The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 449 Ru Chang's Advice

"That's right, at worst we can go and seek refuge with His Highness Yunwen. We are scholars, how could we do such a thing!"

The Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, who was seated above, sighed.

It's a good thing for scholars to have some backbone, but these people are far too arrogant, which is not a good thing.

As for Zhu Yunwen, although he had the support of many scholars, he had lived to a ripe old age and could see that Zhu Yunwen was definitely not the one who could accomplish anything.

Unless something unexpected happens to Zhu Xiong Ying, there is no way he can inherit that position.

Even assuming that Zhu Xiong Ying were to meet with some unexpected event one day, Crown Prince Zhu Biao would not hand over the position to Zhu Yun Wen.

Nowadays, many vassal kings are beginning to distinguish themselves in the imperial court.

The King of Qin was stationed in the southwest. Although he was short-tempered and not particularly capable, he was good at defending the territory. The King of Jin was stationed in the northeast. His abilities had long been evident. Although he was sometimes arrogant, how many emperors are not a little arrogant?

Prince Yan, Zhu Di, is currently campaigning in the Northwest and has also made many contributions.

The twelfth prince, Zhu Bai, is now an extremely important Grand Secretary in the cabinet, and his ability to handle government affairs is extraordinary.

Among these people, Zhu Yunwen may not necessarily be the one vying for that position in the end.

I never imagined that these people would be so blind.

"It's hard to persuade someone with kind words," the damned man sighed as he thought this.

"This is the Hanlin Academy, a place of great importance. What kind of decorum is this? Since you disagree, let's split into two groups!"

"Those who are willing to pledge allegiance to His Highness the Crown Prince will follow Lord Ru Chang, while those who are unwilling will stand on the other side!"

Upon hearing this, the officials of the Hanlin Academy frowned deeply. They understood very well that they needed to choose sides, and once they did, it would be difficult to change course later.

Many officials in the Hanlin Academy have been won over by Lian Zining and others.

They stood firmly on the left side.

Some people come from humble backgrounds and are well aware of the monopoly that aristocratic families have over knowledge.

Although they also wanted to make some contributions to their hometown from this position.

But this would only create new inequalities, so they stood behind Ru Chang.

Soon all the officials had made their decisions, and most of them, except for a small number standing behind Ru Chang, stood on the other side.

The head of the Hanlin Academy sighed upon seeing this scene.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have allowed Lian Zining, Qi Tai, and the others to freely enter and leave the Hanlin Academy.

It's unbelievable that they've managed to gather so many people right under my nose; it's truly despicable.

He looked at these people expressionlessly and spoke.

"Since you've already made your decision, I won't get involved anymore. You'd better take care of yourselves!"

After saying that, he turned and left the place; only his back view showed how extremely old he looked.

Everyone sighed. The once-prosperous Hanlin Academy had split into two factions and gone their separate ways. Such an outcome was unsettling for most people.

At this moment, inside the palace of the Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying, a young eunuch came to report that outside His Highness, a person claiming to be an official from the Hanlin Academy had come to apologize to His Highness.

Zhu Xiong Ying was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, then said with a mocking expression, "These people arrived just in time. I haven't even made a move yet, and they've already made theirs. Are they really worried I'll attack them? This has put me in a difficult position!"

"But since they're here, let them in!"

Not long after, a young official arrived at the place.

He looked at Zhu Xiong Ying in front of him and said.

"Your subject Ru Chang pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

When the Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying heard this name, he was somewhat surprised, not expecting that this person was actually Ru Chang.

"So it's Lady Ru Changru. May I ask what brings you here, Lady Ru? Are you perhaps trying to show off to me?"

At this moment, Ru Chang gave a bitter smile.

"The future of this world belongs to His Highness the Crown Prince, so what is there for us to boast about? Moreover, this matter was due to the negligence of our Hanlin Academy. These scholars are all His Highness the Crown Prince's students. We only hope that His Highness the Crown Prince can give us another chance. We are willing to serve His Highness the Crown Prince with utmost loyalty!"

When the Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying learned of this news, he was extremely surprised, as he had originally thought that these guys had come to interrogate him.

He was surprised to find that they had come to seek refuge with him, and at that moment his interest was piqued.

"Then tell me why I should agree. It seems like my relationship with you guys isn't that good!"

After thinking carefully for a moment, Ru Chang spoke.

"That's true, but there isn't much conflict between the Hanlin Academy and His Highness the Crown Prince. All our actions are for the sake of our Great Ming!"

"The methods are just slightly different. The Ming Dynasty's national strength is rising day by day, which is something we all want to see, rather than targeting each other here!"

"The new imperial examination system is more likely to cultivate talent than the original system that only relied on the Four Books and Five Classics!"

"We support this approach!"

At this moment, Zhu Xiong Ying burst into laughter.

"It's rare that you can understand these things, but with so many officials in the Hanlin Academy, how many can you represent? You can't just represent yourself!"

"If that's the case, it won't be as effective!"

At this moment, Ru Chang seemed to have been prepared and took out a booklet from her bosom.

"This is a joint memorial from the officials of my Hanlin Academy, and we all agree with it. It's just a pity that some officials are still obsessed with the past glory and have abandoned the eternal foundation of our Ming Dynasty. We are not on the same side as them. As for what should be done, we ask His Highness the Crown Prince to make the decision!"

A young eunuch brought over the booklet. Upon seeing the list, Zhu Xiong Ying smiled. Although the number of names was small, they represented the Hanlin Academy.

He nodded with great satisfaction.

"They are not wrong, and I am not wrong either. We are just on different sides. However, for the sake of the people of my Great Ming, it is better that their stance is unnecessary!"

"The current head of the Hanlin Academy is getting old and will soon retire to his hometown. In that case, I will appoint you as the deputy head of the academy. First, handle the matter of this imperial examination. After that, I will clean up the Hanlin Academy!"

"I cannot tolerate any impurities in my eyes. If they are not cleaned up properly, don't blame me!"

"Once all this is accomplished, the Grand Secretary will probably be old enough to retire and return to his hometown. You're quite capable then, and you could succeed him!"

(End of this chapter)