For civil and military officials, attending the morning court session was a perfectly normal thing; it was part of their job. Many officials didn't even have the right to attend court.
As the current head of the military merits in Yingtian Prefecture, Chang Maosong stood loosely at the front, chatting idly with the other military merits.
There were many topics of conversation, such as the war in Goryeo being nearing its end. This could mean that some military officers would receive honors or be granted titles of nobility, while others might be stripped of their titles for missing crucial opportunities.
Or perhaps everyone is talking about the Northwest, where Duke Lan Yu of Liang has been training troops for quite some time. Everyone is eagerly watching; having missed the war in Goryeo, they absolutely cannot miss the war in the Northwest.
The eastern territories of Japan and Korea have been conquered, and many people have accumulated considerable merit. The northern territories need little explanation; earlier campaigns and other efforts have wiped out the Mongol Yuan and Tatar forces, leaving them with virtually no significant strength. Many have made great contributions, which also means that it will be difficult to achieve new merits in the near future.
Everyone is now eagerly watching the Northwest. The Oirat forces are quite powerful, and everyone can see that Emperor Ying Shi has high expectations for the complete conquest of the Western Regions, which naturally means a great achievement.
Whether it was Japan or Korea, conquering these countries certainly had merit. However, compared to the Oirats, Tatars, and others, Korea and Japan were still somewhat inferior.
Chang Mao chuckled as he recounted how, when the Ming army fought the Tatars, all three pillars of the military were deployed, naturally because the Tatars were powerful. These remnants of the Mongol Yuan dynasty were a major threat to the Ming dynasty and had to be dealt with.
As for Goryeo now, Fu Youde and Xu Huizu are enough. Even if Goryeo has some strength, it cannot stop the Ming Dynasty's heavenly army.
If nothing unexpected happens, when fighting the Oirat, Lan Yu will be the main force, with Xu Huizu as his assistant. This means that the Chang lineage will have the opportunity to demonstrate its strength again and will no longer be sidelined.
Despite Chang Mao's seemingly indifferent attitude towards court affairs, he was, after all, the head of the Kaiping Prince's Mansion and the maternal uncle of Emperor Ying Shi. Chang Mao couldn't possibly allow Fu Youde to rise so quickly, let alone surpass him. Similarly, as one of the leaders of the two major factions within the military, Chang Mao wouldn't allow the Xu faction to grow further.
Chang Mao wouldn't resort to such underhanded tactics; he knew Emperor Ying Shi wouldn't allow them. Military merit still depended on actual military achievements. The best way to limit Xu Huizu and Fu Youde was for the Chang faction to produce sufficiently convincing military exploits.
If the next step is to wage war against the Oirat, it naturally means that the Chang faction must seize the opportunity and absolutely cannot remain spectators again.
The Ming Dynasty has been established for over thirty years, and many rules and regulations have been continuously improved. Even when the military officers are chatting idly, it's not chaotic; they still need to be mindful of their behavior.
Although they still looked down on the civil service, some military officers could sense that the civil service was growing stronger and was no longer the weak civil service that could be easily crushed at the beginning of the dynasty. They could no longer be ridiculed or even beaten in anger.
The watchful censors were observing and recording everything. If any civil or military official behaved improperly, they would certainly record it and report it to His Majesty.
Compared to the military faction, the civil officials seemed much more disciplined. Although some people were exchanging quiet conversations, they mostly remained in their positions and did not easily leave their seats.
Lian Zining was resting with his eyes closed, knowing what he was going to do next. So when it came time to schedule the shifts, he didn't talk to Yu Xin, nor was there any need to.
No one took Lian Zining's attitude seriously. Lian Zining was like this most of the time, and his position had long been established, so it was inevitable that Lian Zining's behavior would be somewhat out of place.
It seemed like nothing was different from usual, and no one seemed to think that anything big would happen next. After all, nothing major had happened these days, so everyone was generally quite relaxed.
Although the war in Goryeo is about to end, it is not over yet. This means that it can be discussed, but it is not worth spending too much time and energy on it.
The ruler of the Ryukyu Kingdom of Chuzan was about to attend the imperial court, but he did not actually do so. Many matters had already been planned out, and many people knew that what followed was merely a formality. This naturally meant that everything should proceed as planned, and there was no need to create any further disturbances.
As for the rumor that the Minister of Works, unable to stay idle, plans to govern the Yellow and Huai Rivers, although there are many rumors and many people believe that this is very likely true, it hasn't been officially announced yet. This means that people can discuss it, but there's no need to discuss it openly.
So this means that there don't seem to be any major events happening at today's morning court session. Everyone can just follow the usual routine. There's nothing to worry about or pay too much attention to.
Many people were unaware of certain things, but as the civil and military officials lined up to walk toward the Fengtian Hall, they seemed to finally realize that something was amiss.
His Highness Prince Zhou has actually arrived! The fact that His Highness Prince Zhou, dressed in court robes, appeared in the imperial court was quite unexpected. After all, he is His Majesty the Emperor's uncle and the Director of the Imperial Clan Court, which means that His Highness Prince Zhou's presence in the court surely indicates that something is about to happen.
Yu Xin's heart skipped a beat. Perhaps it was because he felt guilty, or perhaps it was because he knew what he had done. So when he saw Zhu Su, he couldn't help but think about things. He instinctively felt that Zhu Su's attendance at court might be related to him.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
