There's nothing surprising about Lao Zhu's differential treatment; these things seem perfectly normal to everyone, and many people have become immune to them.
Zhu Yunwen only received a slight reprimand from his father, Zhu, basically just to warn him not to act recklessly because of the emperor's favor. The emperor is currently handling some important matters, and thus, even close brothers are needed to deal with potential threats.
Zhu Yunwen quickly assured his elder brother that even if he couldn't be of great help, he would absolutely not hold him back. He would definitely complete any task assigned by his elder brother, and he would do everything in his power to do it well!
Emperor Zhu was very pleased with Zhu Yunwen's statement. He didn't think Zhu Yunwen was flattering him or saying nice things; he knew Zhu Yunwen was telling the truth. Even if Zhu Yunwen was somewhat of a playboy and incompetent, he was still very considerate to the emperor.
In a good mood, Emperor Zhu bestowed some treasures upon Zhu Yunwen. Upon hearing that Zhu Yunwen wanted to take a concubine, Emperor Zhu beamed with encouragement, for his greatest joy was seeing his family prosper.
Just then, Shuangquan ran over with a beaming smile, "Your Majesty, great news!"
Looking at Shuangquan, Old Zhu asked curiously, "Tell me, what's the good news?"
"Her Majesty the Empress summoned the imperial physician today to examine her pulse, and he said that Her Majesty is pregnant." Shuangquan knelt down, extremely excited, and said, "Congratulations to His Majesty the Retired Emperor! Congratulations to His Majesty the Retired Emperor!"
Old Zhu laughed heartily and picked up little Zhu from his shoulders. "Your mother is pregnant, so now you have a younger brother or sister! We've always told your father that he should have given you a younger brother or sister long ago, like your father, your second uncle, and your aunt! That would have been wonderful!"
Little Zhu immediately pouted, unhappy. "Great-grandfather, does Dad still like me? Dad only lets his sister call him 'Dad,' and we're not allowed to call him that."
"Your father loves his daughters the most," Old Zhu laughed, holding little Zhu in his arms. "But to be honest, no matter how well your father treats your sister, it can't compare to you. You are the crown prince of our Great Ming Dynasty, your father loves you the most, and we love you the most too."
Old Zhu heard the commotion, and so did Little Zhu; such a thing could not be kept secret.
After the imperial physicians examined Xu Miaoqing's pulse and confirmed the pregnancy, they naturally dared not be careless. Even if it were any other concubine who was pregnant, let alone the Empress, they would still need to immediately inform His Majesty the Emperor.
Zhu Yunying was still very happy. Although he now had two sons and a daughter, Xu Miaoqing was pregnant again, which made him very happy. It was not a bad thing.
Compared to becoming a father for the first time, the joy he felt now was slightly less. However, Xu Miaoqing still needed to be treated with the proper respect. Not only did Zhu Yunying receive a constant stream of nourishing products, but Old Zhu also generously took out many good things from the imperial treasury to take with him.
Xu Huizu was still somewhat confused; he didn't even know what he had done to receive such a reward from the palace. Not only from the emperor, but also from the retired emperor.
Whether Xu Huizu was happy or confused at this moment was not really important. Giving Xu Huizu some rewards was mainly to please Xu Miaoqing and to make the Empress's maternal family feel honored.
Now that there is already a Crown Prince, it is certainly a good thing that the Empress has another child. This is just 'icing on the cake'; it is not enough to make Old Zhu and Young Zhu immediately go to offer sacrifices to their ancestors, nor is it enough for Zhu Yunwen to rush back to his hometown of Fengyang to report the good news.
Zhu Yunying also rushed back to the East Palace. Upon seeing Xu Miaoqing, Zhu Yunying laughed, "You weren't feeling well, and you didn't even tell me?"
"Your Majesty," Xu Miaoqing greeted him gently, "I am just a little uneasy, but I don't think it's anything serious. Besides, I have given birth to Your Majesty's child, so I know a little about it. I summoned the imperial physician to ask him about it."
Zhu Yunying immediately laughed and said, "It's also because we were careless. If we had known these things, we should have had someone come and take a look long ago."
Zhu Yunying was just saying that; in reality, despite having two sons and a daughter, he still lacked experience in some matters.
Xu Miaoqing naturally understood this principle as well. The emperor was busy with important military and national affairs all day long, so he didn't have much time or energy to take care of things in the harem.
The emperor treats her well on a daily basis, and that's enough. If she were to become arrogant and take advantage of his favor, constantly bothering the emperor with matters big and small, then she would naturally be unqualified as empress and would find it difficult to be a qualified mother of the nation.
"Mom." Little Zhu ran back happily, covered in sweat. "Mom, you have to give us a little brother. We like little brothers, we don't like little sisters."
Old Zhu, who strolled up behind Little Zhu, was even happier. Why did he dote on this great-grandson so much? Besides being the eldest son of the legitimate wife, the main reason was that this great-grandson's words and actions always met Old Zhu's 'wishes'.
Zhu Yunying laughed and hugged little Zhu tightly, saying, "Look at you, you're all sweaty from running. Come here, let me wipe you down."
After saying this, Zhu Yunying looked at Wang Chengen and said, "Have someone come over too. The Emperor and the Crown Prince ran over under the sun, and now it's getting chilly in the palace. Don't let them get cold."
Old Zhu waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's alright, it's alright. It's a good thing that the Empress is pregnant. You two should have more children. It will be helpful for Yin'er in the future. Don't be greedy for comfort."
Zhu Yunying was speechless. Old Zhu had indeed reminded him of this matter many times, intentionally or unintentionally. There were some things that even if Xiao Zhu wanted to hide them, they simply couldn't.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
