Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 121 The Monk with Impure Senses

Daoyan was undoubtedly confident in his own talents and abilities. However, sometimes he often lamented that his talents and abilities were not being put to good use. He was already sixty years old and saw almost no hope.

Everything he has learned throughout his life is even more useful in troubled times!
Facing the Crown Prince's aggressive gaze, Daoyan spoke calmly, "Your Highness, although my good friend is good at physiognomy, he has a casual personality. He once traveled to Luojia Mountain overseas and met a strange monk at Biegu Cliff, who taught him physiognomy. During the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, he read the faces of kings, princes, generals and ministers, and all of them were accurate."

Zhu Yunhuan seemed more cautious in responding to these questions.

He has always believed that there are many talented people in this world, but there are also some who brag about themselves or use various means to create momentum.

Daoyan looked at Zhu Yunhuan and continued to answer, "Yuan Gong has been gifted since childhood, and is studious and good at poetry, but what he has learned is of no benefit to His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan."

Zhu Yunhuan laughed and said, "That's true. My fourth uncle is such a hero. A fortune teller is of little use to him. Some counselors and generals are more useful."

Daoyan replied calmly, "Your Highness is wrong. Your Highness the Prince of Yan and the princes of the royal family are guarding Beiping. Today, the world is unified and the people want to return home. Although Your Highness the Prince of Yan and the princes of the royal family are guarding important places, they have no military power, no financial resources, and no officials. How dare they have dissent!"

Zhu Yunhuan looked puzzled. "Disloyalty? Are you saying that my fourth uncle has disloyalty?"

What a cunning Crown Prince! Even if he had heard some comments about the Crown Prince from His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, or had noticed some voices outside in the Tianjie Temple.

However, Daoyan did not expect that every word of the Crown Prince was a test, and he was even better at misinterpreting other people's intentions!
Daoyan said hurriedly at this time, "Your Highness, His Highness the Prince of Yan has never had any other thoughts. Now that the situation is stable, and Your Highness has the righteousness and the support of the people, how stupid would one be to have other thoughts!"

Daoyan's words were obviously not flattery, or an excuse for Zhu Di, but the actual situation. Many people are well aware of the current situation in the world, so don't expect any chance at all.

Even without the righteousness of the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan, Prince of Yan Zhu Di would not have any chance. There was no other reason, simply because there were Prince of Qin Zhu Chong and Prince of Jin Zhu Gang above him. Even though their reputations were worse, they were superior to the fourth son Zhu Di in terms of strength and family background.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan with a half-smile and said, "Great justice? The will of the people? I thought you wanted to follow the will of heaven, not the will of the people!"

Daoyan's face changed instantly, because he indeed had such thoughts in his heart.

For him, everything he has learned should be displayed. This is just knowing the way of heaven and not caring about the people's will!
But now that the Crown Prince said this, Daoyan was naturally shocked. But he quickly realized that this was the Crown Prince testing him. Because no matter whether it was the way of heaven or the righteousness, it was now on this Crown Prince!
Daoyan quickly adjusted his mind and replied, "Your Highness, Your Highness has been chosen by heaven, and you are in accordance with the will of heaven and the will of the people. I am just a monk in the temple, and I don't understand the will of heaven or the will of the people."

Zhu Yunhuan said, "That's not the case. If you were just an ordinary monk, how could my fourth uncle appreciate you and treat you as both a teacher and a friend?"

"Your Highness is too kind." Daoyan said calmly, "Your Highness, the Prince of Yan has learned a lot, and I have often discussed scriptures and doctrines with Your Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan was too lazy to test him further, and asked, "If you feel that all you have learned in your life has been buried, are you willing to accept it?"

Daoyan was not willing to accept this. He was already sixty years old and could hardly see any hope. All his life's learning was buried like this. He felt that his talents were not being used. How sad and angry he was.

But what else could he do? When he was young, he studied everywhere and seemed to be free and unrestrained. But that was also a way of waiting for the situation, hoping to serve a wise master after he had learned enough.

However, a powerful leader suddenly appeared and unified the country, and all the disobedient people were also eliminated one after another.

Now, Daoyan, who had learned a lot, felt that the skills he had learned were suddenly useless.

He was indeed optimistic about His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, and felt that the Prince of Yan was very capable and ambitious. But before, with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, let alone any disloyalty of the Prince of Yan, even if Daoyan was a little restless deep in his heart, he did not dare to show it in front of His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan.

When the prince passed away, Daoyan became active and felt that there might be an opportunity.

However, after attending the funeral, Prince Yan became cautious, and even Daoyan was soon sent back to Yingtian Prefecture.

Without the "Heavenly Way" of the Crown Prince, the "Heavenly Way and Human Heart" of the Crown Prince followed closely behind. Daoyan felt that his abilities could only be buried with him.

Daoyan looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Your Highness, I am a humble and inexperienced person. I am now reciting Buddhist scriptures and chanting Buddha's name in the temple, and I feel at peace."

Zhu Yunhuan didn't believe it. The monk Daoyan in history was not a quiet person. He would stir up trouble even when there was nothing to do. He didn't care about the people's hearts. He just wanted to show his ability. Whether the world was in turmoil or the people were living in misery, that was secondary.

As long as he had proved his ability and demonstrated what he had learned, that was enough. As long as he helped the hero he favored to sit on the throne, Daoyan felt that his life was worthwhile.

The six senses are not pure. This is the biggest explanation of Daoyan. He is also a somewhat eccentric person.

Helping Zhu Di conquer the world seemed to be a great success, but Daoyan refused to return to secular life. However, if he was a monk, he was reluctant to give up the pursuit of his lifelong career.

Without changing his identity as a monk, he had to teach and assist the crown prince and the crown prince's grandson, live in the temple, and preside over many important affairs of the court.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and stood up, saying, "Think about it carefully. If you have any ideas, let someone tell me." Daoyan didn't know what the grandson was thinking, so he didn't dare to express his opinion easily. He was barely in the officialdom, even if he was just a low-ranking monk official, but he was still an "official" after all.

Furthermore, he had known and befriended Prince of Yan Zhu Di for more than ten years. From him, he learned some about the emperor and the prince, as well as a one-sided understanding of the grandson in front of him.

Daoyan was well aware of the truth that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Both the emperor and the former crown prince were scheming, and this grandson seemed to be overbearing and ruthless.

After just testing Daoyan a bit, Zhu Yunhuan had no intention of using him for his own purposes for the time being.

In the final analysis, there is no sense of urgency, and he does not need Daoyan's help to conquer the world. If Daoyan does not show his abilities and talents in other aspects, Zhu Yunhuan really does not need to care too much about this famous "prime minister in black" in history.

What he needs now is a talented person who can govern the world, not a tyrant who will cause turmoil in the world.

As soon as he returned to the East Palace, Zhu Yourong said, "My little brother, the emperor's grandfather summoned my uncle."

Zhu Yunhuan said speechlessly, "Uncle-in-law? You haven't even gotten married yet, aren't you afraid of being laughed at by others when you say this?"

Zhu Youling chimed in, "It seems that my aunt is determined to marry him, but my uncle's official position is a bit low."

In the Ming Dynasty, the status of the imperial concubine was below the marquis and above the earl, unlike the Song Dynasty when he was of the fifth rank and could not hold an official position.

Although Wang Ji was also a descendant of a meritorious official, his ancestors were granted the title posthumously, not hereditary. This was somewhat different from the other sons of nobles.

Zhu Yunxun thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "Did my aunt ask you to say it, or someone else?"

Zhu Yourong immediately said, "My aunt said that, but my royal grandfather also said it a few times."

Zhu Yunxun suddenly felt overwhelmed, "Are you asking me to do something again?"

Zhu Yourong asked, not quite understanding, "Little brother, what do you mean?"

"What do you mean?" Zhu Yunxun said speechlessly, "My uncle is close to the elders after all, and now grandpa wants me to arrange the official position and errands. This year, my uncle will also be enfeoffed, and grandpa is not intervening now, and wants me to arrange it!"

Zhu Yunhuan's head suddenly became big, and he continued to complain, "My eighteenth uncle is going to be a vassal, and my nineteenth uncle is supposed to be a vassal as well. I also need to arrange for my twentieth and twenty-first uncles to return to their hometown to worship their ancestors, and arrange for them to visit my second uncle and the others."

Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling immediately laughed very happily.

The heavier the burden on my younger brother, the happier they are, which means that my younger brother is deeply loved by the emperor's grandfather. Especially since I can manage the affairs of the elders, it means that my younger brother's position as the crown prince is stable.

Although they realized it later, they have heard a lot in the past few days.

My aunt and Concubine Ning both said that I spent more than a year planning and severely punished the civil officials. When my grandmother entered the palace yesterday, she was also full of joy and praised me.

Zhu Yunxun had a headache and looked at Zhu Yourong and said, "Tomorrow I will ask the prince of Changxing to come over and accompany Uncle Twenty and the others to visit."

Zhu Yourong's face turned red at this. Her marriage was basically confirmed, but due to the mourning period, it was not convenient to make it clear now.

Zhu Yunxun then took a look and asked curiously, "Where's my aunt? She used to be the one who couldn't sit still."

"She is busy embroidering the wedding dress." Zhu Youling said quickly, "She is now counting the dowry that was brought back earlier, for fear that she might have missed some in the East Palace."

Zhu Yunhuan was even more speechless. She was really a close aunt of his.

"Big sister, second sister, don't learn from my younger sister." Zhu Yunxun laughed and complained, "When the time comes, I will arrange a phoenix crown and a red robe for you. It will be a great gift, no problem!"

The phoenix crown and the shawl are just general concepts. The phoenix crown is worn on the head, while the shawl is worn on the body. However, in the past, only nobles and wives of the emperor were allowed to wear them. In the Ming Dynasty, they became more popular, but ordinary women still could not afford them.

But this is a good start. As long as the family's financial conditions allow, it is not taboo.

It is said that Zhu Yuanzhang did not care about taboos, otherwise he would not have come up with so many uncommon characters. The taboos and transgressions he required were mostly for officials.

After thinking about it, Zhu Yunhuan decided to talk to the Minister of Rites. Some things should not add burden to the people. Some trivial matters in his eyes are great matters for many people.

(End of this chapter)