Princess Lu was a little excited. Although she knew that Zhu Yunwen had a son, she could only ask and wait for someone to send her some news.

Zhu Yunwen was in an even more complicated mood at this time. He could only see his mother once every one or two years. Every time he saw her, he could feel her aging, and he naturally felt even more uncomfortable.

But there was nothing he could do about it, because he had failed in the first place, so his mother was in an awkward situation in the palace and had to be very careful. And he himself was far away from the center and was under constant surveillance.

Including his two younger brothers, they need to be more cautious and not dare to be domineering or dissolute.

This is the principle of "prosperity together, loss together". If you think about it, if you were defeated, you could keep your life, and your mother and brothers might be in a bad situation but they will still have wealth and glory. This is the most ideal thing.

One could even say that this was the kindness of the Crown Prince, who did not kill them all. Otherwise, Zhu Yunwen might not even be able to cry, as he seemed to have no mercy when fighting for the throne.

Just when everything was warm and cozy here, a maid with a stern face suddenly reported, "Your Highness the Crown Princess, Your Highness the Crown Grand Princess requests an audience."

Lu quickly stood up and said, "Pass it!"

Zhu Yunwen had nothing much to say, as his mother had a special status in the Eastern Palace.

She still appears gentle and virtuous in front of her father, but she is the one who makes the decisions on all matters in the Eastern Palace, and she has the final say in front of the emperor's grandchildren.

In the Eastern Palace at that time, all the maids, eunuchs, and guards were completely submissive to his mother.

But now it is a different time. Now everyone knows that these people in the palace are the people of the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince's Consort, so these maids naturally dare not offend Lu. However, there are some orders that these people don't care about at all.

This was just some superficial respect, and everyone knew it. It was not surprising that Lu was very flattering to Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin. Trying to put on the airs of an elder was just asking for trouble.

Xu Miaojin entered the palace with a smile, "Your Highness the Crown Princess."

Mrs. Lu's attitude was even more kind, "No need to be polite, daughter-in-law."

There is definitely nothing wrong with saying this, after all, she is the Crown Princess, and everyone knows that Zhu Yunhuan was raised by the Lu family. If she really doesn't care about the superficial face-saving project, it will be embarrassing if it gets out.

Xu Miaojin looked at Zhu Wengui and said with a smile, "Nephew, come here quickly and let your aunt take a look."

Ma immediately led Zhu Wenyao forward, and Xu Miaojin immediately took out the longevity lock, bracelet, jade pendant, etc. from the tray brought by the maid. These were all gifts for Zhu Wengui.

"Your Highness has prepared a lot of things for my nephew. My brother likes reading, and my sister-in-law is also from a scholarly family." Xu Miaojin said with a smile, "I have prepared a lot of enlightenment reading materials for my nephew. He will read when he grows up."

Ma immediately thanked him and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, please take care of me. I will definitely teach Wengui well."

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "It doesn't have to be that serious. Wengui is the prince after all. Just live comfortably in the future."

Ma didn't know what to say. In fact, everyone knew the truth very well. After all, as the son of Zhu Yunwen, it would be better for Zhu Wenyao not to be too wise or have too good a reputation.

And for them, there must be no complaints, otherwise it will be a way to bring disaster.

Zhu Yunwen's defeat not only affected his mother and brothers, but also his children and others.

Xu Miaojin looked at Zhu Wengui and praised him, "Wengui looks gentle and kind, better than the one at my house. The one at my house is too naughty."

Princess Lu and Ma didn't know what to say, as they had never met Zhu Wenyao. Even though Princess Lu lived in the palace, she had never even seen him from a distance, let alone hug him or look at him.

Even though she would occasionally show up on more important occasions, she had no say over what to say and who to meet.

Zhu Wenyao basically wouldn't show up in those occasions, after all, the child was still too young. In addition, since he was brought up by Old Zhu, he would not allow Consort Lu to have any contact with him.

The reason is very simple, that is, Zhu Yuanzhang is very confident, but he will never let Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Wenyao take risks, even if it is just some risks.

The female members of the family also seemed to be chatting happily, even though most of the time it was Xu Miaojin who was praising Zhu Wengui, and Princess Lu and Ma were just fawning and trying to please him, but there was still some superficial harmony.

On the other hand, the two brothers Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Yunwen were actually similar. There were no quarrels, and it was not necessarily that they were brothers in love, but that the one with the bigger fist had the final say.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhu Yunwen, smiled and asked, "Do you know about the Grand Canal?"

Zhu Yunwen was a little surprised and didn't quite understand, "Your Highness, what happened to the Grand Canal?"

Zhu Yunhuan was speechless. He didn't think Zhu Yunwen was pretending to be stupid, but it was really possible that he was simply unaware of some things.

It is true that the starting point of the Grand Canal is in Yuhang, right in front of Zhu Yunwen, which is also a place that has left a strong mark in history. But Zhu Yunwen really didn't want to go to the Grand Canal more often.

With West Lake, Lingyin Temple and Liuhe Pagoda, the scenery of West Lake alone was enough to make Zhu Yunwen linger.

When the season is right, go and see the Qiantang Tide. The great rivers and lakes are all right in front of you, so the Grand Canal is naturally of little concern to you. This is the life of King Wulin now.

Zhu Yunhuan did not hide anything and said, "The court is preparing to dredge the Grand Canal next year. The northern section from Peking to Tianjin and the southern section from Hangzhou and other places will all be dredged at the same time."

Zhu Yunwen understood and comprehended, "This is a benevolent policy. The Grand Canal must be an important road connecting the north and the south. If it is dredged, it will definitely help the court govern the north."

In fact, everyone is aware of this truth. The significance of the Grand Canal is obvious to all, but in the past no one was willing to spend too much energy on this matter.

After all, dredging the Grand Canal and so on have their benefits, but some emperors may not think there is anything to be anxious about.

If there are no particularly serious problems at the moment, then there is no need to worry too much. If there are really problems, future generations will solve them, and that is also fine.

After all, not every ruler is far-sighted and only cares about the prosperity in front of them, or overdraws in advance, etc. All of these are very likely to happen. Zhu Yunhuan smiled and nodded in agreement, saying, "That's the truth. Dredging the Grand Canal is not only beneficial for future generations, but also beneficial for the present."

Zhu Yunwen did not have much opinion on this. Although he had no power now, he was well-read, had studied since childhood, and had once been full of ambitions.

Even though there was no room for maneuver, he understood that dredging the Grand Canal would definitely have some benefits, and it would be worth it if it really cost some price.

Zhu Yunwen thought for a moment and then said, "Your Highness, what do you want me to do?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's not the case. You don't have much money, and you don't have many people. Even if you want to help with these things, you can't."

To be honest, Zhu Yunwen now has no money and no people. Even if he wants to help, he is definitely powerless.

These are the facts. Although they are heartbreaking, Zhu Yunwen can recognize these realities and understand that he really can't help in these matters.

What's more, if he really were to be assigned something, he would need to be vigilant. The reason was naturally that as the suspected King of Wulin, it would be best for him not to have any concern about political affairs, let alone some major events.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Dredging the Grand Canal next year is a big deal. I estimate that many civilians will have to go there. Remember to pay attention to it. There should be no corrupt officials. It will be difficult for the civilians."

Zhu Yunwen said after careful consideration, "Your Highness, I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me to do these things, right?"

If this is really the case, it is understandable. It can almost be understood as supervising some officials. This is simply a huge power. If you want to do something small, you can also eliminate dissidents and so on.

Zhu Yunhuan did not give Zhu Yunwen time to speculate, "I still have Jinyiwei, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple under my command, so naturally there are people watching. I asked you to keep an eye on them because I am afraid that some officials will collude with each other."

Zhu Yunwen was speechless at this point. The truth was still as painful as ever. He was asked to monitor and so on, not because he had power, but because of his special status.

As members of the royal family, they have a relatively superior status. Even if they are suspected and have no real power, ordinary people cannot provoke them.

Even if some officials wanted to please Zhu Yunwen, they might frame him for this reason. But first they should consider whether they would really be appreciated by the Crown Prince if they really impeached Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "You don't need to worry about other places, but you can go to Hangzhou to have a look. Such a benevolent government should be shown by the royal family."

Zhu Yunwen also understood in his heart that he was really just a mascot, who would be shown to the common people when necessary to set an example for the Ming Dynasty to win the hearts of the people.

Zhu Yunhuan continued to instruct, "Remember to check on these things often. You must be careful about these major events. The whole court should work together at this time."

Now that things have come to this, Zhu Yunwen has no room to refuse at this time.
The emperor has the emperor's responsibilities and the crown prince has the crown prince's obligations, but these royal family members are not just for show. They still have to play their roles at critical moments.

Zhu Yunhuan continued to instruct, "Next year the court will not only dredge the canal, but also send a fleet out to sea."

Zhu Yunwen had also heard about this, and he asked carefully, "Your Highness, what does this have to do with me? I heard that most of the fleets are in Taicang, and all the goods are also assembled in Taicang."

There is nothing wrong with saying this, because the actual situation is just like this. The fleet assembled in Taicang, then joined the ships of various naval forces in Liujiagang, and then set sail together.

If you look at it this way, it naturally has nothing to do with Zhu Yunwen, as Hangzhou where he is is not the departure point or assembly point.

Even if there are navy accompanying them, they will depart from Ningbo and other places, and have nothing to do with Hangzhou. This is the reality.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's true, but Hangzhou is a prosperous place with a developed trade. Tea, silk, and even porcelain are also supplied from Hangzhou."

Zhu Yunwen had nothing to say at this point. What he said was naturally very reasonable. After all, although Hangzhou seemed to have no direct relationship, it could not be completely ignored.

Zhu Yunhuan continued to instruct, "You must have heard that some merchants, powerful people, etc. are not very satisfied with these things."

Zhu Yunwen remained silent. Although he would not make friends with some officials or have too much contact with some local tyrants, it definitely did not mean that he would not hear anything.

After all, he is the King of Wulin. Even if he is suspected, he is still an unattainable figure for many ordinary people, so naturally there are many people who want to curry favor with him.

Those who were able to show up in front of Zhu Yunwen either had a good background or possessed some ability. These people were not necessarily all mediocre.

So it is naturally very normal for Zhu Yunwen to know some things now, and there is no need to make a fuss about it.

On the other hand, the court has now reopened the Maritime Customs, which still seems to have no actual relationship with Hangzhou. However, the distance between them is very close, which would also allow Zhu Yunwen to hear about it.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said meaningfully, "You should also pay attention to these things. Some people outside say that my royal family is competing with the people for profits. I listen to them. The people they are talking about are not the common people of the world."

Zhu Yunwen actually wanted to refute it very much. In fact, he also tended to agree with some voices from the outside world. He was a standard and traditional Confucian.

Therefore, sometimes they do not take everyone into consideration. The "people" in their eyes are not the common people in the world, but the scholars and wealthy families like them.

The words of others were not enough to attract their attention. If the emperor wanted to govern the country, he should cooperate with them more and consider the interests of this group of scholars.

Fortunately, although he wanted to refute, Zhu Yunwen now knew what was going on, and sometimes he would just listen.

It is enough to cooperate in implementing the policies formulated by the court. If he talks or does more, it will not be a good thing. After all, it will not do him any good to prove his ability.

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen didn't say anything more, Zhu Yunhuan just smiled. He thought that his second brother had made some progress over the years and knew how to protect himself.

So it's okay to give him some tasks, simple tasks, thankless tasks, and more of them. (End of this chapter)