Zhu Yunying could actually guess some of Zhu's thoughts, so it wasn't surprising.

Looking at the somewhat frail and elderly Zhu, Zhu Yunying felt both heartache and understanding. Old Zhu, who cared so much about his family, now only had his grandchildren and great-grandchildren by his side; this was incredibly painful for him.

Having lost his mother in childhood, his spouse in middle age, and his son in old age, Zhu Yuanzhang experienced some of the greatest tragedies of his life. But as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he had no choice but to endure it. He couldn't let go of the empire, nor his eldest grandson; no matter how unbearable the pain, he had to persevere.

Now that I'm in my seventies, there's no need for me to keep going.

Not only because Zhu Yunying has now secured the throne, but also because he has proven that he can manage the Ming Dynasty well.

These were undoubtedly comforting things for Lao Zhu; his initial worries could now be put aside. Now, he could say he had few attachments, so there was no need for him to force himself to stay strong.

And to be honest, although I've experienced a lot of pain, I've had my 'only family member' by my side all these years, a grandson I've always been close to and loved. In recent years, I've also enjoyed the pleasure of being with my grandchildren and seeing them grow up healthy, which is a comfort to me.

Although Old Zhu's life may not have been the most fulfilling, at least his old age wasn't all tragedy.

Zhu Yunying knelt at the front, followed by Little Zhu and Xu Miaoqing. Zhu Su and the others were naturally positioned further back. Often, one cannot judge solely by seniority; the relationship between ruler and subject must also be considered.

"Alright, let's walk around here with Ying'er." Old Zhu sighed and said to Xu Miaoqing and the others, "You all stay here and chant sutras to pray for your imperial grandmother."

Zhu Yunying thought for a moment and said, "How about we take Yin'er with us?"

Old Zhu shook his head. "Don't make a fuss. Just let him stay here."

Although Little Zhu was watching longingly, after hearing Old Zhu's words, he obediently stayed and did not intend to cause any trouble.

Many people know that when Zhu Yuanzhang visited Xiaoling Mausoleum, he wouldn't have just gone to see Empress Ma. He would definitely have gone to see his eldest son as well. Everyone knows that in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, his eldest son was unique and irreplaceable.

Even Zhu Yunying, in fact, did not hold as much weight in Old Zhu's heart as the First Zhu, a fact that Zhu Yunying was well aware of.

Supporting Zhu Yunying, Zhu Yunying walked silently with him toward the mausoleum of the eldest Zhu. In fact, the mausoleum of the eldest Zhu, Xiaoling, is less than 100 meters east of the eastern wall of the palace, which shows that Zhu Yunying valued and loved his eldest son, and that he was reluctant to be too far away from his beloved son, both in life and after death.

Moreover, although Da Zhu's mausoleum does not have separate spirit path stone carvings and imperial bridge, it shares a main spirit path with Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Although the tomb of the Crown Prince could only be built to the specifications of the Crown Prince's tomb when the First Emperor passed away, the layout of the Eastern Mausoleum is similar to that of the Xiaoling Mausoleum. The First Emperor gave the First Emperor everything he thought he could give without reservation.

Looking at Da Zhu's tomb, tears welled up in Old Zhu's eyes. "Biao'er, how could you be so heartless!"

After respectfully kowtowing, Zhu Yunying said to his father, "When Grandfather sees Father, we'll deal with him properly. He's just a bit heartless, leaving only the two of us to live on."

Old Zhu continued gazing at Da Zhu's tomb, his voice choked with emotion, "After we're gone, you'll be all alone."

“We still have Yin’er, and the Empress.” Zhu Yunying smiled and said to his grandfather, “My grandson is already so grown up, almost thirty years old. Grandfather, don’t worry about us, we can handle things well.”

Old Zhu held Zhu Yunying's hand and said, "We've only ever loved you, our eldest grandson, all our lives. We've always indulged you and given in to you. We'll give you whatever you want! This time, we won't worry about you anymore. We're just thinking of falling asleep and never waking up. We'll see your grandmother and your father every night."

Zhu Yunying smiled and then said, "Grandfather, please don't say that, as if you're leaving tonight. That won't do. We need to hold on for at least a few more days, lest people outside say that we insisted on sending you to Xiaoling and something happened."

"You disrespectful brat, you were like this when you were a kid, and you're still the same now!" Old Zhu gently patted Zhu Yunying on the back of the head and said, "I know my own body, I'm afraid I won't make it through."

“Then don’t stay up all night, just do whatever makes things easy,” Zhu Yunying said directly. “If you say that, it sounds like I’m being particularly unfilial, as if I’m just thinking about sending my grandfather away as soon as possible.”

Old Zhu laughed heartily, looking at Zhu Yunying with affection, and said, "If there's anyone in this world who still cares about us, it's you. Even if we were to leave now, we could still smile. We're not afraid of death, we've never been afraid of death. Many times I've thought, 'I wish it were me who died.'"

Zhu Yunying stared blankly at the tomb of the Great Zhu, and said, "We really can't do that. There are only two of us in our family who are the hardest-hearted. We'll take responsibility for those things and not let them suffer."

Upon hearing Zhu Yunying's words, Old Zhu paused slightly. There was no need to say anything more; he understood in his heart.

In the Zhu family, Zhu Chongba and his grandson Zhu Xiong Ying are the most hard-hearted. They bear the bad things themselves, as long as their family members are doing well.

Patting Zhu Yunying's hand, Old Zhu said, "When you go there in the future, remember to tell Yin'er to take care of things properly. When you were alive, you had to avoid using your name as emperor, but when you go there, you have to change your name back, otherwise your grandmother and your mother might not remember."

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