Zhu Yunying was aware of the manpower shortage, but some things couldn't be discussed openly. It was best to keep some things to himself, and perhaps even to maintain a facade of decency.
It's never a good thing to bring some things into the open; it's better to pretend not to know.
Zhu Yunying was in a good mood when he returned to Chunhe Palace. He was quite satisfied to see his little Zhu running around the palace with Zhu Ruyi.
"Yin'er, take Ruyi to pay your respects to your great-grandfather," Zhu Yunying said with a smile, instructing Little Zhu.
Little Zhu turned around and said, "Greetings! We just got back."
“Go again. Your father is off tomorrow,” Zhu Yunying said with a smile, turning to little Zhu. “Go tell your great-grandfather that we should all go out for a stroll tomorrow. What do you say?”
Little Zhu, who had been so affectionate with her siblings, immediately cheered and ran off. Zhu Ruyi watched longingly, but Little Zhu didn't care. Children are like that; they prefer to play with older children. These younger children are only included because they have no other playmates.
Clapping his hands, Zhu Yunying said, "Ruyi'er, Daddy will take you out to play tomorrow, okay?"
Zhu Ruyi immediately ran over and happily hugged Xiao Zhu, "Daddy, let's go out and play."
Xu Miaoqing, who was talking to Lian Qiongqiong, paused slightly. She naturally knew that Zhu Yunying doted on Zhu Ruyi. However, Xu Miaoqing didn't take it to heart, because Zhu Ruyi was, after all, a princess. Moreover, many people could clearly see the favoritism that the younger Zhu showed towards the younger Zhu.
However, the way Xiao Zhu was addressed was completely chaotic, which sometimes left Xu Miaoqing feeling helpless.
For example, little Zhu would call him "Father" one minute and "Dad" the next. But Zhu Ruyi could be called "Dad." I initially thought it was because the child was young and it was for easier pronunciation. But nowadays, only Zhu Ruyi gets this treatment.
Lian Qiongqiong remained calm and composed. Born into a family of civil officials, she was now a Noble Consort of the Ming Dynasty, a rank only slightly lower than the Empress. Although she didn't have a son, she had a beloved princess, which actually made Lian Qiongqiong feel more at ease.
It's not necessarily a good thing if the emperor favors his sons born out of wedlock instead of the crown prince. No one cares if the emperor favors a princess.
Holding her sweet-smelling baby daughter, Joo Yoon-young smiled happily, gently nibbling the little girl's hands and cheeks, making her laugh continuously.
"Great-grandfather, Father said he's going out to play." Little Zhu rushed to the Qianqing Palace and went straight to the bed. "Great-grandfather, Father is on leave."
Old Zhu rolled over helplessly and said, "Your dad has a day off tomorrow, let him take you out to play."
"But Dad said Great-Grandfather is going too." Little Zhu snuggled into the blankets and nestled against Old Zhu's chest. "Great-Grandfather, shall we go see the sugar figurines?"
Old Zhu patted Little Zhu's bottom and said with great satisfaction, "You little monkey, you only sleep soundly when you're nestled on our chest."
“Let’s stay on Dad’s chest, otherwise we won’t be able to sleep well.” Little Zhu said confidently, “Great-grandfather, let’s go to the East Palace for dinner.”
Old Zhu immediately agreed, smiling as he said, "Alright, we're all lonely here, let's go together."
Little Zhu chatted happily with Old Zhu, then skipped and hopped along, holding Old Zhu's hand as they headed towards the East Palace for a meal. This scene is quite familiar to many.
In the past, even if Emperor Zhu missed his son or grandson, he rarely went directly to the Eastern Palace. Even if he really wanted to go, he would first send someone to deliver the imperial decree, and irrelevant people would have to avoid him to avoid offending the emperor.
But now that Zhu Yuanzhang has abdicated, although he doesn't run to the Eastern Palace all the time anymore, he is indeed not as strict with himself as before.
Upon seeing Old Zhu arrive, Xu Miaoqing and Lian Qiongqiong naturally greeted him promptly. Zhu Ruyi was also somewhat timid; she didn't dare to get too close to Old Zhu, and they were relatively unfamiliar with each other.
"Serve the meal," Old Zhu waved his hand casually. "We don't have anything to do. You're just thinking nonsense all day. Who would dare to mistreat us?"
Zhu Yunying laughed and hugged Zhu Ruyi, saying, "Grandson was just worried that Grandfather would be lonely in the Qianqing Palace. It's nice for our family to have a lively meal together. We like this kind of atmosphere. A lively atmosphere is better than anything else."
Old Zhu actually quite enjoyed these things. It was enough that his other children would occasionally have meals with him, which gave him some comfort. But with his beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Old Zhu felt that even eating with them all the time wasn't enough.
Although Xu Miaoqing has relaxed a bit more now, she is still quite reserved in front of Lao Zhu. As for Lian Qiongqiong, she is even more so; she can only serve from the side and is not even given the privilege of sitting down.
Xiao Zhu and Xiao Zhu are very uninhibited; they've always been quite informal with Lao Zhu. Lao Zhu, on the other hand, doesn't need to care about such things; he simply does what he pleases. That's Lao Zhu's prestige, and that's why his position is so special.
"Yin'er said you're leaving the palace tomorrow?" Old Zhu put down his chopsticks and said to Zhu Yunying, "We can just take Yin'er with us. Why are you coming along?"
Zhu Yunying was displeased and retorted, "Grandfather, although I do know a bit about what's going on outside, I'm not willing to just read reports and listen to others' accounts all the time. There are some things I need to see for myself. Only by seeing these things can I have a clear understanding of the situation."
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