As a former child prodigy, Ru Chang possessed an unparalleled memory for Tang and Song dynasty poetry, could recite thousands of poems by the age of six, and was well-versed in the "Great Learning" and "Doctrine of the Mean" by the age of ten. However, he was also well aware of the extraordinary nature of the person before him, knowing that this person was truly precocious.
She possesses an extraordinary understanding of human nature and the ways of the world, even at such a young age. It is precisely because of this that Ru Chang understands all the more that she must not let her guard down in front of this person, for this person is not so easily fooled.
Moreover, as a former tutor to the Crown Prince, Ru Chang was now past forty. He knew that his smooth career was due to his early service under Emperor Ying Shi. Among the court officials, there was no shortage of exceptionally talented individuals.
After careful consideration, Ru Chang said, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is kind and composed, as all his colleagues in the court have witnessed."
Zhu Yunying smiled and then said, "My companion, don't just say nice things in front of us. You know we're not the kind of people who like to hear nice things, but we can also listen to honest advice, even if it's unpleasant to hear."
He hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I had no such intention! What I said was all from my own feelings, and I dare not utter a single word of presumption."
Zhu Yunying shook his head, seemingly somewhat saddened, "Since I was a child, most of the people around me have spoken well of me and have always gone along with me. Even my study companions in my early years were like that."
Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Even though he was His Majesty's former study companion, Ru Chang did not think he was anything special, nor did he believe that His Majesty could not control the court without him. Ru Chang was well aware of this.
Because she knew Emperor Yingshi so well, Ru Chang felt that she, as the former grandson's study companion, might not actually have a deep relationship with the current Emperor Yingshi. His Majesty was precocious and rarely confided in his foreign ministers.
In His Majesty's eyes, Ru Chang might just be a familiar face, a minister with a modicum of ability. He constantly reminded himself never to overestimate his own importance.
Those who didn't know him envied him as His Majesty's former study companion and confidant. But Ru Chang knew even better that if she did anything against His Majesty's wishes, she might lose his trust.
Just look at Zhuo Jing; he serves as a cautionary tale. If His Majesty were to turn against him, he would do so without hesitation. This is a true reflection of the saying, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger."
Ru Chang's cautiousness in front of Zhu Yunying was not a recent development. Even when Zhu Yunying was the crown prince in his early years, Ru Chang was always careful and well-behaved in his presence, as the difference in their social status was very clear from the beginning.
Moreover, Ru Chang, who was well-versed in the classics, also possessed the ideals of a scholar. In addition to cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, loyalty to the emperor was also ingrained in his character.
Zhu Yunying smiled and stopped making things difficult for Ru Chang. "I've heard that the Crown Prince is somewhat unsteady in court. He hasn't even grasped many things that the Emperor Emeritus has been guiding him through, yet he dares to speak so presumptuously?!"
Ru Chang felt even more uneasy. He roughly understood His Majesty's meaning and what His Majesty was saying.
This scene clearly refers to some matters that His Highness the Crown Prince mentioned at yesterday's morning court session. These matters have indeed greatly displeased His Majesty, and now he is using Ru Chang as a warning to others.
Perhaps it's a warning to His Highness the Crown Prince, but more importantly, it's a warning to the other court officials. All of this is to eliminate any negative impact; it's an intention to completely shatter any budding ambitions the officials might have.
This makes perfect sense if you just think about the personalities of the Hongwu Emperor and the Ying Shi Emperor. Not only were they diligent in their duties, but they were also extremely power-hungry. It's simply impossible that they would voluntarily delegate any power.
Ru Chang was not surprised at all that His Majesty was bringing this up now. In fact, she thought that His Majesty's hasty return to the court might be because of this matter.
The reason is very simple. Although the Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Literary Brilliance helped participate in national affairs, this was proposed by His Highness the Crown Prince and rejected by the Hongwu Emperor. To be more precise, the Retired Emperor simply vented his anger and left.
Even though the Emperor Emeritus didn't directly refute it, his attitude spoke volumes. Some things don't necessarily need to be stated explicitly; everyone can understand them in practice.
Although it was only proposed by the Crown Prince and did not receive the Emperor Emeritus's approval, even though the current Crown Prince is not currently involved in government affairs, he indeed has little say in court. Just considering the Crown Prince's status as heir apparent and his secure position, this speaks volumes.
Even if the Crown Prince's proposal isn't adopted now, it might be in the future. Currently, His Highness the Crown Prince has little influence over court affairs, but as he grows older, his influence will undoubtedly increase.
Moreover, this can be considered as planting a seed in the hearts of the officials, which may have already begun to take root and sprout.
While respecting imperial power, officials also hoped to limit it; these are not contradictory.
Zhu Yunying seemed to understand Ru Chang's thoughts and said with a smile, "After hearing about what happened in court yesterday, I thought about it carefully. What the Crown Prince said makes sense, and we have to think about it deeply."
Zhu Yunying also said at this time, "In fact, in the early years, the retired emperor also said that four assistant officials would be set up. It was only after Hu's rebellion that the Secretariat was abolished and the emperor took charge of the administration of the six ministries and the hundred departments. We also feel that some things are quite tedious and tiring."
That's exactly right. After the Hu Weiyong case, Emperor Zhu abolished the Secretariat and the position of prime minister, transferring the power of the Secretariat to the Six Ministries. This allowed the emperor to directly control the Six Ministries, effectively making him the prime minister as well, thus truly wielding absolute power.
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