The "stamping maniac" refers to Little Zhu. This kid has had this habit for the past few years. It's not necessarily because he likes talking, calligraphy, or painting. He just likes to get things done and is thinking about some opportunistic tricks.

Many famous paintings and calligraphies have been appraised by Little Zhu, the reason being that those paintings and calligraphies bear the seal of the current crown prince, which is the best proof.

It was precisely because the old Zhu and the young Zhu were not interested in these calligraphy and paintings that the artworks that many people flocked to were nothing in the eyes of the Zhu family emperors, as long as the young Zhu did not destroy them.

Zhu Yunying had reason to suspect that even if the little pig destroyed some calligraphy and paintings, the old Zhu might feel sorry for them, but that feeling would only be because he thought these things could be given away as rewards, and that some civil officials would still be moved to tears.

As for Xiao Xiao Zhu's stamping, Lao Zhu would at most be annoyed that Xiao Xiao Zhu was causing trouble. As for the claim that Xiao Xiao Zhu's extra stamps would affect the value of the calligraphy and paintings, Lao Zhu would definitely scoff at that. He would never believe such a thing.

On the contrary, in his eyes, the presence of Xiao Zhu's seal made those calligraphy and paintings worth a hundred times more. Because Xiao Zhu was the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, the future emperor, the seal of the future emperor was also a private seal, which was obviously more valuable.

Perhaps sensing a change in the atmosphere of the Qianqing Palace, Little Zhu immediately raised her head and naturally saw her father, whose expression was not pleasant.

Although Little Zhu wasn't afraid of his father, he quickly explained, "Father, it wasn't us who wanted to get the stamp; it was all our great-grandfather who told us to do it. This isn't our fault; we were just following orders."

Old Zhu, who was chatting with Zhu Su, also looked up and explained, "It was Yin'er who made this. This ceremony is of great importance and we dare not be careless. We can't finish watching it in a short time, so let Yin'er stamp it first. We will take a look ourselves, and we should also let the scholars of the Hanlin Academy take a look."

Hearing what Old Zhu said, Zhu Yunying naturally had no objection. "Grandfather, we didn't say anything bad about Yin'er. It's just that he used to stamp things haphazardly a few years ago, turning some perfectly good calligraphy and paintings into a nuisance. Sometimes we felt a little sorry for him."

Old Zhu glared fiercely at his precious grandson, whom he usually couldn't bear to scold, because Little Zhu had spoken ill of Little Zhu.

Old Zhu stopped mincing words and said, "This book is bigger than we imagined. At this rate, we probably won't see it finished even if we close our eyes."

Hearing what Zhu Yunying said, Zhu Yunying did not raise any objections, because it was basically the truth.

The Xiaokang Grand Ceremony has been under construction for nearly four years, and the imperial court has provided ample support for this project. However, even with this support, it remains impossible to change the fact that even the first draft of the ceremony is not yet truly complete.

Don't even think about it for a year or two; maybe we'll see some progress in three or four years. To see this grand work truly completed, we'll really need to wait about ten years.

Considering Old Zhu's age, even though he has always been relatively healthy, his age is still a factor.

Zhu Yunying probably understood what Old Zhu meant, and could only say, "If it comes to that time, even if it hasn't been officially written yet, we will definitely have someone prepare a set to be buried with Xiaoling Mausoleum."

Old Zhu immediately smiled. He hadn't spoiled his eldest grandson for nothing. Over the years, the one who understood him best was actually this precious grandson who often made him angry.

Zhu Su wasn't actually that afraid of Old Zhu, especially since there was important business to attend to. "Father, the court has invited many famous scholars to compile this grand book. Among those compiling the book, we think there are a few who are quite capable."

Old Zhu naturally understood Zhu Su's meaning, but still said, "Don't tell us about these things, we're too lazy to care. Just tell the emperor, whether he sees you or not, whether he gives you any rewards or not, that's his business."

Zhu Yunying naturally gave Zhu Su face, and was also a little curious. "Oh, judging from what Fifth Uncle is saying, it seems that he has found some capable people. We should take a good look at what these people are capable of that can earn Fifth Uncle's appreciation."

That's obviously a bit of an exaggeration, but being summoned by the imperial court to participate in compiling books naturally implies talent and ability. In terms of literary talent alone, there's absolutely no problem; each of them is exceptionally gifted, and writing exquisite articles is naturally a breeze for them—there's no doubt about that.

Zhu Yunying then continued, "Then let's do it this way. We'll meet these people at the Wuying Hall tomorrow. I reckon it wouldn't be good if there were too many people, so I'll trouble Fifth Uncle to bring over those with some talent."

Zhu Su naturally agreed immediately, and felt proud of himself.

The reason is simple: his words still carry some weight with the emperor. Although he is currently just a wealthy prince, even though he is the head of the Imperial Clan Court, sometimes the dignified Prince Zhou doesn't seem to have any real power.

Now that Zhu Su is in charge of compiling the "Xiaokang Encyclopedia," he actually has quite a few people under his command. Being able to secure some benefits for his subordinates is certainly a wonderful thing, and perhaps some praiseworthy stories about the Zhou king will be passed down in the future.

For example, the ability to recognize talent is certainly a commendable tale. Moreover, considering that the recommender is a scholar, this could further enhance His Highness Prince Zhou's reputation among scholars. This is undoubtedly good news, and Zhu Su certainly wouldn't mind having more of such a good reputation.

Zhu Su then explained, “I know that there are many talented people in the court, and the imperial examination system has found many capable scholars for our Ming Dynasty. During this revision of the book, I also saw that many people in the government are also capable. Many of them do not have any official titles, and I have developed a love for their talents, fearing that they might be overlooked.”

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!