The capital of Ming Dynasty.

As winter approaches, the weather becomes colder.

However, the number of people in the inner and outer cities of Nanjing has increased.

Especially foreigners in various strange costumes can be seen almost everywhere.

This is because as the most powerful country in the world, it is about to change its emperor.

Of course, no one would think that changing the emperor would weaken the Ming Dynasty, because everyone knows that today's Ming Dynasty can conquer the world and shock the world, which is inseparable from the current Ming Crown Prince.

His Majesty the Emperor expelled the Tartars, restored China, restored the country, and rebuilt the Han system, while His Royal Highness the Crown Prince led the Ming Dynasty into an unprecedented era of prosperity.

All the people are looking forward to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince leading the Ming Dynasty onto the path of greater prosperity and strength.

Before this, after the news that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would hold a coronation ceremony on the first day of the first lunar month spread through newspapers in various provinces, a large number of people flocked to the capital.

The huge crowd made the staff at the post station very worried, fearing that something bad might happen.

"The last time I saw such a scene was in the early years of the Hongwu era."

At the post station near the capital, an old postman couldn't help but sigh.

The young postman asked in doubt, "Did we have such a grand occasion in the Ming Dynasty more than 20 years ago?"

The postman, who was in his twenties, was obviously not clear about what happened in his childhood.

The old postman sighed with memories in his eyes, "That was not a grand occasion, it was a famine escape, full of people, all wanting to go to the capital to beg for a bite to eat."

"The post station was full, and we could only watch them starve to death outside, or even... well, never mind, those are just things of the past."

"You just need to remember how hard it is to have the life you have now."

The old postman seemed to be in a bad mood after he finished speaking. He gave some instructions and left alone.

In his day, seeing large crowds was never a good thing, just as it is today.

The young postman obviously could not empathize with the old postman. He glanced at the slightly lonely figure of the old postman, then turned to look at the people with smiles on their faces, as if he was looking at two different eras.

…

All the government offices in the capital are in a state of panic now.

At this critical juncture when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, any small matter may be magnified infinitely.

Moreover, according to the rules of successive dynasties, a new emperor appoints his own ministers. When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, it means that the power of the court will be reshuffled.

The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Guests and Officials.

As the department is responsible for receiving foreign guests, Doctor Zhang Jian has been extremely busy recently.

Too many foreigners came to the capital just to attend the coronation ceremony of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

This is certainly a good thing for the Ming Dynasty. The reason why the news of the enthronement was released so early was to give these overseas countries some time to travel.

All the emperors wanted to have the emperors pay tribute to them from all directions and nations.

It is naturally impossible for the Crown Prince to issue an edict requiring others to come and pay a visit, as this would be disrespectful. It would be best if others came on their own initiative.

Of course, it is unknown whether the small countries that were able to arrive but failed to arrive will be held accountable afterwards.

"You better be careful, you dandy. This is a special period. Any mistakes will be caught and magnified."

"If something goes wrong, not only will your father's head be in danger, but even your life might be in danger."

"Stop interacting with those bad friends recently and stay at home and study. It's so easy to pass the imperial examination now. Next year is the first year of the crown prince's ascension to the throne. If you fail the exam, I will break your legs."

After a busy day, Zhang Jian returned home and the first thing he did was to scold his son Zhang Wenjie.

Zhang Wenjie looked aggrieved.

"Dad, I just took a stroll down the street to see what was going on. I didn't do anything else."

"You can't slander me. I didn't do anything."

Mrs. Zhang Jian, who was standing by, also said, "Sir, please don't get mad at the government office and take it out on your son."

Zhang Jian saw his wife speaking, so he explained: "Who else can make me angry? Those barbarians dare to go against me?"

"I just had some feelings while talking to a few colleagues today. I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince summoned all the civil servants above the third rank to the palace. The news came out that he wanted to discuss the implementation of the new policy."

"New policy, new policy, this must be a renewal, and I don't know what the wind direction is. If it goes wrong, I will inevitably retire."

"This bastard has reached the age to become a juren, but he has failed three times. The imperial examination has become much simpler now. The court no longer allows the selection of filial and honest people to enter the government. The only way open is the imperial examination. If Wenjie cannot enter the government, how can the family business survive?"

Hearing this, Madam Zhang Jian became a lot more nervous and asked, "Didn't the court make a rule last year that people should retire at the age of 65? Master is only in his early 50s, in the prime of life. This... is not yet the age."

Zhang Jian smiled bitterly and said, "How can it be that simple? You won't understand even if I tell you. Anyway, it's better to be careful."

…

East Palace.

Today, the Eastern Palace gathers almost all the most powerful ministers of the Ming Dynasty.

Except for officials of the third rank and above in the imperial court, almost all of them, including the governors of other provinces, came.

And today, it is Zhu Ying’s turn to launch new policies and discuss matters in detail.

"Your Highness, you must not do this. This kind of behavior is nothing more than tying your own hands and feet. Since ancient times, there has never been such a thing... Such a thing..."

"I request that Your Highness withdraw the new policy. As for the matter of imperial power, as we all know, the power of the emperor is granted by heaven. Why is Your Highness doing this?"

East Palace Hall.

There are more than seventy people here, so everyone can hear what is being said.

Zhu Ying had already drafted the outline of the new policy and asked Guo Zhong to read it aloud.

All the ministers were very nervous about the new policy. They all knew very well that this was the main political direction after His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascended the throne. It also involved their own official hats, including the power of their official positions.

After the start, everyone felt that the situation was fine. It was nothing more than the previous separation of military and politics, assignment of responsibilities, and inspection and review.

It’s just more standardized, including in construction and people’s livelihood.

But later on, everyone started to get scared.

It is simply outrageous to establish a cabinet parliament to restrict the emperor's power.

"Your Highness, please take back your order!"

After the first minister knelt down and bowed, the second minister also knelt down and made a request.

"Your Highness, please take back your order!!!"

The third and fourth ones gathered together. In an instant, all the ministers in the East Palace hall knelt down and begged, their tone full of fear.

This made all the ministers feel scared.

From the perspective of the regulations in the New Deal, the imperial power was restricted, and a large amount of power that originally belonged to the emperor was distributed to the cabinet.

In theory, this should be a good thing, especially for the ministers present.

If the crown prince is a foolish monarch and the ministers are greedy, then everyone will be happy.

But the situation in the East Palace is completely the opposite.

"I have made up my mind. There is no need to say more. In the new policy, matters concerning the imperial power cannot be discussed any further."

Faced with this situation that was similar to forcing a palace coup, Zhu Ying did not have the slightest worry, but stated his decision in a calm tone.

The ministers looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.

Even the eloquent imperial censors dared not speak a word as their throats rolled.

"Okay, everyone, stand up. Let's discuss other matters in the new policy."

After Zhu Ying spoke, the ministers could only stand up in disappointment. After a brief silence, a minister stood up and expressed his thoughts on other matters of the new policy.

The atmosphere in the hall returned to normal, as if what had just happened had never happened.

After the court was dismissed, there was an immediate uproar in the court and among the officials.

No one would have thought that there would be restrictions on imperial power in the new policy. No one was confused about what was going on.

Even Zhu Di was a little confused.

"Master, has the Crown Prince lost his mind? Could it be that the Emperor would allow him to act this way? To put it nicely, this is the Holy Son of Heaven ruling with ease. To put it bluntly, this is tying one's own hands."

"How dare he throw the power of governing the country to those corrupt officials?"

After Zhu Di received the news, he immediately called Yao Guangxiao to discuss the matter.

Although the princes will go to Dongshen Shenzhou to open up wasteland after the new emperor ascends the throne, the affairs of the Ming Dynasty will also have a great involvement with them. It does not mean that they will have no contact after they leave.

In a sense, the strength of the Ming Dynasty was their strong backing overseas. At least during this period, there would be no vassal king who wanted to rebel and fight back from the Dongsheng Shenzhou.

At least, among them, whoever can unify the Dongsheng Shenzhou will be qualified to compete with the Ming Dynasty.

Yao Guangxiao was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "Grandson, this is not a restriction on yourself, but a restriction on future monarchs."

"Perhaps the Crown Prince felt that future rulers would be incompetent, so he simply restricted their power. Rather than having an incompetent ruler, it is better to restrict them in this way."

Zhu Di said: "I know this, but..."

Zhu Di did not understand such behavior. Although anyone smart enough could see that this was Zhu Ying's way of restricting his offspring, power was such a precious thing, who would give it to others?

"Father must have known about this. The Crown Prince persuaded Father. Otherwise, even if the new policy was introduced, it would not be at this time."

"It seems that the Crown Prince does not want to handle government affairs personally like the emperors of previous dynasties, and simply becomes a hands-off manager. I wonder what this will do to the future of the Ming Dynasty. Will those corrupt officials really govern the Ming Dynasty as the Crown Prince wants?"

Yao Guangxiao smiled and said, "Now the ministers should be the most panicked. If the crown prince does not rule the country, then there is no fault. No matter what happens, the fault lies with the ministers, and the throne is stable and will not be moved."

"From now on, the conflict will no longer be between the people and the emperor, but between the people and the ministers. Although there will be less power, that power will also be a constraint on the emperor himself."

"After the shackles are removed, the throne is not so popular anymore. Maybe some powerful ministers will emerge, but the longevity of the country is not necessarily a bad thing."

After hearing this, Zhu Di thought about it, then sighed and said nothing.

…

Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Ying were playing with little Wencheng.

Xiao Wencheng was showing Zhu Yuanzhang his newly learned martial arts, including swords, spears, halberds, and matchlock guns.

"Grandson, maybe you are right. Not everyone likes to be an emperor, and not everyone is born to be an emperor."

"The rise and fall of a country depends on one person, which is a very dangerous thing."

"I never thought about these things before. I just thought that if the people were obedient, the Ming Dynasty would last forever. Now it seems that maybe you are right."

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew about the new policies in the Eastern Palace, including some news inside and outside the palace, and he was very concerned.

After all, this kind of thing is the first time that has happened in the Central Plains since Emperor Qin Shihuang.

"Grandpa, it's cold outside, let's go inside and rest."

Zhu Ying said worriedly.

The old man’s health has not been very good recently. After all, it is winter. For the old man, every winter is like a tribulation and is very difficult to endure.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "I know my own health. Don't worry about it. I still want to see Xiao Wencheng's performance."

Faced with the old man's insistence, Zhu Ying was powerless to dissuade him, but he gave Xiao Wencheng a wink.

Xiao Wencheng immediately said, "Grandpa, I'm tired."

Zhu Yuanzhang then said: "Okay, okay, let's rest when we are tired."

Hearing this, Xiao Wencheng looked at Zhu Ying proudly.

It seems to be saying, great grandfather only listens to me.

…

As time went on, things about the New Deal stabilized.

For the ministers, they actually did not have much reason to object, after all, the crown prince was giving power to them.

Next, the cabinet was formally established.

Zhu Ying selected twelve cabinet members, including seven ministers and several vice ministers.

Starting from the New Deal, all court affairs will be handled by the cabinet.

Of course, the current cabinet, including the laws, is not very perfect, and it still requires further construction by Zhu Ying. Although Zhu Ying has given up most of his power, in fact his influence has not been shaken at all.

After all, these cabinet members will still obey Zhu Ying's orders on everything.

What Zhu Ying has to do now is to continuously improve the law, promote the law, and ensure the authority of the law.

Let all problems be solved through the law.

Therefore, law majors have been established in various colleges in the Ming Dynasty, and many university scholars have also begun to shift their focus to legal research.

Of course, military affairs are not related to government affairs.

The army would only be loyal to the emperor, and all troops would not have any connection with officials, including the garrisons, which were independent of the people and officials.

One month after the new policy was implemented, the people did not actually feel much, because life remained the same, including the ministers, there seemed to be no major changes, they were still doing the same things.

At this time, everyone suddenly realized that many things did not seem to require the emperor to handle them personally.