As the weather grew colder, Emperor Zhu Yunying naturally had more and more things to worry about. Ensuring that the people of the Ming Dynasty were well-fed and clothed was something he hoped to see. Although the Ming Dynasty's national strength had been steadily increasing over the years, he knew that there were still people in the world who were starving and cold.

Winter is especially difficult for some people, with limited food sources and insufficient supplies to keep warm. Zhu Yunying was aware of these circumstances and was working hard to change them.

After reading memorials all day, Zhu Yunying composed himself and headed straight for the Qianqing Palace.

This time, those present at the Qianqing Palace were Zhu Pian, the eighteenth son of Zhu Yunying, and Zhu Song, the twentieth son. They were brothers, only one year apart in age. These two uncles were three and four years younger than Zhu Yunying, respectively, but their seniority was significant.

"Imperial Uncle." Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yunying chuckled, "If it were Uncle Eighteen who was punished, we would accept it, but why Uncle Twenty?"

Zhu Song was no ordinary man. He was cautious, intelligent, quick-witted, well-read, and knowledgeable in both ancient and modern times. He was arguably one of the most learned members of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family. Moreover, he was not a bookworm or an old-fashioned scholar; he was also quite witty and interesting.

As for Zhu Pian, although he didn't have any major misdeeds, he probably fits many people's perception of a prince. He's a bit flamboyant and has a few minor flaws. Most importantly, he's never been able to take up his fiefdom, and he's often complained about it privately over the years.

Old Zhu sighed and said, "Speaking of which, he's your uncle. We were busy with state affairs in our younger years and neglected to discipline him. You're reliable in your work, but he's not. He's read a few books and starts talking nonsense to people."

Little Zhu immediately said, "The Twentieth Prince's interpretation of the ancient books was mostly a joke, and someone reported him."

"If you ask me, you're probably just talking nonsense!" Zhu Yunying pulled Zhu Song up and said, "Report? How could you even think of that! I still prefer talking to Uncle Twenty. Uncle Twenty and I are probably the ones who enjoy misinterpreting the classics the most."

Old Zhu seemed to remember something and said, "I think that makes sense. It's just that you like to talk nonsense. You at least have some sense of propriety; you only joke around with close friends and family. But he's different. After drinking a little, he starts spouting nonsense, talking big and trying to show off how great he is!"

"Alright, it's nothing serious." Zhu Yunying laughed and patted Zhu Song on the shoulder, saying, "Grandpa is getting old and doesn't understand humor anymore. But Uncle Twenty, find out which scoundrels are so tight-lipped and can't even tell a joke from a joke. From now on, don't invite those people to any banquets."

Zhu Song said with a bitter face, "Your Majesty, we think it's probably the Prince of Tang. He kept pestering us the other day, and we couldn't bring ourselves to take him with us. We only had a little to drink and said some jokes, and he took them seriously."

Old Zhu immediately became angry, gritting his teeth, "If you hadn't mentioned it, we wouldn't have remembered. How old is your brother? You took him to brothels and pleasure boats? We just don't understand, do you guys like those filthy places so much?"

Zhu Yunying lowered his head, unsure of what to say. In the Ming Dynasty, the most frequent patrons of high-end brothels and pleasure boats were members of the imperial family and nobles. Not to mention, his younger brother was likely a super VIP at many of these establishments.

Liu Yong was talented; he didn't need to spend money to go to those places. Many famous courtesans were willing to support him, just to get a poem from him to make a name for themselves. On the Ming Dynasty side, Prince Wu, while lacking talent, had status. If he deemed someone suitable, they must have the potential to become a courtesan.

Zhu Yunying was speechless. Prince Tang, Zhu Jing, was only fifteen and not yet married. But now, he had no princess, but he had a concubine. What was worse, he liked to go to brothels and pleasure boats, either pestering his elder brother or following his nephew, Zhu Yunwen, to broaden his horizons, completely disregarding their status.

Little Zhu suddenly remembered something and said, "It seems that my second uncle once whipped local officials in Yangzhou a few years ago, and it seems that he also had some connection with the brothels in those places."

Old Zhu said irritably, "You think your second uncle is a good person? He was a little better in the early years. Although he was useless, at least he was decent in his conduct. In the early years, he arbitrarily punished his subordinates in Yangzhou, and we were happy that he could do something for your father. But look at him these days, all he cares about is eating, drinking and having fun."

“Second Uncle was the same. He was bold in his younger days. He even knew to run to Beiping to find our father after he whipped an official.” Little Zhu said in a serious tone, “But he’s not like that now. I remember he had someone write a poem for him a while ago, saying it was his own.”

Zhu Song glanced at Zhu Yunying and whispered, "The Prince of Wu also said that His Majesty bestowed upon him many fine works, which he does not wish to show to others easily. Last time, there was a courtesan who was also quite famous. The Prince of Wu invited her to the Prince of Wu's residence, saying that he wanted to appreciate His Majesty's new masterpieces. So she was kept in the outer residence."

Zhu Yunying opened his mouth, then sighed deeply. It wasn't surprising that his younger brother had done such a thing; after all, he was the one who kept a woman in his outer quarters before even marrying the princess, and had almost fathered an illegitimate child.

Over the years, they haven't forcibly abducted any women. However, if we're talking about romantic affairs, there have been quite a few courtesans who have had numerous affairs with Prince Wu. Even Zhu Yunying, who cares about his younger brother, is sometimes confused about the situation.

Because Zhu Yunwen really had some ambiguous relationships with some courtesans. Of course, it's also possible that some courtesans or people with ulterior motives wanted to gain fame, so there was a certain sense of 'riding the coattails' of his popularity.

Even some talented women—truly talented women, daughters of officials from scholarly families—had ambiguous relationships with Zhu Yunwen. Perhaps it was because they wanted to climb the social ladder, even if it was just as a concubine, they might still get the status of a secondary consort, and their children could become princes, which would be much more prestigious than some ordinary officials.

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