After discussing some matters with Old Zhu, Zhu Yunying indeed had many thoughts.

However, it's clear that some things are being discussed with Lao Zhu. Some things were already agreed upon by the two of them beforehand, after some discussion. Therefore, reaching a consensus now feels incredibly easy.

Little Zhu must have been very happy; his childhood seemed quite joyful. After all, he wasn't only required to study, but he was also allowed to ride horses, practice swordsmanship, and run around the palace freely—all without any problems.

For example, after the court session, Zhu Yunying heard, to his dismay, that the young Zhu had summoned several military officers in the Wenhua Hall.

Actually, this is just children making a fuss, but the young crown prince is indeed qualified to work in the Wenhua Hall. The Wenhua Hall is a palace reserved for the crown prince's official duties, and it's true that the young crown prince is quite young. However, as the heir apparent of the Ming Dynasty, his decrees cannot be disobeyed.

Summoning Yu Xin, Ru Chang, and others, Zhu Yunying felt a headache coming on; the court's accounts were somewhat chaotic. Most importantly, Yan Zhenzhi, the Minister of Works, was truly willing to spend money on Zhu Yunying.

The framework of Beiping, the new capital of the Ming Dynasty, had long been established, and the relocation of the capital was proceeding in an orderly manner. However, the Ming Dynasty still needed to continue investing manpower and resources in Beiping. Furthermore, in order to restore people's livelihoods, the Ming Dynasty had begun relocating people and constructing water conservancy projects in earlier years.

These are clearly not small projects, and they all require continuous funding from the imperial court, which costs money.

It's heartbreaking to think about. Our emperor, in order to save money, only slightly replaced the tiles and beams of the East Palace. The reason is simple: he couldn't bear to spend the money. He couldn't bear to rebuild the palace and thought that making do for two years wouldn't be a big problem.

In order to be a wise ruler, Zhu Yunying felt it was best not to build a garden. The money for garden construction should be used elsewhere. While the Ming Dynasty couldn't be said to be in dire need of reconstruction, it certainly needed continuous development, and there were many other areas where money was required.

The young prince had no such worries, and rode his little pony slowly through the palace.

Zhu Yunying felt this was all due to his father's spoiling. In the palace, Zhu Yunying rarely rode a horse or was carried in a sedan chair. But little Zhu, when his aunt sent over several miniature horses, would often ride them around recklessly.

The people in the Imperial Stables now all understand that serving His Majesty's horses is useless; taking good care of the Crown Prince's mounts is the real job. These few ponies are the most prestigious 'imperial horses' in the Imperial Stables, and they are the ones the Emperor Emeritus keeps in mind.

Back at the East Palace, Xu Miaoqing said, "Your Majesty, Lady Wang will be giving birth soon, and the Imperial Hospital is ready."

Zhu Yunying nodded and said, "These things also need your attention. Speaking of which, it's been a while since we last visited her."

Listen to what Joo Yoon-young said; he's utterly despicable, but everyone thinks it's perfectly reasonable.

The emperor is busy with important affairs of state; he doesn't have the time or energy to manage matters in the harem. It's best to leave it to the empress, as that's her duty.

"It's probably been two months," Xu Miaoqing advised. "Wang is about to give birth. Although I know Your Majesty loves her, she would be happy if Your Majesty went to see her."

Zhu Yunying rarely visited Wang Shi when she was about to give birth, and many people found excuses for this and took it for granted.

For example, Zhu Yunying was busy with important court affairs, and Lady Wang was heavily pregnant and unable to serve His Majesty. Or perhaps His Majesty cherished his offspring and did not disturb Lady Wang, hoping that she could successfully give birth to a prince or princess.

No one would find anything wrong with Zhu Yunying's actions, because he was the emperor.

As for Xu Miaoqing, she also did a good job of fulfilling her duties as empress. Helping the emperor manage the harem was her responsibility. When other concubines were about to give birth, she would make arrangements. And when the emperor might be neglecting some concubines, Xu Miaoqing would speak on their behalf.

The worry about her own position was nonexistent, because Xu Miaoqing was the Empress. Putting aside her birth, in the palace, a mother's status always depended on her son, and after the birth of Little Zhu, Xu Miaoqing's position was naturally even more secure.

In the past, Empress Ma managed the harem well, and Empress Chang would speak up for Lady Lü when she saw that Lady Lü was out of favor.

The reason is that they don't need to worry about their status being affected, even if they sometimes feel a little jealous. But after all, they are empresses who govern the country, and they still have enough magnanimity and composure.

Just like Zhu Yunying, he never needed to worry about chaos in the harem. After all, he was the emperor, so naturally he didn't need to worry about certain things, and many things just fell into place naturally.

When the palace maid came to inform her, Lady Wang was clearly quite excited and immediately got up.

"Rest now." Zhu Yunying entered the hall with a smile and asked Wang Shi, "The Empress said that the imperial physician also came to take your pulse today, how was it?"

Lady Wang wanted to perform the ceremony, but although she was unable to complete it due to Zhu Yunying's support, she still said, "Your Majesty, thanks to the Empress's care, the imperial physicians have been taking my pulse twice a day. They say that my constitution is good and the baby is in the correct position, so I will definitely be able to give birth to an heir for Your Majesty."

Touching Wang's belly, Zhu Yunying smiled, "That's good. I originally wanted to come and rest here more often. But since you're six months pregnant, I not only get up early, but I also don't sleep very well, so I haven't been able to come."

Lady Wang was naturally pleased; the emperor didn't actually need to explain anything to her. The fact that he was explaining now was clearly a sign of his favor towards her.

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