The Imperial Grandson of the Great Ming

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...

Chapter 574 Excellent in Every Way

"You kids, don't run around! If you get lost, we'll punish you!" Little Zhu turned to her younger siblings and shouted, "If you don't behave, we won't take you out to play anymore!"

Zhu Ruyi and the others naturally obeyed, but they were also very curious. "Big brother, there's someone breathing fire over there."

"Then we'll take you to see a variety show!" Little Zhu immediately decided, saying, "We like watching them too, it's so much fun."

Zhu Wengeng sidled up to Little Zhu and said, "Big brother, the acrobatics here aren't very good. Come to our house, we always have these troupes perform. Flying forks, flag-raising, pole climbing, somersaults, they're all fun. Let's go set off firecrackers now, that's much more fun."

"We said we'd go see the acrobatics and then set off firecrackers." Little Zhu made the decision immediately, looking quite domineering. "After watching the acrobatics, we'll go find the peddler and see the lanterns. We're going to buy several peddlers and bring them back for our little brother."

Zhu Wengeng was naturally speechless, probably because the little guy knew his older brother was very powerful. Although he was close to his older brother, he was also afraid of his cousin.

Just like his father, although he was very close to his royal uncle, once his royal uncle made a decision, his father naturally had no choice but to obey.

Zhu Yunwen and his son were quite similar in their conduct and dealings with others, and this father and son truly knew how to make the right decisions.

Old Zhu was in a good mood and said to Zhu Yunying, "Although Yin'er is always around us, he still speaks quite firmly in front of these brothers. He looks a lot like your father and you, and he manages his younger siblings very well."

Zhu Yunying nodded with a smile, also somewhat confident about this point, "Besides Yin'er being quite capable on his own, it's also thanks to his grandfather's help. Otherwise, these rascals might not know how to be afraid of him. Our son will be able to keep the imperial clan in check in the future."

Old Zhu didn't seem so optimistic, jokingly saying, "If you really want to control the imperial clan, you'll have to set a good example. Many of your uncles are troublesome. How are you, as their nephew, going to manage them?"

This put Joo Yoon-young in an awkward position, because what Old Joo said was absolutely true, and it was indeed a rather thorny issue.

Although the Ming Dynasty's imperial family members are generally not causing any trouble now, even when Zhu Yunying tried to "reduce the power of the princes," there were actually no major upheavals. It was a completely peaceful period.

Of course, that was because during the reduction of the power of the princes, it was basically only the Zhu family, the first Zhu, who made the decisions. Even the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin, who were sons and brothers, could only obediently listen. They couldn't even voice their complaints in their hearts, let alone object.

However, these members of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family were not exactly innocent; they were prone to making minor mistakes, though not major ones.

Zhu Gui, the thirteenth uncle of Zhu Yunying, who was the same age as Zhu Yunying, relied on his status as a prince and frequently had officials and servants in the government office do his private errands. Now that members of the imperial family could participate in some business matters, Zhu Gui also frequently engaged in bullying and monopolistic practices in the market.

Prince Gu, Zhu Hui, was just as passionate about land as his father, Zhu Yuanzhang. Not content with owning land himself, he enjoyed seizing land from the people and embezzling taxes. His servants and retainers frequently committed atrocities. Even after executing a group of these wicked servants, Prince Gu continued his self-serving ways.

This was probably because Prince Gu, relying on his status, knew that Emperor Hongwu would not really punish him severely, and Emperor Yingshi, being a junior, could not do much.

Prince Gu, Zhu Hui, was just as passionate about land as his father, Zhu Yuanzhang. Not content with owning land himself, he enjoyed seizing land from the people and embezzling taxes. His servants and retainers frequently committed atrocities. Even after executing a group of these wicked servants, Prince Gu continued his self-serving ways.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang's youngest son, Zhu Yi, was only fourteen years old, he enjoyed riding horses in the countryside and would often attack civilians who couldn't escape him. Having just established his own government, he lived a life of unrestrained debauchery, enjoying shaving his head, going naked, and mingling with men and women without any inhibitions, finding pleasure in this.

Even though there were quite a few virtuous and promising members of the imperial clan, there were also some who seemed rather dissolute and lawless, which was a major headache for Zhu Yunying.

If Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor) were to discipline his descendants, there would be no problem. However, Zhu Yunying was, after all, his nephew, and even if he was older, it wouldn't matter; seniority was something that couldn't be changed. If he were to take it seriously, many members of the imperial clan might protest, accusing him of 'mistreating the imperial clan'.

Zhu Yunying was well aware of these things, and Old Zhu naturally understood them as well; this was actually a relatively good situation.

Zhu Yuanzhang is still alive, which naturally means his descendants still have some reservations. But once Zhu Yuanzhang is gone, Zhu Yunying will not be able to face these uncles so easily.

If things are taken seriously, it means many members of the imperial clan will definitely be punished; if they are not taken seriously, those people will naturally become emboldened. This is a truly thorny issue. It is true that Zhu Yunying sits on the dragon throne, but the importance of seniority and the power of worldly affairs cannot be underestimated.

Seeing Zhu Yunying's headache, Old Zhu also felt helpless. "We just thought you should do something about them. But after all, they are our descendants, your uncles. We should show them some leniency."

Zhu Yunying was speechless and embarrassed. "Grandfather, in your eyes, is your grandson so harsh on the imperial family?"

Old Zhu smiled without saying a word. His grandson wasn't bad to the imperial clan and was also considering their future. However, this grandson often considered the long-term stability of the Ming Dynasty and was sometimes quite strict with the imperial clan, unlike Old Zhu who indulged them without restraint.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!