If it weren't for Zhu Yunying's superior performance, and if it weren't for the fact that Zhu Su's lineage had no chance of reaching the throne, perhaps Zhu Youdun could have become a capable minister or a wise king.

Emperor Zhu actually favored Zhu Youdun. Although Emperor Zhu stipulated in the Ancestral Instructions that imperial princes should be enfeoffed at the age of ten, Zhu Youdun was made the heir apparent to the Prince of Zhou at the age of thirteen, a feat that other princes could only dream of.

For example, Zhu Gaochi, who was chubby and quite favored by Emperor Zhu, was a year older than Zhu Youdun, but his investiture came much later. Zhu Youdun was "eagerly" appointed by Emperor Zhu, which was less fortunate than Zhu Yunying, whose investiture was timed perfectly.

"Alright, let's go and see them this time." Old Zhu laughed and said, "Many of our sons are good-for-nothings, but many of our grandsons are quite capable."

Unable to bear seeing Zhu Yunying's smugness, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Grandfather, think about Yunhu. Everyone outside says that Yunhu is the most dissolute among the imperial family. And think about Jihuang, the third son of my third uncle's family, who is always thinking of making false accusations against Jixi for trying to usurp the throne of Prince Jin."

Old Zhu was clearly no longer smiling; quite a few of his grandsons were also good-for-nothings. It could only be said that with so many children and grandchildren, there was a mix of good and bad.

Since Zhu Jihuang was mentioned, Old Zhu said, "That scoundrel does all sorts of scoundrel things, even worse than his father. You did a good job this time. There can't be brothers fighting and fratricide within our imperial clan. You protected him this time to prevent him from making a big mistake."

When Zhu Yunying sent Zhu Jihuang to guard the tomb of the Prince of Jin, Zhu Yunying didn't feel anything was wrong. On the contrary, he thought that his eldest grandson was indeed a source of pride for him, as he could consider everything.

Sending Zhu Jihuang to guard the tomb of the Prince of Jin can be seen as fulfilling his filial duty. Most importantly, it not only kept the Prince of Jin's lineage in check, but also served as a warning to other members of the imperial clan: do not harbor any reckless thoughts, and do not engage in fratricide.

Zhu Jihuang was exiled to guard the tomb of the Prince of Jin. At least he was not stripped of his title or demoted to a commoner, which can be considered as leaving him some dignity.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very proud; his great-grandson was a born emperor. Not only did he excel in state affairs, but as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he also managed the imperial clan meticulously, never doing anything that would please his enemies or cause pain to his own people.

Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "Grandfather, please don't worry too much. To be honest, there are some good-for-nothings in the imperial clan. Even large and powerful families can't all have filial sons and virtuous grandsons. Our second son will probably be no pushover in the future."

Little Zhu answered quickly, saying, "Dad, we'll keep an eye on Wenjin for you. He won't do anything wrong. We'll learn from you, Dad. Wenjin is our younger brother after all, so we have to take care of him."

Old Zhu smiled even more broadly; he was a man who valued family ties. Because of his exemplary conduct, his sons, grandsons, and even great-grandsons all possessed these excellent qualities.

"Then you'd better keep a close eye on him, lest that kid make a mistake." Zhu Yunying laughed and joked, "But with your mother and me here, we'll definitely teach Wenkun well. We can't let Wenkun turn out like your second uncle, otherwise you'll have a lot of headaches in the future."

Little Zhu was unhappy and said, "That won't do. Our little brother is going to cause trouble. Otherwise, we won't have anyone to talk to. We are the Crown Prince, and we can't be all alone. Father likes Second Uncle so much because Second Uncle is different from the other imperial uncles. Second Uncle can talk to Father intimately."

Zhu Yunying was taken aback, and suddenly it seemed he had realized something as well. He had deliberately indulged and protected Zhu Yuntong, perhaps because this younger brother was capable of causing trouble, so that Zhu Yunying wouldn't feel all alone.

Perhaps Zhu Yunying had intentionally ignored these things in the past, so he never found Zhu Yuntong's spoiled behavior annoying, but rather amusing. This might not be solely due to him being the older brother.

Old Zhu smiled even more happily. Although his great-grandson was young, he was quite perceptive about many things.

Such a crown prince of the Ming Dynasty is someone to look forward to. Such a crown prince can certainly shoulder the responsibility of governing the Ming Dynasty!

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