The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 101 Zhu Xiong Ying: Brother Gao Chi, you are our right-hand man!

Inside the palace.

Seeing the solemn expression on Crown Prince Zhu Biao's face, Chang Mao hurriedly bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness!"

"The Crown Prince's eldest grandson is my own nephew. Even if Your Highness didn't say so, I would risk my old life to protect him!"

Zhu Biao strode forward, helped Chang's brother-in-law to his feet, patted his strong arms, and said, "With your words, I can finally rest assured!"

"Furthermore, Fengyang is the birthplace of the Zhu clan, with deep-rooted connections. In addition, the route passes through many prefectures and counties—and Xiong Ying is only thirteen years old. Although he is precocious, he is still young, and this is his first time leaving the capital on business!"

"Please bear with me during our journey."

A father worries when his son travels a thousand miles.

Zhu Biao placed high hopes on this eldest son, fearing even the slightest mishap!

Chang Mao immediately understood his brother-in-law's thoughts and said solemnly, "I have noted them all down!"

"good!"

at the same time.

Inside the rear hall of Wenhua Hall.

After the training at Dabentang ended, as usual, Zhu Xiong Ying summoned all his younger brothers to this place.

According to rumors circulating in the palace, my elder brother will be returning to his hometown of Fengyang in a few days.

Zhu Yunwen and his men all stared wide-eyed, secretly glancing at the head of the table, their eyes filled with longing and reluctance.

After checking everyone's homework, Zhu Xiong Ying's bright eyes suddenly swept down.

"There's something else we need to tell you!"

"As you've all heard, we've received an imperial decree that we'll be returning to Haozhou in a few days!"

"There are a few things I need to explain in advance while I'm away from Beijing!"

"Firstly, during our absence from the capital, the studies at the Great Hall must not be neglected. Your homework checks and scripture tutoring will be temporarily handled by my fourth brother, Gao Chi!"

At present, his cousin Zhu Gaochi was regarded as his right-hand man!

There are so many things to do, shouldn't we help him share the burden?

When they grow up, I will take them with me, just like Xiao He of the Han Dynasty, to help him manage more internal affairs.

Upon hearing this, the playful imperial grandsons immediately wilted like eggplants after being hit by frost, their eyes all falling on the eldest son of the Prince of Yan.

Zhu Gaochi left his seat, took half a step forward, bowed deeply, and said in a clear and calm voice, "I will certainly live up to your expectations, elder brother. I will strictly check your homework every day, enforce discipline, and instruct my younger brothers—"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, lingering a few moments on his restless younger brothers, and said in a deep voice, "Hmm! Yun Tong, You—make sure you all remember clearly, when we're not in the palace, Gao Chi's will is our will. Anyone who dares to outwardly comply but inwardly defy, skip classes, be lazy, disobey orders because of their status, cause trouble, or tarnish the reputation of the imperial clan, Gao Chi will record a demerit first—"

These words were spoken.

Zhu Xiong Ying then called his younger brother, Zhu Yun Tong, aside and said, "Especially you, Yun Tong, you've fallen too far behind in your studies. You're not allowed to skip classes anymore under the pretense of feeling unwell. When you're studying, think things through more, do you understand?"

Facing his elder brother, Zhu Yunwen's eyes reddened, and he pursed his lips tightly, saying, "Brother, I know everything!"

"I will definitely study hard and never let my brother down!"

"Brother, you must come back soon—"

His birth mother, Lady Chang, died early, and his stepmother, Lady Lü, was somewhat estranged from him. His biological father, Zhu Biao, was busy with court affairs on weekdays.

Therefore, over the years, Zhu Chongtong has been very attached to his elder brother.

Looking at my little brother, with tears welling up in his eyes, he looked like a child who would never grow up.

As the eldest brother, Zhu Xiong Ying naturally acted as both father and mother to his child. He quickly took a handkerchief, wiped away the tears, and coaxed, "Alright, alright! As long as you behave well in the palace, we'll definitely bring you some local specialties from Fengyang, some snacks and trinkets, when we come back!"

"Items like shortbread, maltose candy, wheat flour cakes, milk skin, and wood carvings will all be included!"

"And Ji Xi—you all have that!"

Let's start with the food in Fengyang; there's so much to it.

For example, at the annual imperial banquets, the tables were laden with sesame seed cakes, salted goose, stuffed tofu, and so on.

As for small toys, there are quite a few.

Fengyang Flower Drum, Phoenix Painting, Bamboo Horse Lantern —

These still exist in later generations, and some are even intangible cultural heritage.

Upon hearing about delicious food and fun activities, Zhu Yunwen, the academically challenged student, indeed stopped crying.

Guided by the eunuch Sanbao, they returned to the last seat and sat down obediently.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Xiong Ying waved to Zhu Yun Wen.

"Yunwen, you are older, so remember to take good care of your younger brothers, help Gaochi, and urge them to study and learn to read and write, and to behave themselves."

Suddenly, he was called upon by his elder brother.

Zhu Yunwen quickly replied, "I will certainly remember your teachings, elder brother!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded and looked at the others.

"Shang Bing and Zhu Ji, you are the eldest, so you must set a good example for your younger brothers and always remember the importance of brotherly harmony."

"Last month, my second and third uncles wrote to us, telling us to take good care of you—"

"And we must remember this: we are all descendants of the Zhu family. We share the same fate, and we share the same fate. As long as we are united, there is no difficulty we cannot overcome. Under heaven, all is Ming territory. This vast world is enough for us brothers to roam far and wide in the future and achieve great things."

When the day comes that we will eliminate the remnants of the Yuan dynasty, roam across Eurasia, and strive to become the ruler of the world, we will surely have to make full use of the power of the royal family members.

Together, we will support the future of the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Shangbing and Zhu Jixi both stood up and replied, "We accept your orders and will certainly live up to your elder brother's trust, set a good example, and restrain our younger brothers!"

After explaining most of the things.

After bidding farewell to his brothers, Zhu Xiong Ying headed towards the main hall, intending to ask Biao'er's father who would be accompanying him back to Haozhou.

As they approached the palace gate, they happened to run into Chang Mao, the eldest uncle who was out.

When uncle and nephew meet, they exchange a few simple pleasantries.

Once inside the hall, he learned from his adoptive father that his uncle was among the entourage and would oversee all matters, big and small!

In addition, there were many other noble sons such as Xu Zengshou, Li Jinglong, and Tang Ding.

And Liu Sanwu and other leading civil officials.

Surprisingly, neither his maternal uncle Lan Yu nor Duke Xu Da of Wei were on the list.

The roster here was originally approved by Old Zhu.

Seeing his eldest son's confusion, Zhu Biao explained, "The preparations for the Northern Expedition and the affairs of the southwestern border are both at a critical juncture!"

"Whether it's your maternal uncle or the Duke of Wei, they are both currently acting on the orders of your imperial grandfather to handle some important military matters and are temporarily unable to leave their posts."

"Since you're returning to your hometown today, let a group of noble relatives accompany you, so you can get to know them better—"

Zhu Xiong Ying suddenly realized that he had completely forgotten about this!

When talking about the Southwest, he inevitably thought of his uncle, Mu Ying.

"Father, Uncle Mu has been preparing for war for months. Is he about to launch an attack on the rebellious Luchuan tribes?"

Zhu Biao put down the documents, stroked his beard, and shook his head, saying, "Ying'er probably doesn't know about the situation in Yunnan!"

"During the fifth, sixth, and seventh months, the miasma is at its strongest, making it easy for diseases to break out; it is not advisable to wage war then!"

"Furthermore, the rainy season is in full swing, and it will continue until October!"

"Therefore, military operations in the southwest cannot be accomplished overnight! The ironclad rule of 'launching troops in winter and spring, and resting in summer and autumn' must be followed!"