Zhu Yunhuan attached great importance to maritime trade. It can also be said that this was an attempt, which might have far-reaching impact on the future.

Although there was a certain scale of maritime trade during the Tang and Song dynasties, and some external explorations were also made, all this did not change the cognition of the earth being round and the earth being square, and agricultural civilization, and not many people yearned for the sea.

As for some things happening overseas, naturally, not many people care about them. Managing the nine provinces of China well is the most fundamental thing for the rulers.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood this truth. He did not think of directly reversing some of the cognitions formed over thousands of years in one fell swoop, nor did he intend to shake the foundation of agricultural civilization.

However, we need to maintain our overseas exploration and attempts at marine civilization, and we cannot allow ourselves to be closed off from the outside world.

Although he has not yet ascended the throne, Zhu Yunhuan does have a lot of things to worry about, and he also faces many challenges.

According to a rough calculation, the Grand Canal will be dredged from the north and south ends next year, and the construction of Beijing and Tianjin will need to continue. This is something that must be done.

The Ming Dynasty is also about to embark on its second ocean exploration. This time it is not just about maritime trade, but also requires the continuous development of diplomacy. These two things have to be done together.

Fortunately, the preparations are quite sufficient. We have spent more than half a year preparing for these things this year, so there is no need to worry too much. Whether it is the sailors, supplies, or officials, they are all well prepared.

As for eliminating some pirates along the way, or cracking down on some disloyal people, etc., these are all possible things, and what should be done still needs to be done.

Building the Da Baoen Temple, constructing the imperial mausoleum, etc., these seem to be small things. They are just procedural matters and will be carried out as long as the finances are not difficult.

To hold more special examinations, rectify the administration of officials, continue to develop Jingchu, and restore people's livelihood and Han traditions in the north, etc., are also what Zhu Yunhuan, the new emperor who is about to ascend the throne, should do.

We should continue to promote and consolidate the status of Baochao, strengthen control over Kaiping, Liaodong and other places, and further crack down on the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. These are also what we should do.

If you think about it carefully, Zhu Yunhuan still has a lot to do, not including some political events that may occur.

There is no way, what needs to be done must be done, this is his responsibility, the emperor does not just want to enjoy power.

Ru Rong came to Wenhua Palace and reported, "Your Highness, we have been ordered to compile the names of the officials of the previous dynasty who have been retained, their official positions, and their political achievements into a book. Please review it."

Zhang Fusheng immediately sent the memorial over. These were some important matters that needed to be dealt with, and it was also a big test for Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yunhuan did not open the memorial and asked, "If these people are replaced, do you think there will be a shortage of officials, so that local politics will be affected?"

Ru Heng replied, "Your Highness, among these officials, the highest-ranking one was the prefect, and there were only two or three of them, so it would not affect the local state affairs."

In fact, replacing the officials who were left behind by various forces in the past is also aimed at some grassroots officials. After all, there were many officials from various forces who came to Zhu Yuanzhang's side back then.

For example, Liu Bowen and others were officials in the Yuan Dynasty before they were recruited by Zhu Yuanzhang, and Fu Youde was actually a surrendered general.

But there is no need to target them now. Liu Bowen and others have passed away long ago, and their contributions back then were also recognized. Naturally, there is no need to say anything about it.

There is no need to mention Fu Youde. The Duke of Ying of the Ming Dynasty is now the backbone of the court and has a very high status in the Five Military Commandery. Keeping this person will definitely be of great use.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "That's not bad. If it was just the prefect, the court wouldn't be affected by replacing a group of officials."

The prefect was considered an unattainable figure in the eyes of some people, but in the eyes of Zhu Yunhuan, he was obviously not very important. Even in the eyes of Ru Rong, the prefect was not a high-ranking official.

"There haven't been many high-ranking officials or important officials in the court over the years. These people are incompetent after all." Zhu Yunhuan said, "It's good this way. It's appropriate to replace them now."

Ru Hong didn't know how to respond. Originally, those who were to be replaced this time were some grassroots officials. They had a low starting point in their careers, and it was not easy for them to climb to high positions.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty had been established for thirty years, and most of the officials who were retained at that time had either died of old age in office, retired, or had been dismissed or even executed because of some cases.

So it’s a change, and it’s really nothing big. It’s just replacing a group of older officials.

Moreover, the fact that they have not been able to make it after all these years also shows that these officials are not capable enough. After all, at the beginning of the country, talents were recruited without any restrictions, and many of them were forced to do things that were not designed to work.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Ru Hong and asked, "If so many officials are replaced, will the Ministry of Personnel have enough officials now? This is no small matter. These are officials who are close to the people."

Ru Yan replied confidently, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. The Ministry of Personnel is still waiting to select officials, and some officials are still observing politics and have not yet been sent out."

This is normal. Under normal circumstances, after a scholar's name is on the imperial examination, he or she will have to observe politics for a period of time and learn how to become an official before being allowed to take office.

In the thirty years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there have been some reserves of talent, and thousands of officials have not been replaced at once, so naturally there is no shortage of officials.

Ru Rong continued, "There are also candidates who have been registered with the Ministry of Personnel and can be appointed to official positions. Officials such as county magistrates can also be promoted and take charge of affairs."

With Ru Hong's assurances, Zhu Yunhuan felt much more at ease. Replacing some officials did not seem to be stressful or challenging, and everything seemed to be a natural thing.

This is indeed the reality. There are many officials who come from the imperial examination system. Not to mention the Jinshi, even the Juren can be selected as grassroots officials such as county magistrates. The Imperial College can actually select officials as well.

Coupled with the promotion of some officials, there is no redundancy of officials in the Ming Dynasty for the time being, but there is no need to worry about having no one available.

There are so many people who want to be officials. The current situation is that some people can't even wait for an opportunity. There is only one position for each person, and there are not so many official positions waiting for these scholars and students.

Zhu Yunhuan asked again, "If this is the case, the Ministry of Personnel will have fewer reserve officials. How many people do you think should be selected for the special examination next year?" This was a new challenge for Ru Hong, and it was also a rather stressful thing. After all, this special examination was related to the future of many people.

The imperial court has always been like this. There is no fixed number of people to be selected in each subject. It could be 20 to 30 people, or it could be more than a hundred people. If the court has a vacancy in officials, it will select more people.

Ru Hong replied cautiously, "Your Highness, I think that the additional imperial examination next year will require at least 130 people. In addition to the reserve of officials, it will also demonstrate Your Highness's kindness."

Zhu Yunhuan just laughed it off. Everyone knew the meaning of adding an extra examination. In the final analysis, it was because there was a big happy event in the court, so they just added one more examination.

But this is to show the grace of Zhu Yunhuan, etc., which may be a little exaggerated. Those who are on the list of successful candidates will think that it is because of their knowledge, not entirely due to the emperor's grace, etc.

After all, those who were able to go to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination were all successful candidates from various provinces, and they were already qualified to be officials. These people were all talented and learned, and could be considered the best among the scholars.

"You and Chen Di should discuss this matter and report the result to me as soon as possible." Zhu Yunhuan said, "You should be in charge of the Ministry of Personnel on this matter, but don't go too far."

Zhu Yunhuan was still stingy. If one more person passed the list, it would mean one more salary, so even for the special examination, he could not admit everyone. He had to strictly control the number of people when it was necessary.

There are many ways to show grace. It is definitely not the case that "expanding enrollment" is absolute grace, and it is not the most fundamental thing.

Ru Heng was naturally aware of this, otherwise she would not have reported only 130 people. This number is not particularly large but not small either in the imperial examination, just a decent level.

Zhu Yunhuan and Ru Rong chatted briefly, and then opened the memorial and read it carefully. In the final analysis, it is necessary to be cautious in replacing some grassroots officials. These people have been in the local area for a long time and have little official position but great power.

Ru Hong naturally maintained enough patience. At such a sensitive moment, he naturally did not want any unexpected problems to occur. The most important thing was to get things done.

After all, the Ministry of Personnel also needs to bear certain responsibilities in the Hongcang case, and now we cannot say that the officials of the Ministry of Personnel can get away with it unscathed.

Ru Hong didn't breathe a sigh of relief until Zhu Yunhuan nodded. It seemed that the matter of replacing the previously incumbent officials had received the Crown Prince's initial approval, and the matter was considered to have been successfully passed.

This is naturally part of Ru Hong's job. The Minister of Personnel needs to take care of these things. If he fails to do a good job, it would be unacceptable, and his situation would become even more embarrassing and dangerous.

It was unknown when it started, but Ru Hong felt more and more pressure when facing Zhu Yunhuan, and the aura of this crown prince became more and more powerful.

The replacement of officials has been basically confirmed, and the next thing to do is to implement it. Now the plan of the court has been finalized.

Take it one step at a time. Many things are like this. They are never achieved overnight. You definitely need to proceed step by step and constantly plan, execute and implement things.

Ru Hong was able to "escape unscathed", and Yan Zhenzhi hurried to Wenhua Palace. He still had many things to report, and the Minister of Works was under a lot of pressure now.

As a minister who entered the government as a grain official, Yan Zhenzhi worked very hard. "Your Highness, I have already made a list of the craftsmen and laborers to be recruited. Please review it."

This naturally would not refer to the name of a specific craftsman, but rather how many people a certain prefecture or county needs, how much work they need to do, when they should arrive to start serving, etc.

Zhu Yunhuan asked with concern, "Conscripting civilians is not a trivial matter. These are young and strong men, and they are related to the livelihood of their families. We must not let the livelihood of the people be affected because of this."

This seems to be easy to say, and if you are really worried about the impact on people's livelihood, then just don't conscript. But the reality is that those who should be conscripted must be conscripted, and those who should serve need to serve when it is time.

Yan Zhenzhi knew this and said quickly, "Your Highness, rest assured. I have carefully calculated the time and will not affect the livelihood of the people."

During the busy farming season, people are busy with their own livelihoods, and during the slack farming season, they perform corvee labor, etc. This is also the living condition of ordinary people in most cases in the feudal era, and it is also the most ideal condition for ordinary people.

If the emperor was more merciful, he would consider the livelihood of the people. If he was foolish and did not care about the lives of the people, he would conscript people to serve in the busy farming season and let the elderly and women work at home.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally didn't want such a thing to happen, which was why he asked Yan Zhenzhi earlier.

After hearing Yan Zhenzhi's words, Zhu Yunhuan felt much more relieved. This Minister of Works was able to understand and appreciate the difficulties of the craftsmen, so under normal circumstances, he would not affect their livelihoods.

The construction of large-scale projects is bound to be time-consuming, and naturally requires the constant rotation of craftsmen, etc. It is very important to arrange the service time of these people reasonably.

Zhu Yunhuan looked carefully at the project and personnel arrangements and asked questions from time to time. Yan Zhenzhi was able to answer them fluently, which showed that they had truly planned carefully and investigated seriously.

Perhaps Yan Zhenzhi was not the most learned among the six ministers, and he might not be the type who could help the country, but as the Minister of Works, he was definitely the best at organizing large projects and arranging personnel.

This is why Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan like Yan Zhenzhi. This man can really get things done. The fact that he is not from a proper scholar family is obviously not a problem. As long as he can get things done, that's enough.

"We'll watch this time. If there are some capable people, we can appoint them as officials." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "If we can bring another Yan Zhenzhi to the Ming Dynasty, it will be a blessing for the country!"

Yan Zhenzhi immediately knelt down and said, "I am so terrified that I cannot accept such praise!"

Yan Zhenzhi was indeed grateful to Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan. He was not a Jinshi, nor a great Confucian scholar, but it was this rich farmer who was not even an official at the beginning who became a second-rank minister.

Moreover, the crown prince's appreciation for him was undisguised, which moved Yan Zhenzhi. It is not an exaggeration to say that a scholar will die for his confidant. Perhaps he did not dare to think that he could become a minister.

Zhu Yunhuan was in a good mood. With capable ministers and officials around him, he could indeed do things much easier.

He also dealt with a lot of things every day, which made him happy and satisfied. Things were done one by one, and things that could not be rushed were done slowly and without delay. (End of this chapter)