the status of a scholar may not be sure that they can pass the imperial examination and become a juren within nine years.

The juren exam was held every three years, so nine years meant only three chances.

It is very normal for most scholars to take the exam for ten years or so.

In contrast, there is no need for much hesitation.

Many ministers looked at each other in confusion, and Liu Sanwu wanted to say something.

But all of these were fiercely repelled with glares by the princes standing in the front row, such as the King of Qin, the King of Jin, and the King of Yan.

The princes are not as easy to talk to as Your Majesty.

The titles of several princes were earned by fighting on the battlefield. They have no taboos and are unscrupulous in their behavior. If they really target you, they will take action against you no matter how high your status as a minister is.

As a prince, if he really wanted to kill a minister, at most he would receive some mild punishment.

So the civil officials in the court, after some hesitation, finally endured it.

Besides, it doesn’t matter much if they are all recruited overseas. Some clans also think it is okay to send some of the less obedient disciples over there.

It can be considered as branching out, providing an additional way out.

"Since none of you, my dear ministers, have any objections, then let's just make it this way now." Zhu Yuanzhang said with finality.