On December 1st of the 29th year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Xiong Ying's 22nd birthday arrived, and the palace was filled with joy. This was not only for the new emperor who was about to ascend the throne, but also because the old Zhu was in a very good mood.

Seeing his eldest grandson arrive with his wives, concubines, and children, Emperor Zhu, dressed in court robes, sat at the head of the table and looked at his grandson with a smile.

Zhu Yunying held his son's little hand, while Xu Miaoqing carried Zhu Ruyi, who was the nominal mother of all of Zhu Yunying's children. Lian Qiongqiong and Wang Shi naturally followed behind. Their status was naturally lower, but this was the case not only in the royal family but also in ordinary households.

Zhu Yunying smiled as he looked at Old Zhu and slowly knelt down. "Grandson Xiong Ying, along with his wife Miao Qing, son Zhu Wenyin, and daughter Zhu Ruyi, pay their respects to Grandfather."

Little Zhu was agile and immediately lay down on the ground. His movements were so smooth that they were even faster than Zhu Yunying's.

Old Zhu laughed heartily, looking at Zhu Wenyin lying on the ground and said with a smile, "This naughty boy is just as lazy as you were when you were a child. He doesn't even kneel properly when he's worshipping. He just lies there like that every time. What kind of behavior is this!"

Zhu Xiong Ying did not respond, but respectfully kowtowed to Old Zhu.

Old Zhu, pleased, raised his hand and said, "Get up, everyone. Today is Ying'er's birthday. Let's have a meal together. There are no rules."

Zhu Yunying then stood up and picked up Zhu Wenyin, who was still lying on the ground. "This child is different from me. I only kneel down when I need something. This child, however, will kowtow to his great-grandfather whenever he gets the chance."

Old Zhu was even happier, looking at Little Zhu and saying, "Our great-grandson is much more filial than you. You have a good mind, but our great-grandson is pure filial piety!"

Zhu Yunying chuckled, though he knew Old Zhu was exaggerating. In his eyes, however, this was merely an excuse and justification for his descendants; he only saw the outstanding achievements of his bloodline.

Zhu Yunying sat down with Zhu Ruyi in his arms and said to Lian Qiongqiong and Wang Shi, "We won't let outsiders handle things today. You all keep an eye on things. This is a family banquet, so don't let anyone else interfere."

Lian Qiongqiong and the others readily agreed, not to mention that Emperor Zhu was present. Even on ordinary occasions, they often didn't have seats at family banquets and were usually served on the sidelines.

Old Zhu patted his thigh and said to Little Zhu, "Come to your great-grandfather, we'll take you for a drink."

Little Zhu immediately climbed onto Old Zhu's lap and sat there. Little Zhu looked at Old Zhu happily, hugged him affectionately, and gave him a kiss.

Old Zhu was even happier, and the more he looked at Little Zhu, the more he liked him. "Just like your father. Your father was just as shameless when he was a child. He was the most shameless of them all. He wouldn't be happy if he didn't kiss us every day."

“Grandpa, you’re wronging your grandson.” Zhu Yunying said unhappily, “When I was little, I think I only liked to kiss people on the cheek. I wouldn’t kiss them unless I was really happy.”

Old Zhu didn't think so. He said, "You were too young to remember things back then, but we do. When your grandmother was alive, you would always ask us to put our faces close to yours, and you would cry if we didn't agree. Your grandmother said that you were a descendant of the Zhu family and that you only remembered the Zhu family."

Although it's a bit of an exaggeration, Zhu Yunying does remember some things from his childhood, after all, he was different from ordinary children. As a child, he considered himself quite adept at charming and cuteness, and his imperial grandparents were always very happy to be coaxed.

Little Zhu remembered and turned to Old Zhu, saying, "Great-grandfather, I am Father's son."

No need to emphasize it, but Old Zhu was very happy. "Yes, Yin'er is your father's son, and he looks most like your father!"

"I'm not like Dad!" Little Zhu said unhappily, jumping up and touching Old Zhu's face with one hand and pinching his own cheek with the other. "I'm most like Great-Grandfather."

No, Zhu Yunying didn't think so. Little Zhu's appearance was more delicate and cute, with a slightly pointed chin. Even though he had some baby fat now, you could still see the hint of an oval face. Old Zhu, on the other hand, had a square face and a more dignified appearance.

But Old Zhu was happy; the more he looked at his great-grandson, the more he felt he resembled him. And the little guy was chubby now, so Old Zhu loved holding him and pinching his chubby cheeks or tummy. Little Zhu also loved running to Old Zhu after peeing—a bad habit of his.

Old Zhu liked it. He used to enjoy letting his grandson walk his birds, even if the grandson wasn't too keen. Old Zhu would seize any opportunity to let little Zhu show them off. As for open-crotch pants, little Zhu didn't like wearing them when he was little, but he couldn't. Sometimes, to show his affection for his ministers, even if little Zhu didn't need to urinate, Old Zhu would take off his pants and make him urinate in the main hall, even if it was just a few drops.

Zhu Yunying felt ashamed; it was a shameful past. He was somewhat numb to it, thankfully he hadn't experienced anything like that since he was three. However, he still carried some psychological trauma, what could he do when he was everyone's child?

But little Zhu is different; he's practically a bird-walking fanatic, because subconsciously, he believes his great-grandfather enjoyed it. Even his mother likes seeing him running around in his open-crotch pants. On the occasional big banquet, whenever Old Zhu makes a move, little Zhu peees with his little belly sticking out.

There was no other way; in such times, offspring were of paramount importance. Especially for royalty and the crown prince, offspring significantly impacted their political standing. Walking one's bird was also a declaration of status, a way of demonstrating to many that the imperial lineage was orderly.

At this moment, Lian Qiongqiong and the others also took the food boxes from the maids and eunuchs, and began to serve the dishes under Xu Miaoqing's command.

Before all the dishes were served, Xiao Zhu took three wine glasses, lined them up, poured three glasses of wine, and then slowly poured them one after another onto the ground, muttering incantations. Old Zhu just watched with a smile, saying nothing. Xu Miaoqing, who was initially confused, hurriedly stood up, and Lian Qiongqiong and the others quickly knelt down as well.

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