The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 677 Officials of the Eastern Palace
The ninth day of the second lunar month, Wushen, is an auspicious day according to the Chinese calendar.

Emperor Wanli officially appointed his third son, Zhu Changxun, as Crown Prince and proclaimed it to the world.

This was followed by a series of procedures, including memorials from dukes, marquises, nobles, and local officials to offer congratulations, and the crown prince returning the gifts.

On the fifteenth day of the second lunar month, the newly appointed Crown Prince Zhu Changxun finally finished everything and prepared to move into Cining Palace.

Early that morning, at 3:45 AM, before dawn, Kunning Palace was already brightly lit.

In the corridor, groups of palace maids and eunuchs had already begun moving things out, while in the square, imperial guards were waiting in a row of carriages.

Emperor Wanli even summoned all his concubines, princes, and princesses to the kitchen to have breakfast with Zhu Changxun.

Xiao Zhu Changxun didn't seem to notice anything unusual; he just ate like crazy, drinking several bowls of lean meat porridge.

Seeing this, Empress Wang's face was full of reluctance.

She hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't bear it and said, "Your Majesty, Xun'er is still young. Does he really want to live alone in Cining Palace? Or should I move in with him?"

He's not a child anymore.

Moreover, in a mother's eyes, her children will never grow up. Even if he is only in his teens or even in his twenties, you would probably still think of him as a precious little darling.

Wanli shook his head slightly and said, "Xun'er is going to inherit the throne. It won't do for him to always need his mother to take care of him. He has to get used to taking on everything on his own."

Besides, Cining Palace isn't far from here. It wouldn't take Xun'er much time to come and pay his respects every morning. If you miss him, you can go and see him; it's just a short walk.

Well, an emperor certainly can't rely on his mother.

Empress Wang gazed at her beloved son with a reluctant expression for a while, then carefully instructed him, "Xun'er, you must be careful about your appetite in the future, don't overeat."

Also, go to bed early at night, don't stay out too much, and definitely don't wander around. Early to bed and early to rise makes you more energetic and healthy, you know?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu Changxun nodded repeatedly and said, "Mother, don't worry, I'm not a child anymore."

Having said that, he put down his bowl and stood up, saying, "Father, I'm full. When are we moving?"

I am the Emperor, and you are the Crown Prince.

Do we still need to move ourselves?

Wanli stood up and smiled slightly, "You're done eating, so let's go. We can just go directly there. Xi'er, if you're worried, you can come along and take a look too."

Upon hearing this, Prince Zhu Changzhi of the Southern Kingdom immediately stood up excitedly and said, "Father, I want to go too."

Upon hearing this, the other princes and princesses also stood up and chattered, wanting to follow.

You think this is a trip for fun?

Wanli shook his head slightly and said, "You don't need to go. It's not good for the Crown Prince to make a ruckus when he officially moves into Cining Palace. You can go later. You can have fun on your own today."

Uh, I can't go.

Upon hearing this, the young princes and princesses sat down with a somewhat helpless expression, and then began to discuss with great interest what games to play.

Seeing this, Wanli secretly gave Imperial Noble Consort Qin Lan a wink before instructing Empress Wang to lead young Zhu Changxun toward Cining Palace.

Now that Zhu Changxun has been promoted to Crown Prince, things are truly different.

As soon as they stepped out, a group of eunuchs led the way, followed by a group of palace maids, and thirty Imperial Guards stood guard on either side, walking with them at a leisurely pace.

Song Yingxing had already moved to Cining Palace to help Xiao Zhu Changxun manage everything.

Kunning Palace is very close to Cining Palace. Even if they walk slowly, they will arrive in less than a quarter of an hour.

By then, it was already dawn.

Empress Wang followed Emperor Wanli and Emperor Xiao Zhu Changxun on a tour of Cining Palace, and couldn't help but show a satisfied expression.

Her father doted on this precious grandson, and everything in Cining Palace was renovated and the materials used were of the highest quality.

The Cining Palace looked even better than the Kunning Palace, and it was also larger. The Imperial Guards, eunuchs, and palace maids inside were all performing their duties in an orderly and disciplined manner.

After examining the records carefully for a while, she returned to handle the accounts of the Imperial Treasury with peace of mind. However, Wanli, as usual, brought Xiao Zhu Changxun and Song Yingxing to the Imperial Study.

As usual, Song Yingxing and Xiao Zhu Changxun sat down and opened their books to begin studying.

By this time, Xiao Zhu Changxun had already read through the Four Books and Five Classics once, and Song Yingxing had begun to explain historical books to him.

The crown prince can't just study all he wants; he also has to learn how to handle government affairs.

The problem is that Song Yingxing is the only official in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices serving Zhu Changxun, and Song Yingxing has no experience in handling government affairs.

It seems we need to select some officials to teach young Zhu Changxun how to handle government affairs.

There is precedent for this, dating back to the Hongwu reign. Officials who assist or teach the crown prince in handling government affairs have another name: officials of the Eastern Palace.

Moreover, according to the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty," after the Crown Prince enters the Eastern Palace, he can recruit his own team to prepare for his succession and power.

During the Hongwu and Yongle reigns, the officials in the Eastern Palace were also very dedicated and taught the Crown Prince how to handle government affairs. Both the Hongwu Crown Prince Zhu Biao and the Yongle Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi were quite capable of governing the country.

However, later on, those unscrupulous civil officials set their sights on these positions under the Crown Prince. Many of these scheming officials gained their power in the court by first deceiving the Crown Prince.

For example, Zhang Siwei, during the Longqing reign, meticulously plotted to take control of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and became the head of the officials under the Crown Prince.

Historically, this guy endured for ten years when Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng was in power. After Zhang Juzheng died, this guy seized control of the court, abolished the reforms, and caused chaos and disorder in the court, which accelerated the Ming Dynasty's slide into the abyss of destruction.

He couldn't let Xiao Zhu Changxun be fooled by those officials with ulterior motives.

Therefore, the selection of officials in the Eastern Palace must be done with care.

So, which officials should be chosen to teach Zhu Changxun how to handle government affairs?
Just as he was pondering this, Grand Secretary Shen Li entered carrying a stack of memorials.

When there's nothing else going on, the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet would usually send the draft memorials to the Qianqing Palace, and then a palace eunuch would deliver them in.

When the Grand Secretary personally delivers a memorial, it usually means something important has happened.

After the emperor and his minister exchanged greetings, Wanli couldn't help but ask, "Zhonghua, what's wrong? What happened?"

Unexpectedly, Shen Li shook his head repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, nothing has happened."

Now that His Highness the Crown Prince has moved into Cining Palace, the procedures for establishing a Crown Prince are considered complete.

"Your Majesty, I've come simply to inquire whether there are any matters that remain unresolved."

Oh, so you mean the matter of establishing a crown prince is done and it's time to hand over your report, right?

Emperor Wanli nodded approvingly and said, "This matter has been handled very well, and he should be rewarded accordingly."

After saying that, he picked up a pen and wrote two notes, which roughly meant that the chief envoy Shen Li and the deputy envoy Wu Daonan had done a good job in establishing the crown prince. Shen Li was awarded 10,000 gold coins worth 500 cash, and Wu Daonan was awarded 10,000 gold coins worth 200 cash.

Uh, I'm not here to ask for credit or reward!
Shen Li took the note and looked at it, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Your Majesty, I was just following the rules, I dare not accept such a generous reward."

Wanli solemnly said, "Military generals and even soldiers are rewarded according to their merits, and civil officials should naturally be rewarded according to their merits as well. The crown prince is the foundation of the country, and establishing a crown prince is related to the stability of the court. This is no small matter."

"You've done an excellent job, so you deserve a generous reward. Please accept this; you and Huifu can simply go to the imperial treasury and withdraw the money."

Alright, if you insist on giving me this as a reward, I'll accept it.

Shen Li repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Emperor Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "Has the cabinet been busy lately?"

How do you say this?

Shen Li thought for a moment before carefully saying, "Your Majesty, the cabinet shouldn't be too busy."

The political situation is now stable, there are no thorny issues to deal with, and corrupt officials are rarely seen.

Moreover, everyone has gotten used to it, and they handle memorials and various affairs with ease. I, your humble servant, feel much more relaxed than before.

That's good.

Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Well then, have Erzhang come over here. I'll have him teach Xun'er how to handle state affairs."

Oh, so this is to appoint Li Tingji to concurrently manage the Imperial Household Department.

Shen Li nodded repeatedly and said, "I understand."

After saying this, he bowed and took his leave.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhu Changxun couldn't help but ask curiously, "Father, how much did you reward him?"

I need to talk to you about this properly.

Emperor Wanli explained in detail: "Actually, it was common practice to reward important officials in the court in the past."

However, in the past, the rewards were all kinds of random things like food or household items. Moreover, the court has been in such a mess these past few years that the Emperor doesn't want to give them to those scheming civil officials as usual.

The situation is different now. The court is stable, and most of the key officials have been replaced by our trusted confidants. Moreover, we are not short of money.

At this point, we need to win over our trusted officials by giving them rewards, and the money will also make their lives a little easier.

The establishment of a crown prince is indeed a major event, and Zhonghua and Huifu have done a good job. Therefore, I have rewarded Zhonghua with 10,000 gold coins worth 500 cash each, and Huifu with 10,000 gold coins worth 200 cash each.

In the future, you should also reward these capable and obedient trusted ministers from time to time. As for how much to reward them, that should be based on the size of the matter.

You can figure that out later. Anyway, 10,000 gold coins worth 500 cash is the maximum; the minimum is 1,000 silver coins worth 10 cash each.

Uh, you expect me to figure this out?
As Zhu Changxun was pondering this, Grand Secretary Li Tingji strode in.

After the emperor and his minister exchanged greetings, Wanli solemnly said, "Zhang, from today onwards, you will concurrently manage the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and instruct Xun'er in handling government affairs. You will handle the officials under the Crown Prince's command. Just provide a list of how many to select and who to choose."

what?
You must entrust me with the important task of educating the Crown Prince!
Li Tingji was stunned when he heard this.

Because in the past, it was always His Majesty who personally taught the Crown Prince.

Why is His Majesty suddenly asking him to tutor the Crown Prince again?
(End of this chapter)