Seeing his eldest grandson's ingratiating smile, Old Zhu sat down with a smile.

As for Zhu Xiong Ying, he has many skills. As a child, he could be cute, and around four or five years old, he mastered the trick of prostrating himself on the ground when someone needed his help. Now that he's grown up, those old tricks don't work as well, so he can only resort to being a sycophant.

"You also practice martial arts for half an hour every day, and you're still so tired," Old Zhu said with a contented squint. "I sat in court all day today, and my shoulders are stiff. Give me a massage!"

Zhu Xiong Ying spoke up, saying, "Grandfather, as you know, my navy has gone to Southeast Asia and Japan, and some Imperial Guards have also infiltrated Korea recently. I'm thinking we should set up a 'Foreigners' Pavilion'."

At this moment, Da Zhu asked, "Ying'er, are you following the example of the envoys sent to Tang Dynasty China?"

"My grandson is thinking that when those foreigners come to our Great Ming, we can translate their languages ​​and writes, and tell them about their customs and traditions," Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile. "Western barbarians, Hui people, and all the other ethnic groups, let them all come and learn. They admire the prosperity of our Great Ming, and we can also showcase the flourishing culture of our Great Ming!"

Old Zhu frowned slightly, then said, "If those barbarian tribes were to learn how to govern the country from our Great Ming..."

"Grandfather, we will teach him to worship Buddha and seek scriptures, we will teach him loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. We will not teach him anything about craftsmanship, let him go back to his studies, and study hard!" Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile, "My grandson is not as generous as Emperor Taizong of Tang, who also required many craftsmen to accompany him in his marriage alliance. He can study literature, but he can only study literature."

Old Zhu waved his hand and said, "Go and discuss it with the Ministry of Rites. I remember the current Chancellor of the Imperial Academy is Song Ne. He is strict in establishing academic rules and has made great achievements in managing the Imperial Academy. This old man wants to retire, but we won't allow it!"

Don't expect to leave the court unscathed until you've squeezed every last drop of oil out of it.

In reality, Song Ne would definitely have been a strict teacher in later years, and he even formulated twelve prohibitions. Physical punishment and verbal abuse were quite common at the Imperial Academy.

Actually, the Imperial Academy (Guozixue) was the same as the Imperial College (Guozijian), the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty. However, there was also a Imperial Academy in my hometown of Jiadu (Zhongdu), which was later renamed the Imperial College. The original Imperial College could only be called the Imperial Academy (Guozixue).

Da Zhu found it amusing and said to Lao Zhu, "Father, how much money has Ying'er invested in his navy? If it weren't for his reckless spending, the imperial treasury would be overflowing."

This is an absolute exaggeration; the Ming Dynasty was still quite short of money. The emperor's private treasury was frequently used to subsidize the national treasury. This is why Zhu Xiong Ying's power over the imperial treasury was revoked, and why the Imperial Household Department was taken away by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Ultimately, it all boils down to poverty. While the Ming Dynasty's power was indeed growing, its foundation was simply too weak. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty now frequently had to deal with minor rebellions and suppress small separatist forces, all of which required expenditure.

"Let Ying'er be as she pleases; she still has some sense of propriety," Old Zhu laughed, adding, "Those Japanese pirates are indeed annoying, but we've captured and killed quite a few in the past two years. Our Ming Dynasty's navy is much stronger than before!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was full of confidence and said, "Grandfather, if my fleet were to fight Chen the traitor, mine would be the big ship, while his would be just a small boat!"

In the Battle of Poyang Lake, Zhu De relied on the agility of his small boats and the use of fire to defeat Chen Youliang, who had countless large ships.

At this point, Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "Grandfather, speaking of this, I think many officials in the Ministry of Works don't actually know anything about shipbuilding. I'm thinking that in the future, I should give the master craftsmen some respect and grant them a minor official position."

Old Zhu's face hardened; this old-fashioned feudalist seemed displeased. Craftsmen, in this era, certainly had little status, let alone a nominal official position.

As a clever grandson, Zhu Xiong Ying knew he couldn't say anything more at this point. His grandfather's decisions were difficult for most people to reverse. Old Zhu might allow him to build a navy, but he wouldn't allow Zhu Xiong Ying to mess around with matters that undermined the foundation of the court.

Officials and craftsmen were not even considered officials, let alone farmers. Naturally, Zhu Yuanzhang would not allow such a group to stand in his court.

It's likely that the civil officials shared the same thoughts as Zhu Yuanzhang. They were the core of the civil service; they wouldn't allow anyone to touch them. They insisted that only Confucian scholars should enter officialdom, and no one else should even think about it.

There's plenty of time ahead, and Zhu Xiong Ying hasn't had much opportunity to get involved in court affairs yet, so it's best not to say too much about certain things, as it wouldn't carry much weight anyway.

"You can rest here tonight," Old Zhu said to Zhu Xiong Ying, who was still massaging his shoulders. "Your father and I still have some political matters to discuss. You can listen if you want, or rest if you don't."

This was the treatment the Crown Prince received; Zhu Xiong Ying was used to it, and probably many others were as well. For example, the Crown Prince had a sleeping quarters in the Eastern Palace, but he would often stay in the Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, was sometimes really unconventional in his conduct; at other times, he was just a typical peasant.

Of course, it was quite normal for Zhu Xiong Ying to be present and "listen to the government." In fact, long ago, neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Zhu De avoided Zhu Xiong Ying's presence. In previous years, Zhu Xiong Ying would often look through and study the memorials he had already reviewed, and neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Zhu De seemed unhappy about it.

Zhu Xiong Ying was also used to it; he couldn't even remember the last time he washed his own feet, which was naturally because someone served him. Even in winter, he had maids to warm his bed.

It was merely to warm his bed; Zhu Xiong Ying still preferred to sleep alone. Although he knew that many people inside and outside the palace were serving and protecting him while he slept, he was used to it.

Workaholic Old Zhu glanced at Zhu Xiong Ying, who was sleeping soundly, and said with pity, "Your mother used to say that Ying'er was a restless sleeper at night and liked to kick off the mattress. Our eldest grandson has gone to great lengths to make us happy over the years."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!