After paying their respects to Lady Chang, Zhu Yunying and the others went to the Qianqing Palace, where a family banquet had been arranged. The meal was rather simple, and Zhu Yunying was quite satisfied with his daughter-in-law, Lady Chang, believing she had rendered meritorious service.
It's not necessarily that Lady Chang achieved great merit as the Crown Princess. Her greatest contribution was giving birth to Zhu Yunying, which is the fundamental reason why Emperor Zhu considered Lady Chang to be a member of the Zhu family.
Whether it's Chang or Xu, as long as they can give birth to an outstanding eldest son for the Zhu family, Old Zhu will accept them as daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law. As for other things, Old Zhu probably doesn't care much.
Back at the Eastern Palace, Zhu Yunying couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of which, we've been a bit lax in disciplining Yin'er, which is wrong. You've always cared about Yin'er, but do you know what our Imperial Grandfather has actually taught him?"
Xu Miaoqing hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. For her, her glory came from her father, the Prince of Zhongshan. For her husband, and also from her beloved son. However, Xu Miaoqing was also well aware that her status was rather special, and perhaps there were things that many women in the Ming Dynasty couldn't do.
Despite being an empress, she was essentially no match for Empress Ma, even among the most prominent empresses of the Ming Dynasty.
Xu Miaoqing realized what was happening and said with a smile, "It's alright. Even if Grandfather knew about these things, he wouldn't blame us. Now that we know what Grandfather taught Yin'er, we can discuss it with him. Even if Yin'er isn't as great as Grandfather in the future, with world-shaking achievements, he can still be a ruler who maintains the status quo, just like us."
"Your Majesty, please do not underestimate yourself. Your Majesty's vision is something even your grandfather admires," Xu Miaoqing said with a smile to Zhu Yunying. "I often take Yin'er around the palace, and sometimes I also arrange family banquets. Your grandfather often praises Your Majesty's far-sightedness when advising your uncles, saying that even he cannot match it. It seems that the achievements of Japan and Southeast Asia are all Your Majesty's accomplishments."
Zhu Yunying chuckled and explained, “We have made some contributions in these matters, and we were the ones who advocated for them. However, these things are not all our credit. The deployment of troops was indeed done by my grandfather and father. What we did was send people there to gather information, find gold and silver mines, and learn that those wild and uncivilized lands do have some merit.”
Xu Miaoqing didn't understand, but she wouldn't allow Zhu Yunying to be modest. "What about the Maritime Trade Office? My grandfather also said that he had previously banned maritime trade."
Pinching Xu Miaoqing's pretty face, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Our Ming Dynasty's previous ban on the seas wasn't a complete ban. There were still some Japanese pirates, Zhang Shicheng, and Chen Youliang's remnants entrenched overseas. We just expanded the scale, incorporating some matters into the imperial treasury and then handing them over to the Ministry of Revenue."
Xu Miaoqing wrinkled her nose and said with a hint of pride, "Grandpa Emperor once said that much of the support for the imperial clan comes from the products of the Maritime Trade Office. Furthermore, the Maritime Trade Office assists the imperial clan in purchasing properties. The fact that our Ming Dynasty imperial clan can now open businesses is all with His Majesty's permission. Last time, when Uncle Twenty-Three whipped the servants in his mansion, Grandpa Emperor said that His Majesty, at that age, had already led a large army beyond the Great Wall, and had long before that wiped out the Japanese pirates and occupied the Silver Mountain."
Seeing Xu Miaoqing's smug expression, Zhu Yunying was at a loss for words. He had probably done some things, but Zhu Yunying felt that much of what he did was just the old Zhu deliberately taking credit. At that time, all the credit for others was attributed to the then 'Crown Prince'.
The main reason was that Emperor Zhu constantly promoted it on various occasions, and Zhu Yunying may have also contributed to it. So not only Emperor Zhu believed it, but everyone else also firmly believed it, thinking that the current emperor was a young hero who had achieved great feats in his youth.
Zhu Yunying seemed to remember something and asked with a smile, "You were probably still unmarried at that time, so you might have heard of us?"
Xu Miaoqing was a little shy, but not embarrassed at all. "I have been familiar with my sisters since I was a child, and I have heard a lot from them."
Zhu Yunying was delighted. Xu Miaoqing, Zhu Xi, and Zhu Yue could be considered close friends, but those two younger sisters were undoubtedly Zhu Yunying's die-hard fans. They had more confidence in Zhu Yunying than Zhu Yunying himself.
Xu Miaoqing was not embarrassed and continued, "Although I was raised in the inner chambers, I have heard quite a bit about Your Majesty. People of my background mostly know that marriages are arranged by nobles and nobles. I know that Your Majesty was raised by your grandfather and grandmother, and my family has also mentioned it."
Zhu Yunying laughed and said, "That's interesting. Everyone probably knows that I'm favored by my grandfather and grandmother. Before I was made Crown Prince, I probably didn't like to have contact with people outside the palace."
This is true. When Zhu Yunying was young, he mostly interacted with acquaintances, or relatives of the Chang and Li families, or his study companions like Ru Chang. He rarely had contact with other nobles. This wasn't to avoid suspicion; it was simply that he didn't want to be around them.
Xu Miaoqing grew bolder and said with a smile, "In those days, all the noble families knew that His Majesty was deeply favored by the Emperor. Even Father Wang thought that his eldest, second, and third brothers could serve His Majesty. When they heard that Fu Zhong and Fu Rang from the Duke of Ying were serving His Majesty, his eldest and second brothers were quite resentful."
There was no way around it; back then, Zhu Yunying was the most dazzling young man in Yingtian Prefecture, and all the noble families were envious. Not to mention the noble families, even the civil officials were well aware that the succession of the Ming Dynasty had long been determined, probably around the time Zhu Yunying was born.
As if remembering something, Zhu Yunying said softly, "Don't think that Grandfather is so fond of Yin'er now, but he is really not as favored as we are. When we were young, we were not as ignorant as Yin'er. As soon as we learned to read, we would read the memorials, and Grandfather would personally interpret them for us. Even though Father nags that we are young, he still interprets them for us when necessary."
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