Families with military merit naturally have their own way of surviving and their own fundamental principles for establishing themselves.

Many people say that those military officers came from wealthy families, were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and lived a life of luxury. Many also believe that many military officers lacked manners and were mostly spoiled brats, and that some aloof scholars actually looked down on them.

However, these people may not be unaware that the children of these military families are able to enjoy wealth and honor because their fathers and grandfathers risked their lives to fight and win.

Moreover, while many of these military descendants were indeed spoiled brats, there were also many pillars of the court, and many military officers truly took on the responsibilities of the Five Military Commissions of the Ming Dynasty and controlled the military power of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, once war breaks out, it is basically these seemingly wealthy and privileged military sons who will have to take up arms and fight.

If one wins, one will naturally be ennobled, appointed as a general, and enjoy wealth and honor. However, if one suffers heavy losses and dies on the battlefield, receiving posthumous honors is actually a good thing. It is also quite normal to be stripped of one's title after death or to be punished while alive.

This is no joke; this is the way of life for military families, and this is their significance in the imperial court. Military families may indeed be enviable because of their fathers' and grandfathers' achievements, but they are not all just indulging in pleasure or simply parasites of the court.

As the second son of Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan, Xu Yingxu initially used himself as bait to lure the Tatar vanguard army. His relentless fighting gave the army the opportunity to encircle and annihilate the enemy, but he also lost one hand in the process, making it difficult for him to return to the battlefield now.

Chang Mao and Chang Sen were Chang Yuchun's second and third sons, but many also know them as Zhu Yunying's second and third maternal uncles. Even so, they went to Goryeo to build the Busan Three Guards to defend against Goryeo incursions.

Even if they come from wealthy families, their starting point is indeed very high, and they can certainly obtain more resources and opportunities. However, many people also know that military families do have to risk their lives; they are not complete parasites.

Most importantly, those with military merit should know the foundation of their status and should also be aware of certain taboos that cannot be violated.

Liao Yong of the Deqing Marquis's household was getting too close to the civil officials; it would be a miracle if the emperor were pleased. They didn't even seem to care, and some were even quite smug, openly proclaiming themselves disciples of the great Confucian scholar Fang Xiaoru—that was problematic.

Everyone knows that the emperor wasn't particularly close to Confucian scholars, and everyone knows that scholars harbored some resentment towards him. But the Liao brothers were different; they didn't shy away from their opinions at all, which was simply adding to the emperor's troubles.

These two have indeed severed themselves from the families of military merit, forgotten their stance, and forgotten what they were supposed to do.

Xu Huizu did indeed feel that there were some problems with the family education of the Marquis of Deqing's family, and that Liao Yong and the others were indeed unreasonable.

However, it could only be touched upon briefly, since although the Xu and Liao families had some acquaintance, it wasn't anything deep. Xu Huizu did have some dealings with Liao Yong's father, Liao Quan, but he had relatively little contact with nephews and nieces like Liao Yong.

There's no point in saying more; it would be best if they could listen to advice. But if they want to commit suicide, they can't blame anyone else.

Zhu Yunying didn't care about those things; he only did what he was supposed to do. An emperor naturally has the stance and thoughts of an emperor.

Old Zhu was in a good mood at this moment, and looked at Zhu Yunying and asked, "We're so old, and we're still going to Xiaoling. Tell me, what kind of business is this? If we were to leave there, you wouldn't be able to explain yourself no matter what."

Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh and said, "Now that you mention it, it makes sense. We've already moved on; it was to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, Father Emperor, and Mother Empress. As for Grandfather Emperor, at his age, I reckon some people are saying there are some ominous signs."

Little Zhu, not wanting to be left out, chimed in, "That's right! Great-grandfather was so old, why would he go to the imperial mausoleum? If anyone should go, it should have been carried there after his death, not walked there by himself!"

"Grandpa, your grandson is so filial and knows his limits!" Zhu Yunying said hastily. "When we were younger, we were ignorant and wouldn't have dared to speak recklessly, no matter how bold we were. Look at Yin'er, he just can't keep his mouth shut and dares to say anything!"

Old Zhu hugged Little Zhu and said with a smile, "He's different from you. He's filial and doesn't hide anything from us. You're not like that. You say you're immature, but what don't you understand at your age? If you ask me, you're the one with bad intentions, the one who takes advantage of our love and does whatever you want."

Zhu Yunying smiled and then said, "When Father Emperor was alive, he said that Grandfather had forgotten his son after having a grandson. If you ask me, after having a great-grandson, Grandfather no longer sees us as his precious child."

Old Zhu laughed heartily. Although Zhu Yunying's words were a bit exaggerated, they actually made some sense to Old Zhu.

Zhu Yunying smiled and said to his grandfather, "Grandfather, some court officials have indeed had some objections to this trip to Xiaoling Mausoleum. They all say it's inauspicious, and that it's against etiquette for Grandfather to visit Grandmother."

Old Zhu, with a stern face, clearly shared some of the displeasure. "Hmph, it's them who's been making a fuss all these years. They're probably going to say again that the ruler is the guide for the subject, the father for the son, and the husband for the wife. They're saying that our visit to Xiaoling Mausoleum is against the rules of propriety!"

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That's exactly the case. In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang understood the reasoning. Over the years, he had thought about visiting Xiaoling Mausoleum more often, but even though Zijin Mountain was just outside Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't actually been there much. In short, as soon as he had such an idea, court officials would jump out to stop him.

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