The Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying and two princes of the Ming Dynasty led a large army to hunt down the borders of the Nine Borders. The Ming army looked powerful and imposing, and some small tribes near the Nine Borders had long since fled at the mere sight of them.

This also made Zhu Xiong Ying feel lonely. This time, he led a large army on a hunting expedition to the border, but it was truly a fruitless hunt; not a single battle was fought. However, he did hunt quite a few gazelles, and Zhu Xiong Ying felt that his barbecue skills had improved, and his whole roasted lamb skills had become increasingly exquisite.

In reality, this was just a routine border patrol. Zhu Xiong Ying knew this, as did his second and third uncles. It wasn't surprising that no war broke out; it would have been unexpected if a war had occurred.

After their border patrol, Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang did not immediately return to their fiefdoms; they needed to go to Jinmenwei with Zhu Xiong Ying. As for Prince Qi, Zhu Fu, he had already been summoned to Jinmenwei, as the old Zhu was now stationed there.

Old Zhu was in a good mood. He felt very proud to see the well-organized development of Jinmenwei.

Zhu was very pleased with the current scale and development of Jinmenwei. He believed that this was how the future gateway and bulwark of the capital should be. Moreover, as a transit point for the Grand Canal, it should not be merely a military outpost or garrison.

Our eldest grandson is truly farsighted, thinking about the future from the very beginning. Tianjin doesn't need to become a massive city immediately. However, it should be given enough space to develop gradually in the future; this is something that can't be rushed.

Standing on the city wall, looking at the mighty army, Old Zhu smiled even more happily.

Old Zhu certainly missed his second and third sons very much. But seeing the valiant young man in golden armor and red robes leading the way, Old Zhu smiled even more happily.

Looking at the dashing young man, Old Zhu was in a good mood. "Old Tang, does our eldest grandson have the same flair as we did in our youth?"

Tang He immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty, if I were to speak the truth, the Crown Prince is far more valiant and spirited. When Your Majesty was this age, you hadn't even joined the army yet. Even if you become a great general, you still won't possess the same boldness and valor as the Crown Prince!"

Old Zhu laughed heartily, saying that it was only right to call Tang He from his hometown of Fengyang this time. Besides needing an experienced general to oversee things, it was also because Old Zhu felt this might be the last war he would command in his life, a war that concerned the fate of the nation.

Tang He, eager to join in, continued, "While His Highnesses Qin and Jin are both brave and valiant, they lack the vigor and ambition of His Highness the Crown Prince. In my humble opinion, if His Highness the Crown Prince had been born thirty years earlier, his ascension to the throne would not have been so smooth!"

Old Zhu pointed at Tang He and laughed, "Old Tang, that's too much! Our grandson is indeed a dragon among men, exceptionally brave and valiant, but he's not so easy to deal with! Our grandson has never seen blood or fought a war!"

Tang He was indeed a smart man, as evidenced by his earlier decision to retire and return to his hometown. Tang He was also quite glad that he chose to retire and return to his hometown; otherwise, he might have ended up like Li Shanchang, being exiled at such an advanced age.

Zhu Xiong Ying naturally had no idea what Old Zhu or Tang He on the city wall were talking about. All he needed to know was that his trip to Tianjin was quite necessary. Besides reporting on some official business, he also needed to see his imperial grandfather.

Although Zhu Xiong Ying is now stationed in Beiping, as long as you keep running around, you don't need to worry about not being able to see Old Zhu.

Zhu Yuanzhang (the Emperor) only made a brief appearance on the city wall, after all, he was the Emperor, his father and grandfather. Furthermore, the army that had arrived at Tianjin Garrison didn't have many achievements to speak of, so it wasn't Zhu Yuanzhang's place to personally greet them.

At the imperial palace, Emperor Zhu received Prince Qin, Prince Jin, and Zhu Xiong Ying, offering them words of encouragement and affirming the success of his descendants' hunting expedition. He emphasized that the lack of any major victories was acceptable, as long as the might of the Ming army was demonstrated and the Mongol tribes were intimidated.

As for other things, there's really no need to rush for now. Old Zhu doesn't have high expectations for many things.

After all, Old Zhu was quite familiar with the character of his descendants. He had no shortage of capable offspring, but he also had no shortage of good-for-nothings.

After the audience concluded, Old Zhu immediately led Zhu Xiong Ying to a side hall, saying, "Our Ying'er has grown taller and more imposing, just like us!"

Zhu Xiong Ying disagreed, emphasizing, "Grandpa, I still think I look like Grandma. I'm more delicate-looking, and Grandma has often said that I resemble her."

Old Zhu couldn't help but feel a little jealous, and corrected him, "That's not true! When you were little, you looked like your grandmother, but the older you get, the more you look like us! Our Ying'er is almost six feet tall, and her physique is just like ours! She's even more robust than your father!"

That's true. Zhu Xiong Ying's physical condition is no joke. He's even starting to wonder if his grandfather could kill an old ox with a single punch. He's 62 years old; even ordinary young men aren't necessarily in better physical condition than him.

Zhu Xiong Ying massaged Old Zhu's shoulders and said, "Grandpa, why bother with the Tianjin Gate Guard? The Duke of Xin is stationed at the Tianjin Gate Guard, and the Duke of Song is in Goryeo. That's enough. Grandpa should thank you."

“We’re not at ease. We can’t sleep soundly until we take down that silver mine,” Old Zhu said. “We’re recruiting miners now. Once we get the silver mine, we need to start mining and refining silver. We can’t afford to delay.”

This is also in line with Old Zhu's personality; this workaholic not only can't take a break, but he also takes on a lot of responsibilities, wanting to leave a stable future for his descendants.

Old Zhu didn't care about the saying that children and grandchildren have their own destinies. He believed he had the ability to manage everything and smoothly hand over the empire to his descendants. He also believed he could establish clear rules, so that his descendants would only need to follow his ancestral teachings to govern the country well.

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