As emperor, Zhu Yunying certainly needed to be mindful of certain things, as his attitude could indeed affect the fate of many people. Especially in an era where imperial power was supreme, his attitude had an even greater impact on the destiny of many individuals and families.
It's no exaggeration to say that it could influence the direction of the entire country.
Although he liked Zhu Ruyi and thought his lovely daughter was very considerate, Zhu Yunying also needed to appear to value Zhu Wenyin more, both emotionally and logically, because little Zhu was the Crown Prince and the heir apparent of the Ming Dynasty.
As for the idea that Zhu Yunying's fondness for Zhu Ruyi might remind people of the many Tang Dynasty princesses who liked to interfere in politics and influence the court, that's certainly not the case. Zhu Yunying was well aware that the difference in status between the crown prince and the princess was quite significant even in the Ming Dynasty.
Like Old Zhu, there's a huge difference between his son and daughter. Even a son-in-law like Mei Yin, whom he particularly likes, is still just a son-in-law, an outsider.
Little Zhu is back, and the moment he got back, he started yelling, "I want to take a bath!"
"Okay, let's take you to take a bath." Zhu Yunying happily stood up and said to little Zhu, "Come on, Daddy will take you to take a bath. Just like your sister, you've loved playing in the water since you were little."
When the emperor needs to bathe, many people naturally get busy. Furthermore, Zhu Yunying has always been a clean freak, bathing almost daily, which makes the imperial city place even greater emphasis on hygiene and grooming; Old Zhu doesn't see this as a waste.
Little Zhu was splashing around in the bathtub, and Zhu Ruyi was also happily splashing in the water. Both of their children loved playing in the water, or rather, most children love playing in the water, even the emperor's children.
After the bath, Zhu Yunying held little Zhu and asked, "You rode horses with your great-grandfather today. Did your great-grandfather teach you anything?"
"Great-grandfather forbade me to tell you!" Little Zhu said firmly, "We promised Great-grandfather that we couldn't tell you."
Then I'll have to find a way to get information out of him. Little Zhu is still young, so it won't be too difficult to get information out of him. The main thing is that Zhu Yunying doesn't really agree with some of Old Zhu's educational ideas, which naturally means that Zhu Yunying will have to find a way to get information out of him.
Little Zhu quickly launched into a long, rambling monologue. Old Zhu took Little Zhu horseback riding, which was naturally the main activity. Occasionally, he would also talk about military campaigns, such as the number of Ming Dynasty cavalry, their attrition, and their marching speed.
Although young Zhu might not understand these things now, in the old Zhu's view, these things can be told to his great-grandson first, so that his great-grandson can know the military strength of the Ming Dynasty and the might of the Ming army through his own eyes and ears!
Zhu Yunying naturally did not object to these things, and indeed felt that it was not a bad thing for little Zhu to know these things.
As for the fact that young Zhu is too young, that's not a big problem. The rule of establishing the eldest son as heir must be clear, and young Zhu is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. He will know these things sooner or later.
Xu Miaoqing simply listened from the sidelines, naturally refraining from interfering in these matters. She knew that the inner palace was not supposed to meddle in politics. It was better not to know some things; this would help her son consolidate his position. She didn't want to give the impression that she was particularly interested in power.
Empress Lü Zhi and Empress Wu Zetian are not good examples. They are certainly bad examples for the imperial family, which is one of the reasons why the imperial family is so resistant to interference in politics by the empress dowager.
Moreover, Xu Miaoqing understood that she was not only the Empress, but also the daughter of Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan. It would be a lie to say that the royal family had no doubts about her identity, given that she seemed to have the power to interfere in politics.
Knowing her own identity, Xu Miaoqing does pay attention to these things. As things stand, she is indeed a very dutiful empress, without any overstepping of boundaries.
Xu Miaoqing is very well-mannered, which must be related to her family upbringing, as her father, Xu Da, is the same kind of person. Xu Huizu is the same; he is quite respectful and dutiful, and does not become arrogant or domineering because of his status and achievements.
However, not everyone thinks this way. While there are such upright and humble people, there are also those who act impulsively and recklessly. This may not just be a matter of education; it could very well be due to an inherently arrogant nature.
Zhu Yunying received the secret letter, and Lan Yu abandoned his army and rushed to Beiping Prefecture. Once this guy gets carried away, he really doesn't care about anything else. He probably didn't even think about some things.
It would be a lie to say that Zhu Yunying wasn't annoyed at all. Over the years, he hadn't seemed to particularly value Lan Yu, but he had never lacked attention and care for him. After all, given his status, Lan Yu was definitely a core member of Zhu Yunying's inner circle and a key to his checks and balances with the military.
Lan Yu is a member of the Chang lineage, one of Zhu Yunying's maternal clans—this is an undeniable fact. Everyone understands that Lan Yu doesn't need to make a choice; he is a member of the Crown Prince's faction, even more steadfast than the so-called Crown Prince's faction.
After all, Lady Chang had been dead for many years, and Zhu Biao had other children. And part of the blood flowing in Zhu Yunying's veins came from Lady Chang.
Although he was annoyed, Zhu Yunying did not intend to punish Lan Yu further; this time, he would probably just let his merits and demerits cancel each other out.
It might seem understandable that Lan Yu would disregard everything to send off the Changlan clan on their final journey. However, let's not forget that he was a high-ranking general of the imperial army. Abandoning his troops and returning alone was a capital offense.
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