"Then go over there. You should see your grandson too." Old Zhu put down his wine cup and said to Consort Guo Ning, "Zhao Hui is unable to manage the affairs of the fiefdom right now. Please keep an eye on things and make sure the Tang and Ge families don't cause trouble. We're letting you go over there to give face to Guo San and Guo Si. Those two brothers have helped us!"

Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "Then let Guo Zhen go too, so that your nephew can come along without worry. Then we can keep the three guards in check, and when Zhao Hui grows up a bit, we can hand him over to him."

Consort Guo was overjoyed; she had never realized that the Crown Prince was so wise.

Her two brothers were both nobles of the Ming Dynasty, so there was no need to worry about Guo Ying, the fourth Marquis of Wuding, as they were considered part of the Crown Prince's inner circle. However, Guo Xing, the third Marquis, although posthumously granted the title of Duke of Shan, had his original title of Marquis of Gongchang revoked due to his involvement in the Hu Weiyong case, and the Guo Xing lineage currently holds no title.

If my nephew Guo Zhen were sent to Yanzhou, even though it would only be one of the Three Guards, and only the Three Guards of a vassal king, it could still be considered an opportunity for a resurgence if managed well.

Seeing Consort Guo Ning's barely contained excitement, Emperor Zhu shook his head, unsure of what to say. This was probably one of the reasons why he hadn't wanted to appoint a new empress all these years. Besides his deep affection for his late husband, it was also because there were no intelligent women in the harem, leaving Emperor Zhu with no one to confide in.

Consort Guo only saw an opportunity for her family to regain power, but in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, this was his grandson's legitimate way of eliminating the three guards of Prince Lu. Consort Guo was still reveling in this, completely oblivious to the underlying motives.

Zhu Xiong Ying glanced at Old Zhu's expression, then quickly lowered her head to eat the fried soybeans. Until they discovered a new continent, they could forget about peanuts, corn, potatoes, or chili peppers for the time being.

Consort Guo was quite excited. Over the years, she had indeed paid close attention to cultivating good relations with Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiong Ying, hoping that through these relationships, Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiong Ying would take care of her brothers and her descendants after they ascended the throne.

Now it seems that her constant overtures have not only been rewarded, but have yielded rewards far exceeding her expectations.

The fact that her brothers from her maternal family had been given the opportunity to be reinstated was something to be happy about in itself. Moreover, she could now go to Yanzhou to take care of her grandson and see her only son pass on the throne, which was of course extremely important to Consort Guo Ning.

This also includes a sense of relief at being able to temporarily escape Zhu Yuanzhang's control. Although she is now acting as the regent for the affairs of the harem, and her brothers have made great contributions, Consort Guo Ning knows her own bitterness. She knows that in the harem, she is merely Zhu Yuanzhang's choice out of necessity, which does not mean that she is particularly favored.

Moreover, at her current age, Consort Guo Ning desires to be surrounded by her children and grandchildren, which would be even more meaningful to her.

"Let's go for a walk!" After dinner, Old Zhu said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "You take Yin'er and come with us for a walk."

Zhu Xiong Ying chuckled and pointed at Zhu Wen Yin, asking, "This rascal hasn't finished eating yet..."

"Yin'er, your great-grandfather is taking you out to play," Old Zhu said with a smile, full of confidence. "Have you had dinner?"

Little Zhu, who was being fed by Consort Guo, pushed away her hand and said in a childish voice, "Great-grandfather, let's go play!"

This matter is truly beyond reasoning, and Zhu Xiong Ying also feels that she needs to be careful. Putting everything else aside for now, just based on Old Zhu's current attitude, Zhu Xiong Ying feels she must be cautious; Little Zhu really has the potential to be spoiled.

Although he was inwardly complaining, Zhu Xiong Ying still followed along. Old Zhu also just followed, because the cheerful little Zhu was running in front, it seemed that the main decision-maker for this walk was this little brat.

Little Zhu wiggled his short legs happily, seemingly running quite fast, but Zhu Xiong Ying and Old Zhu could still easily keep up.

Old Zhu turned to look at Zhu Xiong Ying and said, "Ying'er, shouldn't you tell us what you're thinking?"

"Grandfather, I am thinking of abolishing the practice of funerary sacrifice." Zhu Xiong Ying did not hide anything and spoke directly. "I know that you are thinking of funerary sacrifice to prevent the empress from interfering in politics. The child is young and the mother is strong. However, funerary sacrifice is a bit unreasonable."

Old Zhu became serious and looked at Zhu Xiong Ying, "Since you know what I'm thinking, then tell me why you crippled him?"