Little Zhu had an idea. The filial son said, "Let's lead the army ourselves, leaving our father in the palace to handle state affairs. He's good at those things, so we'll go fight the war while he governs the country from home. Isn't that great!"

Supported by Little Zhu, Old Zhu walked and said, “After all, he is Ying’er’s son, and you think the same way. When your father was young, he thought we should pass the throne to your grandfather so that he could travel the world with us and leave your grandfather at home to govern the world. You are more familiar with this, and you also urged us to abdicate so that you could go out and become Marshal Zhu.”

Little Zhu seemed oblivious to Old Zhu's complaints, and said seriously, "That's great! Our Zhu family is really capable and successful!"

The ambitious Zhu Yunying knew nothing of the Qing court's affairs. If he escaped, he'd be forced to dig in the ground—that wouldn't be worth it. He'd better hurry and slip away to play with his youngest son; Zhu Wenkun was quite adorable these days.

Sitting on the couch, Zhu Wenkun stared blankly at the palace entrance. Upon seeing Zhu Yunying, he danced with joy. However, as he clapped his hands and opened his mouth, drool dripped down his chin.

Zhu Yunying walked over with a smile, picked up her chubby son, and said, "Just like your brother, we haven't kissed you that many times, but you still drool."

Although Zhu Yunying didn't kiss Zhu Wenkun much, the boy affectionately wrapped his arms around Zhu Yunying's neck and nibbled at Zhu Yunying's face.

Xu Miaoqing put down her brush and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, if you're talking about Wenkun's tendency to drool, I think it's because of Yin'er. He always hugs Wenkun and tries to kiss him, and he's always pinching Wenkun's cheeks."

“That’s right, we forgot about Yin’er.” Zhu Yunying laughed and said, “But that kid is out of luck now, he’s been taken by the Emperor to plow the fields. I was thinking of having us go dig the fields too, but luckily we ran fast, otherwise we would have been digging the fields too.”

Xu Miaoqing was not worried and said, "If that's the case, I should have someone prepare a meal and send it over."

Zhu Yunying glanced at Xu Miaoqing and said, "You? Grandfather might not be happy if you go. What Grandfather wants most is for him to lead our father and us to take Yin'er to farm. Apart from our grandmother, he might not be happy if any other female relatives go. Even our mother is not an option."

Having been Old Zhu's granddaughter-in-law for over ten years, Xu Miaoqing naturally knew his personality, and she felt that Zhu Yunying was right. Even though she had given the Zhu family two children, one of whom was Old Zhu's beloved little Zhu, in Old Zhu's heart, Xu Miaoqing, as his granddaughter-in-law, might not necessarily be very favored.

At most, compared to other daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law, Xu Miaoqing's status was slightly higher, so Old Zhu would give her some respect, but that was all.

Remembering something, Zhu Yunying asked, "Why did you take Wenkun away to Yin'er?"

When this was mentioned, Xu Miaoqing said helplessly, "I had only taken a nap when Yin'er came over and took Wenkun away from the wet nurse. Since he is the Crown Prince, the wet nurse didn't dare to stop him. By the time we found out, we had rushed over as fast as we could, but it was still too late."

Xu Miaoqing naturally hoped that Old Zhu could pay more attention to Zhu Wenkun, but she also knew her limits. She knew that Old Zhu's favorite was always his eldest son, and besides, this time little Zhu was going to receive special treatment. Xu Miaoqing also knew that under normal circumstances she would not show up, let alone bring Zhu Wenkun with her. She knew her limits.

But unexpectedly, that little Zhu was unreliable. He grabbed his younger brother and ran off. Who dared to stop him?

In the palace, the only people who can truly control Little Zhu are Old Zhu and Little Zhu. If Xu Miaoqing nags Little Zhu too much, Old Zhu will definitely be very unhappy if he finds out. Old Zhu has always been very sensitive about these things.

It wasn't just about the empress's inability to interfere in politics; it was also because, in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, Xu Miaoqing wasn't entirely family. When young Zhu Yuanzhang had his great-grandfather and father, his education was naturally not Xu Miaoqing's responsibility to meddle.

Looking at Xu Miaoqing, Zhu Yunying said, "Don't blame your grandfather. He's an old man with his own ideas. We want both of you to be our children, but being born into an imperial family, there are some things we should distinguish between."

Xu Miaoqing smiled as she massaged Zhu Yunying's temples, saying, "Your Majesty, I dare not complain about my grandfather. In fact, we understand that even back in the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion, my eldest brother always took care of us. He is, after all, the head of the family. In ordinary families, the eldest son is always more valued."

Yes, it's not just imperial families that value primogeniture; many wealthy and powerful families do the same. Even in ordinary families, the eldest son is usually more valued. Following tradition, even when the family divides, the eldest son typically receives a larger share of the inheritance—this is nothing new.

So Xu Miaoqing doesn't need to complain now; many people do the same thing.

Xu Miaoqing also spoke her mind, saying, "To be honest, Yin'er and Kun'er are both our own flesh and blood, and we love them both. As for Yin'er's identity, we are somewhat aware of it. We also think that if Yin'er and Kun'er were like His Majesty and the Second Prince, we would be laughing in our dreams."

Zhu Yunying glanced at Zhu Wenkun, who was squirming restlessly in her arms, and said, "It's better not to be like the second son, otherwise Yin'er will have a lot of headaches in the future. No matter how useless we are, we shouldn't have raised someone like the second son."

Xu Miaoqing was at a loss for words. Zhu Yunying could criticize Zhu Yuntong, but it wouldn't be appropriate for others to follow suit.

In reality, over the years, only Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunying, and Zhu Yunying's two younger sisters have the right to criticize him. They can hold a tea party and criticize Zhu Yunwen in various ways. But if anyone else follows suit, they will definitely encounter sharp eyes that can see right through them.

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