The cheerful young Zhu didn't forget the important matter. Since it was an outing, he needed to show the Crown Prince's favor. He needed to be friendly to the military officers, as well as to the sons of civil officials and scholars—after all, he was the heir apparent of the Ming Dynasty.
With Shuangquan's help, he changed from his official robes into everyday clothes. Although they were just a yellow robe with narrow sleeves and a round collar, adorned with dragon patterns, they were four-clawed dragon robes, second only to the emperor's five-clawed dragon robe.
With a flick of his sleeve, Little Zhu said, "The four of you—the heirs of the Founding Duke, the Prince of Zhongshan, the Duke of Cao, and the Duke of Ying—will accompany me."
Chang Qi, Xu Qin, Li Muzu, and Feng Qi were the four heirs of the Dukes of the Ming Dynasty, top-tier nobles. Moreover, each of them was related to young Zhu Yuanzhang, and their relationship was very close.
Xu Qin and Li Muzu need no introduction; Zhu Yuanzhang specifically designated their families as relatives in the ancestral precepts. The families of Xu Da, Li Wenzhong, Mu Ying, Tang He, and Guo Ying were all designated by Zhu Yuanzhang as relatives, on par with the imperial son-in-law.
Chang Yuchun's family wasn't even related to anyone back then!
However, just from their names, we can see that among the nobles of the Ming Dynasty, those with the names "Qi" or "Lin" were all bestowed by Emperor Ying Shi. Ordinary nobles would not dare to easily name their descendants "Qi" or "Lin".
One was Emperor Ying Shi's cousin, and the other was Emperor Ying Shi's nephew; they were relatives through and through.
Although these four heirs of dukes were generally quite young, around ten years old, they were all dressed in official robes and trying their best to appear dignified. To be able to serve the Crown Prince and become his personal guards was an honor indeed.
Although there were quite a few noble sons accompanying Little Zhu on this outing, very few of them were qualified to serve the Crown Prince.
Zhu Wengeng grinned, not envious at all. Zhu Wenjin wasn't resentful either; he was already used to this treatment. He was just a second prince with little presence, completely incomparable to his elder brother, the one who shone like the bright moon in the sky.
Although the four sons of the Dukes accompanied them, there were also many noble sons forming the Imperial Guard. These Imperial Guards held relatively high positions; being able to stand guard for the Emperor and the Crown Prince was an honor, and throughout history, it had always been a reward for the sons of nobles.
In the eyes of young Zhu, and even in the eyes of old Zhu and young Zhu, the Imperial Guards were merely palace guards of slightly better origin. In fact, these Imperial Guards might not even be more capable than the Imperial Guards.
Upon seeing a group of valiant young men appear, Zhu Yue quickly led some members of the imperial family forward to greet them, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Your Highness. May Your Highness live a long life."
Little Zhu smiled and said, "Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities. All members of the imperial clan, please rise. We've just come to visit. There are many people we don't usually see, so it's good that we were able to come out this time."
Zhu Yue smiled and took a girl's hand, saying, "This is Princess Lanyang from my fifth uncle's family. She was betrothed to Xu Maoxian, a descendant of the Duke of Kaiguo."
Xiao Zhu smiled and nodded, then said, "Speaking of our cousin, he is quite handsome. Since we are already engaged, let's not worry about formalities. We're all family. Will Xu Maoxian, the heir of the Duke of Zhongshan, accompany us?"
Xu Qin quickly replied, "Xu Maoxian, a member of the Imperial Guard, is also with us; he's outside the camp."
Little Zhu thought for a moment and said, "Imperial Aunt, if you ask us, we should let Aunt Lanyang go and meet Xu Maoxian. If you're worried about losing face, you can have the governess accompany her. I'm afraid she won't be able to meet him even if the marriage doesn't happen."
Princess Lanyang lowered her head, clearly a little shy. She knew a bit about her marriage. Her father was quite proud, apparently having tricked the Crown Prince first to secure this good match.
A governess led Princess Lanyang to find Xu Maoxian. In this era, arranged marriages were common, and having a betrothal didn't guarantee frequent meetings or contact. Even private meetings would invite gossip.
However, if the Crown Prince has given his permission, and the child goes with the governess, then there shouldn't be any major problems.
Zhu Yue, leading Little Zhu, said, "This is Princess Pucheng from my second uncle's family. She is marrying Wu Lun, the second son of Marquis Wu Fu of Anlu and the younger brother of Marquis Wu Jie of Anlu."
Little Zhu immediately understood and adopted the manner of a junior, saying, "Nephew greets Aunt."
Princess Pucheng was somewhat flattered. Although she was Zhu Shuang's eldest daughter, she was only a princess. It was unlikely that even Emperor Hongwu would remember her, let alone Emperor Yingshi. In fact, Princess Pucheng had only met her cousin, Xiao Zhu, a few times.
Little Zhu looked at Princess Pucheng and asked with a smile, "Aunt, I remember that Marquis Anlu also went to Goryeo. Did our uncle go to Goryeo?"
Princess Pucheng shook her head and said, "He can't go. He's a royal guest and can't go to Goryeo."
The residence of the son-in-law of a princess, county princess, or other high-ranking official was also called the Yibin Mansion. In fact, it was similar to that of a consort. Although consorts in the Ming Dynasty were not completely forbidden from contacting the court like those in the Song Dynasty, they were still subject to some restrictions.
Little Zhu continued, "What duties does my uncle have?"
Princess Pucheng began, “Having taken on the duties of a bank, I deal with gold and silver all day long.”
Seeing that Xiao Zhu seemed about to ask more questions, Zhu Yue quickly said, "Your Highness, this is my third uncle's third daughter, Princess Rongcheng. She's the only one in my third uncle's family who isn't betrothed. Your Highness has many talented young men around you; is there anyone you fancy?"
Little Zhu shook her head and quickly said, "Aunt, we can't make this decision. Your marriage should be decided by Father and Mother."
Zhu Yue interrupted because she was worried that if Xiao Zhu continued chatting with Princess Pucheng, she might make some promises, which wouldn't be good.
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