Little Zhu, wielding a sword, leaned on his sword with one hand and looked at Wang Chengen, asking, "Big brother, what brings you here again?"

Wang Chengen immediately knelt down and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that Your Highness shall have an audience at the Wuying Hall."

Little Zhu kicked the tip of her sword with her toe, twirled it, and sheathed it. "Going to the Wuying Hall again? We haven't even been in office yet, and we don't even know all the civil and military officials in the court. Yet they always send us to the Wuying Hall. What can we do there? Honestly, we can't do anything!"

Remembering something, Little Zhu asked, "Big Brother, when our father was our age, could he wield a knife as well as we could?"

Wang Chengen lowered his head and said softly, "Your Highness, at that time this servant was not yet able to serve His Majesty."

Little Zhu looked at Wang Chengen, and as Wang Chengen's head drooped lower and lower, Little Zhu became happy, "Then it must be that our dad is not as good as us, so you should help him keep it a secret! Haha, we knew it, although Dad is good at martial arts, he just doesn't have the talent!"

Only the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty dared to do this; how many crown princes of other dynasties would dare to speak ill of the emperor like this?

Just as Xiao Zhu was about to leave, Wang Chengen hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please take a bath and change your clothes first."

Little Zhu stopped in her tracks and muttered, "Meddlesome!"

Although he felt Wang Chengen was meddling, Little Zhu had gotten used to it. As for Wang Chengen or Shuangquan, they were even more aware of these matters, probably due to some of the current emperor's habits.

Zhu Yunying used to enjoy practicing with swords and spears. Regardless of his skill with spears, he would often practice until he was drenched in sweat. At this time, he definitely needed a nice, relaxing bath, so he wouldn't get chilled from being covered in sweat.

Old Zhu was aware of the commotion outside, but he didn't open his eyes and continued to doze off with his eyes half-closed.

Just then, Wang Chengen tiptoed over, knelt down, and whispered, "Your Majesty the Retired Emperor..."

Old Zhu didn't even open his eyes before slowly asking, "Has the Emperor encountered something serious? Even the Crown Prince can't go there, and now he wants us to go?"

Wang Chengen knew exactly what he should and shouldn't say. Even if he was punished by the Emperor Emeritus, he would definitely protect Zhu Yunying. Despite the Emperor Emeritus's close relationship with the current emperor, many people in the palace believed they were both "choosing sides."

Wang Chengen simply said, "Today, the Minister of Works met with the Emperor Emeritus at the Wuying Hall after court, seemingly to discuss important matters. His Majesty just now summoned His Highness the Crown Prince and respectfully invited His Majesty the Retired Emperor."

Old Zhu squinted and remained silent, whether he let Wang Chengen continue kneeling or simply didn't notice him kneeling at all. Old Zhu truly didn't care; he would wait until his beloved great-grandson had finished his bath and was feeling refreshed before going to the Wuying Hall.

Making Wang Chengen wait is nothing; the emperor is waiting too!

Zhu Yunying had no objections and continued reviewing the memorials. He had many things to do and wasn't just waiting idly.

With Shuangquan's help, Little Zhu took a bath and changed his clothes, and a young master who looked noble appeared. Donning a cloak, Little Zhu strode to the Qianqing Palace, "Great-grandfather, let's go."

As he was saying this, Little Zhu naturally went to Old Zhu, helped him stand up, and started to walk away with him.

Old Zhu stood up with a smile and said gently, "Although we are getting old, we are not incapable of moving around. It's not good for you to help us wherever we go."

Little Zhu was very principled and said directly, "We don't think so. We are the great-grandson of our great-grandfather, so it's our duty to take care of him. If our father weren't busy with important matters of the court, he would definitely be serving our great-grandfather too. Great-grandfather, in our Great Ming Dynasty, our father and we are the most filial!"

Old Zhu beamed with joy, having no doubt whatsoever. "That makes sense. You're a good boy, and your father is successful too. You're both good sons of the Zhu family, both filial and successful."

Little Zhu became even more proud and said, "That's all part of our Zhu family's tradition. We've heard that our Imperial Grandfather was also filial. If you ask me, it's because our Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother taught him so well that our Imperial Grandfather became filial and wise, and our father followed suit. We learned from them and that's how to be filial."

Old Zhu was even happier. He used to be easily fooled by his precious grandson, but this great-grandson was even better. Even though Old Zhu sometimes knew that his two darlings were deliberately trying to please him, it didn't diminish his joy.

As if remembering something, Little Zhu said, "Great-grandfather, in a few days we'll summon all the members of the clan. Those of our generation, we'll take them all on an outing. I'm the eldest brother, I'll lead them on this journey."

Old Zhu had no objection to Little Zhu going on a picnic. Now that Little Zhu was going to take care of and manage the imperial clan, Old Zhu was even more pleased, saying, "That's good! We won't go with you. You won't be able to have fun if we go. You can also see the imperial clan members."

"We need to deal with Wengeng. That little rascal said he was sick and didn't go to school, but he ended up watching singing and dancing with Second Uncle at home." Xiao Zhu said through gritted teeth, "Second Uncle is the same. He even gave Wengeng a Silla maid! It makes us so angry. Second Aunt even told us about it. We gave the letter to Uncle's family without thinking."

Seeing his great-grandson's somewhat exasperated expression, Old Zhu was neither angry nor did he feel that his precious great-grandson had been deceived.

This is what Little Zhu realized afterward; he was trying to make amends. If Little Zhu hadn't tacitly agreed, some things wouldn't have been possible. Of course, Old Zhu and Little Zhu turned a blind eye.

"Your second uncle is a disgrace. When your father was young, he learned to manage the harem and also had to take care of court affairs, observe the people's livelihood, and learn about the officialdom. Your second uncle just kept dogs in the palace," Old Zhu complained. "If your second uncle were even a little bit more capable, your father would have a much easier time."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!