If you don't believe me, just look at the marriage of Princess Lanyang and Xu Maoxian. Wasn't it little Zhu who got tricked? To maintain little Zhu's prestige, old Zhu and young Zhu had no choice but to swallow their pride and accept it, essentially being tricked by Prince Zhou, Zhu Su.
Zhu Yue couldn't possibly introduce all the members of the imperial clan to Little Zhu. It was a matter of 'distinction between close and distant relatives,' but the main reason was simply that there were too many people.
Old Zhu had nearly twenty-six sons and sixteen daughters. Although some died young or had no children, the family line generally flourished.
Therefore, among these imperial uncles and aunts, Zhu Yunying had very few close relationships with them; most were complete strangers, whom he had only met a few times during important clan events or investiture ceremonies. There probably weren't any aunts he had never spoken to, but there were likely more than a few whose combined conversations amounted to no more than ten words.
After Xiao Xiaozhu sat down, a girl in her teens walked over and naturally sat down to Xiao Xiaozhu's right.
“Auntie,” Little Zhu said with a smile, “Auntie hasn’t been to the palace for quite some time, and Mother misses her very much.”
This is Zhu Biao's youngest daughter, Princess Nanping. Although she wasn't as highly regarded as her two half-sisters, she was still Zhu Yunying's daughter, and he took good care of her.
Princess Nanping smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I will punish you."
“Little Aunt, the reason Father doesn’t treat you well is because you’re too polite,” Little Zhu said with a grin. “You should learn from our eldest aunt, second aunt, and third uncle; Father likes them.”
Princess Nanping remained silent, a smile on her face, but inwardly she was thinking to herself. Her brother's close relatives were all his biological siblings, and she, as his half-sister, couldn't possibly act childishly in front of him.
Little Zhu acted very warmly, probably just like his father. He seemed very kind to the imperial family, but whether it was genuine warmth or polite distancing was hard to say.
As for the imperial clan, Little Zhu only needs to make a brief appearance; these are mostly female members of the royal family. The purpose of recognizing individuals is mainly to give these women, primarily princesses, the opportunity to appear before the Crown Prince.
In fact, many people know that the Crown Prince would never remember most of them. Perhaps it was only when he was looking at the imperial genealogy that the Crown Prince might know that such a person existed in the imperial clan.
After a brief chat with the members of the imperial family, Little Zhu got up, as he needed to meet with the scholars.
The scholars who were fortunate enough to participate in this outing were basically the best of the Imperial Academy. These people were probably all eager to show off in front of the Crown Prince.
If one could be appreciated by the Crown Prince and transferred to the Eastern Palace, that would be considered a meteoric rise in one's career. Even if one couldn't be promoted by the Crown Prince, as long as one left a deep impression on him, one might be able to climb the ranks more easily when entering the court as an official in the future.
Which ambitious and talented man wouldn't want to serve the emperor? Even if he couldn't serve the emperor, serving the crown prince would be just as good. In the Ming Dynasty, there was no such thing as a struggle for the throne; the eldest son's position was always as secure as Mount Tai—this was the legitimate and inevitable trend.
Unfortunately, these scholars overestimated the Crown Prince's literary talent. Although the Crown Prince tried his best to appear interested, he wasn't particularly interested in poetry and prose. He also couldn't be bothered to listen to the scholars' lofty pronouncements.
With the guidance of both the elder Zhu and the younger Zhu, the younger Zhu simply didn't care about the superficial political views of scholars who hadn't yet entered officialdom. Even the insightful opinions of some senior officials weren't necessarily of much concern to him at this time.
It wasn't just because the topics were too profound for Little Zhu to fully digest; on the other hand, he wasn't currently involved in politics and had no opinions or ideas about many things.
Although he wasn't interested in some topics, as the successor carefully groomed by Old Zhu and Young Zhu, Young Zhu still had a sense of propriety. He remained patient, occasionally encouraging the scholars, and showed no signs of impatience.
Those who didn't know better might have thought this was a kind and gentle crown prince, or that the crown prince was different in temperament from his father and great-grandfather.
However, those who know Zhu Yuanzhang well know that the Crown Prince is only putting on a show. The words he speaks are all empty rhetoric and platitudes, merely meant to offer a slight encouragement to the excited scholars.
That's all. Don't assume the Crown Prince will easily make a statement; he's still quite cautious in his words and actions. At least for now, the Crown Prince knows the meaning of thinking things through before acting, and he won't make decisions rashly.
It's not just because Xiao Xiao Zhu is constantly growing, but also because Xiao Xiao Zhu doesn't actually have much real power.
Little Zhu's performance didn't require much explanation from Zhu Yunying, nor was it really necessary to pay much attention to it. After all, it was just a picnic, not a particularly formal occasion. Little Zhu's behavior wasn't actually anything special.
For Zhu Yunying, it was better to focus on his own cabinet than to worry about his son's outing.
This matter was obviously more important to Zhu Yunying; in fact, it could very well be a matter of national policy for the Ming Dynasty, which naturally meant that it could not be treated lightly.
To make the cabinet an asset, it's not just about making things easier for oneself. The cabinet could actually help Zhu Yunying resolve many trivial matters, allowing the emperor to concentrate more on formulating major strategies.
Thinking further ahead, even if a negligent emperor were to emerge in the future, as long as the cabinet could function properly, the succession of the Ming dynasty and the normal operation of its administrative system could be guaranteed. This was also Zhu Yunying's expectation.
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