In fact, Zhu Ying had fooled Lan Yu many times.

For example, asking him to hand over all his land to support the court's decision.

For example, letting him serve as the Grand Commander of the Public Security Department may seem like a trivial transfer, but in fact it is pulling him out of the army, making it easier for students from his military academy to infiltrate the army.

For example, asking Lan Yu to go to the grassland military base, implying that if he could take over the grassland, he could even be made king.

There was no way around it. For Zhu Ying, Lan Yu's influence on the army was too great. If he had always been in the Five Military Commandery, it would have been difficult to take action against him.

This is only Zhu Ying. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang did this, it wouldn't work.

The reason why Lan Yu was able to do what Zhu Ying wanted was largely because of the relationship between the two.

In the clan era where blood ties were the main reliance, this relationship was extremely important.

In Lan Yu's view, this is his own nephew, so if he doesn't help him, who will? Now that his nephew has no relatives, there is no way he can refuse Zhu Ying's request.

What's more, Zhu Ying is the crown prince, and Lan Yu is his aunt and confidant, so how could he possibly treat Lan Yu badly?

In fact, by now, Lan Yu has already realized that this nephew-grandson did use some tricks.

But he doesn't care.

Because when Zhu Ying handed him the list, he knew that no matter what, he had to stand on the side of the crown prince.

Without the tacit approval of Lan Yu, the leader of the Huaixi nobles, how could Zhu Ying have controlled the army so smoothly? When the conflict broke out, many captains went to find Lan Yu, but Lan Yu refused to see them.

This way, everyone will understand.

The army has lost its backbone. Even with the name of the royal family, if Zhu Ying still cannot control the military power, he might as well find a pillar and kill himself.

And today, when the news that dukes and marquises could be granted fiefdoms reached Lan Yu, Lan Yu knew that this would definitely happen, and that he would also have a share in it.

Although being granted a title of kingdom and being granted a title of king have different meanings, becoming the ruler of a country, even if it is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, is definitely a huge honor.

Ever since the news of enfeoffment of vassal states spread in the capital, the doors of the dukes and marquises were almost trampled down.

Many noble families realized that this was a huge opportunity, a chance for their family to take a step further.

What the Four Princes did in Japan was not a big secret in the eyes of those who were interested. They made rapid fortunes by relying on the mineral resources. Now it was finally their turn to enjoy the enormous wealth.

Nowadays, maritime trade is well developed and many families have businesses on the sea. If they can occupy a small country, wouldn’t the family’s eternal foundation be secured?

Logically speaking, there should have been widespread opposition from the civil servants, and memorials flew into the palace like snowflakes.

However, in reality, the civil service group was also unusually silent. Even during the morning court session, no one stood up to say a word about such a big thing, as if they knew nothing about it.

This is the effort of a large number of aristocratic families.

Even if an official wanted to dissuade him, he would be stopped by the aristocratic families.

No matter how honest an official is, he still has clans, relatives, and friends behind him.

Apart from the interests of the imperial court, this matter is obviously in the interests of most people.

"Look, grandson, these officials keep saying they are doing this for the court and for us, but when faced with something like this, they all become speechless."

"There were a few loyal ones who wanted to write a memorial, but someone tried to dissuade them that night. They had sharper noses than our Jinyiwei."

"So, human hearts are unpredictable. If we really believed these corrupt scholars, would our Ming Dynasty still be in the state it is now?"

In the Huagai Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang said with a sneer.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard monitored the capital, so what happened in the capital could not escape the eyes and ears of Zhu Yuanzhang. And last night, apparently a large amount of intelligence entered the palace.

Zhu Ying said: "Grandpa is right. The world is bustling with people because of profit. The noble families are greedy for more wealth and the military officers are greedy for greater merit. This time, the enfeoffment of vassal states is equivalent to opening a new loophole for them."

"Under the current situation, we can't stop it even if we want to. All the civil and military officials, wealthy families will unite to promote the establishment of this matter."

"But it's good this way. When the time comes, they will work even harder to expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty."

"My grandson is thinking of issuing an overseas reclamation order and granting it to a group of dukes and marquises first. There won't be many, so I'll issue a dozen first. This will be better than having them scattered too much, and I can also control one or two at the same time."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "This is a good idea. We were just thinking that with so many people running away at once, we would be unable to control them. This would also have an impact on the Ming Dynasty. This is a good idea."

"This matter has been brewing for three days, and it is almost time to end it. Let's settle this matter at the Moon Rising tomorrow."

Nowadays, the court meeting is held every three days and is called the small court meeting.

A grand court ceremony is held at the end of each month, commonly known as the monthly court ceremony.

There aren't as many people as at the end of the year, but 70% of the officials in the capital have to attend. The main content is to report on the work of the current month.

Due to the increase in the number of officials now, even Yuechao has more than a thousand people.

The lunar court was not held in the Fengtian Hall, but was moved to the East Palace Hall by Zhu Yuanzhang.

The reason for the change has a lot to do with Zhu Ying's design of the East Palace Hall.

The multiple echo designs make speaking easier, and if it is quiet enough, Zhu Yuanzhang's voice can be transmitted to the officials in the back row.

This also avoided the previous situation where officials behind the Fengtian Hall could not hear it.

Besides, the Fengtian Hall could not accommodate more than a thousand people. They could squeeze in, but that would lose their decorum.

Zhu Yuanzhang fell in love with the East Palace after just one visit.

He even had a vague idea of ​​tearing down the Fengtian Temple and rebuilding it.

A grand court meeting at the end of February.

There are a lot of people coming this time.

Except for the three kings who had already gone to the grassland to fight the Northern Expedition, basically all those who were able to attend the court came.

The Five Military Commandery was even more crowded.

According to the rules, most military officers, especially those under the governor, can be exempted from court attendance, as they usually need to train troops or do other things.

But this time, it was the biggest ** for the military officers.

There are also hereditary dukes and marquises, some of whom do not hold official positions themselves, but their titles allow them to enjoy court salaries and they do not have to attend court. However, they are all present today.

"Duke Liang."

"Duke Song."

"Duke Cao."

"The founding duke."

"Duke Ying."

"Duke Wei."

Civil and military officials all paid their respects to the dukes. These were the only five remaining dukes in the Ming Dynasty.

After Tang He died, his son died early and his grandson was still young, so he could not inherit the title of Duke. It was said that his grandson was frail and sickly, and it was unknown whether he could survive to adulthood.

Needless to say, Li Shanchang and his entire family were executed.

Deng Yu's son, Deng Zhen, lost his title of Duke of Shen because of his involvement with Li Shanchang. However, his offspring still existed, but he lost his title and was demoted to a commoner.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, a total of nine dukes were conferred. After removing four, there are only these six left.

Pu Ying, Duke of Donglang, is not included, as he was promoted and posthumously awarded the title. His son Pu Yu is Marquis of Xiliang, which is not included in the list of dukes. Of course, Pu Yu is here today as well.

The East Palace Hall is spacious, and more than a thousand people can sit inside without feeling crowded.

The six dukes were sitting in the front row with the princes who had already been conferred titles. Such a scene was rare.

The officials behind were talking about it.

"Duke Ying has always been complaining about his old age and frailty, and that he wants to retire and return home. Why is he here today, full of energy?"

"So what? Look, even the founding duke is here. This is a matter concerning the inheritance of the family. Who can avoid being involved?"

"Duke Song has basically not shown up since the expedition against Japan. He only came with Your Majesty in the Northern Expedition last year and is here today."

"Don't mention the dukes. Look at the rows behind. Even the sons of noble families who don't hold official positions have come here."

Among the six great states, the only one who was relatively reserved was the founding duke Changsheng.

His situation was different, as it was originally his brother who was granted the title of Duke of Zheng, but the title was abolished to allow him to take the position.

Even though his mother was Lady Kaiping and his brother-in-law was Duke of Liang, Lan Yu, he actually had no outstanding achievements, so naturally he was much inferior.

In addition to the current situation of the Five Military Commandery, Chang Sheng is basically idle on weekdays.

He didn't want to come here at first, but after his mother scolded him, he came here.

The reason why Chang Sheng was unwilling to come was simple.

Although he had a record of training troops, it was clear that he did not inherit his father Chang Yuchun's military ability.

Moreover, Chang Yuchun's former subordinates had all surrendered to Lan Yu, and he did not have much say in the army, and was completely incomparable to Xu Huizu, who also inherited the title.

The so-called generals' family has the greatest network of contacts in the military. Maybe his elder brother Chang Mao had some before, but he obviously doesn't.

It would be a good thing to establish additional vassal states, but Chang Sheng knew his own strengths and weaknesses, so he did not consider this idea.

Besides, his mother, Lady Wang of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun’s wife, Lan Yu’s sister, and Zhu Ying’s grandmother, is still alive.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang had to give him some face.

There is a story about the meat of a fierce woman in unofficial history, which says that Zhu Yuanzhang killed Chang Yuchun's wife and cooked her meat. This is pure nonsense.

Her daughter is the Crown Princess, her son-in-law is Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and her husband is the Duke of E. Unless there is a rebellion, there is no chance that such identities will be moved.

Moreover, he had a very good relationship with Empress Ma.

"Longxing Ci Ji" records that Chang Yuchun was already very old but had no children, which he often regretted.

However, in fact, Chang Yuchun surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang in 1355 AD, the 15th year of Emperor Shundi of Yuan Dynasty, and his eldest son Chang Mao was born the following year.

When his eldest son Chang Mao was born, Chang Yuchun was only 26 years old.

With his old mother protecting him, Chang Sheng could really enjoy his wealth and prosperity in peace and there was no need for him to go overseas to conquer any vassal state.

But this time it was his old mother who asked him to come, so there was nothing he could do.

Not long after, a eunuch came in. The huge East Palace hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone stood respectfully, and then the censor came to monitor the demeanor.

After about an incense stick of time, when they were sure that there was no problem, they reported it and it was Zhu Yuanzhang's turn to appear.

This is a charter and a rule, and it is also to maintain the royal dignity.

Even the princes and grandsons of the emperor, or the six dukes, cannot overstep their authority in the slightest.

There have been people like Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang who relied on their merits and had no fear even in the court.

Now, the grass on the grave is probably three feet deep.

This time, Zhu Ying entered the venue with Zhu Yuanzhang.

As a grand court meeting held once a month, there are naturally many things that need to be reported, and the theme will not be stated at the beginning.

As the ministers of various ministries reported in detail one by one, almost an hour had passed after Zhu Yuanzhang finished his questioning.

Zhu Yuanzhang also mentioned the issue of enfeoffment of vassal states.

At this point, it is naturally no longer a discussion, but a final conclusion.

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke thousands of words in a few words.

The general idea is that in ancient times, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors ruled the world, and the world should belong to the Central Plains. But now the barbarians in all directions are ignorant and do not know how to educate them. Our Great Ming Dynasty obeys the will of heaven and helps the people of the world escape from ignorance, which is a great merit.

Therefore, according to Zhu Yuanzhang, this was not invasion or colonization, but education.

Our Ming Dynasty is following the will of heaven and educating the people of the world.

Zhu Ying was listening nearby and clicked his tongue. Who said the old man was not a scholar? Just these words alone were beyond his ability to say.

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhu Ying immediately decided to launch foreign wars under the banner of justice.

What overseas reclamation order? It is clearly an overseas education order.

We go to your country not to bring war, but to give people a better life and to enable everyone to live a good life.

These words are very useful because they are of great significance.

Zhu Ying clearly saw that after the old man's words were spoken, the morale of the civil and military officials below was high.

Sure enough, no matter which dynasty the founding emperor belongs to, he has one most obvious characteristic, which is eloquence.

Compared to the old man, Zhu Ying felt that he was still far behind.

At the grand court meeting, Zhu Yuanzhang did not directly point out which princes and dukes would be qualified to go overseas to teach.

It is obvious that they are preparing to let all parties play games.

This kind of political means of letting all parties play games is also a kind of power politics.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn’t use it much in the past because there was no great need. He believed that force could defeat skill, so if someone disobeyed, he would just kill him.

It’s different now, because these people want to stay away from Ming Dynasty. What choice will make Ming Dynasty more beneficial, or who is more in line with the interests of Ming Dynasty.

But no one will value things that come too easily.

In this way, even a Duke may not be able to secure the qualification.

But this was nothing to Lan Yu. The court would let him out no matter what.

Even though Zhu Ying now has control over the military power, Lan Yu's influence cannot be underestimated. After all, he is a threat of varying degrees of severity to the royal family.

Only if he leaves the Ming Dynasty would it be in the best interests of the royal family and himself.

After the court meeting, the game between the various parties began.

After all, according to the requirements of the court, in order to go overseas you must prove your strength to the court, and not everyone can go.

Such as ships, personnel, supplies and so on.

The most basic requirement is to pay a deposit of one million treasure notes to the court.

If you can't even come up with one million treasure notes, then you'd better just go to bed.