Zhu Yunying wasn't particularly familiar with his cousins.

Although Zhu Shangbing, Zhu Jixi, and even Zhu Gaochi, these cousins, generally grew up in Yingtian Prefecture and studied at the Dabentang (a prestigious academy), they were not particularly close to Zhu Yunying.

The eldest sons of these princes generally studied at the Imperial Academy along with other princes of the appropriate age.

Old Zhu deserves praise here. His good health meant he could have children ever since Zhu Biao was born. Having his first son at thirty is considered very late, but it seems he was accumulating strength and was still able to have children at sixty.

Therefore, in the Great Hall, it was always a lively place where the nephews were probably older than the uncles. There were simply too many royal family members or sons of nobles who had received special favors and wanted to enroll in school.

Zhu Yunying, on the other hand, basically learned to read and write under the guidance of Empress Ma, or under the guidance of Emperor Zhu and Zhu Biao. He actually received an imperial education from a young age, rather than the 'ordinary education' received by other princes and their heirs.

Zhu Yunwen, who was either a truant student or a diligent student, was actually more familiar with his cousins. They could even study and grow up together, and their sibling bond was probably deeper.

Looking at Zhu Su, Zhu Yunying said with a helpless expression, "Fifth Uncle probably understands as well. Although the sons of the imperial uncles are all well-off, if they can inherit the title of Prince, who would want to be a County Prince?"

That's exactly the point. The emperor's sons would stop at nothing to get on the throne.

The sons of those princes all understood that they basically had no connection to the dragon throne. But even if they couldn't sit on the throne, they could still work hard. If their elder brothers were incompetent, or their younger brothers didn't have the opportunity, they could 'take their place' and become princes, which would be far more prestigious and powerful than being a duke.

Zhu Yunwen suddenly said, “To be honest, we’re not very familiar with other people. Although my cousin Jixi isn’t very talented, he’s quite honest. He often hangs out with my second brother, my cousin Shangbing, my cousin Gaochi, and my cousin Youdun. They all love reading and have some talent. My grandfather used to tell me to learn from them so I could become a wise prince.”

Zhu Su glanced at Zhu Yunying, then at Zhu Yuntong, his expression quite subtle. These two, born of the same mother, were completely different. One was exceptionally intelligent from childhood, a model of a spoiled brat even at a young age.

“We know all this. They are all princes’ heirs, and our grandfather and father both value them highly,” Zhu Yunying said with a smile. “For example, if You Dun doesn’t study hard, we have to take care of him. As for You Su, we’ve been less attentive to him.”

Zhu Youxun was Zhu Su's second son. Zhu Youdun was Zhu Su's eldest son by his principal wife and the heir apparent to the Prince of Zhou.

Zhu Su seemed to remember something and said, "If we're talking about stew, we have some confidence. It's similar to us; we also have some literary talent. But with that bastard You Su, we're not at all at ease."

"I'm not at ease. If it weren't for Fifth Uncle's reputation, we would have dealt with him long ago." Zhu Yunying said irritably. "That bastard secretly sent us some messages earlier. It seems he has some feelings for the Prince of Zhou."

This was originally just something to watch, something about the restless offspring of my second and third brothers. But I never expected that my own children would be just as troublesome.

Zhu Su was silent for a moment, then said, "That bastard is overthinking things. He's just an illegitimate son, not the eldest son, and he's full of wild ideas."

“Yunwen used to be like this too, and the more I think about it, the more I realize it is.” Zhu Yunwen started gossiping and said, “We were raised by the Lü family, but even though Yunwen and I grew up and studied together, the Lü family didn’t care about us. Yunwen tries to curry favor with Father Emperor and imitates him in everything. I know they think my elder brother is not like Father Emperor.”

Being unlike oneself is a serious 'crime' for the crown prince, and it might even jeopardize his position as the heir apparent.

Although seemingly uninterested in politics, Zhu Su, the first dissolute member of the imperial family, was not without ambition. Despite his past of leaving his fiefdom without permission, he now preferred studying plants and compiling encyclopedias.

However, he did grow up under Empress Ma's care. He was capable of handling tasks such as transporting grain and delivering imperial edicts from beyond the Great Wall. While he might not seem to have much experience leading troops in battle, he was still quite capable. He wasn't just a pretty face; he had real talent and ability.

In fact, regardless of whether Zhu Yuanzhang's first few sons were cruel or absurd, they all generally possessed considerable military talent. This was probably because when they were born, Zhu Yuanzhang was still conquering the country, and he and Empress Ma hoped that these sons could assist him.

Zhu Su said irritably, "It's not that we're talking about Yunwen, that kid is just thinking nonsense. The Lü family is just from a humble background and has no knowledge. Our elder brother is talented, and everyone in the court knows that our elder brother is kind and benevolent. If you really want to learn from our elder brother, you'll only end up imitating him."

Zhu Su was certainly qualified to say that; he had something to say about what kind of person his elder brother was.

The other brothers were all quite troublesome, but they were all incredibly obedient in front of their eldest brother. This was because they had been disciplined since childhood, and their eldest brother was the true 'eldest brother is like a father.' Moreover, Zhu Su also knew that his eldest brother was naturally born with the temperament of an emperor, and his so-called refinement and benevolence were just a facade.

The imperial family could discern Zhu Yunwen's earlier thoughts and Empress Lü's earlier ideas. Even many civil officials felt that Zhu Yunwen was quite good. Compared to Zhu Yunying, who disregarded Confucianism and suppressed it in every way, Zhu Yunwen was practically perfect and was undoubtedly a prince and grandson of the emperor who better served the interests of Confucian scholars.

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