There are actually three imperial tombs in Daming today. Zhu Yuanzhang's tomb needs no further explanation. This was the custom of emperors throughout history; they began constructing their tombs immediately after ascending the throne.

The imperial mausoleum in Fengyang, Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown, was built for his parents and elder brother and sister-in-law. Although it is not an imperial mausoleum, it follows the same system as Zhu Yuanzhang's Xiaoling Mausoleum and covers an area of ​​more than 20,000 mu.

Emperor Zhu was actually filial. When he was enfeoffed as the Prince of Wu, he sent people to build a mausoleum for his parents. During the construction of the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum, Emperor Zhu visited the mausoleum three times and repeatedly ordered the Crown Prince and other princes to go to Fengyang to offer sacrifices at the mausoleum.

Originally, he planned to build the capital in his hometown of Fengyang, but after abandoning the plan, the materials used to build the capital were used to repair the imperial mausoleum.

After the imperial mausoleum was completed, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that the original inscriptions on the mausoleum were all embellished by Confucian officials and were not enough to serve as a warning to future generations. Therefore, he personally wrote the inscription and erected a new stele, which described his family background, his personal experiences, the peasant uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and his participation in the uprising army, as well as a brief account of his crossing the Yangtze River and unifying the country.

The words are simple and easy to understand, rich in emotion, and widely popular.

Zhu Biao led Zhu Xiong Ying to pay respects to their ancestors, and then naturally chatted with the elders of their hometown.

Upon seeing a young man in his twenties, Zhu Biao immediately took Zhu Xiong Ying's hand and said, "Ying'er, greet Uncle Wang!"

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately stood up and walked quickly toward the young man, "Nephew greets Uncle Wang!"

When the young man saw Zhu Xiong Ying about to kneel down, he was startled and quickly stopped her from doing so.

"Brother, Ying'er is a junior." Zhu Biao stopped the young man and said with a smile, "Brother, please accept my greeting!"

The young man, realizing he was about to break out in a sweat, hurriedly said, "Your Highness, how dare I claim kinship with the Emperor!"

Zhu Biao then said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "Ying'er, your Uncle Wang doesn't want to accept your courtesy, so please bow."

After Zhu Xiong Ying put away his luggage, Zhu Biao said, "My uncle passed away last year, and it was already unfilial of me not to be able to see him off. I hope my brother will lead me and Ying'er to his grave so that we younger generation can also offer incense."

Among the fellow villagers whom Zhu Yuanzhang was most grateful to, one was Liu Jizu, a former landlord who gave Zhu a piece of land so that Zhu could properly bury his parents. Therefore, after Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he posthumously conferred upon Liu Jizu the title of Marquis of Yihui, and the honor extended to his descendants.

The other one is Aunt Wang, and the young man in front of her is Wang Wu, Wang Wen's son.

Wang Wen's real name was Cao Xiu, and he was Aunt Wang's second son. Aunt Wang was a widow and Old Zhu's neighbor, and she also took Old Zhu in as her godson. When Old Zhu was down on his luck, it was Aunt Wang who sent her son with gifts to help Old Zhu go to the temple to become a monk.

This was no small favor. Becoming a monk isn't as simple as just shaving your head; you also have to see if the temple will accept you. If it weren't for Aunt Wang preparing the gift, Old Zhu wouldn't have had a chance to become a lowly monk doing menial tasks at the temple.

Since Aunt Wang had already passed away, Zhu decreed that Cao Xiu should change his name to Wang Wen, and bestowed upon the two a large amount of land, gold, silver, and silk upon them, and permanently exempted them from taxes and corvée labor. Wang Wen was the Director of the Imperial Mausoleum and Sacrificial Office, a low-ranking position, but one that could be inherited indefinitely.

When Wang Wen passed away last year, the heartbroken Zhu personally wrote a eulogy and sent eunuchs and officials to offer condolences.

Thanks to Liu Jizu, this is also out of filial piety. As for Aunt Wang, Old Zhu truly respects this godmother.

Filial piety is very important in this era, but it doesn't mean that you can only be filial to your parents whether they are alive or not.

Filial piety holds a special place and role in traditional moral norms and has become a fine tradition of Chinese traditional culture.

Chinese traditional culture is based on filial piety, with respect for parents at its core. It is said that Shun was the first monarch in ancient China to observe filial piety.

The Western Zhou Dynasty advocated reverence for Heaven, filial piety towards ancestors, respect for virtue, and protection of the people, emphasizing the education of respecting the elderly and virtuous. The Zhou Dynasty not only promoted the moral custom of respecting the elderly and virtuous, but also regularly held ceremonies to honor the elderly.

By the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Analects and the Classic of Filial Piety already contained numerous normative records regarding filial piety.

Since the Qin Dynasty, successive dynasties have also paid attention to providing positive guidance. In feudal society, filial piety, as a fundamental social issue, was fully incorporated into the scope of social and legal norms.

This time, the Crown Prince brought his grandson back to his hometown to pay respects to their ancestors, setting an example for all the people.

This time, Zhu Biao stopped Wang Wu and said, "Brother, if it weren't for Grandmother's mercy, how could Father Emperor be where he is today? I, Zhu Biao, have failed to fulfill my filial duty to Grandmother, which is already disrespectful. Ying'er is still young, so she should offer incense to Grandmother, which is also fulfilling her filial duty to Father Emperor."

Wearing mourning clothes was definitely out of the question, but the fact that Zhu Xiong Ying, the imperial grandson, knelt before the deceased Granny Wang and offered incense deeply moved Wang Wu, and the villagers from his hometown of Fengyang who were watching also praised him.

Zhu Biao may have been sincere, because he knew how grateful his father, the emperor, was to Granny Wang and Liu Jizu. Of course, there could also be an element of acting involved; filial piety, wisdom, and cultivating prestige are all necessary qualities for a politician, and sometimes a bit of performance is required.

After returning to their ancestral home in Fengyang to pay respects to their ancestors, Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiong Ying did not seem to intend to return to Yingtian Prefecture immediately. It seemed that the father and son intended to continue their worship at the imperial mausoleum. In addition to the main ceremony, the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince's grandson dismissed everyone and went to the imperial mausoleum to pay their respects again.

Zhu Biao handed Zhu Xiong Ying a pot of wine and said, "Your fourth aunt, in the end, still couldn't make it through."

Zhu Xiong Ying, who had been silent, took a big gulp of wine and then said, "If Fourth Uncle has any complaints, then blame me."

“That’s how it is in the royal family.” Zhu Biao took a sip of wine and said seemingly without emotion, “If you can afford to enjoy wealth and honor, you have to be able to handle things like this. He has no right to complain. You have your royal grandfather and your father. Your fourth uncle wouldn’t dare to complain either, and he’s reasonable.”

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, and Zhu Biao continued, "If you still care about these things, then you should take care of your fourth uncle's offspring a little more in the future."

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