In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yunying naturally held his morning court session as usual. The birth of his second son clearly meant that the morning court session did not need to be stopped, which is the most accurate description of the situation.
Lady Wang was merely a concubine, and Zhu Yunying's second son was only the second prince. The birth of this little fellow simply announced that the Ming Dynasty had gained another prince, and further proved that the emperor was not a problem and that there was no need to worry about the succession to the throne.
This is neither the emperor's first child nor the empress's, so there is no need to make a big fuss about it.
Discussing the relationship between the imperial treasury and the national treasury, discussing the spring planting plan, and handling the personnel appointments of some "regional officials," including the punishment of some corrupt officials, this was Zhu Yunying's work.
Meanwhile, in the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Zhu slowly opened his eyes. Looking at his great-grandson's chubby little face, he couldn't look away.
Shuangquan cautiously approached and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, Consort Wang gave birth to a prince yesterday at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM)."
Old Zhu smiled slightly, then asked, "Does the Emperor know about this?"
"Her Majesty the Empress was there last night. The imperial physicians, midwives, and nannies were all arranged by Her Majesty the Empress," Shuangquan immediately explained.
Old Zhu nodded in satisfaction. His granddaughter-in-law had the demeanor of a principal wife and was a qualified empress.
However, that's how things are. Old Zhu was happy to see his grandson have more offspring. But to be honest, the only one Old Zhu really cared about was Little Zhu. Not to mention that Lady Wang was just a Noble Lady, even if she were a Consort, he wouldn't pay much attention to her.
Even if Xu Miaoqing were to give birth to another son for Xiao Zhu, Old Zhu wouldn't care much. What does it matter if it's a legitimate son? What Old Zhu cares about is his eldest legitimate son, who is the true great-grandson he considers his own flesh and blood.
Seeing that Shuangquan hadn't left, Old Zhu lowered his voice and said, "Spit it out if you have something to say!"
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has issued a decree, saying that since the court session has not ended, His Highness the Crown Prince must report the good news." Shuangquan said to Old Zhu with a bitter face, "Life cannot be disobeyed, but who is His Highness to rely on!"
Old Zhu looked at Shuangquan and asked, "Was it the Emperor's order? Shouldn't the Empress have sent someone to report this good news?"
Shuangquan, with a pained expression, said softly, "Your Majesty, please spare this servant. How could a lowly servant like me possibly guess Your Majesty's heart? This servant was merely following orders."
Old Zhu smiled slightly, but said irritably, "You dog of a servant, go and make the preparations. Remember, the Crown Prince's court robes must be prepared!"
Shuangquan left happily, quickly preparing toiletries for the Emperor Emeritus and the Crown Prince. As for the Emperor's thoughts, Shuangquan could roughly guess some of them. But when it was necessary to play dumb, she certainly had to.
Old Zhu chuckled as he looked at Little Zhu, gently pinching Little Zhu's nose. Impatient, Little Zhu frowned, casually slapping his little hand away, trying to chase away the bad guy who was disturbing his sweet dreams.
"Yin'er, get up." Old Zhu patted little Zhu's bottom and said softly, "Your father is waiting for you to attend the morning court session, get up quickly!"
The impatient little Zhu was finally roused and listlessly carried by Old Zhu, while maids served him as he washed up.
The child was spoiled by his father, even though he had eunuchs with him. He was only allowed to have his closest relatives help him with things like washing and grooming, or only his maids were permitted to serve him; the eunuchs could only look on with envy.
Let alone others, even Wang Chengen and Shuangquan did not have such dignity.
Back at the East Palace, Xu Miaoqing drank a bowl of bird's nest porridge and sat down to rest calmly. Although Lady Wang had given His Majesty a prince, it only slightly elevated Lady Wang's status; she would probably only be a concubine, posing no threat to His Majesty's position.
Most importantly, even though the emperor seemed to have stripped her of some rights, according to common sense, Xu Miaoqing should have sent someone to inform the emperor of the good news. But it didn't matter; Xu Miaoqing knew that the person delivering the good news was her son, and that was enough.
Although a second son had been born, in the emperor's eyes, the eldest son of the legitimate wife was the most important, and the status of the crown prince would be emphasized once again. No one should have any other thoughts.
“Great-grandfather, my father and second uncle are the closest to me.” Little Zhu said confidently, holding Old Zhu’s big hand.
Old Zhu was taken aback, then corrected him, "Your second uncle and your father don't have the same mother; your third uncle does."
Little Zhu's face hardened. His great-grandfather had made a mistake. "Second Uncle said he and my father share the same mother. Third Uncle is different. Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, and Fifth Uncle all share the same mother, and they share the same father as my father."
Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth, "Your second uncle, we'll have to deal with him later! You should keep this to yourself, don't tell anyone, or the people below will cause trouble again! This is also your father's fault, he treats his younger brother like a treasure!"
Zhu Yunwen was the second son and Zhu Yuntong was the third son; that's obvious. But on Zhu Yunwen's side, they were always ranked separately, first by the legitimate sons and then by the illegitimate sons. This meant that Zhu Yunwen, the second son, became the third son—what kind of ranking is that!
Old Zhu, holding little Zhu's hand, patiently said, "Yin'er, you now have a younger brother, just like your sister. He shares the same father, but not the same mother. If your mother has more children in the future, they'll be like your second uncle, your eldest aunt, and your youngest aunt. As for us, we're your father's father's father..."
Old Zhu began to educate young Zhu, explaining that in the royal family, it was sometimes necessary to distinguish between close and distant relatives, and to clearly differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate children. Such matters could not be taken lightly.
Actually, according to Zhu Yunying, this time it would have been enough to send Little Zhu. If Old Zhu was worried, he could have sent the Grand Eunuch Shuangquan along, and then everything would be fine.
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