As emperor, Zhu Yunying was magnanimous, although very few people could truly receive his magnanimous treatment.
Upon arriving at the Wuying Hall, Zhu Yunying naturally sat on the dragon throne; this was his seat. Even though Zhu Yunying was now the emperor, as long as Zhu Yunying was present, Zhu Yunying could only obediently stand to the side or move a small chair to sit next to him.
Zhu Yunying didn't joke around and said to his father, "The reason I asked Grandfather and the Crown Prince to come here is because we've encountered a major problem. If we can't handle it well on our own, these matters may fall on the Crown Prince's shoulders and his descendants in the future."
Old Zhu was slightly taken aback. This seemed to be an extraordinary matter, something that even a generation might not be able to accomplish. It was clearly an extraordinary matter.
It's not that I'm boasting, but the Ming Dynasty is currently very powerful, and the emperor is very wise. If we want to do something, we can accomplish most things. I have no doubt about this; the Ming Dynasty truly has such capabilities.
Zhu Yunying looked at Old Zhu and said, "Today, Yan Zhenzhi came by wanting to build a dike along the Yellow River."
Old Zhu sat up straight and said seriously, "Ying'er, if we were to build the Yellow River, it would be an enormous undertaking. In my opinion, it would be no less significant than the construction of the Grand Canal during the Sui Dynasty. If we were to start managing the Yellow River, it would consume a great deal of national and human resources."
Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, saying, "These things should be done by someone. If we can do them ourselves, we won't have to leave them to our descendants. These things are indeed troublesome, but if we do them well now, our descendants will have an easier time in the future."
Old Zhu wasn't surprised at all, because his grandson was almost just like him, always taking on responsibilities. If they could do something well, they would naturally try to do everything well so that their descendants could have an easier time.
Old Zhu even felt that if he had done everything well, it would be even better if his descendants didn't have to do anything.
Zhu Yunying looked at Zhu Yunming and said, "If the Yellow River hadn't suffered a major disaster, Kaifeng would have been a good place. But now, we definitely can't establish our capital in Kaifeng. We've thought about Xuzhou before, and although the north is important, we've also been thinking about the south. But with the Yellow River, we can't even think about Xuzhou now."
That makes perfect sense. Guanzhong was devastated and severely eroded, making it unsuitable as a capital. Kaifeng was also unsuitable, and Xuzhou even less so. Yingtian Prefecture seemed like a good option, but it also had a somewhat isolated, regional feel to it. A unified dynasty had to consider the north.
In reality, Zhu Yunying was well aware that although the threat from nomadic tribes might seem minor at the moment, it was only because the Ming Dynasty was currently powerful. Perhaps a few hundred years later, the threat and danger from the north would reappear, and the northern territory could not be lost.
As Zhu Yunying nodded, he added, “Our hometown is close to the Huai River. When my grandfather traveled in his early years, he often visited these places. Although the weather seems to be good now, there are still floods in the Huai River every year.”
Before Old Zhu could say anything more, Little Zhu said, "Great-grandfather wasn't traveling; he was begging for food to survive!"
Old Zhu lightly patted Little Zhu's head in annoyance, "We never hide our origins, nor do we need your embellishments to cover them up. Back then, I was just a wandering novice monk who ended up with you two, and you're always making up stories about me begging for food everywhere."
Little Zhu grinned and said, "We admire our great-grandfather. He not only revived the Han dynasty and carried on its traditions, but he was also the emperor of the lowest birth. We know where our ancestral home is. We know our family is in Fengyang. Our ancestors didn't even have a place to be buried! We know all about our great-grandfather!"
Old Zhu laughed and said, "Yes, if we could have survived in our hometown back then, how could we have left you with this country? When we were struggling to make a living in our early years, everything was in chaos, and many places suffered disasters."
Zhu Yunying nodded and said, "The Yellow River is causing serious flooding. After the Yellow River changed its course and flowed into the Huai River and then into the sea, the Huai River is also flooding badly. If we can't control the Yellow River, the Huai River will also be affected. We know these things are not easy, but we can't just do nothing."
Old Zhu was gratified to see his beloved grandson possess such insight. He had considered some of these things himself, but he also knew very well that some things were not as simple as just talking about them, and accomplishing them was definitely not so easy.
Zhu Yunying continued, “In recent years, the population of our Great Ming has grown rapidly, and our grain and land have also increased. Although we still need to fight Annam and pacify the Western Regions, the management of the Yellow River cannot be delayed. If we do these things now, our children and grandchildren will have an easier time in the future.”
Old Zhu had no objections, saying, "Now that you're sitting on the dragon throne, you should make the decisions on such important matters yourself. If we have to intervene in everything, big or small, what's the point of being emperor?! The crown prince is too young now, why bother talking to him about these things?"
Although Old Zhu seemed to be complaining about Zhu Yunying, he was actually very happy and proud inside.
There have been many retired emperors in history, but most of them had virtually no power. Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, was particularly aggrieved, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was also a lonely and desolate figure after abdicating.
However, Emperor Zhu the Retired Emperor seemed quite content. His grandson would frequently ask him to discuss state affairs, not just for show, but because he genuinely valued his opinions. He would also occasionally have Emperor Zhu appear before the imperial family and court officials.
Of course, what makes Old Zhu happiest is being able to see his great-grandson every day.
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