Zhu Yunying was well aware of the arrival of Zhu Su and Zhu Jixi; this was someone he had sent.
"Prepare a seat for Prince Zhou," Zhu Yunying said to Wang Chengen. "Ji Xi will just stand; he's such a troublemaker!"
Upon hearing Zhu Yunying's words, Zhu Jixi immediately lowered his head and said, "Your subject knows his crime."
Zhu Jixi and his brothers still harbored some psychological trauma towards their elder cousin. The reason was simple: although they were all grandsons of the Hongwu Emperor, and Zhu Jixi and the other princes grew up in Yingtian Prefecture, they had lived in the shadow of their cousin since childhood.
It's alright if the cousin doesn't want to go to the main hall; he can still check their studies and give pointers to their lecturers. If there are any sacrificial activities, this cousin will even stand in front of the prince, because he is the eldest grandson of the Hongwu Emperor and the imperial grandson of the Ming Dynasty, whose status is even more noble than that of favored princes such as the Prince of Qin, the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Yan, and the Prince of Zhou.
If even princes cannot compare to the Crown Prince, then there is no comparison whatsoever with the heirs of those princes.
Even though he was only a year younger than Zhu Yunying, Zhu Jixi actually knew a little about what kind of person his cousin was. For one thing, when he was still a child, his cousin could chat and laugh with his uncles and elders.
When I was little, I was probably a bit afraid of my cousin, thinking he was intelligent and favored. But now that I'm older and more sensible, I know that the rumors about my cousin having innate wisdom are not just rumors, they are facts. Moreover, this cousin learned the art of rulership from a young age.
"I'm too lazy to talk to you guys." Zhu Yunying didn't stand on ceremony, after all, he was the older brother. "With our second and third uncles away, we have to keep an eye on you. Although our second and third uncles were enfeoffed in their early years, they treated us well when they were in the capital. When we were in Beiping and on our northern tour, it was our second and third uncles who led troops to protect us."
Zhu Su said with a smile, "Seventh Brother is a real scoundrel. Second Brother and Third Brother have cursed that scoundrel quite a bit."
This naturally refers to the time when Zhu Yunying made his northern tour in his early years, and Prince Qi, Zhu Fu, dawdled and acted somewhat arrogantly, taking advantage of his status as an elder. This is also why, over the years, Prince Qi, Zhu Fu, has always seemed to be 'disliked' and 'neglected' by Zhu Yunying.
"Seventh Uncle is alright in other aspects, but he is a bit violent." Zhu Yunying didn't mince words, and he was used to commenting on his uncles. "If he were to be enfeoffed, he would commit some illegal acts. Originally, we wanted him to go to Japan, but Grandfather Emperor forbade it, saying that Seventh Uncle was not good at governing the people."
The Three Kingdoms of Japan were in a tripartite balance of power. Besides the Japanese Emperor, Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan of the Ming Dynasty, had forcefully taken over the throne and was waging wars in the south and north. To prevent the Prince of Yan from becoming too powerful, or rather, to prevent him from lacking support, Zhu Di had enfeoffed his sixth son, Zhu Zhen, the Prince of Chu, to the Prince of Yan a couple of years earlier. It seemed that the founding of the Ming Dynasty was imminent.
This was absolutely not Zhu Yunying's act of reclaiming Nanchang, the fiefdom of Prince Chu Zhu Zhen; it was simply a strategy of granting overseas fiefdoms to Ming princes.
The actual cost of granting fiefdoms overseas is higher, as it requires helping to establish a foothold in some territories, and money and people must be paid in advance.
Moreover, Zhu Zhen's penchant for taking advantage and refusal to declare himself king allowed him to legitimately continue demanding personnel and funds from the court. Otherwise, his constant petitions for aid would have given Zhu Yunying a real headache.
Therefore, when it comes to their own interests, everyone becomes very shrewd, and they all calculate their gains meticulously.
“If Seventh Uncle is willing, we can go there after we conquer Goryeo.” Zhu Yunying laughed and said, “Goryeo is actually not bad. First of all, Goryeo has always admired the culture of the Central Plains, and the Confucian tradition is deeply rooted there. Furthermore, it was originally one of the four commanderies of the Han Dynasty. Although it was eventually annexed by Goryeo, it still lasted for hundreds of years.”
Zhu Su remained silent. Establishing a kingdom and building a base outside the capital was a good option, but nothing was as comfortable as being in the Central Plains.
Moreover, the four commanderies of Han have been at war for hundreds of years, which is just talk. There has always been fighting and killing, which is not what King Zhou is interested in. Staying in the Ming Dynasty and being a wealthy prince is more in line with his personality.
As for Zhu Jixi, he didn't say much at this time, and he seemed to share the same thought. Although it seemed like it would be good to be a ruler outside the capital, he didn't think he had the talent for leading troops into battle.
To be honest, among the imperial clan, only Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants generally had some knowledge of military affairs. This was largely due to Zhu Yuanzhang's upbringing; many of his sons did indeed have practical experience leading troops, and some had even been on the battlefield.
As for Zhu Yuanzhang's grandsons, even the precocious Zhu Yunying, he actually had little experience or ability in leading troops.
Ultimately, these are either Zhu Yuanzhang's sons, born before the founding of the Ming Dynasty, when things were chaotic, or born at the very beginning of the dynasty, when Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have secured the country, but people were still worried about potential instability.
It's better to stay within the Ming Dynasty. You may not have power, but you'll enjoy wealth and comfort, and it will only get more comfortable.
Zhu Yunying didn't say anything more, but simply asked, "How is the situation with Prince Zhaode now?"
Zhu Su immediately stood up and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhaode resents the former Prince Gong of Jin's favoritism and is plotting to falsely accuse the Prince of Jin."
This is not surprising; Zhu Jihuang had the same idea: to overthrow Zhu Jixi and take his place. He felt no guilt about making false accusations; after all, Zhu Jihuang was just a half-brother, and as long as he could become a prince, he didn't care about such things.
Zhu Su continued, "I was ordered to investigate and found that Prince Zhaode often committed violent acts in his residence. He harbored resentment towards the late Prince Gong of Jin and also treated his stepmother, Princess Jin, with disrespect."
After glancing at Zhu Jixi, Zhu Yunying asked, "Is what the Prince of Zhou said true?"
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