Although Zhu Yunying felt a little resentful, thinking he had fallen out of favor, he was used to such things. He had experienced so much that he had developed an immunity to it and had gotten used to it.
Seeing that little Zhu was eating and drinking well, Zhu Yunying slowly said, "When we moved the capital to Beiping, many people were unhappy. Putting aside other things, your second uncle and your aunt, we originally thought they would follow us for life. But these two are different. They don't want the prince's mansion and princess's mansion that we built for them. They just want to stay in Yingtian Prefecture."
Little Zhu immediately realized what was going on and said with a grin, "Second Uncle also told us that he wants to stay in Yingtian Prefecture and not go to Beiping."
“We know that Yingtian Prefecture is more prosperous. They were born and raised here, so naturally they like it here,” Zhu Yunying said with a smile. “We like it here too. If we were to go to Southeast Asia, Yingtian Prefecture would be more suitable. But Yin’er, you must remember that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have not been in our Han people’s hands for six hundred years. Many people have forgotten that they are Han people.”
Looking at Zhu Yunying, Zhu Yunying said solemnly, "The reason we admire your great-grandfather so much is not only because he gave us the dragon throne and always doted on us, but also because he was a great hero of the Han people. If it weren't for your great-grandfather taking back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the Han people might never have been able to achieve great unification again, and might have become southerners or northerners."
Little Zhu didn't say anything, just listened quietly; these things were still a bit hard for him to digest.
Zhu Yunying continued, “Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have been ruled by foreign tribes in turn, and those people have long forgotten some things. Not to mention six hundred years, even two generations might have forgotten their roots. Now our Great Ming has taken back Yan and Yun, but many people there still do not recognize their Han identity.”
Little Zhu was puzzled and said, "But my great-grandfather had already separated and migrated many Mongols, isn't that enough?"
Zhu Yunying explained, “No, those people have their own ideas deep down. This isn’t something that can be changed in one or two generations. You have to be careful in the future. It might take fifty or even a hundred years to make them accept their Han identity.”
Although Zhu Yunying, like his father Zhu, had been paying attention to weakening the influence of some Mongol tribes within the Ming Dynasty for many years, and with some success, they were not so optimistic as to believe that a mere thirty years could eliminate centuries of influence.
Looking at little Zhu, Zhu Yunying said seriously, "Human hearts are actually the most complex thing. We must be even more clear about our own race. We are of the same origin, and we think of the South Seas. But that place is too far away. What we need to do first is to protect our ancestral property before we think about expanding our territory. We need to know these things."
Little Zhu nodded vigorously and said, "Then we must take back the Western Regions, which are all our Han people's inherent territory!"
Zhu Yunying gritted his teeth and said, "Are you cursing me to die young? It's not your turn anymore. I'll take it back from the dragon throne!"
"Great-grandfather!" Little Zhu cried out anxiously, hugging Old Zhu tightly. "What are we going to do in the future! Great-grandfather was the founding emperor and had many achievements. Our father was also great, and our Ming Dynasty is getting better and better. If you are all so great, it will be difficult for us to be emperors who expand the territory. What are we going to do?"
Old Zhu laughed heartily. He was indeed remarkable, a fact he never denied. But his grandson was equally accomplished, making Old Zhu more proud than anyone else. This grandfather and grandson not only laid the foundation for the Ming Dynasty but also led it to an even more prosperous and powerful era.
It will be difficult for future generations to surpass the founding emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Taizu and Taizong.
Zhu Yunying was well aware that his temple name would inevitably be Taizu, as there were established rules. As for Zhu Yunying's temple name after him, it would likely be Taizong. The founding emperor was either Taizu or Gaozu, and the second emperor's temple name was most likely Taizong.
As for the temple name "Xingzong" for Zhu Yuanzhang, ultimately, Zhu Yuanzhang never formally ascended the throne; it was a posthumous title bestowed by Zhu Yunying. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang had doted on Zhu Yuanzhang, when Zhu Yuanzhang was no longer alive, his Eastern Mausoleum was merely an Eastern Mausoleum, not a true imperial mausoleum.
Sometimes emperors are like that; they may have great power, but they can't do many things as they please.
After the lesson, Zhu Yunying asked, "Do you want to come back to the East Palace with me?"
Little Zhu shook his head and said, "We're not going. We promised our great-grandfather we'd go farm..."
Seeing Zhu Yunying take off running, Old Zhu asked, "Is it so hard for you to rush to see your wife? Is it so difficult for you to help your grandfather with some farming or have a meal?"
Zhu Yunying ignored him and quickened his pace. He didn't want to stay here and do hard labor, absolutely not.
Old Zhu is an expert in farming, but he's getting on in years. Little Zhu, on the other hand, is not even ten years old, and his work efficiency is only average. If they really stay to grow vegetables, Zhu Yunying will definitely be the main person digging the ground.
As for the guards and eunuchs, they couldn't help even if they wanted to; they weren't so fortunate.
"See, there's a reason we don't like your dad. Not only is he useless at farm work, but he's always looking for ways to shirk it," Old Zhu said with exasperation. "When it comes to hard farm work, your dad can talk a good game. But if you really want him to work in the fields, he'll run away faster than anyone else!"
Little Zhu agreed, saying seriously, "Our father likes to be lazy; he just doesn't farm. Great-grandfather, we're not like our father. Great-grandfather, you shouldn't have abdicated. You should have waited until we grew up and then given us the throne directly. What would we do if our father conquered the Western Regions? Or, you shouldn't have allowed him to go and conquer them?"
Old Zhu was in a good mood and stroked Zhu Yunying's head, saying, "If we just give you the throne, what about your father?"
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