Leaving aside the matter of his ascension to the throne, the very act that followed was the Imperial Examination Scandal. The controversy surrounding the Northern and Southern Examination Lists caused a great deal of discussion among scholars throughout the land, which ultimately dragged the lineage of the Duke Yansheng into the matter, sparking even greater debate.
The Duke Yansheng remained the Duke Yansheng, because the veneration of Confucius was still necessary, and the Ming Dynasty followed the example of previous dynasties by bestowing upon Confucius a royal title. However, the Duke Yansheng was no longer the head of the civil officials, nor was he a first-rank official.
The title of Duke Yansheng was only a seventh-rank official, one rank higher than in the Song Dynasty, but lower than the third-rank official title in the Yuan Dynasty.
The lineage of Kong Zhu is the true direct line. The title of Duke Yansheng has returned to Kong Zhu's lineage. The Ming Dynasty is establishing rules in all aspects, and the strongest supporter of the primogeniture system is the Ming imperial family.
This was clearly not a bad thing, and Zhu Yunying always felt that his decision was correct. Choosing a worthy successor involved too much uncertainty, and Zhu Yunying didn't want to see his descendants fighting tooth and nail for the throne; it was better to avoid trouble.
This was a turbulent time, partly because Zhu Yunying had just ascended the throne and immediately launched a major campaign in the north. The Ming Dynasty was indeed victorious, which naturally made many people see the strength of the Ming military and that the Ming Dynasty was now sweeping across the land.
This turbulent period is not yet over, and the first year of his reign is not yet over. Zhu Yunying will naturally have many things to do, all of which will affect the course of the court and the world.
He enjoyed it immensely, even though he looked exhausted. Zhu Yunying genuinely loved it and was very happy with his state of mind.
Ultimately, he was a man with a strong desire for power and a strong sense of responsibility. He believed that he could govern the world well, rather than sitting on the throne and indulging in pleasure, or seeking immortality by worshipping gods and Buddhas.
The prelude is about to begin. Emperor Zhu Yunying doesn't like to get straight to the point. Some things need to be guided naturally, requiring a little prelude, so that the next series of major actions can begin smoothly.
Emperor Zhu was also busy. This emperor, who was already quite a workaholic, seemed to have rediscovered the joy of controlling the court after taking over once. He appeared to be becoming more active at this time.
The civil and military officials were somewhat dumbfounded at this moment, but they were used to such things.
As subjects of the Ming Dynasty, they needed to learn to seamlessly adapt. In the past, they served the emperor and the crown prince; now they worked for the emperor and the retired emperor. These things were indeed not difficult for them.
However, some people are worried because the retired emperor rarely interfered in politics. Or rather, even if he did participate in politics, it was usually not in the open; at most, he would remotely direct from behind the scenes.
However, the fact that the retired emperor is now frequently summoning his ministers and has begun to actively request them to send him memorials has inevitably led to speculation.
Even though the memorials requested by the retired emperor were mostly from the Ministry of Revenue and concerned people's livelihoods, it still meant direct interference in court affairs, which was a strong signal.
Zhu Yunying wasn't unhappy, mainly because he knew why his grandfather was doing this, and he didn't see anything wrong with it. He was adept at playing along with his grandfather, the Emperor, and this was also preparation for what was to come.
As the Minister of Personnel, Ru Chang held real power and was considered Zhu Yunying's most reliable advisor. However, he was now feeling that things were getting a bit tricky.
Although Ru Chang was used to saying that there was no barrier between the retired emperor and the emperor, or that the court officials did not need to consider pledging allegiance, this was only relative.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus has summoned his ministers frequently today, and many of my colleagues are discussing it amongst themselves," Ru Chang said earnestly, looking at Zhu Yunying. "Should Your Majesty have a talk with the Emperor Emeritus?"
Ru Chang was the core of the group, which is why he told Zhu Yunying these things without reservation at this time. This was practically sowing discord between the two emperors and creating a rift between them.
Zhu Yunying didn't care about these things and said with a smile, "Just do your duty, I know that!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
