When a grandfather misses his grandson, a letter home is often enough. Especially in this day and age, if a letter home isn't enough, the grandchildren might be considered 'unfilial,' which is almost equivalent to death.

If the Emperor Grandfather misses the Crown Prince, this is no longer a family letter, but an imperial edict.

However, Zhu Xiong Ying didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. The main reason was that he would be leading meritorious officials to Tianjin to meet the emperor. Even though many people knew that this war led by the crown prince was just a small-scale skirmish and a case of the strong bullying the weak, it didn't matter. The achievements spoke for themselves.

Moreover, if anyone dared to question the Crown Prince's achievements, Old Zhu would certainly object immediately.

In the eyes of most court officials, Duke Xu Yungong of Wei and Duke Li Jinglong of Cao were staunch supporters of the Crown Prince. They both served under the Crown Prince, so their achievements in this battle naturally belonged to him.

This trip by Zhu Xiong Ying to Tianjin to meet the emperor with his meritorious subordinates was a very meaningful event.

Xu Yungong was the eldest son of Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan, and this was his first time leading troops into battle. While he didn't achieve any great feats, he still managed to achieve decent results for his first time in the military, which was enough to uphold the prestige of the Prince of Zhongshan.

Li Jinglong's status was also extraordinary; he was the son of Li Wenzhong, the Prince of Qiyang. This made him a symbol of the imperial family in the military, and even though this was only a detachment, Li Jinglong had still proven his abilities.

In truth, both Li Jinglong and Xu Yungong had met the emperor many times before. But this time was different; previously, it was only because of their fathers' influence. This time, however, they had proven their military achievements.

As for Qiu Fu, Zhu Neng, and others, they were even more excited. The Yan Prince's Guard and such didn't exist; they were now just soldiers of the Beiping Guard. Especially after this battle, they felt that they had latched onto the Crown Prince's powerful backer and become key members of his ranks.

They dare not say they are at the core level, mainly because they are not qualified yet; they are just ordinary commanders and deputy commanders.

Zhu Xiong Ying wore a full suit of five-clawed golden dragon armor. If anyone else wore it, it would be considered treason. But when Zhu Xiong Ying or Crown Prince Zhu Biao wore it, Emperor Zhu was quite pleased. Because of this attire, Emperor Zhu did bestow some "rewards" upon him. Zhu Xiong Ying possessed several suits of five-clawed golden dragon armor, silver armor, or military uniforms.

In fact, Li Jinglong was quite familiar with it, as his grandfather, Li Zhen, had also been specially bestowed a five-clawed golden dragon robe by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Dust billowed in the distance, and Zhu Xiong Ying, seated solemnly on horseback, stood with a dignified expression. When the banners bearing the characters "Xu" and "Li" appeared, the civil and military officials of Beiping who had come out of the city to greet Zhu Xiong Ying also became serious.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites were directing the musicians and dancers of the Imperial Music Bureau to begin playing music, and naturally, there were also censors supervising them. If any of these officials behaved improperly, they would be impeached immediately.

Xu Yungong and Li Jinglong had already joined forces earlier, and now the two of them led several riders out of the crowd.

They dismounted and knelt on one knee, saying, "We, your humble servants, were ordered by the Emperor to punish the disloyal. Now we have returned in triumph and hereby report to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhu Xiong Ying drew his sword, pointed it diagonally to the sky, and shouted, "Victory!"

Without hesitation, Xu Yungong and the others immediately shouted, "Victory!"

With veins bulging on his neck, Zhu Xiong Ying shouted, "Wan Sheng!"

The majestic lions roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens, "Victory! Victory!"

Many civil officials frowned at this moment. They had heard before that the Crown Prince was fond of martial arts, and now it seemed even more so. People from the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate were also worried that the Crown Prince's actions were contrary to etiquette. However, they dared not speak out, for speaking out would not be considered a merit, and they would certainly be punished later.

At this moment, Wang Chengen also stepped forward holding an imperial edict, "Imperial Grandson's Decree!"

Xu Yungong and the others immediately knelt on one knee. Although they were nominally on the orders of the emperor, the current decree was issued by the Crown Prince and was being used to reward the army in his name. The implications of this were naturally different.

With the Crown Prince's decree concluded, the army was naturally rewarded by the Ministry of War and the Military Governor's Office, making it impossible for Zhu Xiong Ying to approach every single soldier. After being rewarded, these soldiers generally returned to their respective camps, and the subsequent rewards and honors would soon be implemented.

Zhu Xiong Ying was in a good mood, and he wouldn't go to the military camp to celebrate with all the soldiers. However, he could still bring these meritorious officials back to Fulong Palace, where a grand victory banquet would naturally be held.

"Cousin, Duke of Wei!" Zhu Xiong Ying said with a hearty laugh, "Come ride into the city with me!"

Xu Yungong and Li Jinglong immediately knelt down on one knee, saying, "Your humble servants dare not!"

Riding a horse alongside Zhu Xiong Ying would be suicidal. Even if they had made some contributions, even if they came from extremely wealthy families, they would not dare to overstep their bounds in such a matter.

Zhu Xiong Ying pretended to be displeased and said, "You are all my closest people and meritorious officials of the Ming Dynasty! Since you are unwilling to ride side by side, then follow me into the city, but you are only allowed to lag behind by half a step!"

After saying this, Zhu Xiong Ying walked towards Zhu Neng and Qiu Fu, "Good warriors, good heroes! I hereby order you two to carry the flag!"

Qiu Fu and Zhu Neng were moved to tears, and shouted loudly, "Your subordinates obey!"

Having meritorious officials carry the banner is not a sign of disrespect, but rather an honor bestowed upon them. The Crown Prince's banner is not to be carried by just anyone; it must be carried by someone the Crown Prince trusts most.

Of course, this time Zhu Xiong Ying was using military honors, so he had a large banner. Moreover, Zhu Xiong Ying also had the imperial grandson's ceremonial guard and command flags!

Patting an old soldier with a weathered face on the shoulder, Zhu Xiong Ying pointed to the old soldier's weapon and asked, "Is it easy to use?"

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