How grateful Wang Chengen was didn't seem to matter much to Zhu Yunying, nor did they care about Zhu Yunying.

Zhu Yunying was relatively happy that Wang Chengen had an adopted son. He wasn't worried that Wang Chengen would have other ideas after having an heir. After all, Wang Chengen was Zhu Yunying's man. More importantly, even though Wang Chengen was the "Chief Eunuch," he was indeed the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, but that didn't mean that Wang Chengen had absolute power.

Once eunuchs have descendants, they might have other ideas, such as thinking about family lineage or something.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, at least in the Ying Shi Dynasty, there was no need to worry about these things for the time being. The so-called powerful eunuchs did not exist; the eunuchs at present were merely the emperor's household servants. The Ming Dynasty at present showed no signs of having an "inner minister."

Even though Wang Chengen was the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and even though he had once been the Director of the Eastern Depot, everyone knew that Wang Chengen's power and status came from the Emperor, and no one knew that Wang Chengen actually had no real power.

The reason why everyone respected and flattered Wang Chengen was simply because he had always been by Emperor Ying Shi's side, nothing more.

Before Li Jinglong arrived, Zhu Yunying requested an audience. Zhu Yunying was in a terrible predicament at the thought of this visitor, but he had no choice but to summon his uninvited and troublesome younger brother.

"Brother, why are we having a coming-of-age ceremony for Uncle Twenty and the others?" Zhu Yunwen said somewhat sourly, "We didn't even have a coming-of-age ceremony, so why are we having one for Uncle Twenty and the others?"

Not only was Zhu Yunying older than a large number of his uncles, but Zhu Yuntong was also older than many of his imperial uncles and aunts.

“We are, after all, a land of etiquette. In the past, we didn’t have the conditions or the time.” Zhu Yunying put down his brush, stood up and walked towards Zhu Yuntong. “Now it’s different. We should make preparations. We are the imperial family, and all the people under heaven are watching us. Naturally, we should set a good example.”

Zhu Yunwen still didn't understand and muttered, "If that's really the case, then we should have our coming-of-age ceremony. Everyone outside knows that I'm the Emperor's younger brother, and my status is much more important than that of my uncles."

Zhu Yunying glared at him and scolded him impatiently, "Don't talk nonsense, or your grandfather will scold you if he hears you!"

Zhu Yunwen chuckled, realizing he had inadvertently revealed his true feelings. However, he didn't think he had said anything wrong. Even if his elder brother didn't admit it, it didn't matter, because Zhu Yunwen felt that his status was more noble than many of his uncles.

Even in front of his grandfather, the Emperor, Zhu Yunwen had confidence. After all, he was the Emperor's second grandson, and this birth alone proved a lot. This lineage was a chasm that many members of the imperial clan could not cross; they could not deny it.

Remembering something, Zhu Yunwen said, "Your Majesty, is this trip to bestow a title upon the Fifth Prince?"

Zhu Yunying nodded and said, "After all, he is the flesh and blood left by our father, so as the eldest brother, we should take care of him. The fifth prince is still young and doesn't have much of a mind, but he is a good child. It is only right that he be made a prince."

Zhu Yunwen thought about it and agreed, "Although the third prince caused a lot of trouble in his early years and had all sorts of wicked thoughts with his mother, in our opinion, the fourth and fifth princes are alright. The fifth prince is even better, and he is also more honest and kind."

In the hearts of Zhu Yunying's younger brothers and sisters, Zhu Yunwen was always the "third son." They first arranged the order of the legitimate lineage before it came to the order of the three illegitimate children born to Lady Lü.

Even though Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunwen seemed to have grown up and studied together, Zhu Yunwen was probably closer to Zhu Yunwen when they were young. But when this silly boy was three or four years old, he gradually realized that his foster mother, Lady Lü, actually loved Zhu Yunwen the most. The older brother who always lectured him with a stern face was the real older brother.

It's even quite possible that this habit was formed under the influence of Zhu Yunying. Even now, when Little Zhu refers to his "second uncle," he always refers to Zhu Yunwen. Only in more formal occasions is Zhu Yunwen referred to as "the second son," but most of the time he is simply called "Prince Xu."

Even though Joo Yoon-young was considered quite magnanimous, it was still obvious at times that he was close to or distant from others.

“The fifth prince will definitely be granted the title of Prince,” Zhu Yunying said with a smile. “Although Father is no longer here, he was still Emperor Xiaokang. As the elder brother, I can’t just grant the fourth and fifth princes the title of Prince of the County. That would be an insult to them, an insult to our father, and an insult to ourselves!”

Zhu Yunwen didn't care much and said bluntly, "I know that, not to mention that the fifth prince is about to be made a prince, the fourth prince was also made a prince a couple of years ago. No matter how distant they are from us, they are still our brothers. If you make them princes of the second rank, even if we don't dare to make a fuss, we will definitely be unhappy in our hearts."

Zhu Yunying was slightly taken aback by Zhu Yunwen's words, and was also somewhat surprised and confused.

Although Zhu Yunying was quite magnanimous, he genuinely didn't take Zhu Yunwen and Lady Lü's petty schemes to heart in their earlier years. Frankly, Zhu Yunying didn't see them as a threat; he knew how secure his position was.

Even though Zhu Yunwen in his early years seemed to have shown diligence and benevolence, as if he had the same reputation as Zhu Biao for being kind, refined, or among Confucian scholars.

However, we cannot judge a book by its cover. Zhu Yunwen's upbringing was actually the same as that of other princes. Furthermore, Zhu Yunying was exposed to things that Zhu Yunwen could never access, and the power Zhu Yunying wielded was something Zhu Yunwen dared not even dream of.

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