In the seventh year of Hongwu, the legitimate eldest grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, was born.
He who resides as the legitimate heir will surely ascend to t...
Zhu Xiong Ying believed that everything was going relatively smoothly. Although some people were now standing up for him, Ru Chang had already become the acting head of the Ministry of Personnel, and many people understood that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would become the Minister of Personnel.
Zhu Xiong Ying's father-in-law, Lian Zi Ning, became the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, which can be considered a promotion.
Many people have also noticed some changes. They see that almost all of the people who followed Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the country have left the court. They see that Zhu Xiong Ying's faction is occupying an increasingly important position in the court. This change is somewhat surprising, unexpected, and yet also quite logical.
After all, based on past patterns, Emperor Hongwu had been cultivating a group of loyal followers for Crown Prince Zhu Biao from an early age. After the Crown Prince's early death, some of his faction was absorbed by the Crown Prince's grandson, while others were eliminated.
These things are important, and they do indeed make sense to many people.
In fact, in the Ming Dynasty, the so-called Eastern Palace staff was not so special, unlike the occasional conflicts between emperors and crown princes in previous dynasties.
Ultimately, it was because the emperor and the crown prince shared the same staff, which allowed the crown prince to smoothly take over the affairs of the court.
The Crown Prince's current faction is not exactly invisible in the court, and most importantly, they are relatively young. These individuals have considerable potential and are worth nurturing, which is intended to better enable the Crown Prince to control the court in the future.
Old Zhu was in a good mood; he had genuinely felt quite satisfied during this period. His children and grandchildren were by his side, a true family reunion. Furthermore, his upcoming birthday was something he was both happy and looking forward to. Most importantly, of course, was the outstanding performance of his crown prince, who proved to be a qualified successor.
After the morning court session ended, Zhu summoned Zhu Xiong Ying to the Wu Ying Hall. "Ying'er, tomorrow have someone tell us that we want to move the capital."
"Okay, grandson understands." Zhu Xiong Ying took the tea and handed it to Old Zhu. "Grandpa, why don't we wait a little longer? Let's bring this up again after your birthday celebration, otherwise things will definitely get chaotic again."
Old Zhu shook his head directly and said with certainty, "To be honest, there's nothing to make a fuss about. The relocation of the capital was already decided. This time, we'll have your people bring it up so we can issue a proper edict. Or we can back down, and that's your problem. It's no big deal if we get a headache from all this noise; we can just rest."
Zhu Xiong Ying smiled but didn't speak. However, he immediately thought of something and said, "Grandfather, if we move the capital, I won't leave right now. The central government can't be moved anytime soon either, so there's no rush. Once the decision to move the capital is made, we can move it slowly. The foundation of Beiping City is a bit weak, so we need to continue to repair and maintain it."
Old Zhu frowned, looking somewhat serious. "So you want to wait until we're dead before you move the capital?"
"My father is gone, and then it will be just me, the grandson, who will wear mourning clothes," Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile to Old Zhu. "I have to take care of this. We had originally agreed that my grandfather would take me on a tour of the world. But now it seems that we are still together. I wouldn't feel at ease if my grandfather were to leave."
Old Zhu thought for a moment and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "Ying'er, we're in good health, we're probably not going to die anytime soon."
"Let's move the capital slowly, there's no rush." Zhu Xiong Ying was very certain, knowing that Old Zhu was actually reluctant too. "Grandfather, once the decision to move the capital is made, there's no need to worry about any changes. Other matters are important, but the affairs of the nation are very important. But I am, after all, Grandfather's grandson, and I will stay with you."
Emperor Zhu was actually quite conflicted. Such a major decision as moving the capital naturally couldn't be approached with too much thought. However, Emperor Zhu was indeed a man who valued family ties, and his closest relative was clearly his grandson, the Crown Prince. If he were to be buried one day, Emperor Zhu would certainly hope that his grandson would wear mourning clothes.
If the capital were really moved to Beiping, it would be hard to say whether we would even be able to get back, let alone be near them.
Zhu Xiong Ying was well aware of whether Old Zhu was struggling with this decision, and he knew he had to make a choice. This wasn't exactly acting on emotion; although he didn't know exactly when Old Zhu had died in history, he figured it wouldn't be too long, and Zhu Xiong Ying didn't want to leave any regrets at this time.
Moreover, even if Zhu Xiong Ying could live a little longer, he wouldn't need to worry. Such a major undertaking as relocating the capital is never something that can be accomplished overnight; it naturally takes time, and Zhu Xiong Ying didn't see it as a delay.
Some things were decided so pleasantly, even though Old Zhu seemed to be complaining about Zhu Xiong Ying, feeling that his grandson was acting on emotion. But Zhu Xiong Ying also knew that Old Zhu was secretly quite pleased.
After finishing his official duties for the day, Zhu Xiong Ying was about to return to the East Palace, and Shuang Quan went with him. The reason was to bring the little Zhu who had caused such a ruckus in the East Palace to the Qianqing Palace. After spending a few days with his children and grandchildren, Old Zhu was still more concerned about his great-grandson.
The atmosphere in the Eastern Palace was a bit strange, but of course, this did not include Little Zhu.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Xiong Ying asked Xu Miao Qing, puzzled. "What's so important that you're so worried?"
Xu Miaoqing was excited and nervous. She lowered her voice and said, "Someone just delivered some things. Yin'er said you wore clothes at the Emperor's residence."
Zhu Xiong Ying immediately understood and said with a smile, "It's alright, you know about this. Yin'er is already wearing the Crown Prince's everyday clothes and crown, so your Empress's ceremonial robes should have arrived by now. If you want to wear them, just wear them secretly in the palace, don't wear them outside."
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