Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 108 A play within a play

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan coming back, Old Zhu asked, "What happened to the gunpowder you got?"

"I'm still asking people to try it. It's a bit laborious and the yield is low." Zhu Yunhuan said honestly, "I just think we should do this. Although it doesn't seem cost-effective now, if we find a way, it will definitely be of great use in the future."

Old Zhu also meant this, but he still said, "Gunpowder plus water, will this work?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "This is not just about kneading dough. You have to know how much gunpowder and water to add. Also, you have to dry it in the shade or in the sun, but don't dry it too much. Otherwise, it will be difficult to roll. The mixed gunpowder also needs to be compacted."

When Lao Zhu heard this, he immediately became a little worried. "So, the loss is indeed not small."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood, but still said, "For now, we can only make it first, just in case. Ordinary gunpowder still needs to be made into powder. I will see if I can find a better way."

Old Zhu smiled and nodded, then said, "Your second uncle wants to go back. He probably sees through it."

"It's better not to say it out loud. I'll talk to my second uncle later." Zhu Yunhuan laughed and said, "I was thinking of my second uncle helping me to set up a plan. But I think it's better to forget it. If he helps here, others will have to think about it, which is not worth it."

Hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Old Zhu nodded. Don't let the princes get involved in some things, otherwise there will be too many people in the world who don't know the truth, which may bring some hidden dangers.

Therefore, it would be better to keep this drama within the court and not involve more people.

"Your second uncle is a smart man, and your third uncle isn't bad either." Old Zhu said with a smile, "We'll just pretend when the time comes and keep it a secret for as long as we can."

The main task this year is to play a big game, which is to conceal the truth from some people with ulterior motives and constantly give those people wrong signals, making them think that Emperor Hongwu's ability to control has declined and that the Crown Prince is incapable of being used.

If the emperor or the crown prince can control the government, some ambitious people will naturally not dare to show up.

"I'll have someone urge the Yongjianlu." Zhu Yunhuan said, "People will think I'm impatient and afraid of my uncles."

"Yongjianlu" was also compiled by Zhu Yuanzhang. It records the good, evil and rebellious deeds of the kings of the royal family throughout the dynasties, and narrates the events directly by category.

Old Zhu nodded and said, "We must also pay attention to the affairs of the scholars. We have now seen clearly that if we don't give these scholars benefits, they will not study hard and will not think about serving the court. If we give them too many benefits, they will also be complacent. We need to whip them a few times before they will learn to improve."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded, thinking that the privileges that the Ming Dynasty gave to scholars were already enough.

Therefore, we need to seize the time and formulate a test method for academic officials.

That is to say, some scholars should be forced to "either be promoted or leave". Not only should the students and candidates be promoted, but also the officials in charge of education, such as the prefecture, state and county school instructors, should be put under some pressure. If the performance evaluation is not up to standard, these people will leave.

The Hongwu Emperor would never allow someone to just sit there and do nothing. If you took the salary from the court, you had to do your job well.

Lao Zhu has been working tirelessly to further squeeze out the value of his subordinates.

The political situation is relatively stable now, and there is indeed not much to worry about for the time being.

This is also the reason why Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan dared to play this big game, because the internal situation was relatively stable, which gave them more time and opportunities to do some things.

If there were internal or external troubles, perhaps they would be a little more restrained and would not think of launching a power struggle at this time.

Zhu Yunxun found Zhu Chong and asked with a smile, "Second Uncle, I heard you were looking for me everywhere."

"I haven't seen my nephew for a long time. I miss you." Zhu Chong laughed and said with some complaints, "I only saw you when I returned to Beijing. You were so busy these days that I couldn't see you at all."

Zhu Yunhuan complained, "What a coincidence. I'm on a deadline to make the firecrackers, so I have to keep an eye on them."

Zhu Chong reminded him, "You can make firecrackers, but you can't really go to the Gunpowder Department."

"It's hard to get in. The Jinyiwei won't let me in." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Even if I wanted to test fire the musket, my subordinates wouldn't let me."

Zhu Chong said more seriously, "It's fine if you can wield swords and guns, but not firearms. Those things are powerful, but they are prone to exploding sometimes."

Not to mention metal fatigue, the casting process, material, or charge amount alone can all lead to bursting. In later generations, if the maintenance is not in place, artillery and other things will also have the risk of bursting.

So even though the popularity of firearms in Ming Dynasty is relatively high now, there are still certain risks in using them.

Zhu Chong looked at Zhu Yunhuan with a smile and asked, "There must be something important going on in the court, and we can't help much. If there is anything you can do for your uncle, just tell me, Yunhuan."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite at all. After you go back, Second Uncle, remember to train your troops diligently. This autumn, Second Uncle and Third Uncle will take all the uncles to go hunting."

Zhu Chong was happy now and said, "That's perfect! We couldn't do it last year, so this year we can take our brothers to the grassland for autumn hunting!"

Autumn hunting is not about hunting rabbits or foxes, but hunting some nomadic tribes. Zhu Yunhuan continued, "When the time comes, some younger nobles will definitely go there, and Second Uncle will help practice."

Zhu Chong might not be confident about other things, but fighting was another matter. "Okay! As long as my nephew sends someone, I'll help practice with them. If there's anything else you need, remember to let me know."

Zhu Yunhuan also nodded with a smile, and then said helplessly, "Second uncle should help keep the court affairs secret."

Zhu Chong glared and said unhappily, "I don't know what you guys are up to, but you didn't scare me! I don't dare to say these things. If there are any problems in the future, can you tell me in advance?"

As an expert at passing the buck, Zhu Yunhuan directly said, "Second Uncle, I can't make the decision on this matter either."

This time Zhu Chong stopped his actions. His nephew was just an obedient man, so he couldn't be blamed.

"Then when we go back, we should still look sad, is that ok?" Zhu Chong was a little speechless, and said, "Father is the same, how can you curse yourself, it makes us feel uneasy."

Zhu Yunhuan joked, "As long as the uncles don't blame me, that's fine."

Zhu Chong looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "I did think of you."

This frank attitude left Zhu Yunhuan speechless for a moment, but he soon laughed, "Second Uncle, I am the crown prince!"

Zhu Chong was even more proud. "If the emperor was really ill, we would definitely be more careful. But that's not the case now, Yunhu. Let me be frank, your grandfather is already this old, and there are some things that you have to do."

Zhu Yunxun also smiled and nodded, "Of course, but I still need the help of my uncles for many things."

It can be said that they are open and honest, and it can also be said that Zhu Yunhuan, the crown prince, and Zhu Chong, the prince of Qin, the leader of the royal family, seem to be close. Even though the uncle and nephew have not interacted many times before, they both recognize each other in their hearts.

We are all family, there is no need to make so many calculations, the most important thing is to govern the country well. The crown prince should do his job as a crown prince, and the princes should do their duties as princes. These seem to be enough, and there is no need to think too much about other things.

It was normal procedure for Prince of Qin Zhu Chong to come back to the capital to pay homage to the emperor. He would return to his fiefdom soon after arriving.

Prince of Jin Zhu Gang also returned to the capital quickly. It seemed that he did not see anything special. Knowing what was going on, he quickly returned to his fiefdom. He also had to supervise the construction of some border towns in the northwest and allocate pastures to his younger brothers.

The Prince of Jin is busy now. He seems to be the most respected prince in the Ming Dynasty. Now some voices are heard, that is the art of checks and balances.

It is hoped that the King of Jin can shoulder the great responsibility and check and balance the King of Qin.

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't care what others thought for the time being, but for some things, he had been observing secretly, which seemed to be a bit like adding fuel to the fire.

Prince of Yan Zhu Di hurried back to Yingtianfu in a dusty state. It seemed that there had been no good news since he returned to Peking last year.

First, there was news that the provisions for the princes of the royal family began to decrease, and then there was news that the emperor's father was ill.

So much so that he discussed privately with Monk Daoyan and felt that the Crown Prince might have some tricks up his sleeve.

After the sacrifice in Fengxian Hall, Zhu Di saw Zhu Yunhuan, who was meeting Zhu Di on behalf of the old Zhu. Zhu Yunhuan, dressed in a crown and holding a jade sceptre, accepted Zhu Di's greeting.

When they arrived at the side hall, Zhu Di accepted Zhu Yunhuan's visit with a stern face.

Zhu Di was very unhappy and asked, "Your Highness, I can't see my father now?"

"Grandfather is busy, and he will definitely summon Fourth Uncle in a while." Zhu Yunhuan was not annoyed, but just said, "Fourth Uncle, how about asking the monk to come back and pray for Grandfather?"

Zhu Di's face instantly became uglier. He thought of the time when Zhu Yunhuan first met him last year and mentioned these things. Now that these things were mentioned again, they seemed to have a different meaning.

Last year, I could still pretend to be confused because my nephew was not the crown prince at that time. But now, my nephew is the crown prince.

Just when Zhu Di didn't know how to respond, the overbearing voice of Old Zhu came, "Pray for blessings? What blessings should you pray for us?"

"Be filial. Previously, my grandfather ordered the monks to accompany the uncles and pray for my grandmother." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Now the uncles should also fulfill their filial piety. Otherwise, how can this play please people?"

Zhu Di knelt down hurriedly. When he saw Old Zhu walking like a dragon and a tiger, he shuddered with fear. It didn't seem like the dragon was in trouble.

This must be a big drama. My father and Yunhu must be planning something.

But no matter what, it shouldn't be the monk Daoyan who is being plotted against. After rushing back to Beijing, is monk Daoyan going to be lost?

(End of this chapter)