“Our dad also said that our grandfather will go to farm. There are many people in the family. Our great-grandfather is too old to beg for food, and our grandfather will work in the fields. Our great-grandmother and grandmother will stay at home spinning cloth and taking care of our dad.” Little Zhu smiled, which was called fearless. “Anyway, our dad said that if we go with our great-grandfather, we will definitely not go hungry.”

Old Zhu looked at Little Zhu with undisguised anticipation in his eyes. If it really could be that simple, what did it matter if he didn't become emperor? He could give up the empire; his wife and eldest son were still alive, and he could go out begging to support them.

“Alright, come with us. We can’t let you and your father go hungry!” Old Zhu began writing a letter, saying, “We’ll take you around some more. Your father has the wisdom to know the hardships of ordinary people. Although you’ve traveled around Yingtian a lot, you don’t know about the various prefectures, counties, and villages. If we don’t take you out, you probably won’t know about the hardships of ordinary people, and you might never have this opportunity again.”

Little Zhu nodded seriously, no longer joking, "Our father has said many times that we can't completely trust the memorials to the throne or the officials. He tells us to observe and think more, because we can't think things through completely, so we need to look around and see things for ourselves."

Old Zhu was even more gratified. Even if he was stranded halfway, it didn't matter. As long as his great-grandson knew the truth about the common people, that was better than anything else. As long as a qualified crown prince was raised, Old Zhu didn't feel bitter at all.

At this age, he's long past the fear of death. He abdicated long ago, and the emperor has taken control of the government. All he can do now is look after his great-grandson. If he could also properly groom the crown prince for the emperor, that would be even better.

Shuangquan looked distressed. The retired emperor and the crown prince were two people he couldn't afford to offend, and no one could change their minds.

However, the emperor in the capital was not someone to be trifled with. The emperor certainly wouldn't mention the retired emperor or the crown prince, so this close attendant would inevitably suffer the consequences, since he hadn't been able to offer any advice.

As for whether or not the emperor could offer advice, or even if he did, he didn't care. Emperor Hongwu and Emperor Yingshi were both prone to taking their anger out on others, and His Highness the Crown Prince habitually distanced himself and remained aloof, always blaming others for the mistakes.

Little Zhu watched Old Zhu write a letter and kept talking, "Our father is now promoting reforms. We need to go and see if the land has been distributed to the people. We also need to see how taxes are collected. Everyone says that petty officials are hard to deal with. We need to see if the lower-level officials dare to break the law."

Old Zhu became even more enthusiastic in writing letters. As long as his great-grandson had the ambition and wanted to be an excellent crown prince, Old Zhu felt that everything was worthwhile.

It may seem like a 'revisit to familiar places,' but these places are mostly in Southern Zhili, one of the wealthiest regions in the Ming Dynasty. Most importantly, this area was also a major center for the land tax reform, which Little Zhu was eager to see.

Old Zhu could glean insights from the memorials, but Little Zhu lacked that ability; he longed to see for himself.

As for whether the Crown Prince had any ulterior motives, such as taking the opportunity to travel and enjoy himself, that's another matter.

“If we keep going like this, your second uncle should be coming over in a few days. If he can’t persuade us, then it’ll be your fifth prince who comes.” Old Zhu said with a smile, “We know what your father is up to as soon as he makes a move. He’s been using the same tricks all these years. If you ask me, you and your father are the same, all you do is say nice things and do wicked things.”

Little Zhu didn't take it seriously and said, "Thick-skinned and ruthless are the best to be an emperor. Our father also said that our great-grandfather was like that, and our grandfather was like that too. Anyway, we can take advantage of our young age now, since all the bad things were done by our great-grandfather and our father, so we are the best crown prince."

Old Zhu is all too familiar with this tactic; it's always been the same.

Old Zhu chuckled and continued writing, saying, "If we give him a good scolding, he'll quiet down for ten days to half a month. All I, the retired emperor, can do is take the blame for you. Go ahead and make a scene, I'll watch and protect you!"

Little Zhu smugly blew on the ink stain and said, "Shuangquan, send someone to send him back to the capital immediately."

Old Zhu, holding Little Zhu's hand, slowly walked out of the city. Old Zhu smiled and boarded the carriage that had been prepared. Little Zhu, with Shuang Quan's help, mounted his horse and led more than ten soldiers ahead.

Watching Little Zhu's retreating figure, Old Zhu laughed, "He has the mischievousness of our youth, but not as clever as Biao'er, nor as cunning as Ying'er. Not bad at all, our Zhu family members are all thick-skinned, ruthless, and wild-minded—just like each other!"

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