Everyone's attention was focused on the Crown Prince. Who didn't know that His Highness the Crown Prince's position was secure, and who didn't know that the foundation of the Ming Dynasty had long been established?
If they could curry favor with the Crown Prince, if they could climb onto his coattails, then who would care about an unfavored prince? Everyone can see clearly that this second prince is not even as good as the princess, which naturally means that most people will not be enthusiastic about him.
The people in the palace are very pragmatic, and Xu Miaoqing can't do that. She is the Empress, and because her position is secure, she never needs to worry about other concubines threatening her. For the Empress, a virtuous reputation is obviously more important.
Even if His Highness the Prince is not favored, he is still the Empress's son in name only. Even if it doesn't matter to Zhu Wenjin, the Empress still needs to educate the princes and princesses well. Moreover, if the Empress loses her virtue, it will also affect the Crown Prince's reputation.
The atmosphere in the palace has been very tense lately. Many people in the Imperial Kitchen have been severely punished for neglecting His Highness the Second Prince. The Empress is ruthless when she is angry, and many people have felt the majesty of the Empress of the Ming Dynasty.
Besides the emperor's own children, the minor children of nobles or members of the imperial family were also nominally to be educated by the empress. The emperor had mentioned these matters before, and Xu Miaoqing wouldn't allow him to remind her again and again. If she continued to do nothing, the emperor would definitely be unhappy.
In fact, Xu Miaoqing was quite happy to do these things, because it allowed her to better demonstrate the Empress's abilities and status. Everyone knew that the Crown Prince's position was secure, and everyone knew that the Empress's position was unshakeable.
However, many things seem to be just hearsay, which lacks persuasiveness. But now that the Empress has begun to deal with some members of the imperial family and nobles, it is obviously very convincing.
During this period, many noblewomen, including numerous princesses and royal consorts, went to the palace to plead for mercy. While some received the Empress's forgiveness, many others, even with tears streaming down their faces, did not succumb to their pleas.
If you haven't disciplined your children properly, then let the Empress discipline them. After being disciplined by the Empress, you naturally need to apologize and thank her for her guidance. Even the fathers and brothers of those good-for-nothings need to apologize to the Emperor. If they can't even take care of their own families, how can they talk about handling important national affairs?
It can be said that the atmosphere in Yingtian Prefecture has improved a lot recently. Everyone knows that the Empress is keeping an eye on those good-for-nothing playboys. If the Empress catches them, a scolding is the least of their worries. Many will be sent to the Imperial Academy to study, and that's not just about going to study.
Simply going through the motions won't do; the Empress's decree isn't something to be trifled with, and it still requires verification.
Whether they are military meritorious officials or members of the imperial clan, and regardless of whether there are any elders among those elders, it's all useless. The Empress is the mother of the nation, so it's normal for those incompetent elders to be dealt with.
Little Zhu happily sipped his tea. "Great-grandfather," he said, "in the past, we would have heard many people discussing our family in the teahouse. They would say that this prince got into a fight, or that the heir of a county prince was fighting over a woman in a brothel. But now, all we hear are people talking about are the young masters of some noble family."
Old Zhu was also quite happy and said with a smile, "Although your mother has always been very cautious, she is still the daughter of a military family. If she were to punish someone, she wouldn't be lenient. We've heard that many of your uncles are now crying and writing calligraphy, afraid that your mother will summon them to the palace."
Little Zhu said smugly, "Don't even mention Uncle. Our Second Uncle took Wengeng to apologize just a couple of days ago. We didn't hold back. Not only did we punish Wengeng by making him copy books, but we also blamed Second Uncle for not raising his son properly. Our Second Uncle has even grounded him. Now who would dare to offend our mother?"
Looking at the proud little Zhu, Old Zhu didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm; it's fine if he doesn't understand some things.
She is indeed the emperor's first wife; many of her methods are just like his. Everyone says that even the most favored Prince Wu was punished by the empress, and the emperor, seemingly to uphold her authority, did not object.
His Highness Prince Wu has been confined to his residence for ten days, which seems like a severe punishment. However, it's safe to assume that the Prince Wu's residence is currently in a state of peace and prosperity, and that His Highness Prince Wu and his heir are certainly not losing sleep over being punished by the Empress.
They eat and drink as they please, and continue to enjoy song and dance performances whenever they feel like it; no one can stop them—they're simply indulging in pleasure. And barring any unforeseen circumstances, once the restrictions are lifted, those two will undoubtedly continue as before, remaining highly favored by the Emperor or Empress.
Punishing Prince Wu was merely a formality, a show for the other members of the royal family and nobles. Those two in-laws were alike; they loved to target their closest relatives, making a spectacle to intimidate others.
Little Zhu, all smiles, whispered, “Great-grandfather, it’s not just our clansmen who are being cautious now. Many officials are also feeling uneasy. A few days ago, the court was talking about starting the capital inspection, and now the people all know about it. In a few days, we’ll go and guard the Dengwen Drum, and those officials won’t be able to sleep.”
This made Old Zhu even more arrogant. He was the kind of person who couldn't tolerate any imperfections, and he was especially ruthless towards corrupt officials. And now his successor seemed to be the same, perfecting a system to ensure that even those officials who passed the imperial examinations with flying colors would not be able to hold office, and would have to be ready to be evaluated at any time.
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