To be honest, Joo Yun-young was indeed a little greedy, and he never objected to such things. A penchant for grandeur and perfection was a characteristic of Joo Yun-young. Of course, Joo Yun-young was also well aware that many people nowadays considered him a 'smiling tiger'.

Zhu Yunying didn't find such evaluations offensive, nor did they diminish his status as a capable emperor. Whether he was called a smiling tiger, a cunning schemer, or something else entirely, it didn't really matter.

These were Zhu Yunying's true feelings: as long as he could be a good emperor and govern the country well, those criticisms were harmless.

Zhu Su, however, had his own thoughts at this moment. "Your Majesty," he said, "I have heard some things these days. There are rumors that Your Majesty intends to control the Yellow River floods. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness, but I would like to ask how much of this rumor is true and how much is false?"

Zhu Yunying didn't hesitate much and said, "This matter is indeed true. We intend to have Yan Zhenzhi take charge of managing the Yellow River floods. However, this is a very important matter, so it hasn't been discussed in court yet. Many things are already being prepared, but I hope Fifth Uncle won't spread this around. We should have a conclusion in a few days."

Zhu Su immediately understood and assured him, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

Since the emperor had not concealed anything, Zhu Su also spoke his mind, "Your Majesty, managing the Yellow River floods will require a great deal of money, grain, and manpower from the court. As a prince of the court, I have been supported by the court for many years. I do not have much ability, but I thought that if Your Majesty were to manage the Yellow River, I would like to donate a year's salary from the Zhou Prince's Mansion to support you."

Zhu Yunying paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Fifth Uncle, although managing the Yellow River does require a lot of money, the court is currently quite well-off and can afford it. If we accept your money, it wouldn't be a big deal."

Zhu Su was displeased and emphasized, "How can it not be a problem? Your Majesty, I am a prince of the Ming Dynasty and the current head of the Imperial Clan Court!"

Zhu Yunying added, "My fifth uncle also said that you are the Imperial Clan Commander. If the court accepts your money, what will the other members of the imperial clan think? Will they think they should follow your example and donate some money, or will they think this is our order?"

"Let others think what they want, why should we care?" Zhu Su then adopted a nonchalant attitude and said, "Besides, even if we use the government's sustenance, we didn't say we'd use the produce from the granted land, or the produce from the bank or the Maritime Trade Office, so we won't go hungry!"

Before Zhu Yunying could speak, Zhu Su continued, "Furthermore, the imperial family has been enjoying the court's support all these years. They haven't done anything, yet they've never lacked anything in terms of fine clothes and sumptuous food. We can't always be thinking about eating, drinking, and having fun when it comes to such a big matter as governing the Yellow River. We are, after all, members of the Ming imperial family, and this is, after all, the Zhu family's empire."

Seeing Zhu Su's serious expression, Zhu Yunying felt that Zhu Su was not joking. "Fifth Uncle, I know that you are wise and virtuous. However, although it is true that the more money and grain the better, the imperial clan should not contribute money or effort at present. If the imperial clan contributes money, what will the nobles think? What will the gentry think?"

Zhu Yunying analyzed carefully and said, "If that time really comes, officials might go to the people to collect money and exploit them."

Zhu Su said matter-of-factly, “Then we’ll just collect silver from our imperial clan. If they’re interested, we can also collect military merit. We know the court is reforming the tax system now, so we’ll have the officials keep an eye on things. Anyone who dares to exploit the people will be severely punished. Your Majesty, we used to be in Kaifeng, so we know what the Yellow River is like. We genuinely want to help.”

Staring into Zhu Su's eyes, Zhu Yunying seemed to understand. His fifth uncle was really not just being polite.

The Yellow River has long been a suspended river above the land. Kaifeng is located on the banks of the Yellow River. Looking at the Yellow River channel that hangs high above Kaifeng, not only Zhu Su is worried, but many people living near the Yellow River area are also worried.

Zhu Yunying, who had been slightly taken aback, laughed and said, "If that's really the case, then whether we accept money from others or not is irrelevant, but we will definitely accept money from Fifth Uncle's lineage! If we start managing the Yellow River and achieve results, we will definitely erect a monument to commemorate it. At that time, we will erect a monument outside the Yellow River in Kaifeng to commemorate it!"

Looking at Zhu Su, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "We know that many local gentry and others are building bridges and paving roads. Our task of managing the Yellow River should be the same. When the time comes, we'll also erect a monument to commemorate our merits. The people should know about the virtuous and capable members of my fifth uncle's lineage!"

Zhu Su was slightly surprised, and seemed a little embarrassed. "Your Majesty, we don't have that intention. We're not after those things."

Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "We know all this, and we know that Fifth Uncle wasn't after fame, but just wanted to do something practical. But Fifth Uncle did do a good deed after all, so why can't we let the world know about the benevolence of our Ming Dynasty's virtuous prince?!"

The decision was made so happily. Ordinary gentry would leave their names on the merit tablet after repairing bridges and paving roads, or after donating money to temples.

So, regarding matters like managing the Yellow River, Zhu Yunying felt there was nothing wrong with erecting monuments and writing biographies, and he didn't see anything wrong with leaving his fifth uncle's name on a monument of merit.

In reality, in such an era, many people value a good reputation, and even decades or centuries later, many still care about their reputation. Even if some people don't seem like good people according to universal values, they may still have their own motives and maintain a good reputation in their local community.

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