There was no way around it; she was his aunt. Zhu Yunying was basically raised by this aunt until he was four or five years old. If we're talking about closeness, then it's genuine. She's also the only surviving elder who raised Zhu Yunying, making their relationship even more special.
In fact, the princesses of the Ming Dynasty enjoyed a more stable and prosperous life compared to those of previous dynasties. Even during the prosperous Han and Tang dynasties, princesses were often married off to foreign rulers. While the Song Dynasty appeared wealthy, aside from what happened after its fall, the sons-in-law of princesses were not allowed to hold official positions in the court.
In the Ming Dynasty, the Grand Princess was Zhu Yuanzhang's daughter. Even though Zhu Yuanzhang favored sons over daughters, he treated his daughters quite well.
The eldest princess is the daughter of the first emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty. Although the first emperor is no longer alive, she has her grandfather, Zhu Yunying, protecting her, and her elder brother, Zhu Yunying, safeguarding her. So there is no need to worry.
As for the princess, Zhu Ruyi was Zhu Yunying's apple of his eye. She just couldn't compare to the young Crown Prince Zhu; everyone else fawned over her because she had to win Zhu Yunying's favor.
After taking a sip of wine, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "My second uncle has a special status now, so you can go and visit my fifth uncle today. My fourth uncle can also come along. If any members of our clan are interested in going to Goryeo to establish a kingdom, I hope the elders can ask on my behalf."
This is the important matter. Not to mention Mei Yin, who was already a favorite son-in-law of Zhu Yunying, even Liu Zhi, who was a source of frustration for Zhu Yunying, knew that Zhu Yunying was talking about the important matter.
Looking at Fu Zhong, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "Ninth Uncle, go to Luzhou and bring back Yin'er's Second Uncle. It's been almost half a year since the Emperor took Yin'er on his tour of the four directions. We still get a headache just thinking about it."
Fu Zhong could only obey the order; he dared not say more about the Emperor Emeritus's affairs. As for the Crown Prince's second maternal uncle, Xu Yingxu, his status was naturally special, and it was quite normal for him to guard the Crown Prince.
But now that he's being sent back to the capital, this marquis, who has also experienced fierce battles and made military achievements, might have other uses.
Mei Yin then spoke up, "Your Majesty, it is I who should make the trip. I'm afraid the Emperor Emeritus will not grant permission..."
"Uncle is joking. With the Emperor here, there's no need to worry about even a thousand troops. He can certainly protect the Crown Prince," Zhu Yunying said confidently with a smile. "If Uncle goes there, the Emperor will scold us for being distant. He hasn't given Uncle any important responsibilities all these years, and the Emperor has complained about us quite a bit."
He didn't immediately speak, but said, "Your subject dares not."
During the reign of the Hongwu Emperor, Mei Yin was highly valued. He was appointed as the Shandong Provincial Education Commissioner, dispatched to Beiping for disaster relief, and inspected the troops of the Fengyang Garrison Command – none of these were minor matters. However, during the reign of the Ying Shi Emperor, Mei Yin seemed to be less favored than before in the first two years.
Zhu Yunying then smiled and said, "We're in a difficult position too. We thought that my second aunt and uncle were a harmonious couple, but the Emperor complained that we didn't give our own family members important positions. We sent my second aunt and uncle out on official business, but the Emperor complained that we made him work so hard. It's mainly my second aunt who's complaining. My fourth aunt and uncle are much better; they let my fourth aunt enjoy traveling and sightseeing. If Yunying hadn't rushed off on this trip, my fourth aunt and uncle probably would have come along too."
Zhu Yunying's helpless tone made everyone in the hall laugh; it was probably the truth.
Zhu Yunying's helplessness in the face of Princess Anqing and Zhu Yuntong was particularly evident. One was his closest 'little aunt,' and the other was his most favored younger brother—neither of them were easy to deal with. Add to that a 'lazy' uncle, and the nephew emperor was even more helpless.
Then Zhu Yunying looked at Fu Zhong and said, "Uncle-in-law, remember to do some things for us now that you've gone. Although there are still wars in the Ming Dynasty, there are signs of neglect in the local garrisons. Uncle-in-law, remember to inspect the local garrisons."
Protecting Emperor Zhu was out of the question, because Emperor Zhu's military talent didn't need to be proven to anyone else.
Fu Zhong's task was to inspect the various military garrisons. The Ming Dynasty had not enjoyed peace for very long. However, some garrisons in the interior were indeed not as diligent in their training as they had been in earlier years, which was something that Zhu Yunying was worried about.
Throughout history, the border armies have generally been the most elite. But the garrisons in the interior cannot be neglected either; it's only been a short time since the founding of the dynasty!
Zhu Yunying felt that there was no problem with sending Fu Zhong to inspect the area.
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