Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunying and said with a smile, "This is Biao'er's grandson after all. His skills in winning people's hearts are superb. If you ask us, this little guy is even better at winning people's hearts than you."
Zhu Yunying was displeased and retorted unhappily, "Grandpa, in our early years we didn't go to the court or deal with military officials, otherwise we would definitely have these methods too. Grandpa, tell me yourself, in our early years in the palace, whether it was the palace staff or the imperial clan, who didn't say that we were kind and benevolent, just like Grandmother?!"
Upon hearing this, Old Zhu beamed with joy and said, "That's true. You've been well-educated by your grandmother, and you have the same loving-the-people-like and kind-hearted manner as her. But now that you've become emperor, you look more and more like us."
"It's because we're of the Zhu family bloodline, just like our father. Only those who don't understand us say we're kind and generous," Zhu Yunying said with a smile, making fun of himself. "But like our father, we certainly won't be soft-hearted when we're ruthless and decisive, but we're good to our people."
Zhu Yuanzhang was even happier. He was often harsh on nobles and officials, but he was always very kind to the common people, which truly showed his love for them.
Looking at Zhu Yunying, Zhu Yunying said, "In that case, shall we approve Yin'er's decree for the Eastern Palace?"
Old Zhu nodded, then joked, "Now you know how tough things were back then, right? There were some things we didn't want to do, but your dad and you insisted on doing them. What could we do? We had to protect you, so even if we weren't happy, we could only grit our teeth and accept it."
Zhu Yunying didn't think so. He knew the situation well. "Grandpa, our father had a lot of arguments with you in the early years, and there were many times when you wouldn't allow it. Anything you approve of is a good thing."
"A good thing?" Old Zhu was displeased, puffing out his beard and glaring, "Tell me yourself, could the relocation of the capital have been accomplished without your instigation?"
Zhu Yunying refused to take the blame, saying confidently, "This really wasn't something we instigated. It's just that my grandfather and father like to talk about us, and people who don't know the situation might think it was us who did it. Even if we hadn't said anything, my grandfather and father would have still moved the capital."
This is an absolute fact. Although Zhu Yunying was very active in the matter of moving the capital, and seemed to play a very important role, he could only push things forward to some extent. This is because the old Zhu and the first Zhu had long wanted to move the capital, and Zhu Yunying was merely going with the flow and making some minor contributions.
For years, rumors have circulated that the relocation of the capital was almost entirely orchestrated by Emperor Ying Shi, which was partly due to Zhu Yunying's (Emperor Zhu Yunying's) encouragement. Ultimately, it was to enhance Zhu Yunying's prestige, making it seem as if the teenage Zhu Yunying was about to shoulder the great responsibility of governing the country.
Old Zhu couldn't say much more. There were some things that outsiders might not know, but Little Zhu did. Now that Little Zhu was getting serious, Old Zhu didn't really have much of a solution.
But in an instant, Old Zhu found a reason, "Then let's talk about reducing the power of the princes. We are definitely not happy about this. If you hadn't kept making trouble, if you hadn't been so unreasonable, would we have accepted this? If we didn't care about you, we would have dealt with you long ago!"
At this point, Joo Yun-young fell silent, because he truly had no grounds to refute the matter; it was undeniable that he had single-handedly orchestrated it. Even if the eldest Joo Yun-young seemed somewhat tempted back then, he wouldn't dare bring it up in front of the elder Joo.
In Zhu Yunying's view, enfeoffing princes was a step backward in history. And let's not argue that the princes of the Ming Dynasty were different from those of the early Western Han Dynasty, lacking real power.
However, in reality, the princes of the Ming Dynasty also held military power; it wasn't just a matter of the Three Guards of the Princes. Historically, after his surprise attack, Zhu Di borrowed troops from the Prince of Ning, Zhu Quan, who at the time had 80,000 armored soldiers and 6,000 chariots. Zhu Quan had only been a prince for about ten years!
Seeing that Zhu Yunying seemed short of breath, Old Zhu continued, "When did you bring up the issue of reducing the power of the princes? I remember back then, those people were trying to win our favor by calling you Crown Prince. You hadn't even been officially named Crown Prince yet! You were less than ten years old, and you dared to bring up such important national affairs!"
Zhu Yunying was a master at playing the submissive grandson. “That’s our family matter, of course we should take it seriously. We’ll be taking over sooner or later. Besides, if I, as your grandson, am not thoughtful, I’ll give you a thoughtful great-grandson. Your Majesty, you’re not at a loss.”
Old Zhu immediately laughed. For Old Zhu in his later years, the greatest lack was in emotional connection. It was only in the presence of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren that Old Zhu could find some happiness.
As long as Zhu Yunying causes trouble, as long as little Zhu causes trouble, the current Zhu can definitely go crazy. These two are the only people in the world that the old Zhu cares about.
The two were chatting idly, while also keeping an eye on things happening at the training ground. In fact, it wasn't just the Wuying Hall that was concerned; Xu Miaoqing in the East Palace, holding her chubby little son, was also sending people to inquire about little Zhu's performance from time to time.
Outside the palace, countless military officers were eagerly awaiting their turn. Although many military officers were currently in Goryeo, their families were all in Yingtian Prefecture. The Crown Prince was now personally overseeing the evaluation of military officers, making it far more significant than previous evaluations.
Previously, it was mainly handled by the Five Military Commissions and the Ministry of War. Often, it was just a formality, since the Five Military Commissions were essentially the private domain of military merit, and there were some connections involved.
The Ministry of War, from the founding of the Ming Dynasty to the present, has been able to somewhat restrain the Five Military Commissions. However, everyone knows that the Ministry of War is often bullied by the Five Military Commissions and dares not speak out loudly.
This trip is different. The Crown Prince is overseeing the evaluation of military merits. If you perform well, the Crown Prince might take notice.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
