Wang Chengen and Shuangquan naturally followed Xiao Zhu away. These two chief eunuchs held certain positions, and their appearance represented the will of the two emperors of the Ming Dynasty.
"We don't know what the Wu Xun side is thinking. If they're clever, we'll give them the title of Grand Secretary." After Little Zhu left, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "If they don't get it, we'll have to go find my uncle."
Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu smiled and nodded, feeling that there was nothing wrong with Zhu Yunying's idea.
Emperors naturally prefer checks and balances, which is understandable. Moreover, both the early Zhu Yuanzhang and the later Zhu Yuanzhang were wary of the civil service, so limiting their development was only natural.
Especially now that Zhu Yunying intends to delegate some power, it naturally means there are more things to be mindful of. It's not just about limiting the civil service; the power of the military officials also needs to be restricted. While imperial power is undoubtedly supreme, other interest groups should not be underestimated.
Old Zhu thought for a moment and said, "Your uncle is hopeless, so don't count on him. You still need to tell him what needs to be told, lest that fool ruins important matters."
On one hand, Zhu looked down on Chang Mao, feeling that Chang Mao was the worst of the worst, tarnishing Chang Yuchun's lifelong reputation. On the other hand, Zhu was also quite at ease with Chang Mao, mainly because Chang Mao lacked both ability and ambition.
There's definitely no problem with saying that, because if we disregard the fact that Chang Mao is his maternal uncle, Zhu Yunying might have made the same assessment. It's not that Chang Mao is hiding his abilities or trying to smear himself; Chang Mao genuinely doesn't have much ability. He's not muddle-headed when it comes to important matters, but he struggles to be astute when it comes to trivial ones.
Actually, this is quite good; it aligns with the emperor's interests, given Chang Mao's rather sensitive status. If he were too outstanding, it would actually be a troublesome situation.
“Yin’er is going to have a headache from now on. Xu Huizu is quite capable.” Zhu Yunying sighed and said, “The Chang family will stay in Yingtian Prefecture from now on. It’s more appropriate for them to stay here. The Zhongshan Prince’s Mansion will be going to Beiping Prefecture with us.”
Historically, the lineage of Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan, was actually stationed in Yingtian Prefecture for a long time; this refers to the branch of Xu Huizu. After all, two of the Xu family members were dukes, one of whom, Duke Dingguo Xu Zengshou, was killed by Zhu Yunwen at the end of the Jingnan Campaign.
However, such a thing will certainly not happen in this lifetime. Xu Zengshou has no reason to collude with Zhu Di, nor does he have any reason to be disloyal. And Xu Huizu need not worry about offending Zhu Di and being imprisoned and killed.
As for the claim that the Zhongshan Prince's lineage is no longer suitable to remain in Yongzhen, Yingtian Prefecture, and that the Kaiping Prince's lineage is more appropriate, it would be better for the Zhongshan Prince's lineage to follow Zhu Yunying to Beiping. Before the young Zhu ascends the throne, the Zhongshan Prince's lineage should be his assistant in the court.
Old Zhu glanced at the teacup, and Zhu Yunying immediately poured him some tea. Old Zhu smiled; although his grandson was lazy at times, he was still quite filial.
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunying and said, "You don't need to worry about the Empress's affairs, and your uncle's family's matters are nothing. What we're thinking now is that there are more and more military officials in the court, which is not a big deal. After fighting Goguryeo, we still have to fight the Oirats, which is not a big deal."
Zhu Yunying didn't seem to mind and said, "There aren't many hereditary titles, so we can find some excuses to remove some. We want to make good use of military merit, but we can't allow them to be too powerful, or they can make us lose face."
Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Zhu Yunying felt much more at ease. The military merit group in the early days of the founding of the country was quite large. Although Zhu Yunying had purged a number of them, the military merit group was still very powerful.
Many people have made contributions during the continuous wars over the years, so it is only natural that they were granted titles and honors.
"Although the first half of this year has been incredibly busy, I've been happy with it," Zhu Yunying said, taking a leisurely sip of tea. "Not only has the administration been smooth, but the weather has also been favorable. Furthermore, there have been some good things happening, both big and small."
Old Zhu smiled and nodded in agreement. Indeed, it had been quite good; the first half of the year had gone relatively smoothly. As for minor accidents, there was no need to worry; Zhu Yunying could handle them with relative ease.
So overall, the first half of the year went very smoothly, which naturally made Joo Yoon-young feel more at ease and comfortable.
While Zhu Yunying and Zhu Laozhu were discussing the rewards for the meritorious officials who had made contributions during their trip to Goryeo, Wang Chengen returned to the Qianqing Palace and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Wu is requesting an audience outside the palace."
Zhu Yunying was taken aback. Shouldn't his good-for-nothing younger brother still be in Xuyi at this time, repairing his great-aunt's mausoleum? Although Xuyi and Yingtian Prefecture are not far apart, that kid shouldn't be back so soon.
Most importantly, Zhu Yunying didn't seem particularly concerned. However, Zhu Yunying was quite clear about the general movements of Zhu Yunhua's group, so logically, they shouldn't have returned to Yingtian Prefecture so quickly.
Zhu Yunying was somewhat troubled and surprised. "Is it the Prince of Wu who is requesting an audience? And what about the Duke of Cao?"
Wang Chengen immediately said, "The Duke of Cao is also requesting an audience outside the palace, saying he is reporting on an imperial decree. His Highness the Prince of Wu is also requesting an audience, saying he is here to congratulate His Highness the Empress on her birthday."
Zhu Yunying immediately laughed and said, "Let them come over first. Although the second prince is usually mischievous, he values his family. That's good. Even though the second prince had already established his own residence when we married the Empress, the Empress still took good care of him."
Such a scene of brotherly affection and respect naturally made Old Zhu happy. He said to Wang Chengen, "Is Princess Wu also in the palace? Although she is a bit superficial, she is still to our liking. We will bestow upon her fifty bolts of silk and fifty bolts of Shu brocade."
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