Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu was a very diligent person. He was very serious about government affairs and never slacked off. Even if his sons and grandsons helped to share some of the government affairs, it did not mean that Zhu would just sit back and do nothing.

However, because of Zhu Biao's incident, Zhu Yuanzhang learned some lessons.

Arriving at the Wenhua Hall, Old Zhu asked, "It is said that you loved to wield swords and guns when you were a child and could not sit still. I haven't seen you practicing swords and guns in the past two years. You have been working on these things at your desk all day long."

"Not really. I also practice swords and spears from time to time to stretch my muscles." Zhu Yunhuan was not bragging. This was the truth. "But my spear and sword skills have not improved. I'm afraid I can't even beat my second uncle."

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Although Chang Sheng is useless, he has at least led troops and fought in battles. He is just a fierce general. Do you believe that if they really charge into battle, your three uncles will be more ferocious than each other?"

Zhu Yunhuan asked, "I know they have some martial arts skills, but I didn't expect them to be so powerful?"

Zhu Yuanzhang picked up a memorial and said, "Chang Mao dared to grab Nahachu with one hand. Nahachu was a general of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and a veteran of the battlefield, but Chang Mao dared to draw his sword and kill him. The others can't even be generals, they are just brave men."

Zhu Yunhuan asked curiously, "Grandfather, didn't I go to Prince Kaiping's mansion yesterday? Are you here to criticize me now?"

"I told you to go out for a walk. It's already autumn." Old Zhu said, "Didn't you hear that Yunwen was boating in West Lake a few days ago, and he also went to West Lake with others to pick lotus roots. Look, your second brother is so leisurely, and you only know how to deal with government affairs."

Zhu Yuanzhang loved his grandson very much. He was very happy to see Zhu Yunhuan working so hard. But he also often thought that his grandson was in his prime. If there was no one to take care of things at home, this young boy would not be busy with government affairs all day.

Look at other children and grandchildren, even the children of noble families, each of them is freer than the crown prince.

Zhu Yunhuan became happy and said, "Okay, I will go boating in Xuanwu Lake in three days. I will invite my aunt and sister, and the nobles. I will also invite some people from the Imperial Academy and ask them to recite poems and compose essays. Is that okay?"

Old Zhu was immediately happy, "That's right, young people should act like young people. You are not even twenty yet, how can you act like one of us who are over sixty all day long? Look for someone suitable to arrange a marriage for your uncle and aunt."

This is not an exaggeration. After the sixteenth prince, Prince Qing Zhu Zan, there were still eight princes who had not married, including Prince Ning Zhu Quan.

Zhu Quan was of the right age to get married, but the youngest son, Zhu, was only eight years old, theoretically not yet ten years old enough to be crowned king.

As for Zhu Yuanzhang's daughters, most of them were married off, except for Princess Baoqing, who was only two years old and was still being kept in the palace.

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "Grandfather, I will decide the marriages of my uncles. Is that inappropriate?"

"Yes, what's wrong with that?" Old Zhu said, "Take your uncle Prince Ning for example, he's the same age as you. They're called uncle and nephew, but actually they're just like brothers. And your uncle Prince Qing is also the same age as you, and they got married last year."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but say, "Uncle Prince Qing sent a letter to complain a few days ago that he, the Prince Qing, was relocated to Weizhou City. He was supposed to go to Qingyang or Ningxia Town, but now he can only stay in Weizhou City temporarily. Not only did he not have a palace, but he also got married there."

Old Zhu said nonchalantly, "He is not the only one who is like this. How can he not be considerate? We are doing this for his own good. Can Qingyang afford to support him now? Besides, if he really goes to Qingyang now, it is hard to say whether he will be safe or not."

It was too close to the border, and it was a newly established war zone, so it was difficult to guarantee the prince's safety and bear the huge economic burden of the palace. So it was definitely not a bad idea to change the station to Weizhou City, and it was not a prejudice against Zhu Chan, the Prince of Qing.

The same is actually true for several Liao kings. For various reasons, they have not yet built royal palaces in their fiefdoms, but it is only a matter of time.

Old Zhu continued, "Your uncles will need you to take care of them sooner or later. We can't worry about these things anymore."

"Okay." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "We still have the aunts. Let them advise and choose a good family. But let me make it clear first, the princess I choose will only be from the Five Military Commandery. At the very least, she must be from a commander's family."

Old Zhu waved his hand, "It's up to you, whether it's from a duke's family or a commander's family, it's up to you."

"Anyway, I won't find a Mongolian woman for my uncle." Zhu Yunhuan poked at Old Zhu's heart, "Otherwise, I'm afraid there will be trouble again!"

Old Zhu was so angry that he wanted to hit someone, but that was just how his bastard grandson was. He would deliberately say something to poke people from time to time, and you'll get used to it.

Old Zhu thought about it carefully and asked, "Among these people now, is it the one from the family of the civil official that Yunwen found?"

Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "Shang Bing is younger than us, and he won't get engaged until two years later. Ji Hui has already been engaged to the Duke of Ying. Gao Chi is the same age as me, and he is engaged to the Commander Zhang Lin's family."

Old Zhu laughed and scolded, "What commander? It's nothing more than his daughter was chosen as the Crown Prince's Consort, so he was awarded the title of deputy commander of the army. This status is still not worthy of our fat grandson."

Old Zhu started to urge him again, "Get married soon and give us a great-grandson soon. People around your age have already started families. Look how successful Yunwen is. He just got married and the good news came over here."

Zhu Yunwen had not thought of these things either. He got married just after Zhu Biao's mourning period. But now there is movement. If nothing unexpected happens, they will have their first child next year.

Old Zhu was naturally happy, and he also had a great-grandson. Zhu Zanyi, from the lineage of Prince Jingjiang, was Old Zhu's great-grandson, but after all, he was a nephew's great-grandson.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Yunwen's descendants must be ranked according to the generation order. They must be named Wen and then Tu."

Yunwen follows the ancient teachings, this is the generation name of the lineage of Crown Prince Zhu Biao. Adding the five elements, this should be the earth.

Zhu Yunhuan asked, "Grandfather, who will name Yunwen's offspring? He should be my father's first grandson."

Old Zhu interrupted directly and said, "According to common sense, this is the case, but you are different. You are the crown prince, and you will be the emperor in the future. This is the position of the ancestors. Not to mention your brothers, even those uncles have to respect you."

Old Zhu opened his mouth and said to Zhu Yunhuan, "We are thinking of naming your offspring 'Wengui'."

Zhu Yunhuan felt something was wrong. In history, Zhu Yunwen's second son was Zhu Wengui, the Jian Shuren who was imprisoned by Zhu Di for decades and could not even recognize cattle and horses. He and Zhu Yunhuan's descendant 'Wu Shuren' were brothers in distress.

"Gui" is a kind of jade used by emperors and nobles in ceremonies. When Zhu Zhanji was born, it is said that Zhu Di dreamed that Zhu Di put a big Gui into his hand, which made Zhu Di suddenly have an illusion that his good grandson was blessed and protected by his ancestors.

Zhu Yunhuan immediately shook his head and said, "This name is not good, give it to my nephew."

Old Zhu immediately glared, "No, Yun Wen had fought with you before, and if his son is named Wen Gui, that's unacceptable! Just give his descendants any name you want. But if Wen Gui is not good enough for our great-grandson, how about calling him Wen Sheng?"

Zhu Yunhuan was shocked. "Grandfather, please don't do this! This name is too heavy, it won't work!"

Old Zhu has never concealed his preference. In his eyes, the first grandson is "Zhu Xiongying". It is ok that he is not named according to the generation name or the five elements, but he also means "ying" and "xiong".

Now that it's his great-grandson's turn, Old Zhu is thinking about "saint", which is really exaggerated.

Old Zhu immediately said, "That's Zhu Wenyao. Our great-grandson should be a saintly ruler like Yao and Shun!"

What is Zhu Wensheng? That was an ambush set by Old Zhu. When Zhu Yunhuan refuted, he immediately proposed a new name.

Wen Yao, of course, is derived from the three elements of earth, which means high, or it can also mean strong and powerful. But in the final analysis, when it comes to Zhu Yunhuan's legitimate son, it is "Yao", which is originally a homophone.

Old Zhu was very satisfied and looked at Zhu Yunhuan, "We will get married this year, and we will meet Wen Yao next year. With Wen Yao, we will let you be the emperor. We will not care if you move the money to the Kaiping Palace, and we will not ask about your shipbuilding and troop deployment in the navy. If you can't give birth to a son, we will deal with you next year!"

Although he was urged to go out and play and to have children, Zhu Yunhuan felt that he was treated very well.

However, Zhu Yunhuan also understood some of his own situation. Although it seemed that he was asked to travel and enjoy the scenery, he actually had a mission behind it.

Not to mention the crown prince, even the emperor would go on outings and autumn outings, and the ruler was not necessarily only responsible for handling government affairs. This series of activities actually required many arrangements in various aspects.

After finishing the business talk, Zhu Yunhuan said to Zhang Fusheng, "Did you hear that? Go and make arrangements. Go to Xuanwu Lake in three days. Pick up the Crown Princess by then. Have someone send the list over tomorrow."

Old Zhu was naturally very satisfied with Zhu Yunhuan's arrangement. Taking his grandson on a lake cruise was more than just a simple cruise.

"It's time for your brothers to come back. They've been away all year." Old Zhu looked forward to it. "They'll spend the New Year in Yingtianfu this year and watch you get married. Next year, you can ask them to come back and do the real work."

Zhu Shangbing, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Jihui and Zhu Youdun, these four princes still have a role. Although only Zhu Shangbing is in Xi'an now, the other three princes are visiting a group of uncles.

However, next year, the four princes will be different. They will go to the north to patrol the border. In fact, this also means that the third generation of the royal family has officially entered the court's field of vision and will begin to take on a series of important tasks.

As for Zhu Yunhuan, the grandson of the emperor, who had already stood in front of the stage, this was actually just an exception, and it was more of a status factor. However, the collective appearance of the prince of Qin and others meant that the third generation of the royal family had begun to mature.

In the long run, it means the stability of the Ming Dynasty.

Old Zhu smiled and was in a very good mood. "I heard that the grain produced in several imperial farms has increased this year. Your uncles are also very capable. The manure is good. It can give us more grain in the Ming Dynasty."

"Nowadays, only the royal family and some noble families use fertilizers in this way." Zhu Yunhuan said, "In a few years, I guess many ordinary people will not use fertilizers in this way. We still have to wait and see. We still have to make improvements if necessary."

Old Zhu was open-minded about this. "It doesn't matter if we wait a little longer, as long as it's useful. The rich and powerful now know all these methods, and we don't intend to hide them. We will teach them to the people. We will be happy when there is more food in the future."

It is not easy to promote new methods, especially since the current speed of dissemination is limited and it is still difficult to say how much people will recognize them.

But no matter what, the situation has shown a trend of improvement, which makes people feel happy and satisfied.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "That's true. It's just that manure is something that can never be too much. It's even harder for ordinary people. It's difficult for us to have as much as we do."

"Those collected nightshades have always been good things, and many farmers are willing to pay to buy them." Old Zhu knew this very well, "The people in Yingtian Prefecture think that feces and urine are troublesome, so they pay people to take them away. Farmers don't mind these things being dirty, and they think it's good to get an extra three or five buckets of grain."

This is naturally the actual situation. People who don’t farm will never know the hard work of farming.

Zhu Yunhuan was talking and chatting with Old Zhu, and it was time for dinner.

Others were busy with other things, especially after hearing that the Crown Prince was going to go boating in Xuanwu Lake this year. This was a very good opportunity for some people, and such a grand event was no less meaningful than an outing.

It is impossible for the emperor to go on an outing or autumn tour now, and only this powerful grandson of the emperor would organize such activities. Even though the threshold is terribly high, it has basically nothing to do with ordinary people.

But the aristocratic families, noble ministers, and literati, etc., they all want to show themselves.

Zhu Yourong ran to find Xu Miaojin, "My younger brother said that this trip is probably to select concubines for the other uncles. We can go together then. Do you know a few famous ladies here?"

Xu Miaojin said without pretense, "I do know a few of them, and they are not bad in temperament and appearance. I just don't know if His Highness has made any arrangements. After all, the princes have different identities."

"What's the difference? We can send the ones we think are suitable to him. Isn't it still him who decides whether they are suitable or not?" Zhu Yourong complained, "It's not good to let Yunxun manage the marriages of the uncles. If they are harmonious, it's fine. If not, we will blame him."

Xu Miaojin didn't know how to respond, but after thinking about it, she didn't think there was anything wrong.

Now that the emperor is here, theoretically it is the emperor who should arrange these things. But if you think about it carefully, considering the age of the emperor and the ages of the princes, sometimes it is not impossible to let the crown prince do it.

After all, the selection of the princess is no small matter. (End of this chapter)