For Old Zhu, nothing could make him happier than seeing his children and grandchildren succeed.
He was a man of great talent and ambition, who rose from humble beginnings yet swept across the land. He not only expelled the Tartars but also recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, which had been lost at the end of the Tang Dynasty, thus reunifying the Han Chinese empire once again. He established the Song Dynasty, a period that never reached its zenith.
The Ming Dynasty was something that Zhu Yuanzhang could not easily part with; it was the empire he left to his descendants.
However, the Ming Dynasty could only be controlled by the eldest son of the main line; the other descendants basically only enjoyed wealth and status.
Now, two more promising sons are about to become rulers overseas, even though many of these places are considered barbaric and uncivilized by Emperor Zhu. But regardless, this is still a land with a foundation, and that is something to be proud of.
While princes of the Ming Dynasty were undoubtedly of immense prestige, the ruler of a nation was not to be underestimated. He wouldn't have given much thought to small, foreign states. However, he certainly held higher regard for the vassal states established by his own sons and grandsons.
The chubby Zhu Gaochi and the handsome Zhu Mengwan entered the palace, first going to the Qianqing Palace.
"Sun Chen Zhu Gaochi pays respects to His Majesty the Retired Emperor."
“Sun Chen Zhu Mengwan pays respects to His Majesty the Retired Emperor.”
With a broad smile, Old Zhu raised his hand and said, "Get up, all of you. You must be tired from the long journey."
With his eyes practically glued to the screen, Old Zhu chuckled and said, "I remember a few years ago, Gao Chi, though a bit chubby, was at least fair-skinned. These past few years, he's gotten thinner and darker. But if you ask me, he's gained some manly charm!"
Zhu Gaochi immediately replied respectfully, "This humble subject is unfilial, having not paid respects to His Majesty for many years. This humble subject is guilty."
"What crime is there? It's not like we're in the imperial court." Old Zhu waved his hand with a smile and said, "Don't blame me for being ruthless. Although we were all born into an imperial family, we can't be careless about the country. Your father was also thinking about making a name for himself on the battlefield, so we sent you to Japan. Now you have a base of business in Japan and you can understand our good intentions."
Zhu Gaochi naturally felt a bit of resonance with his father's words. For example, Zhu Gaochi also knew that "the most ruthless are those in the imperial family." Not to mention the Ming Dynasty, even his two younger brothers often had designs on the empires in Japan.
Over the years, Zhu Gaochi had been diligently governing the established empire, improving people's livelihoods, and winning their hearts. However, in his father's eyes, although his eldest son was capable of governing the country, he was ultimately not as valiant as his second son, who could fight on the battlefield and expand the territory.
Fortunately, Zhu Gaochi understood that although his second and third sons seemed to pose a slight threat to his position, that was only in their hometown. Zhu Gaochi knew their father better and knew that he was a man of his own mind.
The second son is fine as a general, but when it comes to governing the country, he's clearly not up to the task.
Moreover, even after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the crown princes and heirs of vassal states still needed to be officially appointed by the Ming court. Clearly, some of the Ming Dynasty's rules needed to be continued in Japan.
For example, the system of primogeniture will definitely be passed down. The second and third sons will, unsurprisingly, become the so-called 'daimyo' (female emperors).
Looking at Zhu Mengwan, Old Zhu smiled and said, "When your father was born, we were thinking of enfeoffing him to the Jingchu region. Although you also grew up in Yingtian Prefecture, you know a bit about Jingchu. It's not that we're heartless, it's just that that place is too important to the Ming Dynasty. Look at your elder brother, the Jingxiang and Lianghu regions will probably become prosperous granaries in just a few years, comparable to Jiangnan!"
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Mengwan immediately knelt down, appearing completely convinced of their authority, saying, "Your Majesty's declaration is beyond our comprehension!"
"What's there to be afraid of!" Old Zhu said with a smile. "To be honest, we know that many members of the imperial clan say that the emperor is indifferent and doesn't value family ties. They all say that being a prince in the prosperous lands of the Ming Dynasty is far better than being a ruler in a barbaric land. We know that those good-for-nothings really lack foresight."
These were words that Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Mengwan found difficult to respond to, not only because they were reluctant to criticize other members of the imperial clan. The main reason was that the Hongwu Emperor before them, or even the Ying Shi Emperor who wasn't present, were not to be trifled with; dealing with them naturally required caution.
Even members of the imperial family, even a dissolute like Prince Wu, Zhu Yunwen, dared not act recklessly at all times. In the presence of the two supreme rulers, the Hongwu Emperor and the Ying Shi Emperor, the entire court was trembling with fear. Although members of the imperial family were not worried about being beheaded, if they angered these two, they would certainly be reprimanded and punished, if not worse than death.
The court officials all revered the emperor, but the imperial family members, to a certain extent, also harbored a deep-seated fear of the person on the dragon throne. Because of their sensitive status, and because they wanted to maintain their wealth and status, they basically needed to follow the emperors' lead and avoid causing any trouble.
Moreover, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Mengwan's status is even more sensitive than that of ordinary members of the imperial family, as they will soon become heirs of vassal states.
If he hadn't left the Ming Dynasty and was still a member of the imperial family, he could indeed complain at times. But his current status is different; if he were to complain now, it might cause some trouble.
In fact, Zhu Gaochi quite liked things the way they were now. Although going to Japan meant being subject to the constraints of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was far away, and he was on his own territory, which was much more comfortable than being a vassal king in the Ming Dynasty.
Looking at Zhu Gaochi, Old Zhu asked again, "We sent some reports earlier, and you did well on that end. Your father's mind is all on war; managing a household is not easy. At the beginning of our Ming Dynasty, our national strength was weak. Even if we had great ambitions, it wouldn't have mattered because the national treasury was empty. The emperor only dared to use troops in the last two years because our Ming Dynasty has accumulated some resources over thirty years."
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