The beginning of the twenty-fourth year of Hongwu's reign was not pleasant. Even on New Year's Eve, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Xiong Ying did not seem happy. Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just begun to recover, was drowsy again, which naturally made them unhappy.

Both Emperor Zhu and Emperor Xiaozhu were unhappy, and the other concubines and princes naturally became extremely cautious at this time. To be even slightly disrespectful at this moment would essentially be tantamount to losing favor.

After a somewhat quiet Lunar New Year's Eve, Lao Zhu and Xiao Zhu immediately threw themselves into their work.

Zhu Xiong Ying spoke up, saying to Old Master Zhu, "Grandfather previously decided that, according to the theory of the Five Elements, our Great Ming Dynasty should take the Zhou, Han, Tang, and Song dynasties as its model, ruling the world with the element of fire, and its color should be red. Now, I have discussed this with some ministers and formulated new regulations."

Old Zhu took the memorial and said, "Why should the imperial court make official robes? They can't even afford to make them. It would be better to let those people make their own clothes, and they'd fit better!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was quite impressed by Lao Zhu's "stinginess"; it was simply stingy to the extreme, not even willing to give out "work clothes." Of course, Lao Zhu's reasoning was sound: tailoring clothes to fit the needs of each country was appropriate.

"Grandfather, for civil officials and white-collar workers, the sleeves should be one inch above the ground, extending past the hand and back to the elbow. For dukes, marquises, and imperial sons-in-law, the sleeves should be the same as for civil officials. For military officials, the sleeves should be five inches above the ground and seven inches past the hand." Zhu Xiong Ying spoke directly, describing the style, "Officials' clothes and curtains are not allowed to use black, yellow, or purple, nor are they allowed to weave or embroider dragon and phoenix patterns."

Old Zhu nodded, and Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "In addition to the official hat, all civil and military officials of our Great Ming Dynasty, regardless of rank, must wear a badge on the front and back of their robes. Civil officials wear birds, and military officials wear beasts, to distinguish them."

Zhu Xiong Ying also showed Lao Zhu some differences in the colors, ribbons, sashes, and insignia of the official robes. Lao Zhu was quite satisfied; each had its own significance, and they were all generally considered quite suitable.

As Old Zhu nodded, Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "When the Empress Dowager was alive, she loved the people like her own children. Originally, only the Empress Dowager could wear the phoenix crown, but the Empress Dowager was always generous. I think that in the future, newly married women can wear the phoenix crown and embroidered robe."

Old Zhu was taken aback. In fact, Old Zhu was very strict with everyone except his own family. His children and grandchildren could wear whatever they wanted, but others couldn't. Especially elaborate traditional garments like the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe—they were absolutely forbidden to wear them casually.

Old Zhu was a little worried, and then said, "Ying'er, that's a phoenix crown!"

Sensing Old Zhu's displeasure, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "It's definitely not a phoenix crown adorned with kingfisher feathers or embroidered with gold dragon and phoenix patterns. It just looks like a phoenix crown. It's not allowed to be decorated with nine dragons and four phoenixes, or twelve large and twelve small flowers. It's just adorned with pearls and hairpins, and called a phoenix crown. This is also the grace that the Empress Dowager bestowed upon all women in the world."

Old Zhu paused for a moment, then whispered, "Your imperial grandmother loved her people like her own children and was the epitome of motherly virtue. So you're only allowed to wear the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe on the wedding day; we won't acknowledge this!"

This is tantamount to tacit approval, allowing the common people to be a little more relaxed about things like phoenix coronet and embroidered robe. However, it is still necessary to pay attention to the limits. It certainly cannot be a real phoenix coronet and embroidered robe. Not to mention comparing it to the empress's phoenix coronet, even the clothing of some noble ladies cannot be worn casually. It is just that the style resembles a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe.

Zhu Xiong Ying thought it was a good idea to ensure that all women in the world would remember the Empress's kindness. Old Zhu was also tempted; Empress Ma already had a good reputation. But to ensure that his deceased wife's good name would endure, so that even centuries later, women would remember Empress Ma's kindness when they married, Old Zhu felt it was a viable plan.

Old Zhu then said, "Ying'er, what you're saying about your uncles isn't quite right."

"They've been 'downgraded'," that's how Old Zhu feels now. His sons' treatment is about to be reduced.

Zhu Xiong Ying bluntly stated, "Grandfather, you know that since ancient times, princes have generally enjoyed a more comfortable life than the emperor. If their official robes, palaces, carriages, and ceremonial regalia were second only to the emperor, that would be wishful thinking. Our uncles are doing alright now, but what about their descendants? That's a different story; they are princes too!"

Old Zhu remained silent, trusting in his eldest son's abilities. However, Old Zhu also knew very well that, according to his system, the heir to a prince would inevitably inherit the title of prince, a position that would be passed down through generations.

Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "If one day I ascend the throne, I won't care about my uncles' attitudes. But what about my uncles? How do they view my offspring? Grandfather, many of my uncles are not even as old as me!"

Old Zhu rubbed his temples and then said, "Then you must promise us that if you ascend the throne one day, you must take good care of your imperial uncle and your brothers and sisters. We can lower their rank in terms of expenses and necessities, to make the distinction between ruler and subject clear. But Ying'er, we are family after all, and we cannot mistreat our own family!"

"Grandpa, rest assured, your grandson will certainly not mistreat my uncles, brothers, and sisters," Zhu Xiong Ying said, though with a hint of teasing. "Grandpa, my uncles are no pushovers either; they've done their share of headaches. Now that Grandpa and Father are having trouble, what am I supposed to do?"

This put Zhu Yuanzhang in a somewhat awkward position. Among his sons, quite a few were lawless and caused widespread resentment in their fiefdoms. This was a common practice among some vassal kings, and Zhu Yuanzhang simply couldn't bring himself to be ruthless; it didn't mean he was unaware of it.

Old Zhu said dryly, "Then you must be careful. If your royal uncle really causes too much trouble, summon him back, reprimand him, and send him back to his hometown of Fengyang. Except for those who plot rebellion, no one should have their own family's blood on their hands."

Ultimately, Old Zhu still cares about his children and grandchildren, even though many of them are scum. He doesn't want any unpleasant things to happen, nor does he want to see any human tragedy unfold.

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