Zhu Yunying didn't know what to say, so she could only say to little Zhu, "We know you're close to your second uncle, which is a good thing and we naturally don't object. But remember this: with your second uncle's unreliable nature, if he teaches you anything about eating, drinking, and having fun, you have to tell us and we'll deal with him. Never learn from him in how you conduct yourself!"
Zhu Yunying continued, "And your third uncle, we taught him not to be a bookworm years ago. That good-for-nothing didn't listen and treated our words like water off a duck's back. Now look what's happened, our Ming Dynasty has produced a bookworm prince. If that good-for-nothing were to govern the country, he would surely lose the country and the nation."
Old Zhu chuckled, then suddenly said, "To be honest, Yun Tong has always been a troublemaker, but this time he's actually improved somewhat, even knowing how to philander. We've seen his concubine; she's quite pretty and a shrewd one. But we're thinking that for the Prince of Wu's mansion, having only one concubine isn't good!"
This is very much in line with Zhu Yuanzhang's style; he firmly believed that many children bring many blessings. A large and prosperous family was definitely a good thing for Zhu Yuanzhang, and he would certainly approve of it. This was also a subtle way of reminding Zhu Yunying and Zhu Su that it would be great to have more descendants; he had already set a good example and hoped his own descendants would follow suit.
So what if he's an emperor? Even if he's diligent in his duties, can he be more diligent than Emperor Hongwu? Even if he's busy with state affairs now, can he be busier than at the beginning of the dynasty?
As for the princes, there's even less to say. They don't have many duties, so they can naturally focus on expanding their lineage. They are still young and can certainly help the Zhou royal family to prosper even more.
Isn't this obvious? Emperor Hongwu had twenty-six sons and more than ten daughters. He managed the empire impeccably and also ensured the continuation of the originally thin Zhu family line—he accomplished neither of these things.
So when he saw that his sons and grandsons only had a few children, Old Zhu naturally couldn't stand it and felt that his children and grandsons were not promising and should learn from him.
In particular, there were some things that Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stand, such as the fact that many of his sons were womanizers, which made him feel frustrated and disappointed. It wouldn't be a big deal if they were fond of a particular woman, but they could take in more concubines. Emperor Hongwu himself had nearly twenty concubines, and even in his sixties, he was still vigorous and able to have children.
This is not only referring to Zhu Yunying, but also serving as a warning to Zhu Su, and it is hoped that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the head of the Imperial Clan Court can be more promising and set a good example.
With these two setting a good example, the other members of the imperial clan can follow suit. The idea of not choosing only one woman out of a thousand, or of having all the beauties of the harem pale in comparison, or of being the most favored concubine—these are undoubtedly considered corrupt practices by Emperor Zhu and must be corrected.
Zhu Yunying and Zhu Su were both smart enough not to say much, mainly because they knew that even if they did, it wouldn't make any difference.
However, just thinking about it, the Zhu family really does produce a lot of romantics. Even though Zhu seems to have a lot of wives and concubines, everyone knows who he truly cares about in his heart, and no one thinks that Empress Ma's position in Zhu's heart can be shaken.
The same applies to Zhu Yuanzhang. When Empress Chang was alive, he favored her, but after she passed away, he only favored Lady Lü.
Zhu Yunying doesn't seem to be doing much better now. Even though Zhu Yunying seems to dote on Lian Qiongqiong, no one feels that Empress Xu Miaoqing's position is threatened.
Old Zhu seemed to be in a good mood. He glanced at Little Zhu and asked, "I've found you some work today, and you have to do it well. But you also have to remember this: when you become emperor, you can't act like this."
Little Zhu said confidently, "Great-grandfather, we all know. Today, the Fifth Prince brought a lot of books that haven't been published yet. We're just stamping them now, but we'll definitely have someone look at them carefully later. We're the Crown Prince, we don't have that much time to examine the contents of these books."
The logic is sound, but when Little Zhu put it out, it made people feel that it wasn't quite right.
Little Zhu, oblivious to the fact that her father was even busier, with many important matters in the court awaiting his decision, she didn't have time to take her time to look at it. She guessed that she would only take a closer look when she had some free time later.
Zhu Yunying couldn't help but lecture, "It's not entirely because we lack skills. We've been diligent and eager to learn over the years. It's just that there are many things we don't understand. As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise, so we laymen shouldn't point fingers at experts. You should be like that in the future, and not think you know everything."
Little Zhu immediately contradicted him, saying, "We've known this all along. I'm a wise and powerful emperor, but I just don't know how to lead troops into battle. Otherwise, my father would definitely be a sage ruler who is skilled in both literature and military strategy."
Zhu Yunying rolled her eyes, speechless, but there was really nothing more to say at this point. Even if what Little Zhu said was very impolite, it was basically the truth, so even if she wanted to get angry, she would lack the confidence to back it up.
Old Zhu was greatly relieved and said with a smile, "That's good. What we've always feared most is that others say there's no kinship in the imperial family, that so many brothers turn against each other and kill each other for that position. Many fathers and sons have also fought bitterly over that position, and there have been quite a few cases of patricide and fratricide."
That's absolutely true. For that supreme position, even family ties within the imperial family can be severed. As long as one can sit on the dragon throne, that's enough. There's no need to care about the means or the bonds of brotherhood or blood relations.
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