What could Zhu Yunwen say? Naturally, he dared not say much. Even though he knew the Crown Prince was just being polite, he dared not refute him. Of course, Zhu Yunwen was also a little jealous. "Family" probably didn't refer to him, but rather to his third son, who had always been playful and mischievous since childhood. This third son, the most useless and dissolute, was pampered and indulged by everyone.

Little Zhu walked ahead and said, "When Second Uncle first entered the palace, Great-Grandfather already knew, so he told us to wait here. We saw that it had been about half an hour, so we hurried out to greet Second Uncle."

Zhu Yunwen's expression was a little strange, and he asked in a low voice, "Crown Prince, you must not be falsely conveying the imperial edict!"

When Zhu Yunwen's expression changed drastically, Little Zhu immediately said, "We don't have that kind of courage. It was naturally authorized by Great-Grandfather. We were just doing the job. We know Father Emperor wouldn't be happy. Great-Grandfather was a little worried at first, but now it seems there's nothing to worry about."

It's true that everything is fine now. While it's not a case of a lenient approach, it's certain that Zhu Yunwen doesn't need to worry about his life or his title. At most, there will be some minor punishment as a warning, and the matter will essentially be forgotten.

For Zhu Yunwen, this was naturally the best possible outcome. For ordinary members of the imperial family, escaping so easily in such a situation would be extremely difficult; it was clear that his elder brother had shown leniency.

However, it's also clear that the Emperor seems to be willing to give them a break.

Compared to Zhu Yunwen, who was somewhat absent-minded, Zhu Yunwen was quite natural. "Your Highness, I have heard that the army will return in triumph in a few days, and I am reporting all the news to you now."

"It just sounds nice, but those matters were all approved by Father and Great-Grandfather." Little Zhu said with a worried look and a sigh, "We can't handle those matters. We don't understand the intricacies of the memorials, and Father and Great-Grandfather have to review them. Third Uncle, when Father was this age, could he draft memorials?"

Zhu Yunwen smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm four years younger than my elder brother. Back then, I was probably busy playing with dogs and finding food all day. How would I know about those things? It shouldn't be that bad, right? My elder brother used to only read memorials. When Grandfather and Father Emperor discussed politics, my elder brother could listen in. It seemed like that was all."

Little Zhu seemed relieved and said, "That's good. Everyone says Father is precocious, but we figured he wouldn't be able to approve memorials when he was only ten or so."

Yes, your father didn't review memorials when he was that age, but he already had military power and was starting to build up his navy. That's something an ordinary grandson of the emperor could do! That's a power an ordinary grandson of the emperor dared to even dream of! Even many crown princes didn't have such treatment!

Little Zhu moved nimbly; he was just a messenger, there to keep an eye on things. These tasks were no challenge for him, and Little Non-stick Pan was well aware that he could slip away immediately if necessary, bearing no responsibility whatsoever.

Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, Little Zhu immediately walked towards Old Zhu, saying, "Great-grandfather, Second Uncle and Third Uncle have arrived."

Old Zhu, who was lying in the armchair, slightly opened his eyes and said, "Let them kneel."

Zhu Yunwen naturally had no other thoughts; he knew that given the mistake he had made, it would be strange if he didn't kneel. As for Zhu Yunxuan, he felt wronged. He could have just greeted the elder brother and gotten up, but now he was being dragged into kneeling because of his second brother.

After Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yuntong knelt down, the old Zhu squinted his eyes and said, "Bring the Crown Prince all the reports on the bestowal of titles and rewards. The Crown Prince can review them and then tell us. Bestowing titles and rewards is no small matter. In principle, it should be based on merit, and it is fairest to reward according to the size of the merit. However, we are the royal family. In the court, we cannot only talk about fairness, but also have to consider the structure of the court."

Shuangquan immediately brought out some memorials, all submitted by Li Jinglong, Chang Mao, and others. These were draft opinions on the rewards and honors for the soldiers who had contributed to the campaign against Goryeo.

Even though they were dukes, they could still assess some soldiers. However, the final rewards still required the emperor's approval.

In the vast Qianqing Palace, only the occasional sound of Zhu Yunwen turning the pages of memorials could be heard. As for Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunwen, they could only kneel.

Zhu Yunwen felt his knees were numb and painful, and his body was swaying slightly. Zhu Yunwen was even worse off; he had just been kneeling in the Wuying Hall for a long time, and only after walking a short distance with the Crown Prince had he been able to rest a little, but now he was kneeling again.

I feel like my legs aren't even mine anymore; they've completely lost all feeling. My body is swaying unsteadily; I'm just barely holding on, relying solely on my willpower.

Old Zhu slowly opened his eyes, glanced indifferently at Zhu Yunwen, and asked, "Do you know your crime?"

Zhu Yunwen immediately knelt down, his voice trembling, "This subject knows his crime."

Old Zhu gave a slight snort and said, "It's good that you know your crime, get out of here!"

What could Zhu Yunwen say at this point? He quickly expressed his gratitude and then staggered away from the Qianqing Palace as if he had been granted a pardon.

Zhu Yunwen also wanted to leave; the atmosphere in the Qianqing Palace was too oppressive, and he was getting nervous. Honestly, Zhu Yunwen had never felt much affection for his grandfather, the Emperor; he only felt fear.

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Even if they wanted to slip out, there was no chance; they had to remain in the Qianqing Palace. The good news, however, was that they no longer had to kneel; they could stand to the side.

Little Zhu put down the memorial and asked in confusion, "Great-grandfather, did you just let Second Uncle go like that? You didn't even reprimand him or ask Father how he would be dealt with?"

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