“I feel the same way now. When he’s with me all day, I always find him noisy, but when I can’t see him, I miss him terribly,” Zhu Yunying said with a smile. “The last two times Grandfather took Yin’er back to his hometown, I missed him terribly. Grandfather encouraged Yin’er to go on a tour, and I’ve been looking forward to it eagerly.”

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunying with a smile and said, "I dote on my great-grandson, and I can't live without Yin'er now. If I really want to say that if I were to pass away one day, you would still have to take care of my affairs. They say that grandparents love their grandchildren more. Now that my son is gone, my grandson will have to take care of everything, big and small."

"We're family, so let's not be formal. This is what we should do," Zhu Yunying said with a smile. "Grandfather, these are things we should do."

Remembering something, Zhu Yunying said, "Grandfather, do you believe that once Yin'er arrives at Zhongshan, he'll be riding a horse and hunting? If you ask me, I don't know how many deer we'll be raising at Zhongshan will be ruined today."

Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu laughed too, "It's just a matter of a few deer, we don't care, why are you so concerned? As long as they're having fun, we have nothing to regret."

Within the Xiaoling Mausoleum, pavilions are connected one after another, smoke swirls in the main hall, pine trees rustle in the wind, and a thousand deer are kept there, their calls echoing through the air, creating an extraordinary atmosphere.

Most people certainly wouldn't dare to cause trouble at Xiaoling Mausoleum, but for young Zhu, it's a different story. He wouldn't do anything undignified, but if he were to hunt a deer, that wouldn't be anything to be surprised about.

Patting Zhu Yunying on the shoulder, Old Zhu said, "You are our most worry-free grandson. We are quite knowledgeable, and as we have said before, your precociousness is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty and a good thing for our country. Most of the time we are happy about it, but sometimes we feel that you are too dull and not like a child."

Zhu Yunying naturally understood this principle, even though he would pretend to be a child when he was young to please his father.

Even if he occasionally pretends to be a child, he must feel somewhat uncomfortable inside, unlike a real child. Especially in front of Old Zhu, Zhu Yunying's little tricks are nothing.

Zhu Yunying, supporting Old Zhu's arm, slowly left the city wall. Let Little Zhu have his own fun on his picnic.

As for the possibility that there might be some politics involved in this outing, there's really nothing to be surprised about. Those born into royalty or nobility naturally have little freedom, and they also have their responsibilities and obligations.

Since they enjoy fine clothes, sumptuous food, wealth and honor, it naturally means that they need to take on some responsibilities for it.

Moreover, this was merely an outing for the Crown Prince, who was still quite young and had no experience in court affairs. Therefore, even though everyone knew that the Crown Prince's position was secure and unassailable, they wouldn't 'deliberately' approach him at this time. The nobles naturally understood the implications and the appropriate boundaries involved.

At this moment, Xu Miaoqing only needed to fulfill her duties as a granddaughter-in-law and obediently follow behind. As long as Old Zhu didn't ask her directly, Xu Miaoqing naturally wouldn't speak. She knew that trying to please Old Zhu was unnecessary.

Ultimately, Xu Miaoqing's only advantage is her status; she doesn't need to worry about anything else. While Old Zhu may not seem particularly kind to his granddaughter-in-law, Xu Miaoqing, he is the one who most respects her status and forbids any misconduct.

Xu Miaoqing wasn't naive or innocent, and besides, that's how the world was. For many women, marriage meant adhering to their duties. Even though she was once the Crown Prince's consort and is now the Empress, she still needed to respect the rules of this era.

Otherwise, even the Empress might be impeached, and it might even implicate Little Zhu.

Little Zhu went on a picnic. Old Zhu and Little Zhu weren't too sad about it. It was just a day trip, and Little Zhu would be back in the afternoon. That kid would be causing trouble in the palace again.

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally followed Zhu De to the Wuying Hall. Although Zhu Yuanzhang rarely reviewed memorials or concerned himself with state affairs, he was actually aware of many things.

Especially when it comes to major events, it's impossible for Lao Zhu to be completely indifferent; he still cares a lot about certain things.

"This Xu Huizu really does have some of Tiande's qualities," Old Zhu said, looking at the battle report. "You did a good job changing it. You changed the title of Duke of Wei to Duke of Zhongshan. If Xu Huizu continues like this, he'll inevitably be made a king in the future, just like Tiande."

Zhu Yunying chuckled and said, "Our eldest uncle will probably be a founding duke by then. Even if we take care of our maternal family, it's not appropriate to bestow a title of king upon him."

Old Zhu couldn't help but laugh and said, "It's a good thing that Chang Mao is useless; it'll save you some trouble. If things don't go well with Xu Huizu, Yin'er will have a hard time in the future."

In the Ming Dynasty, interference in politics by the empress's relatives was generally rare. However, caution was still necessary. Zhu Yunying understood Xu Huizu's character fairly well, and he was undoubtedly loyal. But with the military power so formidable, there were certain things that had to be considered.

Zhu Yunying nodded and said, "If we finish fighting Goryeo and deal with Annam and Oirat properly, Xu Huizu should be in the capital. We will definitely take him to Beiping Prefecture, partly to guard the capital and deter the military officials, and partly to be a good assistant to the Crown Prince."

Old Zhu sighed and said, "It's easier said than done. We were so close to Tang He and Feng Sheng back then, but in the end we were worried that those fierce generals would become too powerful. One of them was smart enough to go back to his hometown to retire, while the other found a pretext to strip us of our military power."

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