Xu Huizu was extremely satisfied and happy to be able to accompany the Crown Prince.

Despite his cautious nature, Xu Huizu was incredibly excited after learning of Xu Miaoqing's pregnancy and the birth of a prince for the emperor. The early appointment of Zhu Wenyin as crown prince further fueled his excitement and anticipation.

He offered his unwavering support to Emperor Ying Shi, not only because of his loyalty, but also for the sake of the Crown Prince. After all, he was arguably the young Zhu's greatest reliance in the court, so naturally he offered his unconditional support.

Just like the Chang family lineage back then, they also offered their unwavering support to the current emperor. The three Chang brothers were happy to be ordered around the country by the then Crown Prince without any complaints, because they didn't want to hold him back and hoped to be a pillar of support for Zhu Yuanzhang.

Even Lan Yu, such an arrogant and domineering person, unequivocally supports his niece's eldest son.

"You!" Upon returning to the East Palace, Xu Miaoqing immediately hugged her son and said, "It's only right that your cousin returns to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors. Our grandparents are buried there, so it's time for him to go back and pay his respects."

Little Zhu twisted his body and said indignantly, "I'm a man now, I don't need my mother to carry me."

Xu Miaoqing, still holding her chubby son, said, "You're still our son. If we don't hold you, who else can we hold? If we were to hold Ruyi or Wenjin, would you be happy?"

Little Zhu was naturally unhappy and said, "You can only hug us, you can only hug our younger brothers and sisters."

Little Zhu was easily manipulated by Xu Miaoqing. Although the boy has grown up a bit, he is still very easy to understand when facing adults.

"I'll bestow some ancestral worship ceremonies in your name, what do you think?" Xu Miaoqing looked at her son and said with some anticipation, "Go and ask the Emperor Emeritus for help, that will make me happy too."

“I know that my maternal uncle’s grandparents are my mother’s grandparents,” Little Zhu said cleverly. “Fengyang is our hometown, and it’s also my mother’s hometown. I know that my maternal grandfather was a great hero!”

Little Zhu knows everything. Old Zhu has told him countless times which nobles in the court are worthy of his favor, and where those nobles come from. Old Zhu has educated Little Zhu time and time again, and he knows it all perfectly well.

Xu Miaoqing suddenly understood and said, "Yin'er, isn't this also the Emperor Emeritus's intention?"

“Our father said so too!” Little Zhu leaned against Xu Miaoqing’s chest and said lazily, “That’s why we don’t go to the Wenhua Hall. If we go there, a lot of people will want to pay their respects to us. We don’t know how to do office work now, and we don’t recognize all the people.”

Go ahead. Even if you don't understand anything, making the civil and military officials of the court pay homage to the Crown Prince is the proper thing to do. Even if your position is secure, and you only occasionally appear in the Wenhua Hall or the court, it is still a matter of demonstrating legitimacy, and it is only natural!

"I've heard that the rascal has made a fool of himself again." Zhu Yunying said with a smile as soon as he returned to his palace. "My grandfather and I also think that we should bestow a spirit tablet and stone figures upon the late Prince Zhongshan."

In fact, Xu Da's father and grandfather were also posthumously granted the title of "King of Zhongshan," but that was all because of Xu Da. But now it's different; the imperial bestowal of the spirit path stele and so on are clearly all because of little Zhu.

Xu Miaoqing was somewhat excited. The reason her grandfather and great-grandfather received such honors was clearly because she was the reigning empress and her eldest son was the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, even if it were solely due to Xu Da's status and merits, there would be limits to the posthumous honors bestowed upon her ancestors.

Moreover, these actions actually reiterate Xiao Zhu's legitimate status, which is why Xu Miaoqing is proud and happy.

“In a few days, I’ll have your third uncle go with you to Xiaoling Mausoleum.” Zhu Yunying said, patting little Zhu’s bottom. “When the time comes, remember to go to your grandparents’ graves for us. We’ll have your second and third great-uncles go with you, and that boy from the Lan family will go with you too.”

Little Zhu twisted her body and said, "Then we should have Second Uncle go too, and Third Uncle should go as well, so Third Uncle can write the eulogy."

Zhu Yunying and Xu Miaoqing exchanged a glance. Little Zhu clearly didn't have such thoughts; in fact, this was Old Zhu's idea. Actually, there was no need to warn Zhu Yunwen now. Bringing Zhu Yunhuo along was naturally because Zhu Yunhuo was Empress Chang's son.

In the past, Zhu Yunwen was probably considered "petty," mainly because Empress Lü and Zhu Yunwen had caused some trouble. Of course, this also served to establish Empress Chang's reputation; when Empress Lü caught Zhu Yunwen's eye, Empress Chang had stepped in to help her a great deal.

Xu Miaoqing couldn't help but wonder if her grandfather was giving her a warning, asking her to help the emperor take more concubines!

The family of three were talking about serious matters, things that were never taken lightly. Sacrificial rites were never to be taken lightly. Even ordinary families, let alone royalty, held ancestral rites on special occasions; this was a cultural tradition, and could even be considered a ritual.

The end of the year is a busy time, for many people, and even more so for emperors.

The ever-active Emperor Zhu was also making an effort at this time. He knew that while Zhu Yunying had no complaints about certain sacrificial activities, he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about them. So, the retired Emperor Zhu stepped in, leaving the sacrificial rites to the retired emperor, while Emperor Yingshi only needed to handle state affairs.

The civil and military officials had nothing to say either. Not only did the retired emperor intervene, but he also brought the crown prince with him from time to time. What else could they say?

As for the fact that His Highness the Crown Prince did not return to Fengyang, the imperial hometown, to pay respects to his ancestors, he did visit the Xiaoling Mausoleum, which greatly excited countless civil and military officials. The Crown Prince is indeed filial.

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