In Zhu Yunying's memory, Old Zhu had always been a very energetic person, even an indomitable man. But at some point, Old Zhu had indeed grown old, and now he was an elderly man in his twilight years.
If Zhu Yunying and Little Zhu were not here, the Qianqing Palace would be so quiet it would be oppressive.
After finishing his meal, Zhu Yunying was sent away by his father, Zhu Yuanzhang, even though Zhu Yuanzhang enjoyed having his grandson by his side. However, he also knew very well that his grandson was now the emperor and had many things to do, so he couldn't be around him all the time.
Having one great-grandson by his side is enough, allowing the grandson to focus on governing. After all, the Ming Dynasty still needs an emperor; many things require the emperor's planning and decision-making, so the emperor is never truly idle.
Back at Chunhe Palace, Zhu Yunying said to Xu Miaoqing, "Have the people from the Imperial Hospital keep an eye on things. You should also make frequent visits to Qianqing Palace. Most of the Imperial Uncles and Imperial Aunts are currently in Yingtian Prefecture. Try to get them to come back and keep Grandfather company."
Xu Miaoqing was startled. She knew that Old Zhu's health was not as good as before, but he hadn't said he was seriously ill. The emperor's arrangements were practically like arranging his funeral.
Zhu Yunying ignored Xu Miaoqing's nervousness or worry and continued, "Grandfather will definitely nag a lot then. As long as he nags, we should still do what we're supposed to do. Grandfather has always been a family man, so you have to handle these matters well. We're busy with court affairs, so you can arrange things at home."
Xu Miaoqing immediately said, "Your Majesty, I understand. Tomorrow, let the eldest princess and the youngest princess enter the palace first to dine with the emperor."
This arrangement was perfectly fine; his two daughters were the apple of his eye. Even married daughters weren't considered "water spilled from a cup," and he still cared about them deeply.
Zhu Yunying then remembered and said, "I remember that the Grand Princess of Lin'an has also returned. She hasn't seen her grandfather for many years. We should send her to the palace. Let her come with us to the palace tomorrow."
Princess Lin'an, Zhu Jingjing, was Zhu Yuanzhang's eldest daughter. Her husband was Li Qi, the eldest son of Li Shanchang, and they had been living in Tianjin for many years. It had been ten years since Zhu Yuanzhang had seen his eldest daughter.
As for Zhu Yunying's two paternal aunts, they were actually Zhu Yunying's second and fourth daughters.
Xu Miaoqing understood and said, "Your Majesty must be feeling uneasy now that your second and third uncles are gone. Since Shang Bing and Ji Xi have inherited their titles, let them enter the palace with your fifth uncle."
Zhu Yunying smiled and nodded, saying, "Let's not just talk about the imperial uncles. I'm just a grandson myself, and the imperial grandfather is naturally quite fond of his grandchildren. Let the eldest sons and grandsons of each prince's family also come to the palace. The imperial grandfather will surely be pleased to see our family so prosperous."
These things really should be done. While it can't be said that Old Zhu will have no regrets at all, it's good to have fewer regrets.
These are indeed things that Zhu Yunying should consider, because he is now the de facto head of the Zhu family. Even the imperial uncles and aunts have to pay their respects to him.
It's not an exaggeration to say that the fates of those members of the imperial clan were essentially under Zhu Yunying's control. Seniority and such matters held little significance at this point, at least not for Zhu Yunying.
Although most of the imperial family members lived in Yingtian Prefecture, the palace gates prevented them from entering the capital city on a regular basis, and even seeing Emperor Zhu was not an easy task.
So let the members of the imperial clan come to the palace, have a meal with Emperor Zhu, and talk to him. This is what Zhu Yunying thinks is the right thing to do.
He didn't feel there was anything to worry about. He didn't need to worry about which imperial uncle had received a secret edict or that an imperial uncle had been entrusted with the task of raising the young emperor. There was nothing to worry about.
We could have been more magnanimous and let Old Zhu see his children before he passed away. Even if Old Zhu didn't spend much time with many of them, or perhaps didn't have a particularly deep relationship with them, they were still his blood relatives, and Old Zhu would still think about them to some extent.
After helping Zhu Yunying wash up, Xu Miaoqing asked with some concern, "Your Majesty, has it really come to that?"
“We were overthinking it, but these are things we should do,” Zhu Yunying said. “Since birth, we have been favored by our grandfather, the Emperor, and there’s not much we can do. Let’s do a little more, just to put our minds at ease.”
That's indeed the case. Zhu Yunying's abilities are limited, and there are many things he would be powerless to do even if he were the emperor. But what needs to be done must still be done, at least to put his mind at ease and fulfill his filial duty.
This has little to do with the throne; it's simply what one should do as a descendant of a royal family. Perhaps doing these things is just for peace of mind, for a little psychological comfort.
The truth is that simple, and this also reflects Joo Yoon-young's confidence.
Normally, the situation would be very sensitive when the emperor is seriously ill, because no one knows if a fake imperial edict will suddenly appear, which could cause quite a stir.
However, for Zhu Yunying, this was clearly not a matter of great concern. Ultimately, he had already ascended the throne and didn't need to worry about his other uncles causing trouble at this time.
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