Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 141 I'm Not Going to Cut Down the vassal states
The Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan officially began to observe government affairs. He did not expect that he had only been doing work and learning before, but now he stepped directly into the front stage.

At the beginning of a new day, Zhu Yunhuan got up early and rushed to the Fengtian Hall.

After taking a look at the messy officials, Zhu Yunhuan coughed, and the queue behind him began to become orderly.

After the court session, all officials began to rush to report some situations, which made Zhu Yunhuan somewhat dissatisfied.

Suddenly he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report to you."

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Sure."

"Since your grandfather ascended the throne, you have repeatedly ordered Confucian officials to review the old rules. From the court to the common people, the ceremonies of marriage, funerals and sacrifices, and the system of clothing, housing and utensils have different levels, and they have been written down as rules to let people know the difference between the upper and lower levels." Zhu Yunhuan said while praising his merits, "However, the treacherous ministers such as Hu Weiyong abused their power and planned to do evil. They used yellow silk curtains and decorated them with golden dragons and phoenixes. In addition, the meritorious officials were lawless, with hundreds of slaves, and the stables and corridors were all ninety-five rooms."

Listening to Zhu Yunhuan's words, Old Zhu squinted his eyes and felt very pleased, but all the officials felt uncomfortable.

Zhu Yunhuan opened his mouth and continued, "Sun Chen requests that the clothing and utensils of officials and civilians be compiled into a book, and the prohibitions be stated, and no one is allowed to overstep their boundaries!"

Old Zhu was immediately happy and said to Zhu Yunhuan, "What the Crown Prince said is very true. Without rules, there will be no order. Without respecting etiquette and laws, there will be no education. Minister of Rites, you should help the Crown Prince to set the rules well."

Ren Hengtai and others immediately accepted the order. As for what Zhu Yunhuan said, they also felt that it was necessary.

In the final analysis, the rules of the Ming Dynasty were constantly being improved, but this was the case in the early days of the founding of the country, and many rituals were still lacking.

Zhu Yunhuan added, "Since I came to the court, I have repeatedly found that officials have no rules when reporting. When reporting, they all rush to be the first or observe the expressions of others. I think this is just a waste of time."

Old Zhu asked, "Grandson, what do you mean?"

Zhu Yunhuan replied, "Your Majesty, I think the order of reporting to the various departments should be standardized. We can't just discuss the frontier military affairs, and then the Ministry of Justice reports to the Ministry of Public Security, and then the Ministry of Public Security intervenes."

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan's words, Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, and all the officials were stunned for a moment.

Because this was how the Ming Dynasty's court was before, basically, once one matter was discussed, the next matter would move on immediately. Who could report first, or who kept dragging it out, etc., all depended on the ministers.

Old Zhu thought about it carefully and said happily, "The Crown Prince is really thoughtful. I have been in power for more than 20 years and have not thought of these things. The Crown Prince should handle this matter, but the first thing to report is the Governor's Office. Military and national affairs cannot be neglected."

Although this was not a big deal, Zhu Yunhuan was naturally very happy to see his performance.

The crown prince should act like a crown prince, although anyone with a discerning eye could see that Zhu was partial to Zhu Yunhuan. But if the crown prince failed to find some shortcomings and put forward some insightful suggestions, even if the emperor supported him, it would be hard for people to accept his advice.

Zhu was happy, and Chang Sheng, Lan Yu and others standing in the noble class were also smiling. They were the undoubted party of the crown prince. When Zhu Yunhuan was keeping a low profile last year, Chang Sheng and others felt aggrieved.

Now seeing that the Crown Prince continues to shine in the court, how can Chang Sheng and his followers not be happy?

After the court session, Zhu summoned Zhu Yunhuan to Wuying Hall and said, "You did a good job in the morning court today. Your prestige should be like this. You can't just rely on killing people to establish your prestige. You have to do things to convince people."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "My grandfather favors me, so he lets me do all these things. This is the only way to establish my authority."

"Being able to see the problem is also a skill." Old Zhu said with a smile, "Don't just think about the nobles for these two things, you still need to call the civil officials to discuss more. You don't like civil officials, but you can't just rely on military men to rule the country."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded repeatedly. He was naturally aware of this principle and did not need any further reminders from Old Zhu.

We naturally need to pay attention to the nobles, but that doesn’t mean we think these people can do everything well.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan with a smile and asked, "I heard that you are planning to revise the book?"

"It's fine if we plan to revise a book and set up a martial arts academy to teach military tactics. That's what we should do." Zhu Yunhuan also said, "At least we have to think about people's livelihood. I still understand the principle of putting agriculture first."

Zhu was even more relieved. "That's right. As long as there are more fields and more food, the people will have a better life. If everyone is well fed and well-dressed, the country will be stable. If everyone can live steadily, who would rebel?"

Zhu Yunhuan also nodded repeatedly, "I think one is to have enough food and drink, and the other is birth, aging, illness and death. Fifth uncle is good in this respect, he likes to revise books, and he has been doing this for more than a year. Our Zhu family may have a medical expert who is as famous as Bian Que and Hua Tuo."

"He doesn't have that ability!" Old Zhu was even happier and said, "If he could compile a medical book to let the people know some herbs, find the right herbs, and prescribe the right medicine, that would also be his merit."

In fact, Zhu Yunhuan was not very optimistic about his fifth uncle becoming a master in medicine, but if he could edit and revise a good medical book, it would be a huge merit, which is worthy of recognition.

Old Zhu said, "We need to hurry up with these things. Now we can see that the world is getting better and better. There will definitely be more and more people in the future, and more and more food will be needed. When the world is peaceful, people will want to eat more and better."

Zhu Yunhuan also agreed with this point. People's pursuit is always improving. In the past, it was a chaotic world with no future, so naturally we hoped that we would not have to fight. Now that we have a stable life, we want to go a step further and make the country peaceful and the people well-fed. Then, we will start to have higher pursuits.

"I understand. You are trying to think of a solution." Zhu Yunhuan said, "I am not focusing on the Five Military Commandery all day long. I am still thinking about people's livelihood."

Old Zhu waved his hand and said, "Okay, just keep it in mind. I'll help you watch the government for a few days. Once you get things done, we can take a break."

Zhu Yunhuan felt something was wrong. Why did it seem like I was asked to preside over the morning court?

However, looking at Old Zhu's appearance, Zhu Yunhuan couldn't bear it. He was almost seventy years old. Not only did he have to get up early and go to bed late every day, but he also had a lot of big and small things to do. Even young people couldn't handle it.

When I returned to Wenhua Hall, I received a report saying that Xu Guan wanted to see me.

Xu Guan has now been promoted and is now a fourth-rank prefect, second only to the third-rank governor.

After meeting Zhu Yunhuan, Xu Guan said, "Your Highness, the site selection for the additional restaurant has been completed."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly. Ten restaurants had been built before, but this was not enough. It can only be said that the emperor's feet are relatively rich, and more should be built.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at the site and said, "Compile a map of Yingtian Prefecture, record the evolution of the mountains, rivers, land, and territory of the capital, the system of palaces, gates, and temples, as well as the construction and changes of altars, temples, streets, and bridges. "

It is also very necessary to have a map of the capital.

There is no need to worry about leaking military secrets or anything like that, because some things are not that confidential.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "When you go back, consult with someone. It was right to use severe punishments in the past few years. It was meant to make people aware of the dangers and afraid to break the law easily. From now on, those punishments such as tattooing, cutting off the nose, and castration are not allowed to be used anymore!"

Xu Guan immediately knelt down and shouted excitedly, "Your Highness is wise!"

In a feudal dynasty like the Ming Dynasty, it is reasonable to have strict laws and severe punishments, and some punishments cannot be abolished. However, some punishments should be banned.

The punishments of tattooing, cutting off the nose, and castration are basically the five punishments of slavery.

Tattooing the face, cutting off the nose, chopping off the hands and feet, castration, etc., this is what Zhu Yunhuan was preparing to do to depose him.

These are basically aimed at ordinary people and criminals. If the crime is really serious, they will be beheaded, tortured to death, etc.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "After this matter is settled, I will let you go to Xi'an to govern a region. What do you think?"

Xu Guan was stunned for a moment. He originally thought that with his career path, he should take over Yingtian Prefecture and then serve as an official in the imperial court. Why did His Highness seem to want to send him out first?
However, Xu Guan immediately replied, "Your Highness, I will obey your orders."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Forget about being a prefect, you are already a fourth-rank official. If you go to Xi'an, you will be a third-rank left councilor. It is better for officials from the capital to be promoted."

Xu Guan said nothing, nor did he doubt that since the execution of the Minister of Personnel Zhan Hui, no one in the court dared to mention the vacancy of the Minister of Personnel. Now there are two left and right assistant ministers to maintain the normal operation of the Ministry of Personnel. In fact, the power of the Ministry of Personnel is in the hands of the Crown Prince.

The civil servants are under strict control, and promotions, evaluations, etc. are basically decided by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"After you go to Xi'an, keep an eye on the Qin Palace." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "My second uncle has been pretty good in the past two years. He has not harmed the people, but he has been tyrannical and unjust in the palace behind closed doors. As for you, you should report and impeach him when the time comes."

Xu Guan was immediately frightened, but he also felt that it was his responsibility to take responsibility for this matter.

In the eyes of outsiders, Xu Guan was the first civil official under the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan. Although his official rank was not high, he was given important positions.

It is obvious that if he is not regarded as a confidant by letting him gain experience and take over the capital, then he cannot be considered a true confidant.

Many people also knew what those princes had done.

Looking at Xu Guan, Zhu Yunhuan said seriously, "As long as the King of Qin does not disturb the people, you don't have to worry about it. I want you to go and see what's going on in his palace. I don't want you to reduce his power, force him, or humiliate him. Do you understand?"

Although Xu Guan's heart skipped a beat, he quickly said, "I understand."

"I understand." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said to Xu Guan, "Let's do this. First, finish the job in Yingtian Prefecture, and then go to Xi'an."

Xu Guan naturally knew this truth, and the task at hand must be done well. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has great ambitions, and these officials cannot hold him back!

(End of this chapter)