If we wait until His Majesty gives instructions before doing many things, it might be too late. It's better to prepare in advance, lest we mess things up later, which would be terrible.
As a subject, one should naturally follow the emperor's lead. In many matters, one needs to understand the emperor's intentions and make preparations in advance; this is what a good subject should do.
It is clear that Song Zhong can be considered a fairly competent minister. He was aware of the emperor's wishes and naturally knew what he should do within his duties.
Although the intelligence Song Zhong delivered wasn't particularly important, it wasn't enough for Zhu Yunying to exile him. As for rewards, that was another matter; Song Zhong was merely doing his job and didn't deserve any extra praise from Emperor Yingshi.
To receive more rewards and gifts from Emperor Ying Shi, Song Zhong will need to put in even more effort. His current achievements only qualify him as a reasonably competent commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; he is still some distance from being outstanding or exceptional.
This wasn't because Zhu Yunying was harsh; it was simply that he had certain requirements. If the emperor's rewards became less valuable, the officials' sentiments would change. Treating ministers generously should also have its limits.
After dismissing Song Zhong, Zhu Yunying felt that the day's work was finally over and he could now rest.
A good rest was not necessarily possible, because the Ming Dynasty was so vast that no one knew what unexpected situations might arise. Zhu Yunying was often disturbed in his sleep by urgent matters, but fortunately, he had become used to it and there was nothing to be alarmed about.
On the way back to the East Palace, Zhu Yunying casually asked, "What trouble has the Crown Prince gotten into today?"
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince did not go to school today," Wang Chengen reported immediately. He dared not keep such matters from the Emperor. "In the morning, the Crown Prince said he was ill, so His Majesty the Retired Emperor kept him here."
Zhu Yunying frowned slightly and asked seriously, "Is he really sick or is he faking it? Have you sent people from the Imperial Hospital over?"
Wang Chengen said with a mournful face, "When I heard the news, I sent someone to the Imperial Hospital to inquire. It is said that the imperial physicians were beaten out by His Highness the Crown Prince, and the imperial physicians were not allowed to report it. His Majesty the Retired Emperor also issued an imperial edict."
There are two suns in the sky, which puts the Imperial Medical Academy in a difficult position. Reporting to Emperor Ying Shi would undoubtedly be disobeying the imperial edict. Did they really think that Emperor Hongwu's edicts had lost their validity?
However, if the imperial physicians report this to the emperor, he will surely be furious afterward. These imperial physicians actually concealed even matters concerning the foundation of the state.
Zhu Yunying shook his head. It's said that doting mothers spoil their sons, but that's not necessarily true. Old Zhu, this old feudal man, dotes on his great-grandson. With this ancestor as little Zhu's backer, Zhu Yunying didn't dare to say much.
Zhu Yunying was certain that if he went to discipline his son now, Old Zhu would immediately grab a broom and discipline his grandson. All of this was perfectly reasonable, and no one could find fault with it.
Emperor Yingshi might have accepted Zhu Yuanzhang's advice to the Crown Prince on the importance of diligence in governing. However, Zhu Yuanzhang could easily find a whole host of other reasons to properly punish Emperor Yingshi.
"Everyone says we were spoiled when we were young, but that's not true." Zhu Yunying shook his head, seemingly a little annoyed. "We were so well-behaved when we were young, unlike the Crown Prince who is so unruly. We were obedient, studious, and ambitious, which is why we won the Emperor's favor. That brat, just because he's our eldest son, he's so arrogant!"
Wang Chengen kept his head down and remained silent. He actually felt that the Crown Prince's current state was extremely similar to that of Emperor Ying Shi. In terms of the Crown Prince's fearlessness, he was far inferior to the current Emperor, who, in his youth, frequently urged the retired Emperor to abdicate.
Even if the Crown Prince is currently favored, the Emperor Emeritus still treats him as a child. But now that the Emperor is this age, he is involved in many matters of the court.
Shaking his head, Zhu Yunying returned to Chunhe Palace. "Empress, your son didn't go to school today. He spent the whole day relaxing in Qianqing Palace."
Xu Miaoqing was naturally aware of this matter, and said with a smile, "I also sent the Four Books to him, but they were all scolded by my grandfather. He said that the Crown Prince has been working hard these days and that I was too harsh. He also scolded me."
Zhu Yunying fell silent, because if he continued, Emperor Yingshi would likely also be criticized, and Zhu Yunying was clearly not going to do something that was not worthwhile.
Looking at Xu Miaoqing, Zhu Yunying immediately laughed, "If it had been a few days earlier when you were scolded by your grandfather, you would probably have been very uneasy. But now you're fine. As expected of our Empress, you've become quite thick-skinned."
Xu Miaoqing was displeased and said with some resentment, "How dare I act like Your Majesty? I have already apologized to my grandfather."
As for whether she was afraid of Lao Zhu, Xu Miaoqing was certainly afraid of him. However, it depended on the situation. Often, Xu Miaoqing didn't care about Lao Zhu's scolding, because it would be a big deal if Lao Zhu didn't scold her.
“We’re ignoring those two from the Qianqing Palace right now; we can’t afford to offend them.” Zhu Yunying looked around and asked, “Where’s our Kun’er? Bring him here quickly; I refuse to believe he’s still resting!”
Xu Miaoqing immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Kun'er only fell asleep a quarter of an hour ago, and it will probably take him an hour to wake up. The Crown Prince just came to check on him, but he made Kun'er cry and then went back to Qianqing Palace."
Joo Yoon-young was even more speechless. "He really is our son. It's true that he likes children, but he runs away as soon as he makes them cry."
This shows Zhu Yunying's self-awareness; he genuinely likes children, and human babies are indeed very cute. It's just that crying babies aren't always cute, and if you make them cry, you naturally have to quickly "get back at them" or slip away.
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