The Ming Dynasty of today is no longer in the state of ruins that it once was, where everything was in disarray. It no longer needs the Empress to lead the concubines and princesses in doing needlework to make ends meet, or to constantly reduce the expenses of the palace.
Although both the old Zhu and the young Zhu were frugal and disliked extravagance, the Ming Dynasty palace wasn't exactly a place of decadence. However, when it came to food and drink, there was no problem at all, especially when it came to the young Zhu.
If it were Old Zhu himself, a simple meal of flatbread and soup would suffice; as long as he was full, that was enough. But if it were his descendants, they certainly wouldn't have any problem eating something better.
When it comes to his eldest son, eldest grandson, or beloved eldest great-grandson, Old Zhu is never stingy.
He would give him anything of the best he could. If the palace didn't have it, he would have it brought in from outside. Old Zhu wouldn't be stingy. It was no problem for his precious great-grandson to eat delicacies. Old Zhu wasn't worried that little Zhu would eat the Ming Dynasty out of house and home. What he was worried about was that his precious great-grandson wouldn't eat enough or eat well. Being able to eat well was a blessing.
“Great-grandfather, we just saw that the Duke of Ying and the Duke of Zhongshan have split their forces, which is good.” Little Zhu laughed and said, “It’s just that Wu Gao’s side is not good. If their detachment can also advance, we can besiege Kaicheng before winter.”
Old Zhu patiently explained, "This detachment crossed the sea, and not only were the men and horses exhausted, but their supplies were also inferior to those carried by land. Although our Ming Dynasty's navy is powerful, we still have to consider the storms at sea. Besides, those treacherous father and son from Goryeo are not fools. They know that our Ming Dynasty's detachment can strike directly at the heart of the enemy, so they have gathered a large force to block them."
Little Zhu thought for a moment, then said, "We don't like the Champion Marquis's fighting style. He's too powerful; it's either a resounding victory or a crushing defeat. We prefer the Marquis of Changping; we can just play it safe and overwhelm him with sheer force. If only our Ming Dynasty had a Li Jing, that would be great too—I'd be Li Jing!"
Little Zhu has gotten too big for his britches; he's even thinking of learning from Li Jing.
Perhaps because he received a lot of praise in life and was also considered to have some talent in martial arts, this idea was really bold.
Old Zhu laughed heartily and said, "The Duke of Ying does have some of the flair of Chang Yuchun back then, and Lan Yu is somewhat similar as well. But to say that they are similar to Huo Qubing would be an exaggeration. For thousands of years, our Han dynasty has only produced one Marquis of Champion."
Little Zhu was unhappy and said, "In all these thousands of years, there has only been one King Kaiping, who was our great-grandfather. Without King Kaiping, there would be no grandmother, and without grandmother, there would be no father, and no us! King Kaiping was powerful, and Marquis Guanjun was powerful too!"
"You won't even let us speak ill of him?!" Old Zhu said, feeling jealous. "I thought you just wouldn't allow anyone to talk about the Zhu family!"
It's best for Xiao Zhu to remain silent at this point, because he might accidentally become an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire, and he can't afford to offend anyone!
Little Zhu wasn't annoyed and continued to laugh with Old Zhu; he truly didn't know fear.
Patting Little Zhu's head, Old Zhu sighed and said, "You little rascal, you're much more of a troublemaker than your dad was when he was a kid."
“Our father was precocious. When he was a child, he had the thoughts of an adult. We are not precocious; we are just children.” Little Zhu, relying on Old Zhu’s favor, said fearlessly, “Great-grandfather, our father is definitely eyeing the dragon throne. We are different. We like our great-grandfather so much because we are truly close to him. We just like our great-grandfather.”
Zhu Yunying choked and coughed several times before saying, "You scoundrel, how can you talk about us like this? If outsiders hear this, they'll say you're extremely unfilial, and we'll be considered unfilial as well."
Old Zhu chuckled and said, "Your father wasn't close to us at first, but he was closer to your great-grandmother and your great-grandmother. I remember he only became close to us when he turned one year old and realized we were the emperor. What Yin'er said is right, your father only had his eyes on our dragon throne. Yin'er is different, he genuinely likes us."
“That’s what we think too,” Little Zhu said firmly. “We’re all this age now, and we just play and study all day. When our father was this age, he was always thinking about the Maritime Trade Office and how to take over the navy. Our father wasn’t even ten years old yet, and he was already discussing moving the capital with his great-grandfather and grandfather!”
Looking at the beaming little Zhu, Zhu Yunying suddenly said, "Alright, in a few days you will also go to the court to stand and observe the government."
Little Zhu immediately fell silent, looking at Old Zhu with a pleading expression. Although he was precocious and reckless, this kid wasn't completely clueless; he still had his own little schemes and ideas.
"Look at you!" Old Zhu said, displeased, criticizing Little Zhu, "Yin'er is joking around, and you get all worked up. What kind of talk is this!"
Well, Zhu Yunying, caught in the middle, decided it was best to just eat and not say anything.
As Xiao Zhu's absolute support, Old Zhu said, "Biao'er is different. Back then, it was a chaotic time. Let alone driving out the Mongols, it was difficult to even fight Zhang Shicheng, let alone Chen Youliang. At that time, it was hard to say whether we could keep our heads. We just thought that if Biao'er could be successful, he could protect the family."
Patting Xiao Zhu's head, Old Zhu continued, "You are blessed to enjoy wealth and honor. Your grandfather had to study back then. No matter how intelligent he was, your great-grandmother and I still made him study. He studied well and was able to protect our family and keep those arrogant and unruly people in check, preventing them from having any troublesome thoughts."
Little Zhu nodded seriously and said, "I know that my grandfather's talent is not as good as my father's."
Old Zhu paused for a moment, then said, “It’s different. Your great-grandfather was also a remarkable person, unlike your father who was precocious. Although your father was born with knowledge, he was also shrewd. But your father’s precocity was both a good and a bad thing. He could understand things immediately after reading a book, and we didn’t need to take him to study or read; he could understand everything. But being too precocious also made him very calculating.”
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