Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu smiled and nodded. He had always been very satisfied with Da Zhu and Xiao Zhu. Besides their special status as the eldest son, it was indeed because Da Zhu and Xiao Zhu's performance had pleased him.
These two crown princes, whom he had painstakingly nurtured, did indeed possess the qualities of wise rulers. Their ability to govern the country and control the court was truly outstanding.
Zhu Yunying continued, "Your grandson also wants to go out and travel. There are many things to do in the court now, and I am indeed a bit tired. When I was still the Crown Prince, I didn't have so many things to do, and I could practice swordsmanship and martial arts in my spare time. Now, I don't have much time to do these things."
Patting his thigh, Zhu Yunying said with a hint of sarcasm, "Grandpa Emperor, our thigh muscles have grown back!"
This is a record from the "Biography of Liu Bei" in the "Records of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu". Liu Bei lamented: "I used to be inseparable from the saddle, and the flesh on my thighs was all gone; now I no longer ride, and the flesh on my thighs has grown back."
This is due to living a comfortable and leisurely life for too long, without accomplishing anything; it's all a bit too stable.
Old Zhu laughed and scolded, "You've got some thigh fat already? Don't think we don't know. You want the Crown Prince to move around all day. You even gave Yin'er an order to keep dragging me around. We're not idle these days. Besides taking care of some things, we also do some farming."
In this day and age, many people prefer a sedentary lifestyle and are reluctant to exercise. They feel that sweating or doing other forms of physical activity is somewhat unseemly. A healthy lifestyle has little appeal in today's world.
Zhu Yunying then became serious and said to his grandfather, "Grandfather, we've always felt that if we don't eat well, don't dress warmly, and do physical labor all day, it will definitely harm our health. But we're used to living a life of luxury, and if we don't move around, we'll easily get tired and gain some weight. Moving around a little and sweating a bit will make us feel better."
Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu was taken aback for a moment, and then said, "That makes sense. That's how we are now. If we don't move, we don't want to move. But if we move a little, our bodies feel more active and comfortable."
“That makes sense. It’s not just about feeling comfortable, but also about feeling energetic.” Zhu Yunying continued with a smile, “So let’s let Yin’er get some exercise too. We not only want our Ming Dynasty’s crown prince to be both scholarly and martial, but we also want our Yin’er to be healthy. That’s the most important thing.”
Looking at Zhu Yunying, Old Zhu said, "Since you understand this principle, you should also get some exercise. You are the emperor now, so it's good for you to be healthy. Practicing some Five Animal Frolics is a good thing."
Zhu Yunying laughed and said, "Grandson naturally understands this principle, so we don't usually ride in sedan chairs. It's better to walk around and stay active. We also ride horses and occasionally spar with the Empress. Grandfather probably doesn't know that the Empress is a daughter of a military family, and our swordsmanship is no match for hers."
Xu Miaoqing quickly replied, "Your Majesty is too modest. I know that Your Majesty was holding back and did not want to exert yourself. If Your Majesty had attacked more forcefully, I would naturally have been unable to defend myself. My swordsmanship is just some fancy footwork, a sword dance, which is only good for looking pretty."
"We look down on the Emperor's swordsmanship and spear skills." Old Zhu laughed and said to Xu Miaoqing, "This child has liked playing with swords and spears since she was a child, but she just doesn't have the talent. Even with a wooden sword, she wields it weakly. None of the people in our palace who spar with you dare to put in any effort. It's just that you're being silly and insist on thinking you have some skills."
Zhu Yunying wasn't embarrassed and said with a smile, "Grandpa, my swordsmanship and spearmanship aren't great, but my horsemanship is excellent. If Yunhu hadn't stolen some of our imperial horses, we would have quite a few fine horses. These days, all I'm thinking about is the autumn and spring hunts. Although my archery isn't great either, I can ride horses."
Little Zhu was even happier and excitedly boasted, "Great-grandfather said we're the best!"
Zhu Yunying smiled and agreed, saying with complete approval, "That makes sense. Your riding skills are impressive. When we were your age, we weren't as good as you, riding around the palace all day long."
Still, it's Guoxia Horse. Little Zhu's few miniature horses are truly treasures.
Little Zhu couldn't tell it was a joke; he just thought it was praise, so he became even more smug.
“Your eldest aunt will be coming over in a few days.” Zhu Yunying smiled and said to Little Zhu, “We haven’t seen her for many years, and so has our eldest nephew. We’ve been thinking about them all. We’re so happy that they can come back to visit.”
Little Zhu had only heard of his eldest aunt and knew that his beloved horse was sent by her. But he had no recollection of what his eldest aunt looked like. He was much more familiar with his younger aunt, whom he saw occasionally and would sometimes visit her residence.
Old Zhu just smiled and remained silent. He didn't particularly care about his granddaughter; he was a patriarchal man. Even if he gave face to Da Zhu and Xiao Zhu, he wouldn't be very close to Zhu Xi and Zhu Yue.
He couldn't even take care of the princes, and he had many daughters of his own, not to mention many grandchildren. Old Zhu wasn't actually that concerned about his granddaughters or grandsons.
After finishing his meal, Emperor Zhu naturally returned to his Qianqing Palace to rest. As for Little Zhu, he naturally stayed in the East Palace and did not go to the Qianqing Palace with Emperor Zhu this time.
As for Zhu Yunying, he was given a day off. Although this didn't mean he was completely free of official duties, it meant he could take a break and get some restful sleep.
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