Outside the imperial city, several carriages slowly drove towards the Fifth Gate.
Zhu Yunwen lifted the carriage curtain and called out, "Fu Zhong, are we getting off the carriage too?"
“Your Highness Prince Wu, I am under imperial command.” Fu Zhong said sternly. As the eldest son of Fu Youde and the consort of Princess Shouchun, Fu Zhong still held some status. “Your Highness Prince Wu, please do not put this humble servant in a difficult position.”
Princess Ningguo got out of the carriage at this moment and scolded her impatiently, "You only cause trouble at times like this! Get down here now, lest your royal grandfather be unhappy. If you cause trouble today, you'll be in big trouble!"
Zhu Yunwen quickly got out of the car, muttering as she did so, "Auntie, we were just worried the ridge would get cold!"
Princess Ningguo was actually Zhu Yuanzhang's second daughter, but she was born to Empress Ma. Therefore, according to some of Zhu Yuanzhang's customs, she was the eldest aunt to Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Xi, and Zhu Yue. Princess Anqing, Zhu Zhu, although Zhu Yuanzhang's fourth daughter, was the rightful 'youngest aunt'. At this time, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children was very clear.
Just like now, although Fu Zhong was also a驸马都尉 (Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant), and his wife, Princess Shouchun, was the ninth daughter of Emperor Hongwu, he was currently at the Duke of Ying's residence and had no right to come to the capital. Those who came this time were all direct descendants of Emperor Hongwu.
Even if the other members of the imperial family felt envious or resentful, they could only obediently accept their fate. To them, the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet was just a small celebration that began tomorrow; they were not qualified to attend.
After the inspection, Zhu's direct descendants naturally entered the imperial city and headed towards the Qianqing Palace.
"The imperial city my brother built in Beiping is truly magnificent!" Zhu Yunwen looked around, somewhat disdainful. "The Forbidden City in Beiping, that's what an imperial city should be. Our grandfather is so stingy, he couldn't even build a proper palace. My brother is still living in the Eastern Palace, how can that be!"
Zhu Xi quickly criticized, saying, "Don't talk nonsense!"
The Imperial City of Yingtian Prefecture was built by Zhu Yuanzhang over nearly twenty-six years, starting from the time he defeated Zhang Shicheng and sank the Little Ming King to the bottom of the river. Even when Zhu Yunying supervised the construction of the Forbidden City in Beiping, it was modeled after the Imperial City of Yingtian Prefecture.
Basically, it was just an expansion of the Yingtianfu Imperial City. The overall layout and architectural style of the Yingtianfu Imperial City became the design blueprint for the Forbidden City. Even the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Korea, the Forbidden City in Nanyue, and the Shuri Castle in the Ryukyu Kingdom were all based on the layout and style of the Yingtianfu Imperial City. This is another far-reaching influence of Zhu Yuanzhang.
Old Zhu was all smiles, and seeing his children and grandchildren arrive naturally made him quite happy.
Needless to say, the eldest daughter and son-in-law, Mei Yin, were always Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite son-in-law. Therefore, he also extended his affection to their children. As for the youngest daughter, Zhu Zhu, she was the last child he and Empress Ma raised by their side, and naturally, he loved her very much as well.
Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Xi, and Zhu Yue were not actually particularly valued by the old Zhu, but they were still his own sons' legitimate sons and daughters, not to mention his own grandsons' younger brothers and sisters, so the old Zhu naturally had more affection for them.
"Grandfather, why isn't my brother here?" Zhu Yunwen asked, looking around after exchanging greetings.
Knowing Zhu Yunwen's thoughts, Old Zhu said, "With your elder brother not here, you don't even have the confidence to act recklessly anymore? You're not a child anymore, you even have offspring, yet you still act like a child who hasn't grown up. If it weren't for your elder brother protecting you, you wouldn't even have the guts to speak!"
Not to mention Zhu Yunwen, even Zhu Xi and Zhu Yue were the same. They were already reserved in front of their grandfather, and without their elder brother by their side, they would naturally feel even less confident in front of him.
Old Zhu chuckled and said, "Your elder brother is fooling around, making us some sweets with the Crown Prince and Empress. This Emperor is never serious, there are such important matters in the court waiting for him to handle. It's been almost half a month, and he keeps dragging the Crown Prince to make cakes."
Zhu Zhu wasn't particularly afraid of Old Zhu, partly because she protected Little Zhu. "Father, your nephew is very filial. I remember when your nephew was young, you always got to eat the best things. I remember when Mother made dinner, Father and Mother ate the chicken legs, while my nephew and I ate the chicken wings."
Old Zhu laughed heartily, feeling very happy. "Everyone says daughters are considerate, but I don't think so! Back then, when you were with us and the Empress, we gave you all the best food, and you didn't even appreciate it. The Emperor was ten years younger than you, and he still protected us."
Zhu Zhu pursed her lips. Her nephew was the best at flattery. Even if the chicken leg was given away, would the Emperor and Empress really eat it? Wouldn't they be all smiles then, coaxing their nephew to eat the big chicken leg?!
Remembering something, Old Zhu coughed twice, "An emperor is an emperor, a nephew is a nephew, what's the point of calling an emperor a nephew?"
Zhu Zhu was even less inclined to speak, because her father had always taken her favoritism for granted and made no attempt to hide it.
At this moment, in the Eastern Palace, Zhu Yunying was intently watching the baking oven. Cakes were nothing new.
Cakes actually existed in Europe during the Middle Ages, and some say even in ancient Rome. However, they probably hadn't fully developed by then, as the Crusades were still ongoing, so their spread wasn't as widespread.
As for Zhu Yunying, he used some memories from his past life. Eggs, sugar, or wheat flour would definitely be no problem. But baking powder was a bit of a different story now, though he could find some substitutes.
"Cake, this cake is delicious!" Little Zhu exclaimed excitedly. "We ate it all, we ate it all!"
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