For Zhu Yunwen, every time he returned to Yingtian Prefecture, he felt complicated, which naturally meant that he had to be cautious, fearing that he would offend someone by accident.

But judging from the current situation, it seems that he doesn't have to worry so much this time, and it seems that he really doesn't need to offend the royal family.

The tasks and arrangements given to him were nothing insignificant. They did not represent any actual power. It seemed that one more or one less of him would not make much difference. It was nothing more than his slightly special identity that made him play a certain role.

All this naturally made Zhu Yunwen feel at ease. This was a rare treatment. After all, he had done a lot of things that offended people before and had become somewhat immune to them.

Zhu Yunhuan was still very happy to talk with Zhu Yunwen, for example, about the education issues of Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Yunxi, and briefly mentioned his ideas about their future fiefdoms.

At this time, Zhu Yunwen was very low-key and cautious. Perhaps it was because he knew his situation, so he was unwilling to mention anything about these things.

Perhaps it is because he is inherently cold-hearted. His current situation is very embarrassing, so he naturally has no time to care about his younger brothers, even his own brothers.

They haven't been together for several years, and Zhu Yunxi doesn't even have any impression of his second brother. At this time, brotherly friendship and respect are just superficial courtesy. The most important thing is to ensure their own interests.

After all, he is the King of Wulin now, and is about to become the King of Wu. He even has his own children, so naturally his thoughts are different.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at the time and said to Zhang Fusheng, "Have someone send the nephew over here."

Although he was somewhat puzzled, Zhu Yunwen had no say in these matters. Not to mention that this was the imperial palace, even in the prince's palace in Hangzhou, there were some things that he could not decide.

I have long been accustomed to this kind of situation, which naturally means that I should just accept it silently, because giving suggestions is not a good thing.

Besides, this is the imperial palace. At such a critical juncture, the Crown Prince would definitely not do anything to Zhu Wengui. Zhu Yunwen was well aware of this.

When Zhu Yunxun and Zhu Yunwen were chatting casually, a baby voice suddenly came out, "Zu!"

Old Zhu appeared holding Zhu Wenyao, who was very happy and restless, pointing at the hall and talking non-stop. However, his baby talk was difficult to understand, and even Old Zhu could not guess correctly.

As soon as Old Zhu entered the hall, he complained, "I told you I didn't want to see you, but you insisted on seeing me. What's the point of seeing you?"

As Zhu Yunwen hurriedly saluted, Zhu Yunxun said, "One generation is close to the second representative, you can't just let it go for the third or fourth generation, right? Wen Yao and Wen Gui are brothers after all, we still have to meet them."

Old Zhu didn't care about it. Although he valued family ties, given the current situation of the Ming royal family, most cousins ​​might never meet each other in their entire lives, or even not know each other's names.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Then Gao Chi and I studied and played together when we were young. Isn't that good? Besides, how many brothers of similar age does Wen Yao have?"

Zhu Yunwen, who was standing aside, had red eyes with envy. He had always been well-behaved and cautious in front of his royal grandfather, fearing any disrespect. Everything he did was based on the highest etiquette and patriarchal rules.

But even so, although he seemed to have done nothing wrong, he still could not win the favor of the Imperial Grandfather, nor could he get really close to him.

Zhu Yunhuan, who seemed to have no manners and even a little disobedient, got along very well with the emperor's grandfather and was even favored by him.

Zhu Yunxun continued, "Now in the palace, only my aunt can play with Wen Yao for a while. After all, she is a girl, and I am thinking of finding some playmates for Wen Yao."

Old Zhu immediately became serious and said, "The kid from the Chang family is one, but Xu Qin is a little too old. The one from the Jiujiang family is not good either, as he is even older. We have to look for him carefully, and we can't delay finding a playmate for Wen Yao."

Accompanying the prince in his studies can be said to be a good job. Having the prince’s playmate is an important asset for his future official career.

If they really wanted to choose a playmate for Zhu Wenyao, all the civil and military officials would have to rack their brains to find one. They would send their precious children from home to the palace to be playmates, and they would be happy to do so even if it meant some grievances.

Zhu Wenyao was a very brave child. As soon as he was put down by Old Zhu, he began to stumble around and explore. At this time, the most nervous people were Zhang Fusheng and others.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunwen and said, "He looks fairer and more refined. He really looks like a scholar."

Zhu Yunwen didn't know how to answer. He thought this should be praise and affirmation from his grandfather. But from the tone, it seemed that there was some dissatisfaction.

Zhu Yunhuan came to the rescue and said, "Yunwen has always been like this. He likes reading and has great scholars teaching him. Now that he is in a cultural place, he will naturally benefit from it. I think this is what should happen!"

Old Zhu was somewhat noncommittal about this. Whether Zhu Yunwen had made progress or not was really not that important to him, and there was nothing worth paying attention to.

As long as Zhu Yunwen was healthy, that was obviously enough for him. It was more important to have a good character and not act recklessly. The rest was actually not worth mentioning.

As for whether Zhu Yunwen has any ambitions now, etc., Old Zhu would not doubt these at all, and there is really no need to worry about anything.

After that incident, Old Zhu knew that Zhu Yunwen's spirit had faded. And he had been watched over by others for so many years, without any transgression, which was what a smart child should do.

"If you like reading, read more. If you like boating, boating more. Don't spend too much time with scholars." Old Zhu said unhappily, "Those scholars like to talk nonsense. How many of them understand politics?"

Zhu Yunwen was shocked and quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I will do my duty."

Zhu Yunhuan came to the rescue again, "Grandfather, Yunwen didn't discuss state affairs with those people. They were just talking about academic matters. There's nothing wrong with that."

Zhu Yunwen was touched for a moment. Facing the accusations from his grandfather, he dared not even breathe a word. Regardless of whether he felt he was wronged or not, he was thinking about how to correct it and satisfy his grandfather.

Looking at it now, in such a situation, it is hard to imagine that the younger brother who had caused the biggest quarrel at the beginning would come to his rescue.

If Zhu Yunwen were in his shoes, he would definitely not do this. The opinion of his great-grandfather is the most important, and he must not go against his great-grandfather's wishes. This is the key to consolidating his position.

It's just a pity that Zhu Yunwen can only think about it now. Maybe this is the reason why he lost. He may be too cold-hearted, and some of his actions can't satisfy his grandfather. While talking, Zhu Wengui was carried into the Wenhua Hall. The child still looks a little timid now, mainly because the environment around him makes him feel unfamiliar and sees many unfamiliar people.

"Father!" Zhu Wengui said in a baby voice, and quickly ran to Zhu Yunwen's side, "Father."

Zhu Yunwen quickly said, "Wengui, hurry up and pay your respects to His Majesty the Great-Grandfather Emperor!"

Zhu Wenyao sat on the floor, looking at Zhu Wengui with curiosity. Suddenly, he became happy, stood up shakily, and tried to come over with a babyish smile.

Old Zhu was still very happy. Although he did not plan to hold Zhu Wengui in his arms, he was naturally very happy to see the fair and clean appearance of this child.

"Go and play with your brother." Old Zhu touched Zhu Wenyao's head with a smile, "It seems like you can't sit still anymore."

Zhu Wenyao really couldn't sit still, he grabbed Old Zhu's clothes with one hand and stood shakily. But he kept looking at Zhu Wengui eagerly, obviously wanting to play with this playmate of similar age.

It is children's nature to like playing with children of similar age, and even like to run around behind children who are slightly older.

Zhu Wenyao didn’t have many playmates in the palace, mainly because there were no children of similar age. That was the actual situation.

Zhu Wengui was actually in a similar situation. When he was in Wulin Palace, he was naturally coaxed by others, but when it came to playmates and so on, this child actually had no real playmates.

Seeing Zhu Wenyao and Zhu Wengui playing happily, everyone naturally felt very happy. It is actually better not to involve children too much in the grudges between adults.

Of course, this may just be superficial talk, but they are brothers after all, and seeing the two children having fun is also a very good thing.

"Yun Hun can support the family business, but Yun Wen is not as good as you." Old Zhu said with a smile, "In the future, teach Wen Gui well and be a good vassal king. You can't do without some wealth."

Zhu Yunwen did not dare to delay for even a moment and said quickly, "I, your grandson, will follow your grandfather's instructions and I will definitely teach Wengui well."

As for the brief mention of the reasons for his failure, Zhu Yunwen did not have much emotion. Bringing up the past only made him realize where he failed, and it could not change anything.

In the final analysis, the overall situation has been decided. Not to mention that Zhu Yunhuan now has great power in the court, not to mention that the edict of succession has already been announced to the world, which means that the overall situation has been decided.

If Zhu Yunhuan were to be forcibly deposed suddenly, everyone knew very well that if such a low-probability event really happened, the world would inevitably be in turmoil.

This is the reality. Zhu, the founding emperor, has unparalleled power and prestige, and everyone knows this. If he really wants to do something forcefully, basically no one can stop him.

However, Zhu Yunhuan was not the crown prince in these years for nothing. He held a lot of real power in his hands over the years, which naturally became an important factor in consolidating his position.

Maybe because the two children can play together, Old Zhu has to make some adjustments. Originally, he just wanted to take a look at Zhu Wengui, but now he doesn't plan to leave immediately.

It’s not necessarily that I like Zhu Wengui that much, but I can’t deny that this child’s identity is worthy of Zhu’s attention and love.

The most important thing is that Zhu Wenyao is happy. Old Zhu can't bear to let his precious great-grandson suffer any grievance or be unhappy. Since the child is having fun, then let him play for a while longer. There is nothing wrong with that.

"Yun Hun will ascend the throne after his birthday, and the time is almost up." Old Zhu said, "You are not allowed to come to the capital to pay homage for five years. Bring your wife and children to pay homage to your father in a few days."

Zhu Yunwen still answered honestly, "Sun Chen obeys the imperial edict."

After taking a look at Zhu Yunxun, who was staring at the two children with a smile, Old Zhu continued to instruct, "I don't care what Yunxun assigns you to do. He has his reasons for doing things, so just do as he says."

Zhu Yunwen did not dare to be vague at all, "Sun Chen will obey the imperial edict and do his best to do his job well. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Old Zhu nodded in satisfaction, but did not forget to criticize him, "You are too simple-minded, too immature, and you are not prudent in doing things. Just do your job well. Don't think too much. If you think too much, you will definitely make mistakes!"

This was not a warning to Zhu Yunwen, but Zhu felt that Zhu Yunwen was sometimes so "naive" that it was frightening, and he did not look like a child who grew up in the palace at all.

There was nothing that could be done about it. The child was a good child, but it was a pity that no one taught him well. But there was no need to teach him well either. It would have been enough to have chosen the crown prince early on.

Look at how well Biao'er chose these two children. Yunwen is elegant, kind, and likes reading. He just needs to be a wise vassal king and does not need to worry about the affairs of the country.

Let’s look at Yunwen again. He is honest, decisive, scheming, and shrewd. With a little experience, he will be able to take control of the government. He is the best crown prince and future emperor.

This is what the royal family should be like, treating everyone equally and without partiality. That will only cause some internal strife, which is definitely not a good thing.

Old Zhu has always been partial, and he never thought that there was anything wrong with his partiality. Look at the Ming Dynasty now, it is so stable because of his partiality!
Zhu Yunhuan suddenly said, "When the Maritime Customs Office reopens, the silk, tea, porcelain, etc. from Hangzhou can all be put to good use. I just don't want all the benefits to be taken away by the landlords, so I'll let Yunwen keep an eye on them."

Old Zhu thought it made sense and said, "We don't trust those officials either. They protect each other. Since Yun Wen is watching us, we should keep a closer eye on them. If any official dares to take bribes or pervert the law, you should report them!"

Having an extra pair of eyes watching things may help you see things more clearly and reduce the risk of being deceived.

But for Zhu Yunwen, this was another offensive assignment. This time, he was not offending members of the royal family, but civil officials and some landlords.

He was told to keep an eye on people, and those who didn't know would think he had a lot of power. But he had no one and no power, so it was difficult to find out some things.

Maybe if there is an impeachment, the future emperor will draw up a list for him and submit it in his name! (End of this chapter)