The civil and military officials in the court seemed to have gotten used to many things, such as the fact that Emperor Zhu did not appear in court again.
There's really no need to make a fuss about this; it's happened quite often before. Some people are speculating that it's to let the Crown Prince practice governing, or that Emperor Zhu is observing the performance of his court officials from behind the scenes.
Everyone is used to this kind of thing, and there's really nothing to be surprised about. Even though Emperor Zhu isn't in court right now, people are used to many things, and they feel that things in court can proceed in an orderly manner.
Looking at the chaotic court and seeing the civil and military officials arguing again, Zhu Xiong Ying felt that Old Zhu was very prescient.
He forced himself to remain calm and finally found an opportunity to make a scene, which was also his habit.
Zhu Xiong Ying, who was flipping through the memorial, suddenly threw it down and roared, "The Ministry of Personnel's matter is not finished yet, what's the Ministry of War fussing about? Who can tell me, whose opinion should I listen to now?"
Ren Hengtai and Zhuo Jing immediately knelt down, as if they understood, "Your Majesty, we are guilty!"
"Guilty! Guilty!" Zhu Xiong Ying, still fuming, continued to roar. "Tell me yourselves, what kind of order is this in the court! For so many years, discussions are one thing, but before one matter is even finished, someone steps up to immediately bring up the next one! Is everything settled? Is everything clear?!"
Now it was everyone's turn to kneel down. There was no question of fear or trepidation; they cried out, "We know our guilt!"
Zhu Xiong Ying glanced around and said, "From now on, when presenting matters to the court, the order will be followed. First the Governor-General's Office, then the Twelve Guards, and finally the Office of Transmission!"
Zhu Xiong Ying began to speak eloquently, essentially establishing the order in which matters would be presented at the morning court sessions. This order revealed a certain significance, showing the importance of each department in Emperor Zhu's mind. The Five Military Commissions were indeed the most important in Emperor Zhu's heart.
Zhu Xiong Ying's outburst of anger was merely an excuse; he then stormed off from Fengtian Hall in a rage.
The civil and military officials didn't think there was a major problem, mainly because it was just the Crown Prince who was angry. Even the Emperor Zhu was the same; he often ended the morning court session in a huff, and such things happened frequently. Everyone understood that in such situations, not killing anyone was considered a minor matter.
Upon arriving at the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Xiong Ying began to get busy, reviewing memorials and handling many other matters.
Raising his head, Zhu Xiong Ying said to Wang Cheng En, "Give this memorial to the Emperor and have him stamp it."
Just as Wang Chengen left, Shuangquan arrived. "Your Highness, the Emperor has sent me with a memorial for your perusal."
Zhu Xiong Ying took the memorial and casually asked, "What does Grandfather mean? Does he want us to give an answer immediately, or should we wait?"
"Your Majesty's thoughts are beyond my knowledge," Shuangquan immediately replied, not feigning ignorance. "Your Majesty simply sent me to deliver this memorial."
Zhu Xiong Ying nodded slightly and began to read it carefully. It was actually a memorial about mobilizing troops in the north. In addition to the soldiers and the garrisons that were sending troops, it also included information about provisions and pay, all of which were very important.
As Zhu Xiong Ying looked at the memorial, he felt that it was his imperial grandfather testing him.
After careful consideration, Zhu Xiong Ying said to Shuang Quan, "Go back and tell Grandfather that there is more food and provisions. Doyan, Taining and Fuyu guards should not be moved rashly. Let Shenyang guard and Guangning guard send troops, and Ningxia guard and Liangzhou guard can also send troops. Just in time, issue an edict to Lan Yu and let him go to the northern desert."
Lan Yu should be happy now. Over the past year or so, he drove some rebellious natives from the southwest to the northwest. Now he's maintaining pressure there, establishing military garrisons. Things there are basically resolved, and it's time for Lan Yu to get back to work.
Lan Yu would certainly be more excited and happy to fight the Mongols, after all, those natives weren't exactly strong fighters. Sending Lan Yu to lead troops against the natives would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, a real waste of his talents.
Shuangquan scurried back to the Qianqing Palace, where Old Zhu was furiously yelling at Wang Chengen. Wang Chengen, pale-faced, knelt there, having suffered an undeserved calamity; he had only come to deliver a memorial.
"Raise salaries! Raise salaries!" Old Zhu paced back and forth with the memorial in his hand, extremely unhappy. "We just had a raise a few years ago, and now we want another one?! Are we short of food for those people?! We've even provided them with their official robes, what more do we want?!"
Wang Chengen lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to speak. If it weren't for the fact that the Crown Prince had previously determined the insignia and other details of the official robes for civil and military officials, he wouldn't have dared to speak. Nowadays, some officials even have to make their own robes before taking office. This isn't an exaggeration; it was the same in the Ming Dynasty, where some local officials made their own robes.
Therefore, some people, in order to save trouble, are too lazy to even make official robes, or just make up any set of official robes.
Zhu Yuanzhang was always rather harsh on his civil and military officials, and his treatment of them was always just enough to keep them from starving. As for whether they needed to hire people or engage in social interactions, Zhu Yuanzhang certainly didn't care. If they had the ability, they could engage in such interactions; if they didn't, they could go hungry—that was their own business.
If any of the civil and military officials couldn't resist and resorted to corruption and bribery, Old Zhu would naturally skin them alive without hesitation.
Zhu Xiong Ying didn't intend to offer high salaries to encourage integrity, nor did he plan to match the treatment of civil and military officials during the Song Dynasty. However, he did think that if the court's finances improved slightly, it would be worthwhile to give civil and military officials a small raise.
An angry Old Zhu saw Shuangquan and said irritably, "If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost and go serve the Crown Prince!"
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