Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 161 Smooth Transition
The 27th year of Hongwu passed so peacefully, without any major changes or turmoil at the end of the year. This allowed Zhu Yunhuan to spend the New Year in peace and enjoy a good holiday.

For the officials, their lives were not actually that easy.

It was not easy to be an official in the Ming Dynasty. The salary was pitifully low in history, and the holidays were also pitifully few. Not to mention a five-day or seven-day break, when faced with a workaholic emperor like Zhu, officials had almost no holidays.

Winter Solstice, Spring Festival and the Emperor's birthday are legal holidays, but on such holidays, people still need to pay homage to the emperor, etc. The rest of the time, there are basically no holidays to speak of.

However, even so, there are still countless people who are eager to become officials, and it is very difficult to enter the officialdom.

Zhu Yunhuan lay comfortably on the chair basking in the sun, "Sister, you have to get married after the mourning period is over."

Zhu Yourong said, "I know, you don't need to urge me."

Zhu Youling asked, "Little brother, what should I do? You can't get married before I get married, right?"

"I did find a talented person who has some abilities." Zhu Yunxun said, "It's just that his official rank is a little low now. His father is only the deputy commander of the guards, an official of the fourth rank."

Zhu Youling asked quickly, "What does that person look like?"

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "He is very imposing and handsome. Although he comes from a family of military commanders, he likes reading and is not a complete warrior."

Zhu Yourong asked with concern, "Little brother, do you want to make great use of this person?"

"Sister, this man may have the ability to be promoted to a marquis or a general." Zhu Yunhuan said, "He is about the same age as you, born during the Hongwu reign, and is only one year older than you. I had not thought of this man before, otherwise I would have missed him."

Zhu Yourong said with some embarrassment, "Even if you are optimistic about that person, he doesn't have a title after all."

Zhu Yourong settled on Geng Xuan, the eldest son of Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing. If he were to marry the son of a fourth-rank military general to Zhu Youling, it would seem a bit shabby.

Zhu Youling asked, "Little brother, why didn't that person notice it before?"

"He used to be in Peking. His father also fought in many battles. He even made contributions with the Duke of Liang at Buir Lake." Zhu Yunhuan said with a little embarrassment. "The only bad thing is that his father was a surrendered general who served the Mongols in the past."

The husband that Zhu Yunhuan chose for his second sister was actually Zhang Fu, the son of Zhang Yu. He was simply a good brother-in-law who fell from the sky.

Zhang Fu is not only of the right age, but also has great skills and potential, and is a very nice person. He is indeed a seemingly perfect choice. The only downside is his background and official rank.

Zhu Youling thought for a moment before saying, "That's not a problem. The Duke of Ying is a surrendered general. My aunt married a commoner before. Even if this man is not very good, he can still inherit his father's position in the future. He is at least a fourth-rank official. And with your help, he may be able to get a position as a deputy official in the Five Military Commandery in the future."

Zhu Yourong also said, "That's right. Youling is only a county lady now, not a princess. If a few years pass, she might be promoted."

Sometimes when I think about it, I feel it’s a bit exaggerated.

Take Zhang Fu for example. He was born during the Hongwu reign, experienced the Jingnan Campaign, and was highly valued by Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Zhanji. As a result, he followed Zhu Qizhen to the battlefield and was killed in the Tumu Incident at the age of 75.

The most talked-about thing about Zhang Fu may not be the great contribution of him and his son in the Jingnan Campaign, but his excellent military discipline and military exploits. His achievement in conquering Jiaozhi was praised by his contemporaries as "recovering the ancient territory of China that had been preserved for hundreds of years."

Looking at Zhu Youling, Zhu Yunhuan said, "To be honest, if Zhang Fu is used well, he might become my King of Zhongshan or King of Kaiping."

Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling were immediately surprised. They originally thought that he was just an ordinary talent, but they didn't expect that the evaluation of this little brother would be so high?

Zhu Youling said immediately, "If that's the case, then let's arrange the marriage. I will definitely use him in the future, so it's fine for me to marry him."

Zhu Yourong also said quickly, "That's right. It's good to have this matter settled. It can also win some people's hearts. The eldest grandson's sister is not limited to marrying into a noble family. Ordinary military generals can also marry into the family. The royal family still has kindness."

There is nothing wrong with this statement. Princesses and county ladies can only "marry down". And the imperial consorts of the Ming Dynasty are not just receiving salaries without real power, so there is no need to worry that becoming an imperial consort will make you unable to work for the rest of your life.

As for Zhu Yunhuan's two sisters, even though they are a little naive, they still understand some basic politics.

They all knew that their marriages were largely political, and they would not object to this. As long as the person they married was not bad and was beneficial to the royal family, they would basically accept it.

As for his sister, Zhu Yunhuan certainly hopes that their marriage will be happy.

After all, even princesses and princesses don’t all have happy marriages. Some even die in depression because of their bad marriages.

In Zhu Yunhuan's view, Zhang Fu is indeed an excellent choice, with good character, ability and potential. And from a utilitarian point of view, he is also a general worth training for Zhu Yunhuan, and an important person who can be used to check and balance the nobles in the later stage. This matter seems to have been basically settled, because Zhu Youling does not seem to object to it.

The biggest problem now is naturally with Old Zhu. Can he be interested in a boy from a fourth-rank military general's family? This is a big deal. Old Zhu is still sensitive about family background, and his children and grandchildren cannot marry casually.

Speaking of Zhang Yu's three sons, except the eldest son Zhang Fu, the other two sons are also capable people.

The third son, Zhang Fu, was especially successful. He not only went on several expeditions, but was also a participant in the Battle of Duomen, and was therefore granted the title of Marquis of Taiping. His second son, Zhang Li, was not as successful, and did not have many military achievements, but he also played a role in the Battle of Duomen, and was granted the title of Earl of Wen'an.

He has three sons, one is a duke, one is a marquis, and one is an earl. There is no doubt about the success rate.

The most important thing is that although it is due to his background, this is all earned through his own abilities and vision.

Princess Anqing returned to the East Palace in a hurry, "Everyone in the palace is busy, but you, the crown prince, are just basking in the sun!"

Zhu Yunhuan was too lazy to get up, and said lazily, "Aunt, I got up early in the morning to worship and attend court. I just came back to take a nap!"

"You're not visiting relatives this year?" Princess Anqing stopped complaining and said, "Why don't we go see your aunt tomorrow?"

Zhu Yunhuan immediately said, "Okay, it's time to go and meet my cousin."

The so-called cousins ​​are Princess Fucheng, the daughter of Nanchang King Zhu Xinglong, and Princess Qingyang, the daughter of Mengcheng King Zhu Chongwu.

Princess Fucheng is Zhu's niece and Zhu Wenzheng's sister, while Princess Qingyang is the daughter of Zhu's cousin. Zhu loved these two nieces very much. According to the etiquette, such nieces could be given the title of princess at most, but Zhu insisted on canonizing the two nieces as princesses, which meant that they could only have fewer gifts than other princesses.

To whip Zhu Yunwen again, when he came to power, he immediately demoted his two cousins ​​to princesses.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "If we really go there, take Miao Jin with us so that our elders can see her."

Princess Anqing smiled and said, "We haven't even gotten married yet, and you're already protecting your wife everywhere! Aren't you afraid of being laughed at? I'm telling you the truth, your royal grandfather said that you are not allowed to be alone with Miao Jin, for fear that you might do something shameful!"

Zhu Yunhuan sat up suddenly and said quickly, "Am I such an ignorant person?"

Princess Anqing nodded, and Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling looked at Zhu Yunhuan meaningfully, obviously expressing their disdain for some of his unclear self-awareness.

"Fourth brother is eighteen years old, so you just wait and see." Princess Anqing said, "As soon as you get married, father will definitely urge you to have children. You are so promising, you should be better than everyone else."

When Zhu Di had Zhu Gaochi, he was really young. But in this era, no one thought there was anything wrong with him, and they just thought he had a promising future.

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "My uncle has to work after the New Year. How about I ask him to go back to his hometown in Fengyang?"

"What errand?" Princess Anqing's belly was slightly protruding, even though it was still flat. "I'm telling you, I'm carrying your cousin in my belly."

Zhu Yunhuan said, "I don't trust anyone else to take charge of the garrison. I will also replace the people in the Five Cities Military Department and let my uncle go to train the troops."

Princess Anqing was immediately happy when she heard this. The Wucheng Bingma Division was the earliest batch of soldiers under Zhu Yunhuan, and they were all led by sons of nobles. It has been more than two years, and it is time to reward these people for their merits and promote them. These are also considered confidants.

"Your uncle is also from a military family. Although he is not very talented, he is steady and stable. Training the troops will definitely not be a problem." Princess Anqing said quickly, "Your eldest uncle helps to manage the Imperial College, so let your youngest uncle help with training the troops in the future. There will definitely be no problem!"

Seeing the increasingly aggressive Princess Anqing, Zhu Yunhuan joked, "Aunt, you only dare to bargain in front of me, but you are honest in front of grandfather."

Princess Anqing said nonchalantly, "Except your father and you, who dares to smile in front of the emperor? You are my nephew, and you have a good temper, so I am naturally bold."

Zhu Yunhuan didn't mind Princess Anqing's aggressiveness at all, because she was a family member. The most important thing was that although his sister-in-law looked aggressive, she was very sensible. Even if she was fighting for something, she would not make unrealistic demands.

Zhu Yunhuan stretched lazily and said proudly, "I have a chance to take a nap, but now I have to arrange things. Just wait, or your grandfather will scold you."

Princess Anqing immediately asked, "Why are you scolding me?"

Zhu Yourong smiled secretly and said, "Grandfather was worried that Yunhuan was tired, so he specially asked Yunhuan to come back to rest, saying that the grand court ceremony was too tiring. Now that my aunt is here, my grandfather will definitely be angry."

(End of this chapter)