The fact that his troublesome younger brother had a child was definitely something to be happy about, and both Old Zhu and Little Zhu were overjoyed.
For Zhu Yuanzhang, although he almost exclusively cared for his eldest grandson, it didn't mean he didn't care about his other descendants. Zhu Yunwen was, after all, his second grandson, so Zhu Yuanzhang naturally extended his affection to him as well.
As for the claim that Zhu Yunwen abducted little Zhu, there's nothing to worry about. Old Zhu knew Zhu Yunwen's character well; it's true that he was simple-minded. However, Zhu Yunwen had always been a good younger brother, and Old Zhu understood Zhu Yunwen's place in Zhu Yunying's heart. He knew Zhu Yunwen was quite interesting.
"Grandfather, I think Yunying will be coming to beg for money in a couple of days." Zhu Yunying laughed and said to the old Zhu, "Send the imperial physician over later. That child is ignorant, and his princess is also short-sighted."
Old Zhu laughed and said jokingly, "Isn't that all because you spoil him? Yun Tong is such a troublemaker, he's practically dependent on you. If you don't send him some gifts, we'll give him some more as a reward, otherwise he'll definitely cause you trouble."
"Let him make a fuss, it's good for him to make a fuss." Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh and said happily, "This way, our grandson can give his parents an explanation. We've watched Yunhu grow up. In our Zhu family, he's the most special one."
Zhu Yunwen was indeed a very special child; his identity and his personality were both quite unique.
However, Joo Yoon-young felt that these things didn't need to be of too much concern for the time being. Perhaps it was just that this matter only needed to draw some attention to it, as Joo had other things to take care of.
Zhu Yunying was in a good mood and said to his father, "The matter with the Duke of Yansheng is basically settled. I have been raising the banner for a long time, and it is time to wrap it up."
Old Zhu was also quite proud, and said to Zhu Yunying, "We, grandfather and grandson, just can't stand these unworthy descendants who rely on the legacy of our ancestors." Old Zhu laughed and said to Zhu Yunying, "We'll make the Taoists suffer, and you'll make the Confucianists look bad."
This is indeed true. Don't be fooled by the fact that Zhang Daoling is currently in charge of Taoism nationwide. The leaders of the Zhengyi sect have basically been "Celestial Masters" for generations, referring to Zhang Daoling as the Ancestral Celestial Master or the Old Ancestral Celestial Master. Especially starting from the Song Dynasty, the status of the Celestial Master sect began to rise, and its status was quite extraordinary during the Yuan Dynasty.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang believed that "Heaven is supreme, how can it have a teacher?" Therefore, he abolished the title of "Celestial Master" and changed it to "Great Perfected One." The Great Perfected Ones of the Celestial Masters sect have been in charge of Taoism throughout the land for generations, and their status seems quite transcendent. However, many people also understand that while the current emperor is quite resistant to Buddhism, he may not necessarily value Taoism that much.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang appointed Zhang Zhengchang to manage Taoist affairs throughout the country after ascending the throne and expanded the Celestial Master's Mansion, it was probably during this period that the Celestial Master's Mansion in later generations began to take shape.
The construction of the Celestial Master's Mansion was partly due to the influence of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, where Buddhism's influence was immense, especially that of Esoteric Buddhism, which had a profound impact on the people.
Zhu Yuanzhang may not have liked Taoism, but it's certain he disliked Buddhism. Even if he had been a novice monk, and even if the Red Turban Rebellion had some religious elements, these are all reasons why Zhu Yuanzhang disliked certain religions.
While I may not like it, we still need to be mindful of the influence of religion. Even in this feudal era, where enlightening the masses is difficult, religion will still have a significant impact on the people, even centuries later.
This is indeed quite interesting, and it's something that Lao Zhu and Xiao Zhu are quite proud of; they really did a good job.
"Grandfather, I just hope that the Duke Yansheng will receive the same treatment as he did during the Song Dynasty," Zhu Yunying said to his father. "We should consider the thoughts of scholars, but we shouldn't give the Duke Yansheng's lineage too high a treatment."
After careful consideration, Old Zhu surprisingly admitted that he had not considered all aspects of the matter. "Looking back now, we shouldn't have given scholars too much face. We're not the Mongol Tartars; we don't need to win over scholars to create a high-ranking official."
“Scholars naturally like to stick together, and besides, those scholars have such high status that they are likely to use their literary skills to suppress the military in the future,” Zhu Yunying analyzed. “We should give Confucius face, but giving him the rank of fourth grade is enough.”
A fourth-rank official is sufficient; there's no need for the Duke Yansheng to be the so-called head of the Ming Dynasty's civil officials, a position the Duke Yansheng cannot bear.
Old Zhu was fairly supportive of this matter, feeling that there was absolutely nothing wrong with doing it this way. Confucius should still be commemorated, and the feelings of scholars should be considered to some extent.
At this time, it was indeed unnecessary to give the Kong family excessive treatment. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty was of true Han blood, and naturally there was no need for him to deliberately elevate the status of certain families like some minority regimes did in order to win over the people and legitimize their rule.
It's not that the Zhu family didn't need to consider winning over the people, but simply that they didn't need to deliberately elevate the power of certain families too much. This is quite special, after all, Zhu's achievements were not only in establishing the Ming Dynasty, but also in expelling the Tartars and restoring China!
Zhu Yunying and his grandfather were discussing some matters. Both grandfather and grandson were well-informed about state affairs. While anyone could make decisions, they preferred to communicate more, even if their opinions sometimes differed.
"That's about it for the matter of the Duke Yansheng." Old Zhu was in a good mood and said to Zhu Yunying, "We were the ones who conferred the title of Duke Yansheng on him, so we should also strip him of his title. The Kong family has been too arrogant in Qufu. You handled this very well. Qufu belongs to the Ming Dynasty, not to the Kong family."
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