In the royal family, ten years old is not considered young anymore; one has developed both appropriate and inappropriate thoughts.
Although Zhu Xiong Ying was the crown prince and was greatly favored, he was also quite discreet about certain matters and would never meddle in others' affairs.
He could occasionally take his younger siblings around the palace, catching butterflies, boating, and riding horses with them. However, Zhu Xiong Ying would never take his younger siblings out of the palace, nor would he allow them to have contact with civil and military officials.
Zhu Xiong Ying could take care of Zhu's meals, but he wouldn't read the memorials. Even though Zhu and Zhu Biao wouldn't deliberately avoid discussing politics with him, Zhu Xiong Ying would generally avoid them if possible. If he couldn't avoid them, he would remain silent, only listening without speaking.
Although some nobles and ministers would try to get in touch with Zhu Xiong Ying, he would basically just give them a polite greeting and wouldn't think about having any real contact with them.
"Ying'er, the Marquis of Yingchuan is returning to the capital tomorrow. You and your father should go and greet him." Old Zhu said with a smile when he saw his grandson arrive. "Fu Youde pacified Yunnan and Guizhou in just over a hundred days. He deserves some reward and the respect he is due."
Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and asked, "Ying'er, what do you think should be done to reward them?"
"Grandfather and Father have already made a decision; I suppose he will be promoted to Duke." Zhu Xiong Ying laughed as he brought out the food from the food box. "Those who have merit must be rewarded, and those who have committed crimes must be punished. This way, the virtuous will advance daily, and the wicked will be stopped daily."
At this moment, Old Zhu said, "That makes sense, but Ying'er, remember this: sometimes you don't need to reward those who have done good deeds, and you don't need to punish those who have done wrong. You are the Crown Prince, you need to have the means to control those people."
Seeing that Zhu Xiong Ying seemed a little confused, Old Zhu said, "Take this Marquis of Yingchuan, Fu Youde. He used to follow Liu Futong, and I remember he first followed Li Xixi. Later, he submitted to Ming Yuzhen. He wasn't valued by Ming Yuzhen, so he went to join Chen Youliang. When Chen Youliang killed Xu Shouhui and proclaimed himself Emperor of Han, he also had a falling out with him, and later he submitted to us."
“This Fu Youde is indeed a fierce general, as brave as the Prince of Kaiping. Originally, we were thinking that his daughter was of a suitable age and could become your concubine,” Old Zhu continued, “but we’ve decided against it. His daughter is too young and has a bad temper. Let your Aunt Shu marry him; Fu Zhong is of a suitable age.”
Hearing what Old Zhu said, Zhu Xiong Ying laughed and said, "Grandfather, let's discuss my marriage in a few years."
"That's not up to you." Old Zhu pointed at Zhu Xiong Ying and said seriously, "Born into the royal family, you enjoy wealth and honor, but you must also think about the responsibilities. Remember, no matter how much you spoil Xi'er and Yue'er, you must be careful about their marriages."
Zhu Xiong Ying nodded; he understood the matter. Therefore, even as a time traveler, Zhu Xiong Ying didn't have the bad habit of shouting about human rights and equality in front of the imperial power and nobility, while enjoying feudal privileges in front of commoners.
Zhu Biao then spoke up, "You're all grown up now. In a few days, I'll send some people to you. You've been sensible and kind since you were little, but you need to know when to be ruthless and strict. You are the Crown Prince, and if the people around you aren't well managed, you'll definitely become a menace."
Zhu Biao, who is known for his refined and benevolent nature, is by no means lacking in ruthlessness and decisiveness. He is the successor whom Old Zhu devoted his heart and soul to, and his political wisdom is astonishing. His methods are indeed quite formidable.
However, most of the time, Old Zhu was responsible for playing the villain, while Zhu Biao would plead for leniency, earning a reputation for being kind and benevolent. This father and son, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, had a tacit division of labor and the effect was quite good.
Old Zhu simply listened with a smile, eating his lunch and patiently listening to the Crown Prince instructing his grandson, occasionally offering some reminders.
Although his wife is gone, Old Zhu feels that his family is no longer complete. However, his son is intelligent and kind, and his grandson is smart and sensible, which is the thing that makes Old Zhu most gratified now, and it can be considered his greatest psychological comfort.
After serving Old Zhu and Big Zhu their meal, Zhu Xiong Ying, the younger Zhu, swayed and headed towards the East Palace.
Upon returning to the East Palace, Lady Lü immediately said with a smile, "Grandson, His Highness has assigned you some people to serve you."
Um?
Didn't we say it would be some time later?
Could this so-called "in a while" really be just a while? It's only been an hour, not even a day.
Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and said to Madam Lü, "Thank you for your trouble."
As soon as Zhu Xiong Ying returned to his palace, the chief eunuch by Zhu's side brought over a young eunuch of about ten years old, who said, "Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Zhu Xiong Ying smiled and nodded, then asked, "What's your name?"
The young eunuch was quick-witted and immediately replied, "Your Highness, this servant has no name."
After a moment's hesitation, was he about to bestow a name?
Eight Tigers?
Nine thousand years old?
Or Zheng He?
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "Wang Cheng En, perhaps."
The newly appointed eunuch, Wang Chengen, immediately knelt down and excitedly said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for bestowing upon me a name!"
If my fourth uncle rebels in the future, and I am unable to secure my throne, I hope that it won't be you, Wang Chengen, who will be the one to see me off on my final journey. I hope you won't let me hang myself on a crooked tree and then drag me to Donghua Gate for public humiliation.
No, that's not right. I'm not the Chongzhen Emperor. Even if my fourth uncle rebelled, he wouldn't do that. At most, the palace would catch fire, and he wouldn't be able to find me. People who didn't know better would think that Xianxian and I had traveled back in time to the modern era...
It's like watching the wrong show, it's really like watching the wrong show.
This is a story of a deposed monarch, the Jingnan Rebellion, and a love affair that transcends time—it's too much of a mix of different dramas!
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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