A lack of time—that's one of Zhu Yunying's current feelings; he's always had a sense of urgency about time.
Although Zhu Yunying is still very young, only twenty-five years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, he doesn't believe he will definitely live to be a hundred. He may not have enough time to handle state affairs or plan the development of the country.
Ultimately, Zhu Yunying believed that those who are capable should be given more responsibility, and he laid a solid foundation for the policies and strategies he had planned. In this way, it was likely that later emperors of the Ming Dynasty could continue these policies.
These were the things he was supposed to do. In areas where the foundation was relatively strong, Zhu Yunying naturally didn't need to worry too much. However, in areas where the foundation wasn't very strong, Zhu Yunying could only act decisively and quickly.
Severe measures are used in times of chaos, but this isn't necessarily only appropriate in the early stages of a newly established dynasty. If the population is insufficient, other solutions must be considered.
Xu Huizu and the others took their leave, and Zhu Yunying continued to handle some government affairs at this time.
Suddenly, Wang Chengen hurriedly entered the Wuying Hall, looking somewhat apprehensive. He glanced at Zhu Yunying, but still dared not speak, appearing quite troubled.
Zhu Yunying was curious and found it strange. "Is there something wrong? Tell me, we won't blame you."
Wang Chengen knelt down and handed over a memorial, saying, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin has passed away."
Zhu Yunying was taken aback. He hurriedly stood up and snatched the memorial from Wang Chengen. His uncle, the Prince of Jin, had passed away in Beiping Prefecture on the eighth day of the third lunar month at the age of forty-two.
Zhu Yunying rushed towards the Qianqing Palace. At this moment, there was no need to worry about etiquette; this matter had to be told to Old Master Zhu. This was an extremely important matter.
Despite the many illegal activities Zhu Gang, the Prince of Jin, committed during his time in his fiefdom, he was still a prince raised by Empress Ma. As Zhu Yuanzhang's third son and his eldest living son, Zhu Yuanzhang had deep feelings for Zhu Gang.
The eldest son, Zhu Biao, died from overwork. A few years ago, the second son, Zhu Shuang, was poisoned to death by three old women. Now, the third son has also died of illness. In recent years, Old Zhu has suffered the pain of losing his sons one after another, repeatedly experiencing the devastating news of a parent outliving their child.
Zhu Yunying rushed to the Qianqing Palace, but it seemed that the old Zhu had not yet received the news.
Seeing Xiao Zhu breathing heavily, Lao Zhu put down the document in his hand and said, "Go ahead and talk. We've been through a lot over the years, it's nothing!"
Zhu Yunying knelt down, choking back tears, and said, "Grandfather, Third Uncle has passed away."
Old Zhu snatched the document away, glanced at it, and slumped into a chair. "Why is my life so bitter! I lost both my parents when I was young, and all three of my older brothers died young. One of my older sisters was harsh on me, and even my kindest sister didn't get any appreciation from me!"
Old Zhu stared at the memorial, muttering to himself, "My wife is gone, and my eldest son doesn't want us anymore. Of our five sons, three are gone, and the other one is away. We..."
Zhu Yunying immediately got up, put his arm around Old Zhu's shoulder, and said, "Grandpa, you still have us, and you still have Yin'er! We'll call Fifth Uncle back right away, and we'll summon Fourth Uncle back too!"
"Don't bother your fourth uncle anymore. He's established the country and has a lot on his plate." Holding Zhu Yunying's hand, Old Zhu said, "Don't bother your fifth uncle either. Just let him be. We're fine. We haven't been afraid of these things for years!"
That being said, Old Zhu was still inevitably saddened at this moment, repeatedly enduring the pain of a parent outliving their child. Although he had many children, Old Zhu only truly cared for and loved a few of them.
"Go take care of your business, and come over to keep us company tonight." Old Zhu waved his hand dejectedly and said, "You take care of arranging your third uncle's funeral. You have to do it well."
Zhu Yunying nodded silently and said to his grandfather, "Grandfather, let's go and arrange these matters first. Please accept my condolences, you still have us, and you still have Yin'er!"
Looking at Zhu Yunying, Old Zhu gripped her hand tightly, his voice filled with emotion. "Ying'er, we're counting on you! If you're filial to us, nothing can happen to you. We're not afraid of death, we're just afraid of losing you all!"
It's no wonder Old Zhu lost his composure; it's mainly because of certain things that he really didn't want to bear anymore. This old man couldn't take it anymore.
Zhu Gang was the Prince of Jin of the Ming Dynasty and Zhu Yunying's eldest living uncle. As one of Zhu Yunying's favorite sons and the head of the Imperial Clan Court of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Gang's status was exceptionally special.
Especially in recent years, Zhu Gang has been stationed in Beiping Prefecture, which demonstrates the stability of his position. Even though Zhu Yunying had been trying to "reduce the power of the princes," he had never taken action against Zhu Gang and his associates.
Besides being the original title bestowed by Zhu Yunying, it was also because Zhu Yunying felt that some things did not need to be rushed.
But now, Zhu Gang is gone, which is a significant blow to Zhu Yunying.
Zhu Yunying hastily summoned Zhu Jixi and did not hide anything, "My third uncle passed away in Beiping last month. You should hurry over there to take care of his funeral arrangements. I remember that my third uncle had a mausoleum built in Taiyuan and was buried there."
Zhu Jixi stared at Zhu Yunying in utter astonishment, tears suddenly streaming down his face. Perhaps to some, the Prince of Jin was rather cruel. But to Zhu Jixi, the Prince of Jin, Zhu Gang, was his father, a loving father who doted on him!
It seems that this is about all Zhu Yunying can do. Sending his third uncle's sons to Beiping as soon as possible is naturally the only reasonable thing to do.
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