After all, during his reign, including the early years when he was busy conquering the country, he didn't have many opportunities to witness the prosperity of the era. Furthermore, Zhu Yuanzhang also agreed with Zhu Yunying's view that the young Zhu should not be raised in the deep palace.
Old Zhu wasn't comfortable with anyone else taking care of him, and he wasn't entirely at ease with Little Zhu either. So now, Old Zhu was the one personally taking Little Zhu around Yingtian Prefecture. Old Zhu knew exactly where to take Little Zhu, what to see, what to say, and how to educate him.
“Great-grandfather, he doesn’t wear shoes,” Little Zhu said, pointing to a laborer. “We all have shoes, but he doesn’t.”
Looking at the laborers carrying their bags, Old Zhu said, “In this world, some people are rich and some are poor, and I think you know that. You are the Crown Prince of our Great Ming Dynasty, and you will be the Emperor of our Great Ming Dynasty in the future. You have to make sure that more people have enough to eat and wear. But you don’t need to worry about this man. He can earn a living and support his family by carrying bags at the dock.”
Little Zhu asked innocently, "Great-grandfather, does his family have many people? Our family is the largest; we have many royal uncles and many princes."
Old Zhu chuckled and said, "People are all different. We used to have a lot of people in our family, but not as many as we have now. To make a good living, you need a lot of people around. Some people are doing well, while others are not so well."
Little Zhu refused to drink tea, mainly because he thought it wasn't good enough. Kids are picky sometimes, it's perfectly normal. Having always been pampered, this child really looked down on anything fancy, especially the fumes from ordinary tea leaves.
Looking at the dock, Old Zhu said to Little Zhu, "Don't underestimate the importance of the canal transport. Yingtian Prefecture is the current capital. Although it's in Jiangnan, it still needs to transport a lot of things. The water transport stations, river god stations, and relay stations support many people. There are also many boat captains and hard laborers in the canal transport."
Little Zhu was actually a bit distracted; after all, he was still just a child and had no interest in these things. For Little Zhu, the bustling dock and the throngs of people were what truly captivated him, a sight completely different from what he usually saw.
Although Little Zhu seemed a bit distracted, Old Zhu wasn't too bothered. He was happy to take Little Zhu out for a walk and let him see more of the world. Some things couldn't be rushed, and Old Zhu was very patient with Little Zhu.
He was usually quick-tempered and impatient, but that was just his usual self. He wouldn't be like that in front of his beloved great-grandson. The person in the Ming Dynasty least afraid of him was actually young Zhu Yuanzhang (the youngest son of Zhu Yuanzhang). Young Zhu Yuanzhang always considered his great-grandfather the most benevolent person and was extremely close to him, completely unaware of fear.
When Zhu Yunwen arrived, he presented a magnificent and opulent scene, which amused and amused Old Zhu.
"Royal Uncle!" Little Zhu exclaimed happily upon seeing Zhu Yunwen, "We want candy!"
"You're not allowed to eat candy. Go find your great-grandfather." Zhu Yunwen didn't seem afraid at all. "If we give you candy, your father will scold us. If we go to your great-grandfather, your father won't dare to cause him any trouble."
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunwen and said irritably, "Look at you, what kind of person are you! In our Great Ming Dynasty, there is only a spoiled brat like you."
“If we weren’t such spoiled brats, Grandfather would be worried.” Zhu Yunwen plopped down, took out a handkerchief and wiped the table. “Grandfather, we understand perfectly well that we’re not ignorant of anything!”
Old Zhu chuckled, pointed at Zhu Yunwen, and said, "You scoundrel, it's hard for us to even think highly of you! How can you compare to your elder brother? It's true you're the eldest son, but even if you have some ability, can you outmaneuver your elder brother? Of all your uncles, how many are incompetent? They're all obedient to your elder brother. As for you, you're not even worth a second glance, really not even worth a second glance!"
Zhu Yunwen thought about it and realized that made sense. He said with a smile, "Luckily, we don't have that kind of mind. We can just eat, drink, and have fun. But it's always Lady Lü who used to teach Second Brother. It makes me want to laugh."
Old Zhu rolled his eyes at Zhu Yunwen and said irritably, "We all know in our hearts that we should save face for your father. Whether you're like this or Yunwen, all your uncles are the same. They can't cause any trouble in front of your brother! He can suppress you all with a wave of his hand!"
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