There were many groups of people in Yingtian Prefecture dressed in fine clothes and riding spirited horses, especially a famous prince who led a large group of young men in a grand procession, which had the air of a street-cleaning tiger.
Old Zhu naturally knew some of the news, and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, who was reviewing the memorials, "I usually only think that Yun Tong is useless and can only eat, drink and have fun. I didn't expect that this kid is actually quite capable and can still get things done at this time."
Zhu Xiong Ying chuckled. There was actually a valid point to that; his usually troublesome younger brother's intervention truly saved him a lot of trouble. In fact, his brother's involvement was often better than Zhu Xiong Ying's own intervention in many matters.
“That’s true. If our grandson is in charge, our younger brothers will probably be too shy to let loose,” Zhu Xiong Ying laughed and said to Old Zhu. “Yun Tong is a lively and carefree person, and he’s good at eating, drinking and having fun. With him around, our younger brothers will certainly not be bored.”
Old Zhu said with a hint of sarcasm, "We've heard that Yunwen has visited the Eastern Palace three times recently. There must be no money left in the Eastern Palace's treasury!"
Zhu Xiong Ying immediately put down his brush and said with a hint of complaint, "Grandfather, I think Yun Tong is definitely using public office for private gain. I'm naturally happy that he's entertaining his younger brothers, and it's normal for the expenses to be a bit high. But I also think that he might be using this as an excuse to make up for the deficit in the household."
Old Zhu laughed heartily and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "We also gave him one hundred gold and one thousand silver. He came to thank us, and then sent Lady Sang to the East Palace. We think the Crown Prince's wife should be sensible."
Zhu Xiong Ying was speechless for a moment, rubbing her temples as she said, "That couple is cunning as a sly one. They know that if they don't get some benefits now, the household expenses won't be balanced. If it's given by the Crown Princess, it's much more generous than what we have. She also knows that Yun Tong is doing something important for us."
Having such a troublesome grandson is quite interesting for Old Zhu, and he is happy to see his descendants getting along well.
The reason he rewarded Zhu Yunwen with some gold and silver was actually to let Zhu Yunwen take his cousins out for food, drink, and entertainment to strengthen their bonds. As for the accusation that Zhu Yunwen was freeloading, Old Zhu turned a blind eye, knowing that it was more appropriate for Zhu Yunwen to handle it himself.
After all, Zhu Yunwen was Zhu Xiong Ying's younger brother, and many members of the imperial clan knew that Zhu Yunwen was Zhu Xiong Ying's favorite younger brother. Moreover, once Zhu Xiong Ying ascended the throne, Zhu Yunwen would be the most distinguished member of the imperial clan in the Ming Dynasty, and there would be no doubt that he would hold the position of a prince.
It's not appropriate for Zhu Xiong Ying to step forward now, otherwise his cousins would definitely be too reserved. But it's fine if Zhu Yun Tong steps forward; this prince, who loves to eat, drink, and have fun, can definitely get along well with his cousins and put on a good show of brotherly affection.
This is for official business, so Zhu Yunwen is essentially sacrificing his stomach for his imperial brother. He wants to eat and drink well and have a great time!
It's better to be a little oblivious sometimes, and Zhu Xiong Ying felt it was best not to say too much about these matters. Although Yun Tong was somewhat using his position for personal gain, Zhu Xiong Ying was happy for the boy to make a harmless fuss, especially since Yun Tong was genuinely helping with some important business.
This was probably what Old Zhu was thinking. He was usually quite frugal, and even though he was generous to his descendants, he was always moderate in his rewards. He would never give his descendants rewards for eating, drinking, and having fun.
But there was nothing he could do. This time, he knew that Yun Tong was doing something important, so Old Zhu turned a blind eye. He even found it quite amusing that Yun Tong was fooling around and trying to be clever. It was rare to have such an unreliable grandson who was always being naughty and mischievous.
It was probably a case of loving the house because of the crow; after all, this was the second son of Crown Prince Zhu Biao and the younger brother of the Crown Prince's grandson. It was probably only this kid who could give Zhu Xiong Ying such a headache and helplessness.
Old Zhu stopped chatting and said seriously, "This time all your imperial uncles are here. You saw it, and so did we. We know that some of your imperial uncles are not entirely convinced and have quite a few grievances in their hearts."
"If my uncles complain, they're complaining about my grandfather," Zhu Xiong Ying said, seemingly somewhat irresponsibly. "Grandfather, I'm not afraid of any of that. Once the distinction between ruler and subject is cleared, I have nothing to worry about."
Old Zhu smiled and pointed at Zhu Xiong Ying, then said, "If you were like your sixth uncle, what would you do?"
"Sixth Uncle only has three guards under his command, they won't amount to much," Zhu Xiong Ying said confidently. "Even if Sixth Uncle harbors resentment, he won't do anything unwise. As long as Sixth Uncle doesn't act lawlessly, I'm happy to turn a blind eye."
These were Zhu Xiong Ying's true feelings. Nowadays, the power of the princes of the Ming Dynasty is much weaker than at the same time in history. Zhu Xiong Ying's series of actions also prevented many princes of the Ming Dynasty from truly taking up their fiefs.
Zhu Xiong Ying had plenty of methods for dealing with matters like reducing the power of the princes, so he naturally didn't need to resort to the same series of questionable actions that led to the loss of the empire as Zhu Yunwen in history.
Old Zhu nodded with a serious expression and said, "Your sixth uncle is not happy, probably because he thinks we should pass the position to your second or third uncle. This child has been competitive since he was a child and doesn't like to suffer losses. However, he doesn't have any bad intentions; he's just a bit reckless."
"Grandpa, rest assured, I am not the type to be ruthless to my own family." Zhu Xiong Ying understood his father's thoughts and said with a smile, "The things that Grandpa is worried about will definitely not happen. My position is very secure, I have the means, and most importantly, I have enough power. My uncles are sure they know that too."
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