The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Inside the side hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang was already full of resentment.

Upon hearing his grandson's words, he paused in stroking his beard, froze in his chair, and pondered, "According to your grandson, we also bear responsibility for Biao'er's illness?"

They noticed that Old Zhu's expression was off.

My words may have been a little hurtful.

Zhu Xiong Ying hesitated for a moment, then softened his tone slightly and said as he patted Zhu Xiong Ying's back, "Grandpa, please listen to my analysis first..."

"Since Hu Weiyong's case led to his removal as prime minister, in recent years, memorials from the Six Ministries have reached the Emperor directly. All matters, large and small, in the country require your and Father's review and approval!"

"My grandfather spent his life on the battlefield and had extraordinary energy. But my father was kind and gentle, and didn't exercise much, so his physical condition was poor. He faced mountains of memorials every day and often stayed up all night. Over time, even someone made of iron couldn't withstand it!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, suppressing his anger.

Da Sun is right!

Before the officials and workers could rise, Biao'er and I got up first.

All the officials are asleep, but Biao'er and I are still awake!

This kind of busy work in the court is not just a day or two, it's a year-round, non-stop affair!

Ultimately, what kind of trash were the officials and gentry left behind by the Mongol Yuan dynasty?

In addition, in the early days of the founding of the country, the quality of the court officials was generally not high, and there were also treacherous officials such as Hu Weiyong who wanted to seize power.

How could he and Biao'er, one as the emperor and the other as the crown prince, dare to be even slightly lax?

He himself had to review more than two hundred memorials and handle more than four hundred state affairs every day.

Biao'er oversees everything and handles just as many tasks as he does.

But the eldest son is gentle and thoughtful, far less capable than him.

Thinking about it this way, it turns out that he, as the father, had not considered things thoroughly enough...

After a pause, Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and said, "What my grandson says makes sense. We were focused on national affairs and indeed made a mistake by not giving enough consideration to Biao'er's situation..."

If it were anyone else, they wouldn't dare to make such outrageous remarks.

How could the mighty Hongwu Emperor take the initiative to admit his mistakes?

Zhu Yuanzhang had long ago ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to drag him out and flog him outside Fengtian Gate, where he would be executed.

This statement is certainly disrespectful and could sow discord between the emperor and his sons!

But we should carefully consider the argument regarding the grandson.

But it was unexpected, and it touched a raw nerve in family relationships.

What were originally words of reproach turned into sighs.

Seeing the change in Lao Zhu's attitude.

Zhu Xiong Ying felt reassured, and eased the pressure of his back massage, saying, "Grandfather, I didn't mean to blame you!"

"Whether it's you or Father, you've both devoted yourself so wholeheartedly to our Great Ming Dynasty!"

"But if we delve deeper, your neglect of your health and your father's arduous labor are irresponsible towards the people of the land..."

During his speech, Zhu Xiong Ying deliberately raised his voice.

As previously thought, the reason for Biao'er's father's fainting was to allow Lao Zhu to clarify the underlying causes.

And he was not wrong in saying those things.

Good health is the foundation for innovation and progress!

The Ming Dynasty had been established for over a decade, but it still faced numerous internal and external troubles.

It will take the three generations of the family working together to solve each problem one by one, and then create an even more magnificent era!

Therefore, only by living a long life can one achieve all of this.

However, these days, Biao'er's father often doesn't listen to his advice, and now he can only seek support from Lao Zhu.

If Old Zhu doesn't listen, the only option is to go to Empress Ma.

He personally took care of Empress Ma's health!

Zhu Lao was deep in thought, looking towards the outside of the palace gate.

Zhu Xiong Ying pressed his advantage, adding, "Grandfather, do you remember the method I suggested to you back in March?"

"In the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign, you established the Grand Secretaries of the Hall of Literary Glory, the Hall of Military Prowess, the Wenyuan Pavilion, and the Eastern Pavilion. These were all officials of the fifth rank, and the selected officials were all mature, prudent, upright, and incorruptible Confucian scholars who served only as advisors and had no real power!"

"Your grandson suggested that we make the Grand Secretaries an important part of implementing the performance evaluation system!"

"Based on this, I believe that their authority could be slightly expanded by adding the responsibility of 'assisting in the administration of state affairs' to the Grand Secretaries. This would not mean they would have the power to make decisions, but rather that they would perform simple tasks such as organizing documents and sorting out general affairs for Grandfather and Father!"

This sentence stirred up Zhu Yuanzhang's memories.

He and Biao'er had already discussed the strategy that Ai Sun had mentioned last time.

At the time, everyone thought the method was good, and that they could supervise and control it from the sidelines.

However, when power is actually distributed among different individuals, it's hard not to feel wary.

However, based on what Da Sun said, it was just an advisory effort, which dispelled my concerns!

In fact, as early as three years ago, in the fifteenth year of Hongwu, considering the many affairs of the court after the abolition of the prime minister, he had the idea of ​​establishing a Grand Secretary, but at that time the Crown Prince was sharing the burden, so he put it aside.

Now that Biao'er is ill, and with his beloved grandson's words, he has finally made up his mind.

Old Zhu, well-versed in the ways of the emperor, did not immediately express his opinion. Instead, he leaned back and tentatively asked, "My eldest grandson, please elaborate on what tasks the Grand Secretary can help us with?"

Zhu Xiong Ying already had a plan in mind, and said, "Your Majesty, you see, in summary, the first one is the power to sort and categorize memorials!"

"Memorials from the Office of Transmission first reach the Grand Secretaries, who then categorize them, eliminating duplicates and irregularities. They further divide them into categories such as important military and national affairs, urgent border situations, financial and logistical matters, and routine administrative affairs, and then submit them in order!"

"In this way, you won't have to deal with messy memorials all day, saving you a lot of energy..."

"The second is the power to make initial suggestions. For routine administrative matters that have ancestral rules and precedents to follow, such as the promotion and appointment of county and prefectural officials, the routine tax collection and transportation, and the repair of post stations, the Grand Secretary can draft a handling opinion, attach it to the memorial, and submit it to the Emperor for review and decision."

"You and Father only need to make the decision with your pens, writing down approval or disapproval! The Grand Secretaries only provide suggestions; ultimately, it is Your Majesty who makes the final decision!"

"The third one is the power to verify accounts that I mentioned last time... Fortunately, the Six Ministries and the Imperial Court have an extra layer of defense, which can both detect signs of corruption in advance and strengthen the Emperor's control over the Six Ministries!"

"In addition, the rank of Grand Secretary will never be promoted. His officials are lowly and have little power. They cannot compete with the heads of the Six Ministries. They can only be appendages of the imperial power and cannot form a powerful minister."

"Furthermore, aside from the powers and responsibilities I have mentioned above, there are absolutely no other privileges. The appropriate candidates should be personally selected by Grandfather, with no fixed term, to prevent the formation of cliques and favoritism..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang did not interrupt.

His remarks on loving his grandson were comprehensive and showed his deep concern.

They are far superior to those scoundrels in the Hanlin Academy!

A few moments later, Old Zhu pulled his grandson's arm and said with a smile, "We heard everything our grandson said!"

"We'll make adjustments to this matter; we can't let Biao'er shoulder all the burden alone..."

"But who knows how our eldest grandson plans to share the burdens of his imperial grandfather now that he's grown up?"

Who does Old Zhu look down on?

Is this how you test us?

Zhu Xiong Ying straightened his back and said solemnly, "Our Great Ming still faces external threats. The first thing I must do is to annihilate the Yuan invaders and Japanese pirates, and build a great Ming Dynasty for my imperial grandfather!"