Zhu Yunying sat on the dragon throne, smiling as he looked at Xu Miaoqing, who was dressed in court attire, and said, "Proclaim the decree."

At this moment, Wang Chengen held the imperial edict in his hands, and Xu Miaoqing knelt down gracefully. "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I believe that virtue aligns with the imperial robes, and the king's rule must originate from the palace. May your virtue be recorded in history, and may your motherly example serve as a model for the nation."

"By bestowing upon you the title of Empress, I hereby appoint you as the Empress, the wife of the Crown Prince, Lady Chang, daughter of Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan. Lady Chang is virtuous, gentle, and graceful. Therefore, she is hereby conferred the title of Empress, to be the mother of the nation. She will govern the concubines in the inner palace to promote the imperial clan; and assist me in governing the country to clarify the laws and regulations and to be close to virtuous ministers. May the whole world follow the king's rule and all nations look up to the imperial dynasty."

Nearly fifteen years after Empress Ma's death, the Ming Dynasty finally had an empress who could rule the world.

Xu Miaoqing accepted the golden book and the golden seal, and at this moment she became the true empress who ruled the world!

At this moment, Xu Miaoqing also slowly spoke, saying to Zhu Yunying, "Your Majesty, I request that Consort Lian be made Imperial Noble Consort, for her gentle and virtuous manners and for giving birth to Your Majesty's eldest daughter."

Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, saying, "Granted, Your Majesty, please step down."

Xu Miaoqing slowly stood up and looked expectantly at Xiao Zhu, who still seemed a little confused.

Old Zhu, holding little Zhu, sat on the dragon throne, ignoring the gazes of the court officials, and said gently, "Yin'er, your father is about to appoint the crown prince. Go and lie down."

Lying down was something Little Zhu was familiar with. He didn't even get off the Danbi; he just lay down in front of the dragon throne. Children shouldn't be expected to be too pampered, and besides, Little Zhu was spoiled rotten by Old Zhu, so he often retained a childlike innocence and didn't have many 'thoughts'.

Joo Yoon-young was both annoyed and amused, but seeing the look of satisfaction in Old Joo's eyes, she held back.

Little Zhu, who was lying on the ground, raised his head and occasionally kicked his chubby little legs and stretched out his chubby little hands. The innocent little guy had no other thoughts at the moment; when the golden book and golden treasure were delivered, he didn't even want to take them.

If it weren't for his great-grandfather's constant prompting, the little guy wouldn't have been interested.

Old Zhu looked at Little Zhu and said, "Yin'er, it's time to express your gratitude."

Little Zhu now knew that this was basic etiquette, something his mother had taught him: "Your son thanks Father, and your grandson thanks Great-Grandfather."

After saying this, Little Zhu looked at his great-grandfather with anticipation. He couldn't get up yet; his great-grandfather had to speak first.

Old Zhu took over Zhu Yunying's job, laughing as he said, "Alright, get up. Your great-grandfather will put a crown on you."

Zhu Yunwen felt a pang of jealousy. His elder brother, the Emperor, had discussed this matter with him privately. It was originally agreed that Zhu Yunwen, his own uncle, would be the one to put on the crown for the Crown Prince. But now, his grandfather had directly snatched this honor away.

Those who were probably even more envious were Zhu Yuanzhang's children, as they rarely saw their father so gentle. But now, their father seemed very patient, helping the new crown prince put on his crown.

Old Zhu felt that was enough, and holding Little Zhu's hand, he said, "Your Majesty, there's nothing for us to do here, let's take the Crown Prince and leave first."

After saying this, Old Zhu, holding the hand of the bouncy little Zhu, strode away. They were going to admire the plum blossoms; it had snowed lightly in Yingtian Prefecture yesterday, and they needed to play in the snow. These things, though not as important as the investiture of the Crown Prince, couldn't be ignored, because the little Crown Prince was eagerly anticipating it.

Zhu Yunying naturally led the civil and military officials to respectfully see off the retired emperor, but it was not Zhu Yunying's place to respectfully see off the crown prince.

After the retired emperor and the crown prince left, Zhu Yunying spoke, saying, "Yunwen, Yuntong, listen to my decree."

Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuntong immediately stepped forward and knelt to receive the imperial decree. They both knew very well that this meant they were to be granted the title of Prince. From this moment on, they would no longer be Princes of the Second Rank.

Zhu Yunwen became the second Prince of Wu in the Ming Dynasty, but no one felt this was a trivial matter. After all, Zhu Yunwen had been the Prince of Wu before becoming emperor. Meanwhile, the first Prince of Wu in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Su, had a strange expression; his important tax-paying territory had been given away, and it seemed he was only nominally receiving the title.

Zhu Yunwen was the Prince of Xu, and it seems that Zhu Yunying treated his younger brother quite well, granting him the title of prince as he deserved. This is what an elder brother should do, and Zhu Yunying certainly had the demeanor of an elder brother.

The first thing Zhu Yunying did upon ascending the throne was to bestow titles and honors, which didn't surprise him at all; it was standard procedure. For the next period, he would continue bestowing titles and honors, and he would also promote some of his trusted confidants.

For Zhu Yunying, ascending the throne also meant having more things to do and more responsibilities!