Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 18 Action
Old Zhu was now in some distress. He had almost figured out the choice of crown prince.

There was no way they could consider the second and third sons. The eldest son was gone, but he still had a son. The throne could only be passed on to the eldest son's branch.

Think about it, Yunwen has been a kind and studious child since he was young, and he is also considered a legitimate son. So in the past, this was almost the only choice for Zhu.

But who could have thought that Yun Hun would become such a sensation, even though he had a great reputation as a playboy. But the scheming, means and decisiveness he showed made Old Zhu have to consider these.

What's more, in terms of identity, Zhu Yunwen was only considered Zhu Biao's legitimate son after his biological mother, Lu, was made the legitimate wife.

If we talk about the real legitimate son, it is still Zhu Yunhuan.

Old Zhu was indeed shaken, and he didn't know what to do for a moment. He had planned to start the process of appointing the crown prince as soon as the eldest son was buried, but now this old man, who had been decisive all his life, was hesitant.

Concerning the issue of choosing a crown prince, not only was Zhu Yuanzhang somewhat hesitant and unsure, but all the civil and military officials also did not dare to say much on the matter.

After the new day began, Zhu Yunwen, as he did in the past, first kept vigil for the prince, and then ran to ask Old Zhu for advice near lunchtime.

Looking at this grandson, Lao Zhu felt relieved. This was a good and obedient child. After thinking about it, Lao Zhu decided to keep him for dinner.

This made Zhu Yunwen extremely excited. He chose to visit his royal grandfather at this time just to get closer to him.

After Zhu Yunhuan came back to Rouyi Palace to keep vigil, he began to eat heartily, as this was a good time for him to grow.

Zhu Yourong suddenly ran over with a worried look on his face, "Little brother, the emperor's grandfather left his son at home to eat with him."

"Just eat!" Zhu Yunhuan said nonchalantly, "It's the mourning period now, so we don't eat much or well. Besides, there are many rules at the royal grandfather's place, and it's not comfortable to eat."

Zhu Yourong asked angrily, "Do you really not understand or are you pretending not to understand? The house-born child stayed at the emperor's grandfather's house to eat. It must be that the house-born child wanted to please the emperor!"

Zhu Yunxun didn't care any more. "Of course I know these things, they are all gossip. Yunwen and Lu are both ignorant, and it is their duty to please the emperor's grandfather. But when the Ming Dynasty wants to appoint a crown prince, it still depends on the background, ability and character!"

There is no doubt about Zhu Yunhuan's origin, he is a legitimate son. Even though Zhu Yunwen is now considered a legitimate son, if we talk about it, his "eldest legitimate son" is very watery.

These were also the reasons why Zhu Yunwen was worried and nervous. After Zhu Yunhuan wanted to start a fight for the throne, Zhu Yunwen could no longer remain calm.

Zhu Yourong seemed to be convinced, but still a little worried, "Just obey your grandfather and don't always disobey him."

Zhu Yunhuan was puzzled. "Who said I disobeyed my grandfather? He is the emperor and my grandfather, how dare I disobey him!"

Zhu Yunhuan was still quite confident. He certainly knew that he had to please Old Zhu. Other people had no chance to get involved in matters like choosing a crown prince. This matter still depended on Old Zhu's thoughts.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with some of Zhu Yunwen's actions. That had always been his character and some of his advantages. The key was that many people really fell for it.

There was no need for Zhu Yunhuan to follow suit. If he imitated Zhu Yunwen's personality, he would be imitating Zhu Yunwen without success, and would end up being laughed at. He knew this very well.

Therefore, it is very important to show some intelligence and prove that you are not a playboy or a hopeless case.

The most important thing is his own identity. He is a legitimate son and is born into a noble family in Huaixi. These are huge advantages that Zhu Yunwen cannot match.

And there was one thing that Zhu Yunwen did not dare to try. He had always been well-behaved and tried to imitate the gentle and elegant manner of the former crown prince Zhu Biao. He did not dare to overstep the mark in any way.

But it is true that the current Zhu is the Hongwu Emperor, but he is also an old man who longs for family affection.

In life, one loses parents in youth, wife in middle age, and son in old age.

This series of blows made the iron-willed old man Hongwu extremely sad, not to mention that Zhu Yuanzhang was not a person who was indifferent to family affection. The desire for family affection has always been the undisguised character of this seemingly overbearing and harsh emperor.

Zhu Yunhuan can be "unruly" and he can have no rules because he is still a "grandson" who has not grown up.

It is said that one can take advantage of one's age and status, and with Zhu Yunhuan's current age and status, he can also take advantage of his youth. Old Zhu naturally knew what was going on in Rouyi Palace, and he was both angry and amused by some of his grandson's behaviors.

Zhu Yunwen was left to have dinner, and the news was also passed on to Rouyi Palace. I thought Zhu Yunwen would rush over in a hurry, but the child was fine, reading peacefully, and then wanted to stroll around the palace but was driven back.

The palace naturally has its own rules. There are some places that even the emperor's grandson cannot go to. Needless to say, these places in the harem also include some government offices, some civil and military officials have to sit in the office, and some institutions are also in the palace.

This time Zhu Yunhuan wanted to go to the Huangce Library, but that was definitely not allowed. This was the central archive that specifically stored the national tax and service archives, and the emperor's grandson could not go there at will.

Not allowed to go to the Yellow Book Library, Zhu Yunhu ran towards the Qianbu Corridor inside the Hongwu Gate. On the east side of the Qianbu Corridor were the Ministry of Works, Ministry of War, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Clan Affairs, and on the west side were the Taichang Temple, the Rear Army Governor's Office, the Front Army Governor's Office, the Right Army Governor's Office, the Left Army Governor's Office, and the Central Army Governor's Office, basically following the layout of civil on the left and military on the right.

Moreover, behind the Qianbu Corridor, on the east side were the Dongcheng Bingmasi, Imperial Hospital, Zhanshifu, and Hanlin Academy; on the west side were the Qintianjian, Qishouwei, Jinyiwei, and Tongzhengsi. Among the six central government offices, only the Ministry of Justice was not located inside the Hongwu Gate.

As a result, Zhu Yunhu was blocked again. He had no intention of going to the six ministries or contacting the civil officials.

However, most of the nobles were in the Five Military Commandery, and it would be too sensitive for Zhu Yunhuan, the grandson of the emperor, to come into contact with them.

"I won't go either. I just learned a lot from practicing martial arts these days, so I'm going to practice martial arts with some veterans." Zhu Yunhuan said carelessly, looking at the guard standing in front of him, "Don't worry, go back and report that you couldn't stop me."

The guard cried and begged, "Your Highness, please forgive me! His Majesty has ordered that Your Highness is not allowed to contact the nobles."

Zhu Yunhuan had another idea, "The scenery here is great, why don't I just stay here and enjoy the view without getting close to them?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chang Sheng walked out of the Rear Army Governor's Mansion with his big belly.

Zhu Yunxun waved his hands happily and shouted, "Second uncle, pack up and accompany me to worship my mother in two days!"

Chang Sheng looked over immediately upon hearing the voice and hurried over.

The guard quickly blocked him and said to Chang Sheng, "Duke, His Majesty has ordered that you are not allowed to get close to the emperor's grandson."

Zhu Yunhuan shouted loudly, "Second uncle, don't come near me, I have a loud voice."

Chang Sheng also hurriedly stopped and asked, "Your Highness, I heard it. I will go back and pack up and prepare the sacrifices."

"Just family gifts, no other nobles are allowed to come." Zhu Yunhuan pushed the guards away and continued loudly, "This is also the anniversary of my grandfather's death. Let my third uncle go back to Dingyuan. If other nobles want to go to Zhongshan to pay homage to my grandfather, there is no need to stop them."

In the second year of Hongwu, Chang Yuchun died of illness in Liuhechuan on his way back from the Northern Expedition and was buried under Zhongshan Mountain.

Perhaps because the noise was a little louder, some nobles heard the noise and hurried out of the Five Military Commandery.

Zhu Yunhuan was still blocked outside the Qianbu Corridor, but he shouted at the top of his voice, "I will go there to pay my respects in a few days."

Chang Sheng immediately became excited. When his father was buried, the emperor personally paid the tribute. This happened more than 20 years ago. Now, for the lineage of Prince Kaiping, the most important thing is whether Zhu Yunhuan can be made the crown prince.

Suddenly, a group of eunuchs and guards arrived. They tried to drive the nobles away, but surrounded them and took Zhu Yunhuan away.

Zhu Yunhuan tried to rush left and right but still couldn't get out. He could only shout unwillingly, "I didn't go to the Five Military Commandery either. I'm already very obedient! Get out of the way!"

The leading guard said with a sad face, "Your Highness, please forgive us! How dare we disobey your Majesty's order!"

Zhu Yunhuan made a compromise and said, "Then I can just go back to the palace. I can go by myself!"

The leading guard continued to cry, "Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered that Your Highness kneel in the Fengxian Hall for half an hour!"

"Kneel again?" Zhu Yunhuan suddenly felt pain in his knees. "Forget it, I'll kneel. If I don't kneel to the ancestors of the Zhu family, who will?"

(End of this chapter)