Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 158: Royal Family, Still Need to Use
The two acres of land that Lao Zhu personally cultivated had a successful autumn harvest, and there were a few more new workers. Even if the farming work was not very good, the grain they harvested was not enough to cover the cost of a banquet for them. But the account cannot be calculated that way.

In short, not only did the autumn harvest end smoothly, but it also yielded quite good results, which is worth being happy about.

Old Zhu was very satisfied, and Zhu Yunhuan was also quite satisfied, so they needed to consider further matters.

Zhu Yunhuan was also thinking about whether he should try turning the soil, drying it in the sun, and then burying the straw and other things in the soil. It seemed that this could also increase the fertility a little. These were all things that needed to be tried.

It is no exaggeration to say that Zhu Yunhuan is now the one who is most willing to invest and research in agriculture in the Ming Dynasty, and he can do so regardless of the cost. As long as he can test out some correct methods, it will benefit the people.

There were a few more people in the Wenhua Hall, namely the princes of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yunhuan allowed them to review the memorials separately.

Looking at the memorial, Zhu Yunhuan suddenly asked, "Winter is approaching, and many soldiers, civilians, and common people do not have enough clothing to keep warm. What do you think we should do?"

Zhu Jihui answered without thinking, "It's the imperial court's responsibility."

Zhu Shangbing objected, "How can the court afford it if it is distributed? My grandfather has already ordered the people to plant cotton and mulberry trees in the gaps between fields. If the people ignore it, it is not the fault of others."

Zhu Youdun also said, "The important garrisons and city gates will naturally receive food and clothing from the court, and the orphans, the elderly and the young will also have support in the orphanage. The people still have to make their own livings, so how can we rely on them for everything? If the court really does this, many people will stop working."

Zhu Gaochi also said, "I think so too. If there is a disaster, the court will naturally pacify it, and good policies can help the people get through the difficulties. But in winter, the court can't take care of everyone. In normal times, the court should not bother the people too much and let them rest and recuperate. The people still have to plan their own lives."

It’s not that these imperial descendants are talking without any concerns. What they say does make sense.

The imperial court can provide some welfare to the people, but it obviously does not have the spare capacity to give money and clothes to everyone now.

"You have returned to your fiefdoms now, and you all know that there are some differences between the north and the south." Zhu Yunhuan said, "In terms of food, the south is mainly rice, while the north still has more wheat. Now the south is more prosperous, and the north is more remote. In addition, the climate is colder in the north, and you all know this."

Zhu Gaochi said, "I used to think that no matter how cold Beiping could be, how cold could it be? Now I know that even if Yingtianfu freezes in winter, the ice won't be too thick. Even if the lake in Beiping freezes, people can still walk."

Zhu Youdun asked doubtfully, "Is it really that cold?"

He mainly lived in Kaifeng, also lived in Yingtianfu for a period of time, and spent very little time in Fengyang. These three places were the ones he was more familiar with, and he rarely visited other places.

"There are also places where it's spring all year round. You guys might want to go and see it." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "It is said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. I rarely have the opportunity to travel around. You guys can take advantage of the opportunity now to go out and take a look at the beautiful mountains and rivers of our Ming Dynasty."

It was basically impossible for Zhu Yunhuan to leave the capital, and even it was very difficult for him to leave the palace.

It is unlikely that he would follow the example of Qin Shi Huang's tour of the country or Emperor Wu of Han's several tours. Yang Guang's tour of Jiangdu was also a lesson for us.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "The Ming Dynasty has been established for nearly 30 years. One good thing is that the country is relatively peaceful. Whether it was the previous Northern Expedition or the pacification of Yunnan and Guizhou, the wars went smoothly without much loss of population. The number of people in our Ming Dynasty is increasing, so it can be considered a peaceful time."

Zhu Gaochi and others did not think that Zhu Yunhuan was bragging about this, although they were born after the founding of the country. However, when they were born, the war was not completely over, and there were occasionally some large-scale strategic wars.

The good news is that the Ming Dynasty won all these large-scale wars, and the losses were relatively controllable and small.

Zhu Yunxun continued, "It is estimated that the same will happen in the next period of time. It is our responsibility to recuperate with the people. You are all in important cities, which are also the heartland. Let's not talk about the future for now. When you return to your fiefdom, you must help persuade your uncles."

Zhu Shangbing was a little embarrassed because his father loved to build large-scale projects and he also acted arrogantly in the Qin Palace.

Zhu Jihui was not much better. His father seemed to be the only example of whipping the chef on the way to the vassal state, which was better than the King of Qin. But he was also a war maniac, and there were several examples of tying people up with galloping horses and tearing them apart.

Zhu Gaochi was a little more stable. His father just wanted to fight and was always thinking about going to the grassland to fight the Tartars. He was not as brutal as his second and third uncles.

Zhu Youdun was the most stable one. His father had no bad deeds except that he liked to travel and run around. He even learned a lesson from his failures. In the past few years, he did not travel around and basically stayed in Kaifeng to edit books.

Looking at the embarrassed brothers, Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "You are all princes. I will still rely on you to help me in the future."

Zhu Jihui and others stood up one after another, "Your Highness, you are too polite. We will abide by our duties as subjects and be loyal to the emperor and work hard." "That's a lie." Zhu Yunhuan said jokingly, "You are all royal family members, and the sons of prominent princes. There is no need to explain other reasons. Even if I am the crown prince, sometimes I will sigh that I am out of reach. The Ming Dynasty is really too big!"

Zhu Youdun thought of something and asked, "Brother, are we also going to celebrate the New Year in Yingtian Prefecture this year?"

"Yes, we'll spend the New Year here." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "You're not allowed to leave next year either. Stay here to watch the ceremony."

Zhu Jihui immediately said, "It's not good for us to live in the capital for a long time, why don't we go back to our hometown?"

This was one of the routine operations. Zhu Di and others were in their hometown Fengyang before they were enfeoffed in their early years. This is also the reason why Zhu Gaochi was born in Fengyang. At that time, the princes trained their troops in Fengyang not only to train them, but also to ensure the status of the crown prince Zhu Biao.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Yunxun asked, "You feel uncomfortable in Yingtian Prefecture, right?"

Zhu Jihui and others didn't say anything, they just kept laughing, and their meaning was very clear.

In Yingtian Prefecture, especially in the imperial palace, these princes and princes did not have much power and freedom. Although it was not much better in Fengyang, at least they did not have to be careful about what they said and did every day.

There is another advantage in Fengyang, that is, as long as one's surname is Zhu, going to Fengyang is considered filial piety. For these princes, being able to visit the mausoleum and worship in their hometown is also a manifestation of status.

Who doesn't have brothers in their family? Zhu Jihui, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Youdun were the eldest sons. Although Zhu Shangbing was the eldest son of the King of Qin, his biological mother was the second concubine of the King of Qin, Deng, who was sentenced to death.

Theoretically speaking, if Qin Wang's wife Guanyin Nu had offspring, the title of Qin Wang should not have belonged to Zhu Shangbing.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Okay, but you still have to train the troops when you go back. The garrison has troops there, and the uncles are helping the court to look after the troops. You will inevitably have to lead troops out of the border in the future."

Zhu Jihui and others were delighted. They were all young men full of vigor and vitality. Who didn't have some passion?

Zhu Gaochi patted his belly and said, "Then I have to find a good horse, otherwise it won't be able to carry me."

Zhu Yunhuan said sarcastically, "You used to be able to ride and shoot, but your skills are just average. I heard that Gao Xu and Gao Sui are both very brave, why don't you let them do it for you?"

Zhu Gaochi immediately said, "Although I am a little fat, I can still ride a horse and shoot arrows, so I don't need my brothers to do it for me."

Look, this is the royal family's brotherly love and respect. When it comes to their own status, they must be extremely firm. Zhu Gaochi was very good to his brothers, but he would not allow them to threaten his position as the Prince of Yan.

"If you really don't want to fight in the future, you can help me stay in the rear." Zhu Yunhuan said, "The court is not short of generals who can lead troops, but it lacks managers who can guard a place and allocate troops and food. You are good at this, especially since Beiping is an important town. If other people were to take care of many things in the north, I would be worried."

Looking at Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Yunhuan said, "I said the same thing when my fourth uncle came. Now the court relies on my second and third uncles, and maybe in the future it will depend on you to take up the responsibility of the royal family."

The flesh on Zhu Gaochi's chubby face trembled, "Yunxun, I'm afraid I can't handle such a big responsibility."

"We brothers grew up together, and I know who is more capable." Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "Brother Jixun is here too, so I am not afraid to tell the truth. Among us brothers, some are good at guarding the city, but few are capable of managing the family business. You are one of the best, just wait, you will be busy in the next two years, and sooner or later you will lose all your weight."

Zhu Gaochi was both happy and worried, because he could always feel that his father was actually somewhat partial to the second son.

But the Emperor's grandfather and the Crown Prince all firmly supported him. And it seemed that he might be used as a prince of the royal family in the future, just like the Emperor's grandfather used the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin. On the contrary, the Prince of Yan was not particularly outstanding.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "We need to improve the grain transport in the north, clean up the grassland, and pay attention to Liaodong. Peking cannot be avoided. Now that the Northwest has been settled, it's time for you and your uncle to contribute."

Zhu Gaochi was delighted and said quickly, "If the court really needs me to serve, I will definitely do my best."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Of course, people say that I squeezed a toad to make it pee. Your flesh will fall off sooner or later. When we go to fight on horseback, it won't be Gao Xu's turn."

The royal family needs to be restricted, but also needs to be reused. As for what matters need to be done by the royal family, that is a science.

(End of this chapter)