My second son is a bit simple-minded; I guess all his thoughts are on eating and drinking. To be honest, this silly boy Zhu Wenjin really does care about food; he's not just greedy, but also very picky about it.

Looking at Zhu Wenjin, Zhu Yunying asked, "Have you been training with your elder brother these days?"

Zhu Wenjin said with a wronged expression, "Your Majesty, I am busy with my studies and dare not slack off for even a day."

Not only would Zhu Yunying not believe this, but even Zhu Ruyi wouldn't be easily fooled. After all, everyone knows what kind of person Zhu Wenjin is. It would be strange if this kid were busy with his studies; even Zhu Wenjin himself probably doesn't believe what he's saying.

Zhu Yunying had a headache, so she said irritably, "Is that really so? I heard that you and Wengeng get sleepy as soon as you get to school, and you two are always sound asleep. After you've had your fill of sleep, you're either whispering to each other or daydreaming!"

This isn't actually Zhu Yunying belittling his second son and nephew. The main issue is that the two academic failures of the Dabentang (a high-ranking official's office) are Zhu Yunying's second son and nephew, who are widely regarded as black sheep and rotten apples.

However, even the Confucian scholars who taught the princes, members of the imperial family, and nobles couldn't do anything about it; these two troublemakers were simply too dangerous to offend. If they were ordinary sons of nobles, they could maintain a serious demeanor, but these two were a prince and about to be appointed as the heir apparent to a princely title, so no one dared to offend them.

The main reason was the Emperor's favor. Even though the second prince seemed to be out of favor because of his mischievousness, he was still a prince. As for Zhu Wengeng, there was no need to say more; that kid was a carbon copy of his father, a typical spoiled heir of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family.

Zhu Yunying also had a headache, and said, "You've been studying for so long, let alone mastering the Four Books and Five Classics. We'd be satisfied if you could even read them once. As for you, don't even mention comparing yourself to your elder sister; even your elder brother is better than you!"

Zhu Ruyi proudly said, "Father, we are the only female students, and even my elder brother praises us for our excellent studies!"

Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, not hesitating to praise, "That makes sense. Our Ruyi is good at studying, better than your elder and younger brothers. If she studied for two more years, she could surpass us and be as knowledgeable and reasonable as your mother!"

It's probably due to their family's scholarly tradition. Lian Qiongqiong herself loved reading, so her daughter was naturally influenced by her. Of course, Zhu Yunying was certainly partly to blame as well.

When Empress Ma was alive, her daughters, whom she personally taught, were all quite good at needlework, and she often guided the princesses in needlework. However, after Empress Ma passed away, some princesses' needlework skills were neglected, and no one cared if they didn't learn needlework.

As for Xu Miaoqing, she actually couldn't manage those aunts very well. In addition, due to Zhu Yunying's doting, her two younger sisters were also difficult to manage. Furthermore, because of the relationship between the eldest Zhu and Lady Lü, Xu Miaoqing only showed superficial concern and inquiries about the eldest Zhu's other two daughters, and didn't really take good care of them.

Palace intrigue and the like don't exist in Zhu Yunying's world, but everyone has their own selfish motives, and Zhu Yunying didn't actually have too many objections.

Just like Zhu Yunying had four younger brothers and four younger sisters, he was in charge of his own brothers and sisters. Only after the death of the first Zhu did he take care of the two younger sisters born to the first Zhu's two lower-ranking concubines, and Xu Miaoqing was mainly responsible for taking care of them, mainly in terms of their clothing, food, housing and transportation.

As for the three Zhu Yunwen brothers, Lady Lü could take care of them. Zhu Yunying was actually too lazy to ask too many questions, since they all had their own mothers to discipline them. As the eldest brother, Zhu Yunying only needed to pay attention to some important matters.

Holding Zhu Ruyi, Zhu Yunying looked at Zhu Wenjin and said, "You still need to study. We don't expect you to be a scholar, but you still need to read thoroughly. A prince of the Ming Dynasty can't be illiterate and just know how to fool around, can he?"

Zhu Wenjin kept his head down. He felt sleepy whenever he saw a book, and since his mother, Consort Wang, didn't require him to study, he had even less interest in reading.

It's better to focus on food or just play around in the palace. In fact, as long as his father doesn't discipline him, Zhu Wenjin is quite happy and his life is very comfortable.

Zhu Yunying did treat his children differently in some ways. This was especially true in matters of education.

Zhu Ruyi loved reading the Four Books and Five Classics, and Zhu Yunying never stopped him. Because of Zhu Ruyi's interest, Zhu Yunying found many famous works for him and arranged for many talented scholars to tutor him.

If Zhu Ruyi were a talented woman skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Zhu Yunying would naturally be very happy. He didn't see anything wrong with Zhu Ruyi's upbringing; he was pleased to see it happen.

However, this was not the case for young Zhu. While young Zhu also needed to know Confucian classics and some knowledge of other schools of thought—whether it was Taoism or other schools of thought—he was required to have some understanding of them. But Zhu Yunying never allowed young Zhu to delve into any of them.

Just so you know. The Ming Dynasty didn't need a Confucian emperor or a ruler with exceptional artistic talent.

What Little Zhu should be learning is the skill of helping the people and bringing peace to the country, and the knowledge that Old Zhu and Little Zhu taught according to their individual aptitudes.

Even if it seems to be a bit of a "one-sided opinion", who can blame him when he is the Crown Prince? So what he learns is definitely different from what ordinary princes learn. It's just because he is the Crown Prince, it's that simple.

Looking at Zhu Wenjin, Zhu Yunying said seriously, "Don't fool around. Go to the training ground more often these days. First, let your imperial brother show you military matters, and then we'll have someone teach you etiquette. Since you are a prince of our Great Ming, you should do something. Born into the imperial family, you can't just enjoy wealth and honor."

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