The Chang family is Zhu Ying’s maternal family.

In fact, the Chang family now has a lonely feeling.

After Chang Yuchun's death, the two main people who inherited his power and legacy were Chang Yuchun's eldest son Chang Mao and Duke of Liang Lan Yu.

Among them, most were initially inherited by Chang Mao, who inherited the title of Duke of Zheng in the third year of Hongwu.

His father-in-law was Feng Sheng, Duke of Song.

However, he had a dispute with his father-in-law, and the relationship between him and his son-in-law collapsed. As a result, Feng Sheng's military power was taken back and Chang Mao's title was stripped.

After being settled in Longzhou, Chang Mao died in the 24th year of Hongwu.

During this period, Chang Yuchun's direct descendants, who had lost their backbone, finally moved closer to Lan Yu.

At that time, Lan Yu's nephew was the Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and they had a close relationship. In addition, he fought in many battles and made continuous contributions. All his subordinates benefited from it and were promoted one after another. Naturally, most of Chang Yuchun's direct subordinates revolved around Lan Yu.

It was also because of the support of Chang Yuchun's direct subordinates and the help of elite soldiers that Lan Yu's famous battle was possible.

"My cousin means that the current atmosphere in the Imperial College is very bad. Everyone is competing with each other, and they are ignorant and only care about how to gain connections and obtain official positions."

"is that so."

Zhu Ying asked.

As Zhu Ying's maternal family, it is very easy for the Chang family to contact His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

After Chang Jizu returned home yesterday and told his father Chang Sheng what he was thinking, Chang Sheng just thought about it for a moment and then readily agreed.

As the head of the Chang family, Chang Sheng has always known that the Chang family cannot rely entirely on Duke Lan Yu of Liang.

However, before this, his younger brother Chang Sen got too close to Zhou Ji, the son of Marquis Jiangxia, and even bumped into His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on the Qinhuai River, causing the Chang family to be in a very embarrassing position.

In addition, there is a lack of young talents now, and there is no one to serve the Crown Prince.

Chang Jizu took the initiative to propose this matter, so Chang Sheng naturally had no reason to refuse.

Chang Jizu was not allowed to get close to the Crown Prince before, only because he was a well-known bully in the Imperial College. His reputation was not bad, but not much better either.

Avoid having this kind of personality, otherwise you will not only fail to be appreciated by the Crown Prince, but will instead arouse his disgust, which is why you will ignore Chang Jizu.

Now that I can say such words, Chang Sheng is very pleased.

At this time, hearing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's question, Chang Jizu immediately said: "I have never lied, please understand clearly, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "You are my cousin. If I don't trust you, who else can I trust? I think you must have thought carefully before you came to me to report this news."

"I have heard of your reputation from time to time, but I never took it seriously. I have been in business for many years and I know best what those who call themselves scholars think."

"But I have always felt that this matter is very difficult. My cousin has been in the Imperial College for quite some time. I wonder if he has any ideas."

Zhu Ying's tone was calm and intimate, giving Chang Jizu the feeling that he was treated as a complete family member, which moved Chang Jizu deeply.

In fact, in a way, Zhu Ying also needs the help of a family like the Chang family.

In the current social situation, before the people are enlightened, aristocratic landlords can only be the mainstream direction, because ordinary people will only form a dependent relationship when they do not have their own thinking ability.

However, such a change would not happen overnight for the 60 million people in the Ming Dynasty.

According to conservative estimates, it will take at least a dozen or even dozens of years.

The Chang family is very good, because the current Chang family is lacking a pillar. The appearance of Chang Jizu also allows Zhu Ying to see a reliable candidate.

From Chang Jizu's angry tone, Zhu Ying could infer the current situation, and that it was the Chang family who was making the inference, and more of it was Chang Jizu's personal behavior.

If Zhu Ying wants to completely change the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, he needs the support of a lot of people, just like a political party, who agree with his ideas and strictly implement his ideas.

With the support of the old man at the upper level, there is naturally no resistance at present. However, at the middle and lower levels, the talent gap cannot be said to be large, it can be described as non-existent.

At present, almost all the strength of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce has been concentrated in the capital.

Whether it is the Western Regions, the grasslands, or the desert, a large number of elite personnel have been mobilized.

As for a country like Goryeo, its latent power for many years could only be handed over to Yao Guangxiao.

It seems that Yao Guangxiao directly instigated the undercover personnel and raised a large army to invade Japan.

In fact, from another perspective, Zhu Ying was unable to completely control the thoughts of the Goryeo people who were far away.

Perhaps among these undercover personnel, some are still extremely loyal to Zhu Ying, but others, especially the Koreans who are being developed, care more about their own interests.

This kind of relationship is not unbreakable, but can easily collapse. It was because Yao Guangxiao discovered this that he led the Goryeo army to invade Japan.

One is to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty's conquest plan, and the other is to transfer the internal conflicts of Goryeo to external conflicts. Moreover, during the war, it is easier to directly solve some hidden dangers.

In fact, there is a third point, which both Yao Guangxiao and Zhu Ying are well aware of.

That is to consume the Goryeo military strength by means of a war against Japan.

Therefore, Zhu Ying was not very anxious about the issue of food for the Goryeo army, and Yao Guangxiao was also unscrupulous.

"I'm really short of people here."

Zhu Ying often sighed in his heart.

In the early Ming Dynasty, trying to find like-minded people was like trying to catch the moon in a well.

The only real situation now is that I have to move forward alone.

He could only train himself slowly, but unfortunately, before this, Zhu Yingke didn't know that he was the eldest grandson of the Ming Dynasty.

Those disciples who had been trained with great effort were all focused on the development of Annan, and they were good at forming alliances and being eloquent.

Espionage, discord, intelligence gathering, and incitement are enough.

But when it comes to developing domestic affairs, that is completely irrelevant.

Fortunately, Zhu Ying is young enough and there is still a lot of time to slowly cultivate elite talents who can follow him.

For example, Chang Jizu in front of us is a very good seedling.

As Chang Jizu listened to the questions from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, his mind couldn't help but recollect what his father had told him last night.

"Since you can think this way, it won't be difficult to gain the appreciation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"But to truly gain the recognition and respect of His Royal Highness, I still need to think more."

"There is nothing extra for your father to teach you. After all, if your father knew, he would have taught it himself and there would be no need to pin his hopes on you."

"The only thing I'm teaching you is to let you know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's character is as great and talented as that of the current emperor."

"Don't try to be clever in front of them. Being frank and sincere is the key to whether you can be valued."

"When you raise your own question, you should also think about how you would answer if His Royal Highness asked you how to deal with it."

Chang Jizu was really glad that the words his father had said to him last night were actually mentioned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince today.

"I believe that a three-foot-thick ice is not formed in a day. The current problems of the Imperial College have been around for a long time. It is difficult to achieve complete reform."

"If reforms are forced directly, it will easily lead to unrest, so I think it should be done step by step."

When Zhu Ying heard this, he said "Oh" softly, a little surprised.

Because whether judging from his facial features or from other aspects, Chang Jizu is the type of reckless man.

But the words spoken now have a delicate taste.

So whether Chang Jizu thought of this himself or was taught by someone else is debatable.

"Go on."

Seeing that Chang Jizu stopped talking because of his interruption, Zhu Ying gestured.

When Chang Jizu saw this, joy flashed in his eyes, knowing that his words just now had touched the crown prince.

I felt more confident when I told the story later.

"I have observed that most of the students in the Imperial College are lazy and do not know how to distinguish between grains. They spend the whole day saying that everything is inferior except for studying. I respect your words of not paying attention to the outside world and only reading the books of sages as a famous saying."

"That's why such absurd words come out of people's mouths. For example, if such ignorant people use the convenience of the Imperial College to become local officials, it will only be a disaster for the local people."

"Even if one has some moral principles, he will not be able to establish meritorious service. Instead, he will be sidelined by his subordinates. He will spend his days clinging to the powerful and getting promoted and rich. This will not have any effect on the administration of officials and will even cause the collapse of the government."

"Therefore, I feel that students in the Imperial College should not be allowed to focus only on studying. They should be allowed to interact with the people more and better understand their difficulties. They should also have a good understanding of agriculture and water conservancy."

"Even if you have enough experience, you cannot be sent out to serve as an official easily. You must first learn the ways of government affairs near the capital and undergo assessment before you can truly serve as an official."

"The nonsense cannot fill the stomachs of the people, and morality cannot dissuade the bandits from causing trouble."

After Chang Jizu finished speaking, Zhu Ying examined it carefully again.

It has to be said that Chang Jizu's suggestions made Zhu Ying feel very surprised.

He did not think that these ideas were derived later by the Chang family. If there were someone with such insights, he would definitely not be unknown.

When Chang Jizu was speaking, Zhu Yingyou observed that it was not like he was reciting, but he was really thinking about the problems he saw.

In the Chang family, whether it was Chang Sheng or Chang Sen, Zhu Ying felt that they were very mediocre. They had neither strategy nor the bravery of their father Chang Shiwan.

Perhaps things would be a little different for the deceased Chang Mao. After all, as a legitimate son, more thought would be put into his training.

It can only be seen from their experiences that most of them inherited recklessness.

"What my cousin said is very thoughtful, but the Imperial College is the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty, and it is involved in a wide range of issues. If we want to carry out reforms, we must inform grandfather first."

"But I didn't expect that my cousin would have such insights. I wonder what my cousin thinks and what plans he has for the future."

Zhu Ying said.

Reforming the Imperial College is inevitable, and the ideas proposed by Chang Jizu are quite good.

Zhu Ying had always felt that too much emphasis should not be placed on literature over military affairs, especially students, who should not be so weak.

It is necessary to have more contact with the people, not to say to truly serve the people, but to understand farming and do one's job well.

Chang Jizu was surprised when he heard this.

After receiving guidance from his father, Chang Jizu began to ponder how to solve the current problems of the Imperial College.

I spent most of the night pondering and thinking before I can make today's speech.

The fact that he could think of these things has a lot to do with Chang Jizu's identity. Normal people who go to the Imperial College would think about how to integrate into it, make friends, and pave the way for their future.

Chang Jizu didn't need these. He was a descendant of top nobles and had no great interest in the Four Books and Five Classics.

So we can consider the problem from outside of this.

What the crown prince said now was obviously to promote himself.

Chang Jizu did not hesitate and immediately bowed and said, "I know my character well. I prefer martial arts to literature. I heard that Your Highness has established a military academy, so I beg Your Highness to invite me to study in the academy."

If you don't seek talent, then you will have something to seek. It is undoubtedly natural for you to enter the academy as Chang Jizu.

Zhu Ying smiled, and was naturally aware of the subtle thoughts behind these words.

"The military academy has basically made arrangements, but I plan to start formal enrollment after the Spring Examination."

"My cousin is probably not having a good time in the Imperial College right now. I wonder how old he is now."

Chang Jizu hurriedly said: "I'm eighteen this year."

Zhu Ying nodded and said, "She happens to be one year younger than me, that's fine too."

"We are all brothers, so we should be closer. I am currently short of a personal guard, and I wonder if my cousin is interested."

Chang Jizu was overjoyed and kowtowed to the ground: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace."

…

The expeditionary generals who set out from the capital, sailing along the river, reached the seaport in less than five days.

The 500,000-strong army has been gathered here for a long time, mainly divided into four routes.

The 200,000-strong army led by Feng Sheng was the main army, while the other three armies of 100,000 each were respectively commanded by the three vassal kings Zhu Di, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Gui.

Feng Sheng had the power to command the entire army.

But Feng Sheng’s heart is still very complicated now.

It's hard for him to do.

Just from the journey of the past few days, I have already witnessed the character of the three princes.

The rivalry between Prince of Yan Zhu Di and Prince of Jin Zhu Gang is the main theme of this journey. Whether they are discussing military actions or other aspects, they are almost always working against each other.

Zhu Di is not afraid of the capital now. If his third brother confronts him, he will fight back without hesitation.

Even if it came to a fight, there was no dragging of feet and it was extremely quick and decisive.

What else Feng Sheng could do was to continue to mediate.

Zhu Yu, on the other hand, is not a person who can be taken lightly either.

He has an arrogant personality. After leaving the capital, he acts like he is the boss and he is second to nothing. When he sees his third and fourth brothers fighting against each other, he not only does not try to make peace, but instead fans the flames and wishes the two brothers would start fighting right away.

Feng Sheng did nothing else these days and spent all his time on mediation.

“It’s difficult.”