Outside Yingtian Prefecture, imposing imperial guards and mighty Han generals, armed with weapons, stood guard around the magnificent carriage of the Ming emperor.
As for the princes' and princesses' entourage following behind the emperor's carriage, they no longer seem to be the most important.
The most important thing is that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty led his imperial relatives, civil and military officials out of the city.
Although many people understood that this was the emperor's way of showing affection for his sister, the civil and military officials had no objections and considered it perfectly normal.
Simply put, she was the emperor's sister, a princess, a status that was already quite high. Moreover, the Mu family was stationed in Yunnan, and the heir of the Duke of Qian was with them, so naturally, they needed to show the emperor's favor.
In fact, at this time, Zhu Yunying had summoned his younger brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces to the emperor's carriage. This was not considered an overstepping of the rules; throughout history, it has been common for members of the imperial family or meritorious officials to ride in the same carriage as the emperor.
The representatives of this group were Emperor Jing of Han and his younger brother, the King of Liang.
They chatted about everyday things, but naturally, there was a lot of reluctance in their parting. Zhu Yunying knew that this separation meant it would be difficult to see each other again in the short term, perhaps three or five years. It was even possible that they might never see each other again in this lifetime.
There's nothing that can be done about it. The emperor has his responsibilities, and the imperial clan has their obligations. Now they've all grown up, have their own families and lives, and all we can do is fulfill our duties.
"Elder sister, I think we should go to Yunnan to take a look after some time," Zhu Yunwen said casually. "Grandfather used to forbid princes from running around, but now my brother has changed the rules, and princes can run around freely now."
Previously, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang worried that the princes would secretly collude, so he forbade them to leave their fiefdoms easily, and even now, audiences with the emperor must be scheduled at different times. But the current Emperor Ying Shi is different; he has long since "reduced the power of the princes," and the princes of the Ming Dynasty are now nominal but powerless.
Therefore, as long as the reason is reasonable, the emperor is quite magnanimous and will allow princes to go sightseeing. Of course, given the special status of these princes, there are certain restrictions on their travels; they certainly won't be wandering around aimlessly.
Zhu Xi criticized, "Don't think about playing all day long. Now that you have children, you should be more sensible."
Zhu Yue said irritably, "It would be strange if he could be sensible! We don't even remember our mother anymore. If we see her again in the future, we'll definitely tell her about Yun Tong's awful behavior. He's such a worry."
Zhu Yunying simply listened and smiled from the side, but gradually he too began to feel the true sorrow of parting.
Zhu Xi and Zhu Yue were silently shedding tears, and even the seemingly纨绔 (playboy/spoiled brat) Zhu Yunying was shedding tears at this moment. As the eldest brother and father, Zhu Yunying didn't care about anything else and simply hugged his younger siblings silently.
Five miles outside the city gate of Yingtian Prefecture, this is a scene where even the imperial family has kinship. Two or three hundred kilometers away in his hometown of Fengyang, an old farmer wearing a coarse cloth shirt with his trousers rolled up sat on the edge of a field watching other farmers holding plows and leading oxen.
Not far from the old farmer, a chubby little boy, whose skin was fairer and more delicate than that of the average farm child, was happily bouncing around in the paddy field. Like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, he didn't care about being covered in mud; he was beaming with joy and pride.
"Great-grandfather, we caught another frog!" Little Zhu proudly held up the frog and said, "Let's catch a few more and cook them when we get home."
Old Zhu chuckled and said to Little Zhu, "Come here, aren't you cold yet?! Shuangquan, change the Crown Prince's clothes."
Little Zhu clearly didn't care about these things; he was very happy to be back in his hometown of Fengyang. Visiting the ancestral tombs was a perfectly normal thing to do, and after finishing these tasks, Old Zhu took Little Zhu for a stroll through the streets and alleys.
Old Zhu looked much better after returning to his hometown. He had returned to the place where he grew up, even though many of his old neighbors and playmates were no longer there. It was just that Chinese people have a strong attachment to their hometown and find it hard to leave their native land, and Old Zhu was no exception.
After Little Zhu finished washing his hands, Old Zhu was also supervised to wash his hands, and Old Zhu began his happy nagging.
"It's only because your father and you can control us that we can do anything else. Otherwise, we would say that you two are only good at being emperors and crown princes! In ordinary farming families, who is so particular that you have to wash your hands before eating?"
Little Zhu immediately said, "You should wash your hands after peeing or pooping, so you won't get sick. That's just how I am. I like cleanliness and I like running and jumping outside. I'm the healthiest person in the family, no one can compare to me."
Old Zhu chuckled as he took a bite of his steamed bun, then said, "It's still edible, but you love meat too much. If we weren't worried about your dad complaining, we'd let you eat meat. But we don't think it's right. If we want to live a better life, you should eat some vegetables."
Little Zhu was frustrated. He had never liked eating vegetables, but he had no choice but to eat more vegetables to maintain a balanced diet. He might not understand the underlying principles, but his father kept emphasizing it, so Little Zhu had no choice but to accept it.
Old Zhu was in a good mood and said, "Yingtian Prefecture is good, but we always miss Fengyang. This is our home and our roots. If it weren't for your great-grandmother and your imperial grandfather being buried in Xiaoling, we would really like to be buried here when we get old."
Little Zhu didn't take it seriously and was very carefree. "After we ascend the throne, we'll find a piece of land next to Xiaoling Mausoleum. At that time, we'll be in front of our great-grandfather, between our father and great-grandfather."
"Nonsense." Old Zhu smiled broadly, but still said, "Now that you've ascended the throne, you're all in Beiping. It's not good to travel so far. Your father had no choice; he had to build an imperial mausoleum right after ascending the throne. As for you, your mausoleum will be built in Beiping."
Little Zhu was very determined and said, "You and Father are both here, while we're in Beiping?! Let's find a place in Xiaoling Mausoleum. Once we become emperor, no one can control us. Even my father can't say anything to me."
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