In the seventh year of Hongwu, the legitimate eldest grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, was born.
He who resides as the legitimate heir will surely ascend to t...
When the retired emperor and the crown prince returned to the capital after their inspection tour, it naturally meant that all civil and military officials were required to greet them, which was an extremely important event.
“Uncle, our father didn’t want to come back.” Zhu Wengeng complained, this kid was also 'filial', “If it weren’t for our great-grandfather’s encounter, he definitely wouldn’t have come back.”
Zhu Yunying patted Zhu Wengeng's head, feeling a bit of a headache. "We understand, don't worry. Now that your father is back, we won't allow him to go out easily. Even if he wants to go out to play, he has to take Wengeng with him."
Zhu Wengeng immediately laughed and said happily, "Then, Uncle, you can't tell Dad. Otherwise, Dad will say that we have no ambition and are wasting our time on frivolous things. He can't stand it when we're always thinking about playing!"
Honestly, even though Zhu Yunwen was his own younger brother, Zhu Yunying felt uneasy seeing Zhu Yunwen encouraging others to strive for success. That kid was one of the biggest纨绔 (spoiled brats) in the Ming Dynasty, and he didn't know where he got the audacity to advise others to improve themselves.
Perhaps it was because Zhu Yunwen was the Prince of Wu of the Ming Dynasty and the father of Zhu Wengeng that he had some confidence.
"Uncle Emperor, Father sent someone to tell us that he has seen the ship." Feng Qi rode over on horseback and shouted loudly, "He said that he has given the order and Father is leading his men to follow it."
Zhu Yunying felt gratified. Although his nephew was only eight years old, he came from a military family and had a family tradition of martial arts. Even if he couldn't do some important things now, he could still gain experience within his capabilities.
"How dare you!" Zhu Wengeng was displeased and shouted at Feng Qi, "You dare to sit on horseback while talking to our Imperial Uncle!"
Feng Qi wasn't about to tolerate Zhu Wengeng and immediately retorted, "He's still our Emperor's uncle! If you say another word, we'll go tell Mother, and she'll teach you a lesson, and she'll teach your uncle a lesson too!"
Zhu Yunying found it somewhat amusing, but still said, "If you really said that, your mother would punish you. Although we love and spoil you, it was our Wengeng who was the most sensible this time. Even if we were just ordinary elders, you wouldn't be able to answer questions while sitting on horseback, let alone being the emperor."
Feng Qi immediately jumped off his horse and lay down, saying, "Uncle Emperor, your nephew knows he was wrong."
Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "Remember next time, remember to bring people to explore again. If you see the dragon boat, follow it, but don't come back to tell us again. Remember to follow, just follow your father."
Feng Qi immediately mounted his horse and rode upstream to track the dragon boat's movements.
“Our nephew is reasonable, we’re happy!” Zhu Yunying said, patting Zhu Wengeng’s head. “Go find your Fifth Prince, and we’ll issue you an imperial decree. All the members of the imperial clan who are your peers are under your jurisdiction. Even your younger brother is under your jurisdiction.”
Zhu Wengeng, beaming with pride, ran off to find Zhu Su. He was excited and full of anticipation for the important responsibility he was about to shoulder.
Zhu Yunying breathed a sigh of relief and said to Xu Miaoqing standing beside her, "Those boys, not one of them is easy to deal with. At least we've gotten rid of them, and we can finally have some peace and quiet."
Xu Miaoqing smiled and said, "Although Wengen is playful, he is just like Yuntong, and is very well-mannered. Although His Majesty also dotes on Wengen, he has not become arrogant because of the favor."
Zhu Yunying smiled, as if complaining, "He is indeed Yunhuo's son, a spitting image of Zhu Yunhuo! When it comes to important matters, this father and son are both muddleheads. But when it comes to cleverness, they are not lacking. They do know their limits; they may act coy in front of us, but they don't cause us much trouble."
Xu Miaoqing also acknowledged these points, mainly because she knew Zhu Yunwen's character all too well. Although he was indeed somewhat of a playboy, among the imperial clan, Zhu Yunwen was considered relatively obedient and didn't cause Zhu Yunying much trouble.
Looking back at the royal family's procession, it was indeed quite large; everyone who was supposed to come had arrived.
All the imperial family members in Yingtian Prefecture, except for those who were still infants or seriously ill, came one by one.
Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants were numerous. Apart from those who had passed away or gone to Beiping, there were still about ten in Yingtian Prefecture. As for Zhu Yuanzhang's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the group was even larger. It is estimated that even Zhu Yuanzhang himself could not recognize them all. He could probably only identify which son's child or grandchild by their names.
In fact, Zhu Yunying was the same. He could recognize some of his uncles and aunts, even those he was relatively unfamiliar with and had little contact with. However, he didn't recognize many of his cousins. As for his nephews and grandnephews, he didn't know many of them.
Therefore, one cannot help but admire Old Zhu's "foresight". One can tell the generation and family background of Old Zhu's descendants just from their names.
Just as Zhu Yunying and Xu Miaoqing were chatting, four large ships sailed down the river, their dragon flags fluttering in the wind.
This isn't Old Zhu's dragon boat; it's just the vanguard clearing the way for it. The Emperor Emeritus and the Crown Prince's flagships mustn't be rammed.
A moment later, a huge Fujian-style ship appeared, which was Old Zhu's dragon boat.
From afar, Zhu Yunying saw the burly old man on the deck, and a spirited young man beside him.
The dragon boat slowly approached the dock, and Zhu Yunying turned around with a flick of his sleeve. Zhu Yunying immediately led the imperial family, civil and military officials to kneel and welcome him, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times in a loud and clear voice.
Little Zhu appeared and came to the steps. "Emperor Emeritus's decree: All my beloved ministers, rise."
Zhu Yunying immediately led the imperial family, civil and military officials in expressing their gratitude, as the young Zhu now represented the old Zhu.
As Little Zhu jumped off the boat, Old Zhu's burly figure also appeared. "All you do is jump around aimlessly all day. You should jump down from that height too."
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