Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Biao's mausoleum can only be the prince's mausoleum now, because he is only a prince now. But he should be posthumously named emperor, as long as Zhu Yunhuan successfully ascended the throne and became emperor, he could do so naturally.

I took my sisters to Dongling and offered sacrifices to them, which was as it should be, as it also meant that the mourning period was officially over.

After returning to the palace, Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhu Yourong and said, "Sister, you are going to get married. I am a little worried."

Zhu Yourong comforted him, "Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. I am also at this age, and it is time for me to get married. The prince of Changxing is a man of both civil and military talents, and his temperament is gentle and cautious, so he is a good match for me."

Zhu Yunxun asked, "I have always been indifferent to my brother-in-law. Is there anything wrong with me, elder sister?"

Zhu Youling spoke first, "I don't know if you are confused or not, but I just don't understand. He is your brother-in-law, a nobleman, and a native of Huaixi. Why don't you use him?"

Geng Xuan's father was Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, and Geng Bingwen's father was Geng Junyong, one of the 24 generals of Huaixi. Even after Geng Junyong died in battle, Geng Bingwen took over his father's position and began to lead the army.

This person is truly of good descent and is definitely someone that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan can trust and use.

However, Geng Bingwen has not been given more importance in recent years, and even Geng Xuan does not seem to be highly regarded by Zhu Yunhuan. This seems a bit abnormal.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at his two sisters and said, "There is something I don't need to hide from you. The Marquis of Changxing is too steady. He is a good general to guard a place. Also, he is the oldest among the nobles in Huaixi. As other nobles begin to retire, there will be fewer veteran generals in the court."

Zhu Yourong seemed to understand a little bit. "What I mean is that it is difficult to use the Marquis of Changxing now. In a few years, when there are fewer veterans, we can use him?"

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan nod, Zhu Youling became puzzled, "Little brother, but Changxing Hou is already 61 years old this year, which is old and weak. How many veterans in the court are older than him?"

There seems to be nothing wrong with saying this, because from all aspects, Geng Bingwen is indeed a veteran now.

But there was no way. Zhu Yunhuan knew that according to the normal trajectory, the two veteran generals Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying still had several more years to live, and seventy years old would not be a big deal for them.

Both Guo Ying and Geng Bingwen lived to the Yongle period. Geng Bingwen even committed suicide after being impeached, otherwise he might have lived longer.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Now that the Duke of Ying has gone to Wuyuan, one of the Five Military Commander's Offices will be vacant. In two years, the Marquis of Changxing will definitely be in charge of one of the offices. Do you understand?"

Zhu Youling immediately began to calculate, "Little brother, if that is the case, then my second uncle and Duke Liang will each be in charge of one prefecture, and my brother-in-law will be in charge of one prefecture. Then Miao Jin's brother will be in charge of one prefecture, and my cousin Jiujiang will be in charge of one prefecture. The Five Military Commander's Office will really be in charge of you."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "It's almost done now. The Five Military Commands are under my control. But these things are sensitive, so they need to be more secure. Military power can only be held by myself."

Zhu Yourong said, "Grandfather Emperor favors you so much that he would have given you the military power a long time ago."

Zhu Youling also said, "That's right. Even in the deep palace, we have heard that you have already taken control of the military power."

Zhu Yunxun laughed, "I am the grandson of the emperor after all, so how can I think that I have too much power? Although my grandfather spoils me and helps me control the overall situation, I can't always rely on him for many things. In the end, I still have to rely on myself."

Zhu Yourong asked with concern, "If I leave the palace, do you really not need my help?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Just live your own life. The family tradition of Changxing Hou is good, so I don't need to worry too much. You don't need to care too much about the affairs of the court. It seems that I can still take care of it now."

Then Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhu Youling and said, "It's the same with my second sister. If I always rely on my family for support, it won't be a big deal. Just live a good life and that's enough."

After hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling did not have much to refute, as they knew some things very well.

In the final analysis, it's just self-knowledge. They all know that their abilities are not enough. Let alone being heroines, as long as they don't make things worse, it's a good thing.

The actual situation is like this. The abilities of Zhu Yunhuan's two elder sisters are definitely not very good, but their identities are too special. So as long as they are relatively law-abiding, they are considered to be helping Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yourong was still a little worried and reluctant. "I didn't think it was a big deal before, but now that I'm about to get married, I'm starting to feel nervous."

"That's normal, but you are not someone else." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "When a woman from an ordinary family gets married, she has to serve her parents-in-law and her husband. You don't have to think about serving your parents-in-law, and you don't have to think about competing with your husband's brothers and sisters for the family property. Just live a good life with your brother-in-law, that's all."

What Zhu Yunhuan said was of course the truth. After all, Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling were princesses, a status that was noble enough that ordinary dukes and marquises would not dare to offend.

What's more, these two princesses will become princesses in a short time. Moreover, they are the elder sisters of the crown prince, and the relationship between the siblings is very good, which naturally means that they are real golden branches and jade leaves.

Looking at Zhu Youling, Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "My eldest sister is married, and my second sister is about to get married too."

Zhu Youling said with some sadness, "It's only been a short time. It will be difficult for the three of us to see each other in the future."

This is a bit of an exaggeration, but not particularly so.

After Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling got married, they certainly wouldn't come back to the palace often. It would be good enough if they could see each other once every one or two months. Moreover, everyone knew that once they had their own families, their focus would change.

After a little melancholy, Zhu Yunhuan also smiled and said, "Come back whenever you want. Do you think you will not recognize me as your brother just because you got married?"

In fact, not only Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling are getting married, Zhu Yunhuan will also be getting married soon. By then, his attention may naturally not be focused on his two sisters.

These are all normal human emotions and there is no need to feel strange about them, because many people believe that when brothers and sisters grow up, they may become "relatives".

Come to think of it, Zhu Yunhuan must be quite depressed, because he is about to start adapting to the life of being alone.

Now that I'm back in the East Palace, with my two sisters to chat with, the East Palace can be said to be quite lively.

But after a while, the Eastern Palace would start to become deserted, at least for a while, and the only real owner left in the Eastern Palace would be Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yourong remembered something and asked, "Is Yunwen going to get married too?" "Of course, it will be the same as yours." Zhu Yunwen explained, "It will be almost done in two days. You don't need to worry too much about the marriage of a prince."

The main reason is that the candidate for Zhu Yunwen's Princess has already been decided, and the corresponding etiquette system is relatively complete. It is enough to just follow the rules, and there is no need to think about anything else.

Zhu Yourong said, "Those who know would say that we are all old enough to start a family, while those who don't would think that we are just making way for you."

There is really nothing wrong with saying this, and this is the actual situation. People who don't know might really think that Zhu Biao's children are all getting married in a rush, thinking that this is to make way for the crown prince.

But there is no other way. The mourning period is here, and the ages of these brothers and sisters are almost the same, so they can only start a family as soon as the mourning period is over.

Zhang Fusheng came up to him and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has summoned you."

Zhu Yunhuan didn't say anything and just walked towards Wuying Palace. It was useless to ask now anyway, Zhang Fusheng definitely didn't know what was going on.

When Old Zhu saw Zhu Yunhuan, he asked directly, "How is your parents' mausoleum now?"

"Of course no one dares to slack off. Xiaoling Mausoleum is also under construction now. I think it's OK." Zhu Yunhuan said truthfully, "It's just that my parents' mausoleum will have to be renovated in the future, but I'm afraid it won't be big."

Old Zhu understood what Zhu Yunhuan meant. In fact, the layout of Zhu Biao's Eastern Tomb had been basically determined. Even if it was upgraded to an imperial mausoleum in the future, it would be difficult to truly expand its scale because the foundation was already there.

Old Zhu said, "That's not a problem. It would be inappropriate to build a big mausoleum for him. I can't have my children and grandchildren's mausoleum bigger than my own, right?"

There is absolutely no problem with this statement. The layout of the Xiaoling Mausoleum basically determined the layout and direction of the imperial tombs of the Ming Dynasty emperors.

Not to mention that Zhu Biao's mausoleum is essentially the prince's mausoleum now. Even if Zhu Yunhuan started to build the mausoleum after he ascended the throne, it would not be possible to surpass the scale of the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

The same is actually true for Zhu Yunhuan's descendants. They don't necessarily all think about being frugal, but simply everyone has to abide by some rules. The Xiaoling Mausoleum is the template for the Ming Dynasty imperial tombs and it is impossible to surpass it.

Otherwise, you will really be drowned in the spit of people all over the world, and then all kinds of big hats will be put on you.

These are the most practical situations. Zhu Yuanzhang naturally understood this truth, and Zhu Yunhuan certainly understood it even better.

Old Zhu asked again, "How is your eldest sister's matter arranged now?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Of course we are ready. The court has already set the etiquette and laws, so we just need to follow them. Don't say that my eldest sister is only a princess now, even if a princess marries, the court will not panic."

The princess already has a lot of experience in getting married, and all the work has rules to follow, so everyone understands what needs to be done next, and it's really not difficult.

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan say this, Old Zhu nodded in satisfaction, "They are now princesses. It doesn't matter if you add some dowry in private, but don't overstep your authority in public."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally knew what was going on. "This grandson understands. Over the years, I have always asked the royal family to abide by the rules. I can't be different when it comes to me. Otherwise, it will be difficult to convince the public."

This is what Lao Zhu meant. Since some rules have been set, they should be implemented well and not break them.

Since Zhu Yunhuan said so, Old Zhu felt relieved. He still believed that Zhu Yunhuan would not act recklessly in these matters.

With Zhu's character, he naturally wanted to leave all the best things to his descendants. But even so, Zhu would be partial and consider some matters concerning the country.

If Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling were really married off as princesses, considering their status and their relationship with Zhu Yunhuan, many people would probably have to accept it and not dare to object.

But if this really happens, it will leave behind many bad precedents, and future emperors may use this as an excuse to create rituals that go beyond the standards.

Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling could only marry as princesses, which set the tone for a series of things.

However, these obviously would not humiliate them. Doing so was just a choice that suited their status. After all, Zhu Yunhuan was not the emperor but only the crown prince.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and asked, "Your elder sister and second sister are married. Can you survive in the East Palace alone?"

Zhu Yunhuan was a little puzzled. "Why not? Besides, I'm going to get married right after they move out, so the East Palace won't be idle. It's nothing more than two or three months without anyone in charge of the East Palace. I'm too lazy to take care of trivial matters."

Old Zhu said, "If you really can't stay idle, then we can move to the Qianqing Palace and live together as a grandfather and grandson."

Zhu Yunhuan wanted to object at first, as he felt quite comfortable living alone. If he really lived with Old Zhu, he would definitely be nagged, after all, there were still some differences in their life concepts and so on.

But suddenly Zhu Yunhuan felt something was wrong, he felt that he might not be being sentimental, because Old Zhu seemed to be really looking forward to it, and the old man was still a little lonely.

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "When my second sister gets married, I will move to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. But when that time comes, I am afraid of rumors outside."

Old Zhu immediately said, "What kind of rumors can there be? When the time comes, just say that I'm sick and you serve me medicine."

Zhu Yunhuan was speechless for a moment. The reasons given by Zhu Yunhuan were impeccable. It also showed that Zhu Yunhuan was not being sentimental. Zhu Yunhuan really intended to let his grandson live with him.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunhuan joked, "If we really say that the emperor is sick now, few people outside will believe it. Now that we have said this, people outside can only listen and believe it even if they don't want to."

"That's all, no matter if they believe it or not." Old Zhu said domineeringly, "Your sisters have grown up, it's a good thing. If your parents saw it, they would be relieved."

Indeed, the children have grown up and started their own families and careers, which can be regarded as a parent's fulfillment of their worries. (End of this chapter)