With food prepared by his two daughters, Old Zhu clearly had a hearty appetite. In fact, his appetite had been decreasing lately, and often he couldn't eat much at all.

The same applies now. Even if the food is to his liking, and he's in a good mood, he can indeed eat more. But this is only relative; it doesn't mean that Old Zhu can eat several pancakes in one go like he did when he was young and strong.

Old Zhu looked at Little Zhu and said happily, "He's definitely one of our Zhu family members, he just loves a piece of bread."

Princess Anqing joked, "Father, the one in front of us is still from the Zhu family. Everyone says that Mother is frugal, and in the early years she even led us to do needlework together. Outsiders also say that Ying'er doesn't like extravagance, but he's been picky about food since he was little."

Zhu Yunying had no intention of accepting this assessment. "Auntie, that's unfair to us. We've always eaten whatever was available since we were little, and we've never punished anyone for whether the food suited their taste. It's just that you're all overthinking things, always worrying about what we like to eat!"

“If that’s really the case, then that’s your business,” Princess Ningguo said. “When you were little, we were still in the palace. You were the eldest grandson of the emperor, the apple of your father’s and mother’s eye. If you took an extra piece of food, who wouldn’t keep an eye on you when you ate any of the dishes? Even your mother wanted to cook you some good food and fatten you up.”

Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh and said, "Aunt, go and see our third son. He's probably quite chubby. Have someone bring him over in a bit. That boy looks like us. To be honest, we don't really look like Father Emperor and Grandfather Emperor, but Yin'er does look more like them."

Princess Anqing said, "Your father and mother like you so much, but they say you're not good-looking, and you look a bit like your sister-in-law. Especially your chin, it's as pointed as hers. To be honest, your face is definitely from the Zhu family, with thick eyebrows and big eyes."

Little Zhu was delighted and stroked his chin, saying, "Great-aunt, we all have wide chins! Everyone in our family is like that, one looks like the father and the other like the mother. Our second uncle looks like our great-grandfather, and that's what everyone says too!"

"You think this is a good thing?!" Zhu Yunying glared angrily and said, "When we go out with your second uncle, how many people who don't know us can tell that we are brothers? Just wait and see, when your younger brother grows up, no one will be able to tell that he is your brother!"

Xu Miaoqing jokingly added, "That makes sense. Wenkun and Yin'er look quite different; it would be hard for anyone to believe they're brothers."

The family chatted and laughed happily, not talking about anything related to the court, but just about everyday family matters.

Especially when Zhu Wenkun was brought over, this little rascal clung to Xiao Xiao Zhu for some reason, making Xiao Xiao Zhu anxious and somewhat helpless.

Old Zhu looked on happily and said, "So what if they don't look alike? It's still blood ties, these things are a gift from God. If you ask me, these two brothers have been fighting since they were little, but they'll have someone to rely on when they grow up."

Princess Ningguo smiled and said, "It's all thanks to the good teaching of Father and Mother. My elder brother has the demeanor of an elder brother, and Ying'er also has the mannerisms of an elder brother. With my elder brother and Ying'er setting such good examples, the Crown Prince will follow suit. Our Zhu family can be friendly and respectful to his brothers."

Old Zhu laughed heartily; this was indeed something he was proud of.

Although there were indeed some sibling rivalries within the Zhu family, overall, the family was characterized by brotherly love and respect. This was partly due to the elder brothers acting as such, but more importantly, it stemmed from certain things that everyone knew from the beginning.

For example, the system of primogeniture has immediately dampened the desire of many people to strive for something. Everyone knows that some things are predetermined from birth, things that cannot be obtained even if one wants to.

One's birth can determine many things, and the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty were well aware of this principle.

Looking at his two daughters and grandchildren, Old Zhu said, "Ying'er is good. Ying'er has had the demeanor of an elder brother since she was a child, and she also has the bearing of an imperial grandson and an emperor. Let's not talk about the affairs of the court for now. He is a good emperor, and everyone can see that. As for how Ying'er treats the imperial family, she has always done a good job, and that makes us happiest."

Zhu Yunying joked, "Some of the imperial uncles are resentful of us. Although it was the Emperor who reduced the power of the princes, everyone knows that if it weren't for our help behind the scenes, the Emperor would never have reduced the power of the princes and summoned them back to the two capitals."

Old Zhu glanced at Zhu Yunying and said calmly, "We weren't happy about it at first either, but now that things are done, that's how it is. They may have some complaints, but they can only complain in private. Being born into the Zhu family brings wealth and honor, so don't be too greedy. Our Zhu family still needs to think about the country and its people!"

Although Old Zhu was indeed very good to his children, he also understood that things could not always go as planned.

Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang was the emperor. Sometimes, whether out of personal motives or for the sake of the country, he would show some favoritism. It was simply impossible for him to treat everyone equally.

"Aunt, we promised you years ago that our cousins ​​would also be given opportunities to gain experience, and that we would give them positions such as Commander-in-Chief and Assistant Commander-in-Chief," Zhu Yunying said with a smile. "Now that you are all grandmothers, we have no intention of taking back what we said. Children and grandchildren have their own destinies, and we will give them opportunities to gain experience. Whether they can become successful depends on their own fate."

Princess Ningguo smiled and said, "We know what we're doing. Our descendants are all from respectable backgrounds and hold high positions of power. If they are mediocre, we don't expect His Majesty to give them important positions. If they have some ability to assist His Majesty, that would be even better."

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