Old Zhu disapproved of others' extravagance. However, he was happy for his descendants to desire wealth and status.

"Great-grandfather!" Little Zhu's excited voice rang out. "Great-grandfather, it's Yin'er!"

Old Zhu immediately smiled, but first quickly complained to Little Zhu, "You rascal, you knew we were going to scold you, so you made Yin'er block it!"

Zhu Yunying, unashamed, said rather smugly, "That's right! With Miaoqing here, you're giving us some face, but not enough. With Yin'er here, even if Grandfather is furious, he'll still give us some face. We know that."

Little Zhu nimbly climbed over the threshold, holding onto the handlebars, and with a sweet, childish laugh, jumped into Old Zhu's arms.

Xu Miaoqing also came over and bowed respectfully, saying, "Granddaughter-in-law greets Imperial Grandfather."

"Alright, we're family, no need for formalities." Old Zhu picked up little Zhu and didn't pay much attention to Xu Miaoqing. "The emperor is hungry, you help serve the meal."

Xu Miaoqing naturally got busy immediately, as she was qualified to do these things.

"Great-grandfather, are you going to scold Dad?" Little Zhu leaned against Old Zhu's chest and said with some worry, "If Great-grandfather doesn't scold Dad, Dad will be unhappy, Mom will be unhappy, and Yin'er will be unhappy too."

Old Zhu pinched Little Zhu's cheek and asked, "Who taught you to say that?"

Little Zhu immediately pointed at Wang Chengen and said, "That's what Wang Daban said!"

Old Zhu's sharp gaze was fixed on Wang Chengen, who immediately trembled and knelt down, but did not betray Zhu Yunying.

"Not bad, at least he has some backbone," Old Zhu said irritably. "Your good-for-nothing brother is no good for anything, he's better off as a wealthy landowner. But that boy of yours, bring him to the capital in a while, he'll be good at serving the Crown Prince in the future."

Wang Chengen immediately began to express his gratitude, knowing full well that his greatest task was to serve the current emperor well. His current position was all thanks to His Majesty.

As for his parents, they were naturally supported by his younger brother. Because he was trusted by the Emperor, his family also benefited greatly. His clever younger brother even registered his eldest son under Wang Chengen's name; he was quite cunning.

Old Zhu picked up his wine glass and criticized Zhu Yunying in an annoyed tone, "Don't think we're giving you face just because Yin'er is here. Tell me yourself, you've broken all the rules we set for you, what kind of behavior is this!"

Xu Miaoqing felt a chill run down her spine. She was the Empress, and her husband was the Emperor. But the most powerful person in the Ming Dynasty at present was the Retired Emperor. Once the Retired Emperor got angry, or even said something harsh, most people couldn't withstand the pressure.

In these situations, perhaps only the current emperor can offer some resistance. As for the young crown prince, he probably doesn't know fear.

Zhu Yunying didn't mind, and simply said to his grandfather, "Grandfather, the people of Suzhou and Songjiang are, after all, subjects of the Ming Dynasty. What I'm doing can be considered as winning over the hearts of the people. Since I'm planning to reduce taxes there, let's be generous."

Zhu Yuanzhang used to have a rule that people from Suzhou and Songjiang were not allowed to serve as officials. This is why many people think that Zhu Yuanzhang was taking revenge on the people of Suzhou and Songjiang, because the people there had helped Zhang Shicheng defend the city back then, and it was Zhu Yuanzhang's petty grudge.

That makes some sense. Zhu Yuanzhang imposed heavy taxes on the Jiangnan region because he needed the well-developed Jiangnan area to provide financial support to other regions. However, the fact that people from Suzhou and Songjiang were barred from holding official positions was partly due to Zhu Yuanzhang's pettiness and regional discrimination.

Old Zhu glanced at Zhu Yunying and said irritably, "We originally thought that the new emperor should have some benevolent policies after his ascension to the throne. After all, they are still subjects of our Great Ming, and we accept that. But what I have to say to you is, with your messing around, what about our household registration system?"

Emperor Zhu wasn't angry that Zhu Yunying had appointed people from Suzhou and Songjiang as officials, because even if Zhu Yunying hadn't done it, other emperors would have, so it didn't matter. What worried Emperor Zhu was some of the things Zhu Yunying was doing that concerned him, such as the household registration system that Emperor Zhu was so proud of.

He now realizes that the biggest disruptor of his household registration system is none other than his beloved grandson, whom he is so proud of.

What kind of mess is this?!

Old Zhu's dilemma is self-evident; both sons are his flesh and blood, so he needs to have a good talk with his grandson. These matters cannot be taken lightly; in Old Zhu's view, they are the foundation of the nation!