The six ministers have been appointed, and they are helping their beloved son to slowly build up his prestige. Emperor Zhu Yunying has done a lot, doing things that he should have done.
What Zhu Yunying did not forget naturally included sending Muchun back to Yunnan with extremely grand ceremonies.
Many people believe that Mu Chun received such treatment because he was Mu Ying's son and a member of the Zhu family. Others believe it was because he was the emperor's brother-in-law.
However, many people understood that those factors did indeed make the emperor think highly of Mu Chun. But Emperor Ying Shi's emphasis on the southwestern border and Annam was the real reason why Mu Chun received such extraordinary attention.
It would be a lie to say that Mu Chun wasn't excited, but he was also aware of the situation. He needed to continue governing Yunnan well, helping the emperor stabilize the southwestern border, and dealing with those chieftains and barbarian tribes. Yunnan should also become one of the bases for future campaigns into Annam and other places.
The task ahead is arduous and the road is long. Mu Chun cannot rest on his laurels and enjoy wealth now. He still has a lot to do and cannot be idle.
Some things do indeed require a sense of ritual, and Emperor Zhu Yunying was extremely familiar with these matters. Offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, or to ancestors, were also important political activities.
Zhu Yunying is doing fairly well so far, and he intends to continue some things. This is one of the emperor's duties; he needs to express his attitude and use such activities to reassure the people.
Back at the palace, Zhu Yunying continued to work, though some unexpected events did disrupt some of his plans.
With these unexpected issues resolved, it naturally meant that Joo Yoon-young would have to start considering his next series of plans.
The list recommended by Lian Zining was not entirely accepted by Zhu Yunying. Even though Lian Zining conducted some internal investigations, what she could ultimately see were probably just some 'superficial phenomena'.
After the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard took action, it was naturally discovered that some censors were not as upright and clean as they appeared on the surface, and that they had many entanglements with various parties.
Even if some censors are not problematic, the locations they are assigned to for their local posts still need to be adjusted. They cannot have any family influence, marriage ties, or other connections in those areas.
Xu Miaoqing brought over a bowl of bird's nest porridge and said gently, "Your Majesty's business is important, but you should also take a rest."
“We used to say that Grandfather was so busy he never knew when to rest, but after becoming emperor, I realized how busy he really was.” Zhu Yunying patted his thigh and said with a smile, “So we need to let Yin’er train a bit, so that he can be stronger and better suited to be emperor.”
Xu Miaoqing sat naturally on Zhu Yunying's lap, feeding him bird's nest porridge. The maids and eunuchs were used to it; the emperor and empress had a deep affection for each other. Even in the early days of their marriage, they were often this affectionate.
Speaking of which, Zhu Yunying and Xu Miaoqing are fairly familiar with each other, since Zhu Xi and Zhu Yue can be considered Xu Miaoqing's best friends.
Although Xu Miaoqing still wanted to stay and accompany Zhu Yunying, she did not take advantage of his favor when she saw him reviewing memorials. She knew the ironclad rule that the empress dowager should not interfere in politics.
From now on, the cabinet will still serve as Zhu Yunying's senior secretarial team, helping him to simplify some of his memorials. They need to highlight the key points; otherwise, even after reading such a magnificent document, Zhu Yunying sometimes won't be able to grasp the main points—it's too mentally taxing.
This isn't a difficult matter; Zhu Yunying can handle it now. However, there still needs to be some checks and balances on the cabinet. The current cabinet shouldn't expect to have too much power; neither the old Zhu nor the young Zhu would allow it.
"I'll reorganize the Maritime Trade Office when I get back. The rules need to be improved," Zhu Yunying muttered to himself. "I gave them a heads-up before. Some people listened, but others didn't."
"The Imperial Family and military officers will definitely take a share of the profits from the Maritime Trade Office. But the Ministry of Revenue also has to get involved, and some of the benefits have to flow into the national treasury."
Since it concerns trade, the inspection bureau, tax bureau, and other departments also need to be involved. Although the head of the Maritime Trade Office is only a fifth-rank official, the actual benefits are considerable, and this position cannot be ignored.
“Merchants can buy and sell goods through the Maritime Trade Office, acting as middlemen,” Zhu Yunying said, carefully writing and drawing. “The imperial court must control imported and exported products. Smuggling must continue to be severely cracked down on.”
Since the imperial court wanted to control certain matters and vast trade channels, it was necessary to introduce something like a bank at this opportune time.
There's no need to worry about paper money; the Hongwu Treasure Notes were introduced during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign. Zhu Yunying is only involving the bank in settlements now, which requires joint control from the imperial family, the imperial treasury, and the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhu Yunying would naturally not treat departments that concern the economy and people's livelihoods lightly. If these departments were not properly managed, they might bring turmoil to the country. Or, if these departments were not properly managed, certain families and interest groups would become wealthy.
Zhu Yunying would not allow such a thing to exist. He would not allow such things to benefit oneself at the expense of the public. If anyone wanted to undermine the Ming Dynasty, they would have to see how tough they were to back down.
Since these things are about to change, it is natural to start considering increasing commercial taxes, which is something Zhu Yunying has always kept in mind.
The Ming Dynasty had a considerable amount of commercial taxes, mainly residence taxes and transit taxes.
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