As the elder brother, Zhu Yunying certainly had a responsibility to educate his younger brother; it was his duty and obligation. To be honest, it wasn't just his younger brother who needed discipline; his uncles, nephews, and other relatives also required care and attention.
After all, Zhu Yunying is now the nominal patriarch, so these matters naturally fall under his responsibility.
The fourth brother caused some trouble and needs to be disciplined a bit. The fifth brother and the others also need to come back from their hometown of Fengyang.
This was also a characteristic of the Ming Dynasty imperial family. Basically, before being granted a title, they would definitely need to return to their ancestral home in Fengyang to see the foundation laid by their ancestors, so that they would know the hardships of the people and the difficulties their fathers and grandfathers had in building the empire.
Although most members of the imperial clan treat their return to their ancestral home in Fengyang as a mere formality, and they may not necessarily make significant progress after such a visit, the necessary tasks still need to be done, and some seemingly formalistic actions do have their own significance.
Members of the imperial clan have a special status and should set an example. Even if there are some纨绔 (spoiled brats) or even wicked people among them, the proper rules must still be followed, and Zhu Yunying never objected to these things.
After Zhu Yunying sent his younger brother away, he opened some of the memorials drafted by the cabinet and his eyes immediately lit up.
Yan Zhenzhi took action, mobilizing laborers in the Xinxiang area to reinforce the river embankments during the current dry season. This area was the same region where the Yellow River had previously breached its banks.
Of course, this is not all. The most important thing is to reinforce the north bank dike and build a dam to block the northern diversion, so that the Yellow River flows entirely into the Huai River channel. This is just the beginning, because as everyone knows, the course of the Yellow River to the Huai River is not fixed.
So this is just a preliminary step. The next step is to completely establish a fixed channel for the Yellow River, from the Bian River to the Si River, and then from the Si River to the Huai River. While this is not a fundamental solution, if everything goes smoothly, it can basically ensure the stability of the Yellow River's channel for decades or even centuries, preventing it from continuing to arbitrarily change its course.
Zhu Yunying had always attached great importance to this matter, even though things had been relatively good in recent years without major floods. However, he could not rely on luck and had to take advantage of the current relatively stable situation to prepare in advance, so that the people on both sides of the Yellow River could have some peace of mind.
It can also make things a little easier for future generations. After all, if the Yellow River were to breach its banks, not only would it cause widespread unrest, but it would also displace countless people and create significant hidden dangers.
Zhu Yunying began working on changing the course of the Yellow River and diverting its flow to the Huai River and then into the sea. He didn't expect to eliminate all potential problems, but he was willing to do as much as possible to resolve some of them—this was a characteristic of Zhu Yunying.
I don't put off until tomorrow what I can do today, I don't think about just getting by, and I always feel that I can do more and better.
Zhu Yunying now probably understands some of the things his father did back then. He always thought that he should work harder, since he was capable enough, so he should do everything he could to ensure a stable reign for his descendants.
This isn't about those who are capable doing more work, or simply that some people are born to be busy and always want to do more. They don't feel any hardship; they actually enjoy the process.
Looking at Yan Zhenzhi's memorial, Zhu Yunying couldn't help but nod. It seemed that Yan Zhenzhi had put a lot of effort into it. The preliminary preparations were very thorough, with not only a plan but also a lot of supplies prepared, so things could proceed smoothly now.
However, such a project would inevitably require countless funds and supplies, and there was never enough material. So even though the imperial court had prepared a lot beforehand, including supplies, funds, laborers, and corvée labor, Yan Zhenzhi still asked for support.
There's no need to worry about it for now. Yan Zhenzhi is also a greedy person, and this former Minister of Works has always liked to ask for money and manpower. Even if there are plenty of supplies in the warehouse, he still wants to ask for more in advance so that he feels at ease and can get things done smoothly.
Now that we understand Yan Zhenzhi's personality very well, there's no need to be nervous about many things.
Being a good emperor is truly not an easy task, and there are countless decisions that require the emperor to make.
This naturally means that choices and decisions need to be made. The various suggestions from ministers cannot be accepted in their entirety; otherwise, it would not be a matter of being good at accepting advice, and it would only lead to the emperor being sidelined and the country becoming unstable.
Just as Zhu Yunying was praising Yan Zhenzhi for his efficient handling of affairs, a young eunuch rushed into the Wuying Hall in a panic, requesting an audience. The next moment, Wang Chengen also seemed flustered, hurriedly running towards Zhu Yunying with a flustered expression.
Seeing Wang Chengen's expression, Zhu Yunying seemed to sense something. "Let's go, prepare the carriage for the Qianqing Palace."
After saying this, Zhu Yunying strode out of the Wuying Hall. "Don't let the Crown Prince and Empress go there yet. Have the people from the Imperial Hospital wait. Strengthen the defenses of the palace and order the Duke of Zhongshan to enter the palace to take charge of the defense of the imperial city."
It's said that Zhu Yunying had already seized power, so there was basically no need to worry about any unrest at any time. However, that's how things are sometimes; it's never a bad thing to be prepared in advance, and you can never be too careful about some things.
As Zhu Yunying quickened his pace, he said, "Keep a close eye on things in the palace. If any palace maids or eunuchs dare to leak information, punish them severely without exception! Inform the Empress about this matter. There can be no mercy at this time!"
Wang Chengen naturally remembered this. The current emperor could be said to have been quite lenient since childhood, treating the palace eunuchs and maids with kindness and not punishing them for minor mistakes. However, in the current situation, leniency was no longer possible. If some wicked individuals disregarded the emperor's grace and secretly leaked palace information, then of course, he would not be merciful to them.
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