Although Zhu Yuanzhang has abdicated, he is indeed not very concerned about or attentive to many matters of state. At least that's how it appears on the surface. Zhu Yuanzhang is almost completely indifferent to politics and doesn't usually interact with his court officials.
This was naturally to maintain Zhu Yunying's authority and prevent people from thinking that Zhu Yunying was a puppet emperor.
However, this does not mean that Zhu Yunying knew nothing. Zhu Yunying did not hide anything from Zhu Yunying. Zhu Yunying, who was born with a tendency to worry, could not completely let go. It was just that Zhu Yunying and Zhu Yunying had a tacit understanding and were particularly careful about the degree of their actions.
Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (Zhu Xi) naturally took the visit of Wu Ning, the ruler of the Zhongshan Kingdom, to court very seriously. While Emperor Zhu was a pragmatic man, he was also very pleased with such a grand event as the arrival of envoys from all nations; it was the best affirmation for him and for his successor, Zhu Yuanzhang.
Therefore, Lao Zhu naturally cared about these things, and many procedures and rituals were also set by Lao Zhu.
The honor associated with such an event is no less than that of offering captives at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, so it is natural to also offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth and to ancestors; these are all perfectly normal procedures.
Emperor Hongwu, dressed in solemn court attire, led Zhu Yunying and the young Zhu in offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth. The courtiers naturally followed suit, as this was an honor for them and an affirmation of their diligent service in assisting the emperor.
After the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, Old Zhu took Little Zhu and Little Little Zhu to the Fengxian Hall; no one else was allowed to enter.
Zhu Yunying respectfully led young Zhu to offer incense to their ancestors, while the old Zhu seemed quite emotional at this moment. The people he missed and loved most had become wooden tablets one by one. In recent years, the old Zhu had not dared to come to the Ancestral Hall, partly because this place would make him extremely sad.
After seeing Little Zhu finish offering incense to Big Zhu, Old Zhu beckoned, "Come here, let your great-grandmother take a good look at you."
Little Zhu wasn't afraid of Old Zhu and said, "Great-grandmother will see us again later, and we still need to offer incense to her."
"You child!" Old Zhu glared at little Zhu before addressing Empress Ma's memorial tablet, "Sister, look at your doting grandson, look at that good-for-nothing brat. We treat him so well, and all he thinks about is his mother! What's with all the pampering we give him!"
Zhu Yunying glanced at his father, Zhu, and knelt down beside him with a smile. "Your Majesty, I, Zhu Xiong Ying, respectfully report that the King of the Ryukyu Kingdom of Chungsan has come to pay homage. The Great Ming Dynasty wishes to establish a vassal relationship with Chungsan. I humbly request your permission, Your Majesty!"
There's no problem with acknowledging the emperor's authority, because even Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang did the same; he acknowledged the emperor as a subject when facing his ancestors in the Fengxian Hall.
Little Zhu obediently handed the incense to Zhu Yunying, then knelt obediently beside him, watching as he inserted the incense into the incense burner before respectfully kowtowing.
Old Zhu then spoke up, "Alright, they don't know any of this. Our parents were peasants; they can talk about farming, but how would they know about vassal states or national affairs?"
Zhu Yunying smiled and said, "Grandfather, even if our ancestors didn't know these things, they would still be happy to hear their grandson say this. It doesn't matter if they don't understand. These things sound like good things and are a symbol of the prosperity of our Zhu family."
“Exactly!” Little Zhu said without any hesitation, “If we don’t tell our great-grandfather about anything, big or small, he will definitely be unhappy. We should tell our ancestors so that they can bless us.”
After saying this, Xiao Zhu immediately knelt down again, kowtowing and praying for the blessings of his ancestors.
Old Zhu stood to the side with a smile and said, "Our Zhu family ancestors will definitely protect you. If we are gone one day, we will at least protect you and your son. We can't take care of anything else."
Old Zhu never hid his favoritism, and Zhu Yunying understood this, as did Little Zhu. Therefore, when Old Zhu spoke to them like this, they wouldn't say much, nor would they suggest expecting Old Zhu to "bless" more people—that was unrealistic.
After the formal worship ceremony ended, Old Zhu immediately pulled Zhu Yunying and Little Zhu to the memorial tablet of Empress Ma.
Looking at Empress Ma's portrait, Zhu Yunying smiled and stroked his chin, "Grandmother will probably be unhappy to see her grandson growing a beard now."
"You only have two whiskers, that's nothing!" Old Zhu said nonchalantly. "Although your grandmother disliked our beards, she said it was because we didn't take good care of them. Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents, she knows that."
Little Zhu chimed in, sounding somewhat troubled, "Great-grandfather, great-grandmother definitely remembers our father. Even if he looks different, he was still raised by great-grandmother. What can we do? We don't look much like our father. What should we do?"
Old Zhu immediately comforted Little Zhu, saying, "Your great-grandmother definitely recognizes you. We brought you here when you were just a tiny little thing and showed you to our ancestors. We like you so much and don't like your father because you look like a son or grandson of the Zhu family. Your father and grandfather are no good; they don't look like sons of the Zhu family."
Little Zhu was relieved, while Zhu Yunying sat on the futon with a smile, "Grandmother will surely be happy to see her grandson like this. Grandmother has always hoped that we would be an emperor who can ensure that the common people have enough to eat and wear. Over the years, we have been working on grain outside and now we are also tinkering with tree oil, all for the sake of making life better for the people of our Great Ming Dynasty."
Looking at Zhu Yunying, Old Zhu said proudly, "If your grandmother could see you now, she would surely think the same as us. To be honest, you had great ambitions when you were young, and you've done quite well now. Conquering the world is difficult, but governing it is even more difficult, and we know that. You are a good emperor, and your grandmother and I both know that."
Zhu Yunying smiled and said to Old Zhu, "We have done some things so far, but this is not enough. There are still many people in the Ming Dynasty who are not getting enough to eat. Only when the people of the Ming Dynasty are no longer worried about hunger and cold can we be said to have done something."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
