Ignoring the commotion outside, Old Zhu asked softly, "Are the people outside disturbing you?"

Shuangquan, standing outside the imperial carriage, tensed up instantly. He might not lose his life, but the Crown Prince's answer concerned the future of many, and perhaps even their lives.

“I’m awake. I’ve been sleeping soundly.” Little Zhu sat up abruptly and said, “I’ve had a good sleep.”

Old Zhu was very pleased and patted Little Zhu's head, saying, "You are just like your father, and your grandfather was the same way. You always understood the servants and never mistreated them over trivial matters. In this respect, you are much better than other members of the imperial clan."

King Min of Qin, who enjoyed tormenting palace servants for amusement, and King Gong of Jin, who liked to whip cooks, felt they were being subtly mocked. However, they didn't need to feel alone, as the Ming Dynasty's imperial family had no shortage of people like them.

“That’s because our great-grandmother taught us well. Our grandfather and father were both raised by our great-grandmother, so naturally we learned from her.” Little Zhu was very proud and pleased. “If our great-grandfather passes away, I don’t think people outside will mourn.”

Old Zhu wasn't angry at all. Instead, he said proudly, "We are the emperor. People outside respect us and fear us. That's enough. Your great-grandmother was the empress, so it's even better that she was kind. You should be like that in the future."

Little Zhu asked in a clear, melodious voice, "Big brother, what's going on outside?"

Shuangquan, standing outside the carriage, immediately replied, "Your Highness, an urgent report has arrived from the capital."

"Since it's an urgent report, then send it over!" Little Zhu was angry and very unhappy. "Since it's an urgent report, it must be something important! Even if Dad is resting at night, he has to get up and read it if there's an urgent report."

Old Zhu just smiled and didn't say anything. He wasn't worried about things in Beijing at all. He believed that his precious grandson could definitely handle those matters.

Old Zhu was gratified by his great-grandson. Although the child had a mischievous side, he had been raised as the heir apparent from a young age, and the child was quite sensible about many things. Even if some of his understanding and methods were immature, this was only due to his age.

Shuangquan immediately sent the urgent report over, which Xiao Zhu snatched away and opened without any hesitation.

“Great-grandfather, our father is going to punish the Marquis of Huining.” Little Zhu, who could still read, said, “The Marquis of Huining has overstepped his bounds; the furnishings and roof tiles in his mansion are all too high.”

Old Zhu smiled and simply asked, "So, if it were you, how would you handle this matter?"

"We smashed his door and tore off his tiles!" Little Zhu said without any politeness. "Great-grandfather, we'll even send him to guard the city gate to teach him a lesson! He's a marquis, how dare he overstep his bounds?!"

Old Zhu smiled and hugged Little Zhu in his arms, saying, "Our Yin'er's way of handling things is correct. Although these military officers are arrogant, they have at least done things for our Zhu family. However, your father's decision to punish them is not just about overstepping his bounds."

Little Zhu sat patiently in Old Zhu's lap. Despite his playfulness and love of martial arts, Little Zhu was also quite interested in matters of the court, which was probably the result of Old Zhu and Little Zhu's careful nurturing.

Old Zhu patiently explained the military ranks to Little Zhu, but Little Zhu clearly didn't recognize all the military ranks in the court, let alone know their factions or experiences.

“It’s a small matter, we can ignore it. Sometimes a minor punishment is enough to teach them a lesson.” Old Zhu patiently explained to Little Zhu, “Sometimes, we simply ignore it. Military merit is a weapon. If we hold it in our hands, outsiders won’t dare to bare their teeth at us.”

"Just remember this: this knife must be in our hands. If it gets dull or rusty, we can hammer it and it'll still be usable. But if it's broken, not only will it be useless for killing, but we'll be harmed by using this piece of junk to kill people."

Hearing Old Zhu say this, Little Zhu asked, "Our, our dad said he, he said we, Wu Xun likes us."

“You and your father both come from military families, so naturally they are close to you,” Old Zhu said with a smile. “We found your grandfather and your father to come from military families, so your future wife should also be from a military family.”

Little Zhu thought for a moment and said with some disdain, "Great-grandfather, we don't want to get married yet. If we get married, we won't be able to go out and play. If we get married, we'll have to have a son, and we're still too young."

Old Zhu was very pleased with Xiao Xiao Zhu's innocence and said, "If you don't want to take care of your son, give him to us. We'll take care of him for you. We raised your father, and we raised you too. When you have children, we'll help you take care of them as well."

Little Zhu immediately retorted, "But Great-Grandfather didn't take Second Uncle with him, nor did he take Jin'er and our sister."

“Remember this well, you are the Crown Prince, and we have to take you with us. We are the royal family, and we can’t do whatever we want.” Old Zhu said patiently again, “Your father was very well-behaved when he was a child and never cried or made a fuss, so your great-grandmother wanted to take him in and raise him. Others are not allowed. No matter how well-behaved your second and third uncles are, they cannot be taken in.”

Little Zhu seemed to understand a little, but was also a bit curious, "Our great-grandmother, besides raising our grandfather, also raised our second, third, fourth, and fifth grandfathers. Don't hide it from us, we know everything."

“That’s different. Back then, we hadn’t started the country yet, and there was chaos and war outside. So we could only let your great-grandmother take care of them,” Old Zhu immediately explained. “Besides, although your great-grandmother took care of the five of them, it was your grandfather who was special. He was the eldest brother, and everyone had to know that he was the boss.”

Little Zhu seemed to understand, but not quite; perhaps he would need some time to better comprehend these things.

However, it is also possible that Xiao Zhu has actually understood these principles, but he often fails to notice certain situations and takes many things for granted.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!