Little Zhu rushed off to the Qing Palace, eager to inquire about his performance at the morning court session. This was something he cared about immensely, for Little Zhu was inherently proud and wouldn't allow himself to fall short.
Because his great-grandfather was the Hongwu Emperor, his grandfather was the Xiaokang Emperor, and his father was the Yingshi Emperor!
Deep down, Little Zhu believes he is the best. Whatever he sets his mind to, he wants to do it to the best of his ability!
"This child." Looking at little Zhu's back, Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh. "I originally thought he would be more mature when he grew up, but I've spoiled him all these years. He's the only one who dares to run around in the palace."
Wang Chengen kept his head down and remained silent. If there was anyone who dared to run around the palace, it was indeed the Crown Prince. Everyone else, unless it was an extremely urgent matter, walked very steadily, only quickening their pace when faced with an emergency.
Running is something I wouldn't even dare to think about; it's considered improper and could potentially lead to punishment.
Of course, Wang Chengen only thought about these things in his mind. Who in the palace would dare to compare himself to the Crown Prince?
Back at the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yunying asked, "What is my cabinet doing now?"
Wang Chengen immediately replied, "Your Majesty, now that the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet have taken up their posts in the Wenyuan Pavilion, it is time to draft their opinions."
Zhu Yunying nodded slightly. Although the existence of the cabinet made many civil officials feel uneasy, they really had no choice, because Emperor Yingshi was clearly a rogue, allowing the cabinet to appear in such an illegitimate way.
Many people now believe that the cabinet is very powerful. Even though the rank of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet is not high, compared to the previous Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Fame, their power is worlds apart.
Nowadays, all memorials from all over the country, large and small, and even suggestions from ordinary people to the emperor, are collected by the Office of Transmission, submitted to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs for the emperor's review, and then handed over to the Grand Secretariat. The Grand Secretariat is responsible for drafting the handling opinions, which are then submitted to the emperor for approval by the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. Finally, the Six Ministries proofread and issue the proposals.
Although many people know that Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are only capable of drafting minor documents, and the emperor would never allow them to see memorials concerning truly important matters, they are still able to handle some affairs nonetheless.
This is no small matter; it could even be described as a completely new political landscape for the Ming Dynasty.
In the past, the civil service would have been incredibly excited. Even though there were military officials in the cabinet, they were still mainly civil officials. On the other hand, the Ming emperor, who was used to wielding absolute power, was finally willing to start relinquishing some authority.
This was naturally something to be happy about, but unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty emperor deliberately made the civil and military officials uncomfortable, and the cabinet was still somewhat illegitimate. Many people have also realized that this was Emperor Yingshi's intention; he wanted this illegitimate status, which was also a way to restrain the cabinet.
Balance and checks and balances were clearly inherent characteristics of Emperor Ying Shi. Even when he delegated power, he could not truly relinquish it completely; at the very least, he would not allow either the civil service group or the military merit group to grow unilaterally stronger.
Having such an emperor made many civil and military officials very uncomfortable.
The emperor was too wise to be easily fooled, and somewhat harsh and difficult to serve. But what could they do? They were just his subjects!
Zhu Yunying smiled and didn't say anything more. He still had many things to do. Some important military and national affairs required his personal attention, and he also needed to review and approve the opinions drafted by the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.
Just as Zhu Yunying was busy, Wang Chengen cautiously said, "Your Majesty, Prince Zhou is requesting an audience outside the palace. He says that Your Majesty has granted permission for the compilers of the Grand Compilation to enter the palace."
Zhu Yunying raised his head and couldn't help but laugh. "I don't know what you've been busy with all day. I promised my uncle these things a long time ago, but I've been busy until now and they still haven't been implemented. I, the emperor, am not a man of golden words, but a man who breaks his promises and gets fat."
Wang Chengen immediately chimed in, "His Majesty has been working tirelessly day and night to handle state affairs these past few days, and I'm sure His Highness Prince Zhou is aware of that."
Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Let them come over. I saw the ceremony a while ago, and the compilation is acceptable. Tell the Crown Prince to make preparations. I can't bestow a reward myself, so let the Crown Prince issue an edict to praise it."
Zhu Yunying couldn't directly bestow rewards, mainly because the *Xiaokang Dadian* wasn't yet completed. He could reward the compilers and others with some honors or a proper title, but before the book was fully finished, it was clearly inappropriate to discuss merits and bestow rewards.
However, it's necessary to give these people a small reward. If the emperor doesn't intervene, the crown prince will. This approach has some effect, since the crown prince is the foundation of the state, and his rewards are a form of honor.
These things were naturally handled by others. Whether it was summoning people to an audience or conveying imperial edicts to the Qianqing Palace, there were always people to take care of them. Zhu Yunying didn't need to worry about it at all.
King Zhu Su of Zhou was in charge of compiling the "Xiaokang Encyclopedia," a monumental work that showcased the prestige of the nation and benefited future generations.
The requirement is: all books from the time of writing, including those on astronomy, geography, yin and yang, medicine, divination, Buddhism, Taoism, and arts and crafts, should be compiled into one book!
This is undoubtedly a remarkable feat, and its scale continues to expand. From the initial few dozen people, through continuous recruitment and recommendations, more than two thousand people are now involved in the compilation of this grand encyclopedia.
Those who can participate are either learned scholars or top experts in certain fields. Such a literary event does indeed attract many people, whether they have already achieved academic success or are still living in obscurity, none of them can refuse such an opportunity.
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