Although it is still pitch black outside, the imperial city is already brightly lit.
This was all thanks to Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor), as the morning court sessions in the Ming Dynasty were always very early. The court officials were all used to this, and even the emperor himself followed suit. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible to skip court.
The same applies to Zhu Yunying; sleeping in late is too much of a luxury, almost impossible.
"This isn't the time for morning or evening court sessions, nor is it something that can be done by the cabinet alone," Zhu Yunying muttered to himself. "After all, he's not Jiajing. He can't control the court without attending court for decades. Such political skills are beyond the reach of ordinary people. Besides, this is the situation; there are simply too many things to deal with in the court."
With so much to do at court, a diligent emperor naturally wouldn't have time to think about slacking off; he'd gotten used to it.
As the whip cracked, the court officials lined up and entered the Fengtian Hall. Zhu Yunying, arriving precisely on time, strode into the hall and, without hesitation, sat on the dragon throne, beginning his new day's work.
At this moment, Xu Huizu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Xie Yu of the Yongping Marquis's residence and Wang Xu of the Dingyuan Marquis's residence have caused trouble by riding wildly."
Marquis Yongping, Xie Cheng, was Zhu Gang's father-in-law. Wang Xu was the fifth son of Marquis Dingyuan, Wang Bi, and was also a notorious playboy.
Zhu Yunying remained calm and casually said, "This matter is governed by the laws of the court, and should be punished according to the law. The Marquis of Yongping and the Marquis of Dingyuan have failed to properly educate their grandson and son, and should be reprimanded. Regardless of whether they are sons of nobles or civil officials, none of them should act recklessly or arrogantly."
Prince Su, Zhu Zhi, also stepped forward at this moment, saying, "I shall report to Your Majesty..."
Zhu Yunying quickly stood up, but he still had to maintain a proper demeanor. "Fifteenth Uncle, you're making me feel too bad."
Zhu Zhi was pleased, but still said, "There must be rules and regulations in the imperial court."
Zhu Yunying seemed embarrassed and said, "Fifteenth Uncle, there's no need for formalities. Previously, the affairs of Third Uncle's family were handled by the Imperial Uncle."
In fact, Zhu Zhi was three years younger than Zhu Yunying, but their seniority was different. Zhu Zhi was also used to bowing to Zhu Yunying, mainly because on some formal occasions, he needed to observe the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, performing five bows and three kowtows. The distinction between ruler and subject must be carefully observed.
This can be considered a temporary setback, and the Imperial Clan Court also intervened regarding Zhu Jiye and Zhu Jihuang.
The fact that members of the imperial family and nobles caused trouble by riding recklessly was something many people knew about, and it wasn't the first time such incidents had occurred. This wasn't the first time these matters had been discussed in court. However, this time, it could only be said that Zhu Jihuang and his group were unlucky; they had caught the emperor's eye.
The members of the imperial family and nobles felt a sense of unease. When they returned home, they had to tell their families to keep a low profile during this period and avoid running into trouble again.
The civil officials seemed somewhat gloating. On the one hand, they envied the status of the imperial family and nobles; on the other hand, they were naturally opposed to those forces. However, while they were gloating, they also needed to be cautious.
It's not that the sons of civil officials are all noble and virtuous; there are also many纨绔 (spoiled brats) in their families and clans.
Seeing that some matters could be set aside for the time being, Xu Huizu continued, "Your Majesty, we have already prepared a list of proposals regarding the reassignment of the garrisons."
Zhu Yunying nodded slightly and then said, "Alright, after the court session, the left and right commanders of the Five Armies Commandery shall all enter the Wuying Hall."
This matter still needs to be taken seriously. Even though there have been some discussions on it before, it can't be decided overnight. Zhu Yunying doesn't believe that such a thing should be decided with a single word; it requires careful consideration.
The summons of the left and right commanders of the Five Armies Commandery to begin discussions is essentially decisive. However, it will be necessary to further expand the scope of the discussions, with some veteran generals and civil officials also participating.
At this point, Zhu Yunying said, "Duke Cao, Li Jinglong, is in charge of supervising and planning the construction of the Martial Garden."
"The Book of Jin states that Emperor Wu valued military officers highly, so he selected many respected officials from the court to serve as military officers." Zhu Yunying said calmly, and continued, "The retired emperor pacified the chaotic world. With the retired emperor's wisdom and martial prowess, he also needed the assistance of civil and military officials."
The matter of the Martial Arts Academy was no secret in the imperial court; it was essentially the Imperial Academy for military personnel.
The "Emperor Wu" that Zhu Yunying mentioned earlier was naturally Emperor Wu of Han. However, previous dynasties generally did not establish military academies on a large scale, and there was no large-scale training of military generals. Most military generals were self-taught or had family backgrounds in military education.
Making a name for oneself through battle is a common path to advancement for many military generals.
Looking at Mei Yin, Zhu Yunying continued, "The Duke of Rongguo once served as the Shandong Provincial Education Commissioner and also commanded the military. The Duke of Rongguo is mature and prudent, and has a good understanding of veteran generals in the court. The instructors of the Martial Academy should be veteran generals and those with military merits. Regardless of age, the Martial Academy should cultivate generals and commanders for the court, and veteran generals of the court should enter the Martial Academy."
Military academies—this is Zhu Yunying's current effort to cultivate talent among the nobility, or to initiate a continuous and vibrant military movement for the Ming Dynasty.
Many civil officials were not happy about this, but the military officers were generally quite pleased.
First of all, the current Five Military Commands Office is far less prestigious than it was during the era of the Grand Military Commands Office. The original Grand Military Commands Office, or even the early Five Military Commands Office, was of a higher rank than the civil service system. Back then, the heads of the Five Military Commands Office were mostly dukes; even marquises were considered less important.
Now, many of the founding nobles are old, dead, or retired. Furthermore, the sons of meritorious officials and relatives of the nobility have inherited official positions, which has led to a decline in the strength of the Five Military Commands.
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