At the gate of the Wu Prince's Mansion, Zhu Yunwen, who considered himself the fifth most noble person in the world, waited respectfully with his family.

His self-proclaimed fifth-ranking position in the empire was not without reason. His grandfather, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was naturally the most esteemed. The second most esteemed would be his elder brother, the reigning emperor. And the third most esteemed would undoubtedly be his nephew, the Crown Prince, who was, after all, the heir apparent to the Ming Dynasty.

The fourth most honorable is undoubtedly the Empress, who is the mother of the nation. The Empress is also a ruler.

As for his two older sisters, although Zhu Yunwen was also very fond of them, who had taken good care of him since childhood, it's worth noting that with a feudal-minded grandfather like Zhu Yunwen, and given the prevailing social norms of the time, married daughters were considered like water spilled from a cup.

In fact, the former Prince of Wu, who was also the Prince of Wu's uncle, was undoubtedly of noble birth. However, since it was the Emperor's elder brother who was now sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Yunwen, the Emperor's younger brother, had his status elevated accordingly.

As for the fact that his elder brother has other children, Zhu Yunwen doesn't seem to care much.

For example, Zhu Yunwen, another nephew, was someone Zhu Yunwen had only met a handful of times. In the end, he was only born out of wedlock, and would eventually become a prince. Zhu Yunwen also followed this bad example, and he greatly admired the primogeniture system, which he considered the only legitimate system.

"Father," Zhu Wengeng sidled up to Zhu Yunwen, hugging his leg as he said, "Brother, you're here again?"

Just a few days ago, he went to Xiaoling Mausoleum with his father and elder brother to pay respects to his grandparents. Zhu Wengeng was rather 'afraid' of his cousin, the Crown Prince, because his elder brother always bullied him.

"Your elder brother will be here soon, so don't keep bothering him." Zhu Yunwen said with a smile, "Your elder brother is playful, unlike your uncle. When your uncle was this age, he liked to play with us and your two aunts. Your elder brother can't stand those younger than him and always thinks you're holding him back."

Just as the Prince of Wu was chatting with his future heir, a grand procession appeared, and Zhu Yunwen naturally knelt down with his wife and children. As for his concubines, they no longer held such a status and had no chance to wait outside the mansion gate.

"Second Uncle!" Little Zhu lifted the carriage curtain and shouted excitedly, "Second Uncle, we're here again."

Little Zhu may be ignorant, but Zhu Yunwen was very well-behaved. "Your subject pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor, and Your subject pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Old Zhu, supported by Little Zhu, waved his hand with a smile, "Rise, all of you. Wengeng, come here."

Although Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor) basically only had eyes for his great-grandson, Zhu Yunwen, it didn't mean he ignored the other great-grandsons. Especially Zhu Yunwen, who was, after all, the eldest son of the first Zhu emperor, and his status was quite special.

“Learn from your elder brother, practice riding and archery, and study literature to build a stronger body.” Old Zhu picked up Zhu Wengeng and weighed him in his arms, saying, “This little chick is so small now, it doesn’t have much weight. I suppose it doesn’t eat well usually.”

Zhu Wengeng didn't speak; when Old Zhu held him, he only promised not to cry. He was still a little unfamiliar with Old Zhu and somewhat afraid of him.

Looking at it this way, Old Zhu felt that Little Zhu was indeed the closest to him, unlike Zhu Wengeng who didn't dare to speak to him, let alone be close to him.

Zhu Yunwen wasn't disappointed at all; there was no need for him to be. Let alone his son, even he himself often felt intimidated when he met Zhu Yunwen—this was perfectly normal.

In Zhu Yunwen's view, the only person who dared to joke with his grandfather was his elder brother. And indeed, the only person in the world who wasn't afraid of his grandfather was his elder brother. Of course, his grandfather had always been very close to his elder brother over the years.

"Second Uncle, it's almost New Year's, and many people don't have new clothes." Little Zhu immediately ran to Zhu Yunwen and said, "Second Uncle, we don't have any money. Can you give us some money so we can give new clothes to the orphans and widows in the charity home? Mother also said that the imperial examinations will be held next year, and the poor students in Hongcang should also be given new clothes."

Zhu Yunwen seemed to understand instantly. Usually, he was the one going out to freeload, but now someone was freeloading at his place.

Zhu Yunwen, however, had no complaints and immediately praised, "The Crown Prince is indeed benevolent, just like my elder brother!"

"After all, he is your elder brother's son. Your elder brother told your grandmother in his early years that he wanted to ensure that the common people had enough to eat and wear." Old Zhu said with his hands behind his back, somewhat proudly. "You good-for-nothings only think about eating, drinking and having fun all day long, and only think about your own well-being. Your elder brother has the world in his heart and thinks about the people of our Great Ming."

Zhu Yunwen was speechless. Over the years, he had long since become accustomed to many things. For example, in his grandfather's eyes, the best person in the world was his elder brother, who had never done anything wrong.

"Hongcang is a legacy of my grandmother, and I, as her grandson, should naturally do my utmost." Zhu Yunwen glanced at his father's expression and said, "The Crown Prince is benevolent and cares for his people and the widowed. We are princes of the Ming Dynasty. How about we give him three thousand taels of silver?"

Before Old Zhu could speak, Little Zhu exclaimed, "Grandpa Emperor took 50,000 taels of silver, Second Uncle gave too little, it won't work."

Zhu Yunwen couldn't stand it any longer and quickly said, "Your Highness, although grain prices have fluctuated slightly these days, it's still roughly one tael of silver for two shi of rice. An ordinary family can only afford thirteen shi of rice a year, so isn't five thousand taels too much?"

Old Zhu coughed and said, "Really can't produce it? You've received quite a few rewards from your imperial brother over the years."

"Fifteen thousand taels, please," Zhu Yunwen said with a mournful face. "Grandfather, the court allocates a considerable amount of funds to the orphanage every year, why should the Crown Prince be the one to reward us!"

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