Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, if my elder brother isn't in the capital then, have the Empress help organize the banquet. Speaking of which, it's time to bestow an title upon Qin'er. You should submit a memorial later, and Qin'er should be established as the heir apparent."
Although according to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, princes, vassal kings, and some dukes and marquises were all conferred titles at the age of ten.
Similarly, princes were all appointed at the age of ten. However, everyone understood that it wasn't guaranteed that someone would be appointed at ten; many had to wait, some for a year or two, others for five or six years.
Xu Miaoqing then said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Qin'er's birthday banquet should be held at the manor. What would it be like if I were to hold it for him?"
“You’re Qin’er’s aunt, so it’s naturally your responsibility to handle this,” Zhu Yunying said irritably. “Or, how about I, as her uncle, help out?”
Xu Huizu immediately stood up and bowed deeply, saying, "Your subject dares not."
Zhu Yunying raised his hand and then said to Little Zhu, "Today you keep an eye on your uncles, especially your eldest uncle. If he gets up again, you hold him back. Otherwise, we'll deal with you later!"
Little Zhu, clutching a duck leg and with a greasy face, said, "If you punish me, I'll go to the Qing Palace!"
Well, Little Zhu's backer is too strong; Zhu Yunying is finding it hard to handle.
“This child is spoiled rotten by his grandfather, so we dare not say anything,” Xu Miaoqing said with a smile, though she sounded somewhat Versailles-like. “He was better before, but now he’s getting more and more arrogant. Whenever His Majesty tries to discipline him, he goes to his grandfather to complain, and His Majesty gets a lot of complaints from his grandfather. We dare not say anything now.”
Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "There's nothing we can do. After all, he is the eldest son of our Zhu family. Whether he is well-educated or not is a matter for us and our grandfather."
The Xu family was actually quite happy. The Crown Prince's position was so secure, so of course they were pleased. Although the Crown Prince's position was not as high as that of the 'former emperor' or the 'current emperor', it seemed that the position of the heir apparent in the Ming Dynasty had always been very stable, and there was no need to worry about the father-son distrust that had occurred in previous dynasties.
Little Zhu said smugly, "We're going to the Beijing Garrison in a few days to see the orphans of the Imperial Guards."
Zhu Yunying immediately looked at Xu Yingxu and said, "Second brother, you have to go along with this."
Xu Yingxu naturally accepted the order immediately. In previous years, he had risked his life to obtain a title, and now he also held a position in the court as the Vice Commander of the Central Army and the Right Chamberlain of the Eastern Palace, in charge of the affairs of the Eastern Palace. In essence, this meant he had been assigned to Little Zhu's side, commanding the Imperial Guard Orphans Army.
Looking at Xu Yingxu, Zhu Yunying said, "Second brother, we still need to talk to you about this. A few days ago, the Emperor summoned eldest brother to the palace for some matters."
Xu Huizu immediately lowered his head. There was no such thing as a pleasant banquet. He had 'dined' in the Qianqing Palace, a time of trepidation and profuse sweating, and even now, the thought still sent shivers down his spine. And now, at the Eastern Palace, he was still incredibly nervous.
“In a few days, my eldest brother will be heading north to Liaodong, and the court will probably be going to use troops.” Zhu Yunying said with a smile, no longer hiding anything. “As for my second brother, our original intention was to have him go to Tianjin to take charge. But after thinking about it, my second brother already has a title. As for my third brother, he has always been staying in the Governor’s Office, only going out to train troops, which is not good.”
The third brother, naturally, is Xu Zengshou, who is currently the Vice Commander of the Right Army Commandery, a first-rank official.
This is also the first meritorious official to be granted a title by Zhu Di after he ascended the throne. He was the one who repeatedly informed Zhu Di of the deployment in the capital after he raised his army, and was eventually executed on the spot by Zhu Yunying after Zhu Di crossed the Yangtze River.
However, Xu Zengshou is not as glorious or as fickle as he once was. He cannot support other princes because his brother-in-law is the emperor and his nephew is the crown prince. The Xu family is more reluctant than others to see the imperial power shake up.
Looking at Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Second brother and third brother, one of us needs to stay in the court to help us control the capital garrison and protect the crown prince. As for you two, one of you should also go out with the eldest brother, not only to support each other from afar, but also to make some military achievements."
Xu Yingxu immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please let the third prince leave. I am now a cripple, it is better for me to stay in the capital."
Calling him a cripple is definitely an exaggeration; he's only affected by his personal combat experience. However, he has led troops and has merits. Giving the opportunity to the third prince, who lacks military achievements, is one thing; personally protecting the crown prince is clearly more important.
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