As time quietly entered the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu's reign, Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood at the beginning of spring, feeling that his life was almost complete.

His achievements are well-documented; he conquered a vast empire. Currently, the government is generally efficient and the people have high hopes after years of recuperation. The Ming Dynasty is becoming increasingly prosperous and powerful, and the surrounding barbarian tribes naturally dare not act rashly.

Leaning back on the couch, Emperor Zhu poured himself a cup of wine, took a leisurely sip, and casually tossed a few peanuts into his mouth. This workaholic emperor could finally rest, for there were two small tables, one on each side, beside his imperial desk in the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Xiong Ying naturally couldn't go to Beiping, not only because many things in Beiping seemed to be planned and progressing very well, and it didn't necessarily require Zhu Xiong Ying's personal supervision. The main reason was that Xu Miao Qing was pregnant, which was an extremely important matter.

This is not just a matter of the Zhu family's succession; it can even be said to concern the very foundation of the nation, so it cannot be taken lightly.

"Father, next year is the Jiaxu year of the imperial examination. Why don't I be the chief examiner?" Zhu Xiong Ying said casually while flipping through the memorials. "Speaking of which, in recent years, everyone in the court and the public has said that I have no literary reputation and am only good at military affairs. I should be the chief examiner for this year's examination."

Zhu, who was reviewing memorials, looked up and said with a smile, "If you were to be the chief examiner, I'm afraid a large number of talented scholars would fail. This is a thankless and arduous task. Have you thought it through?"

Zhu Xiong Ying laughed, still quite confident. "It would be a good thing to see how talented the scholars are. I'll be the chief examiner. Just don't say that I've only found some scholars who can do things but can't write essays."

Old Zhu took a sip of wine and said, "We'll agree to this. Even if you can't write a name, we'll still give you the top scholar title."

"Father!" Da Zhu said helplessly and irritably, "If Father really has nothing to do, please review some memorials. This Korean envoy seems to want to submit memorials every day. It's not good to leave them hanging like this."

Old Zhu rolled over, leaning back more comfortably. "My son and grandson are all grown up now and can share our burdens. We're getting old too, so you should handle these things yourselves. My grandson isn't very old, so my son can take care of these matters."

Zhu Yuanzhang is now at ease, but the Korean courtiers are extremely uneasy. They keep submitting memorials and pleading for forgiveness, hoping that the Ming army in Busan will stop its pressure or return the prisoners of war. If all else fails, they demand conditions be set so that the Liaodong army will not continue its overwhelming advance, lest the Korean people and army collapse.

At this moment, Da Zhu spoke up, saying, "Tomorrow I will write a letter to the State and send the Fourth Prince with his men. How well the fighting goes in Japan, and whether the Fourth Prince can hold his own there, depends on his ability."

"We gave him the opportunity, we gave him soldiers and food, and now he expects us to conquer the country for him?" Old Zhu said irritably. "We gave him the capital to start his business. When ordinary people divide their families, giving them a bowl and chopsticks is enough. But what we gave our fourth son was quite a lot."

Although they were all sons, Old Zhu treated them somewhat differently. But he wasn't bad to his other sons either.

Zhu Di was quite satisfied with being a prince, but he was also occasionally dissatisfied with being just a prince. Sometimes, thinking about his many abilities and how he could only be a wealthy and powerful prince, he felt somewhat resentful.

Leaving aside the matter of the Crown Prince's attitude, Zhu Di could sense a shift in his elder brother's attitude towards the vassal kings. This unsettled him. Being a prince meant being constantly controlled by others; it was far better to venture out to sea, conquer a territory, and become a powerful ruler. Even if it meant paying tribute and submitting to the emperor, he wouldn't mind—after all, he would be a ruler.

Moreover, Zhu Di wouldn't be taking office alone; he would lead his own guards and the imperial army. Furthermore, his palace wouldn't just have guards and military officers, but also many civil officials. While the number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations is uncertain, there were certainly many disillusioned scholars who could be taken to Japan to become kings of those barbarians.

After finishing his official duties, Zhu Xiong Ying headed towards the East Palace. Suddenly, Old Zhu remembered something. "Ying'er, we had someone fetch some things from the storeroom. Take them back with you. Let the Crown Princess rest and recuperate. This is a major event for our Zhu family."

"The storeroom in the Eastern Palace is full, so let's keep the Emperor's gifts." Zhu Xiong Ying turned around, waved his hand, and said, "Emperor, please don't bestow any more gifts. Qing'er is already overwhelmed with gratitude. It would be fine if she gave birth to a son, but if it's a daughter, I'm afraid she will disappoint the Emperor's kindness."

Old Zhu's expression froze for a moment, then he said, "A boy would be best, but a girl is fine too. This one isn't a boy, we'll have a boy next time. Tell Qing'er not to overthink it, just focus on her pregnancy."

Da Zhu shook his head. In the entire capital, there were probably only two people who were truly unafraid of the emperor. As for everyone else, they were all nervous in his presence. Even if they seemed to be favored now, who knew what would happen next!

Back at the East Palace, Zhu Xiong Ying was in a good mood and casually asked, "Is the Crown Princess taking good care of herself during her pregnancy today?"

Wang Chengen immediately replied, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess walked around the courtyard for half an hour. The old women and maids served her diligently without causing any trouble."

Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't help but laugh. He had never been a father, nor had he ever taken care of a pregnant woman. But there were some common sense things that Zhu Xiong Ying considered himself to know.

Therefore, he did not follow some current traditions, such as letting pregnant women simply rest quietly or constantly supplementing their diet. He required Xu Miaoqing to take a short walk in the yard every day and not to keep supplementing her nutrition, so as not to let the fetus grow too big.

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