Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 133: Checks and Balances between Civil and Military Affairs
Old Zhu was originally confident that the policy of banning the use of money and banknotes would be implemented smoothly, but now he feels a lot of pressure.

The feedback from various news channels was not ideal. The depreciation of Baochao became more and more obvious. The policy of convenience became a policy of nuisance. It may also leave a huge hidden danger, which will be impossible for future generations to repair.

Even though I am worried, I can only calm down temporarily and find ways to resolve these hidden dangers.

On the 27th day of the second lunar month, Zhu Yunhuan left the palace. Xu Da died of back carbuncle nine years ago at the age of only 54.

He was granted the privilege of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and buried in the shadow of Mount Zhongshan. Zhu Yuanzhang personally wrote the stele inscription, including posthumously conferring the title of King of Zhongshan on Xu Da's ancestors for three generations.

Xu Da had four sons, all of whom were named by Zhu Yuanzhang. Except for Xu Tianfu who died young, the other four are now very prominent.

"Your Highness and I pay our respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Long live His Royal Highness."

After Zhu Yunhuan dismounted from his horse, Xu Huizu and others immediately saluted.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and nodded, "Everyone stand up."

Xu Huizu was the Duke of Wei, and Xu Yingxu had now been promoted to the position of Deputy Commander of the Central Army, a hereditary commander. Xu Zengshou certainly could not be posthumously named Duke of Dingguo as in history, but became the commander of the Southern City Army.

"We are all family from now on." Looking at Xu Miaojin, Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "I like to joke around in private, so you don't have to abide by the duties of a monarch and a subject in front of me."

Zhu Yunhuan said this, but others didn't dare to believe it, including Xu Da's youngest daughter Xu Miaoning.

Since it was Xu Da's death anniversary, all of Xu Da's three sons and two daughters in Yingtian Prefecture would definitely come, including Xu Huizu's legitimate son, Sakyabao, who would come along even though he was only four years old.

Looking at Xu Shijiabao, Zhu Yunhuan said, "I thought the names in our family were based on the generation and the five elements. Is it the same in Zhongshan Palace now? Tell me, what does this Shijiabao mean?"

Xu Huizu immediately replied, "Your Highness, I just gave him a nickname in the hope that he would be blessed by his descendants."

Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "Change it to Xu Qin."

If nothing unexpected happens, this Xu Shijiabao is the Xu Qin who was ordered by Zhu Di to return home to study, stripped of his title, and exiled to Fengyang because of his arrogance in history.

Xu Da's family had a strict tradition, and Xu Huizu was also a serious person. It was very likely because Xu Huizu was stripped of his title and imprisoned by Zhu Di that Xu Qin grew up astray.

Zhu Yunhuan gave the name, so the Xu family was naturally happy. This was not the first time they changed their names. Xu Huizu changed his name because of Zhu Yunhuan, and his son also changed his name. This was normal.

After burning incense, Zhu Yunhuan stared at Xu Da's tombstone in a daze.

In history, the lineage of Duke Wei and the Ming Dynasty were inseparable. Perhaps Xu Da did not expect that Xu Zengshou could fight for another title for the Xu family. He probably did not expect that the Duke Wei's clan was actually stationed in Yingtian Prefecture and was squeezed out of the core circle.

Take the six founding dukes for example, in fact it was only Xu Da's branch that passed down the throne.

The eighth generation of the founding duke Chang Yuchun, Chang Xuanzhen, was given the title of Marquis of Huaiyuan and also stayed in Yingtian Prefecture.

Duke of Han Li Shanchang was executed, and the son of Duke of Wei Deng Yu was involved in the Hu Weiyong case and was killed and his title was abolished. Duke of Cao Li Jinglong was stripped of his title by Zhu Di, and it was not until his fifth-generation grandson that he inherited the title of Marquis of Linhuai. Duke of Song Feng Sheng naturally had no title to inherit either.

The heroes who made great contributions to the founding of the country were almost all squeezed out of the center of power during the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties.

Fu Youde's title of Duke of Ying was not passed down, not to mention Lan Yu, and Tang He's descendants died young one after another, which led to the fifth-generation grandson Tang Shaozong being named Marquis of Lingbi. Mu Ying's side was relatively good, and the permanent governor of Yunnan was not just a casual talk.

Dukes and marquises headed by Duke Ying of Ying, Zhang Fu, and Duke Cheng of Cheng, Zhu Neng, began to occupy the center of power, and the group of founding heroes were collectively neglected.

Then a god of war Zhu Qizhen appeared and wiped out the elite Beijing army in one breath, causing the powerful group of nobles to be suppressed by the civil officials in an instant. That was another matter.

It is true that a new emperor appoints new ministers. If one did not know the direction of history, who would have thought that the emperor of the Ming Dynasty would need eunuchs to restrict the civil service group. Who would have thought that the powerful noble group would eventually lose power and have to rely on the civil service group?

The Five Military Commandery was in name only, with the military power in the hands of the Ministry of War. When sending generals to face the enemy, it was always civilians who led the army in the end.

It is one thing for the noble group to be unpromising, and it is another thing for the civil service to become bigger and stronger.

It is still necessary to consider restricting some civil servants. After peace is restored in the world, the strength of civil servants will surely continue to grow.

The Grand Council and the Cabinet can indeed be considered. Zhu Yunhuan certainly wanted to hold all the power, but he was more aware that an overly concentrated imperial power would likely leave hidden dangers. The rise and fall of a dynasty depended on the ability and character of the emperor.

Xu Miaojin stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, is there anything on your mind?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and shook his head, "I just like to think about random things, and it's nothing serious." Xu Miaojin also breathed a sigh of relief, and the Xu family breathed a sigh of relief. The expressionless look of the Grand Prince would put a lot of pressure on people, especially now that they were worshiping the King of Zhongshan, Xu Da.

Looking at Xu Miaojin, Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "It's warm in spring, is there anywhere you want to go?"

Xu Miaojin replied, "Since we are going for an outing, we should go to Zijin Mountain. If it is autumn, we should go to Xuanwu Lake."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Xu Yingxu and said, "Did you hear that? We're going to Purple Mountain for a spring outing. You and the Prince of Ying should get ready."

Xu Yingxu immediately accepted the order. If the Crown Prince was going out of the city for an outing, it meant that the guards along the way could not be careless.

Zhu Yunhuan pointed at Xu Zengshou and said, "You should prepare for the next few days. Although it is a spring outing, hunting is not allowed. The women can go sightseeing, the scholars can drink wine by the stream, and the sons of the nobles should be brave and heroic."

Thinking of the inheritance system for meritorious officers and generals previously issued by the court, Xu Zengshou also understood that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to conduct a simple inspection of the children of military meritorious service.

Little Xu Qin tried hard to follow, but he was too small to have any strength left and sat down on the ground.

Zhu Yunhuan immediately laughed. In fact, there were people who could hold Xu Qin, but children like to make noises.

"This child is ambitious and insists on leaving on his own." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Whether it is the founding of the country to confer titles on meritorious officials or the five kings who have been posthumously conferred titles, they are all headed by Zhongshan Wuning King. The literati want the posthumous title of Wenzheng, and my Ming Dynasty can only be Wuning at most."

Xu Huizu and others looked delighted. Being crowned a king after death was the ultimate pursuit of countless ministers, and the posthumous title was also the final judgment on a person.

Some of the Ming Dynasty's posthumous titles have not yet been fully formed. Xu Da's posthumous title Wuning is fine, as it is a typical posthumous title for military generals. However, Chang Yuchun's posthumous title is Zhongwu, which does not begin with the word "Wu". Li Wenzhong's is Wujing, Deng Yu's is Wushun. Mu Ying is Zhaojing, and Tang He in history was Xiangwu.

Some rules need to be set in the future, such as the posthumous titles of ministers, to prevent anyone from messing around.

This is even more true for the emperor's posthumous name and temple name. Before the Sui Dynasty, the emperor's posthumous name was one or two characters. In the Tang Dynasty, the number of characters in the emperor's posthumous name gradually increased, and basically it was less than ten characters. In fact, it was Li Longji who changed the posthumous name of the previous emperor to seven characters.

Later, it became more and more exaggerated. In history, the posthumous titles of the Ming emperors had quite a few characters. Zhu Yunwen gave the old Zhu a posthumous title of 15 characters, and Zhu Di increased it to 19 characters. In the Qing Dynasty, it was not a big deal to pile up all kinds of beautiful words and noble words until it reached 25 characters.

Zhu Yunhuan had to do this, and first set the criteria for the posthumous titles of his subjects. As for the emperor, Zhu Yunhuan would definitely handle his affairs after his death, so it would be a bad idea to discuss posthumous titles with Zhu Yunhuan now.

In the past, Zhu Yunhuan also felt that some red tape was boring, but now he increasingly feels that some seemingly cumbersome etiquette is very important. These also represent the direction of some policies and guidance on folk customs.

After paying homage to Xu Da, Zhu Yunhuan returned to the palace as he had other things to do.

Princess Anqing asked anxiously, "Yunhuan, now that I'm married, can you guys take care of the affairs of the Eastern Palace?"

"My two sisters have also made progress, and there is nothing messy in the East Palace now." Zhu Yunhuan said confidently, "My aunt just needs to live her life steadily and don't worry about us."

Princess Anqing pointed to the deep palace and asked quietly, "What's over there?"

"She can't come back to the East Palace." Zhu Yunhuan said with more confidence, "She only needs to teach the fourth and fifth children well now, so she doesn't have any other extra thoughts. The fourth child came here a few days ago, you saw it too."

Princess Anqing thought about it and it made sense. Zhu Yunwen came over a few days ago and was very humble.

What he meant was that he was also nine years old, and he hoped that Zhu Yunhuan would allow him to return to Fengyang, not alone, but with his uncles.

Zhu Yunhuan magnanimously agreed. He still had to care about his younger brother. Although Zhu Yunhuan had seen Zhu Yunhuan very few times in the past two years, he still had to do some superficial things for harmless things.

Princess Anqing was relieved, and then asked, "Is there anything you can't do? I'll do it for you now. After I get married, you won't be able to do it anymore, and then my father will punish you."

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment before speaking, "There is indeed a matter that needs my aunt to step in. There are still many incomplete etiquette laws. My aunt can think of a way to let the noble women know about it."

"How can women like us interfere in state affairs?" Princess Anqing looked at Zhu Yunhuan suspiciously. "When my mother was around, she never interfered in state affairs openly."

Zhu Yunhuan could only say, "I'm not asking you to control or interfere in government affairs. Just go back and tell them. Just say that many noble children are arrogant and we're worried about ruining the family's reputation. Just say that teaching by example is important, but many nobles are stationed outside and can't teach their children and descendants, so they have to ask the court for help."

Princess Anqing asked, "Aren't there children of nobles who serve as guards and tutors in the palace?"

"That's not enough. Civil officials still have the imperial examinations, and some scholars can also make it." Zhu Yunhuan said, "The nobles here all had military achievements in their early years, and it's hard to say what will happen in the future. It's not possible without martial arts. If we have the Beijing Guards martial arts, then warriors will not only have the option of joining the army in the future."

Princess Anqing nodded, but she always suspected that Zhu Yunhuan did not speak the whole story.

My nephew always likes to hide things when he does them and won’t tell anyone until the last moment!
(End of this chapter)