The stupid son of Chongba

Chapter 169: Court meeting? Palace examination! Zhu Ju selects the top scholar! Mu Ying is back!

Hu Weiyong stood among the crowd with a gloomy look on his face.

It was like hitting cotton! He felt this way now. He had instigated so many officials to submit petitions together and raised so many difficult problems, but they were easily resolved by Zhu Ju.

Although the problem was not solved, it could no longer put pressure on Zhu Ju, and everyone's attention was now focused on the forty-one new scholars, wanting to see how strong these upstarts were.

A grand court meeting turned out to be an alternative palace examination!

At this moment, all the successful candidates were concentrating on thinking, because they were all selected by Zhu Ju's second test paper. Having experienced tricky water conservancy problems before, they were not panicked at this moment.

Slowly, some people raised their heads, wanting to speak but hesitant.

"Do you have an idea?"

Zhu Ju saw his expression and asked with a smile.

"Your Excellency, I do have some ideas, but they are not perfect yet. I am afraid that they are not well thought out and will make people laugh at me."

The Jinshi bowed.

Zhu Ju waved his hand.

"Well, you are a newcomer, and some of your ideas are already valuable. How could anyone laugh at you?"

He smiled and said,
"Speak, speak, you can speak as you please! Even if what you say is wrong, I won't punish you. First of all, your courage deserves praise!"

After hearing this, the scholar finally felt relieved and took a deep breath.

"Yes, sir. Then I will try to solve the problem of the Tusi rebellion in Yunnan."

The scholar said in a deep voice,
"I have heard that the people in Yunnan are tough and there are hundreds of chieftains, big and small. Their leaders have different personalities. Some are law-abiding, some are cunning and fickle, some have long-term vision, and some are short-sighted."

"It is precisely because of this that Yunnan has been in a state of chaos for a long time, barely maintaining a delicate balance in the chaos. If those who abide by the law and have a long-term vision are powerful, Yunnan will be peaceful; otherwise, there will be constant rebellion."

"I think the current Tusi rebellion in Yunnan is probably the second scenario, where a few Tusi leaders with bad personalities became powerful and then swept through other tribes, leading to a rebellion."

Zhu Ju nodded slightly.

"Yes, you have a good point!"

He praised,

"What's your name?"

The so-called expert will know if there is anything as soon as he takes action!

This young scholar looked to be in his early thirties, but he analyzed the situation very clearly and pointed out the root cause of the unrest among the chieftains in Yunnan at once.

Talent, definitely talent!

Not only Zhu Ju thought so, many civil and military officials present also nodded repeatedly with admiration in their eyes.

Indeed a young talent!

The scholar bowed again and said:

"The student's surname is Jie, which is the same as Jiezhi. His given name is Kai, and he is from Jiangxi."

Zhu Ju raised his eyebrows.

"Jie Kai... Jie? Do you know Jie Jin?"

He asked repeatedly.

Xie Jin was the greatest talent in the early Ming Dynasty and the editor-in-chief of the Yongle Encyclopedia!

Just think about how the Yongle Encyclopedia was praised by later generations, and you will know how talented Xie Jin was!

When he met someone with the same surname, he naturally had to ask.

"Eh? This..."

Jiekai was obviously a little surprised.
"I don't know how many Xie Jins there are in the world. If I say that I know someone like him... my child is also called Xie Jin."

Zhu Ju: “?!”

Oh, what a coincidence!
It turns out that the person who solved this problem is Xie Jin’s father. No wonder he is so talented!
I am a hero and my son is also a hero!

"How old is your son?"

Zhu Ju asked with great interest,
"Where now?"

Unlock: "..."

Isn't this a court meeting? Why are they discussing family matters?

But since the Regent asked him questions, he had no choice but to answer, so he could only tell the truth:

"Return to the regent, my son is now just two years old and has been placed in my hometown. He is still babbling."

Zhu Ju nodded slightly.

"Educate your son well, he will definitely be a talented person in the future."

"Okay, I'm just chatting with you... By the way, you didn't make the list during the first exam?"

Untie nodded.

"In the first joint examination, although the student tried his best, he was not as good as others and failed."

He saluted and said,

"However, if I cannot be an official, I can be a good teacher. I have ways to make a living in my hometown, and there are children and students in several schools waiting for me to teach them. Therefore, I was not too discouraged at that time. Unexpectedly, Your Majesty and Your Highness have shown mercy and held the imperial examination again. I was inexplicably excited and hope was rekindled in my heart."

"The questions in the second examination were different from the previous ones and were quite tricky. Fortunately, my father took me to travel around mountains and rivers in my early years, and I also saw the great rivers, so I had some ideas in my mind and I was lucky enough to pass the exam."

"I bow to thank your Majesty and the Regent for your great grace."

After saying this, he bowed and kowtowed again.

Whether it was his speech or his behavior, everything was very appropriate and there was nothing wrong with him.

"Look, look, such a talent was almost buried!"

Zhu Ju pointed at the untied and said to the group of civil and martial artists,

"This is why Father has gone against all odds and reopened the imperial examinations - we cannot allow mediocre and incompetent people who can only write empty articles to be promoted, while burying the truly talented people with great ambitions!"

"This person who has solved the Jinshi exam is proof! The second imperial examination has yielded remarkable results!"

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials bowed and saluted:
"Your Majesty is wise! Your Highness is wise!"

Zhu Ju smiled and nodded, then said to Mao Xiang beside him,

"Go, ask someone to bring me the examination papers for the Jinshi degree."

"As ordered."

Mao Xiang left immediately.

"Untie it and continue."

"Yes."

He untied his clothes and stood up, sorted out his thoughts, and continued:

"Students believe that we should use both firmness and softness to deal with Yunnan chieftains."

"Also, we need to distinguish between hard objects and soft objects. The main thing is to do some investigation."

"For those chieftains who abide by the law and have a long-term vision, we should appease and support them, so that they can become bigger and stronger, and suppress those with ulterior motives. This is the way to control the barbarians with the barbarians."

"Yunnan is full of miasma, poisonous insects, snakes and ants. People who are not locals often cannot adapt to the local climate. Therefore, the imperial court cannot mobilize troops on a large scale. It is better to make good use of the locals and use them as a fist to beat the disobedients!"

"Especially for those who are slippery and cunning, who return and rebel again, and rebel and return again, we should adopt the method of using barbarians to control barbarians. Otherwise, it will always be a difficult matter for the court. Although it is a minor disease, it cannot be cured and it will be a waste of effort."

"As for the rioters, they should be deterred. The imperial court should send out elite soldiers and generals, select a group of chieftains that can be annihilated, and send troops decisively to achieve a quick decision and quick elimination. In this way, the effect of killing the chicken to scare the monkey can be achieved."

Zhu Ju nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

"Not bad, really good!"

He praised,

"Your words not only explain how to quell the Tusi rebellion, but also explain the court's policy towards the entire Yunnan province."

"Okay, okay!"

"It seems that you want to be the top scholar!"

As expected of a talented father, he did not disappoint us!
"You are too kind, Regent."

Unlock the humble way,
"I am a student of limited talent and knowledge, and I have no ambition to be the first in the imperial examination."

Zhu Ju laughed.

"Don't be so literary!"

He raised his hand and said,

"Relax a little, don't be tense!"

"Young people should have the spirit of youth! You have talent, so it's okay to be a little arrogant!"

At this moment, Mao Xiang had arrived with the examination papers.

"Your Highness, I was in a hurry and didn't know which was the exam paper for the Jinshi exam. I just brought them all here at once."

Zhu Ju hummed and searched for the answer sheet among the more than forty test papers.

While searching, he said:

"There are still about ten questions left. Do you want to answer them too?"

"If you want to answer, continue."

Untie shook his head.

"For the rest of the questions, students have no ideas yet."

Even if there is, he won't answer at this moment given his personality. He can't show off too much and has to give other classmates room to perform!

"Well, then you can leave for now."

Zhu Ju raised his eyelids slightly and said to the scholars,

"Jinshi Xie has set a good example for you!"

"If all of you were as good as him, I would not be stingy with your official positions!"

"Is there anyone else who wants to come up and give it a try? Feel free to try! Anyone who can be selected as a Jinshi based on my examination paper is definitely not an incompetent person!"

"Come on! Show it!"

After hearing these words, all the new scholars were eager to take action.

It is said that everything is difficult at the beginning. After understanding and playing a sample, they now have an idea in their minds. What they lack is a more sophisticated idea!

"Your Excellency, I have some ideas."

"Smuggled salt continues despite repeated bans, and salt smugglers are rampant. The root cause is that there are huge loopholes in the process of salt production and transportation..."

"Reporting to the Regent..."

"..."

For a time, the new scholars had a lot of inspiration and various ideas popped up like mushrooms after rain.

Some of the answers were so exquisite that Zhu Ju couldn't help but applaud. He asked the candidates' names on the spot and took out the examination papers to take a closer look.

As for those who are mediocre, Zhu Ju tends to encourage them instead of denying them.

As a result, the Jinshi scholars naturally spoke enthusiastically, and in the end, all forty-one Jinshi scholars expressed their own views - after all, no one was willing to fall behind.

Even if it is not solved, we still have to fight for the second, third or even second place positions!
This court meeting lasted for more than two hours!

It was not until the sun was high in the sky that Zhu Ju put down the answer sheet in his hand.

"Haha... not bad, all good."

He smiled and praised.
"It seems that the first imperial examination of our Ming Dynasty has indeed selected a lot of talents!"

"Some of you have cutting-edge ideas that may change the entire Ming Dynasty! I am not exaggerating, this is the truth - this world is driven by talent!"

After a short pause, Zhu Ju looked at the ministers present and asked with a smile:
"What do you think of the quality of these new Jinshi candidates?"

"Can it be of great use?"

The ministers looked at each other, and all of them sensed a sense of crisis.

"Your Highness."

Liu Bowen stood out from the crowd. Having not spoken for a long time, he praised sincerely:

"When I saw the conversation and spirit of the new scholars today, I felt that the young people are formidable!"

"In the past, I have participated in the imperial examinations of the previous Yuan Dynasty. The questions were all selected from the Four Books and Five Classics. Although talented people were selected, in my opinion, most of them were literary scholars who only talked about empty words. Those with actual talent were indeed rare."

"Now that your majesty and your highness have reformed the imperial examination system to focus on government affairs and national affairs, it will indeed be able to screen out truly talented people! This reform can be said to be a great success!"

"If this imperial examination system continues, then it will be just as Emperor Taizong of Tang said, all heroes in the world will be in the dice!"

"I, your Majesty, congratulate your Highness, and the Ming Dynasty!"

These words can be said to have praised the new version of the imperial examination to the sky.

Liu Bowen was not a flatterer. At this moment, he was expressing his true feelings. He was truly happy that the Ming Dynasty had a better system for selecting officials!

"well said!"

Zhu Ju praised,

"Master Liu's words are exactly what I am thinking!"

"As the saying goes, true gold is not afraid of fire! This king knows that the new imperial examination system has caused a lot of controversy among the government and the people, so this king has brought out the new scholars today!"

"This is real gold. It is not afraid of fire! Today's refining proves that the 41 selected Jinshi are not fools!"

"In the future, the imperial examinations should also be based on this one. My fellow officials, the system of selecting officials has been improved. If there are any young people or students among you who want to take the imperial examinations and become officials, change your mindset as soon as possible. Otherwise, the tide of the times will surge forward and you may not be able to take care of them!"

"This can be considered as my advice!"

These words were so enlightening that all the civil and military officials present were shocked!
A sense of crisis and urgency... followed one after another.

People who live in their comfort zone are destined to be eliminated!

"Untie."

Zhu Ju suddenly spoke up.

"The students are here."

He untied his clothes and walked out from the crowd, looking even more respectful.

He considered himself to be an outstanding talent, but look at His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu. Although he is still young, his every move and gesture already shows the demeanor of a young emperor!
This is the true son of the dragon!
When I was a teenager, I was still playing in the mud! He was already able to preside over the imperial court independently, not to mention that he had single-handedly reformed the imperial examination system.

No matter which point it is, it is worthy of great admiration!
"I have just carefully examined your examination paper, and it is of excellent quality."

Zhu Ju said,
"In addition to your performance today, I, on the orders of my father, appoint you as the number one scholar in the Ming Dynasty!"

"I will confer upon you the title of Attendant Scholar!"

Unlock: "!!!"

Although he had expected it, he still couldn't help but tremble when he was actually chosen as the top scorer!

"Student... Thank you, Regent!"

With a plop, he knelt on the ground, crying with excitement!

At this moment, there were only four words in his mind:

The emperor’s grace is great!

The emperor’s grace is so great!
"Get up, work hard, make some achievements, and let the world know how talented the first number one scholar of the Ming Dynasty is!"

Zhu Ju raised his hand and said.

"Thank you, Regent!"

He untied his clothes, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and stepped aside.

"Wu Wei!"

Zhu Ju named again.

Among the crowd, a thin middle-aged man shuddered and walked out of the queue.

"I like this name. It means to do nothing but achieve everything. It has a Taoist charm."

Zhu Ju smiled and said,

"Your test paper and your notes are also excellent. I will select you as the runner-up."

“It is important to remember that inaction does not mean doing nothing, but keeping in mind the principles of nature, doing something without taking credit for it, being talented without being arrogant, and not resting on one’s laurels.”

"You've made a good start now, but don't end up with a bad start."

When Wu Wei heard this, his expression froze.

"Students should remember the teachings of the regent."

He knelt on the ground and thanked the grace.

The Regent is so young, yet he can speak so eloquently. A teenager can instruct a middle-aged man in his forties who has experienced many hardships, and he can do it with ease!

Is this the value of being the regent prince?

Your Majesty's son is truly extraordinary!

"Ah."

Zhu Ju waved his hand and said,

"Li Jiusi."

Swish.

A graceful young man stepped out from the crowd.

"Student, meet the Regent."

Li Jiusi knelt on the ground, his heart pounding.

"You are not the best at writing and playing the piano, but there is a rule in ancient times that the third place winner must also be evaluated on appearance."

Zhu Ju smiled and said,

"You were able to win the third place today thanks to this face!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present laughed.

How could this unwritten rule be spoken out like this?

Li Jiusi was also a little embarrassed and lowered his head without saying anything.

"Confucius said, 'Think twice, three times is enough. Your nine times... are bound to make you hesitate and indecisive."

Zhu Ju nodded and said,
"From the aura of your writing and the way you play your music, you can see that you are hesitant. You have talent, but not enough confidence."

"Young people should be energetic and vigorous! Dare to think and work hard. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. It doesn't matter if you say something wrong. Youth is your capital!"

"The third place winner is often discussed by others. I hope that people in the future will judge you as a man of both talent and beauty, rather than a mere decoration."

Li Jiusi knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Students should remember the teachings of the Regent and be more resolute in doing things in the future!"

He said earnestly.

Zhu Ju hummed and said jokingly:
"I just saw that many people are eyeing you and want to marry their daughters or nieces to you."

"I won't say much, but I'll just remind you again - don't think about climbing up the social ladder, you need to grow up to be a high-ranking one! Of course, if there is a girl with good character and a good family tradition, I have no objection."

"You call yourselves my students in front of me, so I treat you as my own students, so I say this."

Li Jiusi's expression straightened.

"Your Highness's teachings, Jiusi will never forget them!"

He knelt on the ground respectfully, kowtowed several times, and then stood up and left.

"Zhang Yong, fourth in the second class, was awarded the title of Jinshi."

"Liu Qian, fifth in the second class, was awarded the title of Jinshi."

"..."

"Zhao Yong, ranked 30th among the three families, was granted the same status as a Jinshi."

"..."

Zhu Ju called out the names one by one and accepted the worship of the upstarts.

Originally, after the first group was called, all that was needed was to announce the names of the rest, and there was no need to call on everyone one by one like a roll call.

But this was a court meeting after all, and Zhu Ju also wanted to give the new scholars a chance to show their faces and at the same time, recognize some of them.

In addition, although his words were not the emperor's golden mouth, they were also small golden mouths. Reading out the name from his mouth and giving a few words of greeting and guidance may not mean much to him, but for the new scholars, this was a great grace!

This is also a way to win people's hearts!
After a while, all forty-one Jinshi were selected, and Zhu Ju breathed a sigh of relief.

"What time is it?"

He asked the eunuch who was passing the message beside him.

"Return to the Regent, it's almost noon."

The eunuch said respectfully.

Zhu Ju looked at the ministers, laughed, and said:
"I'm sorry to have kept you all busy today. The morning court lasted until noon." All the ministers looked solemn. They didn't dare to say much and just listened to the instructions obediently.

After seeing Zhu Ju's performance today, no one dared to treat him as a child anymore. They all treated him as the highest authority in the Ming Dynasty!

"Then why did it take so long? On the one hand, it was to examine the Jinshi candidates."

Zhu Ju's smile faded and he said in a deep voice,

“But on the other hand, it is also burdened by government affairs.”

"There are so many political affairs in a court meeting. If I understand correctly, many of them are old stories, right?"

"Then why didn't you submit the memorial earlier, and why did you choose to submit it today?"

The ministers were silent.

Several officials who had just made their reports became nervous at this moment.

"Also, I remember that the Secretariat also has the power to handle government affairs, right?"

Zhu Ju said again,

"Why is it that the Secretariat has not played a role in these difficult and complicated matters, and shared the burden for my father and me?"

"Could it be that the Secretariat of the Ming Dynasty is just a decoration?"

Hu Weiyong put pressure on him, so naturally he had to fight back!

Can you control me?

"Officials from the Secretariat, why don't you come out and say a few words?"

Zhu Ju glanced at the ministers and said,
"Or, explain it?"

All the civil and military officials bowed their heads.

Xu Da looked at Zhu Ju, who was exuding an aura in front of him, with a dazed look on his face.

Is this still the same careless and irrelevant son-in-law?

It's like he's become a completely different person!

However, thinking about the Zhu Yuanzhang of the past and the Zhu Yuanzhang of now... he felt relieved again.

Perhaps, like father, like son!
Hu Weiyong kept his head down in the crowd and did not step out. In the silence, Li Shanchang finally took the first step.

"Reporting to the Regent."

Li Shanchang bowed and said,
"It is indeed our negligence that we have not dealt with this old matter."

"The Secretariat assists Your Majesty in governing the country. There are many affairs to deal with, and many things cannot be decided and need to be reported to Your Majesty. Therefore, some impatient officials will choose to bypass the Secretariat and submit petitions directly."

"However, no matter what, it is my humble servant and other officials of the Secretariat who have failed to do their job well. Please punish us, Regent."

This round was defended by Zhu Ju very smoothly. The old guy was very humble and admitted his mistake very straightforwardly.

However, Zhu Ju is not so easy to deal with.

"It seems that there are some flaws in the Secretariat."

Zhu Ju stood up, put his hands behind his back and paced,

"Although it is the center, it has no decision-making ability. Matters still need to be handled by the emperor. Can the Secretariat still be called the center? Isn't it just a transit station? Having such an institution is not only useless, but also an extra arrangement, which makes it bloated and reduces the efficiency of work."

"No wonder everyone is making reports at the court. I can understand those anxious officials... Yeah, I understand them very well!"

"In my opinion, we need reform!"

"We must make the central institutions of the Ming Dynasty run efficiently!"

"Let me think about it, think about it..."

He paced back and forth in front of the civil and military officials, muttering to himself.

"Hey, what are you still doing here?"

"Anything else?"

Suddenly, Zhu Ju stopped and looked at everyone with a puzzled look.

Everyone: "??"

"If everything is fine, then leave!"

"Go do what you need to do. It will be dark in a few hours and another day will be over."

"Retreat from the court!"

"Oh, by the way, new scholars, today you are allowed to drink and hold a banquet to celebrate. Enjoy yourself! Tomorrow, you will be controlled by the Censorate, so enjoy today."

After saying that, he grinned slightly and walked towards the Qianqing Gate.

All the newly-appointed scholars were cheering at this moment, and they surrounded the top three winners and walked towards the outside of the palace, clamoring for them to host a banquet!

Jie Kai, Wu Wei and Li Jiusi all had smiles on their faces and agreed readily.

"He was given the position of Imperial Tutor right away. What a great honor! With such a noble position, whether he is in the inner court or in the outer court, his future is limitless!"

"Yes! The world from now on will belong to them..."

"Bring the examination papers here later so we can study them carefully! The wind has already changed, and our descendants must not fall behind!"

"Yep……"

"..."

The injection of fresh blood has given the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom a brand new atmosphere!
The new generation pushes the old generation forward. If the old guys don’t work hard, they will have to give way to the newcomers!
"This is incredible, this is really incredible..."

Tang He came close to Xu Da and gave him a thumbs up.

"Your son-in-law is really awesome, I admire you!"

"He was outstanding in training soldiers before, and he is also outstanding in governing now. He has caught old foxes like Li Shanchang!"

"Why don't I have such a good son-in-law! Alas!"

As Tang He spoke, he sighed deeply.

Chang Yuchun's daughter married the prince.

Xu Da's daughter was promised to Zhu Ju.

Both of them are outstanding talents, but my daughter is not worthy of the prince, and I don’t even want to talk about it!
"Who told you your daughter isn't talented enough?"

Xu Da snorted and raised his head.
"Although Xu Da is a big and strong man, his daughter is very pretty!"

"Zhu Ju, that kid, couldn't walk when he saw my daughter. He cried and shouted that he wanted to be with our daughter. What can I do? I can only help them!"

Although it was seriously inconsistent with the facts, at this moment, Xu Da just wanted to brag in front of his old brothers.

"Bullshit! My daughter is so beautiful that she can make fishes sink to the depths of their depths and geese fall to the ground, and the moon and flowers blush to shame!"

Tang He said angrily,

"Girls change a lot when they grow up, don't you understand? You can't deny her just because she wasn't pretty when she was born!"

"I'll tell my elder sister later!"

Although his daughter looked like a little mouse when she was born, this did not prevent her from being a beautiful fairy in Tang He's eyes.

"Hahaha, then just go ahead and say it, no one will stop you."

Xu Da patted Tang He's shoulder and said with a smile,
"But the two best ones are gone. If you want to choose, you can only pick from the remaining ones."

"Oh, by the way, if you're willing to put up with it a little, you can be my mistress, hahahaha..."

boom!
Tang He punched him directly.

The two old brothers were joking with each other as they walked out of the palace.

Hu Weiyong followed Li Shanchang and looked unhappy.

"Master, I never thought that this kid would have such a skill!"

He whispered,

"Could it be that he has the ability to predict the future?"

He cleverly resolved all the political affairs that they had deliberately planned with a court meeting and palace examination. Not only that, he also received the heartfelt gratitude of forty-one new Jinshi.

In addition, Zhu Ju's performance today also made his prestige soar!

This time, I ended up losing the rice while trying to steal the chicken!
"Is it still useful to discuss this now?"

Li Shanchang said in a deep voice,

"I can only say that we all underestimated him, thinking he was just a brat, but it turns out he is a very thoughtful person."

"Even if it was an accidental success, the way he spoke today is not something a normal teenager can say!"

"The Zhu family... there was Zhu Biao, and now there's Zhu Ju. They are truly blessed by heaven!"

It is actually very simple to tell whether a family is prosperous or not, just look at its descendants.

The same goes for the country.

With more outstanding princes, the regime will only get better and better! Even if there will be turmoil in the middle, the person who will be in power in the end will definitely not be a mediocre ruler!

"Teacher, I just heard that kid say that he wants to reform..."

Hu Weiyong said again,
"Could it be that he wants to reform the Secretariat, or even... abolish it?!"

"I felt that his last words were obviously directed at us!"

Li Shanchang glanced at Hu Weiyong.

"What, are you scared?"

Hu Weiyong; "..."

"Don't worry, the sky won't fall. From the time the system of three provinces and six ministries was invented until now, how many people have wanted to change it? But in reality, it still exists."

Li Shanchang said indifferently,
"A random change will only cause chaos in the structure of the court."

"He has performed a little too well these past two days. I hope he becomes complacent and causes some trouble."

"It's in our interest to mess things up."

"Let's go, it's getting late, let's do what we need to do."

After hearing these words, Hu Weiyong suddenly felt at ease.

It turns out that we still cannot do without the support of our mentor!

With him around, some analysis always makes me feel at peace.

……

On the imperial road, Zhu Ju was looking down, thinking.

If Hu Weiyong creates trouble for me, I will kill you all!

However, the Secretariat cannot be abolished for now... If we were to ask what would replace it, it would undoubtedly be the cabinet system!
Once the cabinet is established, all government affairs are analyzed and decided by the cabinet, and the Secretariat becomes a decoration. Not to mention the left and right prime ministers, even the left prime minister is just a figurehead!

However, if we want to form a temporary cabinet, who should we choose to join the cabinet?
"Master Liu. Master Song, these two are both reliable people and can join the cabinet."

Zhu Ju muttered to himself,
"There are only two of them. There must be at least seven of them, right?"

"Father-in-law? Hmm... Although my father-in-law Xu Da is a military commander, he is also very experienced in politics. Adding him in to check things out, even if he is just a mascot, can improve the quality of my cabinet."

"There are still four spots left..."

"Let Jie Kai, Wu Weiwei and the other three attendants come in and listen in! We are going to use them..."

"There's only one left...who should I choose?"

No matter how hard Zhu Ju tried, he couldn't get seven people together.

There was no way out. Before this, he was just an idle prince. He had no friends among officials and he was not on good terms with Li Shanchang, Hu Weiyong and others.

It is naturally difficult to put together a team.

Fortunately, the imperial examination system has selected a group of talented people, otherwise, he wouldn't even have his own people!

Just when I was worrying about the last candidate, I suddenly heard Mao Xiang report:

"Your Highness."

"General Mu Ying has just returned to the capital and is outside the palace gate, asking to see Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ju raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Mu Ying?"

He is very familiar with this name!

Mu Ying, the King of Yunnan! Among all the adopted sons of my father, the one with the happiest ending!
Moreover, Mu Ying was very sentimental. In history, when his mother and elder brother passed away, he cried heart-wrenchingly. Especially when his elder brother Zhu Biao died, he was so sad that he fell seriously ill and died soon after.

Knowing these stories, Zhu Ju had a good impression of Mu Ying. He knew that he was a good brother who valued friendship and loyalty and was devoted to the Zhu family.

"He came back at the right time. I was worried that I had no trustworthy people to work with."

Zhu Ju smiled and said,

"Tell him to come and see me. Oh no, go directly to Kunning Palace!"

"Let's go see our parents together. Oh, and go check on our eldest brother. If possible, bring him here too. He will definitely be happy to have brother Mu Ying back."

"Yes, sir." Mao Xiang responded.

……

After a while.

Outside Kunning Palace, Mu Ying, who was handsome and heroic, saluted Zhu Ju, who was a head shorter than him.

"Your humble servant Mu Ying pays respect to the Regent."

He bowed respectfully towards Zhu Ju.

"Well, we are brothers, why do we have to do this?"

Zhu Ju patted Mu Ying's shoulder, looked him up and down, and said with a smile,

"Tsk tsk...so damn handsome!"

"I wonder how many girls will be charmed by this muscular body!"

"Hahaha……"

After hearing his words, Mu Ying was stunned at first, and then he burst into laughter, and his shoulders relaxed.

Although as the emperor's adopted son, Mu Ying is Zhu Ju's adopted brother.

But the two had not met for so many years and had no feelings for each other. In addition, along the way, he heard some things about Zhu Ju and also knew Zhu Ju's current status.

So he was somewhat curious about his younger brother, but also a bit cautious.

When meeting someone for the first time, it is natural to be polite.

"Your Highness, I haven't seen you for many years."

Mu Ying relaxed and greeted with a smile,
"Thinking back to when you were still a child, my brother Biao and I fought over holding you, but then... ah!"

"Perhaps it is really what Mencius said! When Heaven is about to give a man a great responsibility, it will first make him work hard and starve! Now you are already a beautiful jade in the world, shining brightly!"

"I've heard a lot of legendary stories about you along the way! You're really awesome! Much better than me!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ju waved his hand.

"Well, that's just nonsense from outsiders. How can I be that great?"

He replied,
"If one person spreads it to ten people, and ten people spread it to a hundred people, then it becomes a different story."

"Come on, let's go in. You haven't seen your parents for a long time, right? You should go and greet them first."

Mu Ying nodded repeatedly, excitement in his eyes.

He missed his adoptive parents very much during these years away!

Da da.

The two entered Kunning Palace. Zhu Ju quickened his pace and walked in front, taking the lead to enter the inner courtyard and the back room.

"Dad, Mom, are you feeling better today?"

He walked forward, skillfully touched Ma Xiuying's forehead, then touched Zhu Yuanzhang's forehead, and nodded with satisfaction.

"The fever has gone down!"

"Very good, very good, just rest for a few more days and you can be discharged from the hospital!"

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned on the bed, listening to Zhu Ju's words, and couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"What do you mean by discharged? We are in your mother's bedroom!"

Old Zhu spat and said,
"Is the meeting over? Why are you so late today? Where have you been?"

Zhu Ju rolled his eyes.

"So in your eyes, I don't do anything other than fooling around, right?"

He said with an unhappy look on his face,
"I'm too lazy to report to you, otherwise it will seem like I'm just bragging about my own products."

"Anyway, you have the channels to know what happened in the previous dynasty, so go and find out for yourself!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he was somewhat surprised.

"Oh?"

"From what you said...how many good things did you do today?"

"Tell me, tell me! We want to hear you say it!"

This aroused Lao Zhu's curiosity, and he had to know it immediately.

"Okay, stop bothering me!"

"Open your mouth, ah——"

Zhu Ju peeled an orange and stuffed the whole thing into Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth.

"I want one too, ah——"

Ma Xiuying opened her mouth wide and pointed at the oranges on the table.

Zhu Ju: “…”

"You two are children, right? Do you still need me to feed you?"

He was a little helpless, but still came forward and peeled one for me.

"If you give it to your father, you have to give it to me. This is called treating everyone equally."

"Sweet, sweet...hiss——"

Ma Xiuying was eating an orange while talking, and the orange juice almost spurted out of her mouth, making her panic and she quickly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Okay, let's get down to business!"

Zhu Ju glanced outside and said with a smile,

"There's a surprise today!"

"Guess who came to see you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying were both stunned.

"Come and take a look if you want, you want a surprise?"

"It's not really a surprise that your elder brother is here..."

"Who is it? Don't keep me in suspense. Come in if you are here!"

The two were obviously unwilling to guess, and Zhu Yuanzhang even shouted outside.

Mu Ying, who was outside the house, was listening to the conversation inside, with a look of inexplicable shock on his face.

King Wu...is this how you communicate with your adoptive father and mother on a daily basis?

So casual, even more casual than Zhu Biao!

And this casualness is undoubtedly a symbol of extreme intimacy!

Not to mention in the royal family, even in an old farmer's home in the countryside, such a scene is not common!

Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Zhu Yuanzhang's shout from inside. Mu Ying's heart suddenly started. He quickly straightened his clothes and adjusted his breathing. Then he pulled himself together and stepped into the house.

Hey.

He stepped into the house and saw Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying lying on the sickbeds. He felt a sudden pang in his heart and two lines of tears burst out!

"father!"

"mother!"

"The unfilial child Mu Ying is back! I...I missed you so much!"

Although he knew that his adoptive father and mother had caught a cold from praying for rain and were now bedridden, he still couldn't help crying when he saw them lying there!

For a moment, thousands of words are not as good as one word of missing you!
Pfft!
Mu Ying took two steps at a time and threw himself in front of Zhu Yuanzhang's bed. He cried and kowtowed to the two of them!

Zhu Yuanzhang: “?!”

Ma Xiuying: “?!”

When the two saw Mu Ying, they both showed surprise on their faces!

Zhu Ju was right, Mu Ying’s arrival was indeed a surprise!
(End of this chapter)