When a powerful emperor resorts to shameless tactics, the civil and military officials can only try to struggle. But what the actual outcome will be, perhaps only they themselves know; perhaps they can only do their best and leave the rest to fate.
After all, the emperor they faced was not only powerful and all-powerful, but also extremely stubborn.
Li Jinglong didn't need to worry about these things; he was quite clear about his own position. As the grand-nephew of the Hongwu Emperor and the cousin of the Yingshi Emperor, he already held a high position of power and his identity was sensitive.
For Li Jinglong, his current special and transcendent status is enough; anything more would be a bad thing.
Upon arriving at the Wuying Hall again, Li Jinglong was naturally offered a seat, being the eldest cousin after all.
Zhu Yunying looked at Li Jinglong and said with a smile, "Cousin, we are planning to appoint a Grand Secretary this time, and there is a lot of discussion about it in the court. Speaking of which, these things are quite interesting. Many people outside say that we are violating the ancestral rules, and they all say that such things should be approved by the Emperor."
Although he was Zhu Yunying's cousin and a member of the family whom Zhu Yunying trusted and favored, Li Jinglong knew his place. He understood that the actions of Emperor Yingshi truly required Emperor Hongwu's approval; that was the safest course of action.
After all, Li Jinglong wasn't stupid. He could see that the Palace Academy and the Grand Secretariat, which Emperor Yingshi had created, were essentially weakened versions of the Prime Minister and the Secretariat. These were things that Emperor Hongwu greatly disliked and had long been abolished.
It's normal for Li Jinglong to have such thoughts; in fact, countless civil and military officials in the court shared similar ideas. Even though Zhu Yunying had gained some authority over the years, as long as Zhu Yuanzhang was still alive, Zhu Yunying was often not the most prestigious emperor.
Zhu Yunying was aware of this situation and did not feel resentful.
When Li Jinglong was unsure how to answer, Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "Cousin, we have reserved a position for a military officer among the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet this time. Although it is only a fifth-rank position, the responsibilities of a Grand Secretary are different. As the head of the Military Academy, you know best which members of the noble families are capable."
Li Jinglong immediately asked, "Your Majesty, those who enter the cabinet need to have experience governing local areas, so do Grand Secretaries of the Wuying Hall need to have experience leading troops?"
Look, even though many people seem to have opposing opinions about the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, the duties of the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are so important that everyone pays close attention to them.
Zhu Yunying had previously established some rules, which many people readily accepted. Many were now preparing to recommend their favorites, recognizing this as a rare opportunity.
Li Jinglong naturally hoped to seize this opportunity, because as the head of the Martial Academy, he already held a high position and great power among the military officials of the Ming Dynasty. However, he still hoped to grasp more opportunities.
Some senior generals need further education, and now we are starting to train mid-level generals. If the best of the martial arts academy can become a fifth-rank Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, then they will be favored by the emperor and will have no shortage of opportunities to show their abilities.
Anyone with discerning eyes can see that a fifth-rank Grand Secretary may seem to be of low rank, even lacking the qualifications to attend court. But so what? Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet serve His Majesty and can now participate in political discussions, an opportunity many fourth-rank officials do not have.
Don't just look at the gains and losses now; I need to look at the long-term future. Especially for those officials with ambitions, being able to serve the emperor is more important than anything else.
After discussing it carefully with Li Jinglong, Zhu Yunying did not make a decision immediately. He believed that Li Jinglong was fine and that it was right to give the person recommended by Li Jinglong a chance.
However, this doesn't mean Zhu Yunying only cared about Li Jinglong's opinion; he also had to consider the thoughts and opinions of other military officers. After all, the military officers in the Ming Dynasty were quite divided into factions, and maintaining a balance was necessary.
Previously, the most powerful faction was naturally the Xu faction, with Prince Xu Da of Zhongshan in charge, which was enough. He was undoubtedly the first general of the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Prince Chang Yuchun of Kaiping died young, but fortunately, there was the rising star Lan Yu who could stand alone. In addition, with the relationship with Zhu Yunying, the Chang faction seemed to be able to share the power with the Xu faction.
However, let's not forget Li Wenzhong, Feng Sheng, Tang He, Fu Youde, and others; they also had their own factions. Even if they couldn't seem to compare with the Xu and Chang factions, they were still a force to be reckoned with.
After Li Jinglong left, Chang Mao was ordered to pay homage to the emperor. As the nominal leader of the Chang faction, no one dared to object.
Zhu Yunying was still smiling. Even though he was planning to deal with some of the nobles in the Chang clan, it didn't mean that Zhu Yunying was going to embarrass Chang Mao right now. Perhaps it was because Zhu Yunying was somewhat of a smiling tiger.
Chang Mao didn't sense anything unusual; this scoundrel truly didn't care about certain things.
Zhu Yunying only exchanged a few simple words with Chang Mao, as the Wuying Hall was not a place for casual conversation. The most important thing for Zhu Yunying was to ask Chang Mao for his advice and opinions on the position of Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall.
In contrast, Chang Mao had already made plans. "Your Majesty, I think the heir of the Duke of Ying is suitable. He has followed the Duke of Ying on the battlefield for a long time and is very familiar with military affairs. Furthermore, his status and rank are also appropriate. I think it would be best to give the position of Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall to the heir of the Duke of Ying."
Zhu Yunying remained calm and asked with a smile, "Uncle, our maternal grandfather had quite a few proud and fierce generals under his command in his younger days. Although most of the old generals are no longer alive, is there not a single one of any worthiness in this mansion?"
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