As soon as Ru Chang entered the hall, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "If it's a matter of the court, there's no need to say more. The Emperor will make the decision; just listen. Doing what His Majesty has entrusted to you is the duty of your subjects."

Ru Chang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "That's what I meant too. If we were to submit a memorial to the emperor, it might cause misunderstandings."

Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't help but laugh. He had naturally considered the things Ru Chang mentioned. There was nothing wrong with what Ru Chang said. Even if she had a clear conscience, the only concern was that rumors might circulate in the court and among the public, and that some scholars might write things based on hearsay.

After all, the Crown Prince now controls the city and palace defenses, and also wields considerable influence in the court. If they were to submit impassioned memorials at this juncture, it could easily be interpreted as a coup attempt, which would be a bad thing.

These matters could only be decided by imperial decree from Emperor Zhu. Others at this time could only listen and observe; they couldn't add fuel to the fire, nor should they consider pledging allegiance to the new emperor as a pledge of loyalty. Doing so wouldn't help Zhu Xiong Ying; it would harm him.

It seems everyone here is a sensible person. Since everyone is aware of these things, that's enough.

There were far too many civil and military officials who wanted to see Zhu Xiong Ying, but he couldn't possibly see everyone. Of course, his refusal to see them depended on the person and the matter; if it was a matter of official business, Zhu Xiong Ying was willing to meet with them.

However, it was clear that the vast majority of people still wanted to inquire about the morning court session; this was the fundamental reason they sought an audience with Zhu Xiong Ying. And these were naturally the main reasons Zhu Xiong Ying refused to see them; he simply let them go back and figure it out themselves.

It can be said that after this morning court session, many things and a lot of news spread instantly.

Compared to previous reports of the emperor's serious illness or his apparent summons of important officials, this news has spread much wider. It was brought up in court, and the emperor seems to be making no attempt to conceal his desire to abdicate, which naturally makes it all the more noteworthy.

Perhaps there aren't that many problems. After all, the position of the Crown Prince is very stable, and everyone knows that his succession is a matter of course. At most, no one expected it to happen so early, or in such a way.

Even if the other princes were unwilling, they had no other choice, as many things were predetermined at birth. As for the civil and military officials, they had little say in such matters.

Such matters are naturally national affairs of the Ming Dynasty, but the reason for the current emperor's abdication also seems quite plausible.

After finishing his official duties, Wang Chengen immediately approached and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that we dine at the Qianqing Palace."

There's not much to say about that. Zhu Xiong Ying staggered off to the Qianqing Palace. He realized he had indeed fallen out of favor. Old Zhu was having an antique soup with Little Zhu. Little Zhu kept pouring wine, and even though Old Zhu was already a bit drunk, he continued drinking.

Dipping the tip of his chopsticks into the wine, Old Zhu was in a good mood. "Come on, Yin'er, have a drink with your great-grandfather!"

Little Zhu was quite bold; he immediately started licking the chopsticks. Surprisingly, he didn't seem disgusted at all; instead, he looked quite carefree.

This left Zhu Xiong Ying speechless; it seemed that the older generation all liked to tease children this way. Little Zhu was treated this way, and in fact, Old Zhu had fed him the same way when he was a child. If he didn't try the bar, Old Zhu would actually be disappointed, thinking his grandson wasn't cute.

Zhu Xiong Ying sat down with a thud, and a maid quickly placed a bowl and chopsticks on the table.

"Dad, I'll pour the wine!" Little Zhu got excited and ran over with the wine pot. "I'll pour the wine!"

The cup was so full it overflowed.

Old Zhu complained and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "We think you've had too many good days. Drink some when the wine is full!"

A wronged Zhu Xiong Ying said, "Who would have thought this kid couldn't even pour a drink properly!"

"How old is Yin'er?!" Old Zhu immediately criticized Zhu Xiong Ying, it seemed he was now severely biased. "Our Yin'er is filial, it's just that you're so ungrateful!"

Zhu Xiong Ying didn't want to say anything more, because he knew that whatever he said was wrong, and it would be useless to say anything. Trying to reason with the unreasonable old Zhu was obviously a waste of time.

Zhu Xiong Ying accepted this treatment!