There may still be some controversy surrounding who the most prestigious prince of the Ming Dynasty was.
In the past, people would have considered the second son of the emperor, Prince Qin (Zhu Shuang), Prince Jin (Zhu Gang), and now Prince Zhou (Zhu Su), to be the most esteemed princes of the Ming Dynasty. This was because of their special status and because they were favored by the emperor.
But now, let's leave aside the fact that the King of Qin has already passed away. The King of Jin continues to oversee things in Beiping, while the King of Zhou has taken on his duties and is happily leading many people in the study of plants and medicine.
Moreover, as the saying goes, "a new emperor brings a new court," and the first batch of princes to be enfeoffed after the new emperor ascended the throne was the new Prince of Wu, Zhu Yunwen, who is considered by many to be the most honorable prince.
Even if this Prince Wu is considered the biggest playboy in Yingtian Prefecture, and is 'infamous' along with his wife, as long as he is the emperor's younger brother and is highly favored, then many things are naturally not worth caring about.
The heavily pregnant Lady Sang was incredibly proud as she directed her maids to dress Zhu Yunwen, because there was a grand occasion today that required the Prince of Wu's presence.
Zhu Yunwen, with his arms outstretched, said somewhat helplessly, "We're just going to check on our nephew today; there's nothing we can do."
"Your Highness, if we were to wear the sword bestowed by our Imperial Grandfather, wouldn't our Imperial Brother be unhappy?" Madam Sang seemed to be caught in a dilemma, saying, "But the sword bestowed by our Imperial Grandfather is, after all, a precious blade."
Zhu Yunwen understood what Sang meant and said, "Alright, then we'll wear golden helmets and armor. Grandfather will definitely scold us again when he finds out, but we've already been scolded enough."
Lady Sang was prepared and immediately directed her maids to bring over the golden helmet and armor. This was actually Zhu Yunying's armor, which was made by Zhu Yunying during his "northern tour" and was later given to Zhu Yunxuan by Zhu Yunying.
Zhu Yunwen sighed helplessly and said irritably, "When we wore this armor, Grandfather scolded us quite a bit. If it weren't for my brother protecting us, Grandfather might have had it taken back."
Five claws—this isn't something just anyone can wear, especially a prince. Wearing armor of this standard would be tantamount to 'rebellion'.
Sang didn't care about all that. She came from a family of mid-to-low-ranking military officers and was indeed a bit flamboyant. Actually, she and Zhu Yunwen were a perfect match. After all, Zhu Yunwen seemed like a loud and boisterous playboy, but he was actually a little soft-hearted.
With Sang Shi's loud and showy personality, no one could bully Zhu Yunwen, although indeed no one dared to bully Zhu Yunwen now.
Looking at her young and valiant husband, Madam Sang became even more proud. "Your Highness, now that the army is returning, will you also be busy for a long time?"
"It's alright. I guess I'll just be going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Fengxian Hall to accompany the emperor in the sacrifices. If my brother arranges a banquet at night, I might have to go too." As if he understood something, Zhu Yunwen said casually, "Later, you take the palace token and go help your sister-in-law arrange the banquet at night."
This is exactly what Madam Sang was waiting for. She values status immensely and would never miss any opportunity to flaunt it.
As if remembering something, Zhu Yunwen said, "Let's find a position for my brother-in-law. It's definitely not going to work in the Five City Division; my grandfather won't allow us to get involved. Let's send him out to work for a few years, and I reckon he can become a deputy commander."
Sang immediately perked up and said, "Before I married Your Highness, I was not favored at home. My parents only had eyes for my eldest brother and younger brother. Now, my eldest brother wants to get a promotion, and he still needs Your Highness's help!"
Zhu Yunwen was also pleased with himself and said, "By the way, that guy you mentioned last time, he can't get things done."
If the deal falls through, they won't refund the money; this is a style of the Wu Prince's Mansion.
Zhu Yunwen was actually very intelligent and rarely interfered in matters. However, due to his position, he could sometimes accomplish things with just a word, which led many people to try to curry favor with him.
Over the years, Zhu Yunwen had become accustomed to taking money to do things, but he often failed to deliver on his promises and refused to return the money. This was probably one of the reasons for his infamous reputation, yet people still flocked to him.
Many members of the imperial clan, whether they were imperial uncles, princes, or cousins, were all paid by Zhu Yunwen to do things. That's how the expenses in his residence came about; his food, clothing, and daily necessities were extremely extravagant, far exceeding the stipends provided by the court.
Sang, supporting her large pregnant belly, said with some anticipation, "If our child is born, I wonder if His Majesty will bestow any rewards?"
"There will certainly be rewards and plenty of pampering, after all, they are our offspring!" Zhu Yunwen accepted the cloak, his pride tempered with reason. "But you must remember this: our offspring may be favored, but they cannot break the law. Our offspring must be even more law-abiding and stronger than us!"
Sang was taken aback, then asked cautiously, "Your Highness, did you hear something?"
"What did you hear?" Zhu Yunwen chuckled and said, "That's exactly what I think. My son is also my elder brother's nephew, but there's still a distance between us. Before I had any children, I doted on my eldest nephew and always thought of him. But once I have children, when will I ever be willing to take anything good to the palace?"
Sang thought about it and realized it made sense. When the Crown Prince was first born, her husband went to great lengths to send all sorts of wonderful things to the palace. The Emperor Emeritus scolded him, and the late Emperor reprimanded him, but it was no use; he just kept doing it without fail.
Actually, it was the same before. However, after Sang became pregnant, although her husband still sent things to the palace, the frequency decreased a lot, and he was reluctant to part with many of the good things, wanting to keep them.
Ignoring Madam Sang's expression, Zhu Yunwen continued, "Leaving aside my elder brother, even after my eldest sister married and went to Yunnan, she still wrote to us constantly. After she had children, she would only write occasionally, her thoughts always on our eldest nephew."
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