However, Zhu Yunying did not intend to severely punish Lan Yu. Besides considering the Chang Lan clan, a large part of the reason was that Zhu Yunying needed some balance, a balance between the military factions.
Long after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the largest faction in the Ming military was the Huaixi nobles, led by Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. Besides these two factions, Li Wenzhong was also a major force. In addition to his abilities, Emperor Zhu's conscious support for members of the imperial family who were loyal to the Zhu family was also a contributing factor.
Chang Yuchun was gone, but Lan Yu had emerged. This faction could naturally be considered Zhu Yunying's base of power. As for Li Wenzhong's successor, Li Jinglong had always wanted to take up the mantle of the imperial clan, but his abilities were limited, and Zhu Yunying did not trust Li Jinglong.
Now, apart from the Chang faction, the Xu faction, represented by Xu Huizu, remains powerful and can be said to still be the largest faction in the Ming military.
Fu Youde's rise in recent years has been rapid. Besides his late-blooming success and rapid progress, a large part of the reason is indeed the conscious support from Lao Zhu and Xiao Zhu.
In truth, the emperor does need to pay attention to maintaining a balance, especially in the military. A single dominant force is never a good thing, making the maintenance of balance extremely important.
If someone impeaches Lan Yu, Zhu Yunying will naturally back down. However, expecting Zhu Yunying to severely punish Lan Yu is impossible. Continuing to 'polish' Lan Yu is still crucial for Zhu Yunying; this core support remains vital.
It seems this is the only way things can go. It's highly likely that Zhu Yunying will turn a blind eye, or that the punishment will be raised high but brought down lightly—both are very possible scenarios. If this happens, there's really no reason to be surprised.
Sighing, Zhu Yunying didn't know what to say. It didn't surprise Zhu Yunying that Lan Yu sometimes acted without thinking. However, Zhu Yunying also understood that Lan Yu wasn't doing this to show off; Lan Yu was simply doing it because of his deep feelings for the Changlan Clan.
With the departure of the Changlan Clan, it can be said that the world will lack someone who can truly keep Lan Yu in check.
Zhu Yunying believed he could control Lan Yu, but that was only because he was the emperor. To say he could truly win Lan Yu's heartfelt submission was clearly impossible. Zhu Yunying wasn't particularly narcissistic, and his charisma wasn't strong enough to control the troublesome Lan Yu.
If one lacks charisma, then resorting to underhanded tactics is probably the only option. Fortunately, Zhu Yunying was the emperor, so using such tactics was perfectly understandable and normal.
Zhu Yunying should just focus on doing what he's supposed to do. He wasn't surprised at all by Lan Yu's occasional arrogance or lack of composure. Zhu Yunying knew what this double-edged sword was all about, and he also knew how to use it well.
Speaking of which, Chang Lan's coffin will soon return to Yingtian Prefecture, and Zhu Yunying feels that he should indeed do some things. This is what he should do, and it is also a sign of respect for Chang Lan and the Chang family.
In fact, since the news of Chang Lan's death arrived, it wasn't just Zhu Yunying's side that was making preparations. The relevant departments of the court were also busy, not only because Chang Lan was the emperor's maternal grandmother, but also because she was the Princess Consort of Kaiping, and her funeral naturally had to be conducted according to certain funeral rites.
Perhaps for some, all that's left now is to wait for Chang Lan's coffin to return to Yingtian Prefecture. All preparations have been made. The proper rules and treatment have indeed been established long ago; all that's needed is to follow them.
Zhu Yunying was naturally aware of these matters, but there were some things he didn't want to say too much about. Once rules were established, they had to be followed; this was for the sake of better governing the realm.
However, there are some things that Joo Yoon-young will definitely not be so 'obedient' to; he has his own opinions and ideas.
Or perhaps Zhu Yunying was well aware that, like his grandfather, the rules he established were only for his subjects, and that those rules could not be applied to them!
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