Zhu Yunying somewhat agreed with the saying that true masters often reside among the common people. Although the imperial examination system in the Ming Dynasty was quite comprehensive and the court was full of talented people, it did not mean that all capable people in the world were employed by the court. Occasionally, there would still be some hidden talents.
To have all the heroes of the world under my control is naturally a wonderful expectation, but to truly achieve this is no easy task. Zhu Yunying was not overly demanding about this; he was well aware that true perfection did not exist, and there was no need to be demanding of anything.
As long as the scholars of the Ming Dynasty have more faith in the court and have the ambition to serve the emperor after mastering both literary and martial arts, that will be enough. This will ensure that the Ming Dynasty will not run out of talent and the court will not have to worry about having no one to use.
The emperor's mind is that simple, and Emperor Zhu Yunying often seemed to be very easily satisfied.
At this moment, Zhu Su had something to say: "When I was in Kaifeng before, I always felt that I had met many important people, and that kind people could even write books about them. Even though I am a prince, I can indeed attract some learned people. But now, looking at it again, it is really not worth mentioning, and it seems a bit petty."
At this moment, Old Zhu said with considerable pride, "It's quite impressive to have this level of insight. You're just a prince in Kaifeng. Even if you put in a lot of effort, you can only find some people to write medical books for you. But the great encyclopedia we're compiling now requires the most learned scholars in the entire country."
Actually, Zhu Su wasn't bad off in Kaifeng. Although he was only a prince, he still had a certain amount of influence. It's perfectly normal for many scholars to be tempted when offered a position by a prince.
After all, many people understood that even if they passed the imperial examination with flying colors, they might only get a position as an official in a prince's mansion. Moreover, even though princes in the Ming Dynasty seemed to face many restrictions, they were still imperial nobles and considered unattainable by many.
Little Zhu then said, "Fifth Prince, don't be like our Third Uncle. He's just too bookish. Last time, he was talking to us about the Zhou Rites. We just don't understand why so many emperors ignored them, and why so many dynasties lost their empires, even though everything he said about the Zhou Rites is so clear?"
Zhu Yunying was immediately annoyed, not because of Little Zhu, but because of his good-for-nothing younger brother Zhu Yunwen.
Old Zhu naturally noticed Zhu Yunying's displeasure and said, "It's also your father's fault; he hasn't taught any of them well. The second and third sons are both good-for-nothings, and we reckon the fourth and fifth sons won't be much better!"
Zhu Yunying knew his father's personality all too well, so he smiled and said, "You could say that. We've done quite well, thanks to the good upbringing of our grandfather and father. The second son and the others are good-for-nothings, probably because of the poor upbringing of Lady Lü. They're a bit petty and think that just because they come from a scholarly family, they're knowledgeable."
Zhu Su couldn't help but glance at Zhu Yunying. This nephew was truly capable; no wonder his father and mother had personally raised him all those years ago. No wonder he was named the Crown Prince so early on—not only because he was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, but mainly because he knew how to charm people and his words and actions were always very skillful.
It's obvious. Throughout the year, Zhu Su hasn't seen anyone have the right to speak ill of his elder brother. Putting everything else aside, his father would definitely be the first to be displeased. Even if his elder brother has done something wrong, it's not his fault, but someone else's.
Take the issue of children's education, for example. The eldest brother was busy with national affairs, so how could he have the time or energy to properly educate his children? This was all Lady Lü's responsibility; if the children were not properly educated, it was inevitably her fault.
Thinking of all this, Zhu Su quickly added, "Speaking of which, we also thought of the Prince of Wu's matter this time. Our little nephew is quite promising. We've been rushing around so much that we've managed to bring that merchant's daughter into the Prince's household. If we had delayed a few more days, I reckon she would have been showing by now."
Zhu Yunwen was naturally the emperor's nephew, since he was the emperor's younger brother and the legitimate son.
Zhu Yunying gets angry just thinking about it. "We can't even be bothered to look at that bastard anymore. He's not a kid anymore, but he still has no sense of reason. He's like he'll never grow up. Sometimes I think, if we're gone, with his temper, he's bound to cause some trouble. If that happens, how will we explain it to our parents?"
Old Zhu said unhappily, "You're only three or four years older than him, what could possibly be wrong with you? We're just saying that with his character, we can't imagine what kind of trouble he could cause."
Little Zhu, who was busy stamping documents nearby, chimed in again, "That's right, if Dad really passes away one day, we'll still be there! We can protect Uncle Er then, he's our own uncle too."
Zhu Yunying said with a headache, "If that day comes, you'll have a lot of headaches. We figure it's better for you in the future, you won't go anywhere, you have younger brothers and sisters, and you won't want to take care of them in the future."
Zhu Su said smugly, "Luckily, I'm the fifth one. I've always had my eldest brother protecting me, so I've always been happy to live a carefree life."
That's exactly the case. You see, in the past, it was a very serious matter for a vassal king to leave his fiefdom without permission. And to secretly meet with the general commanding troops of the imperial court was obviously an even more taboo thing.
But this Prince Zhou has done all of that, and he's still jumping around in the Imperial Clan Court.
This wasn't just because the Hongwu Emperor favored his own sons, but also because his elder brother had previously protected him, so even if something went wrong, there was no need to worry. At worst, he'd get a scolding or a minor punishment, and that would be the end of it.
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