Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 171 The Transaction between the Crown Prince and the King of Qin
Zhu Chong did not expect the same treatment as Zhu Biao and Zhu Yunhuan, and he was quite satisfied with his current position.

While eating, Zhu Chong asked, "Nephew, your royal grandfather still doesn't want to see me?"

"No, they said they would wait until the other uncles come back." Zhu Yunhuan gloated, "Second Uncle will be miserable by then, he will lose face in front of the other uncles."

Zhu Su said directly, "You think too much. Not to mention that we brothers rarely see each other now. Besides, who is your second uncle? Which of us brothers has not been beaten by him?"

Zhu Chong was very dissatisfied and said directly, "I have never beaten you before, but I have beaten you guys. You are ignorant and I have no choice. If I don't teach you a lesson, you will become more presumptuous."

Zhu Su chuckled and said nothing. He should just eat well. He didn't need to worry about other things.

After finishing his meal, Zhu Chong asked, "Nephew, am I going back to Fengyang?"

Zhu Yunhuan answered the question irrelevantly, "Second uncle, the royal family has done a lot of things over the years. Second uncle and third uncle have also made great contributions to the court. There are also sixth uncles who educate the locals. We must not be too strict with the royal family, but there must be some rules. It is said that there is no order without rules. Second uncle said that this is the truth, right?"

Zhu Chong said somewhat unhappily, "That's great. Use me to punish them. Which of the other princes is dishonest?"

In response to Zhu Chong's angry words, Zhu Yunhuan could only helplessly say, "Second Uncle, can we not say angry words?"

"Don't depose me. Give the title of king to Shang Bing. Everything else is easy to deal with." Zhu Chong said, "I'll leave the guards of the King of Qin to you. When needed, I'll also talk to your third uncle. Your third uncle and your fourth uncle don't have a good relationship. Whether you want them to fight or make peace, I'll be the one who comes forward. My words are still useful in front of them."

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di were not on good terms, and Zhu Yunhuan knew about this, but they did not have any particular hatred. In addition, they only saw each other once a year, so no one paid much attention to it.

Zhu Su felt that he should run away. He was a little bit of a playboy, but he was very tactful.

My second brother is negotiating terms with my nephew now. Some of the content they are discussing is quite sensitive. If you don’t want to get into trouble, you’d better run away quickly.

As soon as my butt left the futon, Zhu Chong glared at me and said, "Wait for your food. Where are you in such a hurry to go?"

Zhu Yunhuan also echoed, "Fifth Uncle, we haven't seen each other for a long time, it would be nice to have a chat."

Zhu Su said with tears in his eyes, "Second brother, Yunxun, I am just a dandy and ignorant prince, why do you have to embarrass me?"

Zhu Chong said unhappily, "Why do I embarrass you? You have been relying on your father's and mother's favor since you were a child and you are a playboy and don't know etiquette. How could I not know you? You are a little clever and always want to stay out of trouble!"

Zhu Su said even more aggrievedly, "Second brother, since you know my temper, why don't you make it difficult for me? It's not easy for me, an outsider, to hear or talk about this matter, isn't it?"

Zhu Yunhuan disagreed at first, "Fifth Uncle, what do you mean by outsider? You are my fifth uncle, what can't you listen to or say?"

Zhu Su wanted to struggle one last time, "Should these matters be decided by my father?"

Zhu Chong had his own ideas. "We have already agreed with Yun Hun to ask him to go to the emperor to plead for mercy. Most likely, the matter can be settled. Why, seeing that your second brother is in trouble and is about to be deposed, you want to distance yourself from him?"

With no way to retreat, Zhu Su could only sit down and accept his fate. If he dared to run now, his second brother would chase him and beat him up after he finished kneeling. Moreover, his nephew was also a worry, and he would definitely not let him leave with a set of words.

Staying here is to be a witness, to witness the transaction between the King of Qin and the Crown Prince!
Zhu Yunhuan did not hide much and said, "Uncle, there are some things that don't need to be mentioned. It's just that the royal family often overrides the law, which is not appropriate. Past dynasties also had some leniency towards the royal family, but our Ming Dynasty is too lenient."

Zhu Chong and Zhu Su were silent, they knew all these things. Even the royal family of the Ming Dynasty knew very well that the royal family of the Ming Dynasty was treated the best among all the royal family.

Don’t say that the princes in the early Western Han Dynasty really had fiefdoms and were in charge of military and political affairs, etc. This really meant they held great power.

However, the treatment of the royal family members in the Western Han Dynasty was not necessarily universally good, so the Ming Dynasty had a safety net.

On the other hand, it is naturally safe. It seems that as long as the royal family of the Ming Dynasty does not cause any resentment, there is basically no need to worry about their safety. Even if they do a lot of ridiculous things, as long as they are not treason, there is nothing to worry about.

Seeing that Zhu Chong was silent, Zhu Yunxun continued, "The royal family naturally has its own considerations. The rules set by grandfather are very good. Under normal circumstances, the royal family can only be punished by the clan officials."

Zhu Chong finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's true. I don't want to be tried in court."

"I am also afraid of this. There have been many officials in the past dynasties who have targeted the royal family for impeachment in order to gain a good reputation." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "It's just that the royal family can only be punished by the Imperial Clan Court and the emperor, but there must be a bottom line."

Zhu Chong asked directly, "Tell me, what should we do?" Zhu Yunhuan said without hiding anything, "Second uncle, the royal family doesn't have military and political power now anyway. As long as they don't break the law or disturb the people, how about giving them the full amount of supplies?"

Zhu Chong immediately became unhappy, "From 50,000 dan to 10,000 dan, do you think it's too much?"

Look, this is the general reaction. Everyone understands that the reduction in the supply for the royal family was the work of Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yunhuan quickly explained, "Uncle, this is also a bottom line. There must be a bottom line. We can't let the palace be deprived of food and supplies. It's just that the royal family who follow the rules get more, and this reduction in supply is not a customary thing. If you make a mistake this year, this year will be less, and if you change it next year, it will still be 10,000 dan."

Zhu Chong said with some mockery, "You want us to behave ourselves by taking the money and grain, right?"

Zhu Yunhuan nodded directly, "That's right. It's not good if the royal family has no fear in their hearts."

Zhu Su suddenly said, "If that's the case, aren't you afraid that if there's a shortage of supplies, some members of the royal family will go out and harass the people?"

Zhu Chong was also familiar with this matter, as he had once harassed the people near Xi'an. He had ordered the soldiers and civilians in the inner border areas to buy gold and silver for many years, causing the soldiers and civilians to fall into distress and even sell their children. In order to please his concubine Deng, he sent people to the coastal governors to buy pearls and jade, causing the people to lose their homes.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "If that is the case, then it is not just about cutting supply. I am afraid that I will be brought to the capital to be punished. One thing is one thing. Cutting supply and disturbing the people is against the law, which is illegal and brutal."

Zhu Chong and Zhu Su were both unhappy because this would add more shackles to the royal family and management would become stricter in the future.

Zhu Yunhuan spoke the truth, "Second uncle, fifth uncle, let's not talk about what happened in the past. But no matter what, we can't treat the royal family like we do now. It is definitely not a good thing to be lenient all the time. You all understand this principle."

Zhu Chong and Zhu Su understood this truth very well. Their current confidence was based more on Zhu's leniency. If it were any other emperor, they would certainly not be like Zhu.

Zhu Yunxun continued, "Let's set some rules now. It will be good for my uncles, good for me, and good for my brothers."

Zhu Chong suddenly said, "You are going to get married. Ji Hui from the third family is already married. We are not in the way. After all, we are princes, and my descendants are all princes. But when it comes to my grandchildren, it's hard to say."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Second Uncle, isn't that an exaggeration? The supplies of the state-guarding generals are not bad, and are better than those of the first and second rank officials. If they don't live well, how can others survive?"

Zhu Chong was silent, he just wanted to fight for more treatment. His grandchildren, even great-grandchildren, basically had no worries about food and clothing. As long as they did not do anything reckless, they could be considered very wealthy, and their status would not be low.

Zhu Yunhuan also continued, "In fact, my grandfather has set a rule that any prince or grandson who has civil or military talent and is suitable for appointment will be given an official position by the Imperial Clan Court through examination. Their promotion will be based on the normal selection method."

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty's royal family was considered to be raised like pigs, and Zhu Di had to take the blame. Because the rules set by Zhu Di now allowed royal family members to become officials, but only when it came to the generation of generals guarding the country and generals supporting the country, which was Zhu Di's great-grandson.

What happened after Zhu Di came to power was that the royal family could not do anything and could only use the supplies from the court.

"I think the same thing. If there are talented people in the royal family, we must use them. Civil officials, nobles, and royal family members should all be used." Zhu Yunhuan said, "But the princes are definitely not easy to use. The ones appointed by grandfather are very good. In the future, the promising children of the royal family will definitely be able to make some achievements in the court."

Zhu Chong stared at Zhu Yunhuan and asked, "From now on, we have to issue real goods, not exchange them with treasure notes."

Zhu Yunhuan's eyes filled with tears, and he quickly said to Zhu Chong, "Second uncle has noticed the shortage of treasure notes, and the court is in trouble now! When you see grandfather, you must mention this matter!"

It is no wonder that Zhu Chong thought so, because the court had already shown some signs of using treasure notes to pay for supplies.

Zhu Chong continued to ask, "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Zhu Yunxun said directly, "Second uncle, please go back to your hometown and submit a petition to apologize."

Zhu Chong nodded. He knew that he couldn't escape these things, so it wasn't a problem.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Even if Second Uncle dislikes Second Aunt, let her out of the palace. She is still the princess. The court has to follow etiquette, and it's not good for the Princess of Qin to be imprisoned and without a master."

Zhu Chong's expression changed instantly. "Release that Mongolian Tartar?"

Zhu Yunhuan said without giving in, "Anyway, she is the princess. Even if Second Uncle doesn't like her, he shouldn't imprison her. At worst, we can just not see each other, but we can't lose the courtesy in public!"

(End of this chapter)