Back in Chunhe Palace, Xu Miaoqing was in a good mood. "Your Majesty, please don't scold Wang Shi anymore. She has apologized to me quite a bit these past few days. But she's a heartless woman. She was a little too happy after giving birth to the prince and said some unintentional things."

Pinching Xu Miaoqing's chin, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "The Empress is indeed a model of virtue for the world. Her kind nature is just like our Imperial Grandmother and our Mother. You probably don't know, but if it weren't for the Imperial Grandmother's magnanimity, the Imperial Grandfather wouldn't have had so many children. Back then, when Lady Lü was not favored by our father, it was our father who persuaded him to give Lady Lü some dignity."

"I am, after all, a member of the Zhu family, and naturally I must think of my own family," Xu Miaoqing said confidently, without any shyness. "I am, after all, the Empress, and I have the trust of my grandfather and the late Emperor, and the favor of His Majesty. If I cannot even control the harem, how can I be the mother of the nation!"

As the rightful wife of the Zhu family and the Empress, Xu Miaoqing remained confident. This was partly due to her lineage; she was Xu Da's daughter. While she was proper and dutiful in her speech and actions, she also possessed confidence and assertiveness.

This is also why Zhu Yunying particularly liked Xu Miaoqing, even though Xu Miaoqing wasn't exceptionally beautiful. However, this spirited and sensible woman won Zhu Yunying's heart, and their affection deepened from childhood to adulthood, eventually becoming a family.

Xu Miaoqing seemed to remember something and said, "My eldest sister said she's not used to living in Yingtian Prefecture and is thinking of taking Qi'er and Lin'er back with her."

Zhu Yunying couldn't help but frown and said, "You're leaving so soon? That won't do. It's not just that she, a woman, can't handle it; how can two children? She needs to rest and recuperate. If you're worried, let Muchun go back first."

Xu Miaoqing couldn't help but chuckle. This was something the emperor could actually do, and she wasn't surprised at all.

Whether it was the late Emperor or the current Emperor, they all kept an extremely close eye on their own family members. They didn't particularly care whether others were tired or not, but their care for their own family members was practically meticulous.

Zhu Yunying was indeed worried about his younger sister and two nephews returning to Yunnan immediately. The long journey would be a considerable burden for women and children. It would take several months to get back, and the journey would be arduous.

Zhu Yunying said matter-of-factly, "These two children will also have to stay in Yingtian Prefecture for a while, and we need to teach them. There are some things we can talk to Mu Chun about, and he will understand. There are some things you can talk to, and Xi'er will understand too."

Xu Miaoqing couldn't help but grumble inwardly. The emperor had an incredibly deep relationship with his two sisters and one brother. Moreover, they were completely obedient to their elder brother, Zhu Yunying, doing whatever the emperor said, and they instinctively felt that what their brother said must be right and for their own good.

As for what this sister-in-law said, some of the things she said might be true, but they still need to be considered.

After chatting with Xu Miaoqing for a while, Zhu Yunying went to bed. He still had to attend court; being an emperor was no easy task, and there were many things he needed to handle and do well.

Zhu Yunying still needed to observe the matter of the Minister of Rites further, to see which officials in the court had formed a "group". These things were becoming a little clearer now. Such an important matter and such a crucial position would make those civil officials fight tooth and nail for it, inevitably due to the phenomenon of forming cliques for mutual support or the strength of numbers.

Zhu Yunying sometimes tacitly approved of forming cliques, as long as they weren't factions or involved in factional strife. Civil officials needed to unite to resist imperial power and military merit, but the civil official group couldn't be completely united. Their infighting made it easier for Zhu Yunying to control the court, just as the military merit group actually had several factions.

After the court session, Zhu Yunying summoned Mu Chun to the Wuying Hall, wanting to discuss some matters with his brother-in-law.

“You’re family, so we won’t stand on ceremony with you,” Zhu Yunying said directly to Mu Chun. “Logically speaking, you’re our cousin. Uncle Wenying was the son of our grandfather and grandmother, and the late emperor always regarded him as his brother.”

Mu Chun was immediately moved to tears of gratitude. He didn't believe that Zhu Yunying was trying to win people's hearts. His father, Mu Ying, was the son of the retired emperor and the elder brother of the late emperor. Throughout Mu Chun's education, his father had always taught him this way.

Moreover, Mu Chun himself was also showered with unparalleled favor. The reason he had not been able to marry in his early years was that the late emperor and the current emperor had been waiting until Zhu Xi came of age before bestowing a marriage upon him, which would be a "double blessing" between relatives.

"Qi'er and Lin'er, we definitely won't let them go back to Yunnan this year." Zhu Yunying said without any politeness. "Our nephews can't stand the long journey, so we're thinking of personally teaching them for a year or two. Putting aside other things, Qi'er will definitely be stationed in Yunnan. It's a good thing that he grew up with the Crown Prince."

Mu Chun was moved to tears and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

If it were anyone else, a duke or similar figure guarding a region, leaving their children and family in the capital, people would first think of them as hostages. But Mu Chun had no doubts, because he knew it was the emperor's trust in the Mu family and the emperor's affection for his nephew.

Moreover, having the Mu family's heir grow up alongside the crown prince is also for the future succession of the Mu family's title and their role in guarding Yunnan.

After expressing his gratitude, Mu Chun said, "Thanks to Your Majesty's trust, we are stationed in Yunnan to serve as a bulwark for the nation. However, Mu Qi can only become the heir apparent at the age of ten, and Mu Lin..."

Mu Chun's meaning was clear: although both sons were equally dear to him, not to mention the Ming Dynasty, even in other dynasties, aristocratic families still valued the eldest son the most, and the training and resources they provided far exceeded those for other sons.

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