Lian Qiongqiong naturally couldn't serve Xu Miaoqing; instead, she was with Zhang Meiren, the concubine of Zhu Yuanzhang, who was also the birth mother of Zhu Yuanzhang's youngest daughter, Princess Baoqing.

"They're all said to be expert gynecologists, so we need to be careful," Zhu Yunying instructed. "Have someone wait on us. If the Empress has any news, inform us immediately, no matter when."

Wang Chengen readily agreed, for the Empress's status was indeed special. The Ming Dynasty should also have an Empress who would serve as the mother of the nation; they could not afford to repeat the embarrassment of nearly twenty years without an Empress, nor could they allow the imperial clan to suffer the predicament of having no 'mistress'.

Before the Empress and Crown Princess were established, many people were unsure of the future. Now, if the Crown Prince's Consort were to also be absent, the Ming Dynasty's harem would truly be in complete chaos.

Remembering something, Zhu Yunying said, "Remember to inform the Emperor Emeritus as soon as possible. I reckon he won't be bestowing a name."

This was also Zhu Yunying's true feeling; all Old Zhu needed was for Little Zhu to be by his side. Therefore, whether Xu Miaoqing gave birth to a son or a daughter, Old Zhu definitely wouldn't bestow a name upon them this time. However, Zhu Yunying still needed to ask beforehand.

Wang Chengen hurriedly said, "The Eastern Depot has sent word that the second son of the prefect of Luzhou is arrogant and lawless. The Emperor Emeritus has reprimanded the prefect of Luzhou for failing to properly educate his son and ordered him to be transferred to Liaodong. The memorial will probably be sent to the Ministry of Personnel soon, and it will be time to select officials."

Zhu Yunying paused for a moment, then laughed, "That's a good thing. After all, it's my grandfather who understands my thoughts."

The prefect of Luzhou Prefecture must have made some mistakes, but not enough to warrant execution. Moreover, it's likely that Old Zhu also felt he was a capable local official, and governing the area shouldn't be too much of a problem.

So, a "minor punishment" would be given to the prefect of Luzhou, leaving him with some hope of redemption and a chance to atone for his crimes. Sending him to Liaodong was just a euphemism. The main issue was that Goryeo was conquering territory, and in addition to needing skilled warriors, they also needed more officials to govern.

Zhu Yunying had no psychological barriers to this. Whether it was unfair to the prefect of Luzhou was something he didn't need to care about, since he was the emperor.

Wang Chengen continued, "Your Majesty, a letter has also been sent from Prince Wu. He says that once his mission is completed, if he wishes to return to the Imperial Mausoleum to offer his respects, Prince Wu may come back."

"That shameless scoundrel!" Zhu Yunying cursed angrily. "Summon him back to the capital. If the Empress has given birth to a prince, it is only right that he, as her uncle, should return to his hometown to offer sacrifices."

Wang Chengen said with a smile, "The Crown Prince of Wu also sent shoes, hats, and some clever gadgets."

Zhu Yunying sighed silently and said, "We can't protect our good-for-nothing brother, so I guess we'll have to rely on Geng'er to protect him in the future. That good-for-nothing hasn't improved at all."

Wang Chengen kept his head down and remained silent. He knew that while the Emperor could criticize Prince Wu, the two princesses could also speak against him. If anyone else dared to utter a single bad word about Prince Wu, the Emperor's expression would certainly turn very unpleasant; Wang Chengen, being close to the Emperor, was well aware of this.

It can't be said that Zhu Yunwen hasn't made any progress at all. He's learned to use someone else's name as a pretext. People who don't know the situation might really think that this Prince Wu is carrying out some imperial mission. Who would have thought that he beat someone up and ran away to avoid trouble and travel around?

Zhu Yunying was too lazy to discipline his lazy younger brother. After all, the boy was already in his early twenties, and there was really no need to say anything more.

Most importantly, Zhu Yunying knew his younger brother was just playful. While he was indeed a spoiled brat, he wasn't a major troublemaker, so Zhu Yunying turned a blind eye and let the boy run wild.

It is still more important to pay attention to the affairs of the court. The Ming Dynasty is now full of vitality, and if Zhu Yunying wants to lay a more solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty, it naturally means that he needs to put in more effort.

The establishment of the legal system was clearly no small matter for Zhu Yunying. It was something that required continuous attention and promotion, and the people of the Ming Dynasty had to understand that the law still existed in the world.

Even though there seems to be some resistance in the court now, Zhu Yunying is not particularly concerned about it.

Ultimately, the law is not only important to Zhu Yunying, but also to the civil and military officials. At most, these people want to protect their own interests; they will not stand in the way of the law.

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