But Lian Qiongqiong, standing nearby, was inwardly turbulent. She knew the current emperor was wise and powerful. And now, it seemed that Emperor Yingshi intended to manage the Yellow River and take on this seemingly incredibly difficult task.
In reality, even if Zhu Yunying hadn't taken steps to manage the Yellow River, there wouldn't have been a major problem, because although there were already some flooding issues, he could have simply dealt with them as they arose.
It's not necessarily a bad thing to be a little confused sometimes. After all, the Yellow River and Huai River may seem a bit turbulent these days, but they may not necessarily be a major threat.
Ultimately, it was Emperor Zhu Yunying who had foresight; he genuinely wanted to do more.
After spending the morning with Zhu Ruyi, Zhu Yunying also went to visit his second son, Zhu Wenjin.
Although this boy was somewhat afraid of Joo Yoon-young and did indeed have a bit of a spoiled brat attitude, Joo Yoon-young would still go and check on him when the time came. Even though he, as a father, seemed to have some shortcomings.
However, no matter what, he couldn't completely abandon his son. Zhu Yunying, as a father, was busy with the affairs of the country. He also needed to occasionally keep an eye on his son, especially since this sapling seemed to be growing crooked, and Zhu Yunying should help him prune it.
Wang felt very wronged. Other concubines gained status through their sons, but in her case, she was basically ruined by her son.
Because of his humble origins, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor) prohibited extravagance at the beginning of the dynasty, resulting in a reduction in the number of wives, concubines, and female officials in the imperial harem. Consequently, the Ming dynasty's imperial harem was limited to the rank of Consort, with the ranks below Concubine abolished.
However, this was only a short-lived policy. During Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, he had quite a few concubines.
Especially after Zhu Yunying ascended the throne, he was dissatisfied with the large number of concubines in the harem. He established one Imperial Noble Consort, two Noble Consorts, four Consorts, and six Concubines below the Empress. As for the "Beauties" and so on below these imperial concubines, there was no fixed number.
Lady Wang was originally Consort Xian, but due to her failure to properly raise her son, she was demoted to Consort Xian by Zhu Yunying. Among Zhu Yunying's concubines, only Lady Wang had children, which sometimes made her feel ashamed. This woman, who was quite beautiful, was only beautiful in appearance.
Zhu Yunying was quite a scumbag. He used to be quite fond of the beautiful Lady Wang. However, after having children and losing interest, he gradually lost interest and came to prefer his devoted wife, Xu Miaoqing. Even if Xu Miaoqing's looks weren't as striking as Lady Wang's, one can't just be a superficial person.
Zhu Wenjin kept his head down and remained silent. As a truant, a palace maid's nemesis, and a eunuch's henchman, Zhu Wenjin had made quite a few mistakes recently. Now that Zhu Yunying had arrived, the boy naturally got scolded and reprimanded.
Many of Zhu Yunying's sons were incompetent, and emperors throughout history have had some seemingly absurd and cruel offspring. Zhu Yunying felt that if he wasn't careful, he might very well have such a son.
Looking at him now, it's clear that Zhu Wenjin has that kind of potential. At such a young age, he's already showing more than just playfulness or spoiled behavior; he's truly developing in a direction that's absurd and cruel.
This was probably a headache for Zhu Yunying as well; no matter how powerful a person is, he cannot completely guarantee that his sons and grandsons will be filial and virtuous.
As the emperor's son, Zhu Wenjin was indeed fearless. Although he couldn't compare to his illustrious elder brother, Zhu Wenjin was still someone that ordinary people dared not offend, and the number of people he could control in the Ming Dynasty was indeed very limited.
It seems that Xu Miaoqing still needs to worry more. This Wang woman only has a pretty face, but inside she's a roughneck with no real substance.
Don't assume that all emperors' concubines were carefully selected; historically, many emperors' concubines were quite disgraceful. Being born into a prestigious family or seemingly receiving a high level of education doesn't necessarily guarantee refined character.
Zhu Yunying now feels that he is not so lustful anymore; it's probably just that he's more enthusiastic about power now. And even now, he certainly doesn't lack women, regardless of their social status or beauty.
Once this is no longer needed, it sometimes seems to lose its appeal. What Zhu Yunying is still thinking about is power, and Xu Miaoqing, with whom he feels he can share a life of mutual support, seems to be more to his liking.
Fortunately, Joo Yoon-young isn't entirely like his father, Joo Yoon-young, who was an absolute 'scumbag'. Compared to Joo Yoon-young, Joo Yoon-young is slightly better, but only slightly better.
After reprimanding Zhu Wenjin, Zhu Yunying returned to Chunhe Palace in a huff and saw Xu Miaoqing teasing Zhu Wenkun.
"Let me give Wenkun a hug." Zhu Yunying strode over and said with a smile, "This little guy is starting to recognize people now. He's seen us so many times, but he's still not close to us. Even though we pamper him so much, he's still not close to us. He insists on being close to his older brother who likes to torment him."
Xu Miaoqing then explained on behalf of Xiao Zhu, "Yin'er isn't just good at teasing Kun'er; he often likes to play with Kun'er. His Majesty knows Yin'er's personality—he's always on the go."
“He can’t sit still and he still has to work on Wen Jin. He and his mother are both in need of discipline,” Zhu Yunying said irritably. “As the Empress, you should also do something about it. If this continues, Yin’er might have to be ruthless and punish his brothers in the future.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoqing became serious. This was tantamount to receiving another imperial decree, which meant she was once again entitled to discipline Wang Shi and Zhu Wenjin.
As Empress, Xu Miaoqing naturally had the right to discipline Zhu Yunying's concubines and children. However, she often refrained from doing so, lest people accuse her of being 'jealous of the Empress'.
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