After finishing his duties in court, Zhu Yunying casually asked, "What is our Crown Prince doing?"

“Your Majesty, His Highness and the Duke are at the Imperial Stables,” Wang Chengen replied immediately, adding with amusement, “His Highness the Prince of Wu has also come, bringing a small horse. It was sent by the eldest princess on the orders of the Duke of Qian’s heir. The horse is about three feet tall and three feet seven inches long, but it is incredibly strong!”

When Zhu Yunying heard that his younger brother had entered the palace, his first reaction was that his brother was going to fleece the palace. However, when he heard that his brother had brought a horse, Zhu Yunying was quite surprised and felt that he had already made a profit.

He only knew the truth when he heard that it was sent by the heir of the Duke of Qian. It was a mount that seemed to be specially sent for Little Zhu by his younger sister in the name of Mu Qi, the heir of the Duke of Qian.

Zhu Yunying asked curiously, "Is it a foal?"

Wang Chengen, beaming with excitement, quickly said, "Your Highness, it already has six teeth! That little horse just won't grow any bigger. It's said that riding it allows you to travel under fruit trees, hence the name 'Fruit Tree Horse'."

This is the miniature horse, a native breed. However, there are relatively few historical records about this wonderful species, which is why Zhu Xi, who married into Yunnan, had a better understanding of the Yunnan-Guizhou region.

Zhu Yunying laughed and said to Wang Chengen, "Go and tell the Empress that our eldest nephew should also be going to court."

It can't be said that Zhu Yunying was abusing his power for personal gain. His eldest nephew was the heir apparent of the Duke of Qian, and was supposed to study at the court for a period of time before being sent back. However, in recent years, Zhu Yunying had been worried that his eldest nephew would be overworked and too young, so he had never allowed him to come to court.

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Yunying became curious and wanted to see the miniature horses. Although he was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and had seen many rare treasures, he hadn't seen many miniature horses, so he decided to go and see them.

At this moment, Lan Yu, the head of the Imperial Horse Administration, wanted to slap himself a few times. He knew about the ponies there when he was building cities in Sichuan and fighting in the southwest. They were hardworking, tireless, strong, and adept at traversing slippery slopes, making them suitable for driving in the rainy south.

But I never thought of bringing back a few. If only they could be sent to the capital!

Little Zhu, beaming with excitement, rode on the back of a short, stocky pony that was less than a meter tall, holding a wooden sword in his left hand and a wooden spear in his right. As for clinging to the saddle, that was another matter; Little Zhu, caught up in the frenzy of battle, didn't care about anything else.

Old Zhu beamed and stood to the side, saying, "Yin'er is so impressive! He really is our great-grandson!"

"Great-grandfather, you ride a big horse!" Little Zhu said happily, pointing to the tall horse. "I'm a little person riding a small horse, but great-grandfather is an adult, so he rides a big horse!"

Old Zhu chuckled and said to Little Zhu, "We'll have someone get you a suit of armor; that'll make you look truly heroic!"

Little Zhu tumbled off his horse, startling Shuangquan and the others who rushed to protect him. The eunuchs and guards were exhausted from watching the Crown Prince ride without reins, constantly worried he might fall. If His Majesty were nearby, he'd likely just be displeased. But if the Emperor Emeritus saw this, he'd probably be severely punished, if not beheaded.

"A cape!" Little Zhu clung to Old Zhu's leg, his chubby face looking up expectantly. "We want a cape!"

Old Zhu readily agreed. If Little Zhu wanted stars, Old Zhu would send him the moon as well. Not to mention a cloak, Old Zhu wasn't just thinking about an ordinary cloak; only a cloak embroidered with dragons in gold thread would be worthy of his great-grandson.

Xiao Zhu appeared and immediately beamed upon arriving at the Imperial Stables, "This little horse is excellent! It just so happens that our Crown Prince is going to welcome the royal army. Let our Crown Prince ride it there; only when he is fully clad in armor can he truly display the valor of our Great Ming's heir apparent!"

Old Zhu smiled and nodded in agreement, saying, "This little horse has been trained and is indeed docile. Yunwen, you come with me."

Zhu Yunwen, who was eating lychees nearby, paused for a moment, then muttered, "We're just here to deliver Xiao Ma. Besides, it's a matter of national importance; it's not appropriate for a prince like me to go. We..."

Old Zhu glared at his lazy grandson, unable to bear it any longer. If his great-grandson hadn't been too young, and if his eldest grandson hadn't been unable to leave the palace, Old Zhu wouldn't have remembered he had a second grandson, and wouldn't have thought of making him do so many things.

While Zhu Yunwen lowered his head and dared not speak, Old Zhu said, "What sins have we committed to deserve this, running into two good-for-nothings like you! One is lazy and good-for-nothing all day long, and the other only cares about what we have!"

Zhu Yunying was caught in an undeserved disaster and immediately shifted his focus, "Yunyi, you are Yin'er's own uncle! Yin'er went out on business, and you were there complaining?! Your eldest sister is thousands of miles away and still thinking about her nephew, and you're trying to cheat and shirk responsibility right at your own doorstep, what kind of behavior is that!"

Zhu Yunwen panicked immediately. He realized what was going on and started acting recklessly. "Brother, what does it have to do with me if Grandfather scolds you?! Grandfather, Lady Sang is about to give birth, so I have to go back!"

What does it mean to be fearless because of one's own power? Zhu Yunwen, who acted recklessly, is a perfect example of someone who is fearless because of his own power. After saying this, he turned around and left.

Old Zhu was so angry he jumped up and down. Not to mention his grandson, even his son wouldn't dare to be so disrespectful in front of him.

Zhu Yunying was so angry he jumped up and down. He thought he was a bit disrespectful to his father, but he often entertained his father. However, Zhu Yunying was no longer a child, but when he acted recklessly, he really was childish, like a child who never grew up.

Old Zhu pointed at Zhu Yunwen's retreating figure and criticized young Zhu, "You're already twenty-one, and still so immature! When we were twenty-one..."

"I wasn't a monk just now; I was still traveling the world." Zhu Yunying quickly interrupted, saying with a smile, "Duke of Liang, Duke of Zhongshan, you may leave now. The Emperor Emeritus is personally instructing the Crown Prince on military and political matters."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!