Old Zhu was displeased and still said, "Ying'er, you've read a lot of history books. How many emperors were actually sidelined? If an emperor has no power, what kind of emperor is he?"
"Grandfather, I have naturally thought about these things as well," Zhu Yunying said earnestly. "I have also thought about the cabinet becoming too powerful, the cabinet potentially undermining imperial authority, and the civil officials starting to gain influence after joining the cabinet."
Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu felt slightly comforted; his grandson was not a short-sighted person. Old Zhu was confident in this, and he had full faith in and expectations for his beloved grandson. Of course, Old Zhu also knew very well that his grandson's desire to increase the power of the cabinet was by no means an indication that his grandson was lazy.
Zhu Yuanzhang had reason to be confident about this, because his grandson, like him, was inherently power-hungry. His grandson had been in control of power since a very young age and thoroughly enjoyed it. Moreover, his grandson had been involved in politics at an early age and handled it very well, which was not the behavior expected of an emperor who neglected his duties.
Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that many emperors in history were diligent in their early years but neglected state affairs in their later years.
Old Zhu was taking precautions, especially since he was such a worrier that he thought things through incredibly far in the future. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty," which considered even the way future generations would address each other, their eating, drinking, and traveling in great detail, as if he was worried that future generations would be completely incapable of taking care of themselves.
Zhu Yunying didn't care about all that and continued, "Grandfather, I've also thought about it. The officials in the cabinet certainly shouldn't be allowed to have too much power; they should be supervised. Let's not even talk about the eunuchs in the palace. If we give them power, those people might become too powerful."
This is a fact. Even though Zhu Yunying's history isn't particularly good, people like Wei Zhongxian and Liu Jin are still well-known. The infamous Eastern Depot once suppressed the Embroidered Uniform Guard, turning them into its lackeys, which illustrates the terrifying nature of eunuch interference in politics.
Historically, there have indeed been many instances of eunuchs interfering in politics, but overall, the power of eunuchs was at its peak during the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty. This was naturally a result of the decentralization of power; however, eunuch interference in politics was still quite terrifying.
“However, there is one good thing about eunuchs: they are all the royal family’s servants,” Zhu Yunying said calmly. “Without the emperor’s support, these eunuchs can’t accomplish anything.”
This is arguably true; at least in the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs didn't have the power to depose or install emperors. Even the most powerful eunuchs could fall from grace once they lost the emperor's favor.
Old Zhu looked at his grandson with a sense of satisfaction; his grandson was often just like him. He was deeply suspicious, especially of outsiders. Moreover, he understood the importance of checks and balances and absolutely did not want any one side to become too powerful.
Zhu Yunying knew that it would be difficult to persuade Zhu Yunxiang to immediately accept the delegation of power to the cabinet, and that many things would require continuous effort.
There's no need to rush this matter. Zhu Yunying doesn't expect that becoming emperor will immediately convince his grandfather. A gradual approach is a strategy, but the key is to demonstrate through continuous communication that his ideas are beneficial to the development and continuation of the Ming Dynasty. That's the crucial point.
Old Zhu valued the Zhu family's empire immensely. As long as it was beneficial to the succession of the empire, he could accept many things, even those things that might not satisfy him. But for the sake of the empire and the Zhu family's rule, Old Zhu accepted them.
Zhu Yunying was delighted to be back in the Eastern Palace. His beloved daughter was wobbling as she learned to walk, but his chubby son was making things worse.
"Ruyi, you can't walk, you'll fall!" Little Zhu lay on the ground, crawling like a pro. "Crawling, you're the best at crawling!"
Zhu Ruyi, who had only dared to stand up with support, plopped down on her bottom and happily crawled toward her brother.
Little Zhu was also very happy, crawling around with his little sister. "Don't walk! You'll fall if you walk. Crawling is the safest!"
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