While it's certainly not appropriate to simply and brutally wipe out the factions controlled by the Ming military, it's also necessary to restrict their expansion.
Especially the Chang and Xu factions, these two major factions are already incredibly powerful. Under the current circumstances, the two major military factions of the Ming Dynasty still maintain extremely strong vitality, and they certainly still have reason to remain prominent.
Needless to say, the person currently sitting on the dragon throne is the 'head' of the Chang faction. The Chang faction will definitely protect Zhu Yunying, and the person on the dragon throne can be said to be their backer.
As for the problems within the Chang lineage, there are naturally some as well. The three Chang brothers, Chang Mao and Chang Yu, are not capable of shouldering the responsibilities of the family. Although Lan Yu has distinguished military achievements, his personality flaws make it difficult for him to become a true leader.
The lack of successors is perhaps the awkward and embarrassing situation that the Chang lineage has to face, although it doesn't seem so troublesome now.
The only faction comparable to the Chang faction was the Xu faction. In fact, if it weren't for Zhu De's deliberate bias, the Xu faction could have even achieved a monopoly. Chang Yuchun had great achievements and prestige, but compared to Xu Da, he was still somewhat inferior in various aspects, not to mention that Chang Yuchun died young.
Xu Huizu is now making continuous achievements and is quite steady and reliable. Although he cannot compare to Xu Da's extraordinary talent, Xu Huizu can still be considered an outstanding person, and the Xu lineage does not need to worry about having no successor.
Moreover, the Xu faction has its own strengths: the current empress is from the Prince of Zhongshan's family, and the current crown prince is also the empress's son, making their position incredibly secure.
Undoubtedly, even if Xu Da was loyal and Xu Huizu had the same qualities as his father, they would inevitably have some selfish motives under such circumstances, which is only human nature.
It could even be said that if Little Zhu fails to ascend the throne in the future, the Xu lineage will inevitably be purged. The Xu lineage has long been completely bound to the imperial family and has lost its former aloofness. They are deeply bound to the royal family, just like the Chang lineage.
Little Zhu woke up and immediately began to complain, "Dad, why didn't you wake us up when you came?"
Zhu Yunying smiled and said to Little Zhu, "Don't just sit around after washing up. We can't go to your mother's place, so you go there instead. Show your filial piety; all the officials are watching."
Little Zhu couldn't help but exclaim, "We're filial in our daily lives, we don't need to show it to others! In the palace, everyone knows we're the most filial, even more filial than our father."
Zhu Yunying raised his hand and scolded irritably, "I think you're just asking for a beating! We know you're filial, but there are many things you can't do as you please. As the Crown Prince and the heir to the throne, you not only have to behave well yourself, but also set an example for others."
Old Zhu held little Zhu in his arms, glared at Zhu Yunying and scolded, "You do nothing but waste your time in court. You have no ability yourself, so you use Yin'er as a raft. Now you want to scare him. Is this all you've got?! We think you're asking for a beating. We'll teach you a lesson sooner or later."
Little Zhu, protected by Old Zhu, was winking and making faces, clearly very proud. Old Zhu was his biggest backer, which made him fearless.
However, after scaring Zhu Yunying, Old Zhu said to Little Zhu, "But what your father said makes sense. You should show your face to your mother today. Your status is not ordinary. If you don't go, others will think too much, and your mother will lose face."
"Great-grandfather, it wouldn't be right if we went, Great-grandfather should reward our mother." Little Zhu hugged Old Zhu's waist and said coquettishly, "Our mother is the most virtuous. She took good care of our father and raised Wenkun. She is kind and benevolent. Everyone in the palace submits to her."
Old Zhu nodded with a smile and said, "Do you even need to tell me? Your mother is quite reliable, and we're satisfied with our granddaughter-in-law. We've prepared a reward, and we'll send it over in a bit."
Little Zhu said with a grin, "Then let's take it with us. Great-grandfather can't send any more Ruyi this time. Among all the people in the palace, Great-grandfather has given away the most Ruyi."
Old Zhu glared at Little Zhu and said with great dissatisfaction, "We don't have many Ruyi scepters, and we're usually reluctant to give them away as rewards. Go find Shuangquan and have him take our rewards over there. Emperor, you've prepared some on your end too, haven't you?"
Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "I prepared some privately yesterday, and I'll send some more today. Since Yin'er is going, let him take it with him. That little thing can't stand seeing people he cares about suffer losses; he always tries to hoard the good stuff for himself."
Old Zhu patted Little Zhu's head and said, "This is somewhat like you. Your father is just like that. You three are such good-for-nothings, always rummaging through our things. Others who get our things are grateful, but you three always complain about our rewards."
Generally speaking, no one dared to complain about Old Zhu's rewards. To receive Old Zhu's rewards, one should be grateful and thank him. Even Old Zhu's children were no exception.
That is, the eldest son, eldest grandson, and eldest great-grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang. This eldest branch can be considered to be a direct line of succession, and they are often very picky about the rewards given to them by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Even so, Old Zhu was not unhappy. He always believed that everything he owned belonged to his children, and most of what he left behind clearly belonged to the eldest son's branch of the family.
Therefore, Old Zhu never cared about gold, silver and jewelry, and it was always Old Zhu's eldest son's lineage that naturally handled them, along with their occasional complaints.
Actually, it's just that Little Zhu is more well-behaved. Big Zhu and Little Zhu often take the treasury for granted and only remember to tell Old Zhu after taking things. As for Old Zhu, when the inner treasury is running low, he thinks of taking some things from the Eastern Palace's treasury.
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