Zhu Yunying nodded slightly and then said, "Don't just say it's good; you should also do good deeds."
Although he was reprimanded by the emperor again, Ru Chang wasn't too worried. He didn't need to worry about losing the emperor's favor. This was not only because he had been the emperor's former study companion, but also because Ru Chang was quite confident in his own abilities.
Even though she wasn't doing her job perfectly in the Ministry of Personnel, Ru Chang understood that even the most outstanding official couldn't possibly do everything perfectly, and there would always be some oversights.
Moreover, Ru Chang naturally understood the current emperor's personality. Although he had been reprimanded, it didn't mean the emperor would punish anyone. This emperor, while having lofty ambitions, was not the kind of unreasonable person.
He allowed some纨绔 (spoiled brats) among the imperial family and also tolerated various ulterior motives among some people in the court. As long as they didn't cross the emperor's bottom line, this emperor was a very 'tolerant' ruler.
Ru Chang, the Minister of Personnel, took his leave. At this moment, Duke Chang Mao arrived and bowed respectfully. Even though he was facing his eldest nephew, since his eldest nephew was sitting on the dragon throne, Chang Mao bowed with a clear conscience and willingness.
Not to mention now that my eldest nephew is sitting on the dragon throne, I also had the privilege of seeing him when he was still an infant when I came to the palace with my mother to pay my respects to my eldest sister in my younger days. At that time, not only Chang Mao, but even his mother bowed to him.
They even addressed him very politely, saying things like "Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince, may His Highness live a long life." But even with such proper etiquette, it still greatly displeased Empress Ma at the time. What Crown Prince? Even if he was still an infant, he was still the "Crown Prince."
"Uncle, please don't mention going to Goryeo to get some Silla maids again." Zhu Yunying had a headache, then looked at Wang Chengen, "Didn't I say that if Uncle offers a palace token, we won't accept it?"
Wang Chengen said with a bitter face, "Your Majesty, the Duke is on duty today, and His Highness Prince Wu is also outside."
Zhu Yunying glanced at Chang Mao, who was grinning with a smug look on his face, and was truly speechless. "Uncle, are you going to launch the main attack or a feint? Why don't you just let Yunhuo come over too? The two of you can talk it over together. I'm too lazy to persuade them one by one."
Wang Chengen was quick-witted and immediately gave a wink, and naturally a eunuch went to summon Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yunwen, all smiles, entered the hall in his everyday clothes and immediately bowed deeply, saying, "Your subject, Prince Wu, Yunwen, greets Your Majesty the Emperor. Long live Your Majesty!"
Zhu Yunying remained silent, simply letting Zhu Yunzhu remain kneeling, which left Zhu Yunzhu dumbfounded. Continuing to kneel was problematic, but getting up wasn't out of concern for his elder brother's anger; rather, it would likely hinder his plans.
Seeing Zhu Yunying's embarrassment, Zhu Yunying said irritably, "What you're doing now is something we've already done. Back then, we could barely walk properly, but we already knew how to cheat. Let alone the Wuying Hall and Wenhua Hall, even the Fengtian Hall, we would just crawl over and lie down there."
Zhu Yunwen was filled with envy and said sourly, "Brother, when we were young we were confused and didn't know that. Besides, if we really followed your example, I'm afraid Grandfather and Father would be angry. If you ask me, only you can do that."
That's true. When Zhu Yunying acts spoiled, Old Zhu only finds it heartwarming and endearing. But if any of his other children or grandchildren did the same, Old Zhu would be furious.
Zhu Yunwen got up, looked around, and said, "Elder brother, are you confused? You want us and my uncle to stand here?"
Wang Chengen kept his head down and didn't speak. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dare to let someone take the seat without permission. Who would dare to do that without His Majesty's approval?
Zhu Yunying nodded and then said, "Uncle, you have a seat, but you're standing! Tell me yourself, as the Prince of Wu of the Great Ming Dynasty, and our own brother, how dare you ask for a seat here? Your salary as a member of the imperial family, your share in the Maritime Trade Office, your dividends in the bank—have you been shortchanged? How much of our palace property have you taken away?"
Among the Ming Dynasty imperial family, Zhu Yunwen was undoubtedly the most adept at accumulating wealth, even though he wasn't good at managing money. But what could he do? He was Zhu Yunying's younger brother, and with his special status, Zhu Yunwen was certainly not short of money. It's just a pity that he was also a prolific spender.
Zhu Yunwen said with a bitter face, "Brother, your nephew is too troublesome. Yesterday he even broke one of our corals. We have received many rewards in the palace over the years, many of which are imperial items. We dare not sell them. We dare not give away any of the rewards."
Zhu Yunwen was now fearless, or rather, extremely shameless. What does 'reward' mean? It means shamelessly begging and pleading, making him look so pitiful that people had to be generous.
If we're talking about a brother-obsessed demon, Zhu Yunying does have a bit of that trait.
At this moment, Zhu Yunwen said, "Your Majesty, the Goryeo Yi family has committed heinous crimes, and the people of Goryeo are suffering greatly. Our Great Ming has raised righteous troops to punish their crimes and relieve their suffering. This is like timely rain, and the people are overjoyed!"
Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh and teased, "Oh, you've made progress. You even know Mencius now and know about punishing the wicked and comforting the people."
“Brother, we have at least been to the Grand Hall,” Zhu Yunwen said unhappily. “Everyone knows that you are precocious. As for my reputation as a playboy, I reckon it’s all just rumors.”
Zhu Yunying said earnestly, "We were just saying. You are a prince and a duke, one is my brother and the other is my uncle. You're only interested in Silla maids? Your households don't lack maids. If you really wanted Silla maids, we would pretend we didn't know. But you two are trying to buy and sell Silla maids."
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