As an emperor, his father owned "Three Palaces and Six Houses" * of women, and as the result, he had lots of children. He had 26 sons for the total, not counting the daughters yet. Zhu Su was the fifth son of his 26 sons. And the youngest son of Empress Ma, the emperor's legal wife. As a son from the empress, Zhu Su was supposed to get special treatment... yes, it was supposed to be that way. His father gave a great concern for his children, especially for their education. Because he was once an uneducated person, he was to make sure that his children could get the best education... he even looked like a parent with too high expectation. Every time the emperor met with him, what he always asked was, "How is your lesson today?" or "Have you mastered the material taught by your teacher today?"
"The Crown Prince, please deliver the eulogy to His Majesty the Emperor."
Because he was a pious and reserved boy, favored reading in his mini library, and had a great interest in art and literature, his father was somehow fond of him. But sometimes the expression of disappointment emerged on the emperor's face as finding that Zhu Su was not very skilled in the military.
"Su! If you move so slowly, the enemy will be able to beat you up!" His father yelled while training him in martial arts.
Zhu Su, who was only seven years old at that time, immediately complained, "I have tried my best, Fu Huang! This is my fastest move!"
"Ah, you're just lazy to practice! Practice harder! If you can't master martial arts, I won't give you authority to rule even village!"
Zhu Yunwen pulled a golden parchment, read it aloud, "To Huang Ye Ye I respect, The Hongwu Emperor Ming Taizu * , we are devastated and lost so much for his departure..."
Still, the emperor got Zhu Su enfeoffed as a ruler of a city. First, the emperor granted him with a title of Wu Wang, and even gave him the city of Wudi, which had abundant natural resources at that time. Everyone praised him, they said the emperor must have special affection for Zhu Su. They associated it with the emperor's history, as before becoming the Founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty he had once held the title of Wu Wang
"The Emperor loves you so much, my son. Of course, because you are a smart kid!" His mother, who was still alive at that moment, praised him.
If the current Zhu Su was an apathetic person, then the past time of him even much worsened. He did not understand why his father could give him that title, and even worse, he did not care about it.
His reserved personality, also his incapability in flattering and ingratiating himself with his parents, made his father's love towards him faded despite he was talented. He was unlike his eldest brother Zhu Biao, who was tender and often spoke many mild words which could soften his father's hard heart. He preferred to focus on the world he liked. He was a person with great discipline, full dedication, and reliable - the hallmark of smart intellectuals. Therefore, although the emperor withdrew the authority over Wudi from Zhu Su, he finally entrusted Kaifeng, who once became the capital during the Northern Song Dynasty, to be under Zhu Su's command. But as intellectual, the nature of idealistic intellectuals was also possesed by him. And, unlike Zhu Biao who could argue in a gentle manner, he dared to express his disapproval with pragmatic arguments, which although made sense, but as the result, it was too blatant.
"There again, you read these kinds of books." The emperor commented harshly as he saw the teenage Zhu Su was absorbed in reading Shanghan Lun, one of the most famous ancient Chinese Medicine books. "You are so absorbed in your book you even don't know that I am standing next to you."
Zhu Su looked up. He quickly got to his feet, put the book carelessly on the table, and bowed his head. "Fu Huang! I... I am really sorry!... When did you come?!"
"Ten minutes ago." The emperor said coldly. "I've noticed from long ago, what you always do is only studying medicine. Do you think, you want to be a great medicine expert?!"
Zhu Su did not immediately respond to the emperor. His father had often criticized him for this matter, that he often was too focused by studying medicine to the extent that he completely ignored what was happening around his surroundings.
"Su, remember! You are a prince, and soon you will be the head of a big city! You may study every of knowledge as a hobby, but don't forget your main duty! You will become a leader and the lives of many people will be under your responsibility, so you must become a good leader! Remember that!"
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* Three Palaces and Six Houses = a Chinese proverb which means the emperor had so many concubines that could fill the entire three palaces and six houses.
* Ming Taizu = the temple name for Hongwu Emperor.