Visiting relatives was a rare privilege for Zhu Yunying, as it was not easy for him to leave the palace.
However, Logan didn't visit all his relatives, after all, he was the emperor now. Besides, his visits to relatives outside the palace were sometimes for business purposes or to bestow favors, all of which had some 'political intent'.
Back at the palace, Zhu Yunying and Xu Miaoqing took little Zhu to the Qianqing Palace, not wanting the old Zhu's place to be deserted.
Zhu Ruyi was sent back to the Eastern Palace. Although Lian Qiongqiong had lunch at her parents' home, she returned to the palace afterward. Despite the emperor's favor, she remained dutiful and did not become arrogant because of it.
The Qianqing Palace is somewhat deserted now. Although Emperor Zhu had many children, many of them have grown up and it's not appropriate for them to live in the palace. Furthermore, Emperor Zhu is now quite conscious of his position and doesn't want people to mistakenly think he favors a son, which could easily cause misunderstandings and bring unnecessary trouble to his son.
As for those of Zhu Yuanzhang's generation, he used to have a brother-in-law, Li Zhen, but he had long since passed away. Among his close friends, only Guo Ying remained, but even he was a subject. Xu Da and Tang He, these other good friends, were also gone, so Zhu Yuanzhang was truly all alone now.
"Great-grandfather, we're here!" Little Zhu shouted before they even reached the gates of the Qianqing Palace. "We're hungry!"
Old Zhu, who was inside the palace, hurriedly came out and immediately beamed, "Your Highness is here! What would you like to eat?"
There's no need to pay much attention to the emperor and empress; the crown prince is enough. With great-grandchildren, the grandsons' status has already declined.
Ignored, Zhu Yunying strode towards the Qianqing Palace, and Xu Miaoqing was not at all restrained. Although she would be nervous in front of Old Zhu, over the years, Xu Miaoqing knew that she was Old Zhu's recognized 'granddaughter-in-law' and family.
"Grandpa, please don't feed Yin'er anymore." Xu Miaoqing smiled and said softly, "Yin'er ate quite a lot at Yun Tong's place. His Majesty brought us here so that Yin'er could digest his food."
Old Zhu, who had gained weight, was unconcerned about his heavy great-grandson, saying, "Then eat less; children get hungry quickly."
"Grandfather, our eldest uncle has a son." Zhu Yunying, being a big mouth, immediately said, "It was all Yunhua who found out. That kid is quite capable. He can find out about things in our clan and the imperial relatives."
Old Zhu chuckled and said, "This is thanks to your great-grandmother's skills. We know nothing outside, but your great-grandmother knows which concubine has a child and which son has taken a fancy to which daughter."
Little Zhu also started gossiping, excitedly saying, "Second Uncle has a son! We saw the little brother, he's so small and ugly!"
Old Zhu laughed. In his eyes, having many children and grandchildren was a sign of success. As for other matters, Old Zhu didn't care much, probably because he only needed his eldest grandson to secure the throne.
Holding his chubby great-grandson, Old Zhu reminded him again, "That Wang woman is probably about to have a baby. You two need to hurry up and give Yin'er a younger brother or sister, the more the better. Look at the Emperor, even if his younger siblings are troublesome, they are still younger siblings. We used to have older brothers and sisters too. If they hadn't passed away so early, we would still have people to talk to."
Xu Miaoqing didn't know what to say, so Zhu Yunying said, "That's what we're thinking too. The Empress should have another child."
Xu Miaoqing was somewhat excited. In fact, over the years, she had wanted to bear another child for Zhu Yunying. However, it seemed that the emperor often forbade her from having any more children.
Even matters like "preserving offspring" were governed by strict rules in the palace. Whenever Zhu Yunying spent the night with a concubine, Wang Chengen would inquire about it. Wang Chengen knew whether the emperor wanted to preserve his lineage, and he arranged for many things to be done.
“Giving birth is inherently exhausting. Our mother gave birth to four children in four years and passed away early.” Zhu Yunying spoke slowly, with a hint of helplessness. “The Empress has been recuperating these past few years, which we think is good. Even if we are angry with Yunhuo for being so useless, he is still a brother we can talk to. We also have to consider Yin’er’s situation.”
Old Zhu beamed with joy, thinking his eldest grandson had made something of himself. "That makes sense! We're glad you and Yunheng are like this. No matter how useless that brat is, he's still your brother, and you have to take care of him. Having a brother to talk to keeps you from being lonely. Look at us, our brother-in-law is gone, and we have no one to talk to anymore. What kind of situation is this!"
This could be considered one of Zhu Yunying's more fortunate circumstances, as he at least had a younger brother to talk to. While Zhu Yunxuan, that rascal, might be lazy, he wasn't entirely trembling in Zhu Yunying's presence; their brotherly affection was still there.
Old Zhu was no longer able to cope. With no one of his generation left, and his only surviving brother-in-law, Li Zhen, passing away, Old Zhu had no one to confide in and no way to chat with his family about everyday matters.
"We have a younger sister!" Little Zhu said unhappily, and quickly corrected, "We have a younger sister, and my second uncle's family has a younger brother! Great-grandfather, we have many younger brothers and sisters, and we've seen them all! We also have many older brothers!"
Old Zhu immediately began explaining to Little Zhu that cousins and maternal cousins are a different level. Even Zhu Ruyi, this younger sister, is not a sibling; they are slightly different.
This put little Zhu in a bit of a predicament, as he didn't actually recognize all his relatives. This wasn't just because he lived in the palace; the main reason was that Zhu Yuanzhang had many children, and his children had many children of their own, so it was normal that he didn't recognize them all.
Let alone little Zhu, even Zhu Yunying or old Zhu might not recognize all his family members.
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