Zhu Yunhuan brought Xu Miaojin to the West Palace, not only to have a free meal, but also to have a brief chat with Old Zhu.

As soon as I arrived at the West Palace, I saw the little fat boy. But Zhu Wenyao didn't notice his parents coming over at all, and was struggling with the threshold.

He carefully held onto the high threshold and tried to move his legs but couldn't. He then tried to turn over and climb up, but he didn't have enough strength or courage, so he got stuck on the threshold.

Zhu Wenyao was in a dilemma. He seemed to want to climb over the threshold, but he was not strong enough. However, if he stepped back, he was also a little overwhelmed and could only sit on the threshold in an even more awkward manner.

If it were any other time, the maids and eunuchs would have swarmed over and would not have let the little prince climb over the threshold himself. He would have had to be carried over directly.

If the threshold trips the little prince, then the threshold should be removed. This is the only way to protect the little prince.

But this is just a thought. They are not qualified to "renovate" the palace buildings, not to mention that His Majesty the Emperor is standing happily beside them.

"Mom!" Zhu Wenyao, whose face was red from busy work, suddenly noticed Xu Miaojin and immediately stretched out his hands, "Mom!"

Old Zhu immediately warned, "Boys should be beaten. Even if we dote on your father and uncle, we still need to beat them. Otherwise, they will not have a bright future!"

These are definitely not what Old Zhu is trying to stop Xu Miaojin from taking care of Zhu Wenyao, but what he really thinks. Old Zhu has always liked naughty children, especially thinking that naughty boys will have a bright future.

And looking at his sons, no matter how partial and doting Zhu was on his children, he never lowered the standards when it came to education, and it could even be said that his requirements were very high.

Therefore, Mr. Zhu's children are generally promising. Basically, there are no easy ones among them, and their abilities are generally outstanding.

"I know. I also think that the child is going to fall and get beaten." Zhu Yunhuan echoed Old Zhu and reached out to pick up Zhu Wenyao. "Call for help. Why do I only see your mother and not your father?"

Zhu Wenyao immediately became disgusted and stretched out his hand to push his annoying father away. He really did not hide his resistance, and it would have been fine if he just stretched out his hand to push him away, but he also leaned back.

Old Zhu felt sorry for his great-grandson and immediately scolded him, "Wen Yao doesn't like you. I think you are the one who caused this. He was having fun, but you had to meddle in his affairs!"

"This kid really has me under control. He's the one who has given me the most displeasure since I was born!" Zhu Yunxun said sarcastically, "Wen Yao, just grab a bird and eat it!"

Zhu Wenyao immediately laughed happily. Old Zhu was also very good at this game, or it could be said that this game was led by Old Zhu.

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang was an emperor, he still couldn't change some of his habits. Even though he has become richer and richer over the years, he still can't change some small "traditions" sometimes.

Zhu Wenyao stood on the ground happily, deliberately spread his legs, tried hard to look down, and then stretched out his little hands to pull open his crotch pants.

"Come on, come on, grab a bird!" Zhu Yunxun pretended to grab the little guy's crotch happily, then threw it into his mouth. "Delicious!"

Although Zhu Wenyao's babyish laughter was more joyful, Old Zhu was disgusted with Zhu Yunxun, "You don't even know how to tease a child. Let me teach you how to catch a sparrow and eat it!"

Zhu Yunhuan learned something new, because it is not just about pretending to put the food into the mouth, the main thing is to make a loud "ding" sound, which will make the children happier and more willing to play this game.

It really is a tradition. Although this "folk custom" is hated by many people, it still cannot be changed. Even hundreds of years later, some elders still like to tease little boys in this way.

As for the maids and eunuchs, they had long been accustomed to this. Sometimes, Emperor Hongwu's behavior was even more peasant-like than that of some old farmers, but it still could not change the fact that when necessary, the emperor's power was so overwhelming that it could overwhelm the world!

Old Zhu held Zhu Wenyao and said, "Let Miao Jin come over as well. Are you here to apologize, or are you planning to kneel in the ancestral temple?"

In response to Old Zhu's joke, Zhu Yunhuan quickly said, "She is just being overly suspicious! This matter was originally my fault. I neglected to supervise. But she just felt that she was in charge of the Red Warehouse, so she made a mistake."

Old Zhu said kindly, "Yun Hun, we are angry about what happened in Hongcang. We are angry at you and Miao Jin. We think you two are stupid and almost ruined your grandmother's good governance."

Zhu Yunhuan could fully understand Zhu's anger. After all, in Zhu's heart, there were always two or three people. Even if Zhu Yunhuan seemed to be favored now, it did not mean that he could replace those two or three people.

The Red Warehouse was managed by Empress Ma, who was the one who sewed and mended clothes in the harem, and took her daughter and palace maids to do needlework to subsidize scholars and provide relief to the orphans and widows.

Queen Ma's reputation for kindness was never a show. Although it was impossible for her to take care of everyone, she would try her best to take care of those around her and would take care of more people to the best of her ability.

If Hongcang was criticized for some previous things, Old Zhu would naturally be furious. Anyone who destroyed his sister's good governance would certainly not be forgiven easily!
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunxun and said, "You are responsible and always protect your family. This is a good thing. You and your wife live in harmony. Only then can Wen Yao grow up comfortably and have a good character."

This is also Lao Zhu's most simple point of view. He may not say anything like "the influence of the original family on children" and so on, but he will understand these based on his own experience and his own experience.

His family was poor when he was young, but harmonious, so Lao Zhu attached great importance to family affection.

He met the love of his life when he was young. The two of them supported each other and had their beloved son, so the family was harmonious and there was no lack of family affection and warmth because of the country.

Even Zhu Biao was actually very good to his childhood sweetheart, Crown Princess Chang, and later Crown Princess Lu, and he loved his own wives.

"Miao Jin, don't think too much. You've been pregnant and raising Wen Yao for the past two years, and that's the serious matter." Old Zhu said comfortingly, "You're the same as Yun Hun. You always want to do things to the best of your ability. It's not that easy!"

Looking at his grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Old Zhu felt both gratified and distressed. These two children are too sensible and too perfectionist, so they are both very tired.

Originally, they might not have to bear these responsibilities and could live happily and comfortably like other people, but now they have to bear the weight of the country, which was not originally their responsibility. "If things can be done well, they should be done well. What's the point of being neither good nor bad?" Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "If it's up to me, when doing things, we should strive to do our best, so that we can solve the problem once and for all."

Old Zhu was too lazy to say anything about Zhu Yunhuan's ideas. He was extremely stubborn, but his grandson was also incredibly stubborn.

So don't say too much. This is also some serious business. Pursuing perfection is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, it concerns the country and the people. Of course, we need to work hard to govern the country better.

Old Zhu continued, "Miao Jin is very attentive. You were the first to find out the clues. You don't have to think too much about it. You have done nothing wrong and have made contributions, so we will posthumously reward your parents with some sacrifices."

Xu Miaojin quickly spoke up, "I am ashamed to be your granddaughter-in-law! I am so ignorant that I was deceived and almost brought shame upon my grandmother. Your grandfather did not punish me but rewarded me instead. I am really ashamed!"

Old Zhu said cheerfully, "You have given us such a great grandson, which is a great achievement. Although the matter of Hongcang is not good, it will not really affect your grandmother's reputation, so don't worry."

This is Zhu's habitual double standard. When dealing with officials, Zhu's standards are extremely strict, and it can be said that there is no room for negotiation at all.

However, when treating his own family members, Lao Zhu could see the many advantages of his own family members from some seemingly bad situations, and he could reward and comfort them.

When it comes to his grandson, whom he cares about the most, and his granddaughter-in-law who is in charge, Mr. Zhu's standards are naturally becoming more and more relaxed, and some standards are no longer standards, but this only applies to his grandson and granddaughter-in-law.

In fact, Xu Miaojin was aware of Lao Zhu's attitude and was not surprised at all.

She came to apologize and so on, because as a subject, when she did something wrong, she naturally had to apologize, and this was something that could not be discussed.

But it's not really the case that she is afraid. Although the matter of Hongcang is extremely complicated and sensitive, these are not enough to make Old Zhu dissatisfied with his granddaughter-in-law.

Zhu Yunhuan said cheerfully, "I had previously thought of eliminating all the officials left over from the previous Yuan Dynasty in one go, and now I have found a good excuse."

Zhu Yunhuan was not surprised to hear this. His grandson was really suitable to be the emperor, and was very good at fanning the flames, stirring up trouble, and taking advantage of the situation.

Sometimes, in order to accomplish something, one naturally does not care much about the means and so on. As long as the goal is achieved, this is the most important thing, and the rest can be ignored.

This is an excellent quality in the eyes of Zhu Yuanzhang. He did it this way before and taught Zhu Biao this way. Now Zhu Yunhuan has inherited it, which means it is a family tradition, and Wen Yao will also have to learn it in the future!
Zhu Yunhuan continued, "We should take advantage of this opportunity to investigate the orphanages in various prefectures and counties. Yingtian Prefecture is the capital, so it is naturally rich and prosperous. We can't ignore the prefectures and counties as well."

Old Zhu nodded with satisfaction. His grandson was so sensible. He knew how to govern the country well and knew that the people should be the basis of defense.

Supporting elderly people who have little productivity is definitely an extremely burdensome task, and there is almost no substantial return.

Raising those orphans is an extremely long-term investment. Not only will we not see any results in the short term, but it is very likely that we will never see any results.

But in Lao Zhu's opinion, these things not only should be done, but must be done, and they need to be done well!
Having experienced the struggles of the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Lao Zhu was more aware of the difficulties faced by the poor lower-class people and knew that it was almost impossible for some people to survive.

Although some things have been done that seem to be at a loss, they are also things that are extremely popular with the people. If you want to win the hearts of the people, you need to do things like this that bring benefits to the people in order to be effective.

There is no point in talking about some principles. In Zhu's opinion, the most practical and reassuring approach is to allow people who cannot survive to survive.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Also, I have thought carefully that if the court has more money in the future, it can not only take care of these students in the Imperial Academy, but also take care of many poor students in the county schools."

Old Zhu nodded when he heard this. Hongcang is indeed more inclined to take care of the students of the Imperial Academy. These are the elites and seeds of the Ming Dynasty's scholars.

It’s not that Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma didn’t want to take care of some students and scholars, but that the court did not have enough spare capacity to take care of everyone. This is a very realistic thing.

The imperial court now has no more spare resources. It has finally accumulated some wealth, and there are indeed many areas where spending needs to be done. Naturally, it is impossible to do everything, and there are naturally priorities.

Old Zhu joked, "Take care of those poor children? Those people are studying the Four Books and Five Classics, and they are the people you dislike the most."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't listen any more, "Grandfather, it's fine if others say it, but it's really uncomfortable for me to hear you say this. For so many years, I just don't like those scholars and I've been wary of them. I still have to use them when I need to."

Old Zhu couldn't bear to listen any more. "You said it so clearly. It would be strange if those scholars didn't feel chilled after hearing it. We have to take good care of Wen Yao and don't let the corrupt scholars teach him the wrong things."

The previous example is Zhu Yunwen, who seemed to be a good kid who had read a lot of poetry and books since childhood and was indeed well-educated. But a good grandson of the emperor became a scholar, how could he rule the country?
Such children are indeed somewhat unreliable, so they need to read books and understand the truth. But if they read too many books or are deliberately taught something by corrupt scholars, that will not work.

Zhu Yunhuan also smiled and said, "I will definitely take care of the child myself when the time comes, but I have to give an explanation to the scholars, and I have to pretend."

Old Zhu smiled and asked, "Xu Qin and Chang Jizu, these two can study with Wen Yao. They need to be taught well. Xu Qin is looking good now."

Zhu Yunhuan also became proud, "If he is like Xu Huizu, it won't work. Xu Qin will be naughty. My little cousin will be terrible in the future. If they cause trouble, my Wen Yao will be in trouble!"

Old Zhu quite agreed with these statements. The real meaning of accompanying the prince in study was not to show off one's own knowledge, but to enhance the prince's reputation. This was what the prince's study companion should do.

And when it is time to take the blame, you must resolutely take the blame. There is nothing to discuss. If you are not a reliable family, how can you have the opportunity to accompany the prince to study! (End of this chapter)