In Lao Zhu's eyes, the descendants of Lao Zhu's family are just that—the descendants of Lao Zhu's family—and have nothing to do with anyone else.

Don't even mention Xu Miaoqing trying to steal credit now. Even Zhu Yunying's mother, Consort Chang, and even Empress Ma, who shared a deep bond with Zhu Yunying, were all the same. They shouldn't even think about taking away the Zhu family's bloodline, good or bad. It's the Zhu family's bloodline, and it has nothing to do with anyone else.

Let alone Zhu Yuanzhang, some of his children also share this view. Especially when it comes to the heir apparent, it can only be the Zhu family. As for the heir apparent's maternal family, they merely acknowledge it.

“Our father said that the further north we go, the colder it gets.” Little Zhu knelt on the stool, looking at the map as he spoke. “If we go up, we’ll reach Henan and Shandong, and then Beizhili. Our Nurgan Regional Military Commission is located in the northern part of Beizhili. There used to be many Tartars there, but our Ming Dynasty drove them all to the northern deserts. It’s very cold there.”

Old Zhu watched with a smile. Thanks to his upbringing and Little Zhu's teachings, although Little Zhu was somewhat mischievous, his knowledge was far superior to that of other children. Even if Little Zhu's natural talent didn't seem particularly outstanding, he wasn't stupid either.

"The Duke of Liang achieved a great victory at Buyur Lake. My father said that the Marquis of Champion of the Han Dynasty sealed the Wolf-Dwelling Mountain, and the General Dou Xian of the Eastern Han Dynasty inscribed the Yanran Mountain. Li Jing of the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Turks, and then it was our Duke of Liang's turn." Little Zhu said proudly, "Only the most powerful dynasty could achieve such feats!"

Chang Qi smiled and said, "The Duke of Liang is our great-uncle."

“Our father was also a Duke,” Feng Qi retorted, “Our father was the Duke of Ying, and our mother was a princess.”

Mu Qi and Mu Lin were unhappy and started shouting, "Our father is a Duke, our father is the Duke of Qian, our mother is a Princess. Our grandfather is the Prince of Qianning, he's the most powerful!"

“Then our grandfather will still be the Prince of Kaiping!” Chang Qi said unhappily, his little face immediately contorting. “Our maternal grandfather will still be the Duke of Song, and our younger brother will also be the Duke of Song in the future!”

Old Zhu watched the group of kids making a fuss. Although they were comparing themselves to each other, Old Zhu didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Their generation, and even their children's generation, fought and struggled just so that these children could enjoy wealth and prosperity. However, Old Zhu also had some complaints. After all, women are more inclined to be outward-looking. Even princesses of the Ming Dynasty eventually married out, and their children belonged to other families, and they were inclined to favor 'other families'.

"Our dad was an emperor, and our grandpa was an emperor too!" Little Zhu jumped off the stool, put his hands on his hips, and said, "Our great-grandfather was an emperor, and our great-great-grandfather was an emperor! We're going to be emperors someday, we're the most powerful!"

Well, there's no doubt about it. Little Zhu has completely ended the competition among those from wealthy families; no one is more capable than him.

Old Zhu posthumously conferred the title of emperor upon his father and grandfather, and Little Zhu also posthumously conferred the title of emperor upon his elder brother, so there is absolutely no doubt that Little Zhu's entire family were emperors; that is a fact.

Little Zhu climbed back onto the stool and said, "If we go south, past Fujian and Guangdong, we'll reach Annam, Cambodia, Siam, and Brunei. Those places don't have winter; they're incredibly hot. Dad said everyone there gets tanned."

Mu Qi then added, "It's not cold in Yunnan either. We have plenty of mangoes, which are my uncle's favorite! My mother also said that we should give my uncle the best mangoes in the future. My father is always looking for mangoes."

“If we don’t look for mangoes, we can still have our little horse.” Little Zhu immediately objected, saying, “Cousin, now that you’re a duke, you’re sending us a little horse.”

This 'outrageous' act is truly laughable. Of course, this is only because Old Zhu is carefree; he doesn't think his great-grandson is 'outrageous' or has any ambitions. Old Zhu thinks it's all perfectly normal.

At this moment, Zhu Xi said, "My brother used to say that a scholar can know everything without leaving home, and we didn't believe it before. But my brother knew these things when he was very young, while we were still thinking about beautiful clothes and expensive jewelry all day long."

Zhu Zhu glanced at her niece and said proudly, "What do you know?! Your brother is just playing with you kids. In the past, when the Empress Dowager personally taught Ying'er, Ying'er often left her speechless, and only the Emperor, the Emperor, or the Hanlin Academy could come and answer her questions."

"The emperor is intelligent and thoughtful," Old Zhu said proudly. "We've traveled all over the country for many years and know some things, but we just don't understand how they work. The emperor can understand by reading books and can even draw inferences from one instance to another."

Zhu Zhu continued with unparalleled pride, glancing triumphantly at the prince consorts, "Everyone says that Father and Mother favor Ying'er, and we think that's to be expected. Mother often says that the Song Dynasty loved child prodigies the most, but our Ying'er is different from those child prodigies. Our Ying'er was born to be an emperor, and all she knows is the ability to govern the world."

"Don't talk nonsense. If it weren't for your mother's personal guidance, he wouldn't be so successful." Old Zhu laughed even more happily and said, "Ying'er is good in every way, but even if your mother and I taught him again, he would still be someone who has no ability to lead troops."

Zhu Yue chimed in, "Grandpa, don't say that in front of my brother, or he'll be so angry he won't be able to eat."

"Father will rule the world!" Little Zhu said, even though he was teasing his cousins. "We'll be great generals and marshals in the future, and we'll conquer the world! Then my cousins ​​will all be our generals, and we can go wherever Father likes to fight!"

Old Zhu chuckled and complained, "Ying'er used to want to be a martial emperor. When he was little, he always carried a small wooden knife at his waist, and when he grew up, he wore a sword. Everyone else wore jade, but he was always thinking about martial arts. He didn't have the talent, but his son did have the talent, just like him when he was little."

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