Emperor Ying Shi still did not attend court; instead, Emperor Hongwu and the Crown Prince presided over the morning court sessions, which made many people even more worried.
During this morning court session, the Hongwu Emperor announced that his seventeenth son, Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, would be sent to Goryeo to inspect the border and command the various armies. This was unexpected, yet not entirely surprising.
All of Emperor Hongwu's sons had some experience in leading troops. For example, Prince Jin, Zhu Gang, and Prince Yan, Zhu Di, both had experience in northern expeditions. Zhu Su, Zhu Zhen, and others also had experience patrolling the borders or suppressing rebellions.
Zhu Quan was somewhat regretful because he didn't get to live in his fiefdom and could only hear his brothers discussing their experiences there. Naturally, this made Zhu Quan incredibly envious.
However, there's no need to be envious now. Although nominally they were going to patrol the border and control the various armies, everyone knows that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would be Zhu Chun, the eleventh son of Zhu Zhu, who was the Prince of Shu, and Zhu Quan, the seventeenth son who was the Prince of Ning, who would establish a kingdom in Goryeo.
The King of Shu is already in Goryeo, where he has begun to govern the war-torn areas and recover the four Han commanderies. The arrival of Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, can be seen as a replacement for the imperial army, to completely annihilate the Li family and suppress any remaining remnants or rebellions.
People didn't say much, because many people knew about Goryeo. In fact, they could refer to Japan, which was a different kind of feudal system in the Ming Dynasty.
Previously, fiefdoms were granted within the territory of the Ming Dynasty, which many court officials were not entirely happy about, as the concept of vassal kings was ultimately a sensitive one. However, the Hongwu Emperor at that time was too domineering, and no one dared to say anything.
Although the vassal kings have now been stripped of their fiefdoms and no longer have actual fiefdoms, members of the Ming dynasty's imperial family can still be granted fiefdoms outside the Ming dynasty. Even if these are some seemingly wild and undeveloped places, they still attract the attention of many.
At least that's how the Ming Dynasty's imperial family felt. Compared to Japan and Korea, it was considered by many to be a better place and worth fighting for.
But now the dust has settled. Emperor Hongwu has made a final decision: the Ming Dynasty will soon have two more vassal states to protect it from outside the Ming Dynasty. This is an arrangement that seems to have a very profound meaning.
Just when many people thought this was the real big deal, the Crown Prince appeared, tears streaming down his face. He believed that his father's illness was due to overwork in state affairs and excessive diligence in governing.
Old Zhu also deeply felt this, as he used to work tirelessly day and night to manage the affairs of the newly established Ming Dynasty. Moreover, he had the help of his eldest son at that time, which allowed him to barely manage to get things done.
Old Zhu seemed somewhat dejected, thinking of his eldest son and mentioning Da Zhu, feeling that Da Zhu died young because he was too tired, which was a lesson from the past.
Therefore, when the young Zhu mentioned wanting some Grand Secretaries to help with governance, Emperor Hongwu was clearly displeased and gave him a stern reprimand. It seemed that Emperor Hongwu was very unhappy, scolding the Crown Prince for speaking recklessly without understanding the affairs of state.
Even if he doted on his grandson, he could not entrust political affairs to court officials; this matter was absolutely unacceptable.
Watching the Hongwu Emperor storm off and the Crown Prince who looked somewhat flustered, Lian Zining suddenly felt that this scene was somewhat familiar. Only then did she realize that this time, the entire court had once again fallen into the trap set by the Hongwu Emperor and the Yingshi Emperor.
His Highness the Crown Prince also played a significant role in this grand drama, clearly participating in its performance.
Emperor Ying Shi may want to form a cabinet and share some power, as evidenced by the Crown Prince's recent revelation that he would promote Lian Zining's eldest son to Grand Secretary.
However, Emperor Hongwu's statement now implies that even if Emperor Yingshi had formed a cabinet, it would only be a temporary cabinet assembled because he was too tired, lacking any legitimacy and could be deposed at any time.
When it comes to methods, we have to look to the Hongwu Emperor and the Yingshi Emperor; they had so many tricks up their sleeves!
At this time, however, many people still did not understand its meaning, and were still marveling at the Crown Prince's filial piety and benevolence.
Even if Lian Zining might know something, the smart thing to do would be to keep quiet and keep those guesses to herself. That would be the right thing to do.
Little Zhu remained kneeling on the ground, looking very sad. After all, His Highness the Crown Prince had always been very favored and had never experienced being severely reprimanded before.
The Hongwu Emperor stormed off, while the Crown Prince remained immersed in grief, unable to extricate himself. At this moment, the civil and military officials were clearly in the most difficult position.
Whether civil or military officials, they were all observing the situation and feeling that someone needed to break the deadlock.
Ru Chang was highly regarded by the civil officials, but he certainly wouldn't show up at this time. He felt that his identity was sensitive and that he was not qualified to get close to the Crown Prince.
Chang Mao was naturally the top figure in the military, and he knew he should step forward without hesitation. However, Chang Mao was still quite sensible and waved to Xu Zengshou, who was standing at the end of the line. Xu Zengshou immediately stepped forward eagerly.
Chang Mao walked up to Xiao Zhu, knelt down, and said softly, "Your Highness, although His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus is furious, he is not seriously injured."
Xu Zengshou simply couldn't bear to listen anymore. "Your nephew, the Duke of Kaiguo, is now the emperor, so naturally he doesn't care about the Hongwu Emperor's reprimands. But my nephew is only the Crown Prince. How could he not care about the Hongwu Emperor's attitude? Besides, my nephew is just a child! How can he be treated like this!"
Chang Mao then continued, "Your Highness, it would be best to return to the palace first and ask His Majesty to speak on your behalf."
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