Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 127 True Relatives

As the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunhu sometimes had to be a master of balancing things, taking care of the interests of all classes and uniting some groups from all classes.

Now it is time for Zhu Yunhuan to go to the Yingguo Mansion. After all, Fu Youde is a minister of great merit, and he is also a relative of his.

When Zhu Yunhuan's carriage appeared in front of the Duke of Ying's mansion, Fu Youde and others immediately knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I respectfully welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Long live His Royal Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately said, "No need to be polite, everyone stand up."

Fu Youde had five sons and one daughter, and his daughter had been promised to Zhu Jihui, the crown prince of Jin.

So if you look at the generational issues in detail, they are confusing, because Fu Youde’s eldest son married a princess, but his daughter married the emperor’s grandson.

Fu Youde was a lucky man, as his five sons gave him more than ten grandchildren. Fu Zhong was a little worse off, with only two sons, while the others basically had three.

Zhu Yunhuan stepped forward, looked at the leader of the group of dolls, and patted his head happily, "Call for help."

In fact, he had never met his cousins ​​Fu Rong and Fu Jing, but they were about the same age. Although the Fu family now had a lot of children aged six or seven, no one dared to let the brothers Fu Rong and Fu Jing stand at the back in such an occasion.

Fu Rong knew the rules and answered carefully, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Wrong." Zhu Yunxun pinched Fu Rong's face and said, "You have to call me brother, you have to call me cousin!"

After saying this, Zhu Yunxun asked, "Where's Fu Jing? Why didn't I hear you calling for help?"

Fu Jing looked at his grandfather, then at his father, but still didn't know how to start.

Zhu Yunhuan seemed to only have these two cousins ​​in his eyes. He was too lazy to even smile at Fu Youde's other grandchildren, let alone talk to them. But no one thought it was a problem. The difference in status was like this.

Just like Fu Youde’s five sons, now only Fu Zhong and the fifth son Fu Rang are in Yingtian Prefecture.

His second son was the commander of Puding Tuntian Guard, the third was the commander of Kunming, the fourth was the assistant commander of Dali Guard, and the fifth was the pacifier of Jinwu Rear Guard.

Fu Youde stepped forward, and the seventy-year-old man spoke, "Your Highness, we dare not curry favor with the royal family."

"Don't dare?" Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "My two cousins ​​are my biological cousins, how can they not be royal relatives? When I was young, I was not popular in the palace, but it was my ninth aunt who treated me well and often brought me snacks and amused me. If it weren't for my ninth aunt's virtue as a woman, how could the royal grandfather love her so much!"

Although Princess Shouchun was not born of a legitimate wife, she was one of Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite daughters. When she got married, the rewards and dowry she received were several times more than those of her other sisters.

As for Zhu Yunhuan's words, they were half true and half false. It is impossible to verify whether Princess Shouchun loved and cared for Zhu Yunhuan. But some of the words he said were true.

"You two lead me." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and held the hands of his two cousins, "Take me to pay homage to my aunt."

The Fu family was just envious at this time, and those who were sensitive even thought that Fu Rong and Fu Jing would be blessed in the future. After all, their mother was a princess, and they had received the favor when the crown prince was not valued in his early years, so of course they were blessed.

Although he was the crown prince, Zhu Yunhuan had no psychological barriers to burning incense and kowtow to his elders, which was his duty.

After the worship was over, Zhu Yunhuan went to the main hall to accept worship from the Fu family again.

Zhu Yunhuan became serious and said, "Originally I didn't intend to say it. My uncle has always been respectful, loyal, and abides by the rules. No one wants to see what happened to my aunt. The Fu family is innocent, and my uncle is even more innocent. It's okay for my uncle to remarry, but no matter what, the title must go to my cousin."

Fu Zhong immediately knelt down and said hastily, "Your Highness, I have no intention of remarrying."

"If you don't remarry, you can take a concubine. Now that my aunt is gone, you don't have to stay with me." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "You are only forty, how can I let you stay with me? But my cousin is the grandson of the Duke of Ying, don't make a fuss like I almost became a joke!"

Fu Youde and the others quickly knelt down, "We dare not!"

Touching Fu Rong's head, Zhu Yunxun said, "If you miss your cousin, come to the palace to play with me. I'll give you a palace talisman, and you can go anytime."

Fu Rong now feels close to this cousin whom he has never met before, "I know."

After taking out the palace talisman, Zhu Yunhuan took off the dragon-shaped jade pendant hanging from his waist and said, "Take it and play with it. If anyone stops you, show him the jade pendant. Keep it well. Only you can wear it. No one else is allowed to wear it, not even your brother."

Fu Youde and Fu Zhong below were both happy and frightened. The jade pendant awarded by the Crown Prince was the one he always wore. It was different from the jade pendants usually awarded to the children of military meritorious officials. Even ordinary grandsons of the emperor were not allowed to wear it casually.

They wanted to stop him, but they couldn't speak now. Zhu Yunhuan looked at Fu Jing and said, "I'll give you something else later. You are the younger brother, and you can't ask for things from your elder brother."

Although Fu Youde is a military commander and is also known as the second bravest in the world after Chang Yuchun, his family tradition is good. Although the two brothers Fu Rong are only six or seven years old, they may not understand the big principles, but they are not bad at rules.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and put the jade pendant on Fu Rong, saying happily, "That's right, this is my brother!"

Fu Rong also said happily, "Thank you for the reward, brother."

Rubbing Fu Rong's head, Zhu Yunxun said, "Practice martial arts with your brother and learn the art of war from your grandfather. I will wait for you to lead the troops to fight in the future. By then, I will be in the palace, waiting for your victory reports every day."

Fu Rong said happily and expectantly, "I will definitely be a great general in the future. I want to sweep across the world like my grandfather did!"

Fu Youde's face changed, but Zhu Yunhuan was very happy, "Okay! But don't underestimate me, I have also been practicing martial arts. Before, my room was full of swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks and forks. I am also skilled in archery and horse riding, and I am proficient in all kinds of martial arts!"

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan chatting with brothers Fu Rong and Fu Jing, the others could only wait, but they did not dare to express any dissatisfaction. Fu Youde and Fu Zhong were even happier. Although the words of the crown prince seemed childish, they were obviously out of love for Fu Rong and others. Otherwise, who would be willing to tease a six or seven-year-old child?

Although Fu Youde was a duke, he was not considered a true Huaixi nobleman; he was a surrendered general.

In his early years, he followed Li Er, nicknamed Sesame Li. After Li Er was defeated, he followed Li Xixi to join Liu Futong. After Li Xixi was defeated, he joined Ming Yuzhen. He was not important to Ming Yuzhen, so he joined Chen Youliang.

When Fu Youde surrendered to Zhu, Zhu recaptured Anqing that year, and the Battle of Poyang Lake took place. It is said that when Fu Youde surrendered, he was still under the command of Chang Yuchun.

So even though Fu Youde is now a Duke, he is not a real Huaixi noble. When the founding of the country conferred titles on meritorious officials, Fu Youde was only the Marquis of Yingchuan, ranking 28th. The first batch of nobles who were conferred titles totaled 34 people, which shows Fu Youde's ranking.

After teasing his two cousins, Zhu Yunhuan looked at Fu Zhong and said, "Uncle, you have been too cautious in recent years. You are not to blame for what happened to my aunt. You should also consider my cousins. How about this, you go and help my second uncle in a few days and give him the title of governor-general, so that he won't be so busy that he will do bad things."

Fu Zhong said quickly, "Your Highness, I am stupid and I am afraid that I will make a mistake in your important matter."

Zhu Yunhuan said jokingly, "If you don't help my second uncle, you will miss out on important matters. Duke Ying, please work harder and give him a hand."

Fu Youde said quickly, "Your Highness, I think this is inappropriate. The Duke of Kaiguo has always been loyal and diligent, and he does not need my son's help. I am in charge of the affairs of the Governor's Office, so how can I let him go again!"

"Then you can take my uncle with you!" Zhu Yunxun said directly, "You and your son are so cautious, this is ridiculous! Either let my uncle go to help my second uncle, or you can go and take him yourself."

Fu Youde knew that there was no way to retreat, so he said, "Your Highness, I will take you with me."

It's not appropriate for the father and son to be in charge of the Governor's Office at the same time, but Fu Youde and others know Chang Sheng's situation very well. He is definitely not capable enough, but he has a good family background and high status. Although Fu Zhong is not particularly capable, he is definitely better than Chang Sheng.

If he was given the title of the first-rank governor, Chang Sheng might be sidelined. That would be a problem, as the Fu family would not be able to directly manage the governor's office of the two armies.

Zhu Yunhuan was busy visiting relatives and comforting his old ministers. These things were meaningful.

In the East Palace, Princess Anqing looked at the list and said, "Add a few more people from the dukes' families who are not married yet and are of the right age. Come and embroider my wedding dress and add blessings."

Zhu Yourong wondered, "Isn't this enough?"

Princess Anqing said confidently, "I am not very good at needlework, and you two can't be relied on. I have to find a few more people."

Zhu Youling thought about it and it made sense, so he said, "I heard that the Xuanning Marquis's family and the Huining Marquis Zhang Wen's family are pretty good."

Princess Anqing was furious. Her two nieces were really unreliable. "I am too lazy to talk to you two now! You are only looking for people from the Kaiping King's side, right? No, it's not possible. I finally found a reason. We have to get people from other noble families to come over as well. Only in this way can we get close to Yunhuan!"

Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling suddenly realized what was going on and quickly flattered her, "My aunt is really thoughtful. It's us who are short-sighted!"

"We need to find someone who is powerful and influential, like the Duke of Wei's mansion. Let the Duke of Wei bring her sister-in-law into the palace. It will be neither impolite nor inappropriate." Princess Anqing said earnestly, "Xu Huizu is loyal to the emperor, which is a good thing. If we can win over one or two of them, it will not be bad for Yunhuan. Do you understand?"

This time, Zhu Yunhuan's two female Zhuge Liangs were really shocked by the female Zhuge Liang and nodded repeatedly.

Princess Ningguo, who was standing by, looked at her two nieces who were frightened and stunned, and suddenly understood her father's painstaking efforts. If she really found another Crown Prince Consort who was unsympathetic and did not understand the current situation for Yun Hun, she would have a headache in the future.

Princess Anqing, who had many bad ideas, continued, "You haven't married yet, so let Princess Kaiping come over when the time comes. No one will bother her here. If you have any problems in the future, first find the families of the nobles who are in important positions. That's the way to help Yunhuan!"

(End of this chapter)