As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunying was clearly a very diligent and benevolent ruler. He also realized that some of the current court policies had room for improvement, which could help set a better course for the great ship of the Ming Dynasty.
As the new generation's helmsman, Zhu Yunying naturally needed to do some good work; that was his duty. As the founder of this great ship, Zhu Yunying always had a strong desire for control, and he genuinely hoped to see the Ming Dynasty develop even better.
Upon seeing Xiao Zhu arrive, Lao Zhu immediately asked, "Ying'er, is our Ying'er going to become Emperor Ren?"
“Of course I should be the Emperor Ren,” Zhu Yunying said directly, without any politeness. “My grandfather founded the country in a time of chaos and used harsh laws. Now we should be a little more lenient. Lenient laws can ease the frost. I am, after all, the new emperor, and I should have some new policies.”
Old Zhu didn't object, but asked, "Ying'er, then tell me, how do you plan to implement your new policy?"
As for the new policies, Zhu Yuanzhang certainly wouldn't object to his grandson implementing them. He had naturally anticipated these things long ago; it wasn't just a matter of "a new emperor, a new court"—it was normal for an emperor to introduce new policies after ascending the throne.
Zhu Yunying did indeed have many ideas about the new policies, and he truly felt that now was a good time. Since it was a new policy, he couldn't be rash; many of these were ideas Zhu Yunying had had for a long time.
Although this was only his first year on the throne, Zhu Yunying had already had some ideas about the new policies.
This was no joke. Zhu Yunying spoke directly, "I have been thinking about these things all these years. We need to change some of my grandfather's policies."
Old Zhu didn't object, and nodded with a smile, saying, "If you don't make any changes, we won't feel at ease. A new emperor's ascension to the throne naturally requires new policies. However, you need to think carefully about these important national affairs. These new policies cannot be rushed."
Zhu Yunying was well aware of this. Ultimately, while Zhu's policies had many drawbacks, overcorrection would certainly bring no benefit. The reforms of the new policies could not be overly idealistic; they had to address real-world problems.
Zhu Yunying looked at his grandfather and said seriously, "Grandfather, our Ming Dynasty has always been strict with scholars and civil officials, which is not a good thing. I think the rank of the six ministers should be raised a little."
Old Zhu nodded. The current Ministers of the Six Ministries are all of the second rank. This is because the first-rank Duke Yansheng was removed by Zhu Yunying, and the former Prime Minister, also of the first rank, was executed by Old Zhu. The current heads of the civil service are the second-rank Ministers of the Six Ministries.
In contrast, on the military side, the Left and Right Commanders-in-Chief of the Five Military Commands were both of the first rank, while the Assistant Commander-in-Chief was of the second rank.
In other words, the third-rank official of the Five Military Commissions was equivalent to the Minister of the Six Ministries. Moreover, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, military officials have always been valued more than civil officials, which further illustrates the low status of civil officials today.
Old Zhu didn't object, and nodded with a smile, saying, "We may look down on some scholars, but it's only right that scholars contribute to governing the country. It's appropriate to promote the six ministers to the first rank; our governor's office has become a bit arrogant in recent years."
That's the point. In previous years, Zhu Yuanzhang had been suppressing the literati, but now he also had to limit the military officials.
Old Zhu agreed with these points and said to Zhu Yunying, "That makes sense. In a while, you should find a reason to promote those civil officials so that they will be grateful. This imperial favor should also fall on your shoulders."
Zhu Yunying said jokingly, "There are still many scholars who admire the previous dynasty, simply because our Ming Dynasty does not suit their tastes. These lowly scholars feel that our Ming Dynasty treats them badly."
Scholars' loyalty to the emperor often didn't really care whether someone was of a different ethnicity; what they cared about was 'legitimacy'. Under the Yuan Dynasty, they were loyal to the Yuan emperor, and whether someone was Mongol or Han was essentially meaningless to them.
Of course, there are also some scholars who lack principles or a sense of righteousness. There are also scholars who are truly capable, have the talent to govern a country, and possess lofty ambitions.
Even today, many scholars in the Ming Dynasty still feel nostalgic for the Yuan Dynasty, and there are reasons for this.
Don't say that according to the Yuan Dynasty's social hierarchy, scholars were at first glance considered to be of the lowest class, even inferior to prostitutes. However, the Yuan Dynasty rulers didn't care about those scholars, or rather, the status of some aristocratic families was still relatively privileged, which naturally made those people nostalgic for the Yuan Dynasty.
Looking at the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu basically looked down on scholars, and Emperor Xiao Zhu also suppressed them. This naturally caused resentment among many scholars, who felt that their civility had been tarnished.
While it's true that many civil officials are now serving in the court, the emphasis on military over civil service and the stringent policies have disappointed many scholars. There are indeed a number of scholars who are dissatisfied with the current state of the court.
It was impossible for scholars and officials to jointly govern the country. However, Zhu Yunying welcomed their efforts in governing the country, and this was something he looked forward to.
"The minds of those scholars are the hardest to fathom, and they are the most troublesome," Old Zhu couldn't help but complain. He had no good feelings towards many scholars. "If you give them an official position today, they'll still want to control us. If you don't go along with them tomorrow, they'll start arguing that we're not like the legendary sage kings Yao and Shun."
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