My chubby little son can stand up now and even take a few steps with his short legs, which is a good thing. Babies are cute to begin with, and now he's so soft, adorable, and endearingly clumsy, he can make everyone laugh. He's a real joy!

Zhu Wenkun was also a bit of a madman; seeing everyone laughing, he kept causing trouble.

Old Zhu was in a good mood and said to Zhu Yunying, "This little guy is good, he looks brave. Boys should be tough, we like tough boys."

Feeling that he might be implying something, Zhu Yunying asked, "Grandpa, I wasn't exactly quiet when I was little. Does that mean I wasn't likable when I was little? I ate a lot and many people said I was fat. My little aunt loved to hold me when I was little. When my eldest aunt got married, I guess she was just reluctant to part with me."

Old Zhu glanced at Zhu Yunying and then said, "Taking care of you is less troublesome, you don't cry or make a fuss, otherwise we wouldn't be willing to let your imperial grandmother keep raising you around. We just say that you are such a well-behaved little child, it would be pointless to keep taking care of you for a long time. You are just lucky to be the eldest grandson."

Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh and said, "That's true. I can be considered precocious. In an ordinary family, that would definitely be a good thing, but being born into the royal family is not necessarily a good thing. If it weren't for the Ming Dynasty's principle of primogeniture, given how clever I was when I was young, I reckon many people would have had designs on me."

Old Zhu glanced at Zhu Yunying and said, "You were too sensible when you were young. I remember someone telling me that when you saw Yunwen and the others fall down, you just stood there without saying a word. Many people said that you were our eldest grandson and that you would harm the other brothers."

This made Zhu Yunying laugh out loud, "If they wanted to harm us, that might be possible, but we can't be bothered with them. The rules of our Great Ming are good, so we don't have to worry about brothers killing each other."

Old Zhu looked at Little Zhu with a smile and didn't say anything. In fact, everyone knew the truth in their hearts.

The eldest son of the legitimate wife in the Ming Dynasty didn't really need to feel too much urgency, because some things were basically determined from the moment he was born. Just like little Zhu, although he wasn't a child prodigy, it would be a lie to say that this child didn't have any ambition.

However, regardless of whether it was Zhu Wenjin or Zhu Wenkun, Xiao Xiao Zhu only regarded them as younger brothers and never felt that the existence of these two younger brothers affected his status.

Zhu Yunying had similar thoughts before, and he never regarded Zhu Yunwen or Zhu Yunhua as competitors.

The magnanimity of crown princes stems largely from their knowledge that their positions are secure, eliminating the need for power struggles with their brothers. From the moment of their birth, much of their destiny is essentially set in stone.

With Zhu Wenkun making a fool of himself here, and with Little Zhu keeping watch, Zhu Yunying could finally retire gracefully.

After all, he's the emperor, and there are still many memorials waiting for his review. This visit to the Qianqing Palace was also unplanned, which naturally resolved some of Zhu's doubts and worries. So, he naturally went about his business.

Wang Chengen followed closely beside Zhu Yunying and said, "Your Majesty, you recently granted permission for Prince Zhou to come. He's been waiting for you. I've heard that all the scholars compiling the encyclopedia are eagerly anticipating it."

Zhu Yunying nodded and instructed, "Alright, have Fifth Uncle lead them over tomorrow! Go and arrange these things."

For officials from outside the capital to enter the palace is no simple matter; they certainly need to prepare official credentials and the like. Most importantly, many of the scholars compiling this grand compilation are officials without genuine loyalty.

Even if they were all learned scholars or great learners, they were not qualified to meet the emperor.

Now that they have the honor of being granted an audience, it doesn't mean they can disregard the rules. Since the emperor has agreed to receive these people, someone will immediately instruct them on the proper etiquette upon entering the palace, and most importantly, the etiquette for meeting the emperor.

Even if these people understood these matters, the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial dared not be careless. To be disrespectful before the Emperor was a grave offense. If such a thing were to happen, not only the individuals involved would suffer, but other officials would also be implicated.

Zhu Yunying was not particularly close to some traditional Confucian scholars, but he was particularly resistant to them because of necessity.

Because he was well aware of the profound influence of Confucian culture on this nation, and he was also well aware that it would be difficult for him to find a more mature school of thought or theory to replace Confucianism.

Moreover, some theories of the Confucian school were also quite favorable to imperial power, so they should be used when necessary.

This was Zhu Yunying's consistent approach: the imperial examination system continued, and scholars were given important positions. However, it was impossible for Confucian scholars to gain absolute power in the court or to exert a stronger influence on the emperor.

Even an emperor needs to be magnanimous at times; as long as someone can contribute to the court, that's enough. This is the most important quality, and when necessary, one can disregard a hero's origins.

Zhu Yunying's standards were actually very flexible, and perhaps it wasn't just him who was like that; many emperors were actually like that as well.

Remembering something, Zhu Yunying instructed, "Have the Imperial Son-in-Law and Song Zhong wait."

These matters naturally didn't require Wang Chengen to personally deliver the decree; others could handle them. It was perfectly normal for the emperor to summon his ministers, and no one found it strange; the only slightly sensitive issue was the identities of these two individuals.

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