Lian Qiongqiong, accompanied by maids and eunuchs, arrived at the palace carrying food boxes. Zhu Xiong Ying wasn't particularly particular about rules, so both Xu Miaoqing and Lian Qiongqiong had gotten used to dining with him and realized that this was different from what they had heard before entering the palace.

Before entering the palace, they had heard that the imperial family placed great importance on rules. However, while the Crown Prince was quite particular about rules in important matters, he disregarded them in trivial matters. This made Xu Miaoqing and Lian Qiongqiong somewhat uneasy, as it was different from the education they had received since childhood.

At this moment, Wang Chengen walked over and said with a bitter face, "Your Highness, His Highness the Prince of the County whipped the Prefect of Yangzhou."

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded calmly, then asked, "Why?"

Wang Chengen replied cautiously, "It seems to be a matter of relocating people."

In fact, Yangzhou began to receive immigrants as early as the beginning of the Hongwu reign, and the total number of immigrants has now reached over 100,000. The total population of Yangzhou today is close to 600,000, which is quite an achievement.

After all, Yangzhou was almost empty when the country was first established. So in recent years, people from southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other places have migrated to populate Yangzhou, a once incredibly prosperous place in the Jiangnan region.

Wang Chengen continued, "His Highness the Prince reprimanded the Prefect of Yangzhou for failing to care for the relocated people and forcibly ordering them to change their customs and traditions."

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded and calmly said, "That old bastard Song Zhong is cunning. He sent you to report this? Let that old bastard come over. I want to ask him about it carefully."

Song Zhong arrived obediently and immediately knelt before Zhu Xiong Ying. "Your Highness," he said, "the Prefect of Yangzhou, driven by short-sighted ambitions, forced relocated residents to conform to Yangzhou customs. His Highness was enraged and stormed into the main hall, whipping the Prefect. The Censorate has submitted a memorial impeaching His Highness..."

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded and said to Wang Chengen, "Send word to the Emperor that the Prefect of Yangzhou must go to Yingtian Prefecture to meet with him. Record all those in the Censorate who impeached the Prince, and have Song Zhong investigate them. I want to know what those people eat morning and night, and I want to know if their families have any history of wrongdoing!"

Wang Chengen and Song Zhong knelt on the ground, not daring to show any extra expression, knowing that the Crown Prince was angry.

Perhaps it was because His Highness was dissatisfied with the censors impeaching the Prince, or perhaps it was because His Highness was dissatisfied with the scholars who were up to some trouble again.

Zhu Xiong Ying sneered and said, "These scholars are really something. They think that since the country has just been settled and the people's hearts have not yet been won over, they can rule the country together with the scholar-officials?!"

At this moment, Song Zhong cautiously said, "Your Highness, afterwards, His Highness the Prince led a few light cavalrymen straight to Beiping Prefecture, and His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince's envoys..."

Zhu Xiong Ying was speechless for a moment, then angrily cursed, "You bastard, why are you only bringing this up now?!"

Song Zhong was also in a dilemma. Disobeying the Emperor's decree would be defying the imperial order. However, he dared not disobey the Crown Prince's instructions. But as an official under the Crown Prince, his principle was to follow the Crown Prince's orders. He simply didn't know how to handle this matter.

Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly remembered something and asked, "Since we're so far from Beiping, you can't really reach us. Tell me, has the second son been taken back?"

Song Zhong was somewhat amused and exasperated, and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "Your Highness, according to the distance traveled, His Highness the Prince has arrived in Yanzhou Prefecture."

These are probably the troops tasked with capturing the second prince, but they're acting under a different order, secretly protecting him. It's been over a month, and this kid is still in Yanzhou. That makes sense; the second prince is probably traveling and sightseeing with his cousin, the current Prince Lu, Zhu Zhaohui. This kid's headed straight for Beiping Prefecture—clearly, he's just traveling!

The first Prince Lu, Zhu Tan, died two years ago due to an overdose of mineral and metallic medicines. This eccentric and unconventional Prince Lu had a son named Zhu Zhaohui, who was respectful to scholars and well-educated.

Zhu Xiong Ying said irritably, "Send someone to fetch him and make him come over as soon as possible, that scoundrel!"

Xu Miaoqing quickly said, "Your Highness, I should write a letter home and have my second brother escort it."

Zhu Xiong Ying shook his head and said, "It would be too troublesome to have him chase after them from Yingtian Prefecture. Let Duke Cao go instead; it'll be a good opportunity for him to train his troops."

After saying this, Zhu Xiong Ying glared at the incompetent Song Zhong. This third-ranking member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard only received the news a month after it happened. It seems that Old Zhu and Big Zhu have handled many things perfectly.