As an emperor with some ambition, Zhu Yunying naturally knew some things, including that his crown prince didn't seem to have any particular talent. However, Zhu Yunying wasn't disappointed; he simply hoped that little Zhu would grow up healthy and happy.

Most importantly, although little Zhu is not a 'perfect crown prince,' the little guy has many strengths. Zhu Yunying doesn't need his son to be a perfect heir or emperor; he just needs little Zhu to grasp the essentials.

Having finally gotten a day off, Zhu Yunying lay lazily on the couch, unwilling to move.

"Daddy, play!" Zhu Ruyi leaned over the bed, anxiously pointing outside the hall, "Daddy, let's go play."

Joo Yoon-young smiled, somewhat amused, "It's so hot outside, why are you going out? Come here, let Daddy give you a hug."

Zhu Ruyi was unhappy that her father wasn't taking her out to play. The little girl turned around and stumbled away. Even if her father didn't go out with her, she could still play games.

Lian Qiongqiong glanced at Zhu Yunying's expression and breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.

Children are young and don't understand, so Zhu Ruyi could disregard Zhu Yunying's feelings. But the adults didn't think that way. Lian Qiongqiong was more worried that her daughter's 'spoiled and arrogant' attitude would displease the emperor, even though it didn't seem to be the case at all.

“My father-in-law is going to offend someone these days,” Zhu Yunying said to Lian Qiongqiong as she turned over. “Our brother-in-law has also offended someone.”

Lian Qiongqiong smiled and said to Zhu Yunying, "Your Majesty, my father and brothers cannot be related to the imperial family."

This is also due to Lian Qiongqiong's upbringing; she can be considered to have a very proper sense of self-worth.

Although many people know that Zhu Yunying doted on Princess Zhu Ruyi, and that Consort Lian Qiongqiong, a unique imperial concubine, seemed to be the second most honored woman after the Empress, Lian Qiongqiong was well aware that she was only a concubine, and her parents were not true members of the imperial family. This was also part of her upbringing.

Zhu Yunying laughed and said, "You're just too honest. Let me tell you, it's fine if you're like this. But if our daughter is raised like this by you, then we'll be angry. Our daughter is a princess of the Ming Dynasty!"

Lian Qiongqiong grew a little bolder and cautiously retorted, "Your Majesty, Ruyi'er is, after all, a woman..."

“That’s our daughter too, a princess of the Ming Dynasty!” Zhu Yunying said irritably. “Our princess should be of noble birth. Our princess should be full of vigor and spirit. She should naturally abide by the rules, but she shouldn’t be petty.”

Lian Qiongqiong knew this was a topic she couldn't discuss much, because it seemed she had little say in how to educate the princess. The emperor and Empress Xu Miaoqing were in charge. As the princess's birth mother, she had no say in certain matters.

"During this period, we ordered the Censorate to inspect the country and have seen quite a few things." Zhu Yunying sighed and said with some worry, "In previous years, people said that the Emperor was harsh on officials, but those people did not know how rampant the corruption was left over from the Yuan Dynasty! If it weren't for the Emperor's clean-up of officials, our Great Ming Dynasty would not be so prosperous and powerful."

In fact, Zhu Yunying had something else he didn't say: even if he went mad with killing, he had almost zero tolerance for corrupt officials. However, while the corruption seemed to have improved considerably, those who wanted to embezzle were still doing so.

This time, after the Censorate went down to the capital, they also discovered a number of problems.

Perhaps realizing that Emperor Yingshi was not as bloodthirsty and harsh as Emperor Hongwu, or perhaps because Emperor Hongwu had not had much energy to clean up the bureaucracy in the previous years and Emperor Yingshi had not had the energy to manage these matters after ascending the throne, corruption began to rise again.

Lian Qiongqiong didn't respond, mainly because she was quite dutiful and well aware that the inner palace shouldn't interfere in politics. There were certain things that even the Empress, let alone a Noble Consort like herself, shouldn't be concerned with too much about court affairs.

Zhu Yunying only grumbled a little, because of his status, there were many things he couldn't tell others. He could only complain a little in front of his wives and concubines.

It is true that emperors possess supreme power, but they also often experience endless loneliness.

Zhu Yunying was quite used to this situation; he had long been accustomed to it. Even when he was the Crown Prince, let alone now that he was the emperor, he could feel a huge, insurmountable gap between himself and the vast majority of people.

After chatting with Lian Qiongqiong for a while and having lunch with his daughter, Zhu Yunying didn't forget about his chubby son. He also went to see Consort Ning, Wang Shi, to check on his increasingly plump second son, Zhu Wenjin.

"This kid is good-looking." Zhu Yunying chuckled, flicking her second son's chubby little face. "Didn't you say you hated sleeping the most? How come he's either sleeping or sleepy as soon as we arrive?"

Lady Wang was both amused and exasperated, or rather, even more annoyed. Her son always slept at the worst possible time. The emperor rarely came to visit, and he rarely thought of the second prince, but the second prince always refused to cooperate.

She had originally hoped that her son would bring her status or help her gain favor, but now it seems that her son has missed some good opportunities!

Zhu Yunying was naturally aware of Wang's distress, but he wasn't surprised at all. In his view, it was perfectly normal, and he had long since accepted it without question.

Even when Zhu Yunying was very young, he knew his special status; almost everyone revolved around him, and almost everyone flattered and fawned over him. Wang's behavior was perfectly normal.

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