Xiao Xiao Zhu is generally very caring and fond of his younger siblings, and he already dotes on Zhu Ruyi quite a bit. This isn't because Zhu Ruyi always helps him with his homework; it's simply because Zhu Ruyi is always clinging to Xiao Xiao Zhu, which has instilled in him the awareness of being an older brother.
Besides, his younger sister is still a new and familiar face to Xiao Zhu, since he's the older brother. And girls are girls, so it's normal to spoil them a bit.
As for his half-brother Zhu Wenjin and his cousin Zhu Wengeng, who showed signs of being a spoiled brat at a young age, Little Zhu also liked them both. There was no other reason than that they were the older brothers, and naturally, Little Zhu had to take responsibility.
As for his younger brother, Xiao Zhu Tianran likes and is closer to him more, which is perfectly normal.
This is actually a tradition in the Zhu family. The eldest son of the main branch always has the awareness of being the eldest brother and commands great authority in front of his younger siblings. This was true for the eldest Zhu, the youngest Zhu, and even the youngest Zhu showed this tradition.
In fact, this situation was intentionally created by Zhu Yuanzhang. He had never hidden his intentions and had always been cultivating the status of his eldest son.
Since the possibility of vying for the throne was eliminated, the eldest son no longer needed to worry about his younger brothers threatening his position. As for the younger brothers, they had all accepted their fate early on, and naturally had to show a more submissive attitude towards their elder brother.
Brotherly affection and respect often need to be cultivated, as they are related to status and interests. When the head of the family only values the eldest son, everyone understands what's going on, and the eldest son's status and prestige are naturally established.
After a happy family dinner, Zhu Yunying and Xu Miaoqing took Zhu Wenkun away. As for Little Zhu, he initially liked his younger brother very much, but Little Zhu, who didn't have much patience, soon felt that his brother liked to cry and make a fuss, couldn't talk or walk, so he naturally lost interest in playing with him.
“Yin’er is getting more and more outrageous. I reckon he just came here under false pretenses.” Holding Zhu Wenkun, Zhu Yunying couldn’t help but complain, “He’s not that old, but he’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve.”
Xu Miaoqing was now at a loss for words. Although she had also suspected this, there were certain topics that the Emperor could discuss, but the Empress was not suited to. Moreover, Xu Miaoqing was worried that Little Zhu's cleverness might displease the Emperor.
Although this incident will not affect the young Crown Prince Zhu's status, it is a cause for great concern for Xu Miaoqing if Zhu Yunying dislikes the young prince's actions.
Zhu Yunying's position was indeed secure, but that did not mean he could do whatever he wanted. After all, Zhu Yunying was not a weak emperor. With great power in his hands, Zhu Yunying had a very strong control over the court, and he could even act arbitrarily.
Looking at the silent Xu Miaoqing, Zhu Yunying said, "This is a good thing. The Crown Prince should pay more attention. This little thing is just like us; even at such a young age, he's already thinking about things and always wants to do something. This little rascal, we'll have to teach him a lesson sooner or later!"
Hearing Joo Yoon-young say that, Seo Myo-cheong felt much more at ease. She knew that Joo Yoon-young was just joking and wasn't really angry.
Xu Miaoqing had actually seen through Xiao Zhu's little schemes, but she couldn't stop the willful Xiao Zhu, nor did she dare to. When Old Zhu was protecting his own, he was unreasonable and wouldn't care about Xu Miaoqing's feelings.
As for Little Zhu, he didn't think much of it when he was sent back to Chunhe Palace. It was only later that he realized something must have happened, so he took Zhu Wenkun and wanted to go to Qianqing Palace. The reason was that once Little Zhu's curiosity was aroused, he would really ask questions until he got to the bottom of things.
Even though Xiao Zhu is more thoughtful than other children, he is still just a child. His little thoughts can be easily seen through, especially by people who know him well.
Old Zhu and Little Zhu weren't angry. On the contrary, they thought it was a good thing that Little Zhu had some ideas, because Little Zhu's status was different, and because they had high hopes for him.
As for whether Little Zhu is naughty or willful, there's no need to worry about that; those are minor matters. What really worries Zhu Yunying and Old Zhu is if Little Zhu has no sense of self at all.
As for concerns about young Zhu Yunying seizing power, that's just needless worry. Zhu Yunying really doesn't need to concern himself with such things at this stage. After all, young Zhu is still too young and hasn't even observed politics yet.
Moreover, even if young Zhu Yunying were to begin observing politics, he wouldn't wield much power in the short term, so Zhu Yunying had little to worry about. Ultimately, the Crown Prince's position was secure, and the Emperor wouldn't easily consider changing the heir, unless the Crown Prince caused widespread resentment.
Similarly, the Crown Prince's position is secure; it's essentially determined at birth. All he needs to do is grow up healthy. He shouldn't have any ulterior motives; that would be counterproductive. It's better for him to obediently remain the Crown Prince; that's much more stable. If he were to stage a coup, not only would there be risks, but he would also inevitably face public condemnation.
Ultimately, it's because their position is too secure, which reduces many potential threats, whether for the emperor or the crown prince.
As if remembering something, Zhu Yunying said with a smile, "The war in Goryeo is over. Our idea is to have my brother-in-law return as soon as possible. The Duke of Ying can lead the army back."
Xu Miaoqing seemed very honest and had no objections to these matters. "Your Majesty can make the final decision on such matters."
There is absolutely no problem with this answer, because Xu Huizu's identity is quite special and sensitive. The Empress should not get involved in these matters. Too much power from the Empress is definitely not a good thing for the Emperor.
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