Although Emperor Hongwu no longer interferes in state affairs and seems to be solely focused on nurturing the young Zhu Yuanzhang and enjoying his retirement, he remains a pillar of support for many.
Old Zhu was actually very busy, probably because he had returned to Yingtian Prefecture and couldn't stay idle at all.
Even as the retired emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang was still careful to maintain the dignity of his son, Zhu Yuanzhang. It was only when Zhu Yuanzhang had just ascended the throne that Zhu Yuanzhang would occasionally appear in court, and that was only because there were important matters that required his support.
However, now Zhu felt there was no need to go to the court. Xiao Zhu had already taken control of the underworld, and his imperial power was supreme. While not all the officials in the court were subservient, he certainly held the reins of power, so there was nothing to worry about.
This made Zhu Yuanzhang more consciously withdraw from public life and unwilling to appear in court easily.
Just like this time when he returned from his inspection tour, Zhu Yuanzhang traveled lightly back to the palace, only paid respects at the Fengxian Hall, and then disappeared from many people's sight again. For Zhu Yuanzhang, this was enough; he refused to see any officials from outside the capital.
It's not good for policies to be issued by two separate entities. Although in the early years, both the First and Second Zhu Emperors were involved in governance, wielding power almost indistinguishable from that of the Emperor. However, even though the First and Second Zhu Emperors were essentially "executive vice emperors," their policies wouldn't conflict with the First Zhu Emperor's main policies.
Now, Emperor Zhu thinks the same way. If he makes any statement, the entire court will naturally have to take it into consideration. Even Zhu Yunying, who currently seems to have supreme imperial power, will inevitably have to consider Emperor Zhu's opinion.
Ultimately, it's the influence of Zhu Yuanzhang that won't disappear in less than three years. As long as Zhu Yuanzhang is alive, he will remain the supreme ruler of the Ming Dynasty, and even Zhu Yunying cannot shake his position.
Zhu Yunying understood this principle, and so did the old Zhu. They had no inherent conflict; they were of one mind. However, even if these two supreme rulers didn't express their opinions, many civil and military officials would still have to guess their intentions, which might lead to some minor conflicts in court.
As for foreign officials, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally didn't need to see them. Even when many nobles wanted to see him, he was too lazy to do so.
But he would definitely see his sons and daughters. As for his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who wanted to see him, Old Zhu would see them depending on the circumstances. As for his great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, Old Zhu rarely saw many of them.
Little Zhu stood casually in front of Old Zhu and said, "Your Highness, if you don't give us another uncle soon, our great-grandfather will be unhappy."
That's how seniority is determined. As Zhu Mo's twenty-first son, he was younger than Zhu Yunying, but their seniority was significant. If he had any children, he would be Zhu Yunying's cousin and Zhu Yunying's uncle.
Old Zhu looked at Little Zhu with a broad smile, then said to Zhu Mo, "Look, even the Crown Prince knows this principle, but you don't seem to care at all! You're twenty-one years old already, you should know these things. If you ask us, isn't there something wrong with Zhang's side?"
Zhu Mo quickly said, "Your subject knows his mistake."
At 21, she still hadn't had a child, and Zhu Mo naturally knew that this was "shameful," so it was normal for her to be criticized by Lao Zhu.
Little Zhu thought for a moment and said, "The Twenty-First Prince can take a concubine. If our Twenty-First Grandmother has children in the future, that will be fine too. It's only right if our Twenty-First Prince has an heir. Otherwise, our great-grandfather won't be at ease, and neither will our father."
Old Zhu beamed with joy, thinking that his great-grandson was indeed promising. "Let's do as the Crown Prince says. We'll go and tell the Empress later to help you choose a concubine. As long as there's an heir, that's fine. Don't worry too much about Zhang Shi. If she has children in the future, that's enough."
What else can Zhu Mo say? Although he and Zhang had a very good relationship, in that era, filial impiety was considered the greatest of the three unfilial acts, and having no descendants was considered the greatest misfortune.
Moreover, he was the Prince of Shen of the Ming Dynasty. No matter how good his relationship with the Zhang family was, he still had to consider his lineage and the succession of the royal family.
After meeting his twenty-first son, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to see his twenty-second son, Prince An, Zhu Ying. He was nineteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), had recently married, and also had no children. Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't particularly anxious, but he hoped his twenty-second son would be more promising.
“You’re still better, better than your grandfather and your father.” Old Zhu looked at little Zhu with a smile and then said, “Your grandfather always had his eye on your grandmother. After your grandmother passed away, he took a liking to that Lady Lü. Your father isn’t much better. He doesn’t have many concubines in the harem, and he spends all his time revolving around your mother.”
While eating lychees, Little Zhu said nonchalantly, "Our father goes to the Imperial Noble Consort's place, and also to the Consort Shu and the Consort Xian, as well as the Consort Zhao and the Consort Jie. Our father just doesn't like them, we all know that. Our father likes governing, he doesn't like women."
"That's alright. You don't have many children, but you don't have too few either," Old Zhu said with a smile. "Don't be like your father, thinking only about snacks and politics. You are the crown prince of our Great Ming Dynasty, and your offspring are also related to the country and the nation."
Little Zhu nodded seriously, but her words were somewhat perfunctory: "I know, we'll have a son as soon as we get married."
Prince An, Zhu Ying, also arrived at the Qianqing Palace at this time and paid his respects in accordance with the proper etiquette, saying, "Your subject pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor, and Your subject greets His Highness the Crown Prince."
Little Zhu, with a serious expression, had already put down the lychee and picked up the large jade tablet, standing next to Old Zhu.
"Zhu Wenyin has met the Twenty-Second Prince."
Old Zhu smiled and raised his hand, saying, "We're all family, no need for such formalities."
Zhu Ying really wanted to complain, mainly because all these polite and formal rules were set by Old Zhu. Old Zhu even deliberately made Little Zhu stand to the side holding the Imperial Jade Tablet in order to elevate Little Zhu's status.
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