Unfortunately, Zhu Yunying, as the 'head of the family,' was quite stubborn. Not to mention his younger sisters, he also controlled some of his aunts. It was common for girls from ordinary families to marry at thirteen or fourteen, so it didn't seem like anything to be surprised about.
However, over the years, or rather after Zhu Yunying turned ten, it seemed to become increasingly difficult for the imperial princesses to get married. This was because the old Zhu and the eldest Zhu were busy with important court affairs, and Empress Ma was not around, so naturally Zhu Yunying had to worry more about it.
Although he once thought that the princess would marry after she turned eighteen, he couldn't withstand the pressure and changed her age to sixteen, which was Zhu Yunying's bottom line.
This also included members of the imperial clan; the principal wives were not allowed to bind their feet, which was one of Zhu Yunying's requirements. Over the years, this seemed to be well implemented. Not only did members of the imperial clan avoid women with bound feet, but imperial daughters were also strictly forbidden from binding their feet.
Along with the foot binding that had become somewhat fashionable since the Song and Yuan dynasties, there was a slight reversal of this trend in the Ming dynasty. Even though some literati and scholars still liked those adorned feet, everyone understood that these were "not suitable for refined occasions," and the emperor's will was ultimately different.
Old Zhu glanced at Zhu Biao's sons and said with a smile, "You've done well. Your father should be able to rest easy now. The younger brothers who were meant to get married have done so, and those who were meant to be enfeoffed as kings have been enfeoffed. As for the women, they're about time to find their homes."
Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, which was a way of acknowledging his performance. "Now that Grandfather says so, I can rest assured. It seems that I did a pretty good job."
Old Zhu certainly thought so too. His precious grandson had always been someone he was incredibly proud of. Not only did he handle matters of state very well, but he also managed the household affairs exceptionally well.
After offering their congratulations to Zhu Yunying, members of the imperial clan of the same or younger generation naturally went about their business. Celebrating the emperor's birthday inevitably involved civil and military officials; the emperor's birthday was undoubtedly a major event.
Little Zhu, not wanting to be left out, whispered in Old Zhu's ear, "Great-grandfather, shouldn't Father be serving the dishes soon? He's just drinking and has forgotten about the officials."
Old Zhu found it amusing and said, "You, the head of our Zhu family, are always destined to worry!"
Although that's what they said, Old Zhu still explained, "Whether or not they are given food is up to them today. It's not like this is a New Year's Eve feast. Giving them food is their blessing, but not giving them food is also their right."
Little Zhu nodded, seemingly understanding, but still said, "But we saw quite a few people. Ru Chang is Father's confidant. Yan Zhenzhi was also Father's confidant, and the large ship he oversaw the construction of has improved considerably."
Old Zhu continued to educate young Zhu, saying, "You must remember well, you are the crown prince, and you will be the emperor in the future. Thunder and rain are both the emperor's grace, although there is a system of rewarding merit and punishing demerit. It's just that the reward and punishment are different for great merit or small merit. Whether it is fulfilling the duty of a subject or truly meritorious, that is another matter."
Little Zhu seemed to understand but not quite, and asked, "Great-grandfather, sometimes we can't discuss things with our subordinates when they do things?"
Old Zhu chuckled and said matter-of-factly, "We really shouldn't discuss this every time. Too many rewards will make the ministers have too many ulterior motives. If a minister has to ask the emperor for a reward for every little thing he does, then he's not a good minister to be relied upon."
Absolute fairness is obviously impossible; there is no such thing as absolute fairness in this world.
Although Xiao Zhu only vaguely understands now, perhaps because it's different from the principles he usually knows, he's not entirely without thoughts and ideas. After all, with all the teachings and guidance from Lao Zhu and Xiao Zhu over the years, Xiao Zhu actually has a good grasp of many things.
It seems Zhu Yunying had no intention of bestowing rewards upon his officials on his birthday; he was the absolute protagonist. At this time, Zhu Yunying could also enjoy a banquet and the pleasant atmosphere of singing and dancing.
Seeing that the emperor was in a good mood, everyone else naturally felt good as well. On such a joyous occasion, it was best not to spoil the emperor's mood, and refrain from saying anything unpleasant.
It wasn't just Zhu Yunying who was growing up, it wasn't just Zhu Yunying who was growing into his prime, the Ming Dynasty was also becoming more prosperous, and the dynasty indeed appeared to be more powerful.
After a grand banquet, Zhu Yunying was naturally a little tipsy, but that was nothing to worry about; he just needed to rest. There was no need to consider attending the morning court session; he could have a couple of days to rest.
This was a rare opportunity for Zhu Yunying to rest. As for the civil and military officials, while some were also on leave, most still had to remain at their posts, making rest a difficult matter for them.
Being a court official in the Ming Dynasty was definitely not an easy job. But no matter how hard or tiring it was, and even though the salary didn't seem particularly generous, it still couldn't stop many people from wanting to enter the officialdom.
Zhu Yunying was too lazy to stay in bed, and after washing up, it was almost 9 AM, which was basically time to prepare for lunch.
"Let's bring the second prince and princess over as well," Zhu Yunying said with a smile, then said to Wang Chengen, "Go to the Qianqing Palace and ask if the Emperor Emeritus is willing to come. But the Crown Prince's lunch must be here with us."
Xu Miaoqing said with a smile, "Wenjin hasn't seen His Majesty for quite some time now. The child has made some progress recently. Ruyi is even better. She learned some needlework a while ago, and Yin'er tricked her into embroidering a handkerchief for him."
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