Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 164: Imperial family members also need to be evaluated
Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry. Although he had many children and had experienced the grief of losing many of them, Zhu Yuanzhang really loved and hated his second son, the Prince of Qin.

The one who mourns is the love between father and son.

Just thinking about the brutal and absurd things done by my second son, it is no exaggeration to say that he is hated by both God and man.

Although his son is not a good person, fortunately his grandson is sensible, which makes Mr. Zhu feel relieved.

Seeing that Zhu Yunhuan was willing to talk, Old Zhu said, "Your uncle has captured him and brought him back to the capital. What are you going to do?"

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Originally, according to the rules, the uncles had to take turns to return to the capital, but now this has happened. I think these uncles should come back together this year."

Old Zhu thought for a while and said, "Okay, we should ask them to come back. These useless things will make us worry."

"Not only that, the aunts are coming back too." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Such a big thing happened to my second uncle's family, it's because there is no one in the Qin Palace to save money and look after them, so they indulge themselves."

Old Zhu was even more embarrassed. His son did something ridiculous and the old father felt ashamed.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "I was worried about my second uncle in the first place. He has restrained himself in the past two years and has not disturbed the army and the people. But in his Qin Palace, the palace maids, young and old, were worried about their lives when they saw him. Now the three people who poisoned him are all the closest elderly people. Tell me what this is!"

Old Zhu also slapped his thigh and said, "I was deceived, so he married that Mongolian woman. He has been fighting with me all the time, and no one around him talks to him."

The main reason was that although he made Guanyin Nu the Princess of Qin, he was unable to win over Wang Baobao, the King of Henan. Zhu Yuanzhang thought this deal was a bit of a loss.

"I think it's not just that. Another reason is that Second Uncle is fearless." Zhu Yunhuan said, "He knows that we are definitely protecting him, and the court provides him with a lot of support. He can only have some entertainment during the war, and he has nothing to do at other times, so he can only indulge in debauchery and sex. We have to find something for him to do, so that he knows how to be afraid."

Old Zhu became serious, "Destroy your second uncle?"

"That won't work." Zhu Yunhuan answered directly, "But we can't let Second Uncle go back easily this time. Either let him stay in the capital for a while, or let him go back to his hometown. He can only go back if he has improved. Otherwise, I would rather support Second Uncle for the rest of his life and let Shang Bing inherit the title when the time comes."

Old Zhu stared at Zhu Yunhuan for a long while before saying, "This is the only way."

It seems that Qin Wang Zhu Chong was almost poisoned to death, and he seemed to need to be appeased at this time. But thinking about the reasons and his past series of mistakes, it would not be too much to depose him.

However, if he was really demoted to a commoner, Zhu Yuanzhang would be the first one to disagree.

Old Zhu's usual practice was to call his sons back and scare them, then send them back to their hometown to reflect for a period of time before letting them return to their fiefdoms.

Prince of Zhou Zhu Su experienced these things, and so did Prince of Jingjiang Zhu Shouqian.

A more extreme example is Zhu Shouqian, who refused to change his ways despite repeated admonitions. Zhu was imprisoned in his hometown until his death, but his title was retained.

"I've thought about it carefully. The princes of the royal family are fearless." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Why don't we think of a way to supply them?"

Old Zhu stood up and pointed at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "How about giving your uncles 1,000 dan of rice grain a year?"

Hearing Old Zhu's sarcasm, Zhu Yunxun quickly explained, "How can that be possible? This is almost the way it is now!"

Old Zhu was very angry and said, "From 50,000 dan to 10,000 dan, I will do as you say. You said there are too many royal family members, so we will not inherit the throne after the sixth generation. But you are still thinking of reducing the royal family supply!"

"No, listen to me!" Zhu Yunhuan hurriedly explained, "I just want you uncles to be careful in what they say and do and not to be tyrannical in the country! Ten thousand shi must be given, and if anyone talks about reducing it, I won't agree."

Old Zhu asked angrily, "Then how do you think of providing it?"

"For someone like Second Uncle, a reduction of 3,000 or 5,000 yuan wouldn't be too much, right?" Zhu Yunhuan said, "He did all these things without being punished, so the other uncles followed suit."

Old Zhu said quickly, "That's different. Your second uncle is the leader of all the princes in the royal family. Others don't have such courage as him!"

Zhu Yuanzhang felt a little guilty when he said this. Even if the other princes did not dare to do the same as Zhu Chong, they would not be much better if they were a little more restrained.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "My fifth uncle, sixth uncle, and eleventh uncle should be rewarded. They are not even able to get the full amount, and people like my second uncle should get less. All officials should be evaluated on their performance, and the princes of the royal family should be evaluated as well, so that they won't become complacent!"

Old Zhu jumped up three feet high, "You! If that's the case, whether the princes of the royal family are virtuous or foolish is up to you! You have the final say if they want to issue 10,000 dan, and you have the final say if they want to issue 1,000 dan."

"That's not the case!" Zhu Yunhuan also hurriedly explained, "The assessment of the officials is one thing, and the assessment of the royal family is another. If you don't disturb the people or act cruelly or absurdly, you can get the full amount of supplies. Even if there are some illegal things, you can't cut it all at once. The basic food and necessities must be enough, but you can't spend money on wine and women."

Zhu Yuanzhang was very angry, but he seemed to be a little moved. There were too many troublesome sons among him, and they had not made any progress in all these years. Zhu Yuanzhang was really afraid that they would make big mistakes in the future, or that Zhu Yunhuan would have to stain his hands with the blood of the royal family.

Old Zhu suddenly remembered something, "Is your fifth uncle considered a virtuous man?"

Zhu Yunxun said confidently, "Of course! My fifth uncle has been doing so well these past few years. Not only has he not been running around, he has also been editing books!"

Old Zhu was so angry that he laughed. "Your fifth uncle is a virtuous man just because he didn't leave his fiefdom without permission? He edited the book? It's others who edited the book. He was just the leader. The hard work was done by others!"

"It is also because of my fifth uncle's supervision that this medical book can be compiled!" Zhu Yunhuan said, "In the past two years, my fifth uncle has also invested a lot of money privately, hoping to compile a medical book that will benefit the country and the people. If it is really completed, the court will definitely reward it!"

It’s not that Zhu Yunhuan had low requirements for the royal family, but some people and certain identities really could not be treated equally.

A prince who only knows how to eat, drink, play, and indulge in romance is considered to be doing his duty in the eyes of the emperor. Even some officials would not think that such a prince has any bad intentions.

If there really is a vassal king who is overly concerned with local military and political affairs and wants to handle everything on his own, then the imperial court will have to think about suppressing the rebellion.

Lao Zhu thought about it carefully before saying, "Let's think about this matter again. I'm a little confused right now."

"Uncle is fine, he just got scared." Zhu Yunhuan naturally knew how Old Zhu felt, and quickly comforted him, "I'll have someone go over and keep an eye on him these two days, he's definitely fine."

Old Zhu patted Zhu Yunhuan's head and said with emotion, "You are lucky. If you hadn't asked Xu Guan to go to Xi'an, and if he hadn't found out that your second uncle was doing evil in the palace, you wouldn't have sent people to the Qin Palace to keep an eye on him."

Zhu Yunhuan felt a little embarrassed after hearing this, but in the eyes of Zhu Yunhuan, this was truly God's will. It was because of his good grandson's thoughtfulness that the incompetent Prince of Qin, Zhu Chong, was saved.

However, as for Zhu Yunhuan, he only knew the progress of some things and made some preparations in advance.

So the situation is pretty good now. Although it is impossible to satisfy everyone, it is a good thing to be able to accomplish something with it.

"My eldest uncle should have set off by now. He can persuade my second uncle." Zhu Yunhuan said, "I guess my second uncle also knows what the imperial edict is about. Grandfather must issue another imperial edict."

Old Zhu said directly, "No, that beast did such an ugly thing. If he doesn't know what's best for him, then we'll let him live in his hometown for the rest of his life! It will be a blessing for him to look after the graves of his grandparents!"

Zhu Yunhuan complained, "If that's the case, Third Uncle will come to me with a memorial every day, and I don't want that."

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Your Third Uncle is very cunning. If your Second Uncle really crippled him, he would be very anxious. With his Second Brother standing in front of him, he won't have to be afraid of anything in his life."

"Of course not!" Zhu Yunhuan said deliberately, "Third Uncle is already very useful now. Many things in the northwest depend on him. If Second Uncle really makes him useless, Third Uncle will be trembling in his heart. And at this time, how can Third Uncle not think about it!"

Old Zhu patted Zhu Yunhuan's head and said with concern, "Yunhuan, don't worry about what your uncle and his friends think. They are vassal kings, and you are the emperor. Even if you consider them, they may not understand your efforts."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Second Uncle and Third Uncle are not confused about major issues. I don't care about my thoughts and don't care about random things."

Old Zhu could only sigh and said, "Your second uncle and third uncle are also blessed. Your father protected them before, and now you protect them. If I really leave, I can rest assured!"

"Don't say those depressing words." Zhu Yunhuan said with a straight face, "Originally, I let Ren Hengtai think about my wedding etiquette. I think it's better for me to get married directly at the end of the year. My eldest sister will get married after the mourning period is over, and my second sister will get married around the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Old Zhu thought about it carefully and said, "Okay, we'll all get married when the time comes."

"And Yunwen, he will get married after his mourning period is over. It's not good for me, as his younger brother, to get married first." Zhu Yunxun continued, "And my third sister is also going to get married."

Old Zhu thought for a moment before asking, "Youwei, have you found a good match?"

"She said she was looking for someone who would pass down her family tradition of poetry and literature, and she is also timid and quiet." Zhu Yunhuan said, "She is a lady from a wealthy family, and I won't have to worry about her in the future."

Old Zhu glanced at Zhu Yunhuan before scolding, "That stupid woman can't teach a good child!"

Lu Shi was not innocent, but Zhu Yunhuan was too lazy to say more, "I want to get married, and my brothers and sisters must get married first."

"It's good to have a good match. I've just reached the age." Old Zhu said with a smile, "That's good too. We can have a great-grandson next year."

Zhu Yunhuan was stunned, while Old Zhu stared at Zhu Yunhuan, "If there is a great-grandson, we will raise the child and you will be the emperor. If there is no great-grandson, you will be the crown prince!"

(End of this chapter)