Li Zengzhi is four years older than Zhu Yunying and is about to turn thirty.
Such a background is naturally the usual path for sons of military merit. For example, he first served as a military guard and also served under Zhu Yunying. Currently, he serves as the Left Commander of the Vanguard Army, although this is merely a nominal title. His main tasks now are to reorganize military preparedness and pacify the soldiers and civilians.
As for Li Fangying, he holds a high position of power and is currently the garrison commander of Zhongdu, responsible for protecting the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum.
This was under the jurisdiction of the Central Military Commission, which oversaw eight guards and one garrison. Li Fangying's appointment as the head of the garrison naturally demonstrated the trust placed in him; this was crucial for protecting the imperial tombs and overseeing the ancestral graves of the Zhu family.
“The second brother is a bit incompetent.” As the older brother, Li Jinglong was also worried about his younger brothers. “Now that the Martial Academy is about to be completed, we are thinking of transferring him back. If there is any need for military affairs in the future, we hope that the Duke of Zhongshan will take charge, so that he can be granted a title and appointed as a general.”
Li Jinglong had no doubt about his position. He was quite capable, and most importantly, his father was Li Wenzhong, which naturally placed him within the imperial family.
However, Li Jinglong still felt somewhat envious of the Xu Da and Chang Yuchun families. For example, of the three sons of the Xu Da and Chang Yuchun families, apart from the eldest son who inherited the title, the other two were also successively ennobled as marquises, and with a little more effort, they would become hereditary marquises.
Xu Huizu smiled but did not speak. Although some matters of bestowing titles and appointing generals were basically decided by the emperor.
However, Xu Huizu knew very well that with his status and power, it wouldn't be a problem to slightly order things around. And it wouldn't be a problem to bring Li Zengzhi, Li Fangying, and others along either.
In fact, many people can see some clues now, and everyone can actually see through some of the emperor's thoughts.
For example, this time accompanying the Crown Prince was basically led by Xu Huizu. The reason, of course, is that Xu Huizu is the Crown Prince's maternal uncle and the young Zhu's biggest backer in the military.
When Zhu Yunying traveled, unless it was for military campaigns or other dangerous matters, Chang Mao was usually the one in charge. This was also to let everyone know about Chang Mao's existence and the background of Emperor Yingshi.
Many people are clear about Zhu Yunying's thoughts, and many can indeed see enough clues about the trends and dynamics in the court.
The importance of the Martial Arts Academy is becoming increasingly clear to many. The importance of Li Jinglong, or rather, the importance of Li Wenzhong's lineage, is also becoming increasingly apparent to more and more people; their identities are quite unique.
Li Wenzhong's lineage helped the emperor wield military power and guarded the ancestral tombs. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were the flag bearers of the military, the sharpest blades in the emperor's hand, ready to be used to slaughter everyone.
Xu Miaoqing was naturally not very clear about some of the things happening here, because she was currently busy with her own tasks.
This time, many daughters of military and civil officials also came out. Xu Miaoqing, as the empress, naturally needed to help with the selection and arrangement of marriages for the imperial relatives and nobles.
This is Xu Miaoqing's task. With the help of her two sisters-in-law, she is carefully evaluating some of the female relatives, who are all expected to "soar to great heights".
"Sister-in-law, I think if we go by the emperor's personality, he definitely won't be happy," Zhu Xi said in a low voice. "I've seen that most of the civil officials' wives have bound feet."
Xu Miaoqing nodded slightly, not entirely satisfied. "His Majesty has been advocating for women not to bind their feet for many years, but now it seems that most educated families have failed to heed this advice."
Zhu Xi nodded and said, "Look, most of these families are aristocratic clans. The more they are known for their scholarly traditions, the more rigid and pedantic they tend to be. No wonder our imperial brother sometimes looks down on these people."
Xu Miaoqing nodded slightly. The vast majority of royal and even military families were of peasant origin, and their family traditions were not as strong as those of some aristocratic families.
The military families, lacking a strong foundation, had many established rules and regulations. While they appeared to be nouveau riche, they were remarkably disciplined in obeying the emperor's orders. In contrast, the established, long-standing families each possessed their own ideas and unwavering principles.
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