Furthermore, the fact that the Prince of Wu was favored was common knowledge, making it a truly opportune moment to curry favor with him. Of course, relying on his elder brother, who was a poet and was now emperor, Zhu Yunwen was also quite adept at deception and swindling, boasting about it countless times.

If you want to see the emperor's masterpiece, you can only go to the Prince of Wu's residence. But once you go to the Prince of Wu's residence, the quality of the music might change.

Zhu Song looked at his father and said ingratiatingly, "Father, I know that Your Majesty is very talented in poetry."

Old Zhu was somewhat proud and not humble at all. "The emperor is a poet. You've read a few books and people outside say you have some talent, but what does that amount to?! If the emperor weren't burdened with the fate of the country, he would definitely be a renowned scholar, and passing the imperial examinations would be a piece of cake."

To be honest, Zhu Yunying was in an awkward position. He had only "composed" two poems, one of which was Nalan Xingde's "Magnolia Flower: A Farewell Poem in the Ancient Style to a Friend." Although Zhu Yunying didn't admit it, everyone knew that the heroic Zhu could only be the current emperor.

Many people say that His Majesty was moved during the Lantern Festival and used the stories of Ban Jieyu's abandonment and the tragic love story of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Yang Guifei to compose a poem with a poignant tone, fluent language, and rich philosophical thought.

Some say that what appears to be a love letter is actually a letter to an "old friend." It is because His Majesty has no one by his side since ascending the throne, and the various changes in the lives of some former officials have made His Majesty somewhat sad and disappointed.

Another poem, originally Gong Zizhen's "Miscellaneous Poems of the Year Ji Hai, No. 5," has been interpreted countless times. This one, however, was written by Your Majesty in your early years, revealing your deep concern for the world even in your youth. It was also during that time that Your Majesty's talent for composing poems on the spot was discovered.

Old Zhu seemed somewhat expectant, looking at Zhu Yunying and saying, "We know you don't want the world to think that being able to compose poems is enough to be a good official, but we also think that as long as you're not obsessed with this, you'll be fine. If you have the ability, you don't need to hide it. The poems I wrote in my early years weren't as good as yours. If we were to see your grandmother, we should tell her that she was the one who taught you to read and write."

Zhu Yunying thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, it's only because my grandfather said so that I wrote the poem. When I see my grandmother, I hope my grandfather will remember to say a few good words for her. In the past, I could still dream of my grandmother, but these past two years, I'm afraid she doesn't think about her grandson anymore."

Old Zhu said, "We'll remember, we'll talk to her about it later."

At this point, Zhu Song and the others dared not say anything. There were some topics that even they, as princes, could not discuss.

Zhu Yunying lacked this awareness and said, "Years ago, we had a grand ambition: to build thousands of mansions to shelter all the poor and make them happy. Now that the weather is getting colder, we have been working on coal stoves and planting a lot of cotton all these years, hoping to make some people a little warmer in the winter."

Old Zhu immediately became proud and said, "We know! Back then, you weren't even as old as the Crown Prince, yet you were already thinking about the people of the world. Now, when we see those coal makers and coal stoves in Yingtian Prefecture, we tell the Crown Prince that you were the one who invented them."

Little Zhu also became proud. The coal stove and those other things were made by his father, the emperor, and Little Zhu had mentioned these things a long time ago. Not only his great-grandfather had told him, but his uncles, aunts, and even his mother had all told him. They all knew that his father was only five or six years old when he made these things.

So when he saw ordinary people using coal stoves to boil water and cook, little Zhu felt proud. He was also very proud to see people going from street to street shaking coal balls and government offices selling coal, all of which were thanks to his father, the emperor.

The brothers Zhu Pian and Zhu Song exchanged a glance. They had heard about these things before, and there was no need to hide them; it would only benefit the current emperor's reputation. The current emperor had always loved his people like his own children, even in his childhood.

Of course, in some of the stories, it is Empress Xiaoci who was lamenting the hardships of the people and educating and guiding the eldest grandson of the emperor. It was also out of gratitude to his grandmother that the eldest grandson devoted himself to perfecting the coal stove and coal briquettes in order to fulfill her last wish.

These things are still very necessary, and the image of the current emperor has been established through these kinds of things.

His precociousness is actually a minor matter, because the current emperor, even at a young age, had the world in his heart and loved his people like his own children. It is also thanks to the benevolence of Empress Xiaoci, whose teachings made His Majesty care even more for the people. Of course, this also established the current emperor's image as a paragon of filial piety.

These were no small matters; a good image and reputation were extremely important to the emperor. Especially since the dynasty had only recently been founded, the Ming Dynasty needed to win over the hearts and minds of the people, and some things couldn't be accomplished simply by wielding a sword.

Little Zhu was very perceptive; he had always wanted to see his father compose a poem.

He hurriedly directed Wang Chengen and Shuangquan to prepare the writing materials, as such an opportunity was extremely rare. It would be difficult to persuade his father to compose a poem again; only his great-grandfather had managed to get his father to agree.

Seeing little Zhu holding the calligraphy brush so seriously, Zhu Yunying said to old Zhu, "This child doesn't even intend to hide his little thoughts."

Old Zhu was also amused. The poem circulating outside was actually written by Zhu Ruyi. So the Crown Prince was not happy about it, and this time he wanted Zhu Ruyi to write the poem for him.

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Alright, then we'll take this poem with us to Xiaoling Mausoleum. Your grandmother will definitely be pleased; she'll be very happy with the poem you wrote and the calligraphy your son wrote."

Zhu Yunying nodded and said, "That's true. Grandmother may not necessarily like gold, silver, jewelry, poetry, or calligraphy. She would be happiest if she saw her children and grandchildren doing well."

Old Zhu nodded with a smile. He knew his wife; she wasn't someone who cared much about luxury. She was happy as long as her children and grandchildren were successful. She also always cared a lot about their education. So, don't talk about the second and third sons having some bad habits; which of their children, personally raised by their mother, didn't have some real talent?

Having successful and capable descendants is far more important than gold and silver jewelry; these skills are something no one can take away from you. You can spend all the gold and silver jewelry you have, but with real skills, you have nothing to worry about.

Zhu Yunying looked at little Zhu and said, "Write well, you need to take this calligraphy to your great-grandmother to see later."

Little Zhu nodded vigorously; he naturally knew these things.

Zhu Yunying slowly began to speak, saying, "The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away the heroes of the past. Right and wrong, success and failure, all vanish in the blink of an eye. The green hills remain, witnessing countless sunsets."

While the others were stunned, Zhu Yunying continued, "White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the riverbank are used to watching the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of turbid wine brings joy to our meeting. So many things, past and present, are all just tales told with laughter."

Old Zhu paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Alright, we'll take this to your Empress Dowager, she'll definitely be happy!"

Zhu Song was also somewhat moved; the emperor's poetic talent was probably the greatest in the world. This poem, which used the rise and fall of history to express his feelings about life, was both bold and subtle, soaring and profound.

Most importantly, it was the perfect place for my father, right in Yingtian Prefecture, on the Yangtze River, where he laid the foundation for his dynasty. The rise and fall of dynasties and the life of a hundred years are all described in one go.

Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "This word should have been most suitable for my grandfather. I'll just shamelessly use it."

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunying with pride and said, "Our grandson is amazing; he can be both an emperor and a talented scholar!"

My grandson is always so outstanding; he can do anything perfectly if he wants to!