But Old Zhu was a man of great stature; he naturally knew what his grandson was thinking, and he truly valued and loved his great-grandson whom he had raised. So, after thinking for a moment, he took little Zhu's hand and headed towards the Fengtian Hall, which could be considered a gesture of goodwill.

The eunuch Shuangquan had sent out stopped at a distance, nodded to Shuangquan, and then bowed respectfully. Shuangquan now understood the situation, and everything was arranged properly.

Wang Chengen also noticed the little eunuch outside the Fengtian Hall, and naturally understood what he meant, giving a barely perceptible nod.

Just then, a young eunuch appeared decisively and said, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has something to report."

Many people in the Fengtian Hall were stunned. Why was the Crown Prince in court again? When the current emperor was still the grandson of the Crown Prince, he rarely came to court. Even the late emperor, when he was first made Crown Prince, rarely appeared in court.

Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, saying, "The Crown Prince is the foundation of the nation. Since the Crown Prince has something to report, it must be something important."

Wang Chengen immediately issued an edict summoning the Crown Prince, but the procedure seemed to have gone wrong. The Crown Prince should have been waiting outside the palace, ready to enter upon receiving the edict. However, several minutes had passed since the edict was issued, and the Crown Prince still hadn't appeared.

Even though the Crown Prince is still young and his short legs prevent him from walking fast, he should still be in everyone's sight.

Suddenly, two figures slowly appeared: a tall, robust old man leading a small child, walking towards the Fengtian Hall. This wasn't the Crown Prince arriving; it was clearly the Emperor Emeritus coming to court again!

No wonder the Crown Prince wasn't waiting outside, and the Emperor Emeritus came along too. Who would dare make the Emperor Emeritus wait? No, that's not right. The Emperor Emeritus should have come directly. Why is it the Crown Prince who has something to report?

Just as everyone was tense and confused, Old Zhu led Little Zhu to the entrance of Fengtian Hall and said, "You go in by yourself, we'll just stand here. We've abdicated and won't be involved anymore."

Everyone could hear what the Emperor Emeritus was saying. It was clear that the words were not just for the Crown Prince, but for everyone.

Zhu Yunying found it amusing. He had originally intended to subtly emphasize Little Zhu's identity. But Old Zhu went for an even more elaborate approach, bringing Little Zhu directly with him. Even though Old Zhu had said they were only outside the Fengtian Hall, who would dare ignore it?

Shuangquan tried to help Xiao Xiaozhu, but Xiao Xiaozhu impatiently shook off Shuangquan's hand. Old Zhu watched with amusement as Xiao Xiaozhu used both hands and feet to climb over the high enough threshold. His precious grandson was just like that when he was little; he wouldn't need anyone to help him over any threshold, no matter how high it was. He had such backbone!

Following his great-grandfather's instructions, little Zhu slowly walked towards the imperial steps, then knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Wang has given birth to a prince!"

Although Little Zhu's voice was still childish and not very loud, everyone could still hear it clearly.

Xu Huizu, standing at the head of the military ranks, was taken aback, his face remaining expressionless. His nephew was still the Crown Prince, his position secure.

Just as the courtiers began to congratulate Zhu Yunying, Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "The Crown Prince is wise, sensible, filial, and benevolent. He is hereby awarded five imperial horses and twenty bolts of imperial silk."

This was an exaggeration. The Crown Prince was just there to deliver good news and a message, but the Emperor saw through the Crown Prince's filial piety towards his elders and his love for his younger siblings, so he generously rewarded Little Zhu.

Little Zhu is still lying down, but in reality, he's now sitting in the 'Golden Palace'.

Embarrassed, Xiao Zhu felt her chubby son needed further instruction; sometimes the boy was quite sensible. However, children forget things easily; he might have learned to express gratitude the day before, but not now. Or, if the reward was changed at the last minute, little Zhu sometimes couldn't process it.

Standing at the palace gate, Old Zhu spoke up, seemingly to defuse the situation, "Crown Prince, thank the Emperor for his grace, and I will send you to the school."

See, that's how straightforward and direct the Zhu family's emphasis on status was. Anyone of high enough status in the family simply showed up directly. While it might seem 'reserved,' it was still quite obvious. If you really couldn't guess what these emperors were thinking, it was best not to appear in court.

Little Zhu immediately understood and said with a grin, "Thank you, Dad."

Well, the royal education needs to be strengthened. Old Zhu and Little Zhu sometimes lacked royal decorum, and they didn't teach that to Little Zhu either. And look what happened—Little Zhu is doing the same thing now.