As emperor, Zhu Yunying should do what an emperor should do. For example, he is now thinking about using Chen Zuyi to intimidate the countries in Southeast Asia, and such a thing is indeed possible and necessary.

Maximizing profits is what Zhu Yunying should do most. Making an example of someone is also something Zhu Yunying believes should be done.

Once Chen Zuyi is brought back to Yingtian Prefecture, Zhu Yunying wouldn't mind holding a grand execution. He could let the envoys from the Southeast Asian countries witness Chen Zuyi's helpless demise at the execution ground, escorted by the powerful Ming Dynasty.

That's all there is to it; this is probably Chen Zuyi's last remaining value. As the emperor, Zhu Yunying also felt he should do this, and the matter seemed to be settled.

Chen Zuyi's biggest mistake was making an enemy of the Ming Dynasty; he shouldn't have plundered Ming merchant ships. Otherwise, even if he acted like a tyrant in Southeast Asia, ruling over his own territory, Zhu Yunying wouldn't have cared too much about it.

Ultimately, the world is vast, and Zhu Yunying didn't care that some people were granting fiefdoms around the Ming Dynasty; he was quite magnanimous.

However, there is one prerequisite: those people must be in the interests of the Ming Dynasty and cannot be enemies of the Ming Dynasty.

An emperor should do what an emperor should do, and his ministers should naturally do what ministers should do. Song Zhong seems to have done relatively well this time; he has finally learned his lesson and knows to send back intelligence in a timely manner.

Ultimately, he was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he did indeed possess intelligence information about the Ming Dynasty. Providing timely intelligence was crucial, allowing the emperor to act more calmly and without being caught off guard.

The destruction of such a powerful pirate group as Chen Zuyi is indeed good news for the Ming Dynasty, and he would be happy about it.

However, they were just a bunch of pirates, and Zhu Yunying didn't need to worry about them too much for the time being. Even if these people had some skills or strength, they were still just a group of lowly bandits.

Moreover, this band of bandits actually operated outside of the Ming Dynasty, though they occasionally plundered Ming Dynasty merchant ships. However, in many people's eyes, this was nothing serious, and not worth the court expending too much energy and resources on such a band of bandits.

I'm in a good mood. These days, I'll probably just have a big drink to myself. It's that simple.

Zhu Yunwen was summoned to the palace, and he was somewhat surprised. "Your Majesty, what brings me here? Let me make it clear that I have been behaving myself these days, just busy with the move, and I haven't caused any trouble."

Zhu Yunying was somewhat helpless and also found it amusing. "Does having your own brother over for a drink require some kind of excuse? Or have you gotten so used to being a scoundrel over the years that you're now thinking you can't have a meal and a drink with your imperial brother when you have nothing else to do?"

Zhu Yunwen chuckled, seemingly a little embarrassed, "It's just that I've been told this too many times these past few years. I always thought that if I was summoned to the palace, it must be because I did something wrong, and I was probably going to get a scolding."

Upon hearing Zhu Yunying's words, Zhu Yunying fell silent, likely knowing the truth. This younger brother was indeed somewhat of a spoiled brat and a troublemaker, and had been reprimanded quite a bit over the years.

Wang Chengen was also very perceptive. After seeing His Highness Prince Wu, he immediately began to direct the palace maids and eunuchs to make arrangements.

Zhu Yunying sat down with a smile and said to Zhu Yuntong, "Originally, the plan was to let Wengeng stay in Yingtian Prefecture to study. But thinking that you and the Princess Consort can't be without that child, we might as well take him to Beiping Prefecture as well. As for your second son, he's not very old yet. What do you think we should do, take him to Beiping or leave him in Yingtian Prefecture?"

“Geng’er, we were thinking of bringing him along.” Zhu Yunwen said with a smile, “Originally, I was thinking of asking for a favor. I also know that some of the young members of the imperial family are still staying in Yingtian Prefecture when they go to Beiping.”

These are also facts. Even when Zhu Yuanzhang enfeoffed many of his sons as princes, the eldest son of the legitimate wife would generally stay in Yingtian Prefecture to study for a period of time when those princes took up their posts.

Honestly, I've been using a source-switching app to read and follow my favorite books lately. It offers various source switching options and different reading voices. The .huanyuanapp works on both Android and Apple devices.

In reality, Zhu Yunying didn't necessarily intend to leave the imperial clan members in Yingtian Prefecture as hostages, since this was a relocation of the capital to Beiping, and most of the imperial clan members would be going there. He was simply concerned that some of the imperial clan members were too young, and given the chaotic nature of the relocation, he might not be able to manage them all.

Once things are settled in Beiping, it would be best to bring these children over.

Zhu Yunwen continued, "Brother, we're thinking of sending Wenzhi along as well. Although he's young, he's still our son, and we feel uneasy if he's not with us."

Wenzhi, Zhu Yunwen's second son, was born to the merchant's daughter. He almost lost his imperial lineage, despite being a promising member of the royal family. This was largely due to his unreliable father, but fortunately, he had a very reliable uncle, so there was no need to worry about any major trouble.

Zhu Yunying thought for a moment and said, "If you really want to take him with you, then so be it. Although you are a bit of a playboy, there are some things we can trust you with. We can still take care of our own offspring."

Zhu Yunwen was full of confidence and said, "My elder sister is here with us. Although she has been thinking about our nephews and nieces these past two years, she always nags us when she has nothing to do. Besides, my elder brother built a palace for us when he built Beiping City. We can just move there. Anyway, we have nothing to worry about."

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