From Kong Duanyou in the Southern Song Dynasty onwards, the simultaneous conflicts during the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties demonstrated that the position of Duke Yansheng was not truly legitimate. Moreover, during the Yuan Dynasty, the Duke Yansheng was even deposed at one point.

Old Zhu slowly opened his mouth and said, "If we depose the Duke Yansheng, the officialdom will inevitably be in chaos. We have also thought about it. It is not good to elevate him too high, nor is it good to be too frivolous. We may not give face to the Kong family, but we should at least give an explanation to all the scholars in the world."

Zhu Yunying agreed with his grandfather's statement, saying, "That's what I'm thinking too. The position of Duke Yansheng is really difficult to handle. Although I'd like to depose him all at once, I know that's not realistic. Let's give him a nominal title, and when we're giving him some face, we should make them lose face properly."

Old Zhu nodded with a smile, feeling no guilt whatsoever for making the Duke of Yansheng lose face.

Zhu Yunying was similar; he respected Confucius, but that didn't mean all of Confucius's descendants needed to be respected. In fact, many of Confucius's descendants did things without any moral compass, such as "submitting memorials for ten thousand generations," which can be considered the greatest irony of Confucius's descendants.

Confucianism emphasizes human relationships and ethical principles. For thousands of years in feudal society, the Chinese people were taught nothing more than the Four Books and Five Classics. The sense of responsibility, loyalty, filial piety, and ethics ingrained in the Chinese people are all the result of the combination of Confucianism and autocratic rule.

Many Confucian scholars achieved this, and many intellectuals also achieved it. However, those who were directly descended from Confucius could not achieve it at all.

Somewhat excited, Zhu Yunwen could be considered to have met his idol. He held his grandfather and elder brother in awe, but he genuinely admired Kong Ne, a great Confucian scholar, and Kong Ne's ancestors.

This is a bookworm who's made him stupid, oversimplifying many things. Fortunately, he currently holds no real power, merely a wealthy but idle prince, like many of his uncles, either residing in his hometown of Fengyang or trapped in Yingtian Prefecture.

Although he was the Duke Yansheng, Kong Ne was aware of his own status. To be honest, he was not as noble as Zhu Yunwen, a prince. The head of the civil officials—of course, this was merely a nominal position. But even with a real title, one would still have to take the initiative to pay respects to a prince.

Zhu Yunying exuded royal refinement and demeanor, even reminding one of the 'former emperor'. That 'emperor' who failed to ascend the throne was equally elegant and humble, well-versed in literature and possessing considerable literary fame.

As for the current emperor, he is indeed worthy of being raised by the Hongwu Emperor. Although he possesses some of the late emperor's leniency, deep down everyone feels that the new emperor is essentially a mini-Hongwu, equally domineering, causing many nobles and officials to tremble with fear.

What these civil and military officials thought was really nothing to Zhu Yunying, and he genuinely didn't care about those things. Every emperor has his own style and characteristics. Zhu Yunying didn't intend to emulate his grandfather, but he also didn't intend to be a 'Renzong' who would be praised by civil officials. He would demonstrate his own attitude and abilities.

Zhu Yunwen was very warm towards Kong Ne, even to the point of being extremely attentive. This was much warmer than he usually was towards Zhu Yunwen, though that might have been because Zhu Yunwen was too stern, making him feel like a little quail.

Zhu Yunwen, now standing before his elder brother, has always felt some pressure. Although his mother had some ideas in his early years, and Zhu Yunwen secretly studied diligently, emulating his father's virtues of benevolence, filial piety, and refinement, he hoped that his father and grandfather would notice him.

However, Zhu Yunwen gradually realized that as long as his elder brother was alive, those matters had nothing to do with him. In fact, Zhu Yunwen even wondered whether his two younger brothers could live comfortably, depending entirely on their elder brother's attitude.

In the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yunwen said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, the Duke Yansheng has already moved into the Honglu Temple. The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy have invited the Duke Yansheng to the Imperial Academy as instructed. At this banquet, the Duke Yansheng will discuss philosophy and guide scholars with the Jinshi."

Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, praising, "This was handled well. Go to the Wenyuan Pavilion and choose a few books or paintings you like. By the way, let the fourth prince enter the palace tomorrow; it's time for him to be granted a prince title."

The fourth son, Zhu Yunxuan, was naturally Zhu Yunwen's younger brother. However, the eldest brother in name was Zhu Yunying. In reality, it was Zhu Yunying who was responsible for taking care of the eldest Zhu's four sons and four daughters.

Zhu Yunwen wasn't being modest, because according to ancestral rules, his younger brother Zhu Yunxuan was indeed to be granted the title of prince. Although he wouldn't have a real fiefdom, he would still have the honor and status of a prince. These things were quite important to Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunxuan. Although they didn't dare compare themselves to the troublesome Zhu Yunxuan, they still hoped their elder brother would be more lenient with them.

As if remembering something, Zhu Yunying asked, "Does Fourth Prince have a preferred title of nobility?"

Zhu Yunwen replied somewhat apprehensively, "Everything is in Your Majesty's hands; I, the Fourth Prince, dare not overstep my bounds."

"Grandfather has already bestowed all the better titles upon our uncles, so your title of prince isn't prestigious enough. If you ask me, I'd suggest giving Fourth Prince the title of Prince of Song," Zhu Yunying said, rubbing his temples with a hint of helplessness. "And our uncles also need to be granted titles; we should go back and prepare. Fourth Prince should also be granted his own residence; does he want to stay in Yingtian Prefecture, or should he come with us to Beiping?"

The title of King of Song wasn't particularly prestigious, but it was still the name of a state during the Spring and Autumn Period. If Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't been the King of Wu, the King of Song would have been more esteemed than the King of Wu. However, in the Ming Dynasty, the King of Wu was clearly exceptionally special.

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