My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 72 Organizing Memorials

When the old emperor awoke, all the memorials had already been categorized and organized.

Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun had their own division of labor and cooperated with each other. Zhu Gaoxi carried out the initial classification, and Zhu Youdun then checked it. They worked together very well.

"This must have been stewed, right?" The old emperor was deeply moved.

Zhu Youdun pretended to be mysterious and said, "Grandpa, guess what?"

The old emperor looked at his two beloved grandsons with doting eyes. "Did you two do this together?"

"Grandpa is so smart," Zhu Youdun flattered, his skill in doing so no less than that of Zhu Gaoxi.

Do we need your praise?

The old emperor gave a satisfied hum.

"Grandpa, you don't know this, but my brother and I each had our own tasks. My brother compiled the information, and I checked it," Zhu Youdun said with a smile, exchanging a glance with Zhu Gaoxi before reporting the facts.

"Xi'er did it all over again?" The old emperor could hardly believe his ears.

If these memorials were to state that the stew was prepared by the emperor himself, or that the two of them prepared it together, the old emperor would believe them.

However, he found it unbelievable and incredible that Zhu Gaoxi could read through everything in such a short time.

After all, Zhu Gaoxi was only a five-year-old child.

"If Grandfather doesn't believe me, he can check it out himself. He can find out whether he has read the contents of this memorial by asking," Zhu Youdun said with certainty.

The old emperor nodded slightly, walked to the table, sat down, and randomly picked up one of each of the three categories of memorials. After glancing at them, he pointed to the pile of memorials in the middle and asked Zhu Gaoxi, "Xi'er, did you divide these? How should we reply to this category of memorials?"

"Grandpa, I suspect that you may have approved these memorials," Zhu Gaoxi replied calmly. "One of them is a request from the Ministry of War to establish Panshi Post Station in Yizhou, Beiping; Xiuling Post Station in Guangchang County, Datong; and Cangfeng Post Station in Lingqiu County."

After hearing this, the old emperor searched through the memorial one by one, and after finding it, he quickly checked the contents and found that they all matched.

At such a young age, he has an amazing photographic memory.

This is a child prodigy!

The old emperor was shocked.

It is said that Liu Bowen and Xie Jin had the ability to remember everything they saw when they were young, and Feng Guoyong was also able to memorize things after just one glance.

Liu Bowen passed the imperial examination at the age of 22, Xie Jin passed the imperial examination at the age of 19, and Feng Guoyong was an expert in military strategy.

The old emperor remained unsettled for a long time.

Judging from this, in terms of talent alone, Gao Xi far surpasses Yunwen.

Yunwen's aptitude is above average, similar to Gaochi from the fourth family and Jixi from the second family, but he would struggle slightly if he were to compete with Youdun.

Gao Xi's talent was clearly even greater than that of You Dun.

"Grandpa, isn't this way of reviewing memorials more time-saving, efficient, and effective?" Seeing this, Youdun seized the opportunity to suggest, "Why don't we handle all future memorials this way as well?"

The old emperor understood the underlying meaning in the conversation—that Gao Xi was being urged to learn how to handle government affairs as soon as possible—so he smiled and asked Zhu Gao Xi, "Xi'er, what do you think?"

"Grandson is willing to share his grandfather's burdens."

After a long wait, Zhu Gaoxi finally witnessed this moment, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you two. Organize like this every day," the old emperor thought, feeling very pleased.

The two exchanged a smile and simultaneously accepted the order.

If only Yunwen could be so close and trusting of the two brothers, the old emperor thought to himself. Yunwen had lost the big picture for the small thing, getting into a fight with his brothers over trivial matters and losing the big picture for the small thing.

The next day, Zhu Yunwen, who had recovered from his illness, arrived at the Qianqing Palace early, intending to handle the memorials with his grandfather.

However, he waited and waited, but no one came. By noon, no one had appeared. Not only was his grandfather nowhere to be found, but Zhu Youdun and Zhu Gaoxi were also nowhere to be seen.

What did they all do when they disappeared without a trace?

Why didn't anyone notify me?

Zhu Yunwen felt increasingly uneasy and had no choice but to return to the Wenhua Hall to discuss countermeasures with Mr. Huang.

Where is Zhu Gaoxi at this moment?

He went to the horse farm to learn to ride!

This was the first time in his life that he had ridden a horse alone.

Last time, Zhu Ying carried me while I rode.

The old emperor was so thoughtful that he even had officials from the Ministry of Rites hold a special ceremony, seemingly to pray for divine protection so that Zhu Gaoxi wouldn't be thrown off by the colt.

Zhu Gaoxi excitedly shouted from horseback, "Grandpa, brother, look, I can ride a horse!"

In fact, Yi Shiha stayed by his side the whole time, never leaving his side, for fear that something might happen.

Xi'er was a robust and strong boy, clearly a natural martial arts prodigy. The old emperor was so moved that he wiped away tears.

Zhu Youdun stayed by his side, offering gentle comfort and ensuring logistical support.

Zhu Gaoxi's snacks and the old emperor's hot tea were all uniformly prepared by Zhu Youdun.

Huang Liang sent someone to inform the Imperial Kitchen in advance, and the three of them immediately started eating as soon as they returned to the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Gaoxi was so hungry that he pressed his stomach against his back, feeling as if he could eat a whole cow. He wolfed down his food and ate with great relish.

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you," the old emperor kept nagging, worried that he might choke, his voice overflowing with endless affection.

This joyous scene was witnessed by Zhu Yunwen, who had returned.

Zhu Yunwen suppressed his displeasure, bowed to his grandfather, and greeted his two younger brothers.

For some reason, he felt very clearly and strongly that he was an outsider.

That was a circle he could never squeeze into, no matter what.

Zhu Yunwen was overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss, his heart felt empty, as if he had inadvertently lost the most important thing and could never find it again.

Seeing his grandfather's undisguised affection for Zhu Gaoxi, Zhu Yunwen suddenly realized that something must have happened that he didn't know about.

What exactly is it?

What exactly did they do behind my back?

Disappointment, fear, and anger surged into his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

He forced a smile, a smile that looked worse than a grimace, his facial expression mechanical and stiff, clearly insincere.

However, no one bothered to argue with him about these things.

Everyone kept their distance from him, polite but distant.

Zhu Yunwen's heart sank lower and lower, as if he had fallen into an abyss, helpless and lost, unable to grasp any straw to save him.

Fortunately, the Ministry of Justice sent a memorial, and Zhu Yunwen was finally able to escape from the suffocating despair.

He began to skillfully categorize the memorials, regaining his former confidence.

Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun were only having a meal with their grandfather, but he would be the emperor in the future, so there was no need for him to be like them. This was something his mother had repeatedly told him.

Storage space, only storage space is the most important.

As long as he successfully ascends the throne and becomes the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

There are a million ways to get Xu Miaojin.

What if she's already married?

Cao Cao, Mengde, had a penchant for stealing other men's wives; who could stop him?!

After figuring it out, Zhu Yunwen's confidence soared.

Seeing that Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun were still lingering after they had finished eating, without any sense of propriety, did not affect his mood at all.

Last year, my grandfather issued a special edict to abolish severe punishments.

Zhu Yunwen presented a document he had personally transcribed, requesting amendments to the 73 overly harsh laws listed therein.

After reviewing the document, the old emperor nodded in satisfaction and said earnestly to Zhu Yunwen, "When I ruled a chaotic world, punishments had to be severe. When you rule a peaceful world, punishments should naturally be lenient. This is what is meant by punishments being lighter or heavier in different eras."