Xu Miaoqing didn't know how to respond, so she could only say, "I'll talk to Yin'er about it later. How can we do this?"

"Needless to say, if any of our other sons had such thoughts, we would definitely not be happy and would have to give them a good talking-to. But Yin'er is the one who should have these thoughts." Zhu Yunying laughed and said to Xu Miaoqing, "Just wait and see, our Ming Dynasty's Crown Prince is safe and sound."

Xu Miaoqing shared this view. In her heart, she believed that as long as Xiao Zhu didn't cause any great uproar, the throne would definitely belong to her eldest son. However, as the empress, she couldn't say too much about such matters.

Zhu Yunying laughed and said to Xu Miaoqing, "Our Crown Prince is very close to his great-grandfather. I was thinking of getting closer to my youngest son, but I don't dare to now."

After saying this, Zhu Yunying sighed, "It's not that we're heartless, it's just that we really don't dare. Although Yin'er's position is secure, Kun'er is still our legitimate son. If we're too close to him, he might have some ulterior motives, and it will make Yin'er overthink things."

Xu Miaoqing nodded. In fact, she was also worried about these things. "Your Majesty and the Second Prince are so close. They are true brothers. I think if Yin'er and Kun'er grow up to be like that, I will feel at ease."

"No!" Zhu Yunying said hastily, seemingly full of disdain. "Yin'er has a quick temper. If our Kun'er were like Yunhuo, that would be truly unsettling. With Yunhuo's character, he would probably cling to us for the rest of his life. If he lives a little longer, Yin'er will have to take care of his good-for-nothing uncle when he becomes emperor."

“We’re not afraid of those things. Speaking of the royal uncles, Yin’er and the second brother are the closest.” Xu Miaoqing said while massaging Zhu Yunying’s shoulders. “Geng’er is the same way. He’s always saying ‘Our royal uncle said’ or ‘Our eldest brother said’ in the main hall.”

Zhu Yunying was not surprised by this, and said with a smile, "I reckon the son raised by the second son will be just like this, a good-for-nothing rascal. Fortunately, our Yin'er has his own opinions, can manage himself, and can also take care of the family."

Other members of the royal family may lack their own opinions, and some even think that it's a good thing that they are obedient and lack their own opinions.

However, as emperors and crown princes, they naturally need to be decisive enough to shoulder the heavy responsibility of governing the country. This is their duty.

"The reason I'm telling you all this is that Yin'er needs to go through the military merit assessment in a few days," Zhu Yunying said seriously. "Although the military merit assessment is quite lenient, and many assessments are just a formality, Yin'er should still go through it."

The military merit evaluation system has been in place for nearly twenty years, and Zhu Yunying naturally bears some responsibility for it, which is something he is somewhat proud of.

Generally speaking, after the world is at peace, military officers are the group that becomes corrupt and degenerates the fastest. Those military officers from wealthy families often lack the ability and spirit of their ancestors, and are more likely to become so-called纨绔 (spoiled brats).

After all, the most important factor in inheriting a title is bloodline. The eldest son is usually the one who inherits the title, especially those nobles who are not demoted and whose titles are hereditary. Their descendants are basically "without any worries about the future".

Zhu Yunying naturally understood that his evaluation measures were essentially just for show, and the assessments were not particularly rigorous. However, these measures were meant to put some pressure on the nobles, especially the heirs; if they couldn't pass the evaluations, they wouldn't be able to inherit their titles.

It's even quite possible that because they are utterly incompetent, their titles, while not necessarily revoked, would have to be given to their brothers, which would be unacceptable to them.

These assessments, at least, at least somewhat preserved the spirit of the sons of noble families, and it was only right that they should have some 'motivation to improve'.

Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Xu Miaoqing smiled and said, "Then Yin'er will be happy. He is interested in these things. Some time ago, Grandfather said that he always said you are a martial emperor, and now he always says that Yin'er will probably be a martial emperor in the future."

"Emperor Wu?" Zhu Yunying said irritably, "Look at this Crown Prince Wu, when he grows up a bit he'll probably be clamoring to go out and lead troops. My grandfather has this idea, saying that if there are any bandits around Yingtian Prefecture, he'll let Yin'er go out and train."

Seeing Xu Miaoqing's expression, which was neither worried nor happy, Zhu Yunying said irritably, "We don't have that kind of treatment. In our early years, we were supposed to go and train troops, but when something happened, we had to come back. The only thing we had in mind about commanding thousands of troops was that we went to the north a few years ago for a formality. My second and third uncles were carrying secret orders."

Hearing the resentment in Zhu Yunying's tone, Xu Miaoqing couldn't help but chuckle. She knew about this matter, and she also knew that it was a knot in Zhu Yunying's heart. When Emperor Yingshi was still the Crown Prince, he really wanted to go to the battlefield to make meritorious achievements and become a great general.

As if remembering something, Xu Miaoqing said, "Back at Second Uncle's house, His Majesty went back to ask Prince Jin and Prince Qin. We seem to have heard some noises."

Hearing Xu Miaoqing say this, Zhu Yunying was slightly taken aback, and then said, "Okay, we understand."

His two cousins ​​had also inherited the titles of two extremely noble princes. They were indeed quite honest and law-abiding, and like their father, they had almost no ulterior motives.

After all, their imperial uncle's position was once unshakeable and secure. But now, their imperial brother, His Majesty, has been the most special and dazzling one since birth, and they all know very well that the throne has nothing to do with them.

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