Zhu Yuanzhang never regretted his treatment of Hu Weiyong, and considered it one of his most successful methods. This was because Zhu Yuanzhang needed to centralize imperial power and abolish the position of prime minister.

However, when it comes to Li Shanchang, Old Zhu sometimes felt it was a bit of a stretch, as Li Shanchang was implicated.

Now that I'm older, I sometimes reminisce about the past, and sometimes I reflect on certain things.

Emperor Zhu would definitely not exonerate Li Shanchang, because he personally handled those matters. Moreover, exonerating Li Shanchang would be tantamount to Emperor Zhu admitting his own wrongdoing. Most importantly, it would still have a certain impact on imperial power.

There's no reason for him to admit his mistakes, especially since Li Shanchang only died of illness, not beheaded. Old Zhu has already given Li Shanchang some face, so there's even less reason for him to admit his mistakes.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang also felt that he was getting old and needed to consider giving his eldest daughter a proper living. To be honest, Princess Lin'an, Zhu Jingjing, was once one of Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite daughters.

The atmosphere at the family banquet seemed quite pleasant, at least Zhu Yunying thought so. Xu Huizu's family also appeared to be gradually relaxing. The happiest person, naturally, was Xu Miaoqing. Once inside the palace, it was difficult to see close relatives, let alone dine together.

After the family banquet, Xiao Zhu did not plan to return to the Qianqing Palace. Instead, he planned to stay in the Chunhe Palace to keep his mother company and play with his younger brother.

Zhu Yunying was naturally not worried about having nowhere to go. It was fine for little Zhu not to go to the Qing Palace; Zhu Yunying planned to take a stroll there. It had been two days since he had seen his father, Zhu. Moreover, this was for important business.

"Yin'er didn't come?" Old Zhu opened his eyes and looked behind Zhu Yunying. "Could it be that you've kept him here again, not allowing him to come?"

Zhu Yunying said smugly, "Why are you still spoiling him? He's thinking of leaving him with his mother, how could he remember that he has a great-grandfather? It's only because we're filial that we came to visit."

Old Zhu was not happy and criticized, "You are not as filial as him. He is very good to us. You usually come over for a short visit, have a meal and then leave. We are so old that it is difficult for us to even see our grandson."

He couldn't see his other grandchildren, and frankly, of all his grandchildren, Old Zhu had never even met them, and might not even remember their names. But this precious eldest grandson was someone Old Zhu could never get enough of looking at.

He was being scolded, but Zhu Yunying didn't care. "If you have something to say, just tell us. Let Yin'er tell us what it is!"

Ignoring Zhu Yunying's complaints, Old Zhu said, "We're so old, we still have some pride. Li Shanchang has passed away, so we're too lazy to say anything more. We've done right by him, promising to spare his life twice in our younger days."

Zhu Yunying was at a loss for words, because the imperial edict was truly useless before the Hongwu Emperor. The old Zhu held all the power of interpretation; the so-called iron certificate of immunity from death was sometimes nothing more than a death warrant for the Hongwu Emperor.

Many nobles who held imperial edicts of merit were killed, and none were spared death. So, Li Shanchang was actually quite lucky; even though he was dismissed from office, he at least survived.

Of course, this was also thanks to Zhu Yunying, and Zhu Yunying doesn't need to be modest. If it weren't for his strong protection, Li Shanchang would definitely have been executed along with his entire clan, and his fate would have been extremely tragic.

Zhu Yunying sat down, looked at the teapot, and said, "Give us a pot of Longjing tea; we're used to drinking it."

Old Zhu glared at Zhu Yunying and said disdainfully, "You didn't care about food and drink before, but now you're getting more and more picky. Do you only like Longjing tea, or do you think we're dirty because we're old?"

“You really like Longjing tea, but the tea you’re drinking is too strong,” Zhu Yunying explained irritably. “Luckily, Yin’er is like us and can’t stand strong tea. Speaking of which, we should give him less tea in the future.”

Old Zhu looked at Wang Chengen and said, "Let's keep some Xianglin tea in the cabinet and give it to the emperor."

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Longjing tea already had a certain scale and reputation. The "Xianglin Tea" from Xianglin Cave in Lingyin Lower Tianzhu, the "Baiyun Tea" from Baiyun Peak in Upper Tianzhu, and the "Baoyun Tea" from Baoyun Mountain in Geling were listed as tribute items.

As for the so-called "Eighteen Imperial Tea Trees," that dates back to the Qianlong era, which elevated Longjing tea to a supreme status. Longjing tea's rise to become the premier Chinese tea only occurred after the Republic of China era.

Zhu Yunying leisurely sipped his tea and said, "It was really our Imperial Grandfather who set a good example by drinking tea. We couldn't stomach the tea that people drank before."

Old Zhu became proud, though he didn't really understand it, because sometimes his beloved grandson was just like him. Old Zhu thought everything his grandson did was good, and Zhu Yunying also felt that many of Old Zhu's actions were groundbreaking.

The tea-drinking culture has a long history, and the tea-drinking methods passed down to later generations were really carried forward by Old Zhu.

From tea cakes used for boiling in the Tang Dynasty to tea dust used for whisking in the Song Dynasty, the use of tea leaves for brewing is largely attributed to Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who issued an edict to abolish compressed tea and replace it with bud tea. After all, compressed tea was the primary form of tea in the past, unlike the loose-leaf tea used in later generations.

“We plan to have Yin’er attend court tomorrow and have him recommend my uncle,” Zhu Yunying said to Old Zhu while sipping his tea. “We’ll just agree to it then, and we’ll elevate my uncle’s status to save face for my two cousins.”

Old Zhu said approvingly, "I knew it all along, only you understand our feelings."

That's exactly the case. Although Old Zhu didn't like his eldest son-in-law, he wouldn't dislike his two grandsons even if he wasn't close to them. These two grandsons certainly wouldn't have a chance to inherit the title of Duke.

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