However, simply kowtowing to the emperor is not enough. After all, the reason he was able to obtain the position of prefect of Yingtian Prefecture was because His Highness the Crown Prince punished the previous prefect. It would be inappropriate to pretend not to know.

Moreover, the position of Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture is inherently sensitive, and it is indeed not an easy one to hold.

Although the saying "Three lifetimes of misfortune, one becomes a county magistrate; three lifetimes of evil deeds, one becomes a provincial governor; three lifetimes of heinous crimes, one becomes the capital" has not yet circulated, many people are already aware of these principles.

This is the capital city! All the officials, princes, and nobles are here. The emperor will know about even the slightest disturbance. If the Minister's family loses a teapot or a prince's family runs away, none of them can be ignored. These matters need to be handled properly.

Moreover, not to mention the officialdom, even ordinary people know that the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty had the custom of wearing white dragon robes. Now that he is the crown prince, he must have inherited this custom from the current emperor.

There are many stories circulating in the capital about the current emperor's early incognito visits. Now, everyone knows that the owner of a small courtyard by the Pearl River was one of the emperor's maids in his early years. Many people also know that the King of Wu often goes there to drink tea and wine, supposedly to express the emperor's gratitude for the maid's care in his early years.

That one was a maidservant of the late Empress Xiaoci Gao, who was said to have raised the current emperor in her arms.

Before his time as a prince, the current emperor enjoyed wandering around Yingtian Prefecture, finding everything new and exciting, and he visited every place. The current crown prince is the same way, particularly fond of visiting bustling city streets to experience the diverse aspects of life.

The pressure is immense, especially for Huang Guan, the newly appointed prefect of Yingtian Prefecture. These tasks are difficult. Of course, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the Five City Garrison Command must be even more vigilant, as no unexpected incidents can be tolerated.

The crown princes of the Ming Dynasty made an immense contribution to the security of the capital. It was precisely because of their incognito visits that officials at all levels of the Ming Dynasty dared not let their guard down in the slightest.

As for advice and remonstrance, they were of little use; the emperor was simply encouraging the crown prince to understand the people's livelihood.

The officials naturally had their own concerns; they worried about the safety of the nation and whether unforeseen events could destabilize the country. The emperor, of course, didn't want the crown prince to go on excursions; understanding the realities of life was also something a crown prince should possess.

After all, the other princes and princesses didn't have the opportunity to leave the palace often; only the crown prince had such treatment.

Huang Guan now has to consider these things. This "academic genius" not only has in-depth knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics, but also has some experience as an official. He knows that there are certain ways to be an official.

Being too close to the crown prince is certainly not a good thing, but being too close might not be a good thing either.

Huang Guan is now in a dilemma. He knows that some things must be done, but he must also be careful not to go too far.

Zhu Yunying pretended not to know some things, though he probably knew a little about the thoughts and ideas of some officials. He just didn't need to investigate further; after all, he was the emperor, and there was no need to be overly considerate—that wasn't Zhu Yunying's style or characteristic.

Although not as domineering and harsh as the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yunying was not much better; he often disregarded the emotions of his officials.

Emperor Renzong and the like were completely alien to Zhu Yunying. Zhu Yunying was very clear about this, and he never intended to become the emperor that some officials considered close. Maintaining a certain distance was still necessary.

Upon returning to Chunhe Palace, Zhu Yunying saw little Zhu and asked in surprise, "Why isn't he with your great-grandfather?"

“It’s Mother’s birthday, so of course we have to come back,” Little Zhu said matter-of-factly. “Father, you’re always busy with state affairs, and you’ve forgotten that today is Mother’s birthday.”

Zhu Yunying was taken aback for a moment, then smiled frankly and said, "How could we forget about this? The Grand Chamberlain has already made preparations."

This is where Wang Chengen has to be blamed. Zhu Yunying is indeed not used to remembering other people's birthdays, but Wang Chengen is obligated to remember and remind him of such things. Of course, unless there are special circumstances, Zhu Yunying will personally prepare some gifts.

However, in most cases, Wang Chengen would prepare the gifts in advance, and Zhu Yunying would only need to nod before these birthday gifts would be bestowed.

For example, Zhu Yunying genuinely didn't remember Xu Miaoqing's birthday this time. Wang Chengen might have reminded him, or he might not have, but in any case, Zhu Yunying definitely didn't remember. However, gifts were certainly not lacking.

Soon after Zhu Yunying spoke, palace maids and eunuchs appeared carrying gifts, including common items like silk and jewelry, as well as some precious stones.

Now Zhu Yunying remembered that Wang Chengen had mentioned it a few days ago, but he had quickly forgotten about it. But it didn't matter now, as he had personally prepared all the gifts, and Xu Miaoqing was very happy to express her gratitude.

"Father, look at our younger brother, he's gotten even fatter." Little Zhu said, struggling to hold the struggling Zhu Wenkun. "Let's just say he can't walk because he's too fat to move."

Zhu Yunying laughed and said, "That's just baby fat. You'll slim down when you grow up. You were even fatter when you were little, but you were always jumping around."

Little Zhu pondered for a moment and said, "Our imperial brother isn't close to us, what should we do? Second Uncle is closest to Father, he tells Father everything, big or small. But look at our imperial brother, he doesn't even show any affection to us!"

Zhu Yunying clapped his hands with a smile, and Zhu Wenkun immediately opened his little arms and rushed over. "See? If you tease your younger brother more, he'll like you and be close to you. You're always in the Qianqing Palace, always playing around in the training ground, when do you have time to tease Wenkun?"

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