Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Xu Miaojing, who married into the royal family and became the Crown Prince's Consort, felt a little strange. She did not feel any discomfort, although some things seemed to refresh her cognition.

She has never been a lazy person since she was a child, and is also relatively virtuous. However, sometimes she still feels that after becoming the Crown Prince's Consort, her life is even easier than when she was in her parents' home.

She didn't know exactly when she followed the Crown Prince into the Palace of Heavenly Purity. In short, the Emperor lived in the main bedroom, and she and Zhu Yunhuan lived in the side hall. She was a little worried at first, but now she feels very comfortable and natural.

As soon as he stood up, a maid came forward and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty is hosting a banquet today. Please make the decision, Your Highness."

Xu Miaojin was not polite. This was her responsibility. "Go and ask someone to find out when the imperial aunt and the imperial sister will enter the palace. Once it's arranged, bring the fourth and fifth imperial grandsons over as well."

The maids and eunuchs naturally did not dare to refute, and they honestly wrote down the words of the Crown Prince's Consort and carried out a series of things well. This person who had just entered the palace could be regarded as the third most powerful person in the palace.

The emperor never cared about the side palaces of the crown prince and the crown prince's consort, but Xu Miaojin, the crown prince's consort, was responsible for the food, clothing, housing and transportation of the entire Qianqing Palace. Occasionally, Concubine Guo Ning would take her to study and deal with some matters of the concubines in the palace, or the disposal of some eunuchs and maids in the palace.

Xu Miaojin now basically knows all the eunuchs and maids who are responsible for the daily life of the palace. Many things in the palace are now being handled by the new Crown Prince Consort.

In fact, everyone in the Qianqing Palace knew that the New Year was approaching, so the Crown Prince arranged to call some relatives back.

There was nothing that could be done about it. On the New Year's Day, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan not only had to go to court to accept congratulations, but also had to perform various sacrifices, etc. They were actually very busy.

Therefore, it is reasonable to arrange a reunion dinner in advance. At most, the old Zhu did not care much about it and would not deliberately call his son and daughter back after they left the palace.

"I told you, you have to be ruthless when employing people!" Old Zhu was very dissatisfied and scolded as he walked, "What a ridiculous thing your Minister of Rites is doing now! I asked him to go on a diplomatic mission to Annan, and this is what he did?"

Ren Hengtai has been on a diplomatic mission to Annan for more than half a year, and he has done a very good job in many things. The court is also arranging to recall him, so there is no problem with this.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan were originally worried that Ren Hengtai would behave recklessly in Annan and become the "emperor emeritus" just like the envoys of the Han and Tang dynasties who arrived in a vassal state.

Ren Hengtai did not do such a ridiculous thing, but he bought barbarians in Annan as slaves, which was extremely taboo. In theory, the Ming Dynasty did not allow such human trafficking.

Rich families have maids, servants, etc., but the situation is different. Even if they have signed a contract to sell themselves, they still have some guarantee of personal safety.

But what Ren Hengtai bought in Annan were not just slaves or servants, but real slaves.

It was ridiculous that the Minister of Rites of the Ming Dynasty went on a diplomatic mission to a vassal state and bought slaves after completing his business!
Zhu Yunhuan was also a little embarrassed. Theoretically, Ren Hengtai was the first important civil servant under his command. But Ren Hengtai turned out to be such a good show.

"I demoted him when he came back. This is really unreasonable!" Zhu Yunhuan said angrily, "I thought the six ministers were complete, but now one more is left vacant."

"You are not strong enough. If you are more ruthless, he will be afraid!" Old Zhu said dissatisfiedly, "You are kind, but when you are kind, your subordinates will be unbridled. Isn't that what is happening now?"

Zhu Yunhuan was speechless. He felt that he could not learn the harshness of Old Zhu. He was not a truly kind person, but he was indeed much more tolerant than Old Zhu.

Now that such a great general as Ren Hengtai had made such a joke, Zhu Yunhuan could no longer hold his head up in front of Zhu. Naturally, he had no choice but to obey.

It is estimated that this matter will spread throughout the court and the country in a few days. By then, Ren Hengtai will surely be impeached, and Zhu Yunhuan will not be bothered to protect him. He will definitely be demoted. This matter is really absurd.

"Grandfather." Seeing Zhu Yunhuan being scolded, Xu Miaojin hurriedly served tea, "The weather is cold, Grandfather, please have some tea."

Old Zhu glared at Zhu Yunhuan fiercely, then took the tea. This feudal old man always had a stern face in front of his daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law, but he would also protect the face of his son and grandson.

At first, Xu Miaojin was frightened when she saw Zhu Yunhuan being scolded, but later she got used to it. Because even if the emperor often scolded the grandson, it would not affect the fact that the grandson was favored.

What made Xu Miaojin even more frightened was that she had often seen the Crown Prince talk back to the Emperor, making him so angry that he shouted that he wanted to use family rules to punish him.

So Xu Miaojin also learned her lesson. She would show up in time to prevent the Emperor and the Crown Prince from arguing more fiercely.

In front of his grandson's wife, Old Zhu would not scold Zhu Yunhuan too harshly. When Xu Miaojin was present, Zhu Yunhuan would not really contradict Old Zhu.

Seeing Old Zhu taking the tea, Xu Miaojin said, "Grandfather, the aunts will enter the palace in about half an hour, and the banquet is ready."

"You are just too busy. You have to go to court before dawn and have to eat during festivals. How annoying." Old Zhu said, "You are just annoying."

Zhu Yunhuan said unhappily, "Is it wrong for the whole family to have a reunion dinner during the New Year? Ordinary families do this, but our family shouldn't do this?"

"Are all the people really here?" Old Zhu asked, "You invited your unmarried aunt and uncle who didn't get married? They are your real aunt and sister, but you just invited them."

Xu Miaojin interrupted and said, "Grandfather, my brothers will also come. I have already asked someone to invite them."

Old Zhu looked at Xu Miaojin, nodded and said with a smile, "You are more generous than Yunhuan."

"I was the one who called them. She didn't dare to call the fourth and fifth uncles." Zhu Yunhuan was even more upset and argued, "Besides, if I really called all the uncles, you would definitely chase them away."

Old Zhu snorted coldly without refutation. In his opinion, some sons and grandsons only need to be looked at once. If they really swarmed around him, he would be annoyed.

Sometimes Xu Miaojin didn't know what to say. Sometimes when the emperor and the crown prince were chatting, it seemed to others that they were just arguing, scolding or talking back.

But the two parties involved were completely unaware, as they had long been accustomed to it. But the others were terrified, fearing that the emperor would be furious and the crown prince would disobey.

She had heard before that the Crown Prince was favored and a playboy, but after she really married into the royal family, she felt that some things were even more exaggerated than the rumors.

Now even thinking about the fact that the rules of the royal family are actually very big, only the emperor and the grandson do not particularly follow those rules. The rules of these two are applied to other people. Whether living in the East Palace or now in the Qianqing Palace, Xu Miaojin feels that the rules here are even worse than when she was at her mother's house.

There is no such thing as not talking while eating or sleeping. There is also no such thing as being polite when meeting elders every day, and following the rules when speaking and doing things. The main focus is on being casual, and being close to others makes it seem like there are no rules at all sometimes.

Sometimes Xu Miaojin even felt that the way the emperor and the crown prince got along with each other was more like a family, the kind that was very close.

In fact, Concubine Guo Ning also told Xu Miaojin that the way the emperor and the crown prince get along is almost exactly the same as the way the emperor treated the crown prince back then.

The difference is that the Crown Prince seems to be more extroverted, unlike the Crown Prince who expresses his emotions in a more subtle way.

So even though the emperor sometimes flew into a rage and scolded the crown prince for not knowing the rules, or had a stern face and refused to accept the crown prince's closeness, he was actually very happy in private.

"We still have to prepare for the court ceremony and banquet tomorrow, so we will be busy from morning till night." Zhu Yunhuan lazily basked in the sun and said, "Grandfather, why don't you go over later tomorrow and I will go to court first."

Old Zhu smiled and said, "We won't be emperor if we have a great-grandson. The emperor didn't show up during the court ceremony, and you, the great grandson, are so anxious? How about we go rowing a boat someday, and you won't be anxious anymore."

If Xu Miaojin had heard this in the past, she would have been so scared that she would kneel on the ground and dare not move. The emperor's words implied that he was comparing the Crown Prince with the Xuanwu Gate Incident of Emperor Taizong of Tang.

But now she was used to it. The emperor always played jokes on the crown prince about the throne, as if he didn't care about the supreme throne at all.

"Then I'll go later. I'll sleep in!" Zhu Yunhuan said with a grin, "It's better to suffer alone than to suffer together."

Although she knew Zhu Yunhuan was joking, Xu Miaojin still advised, "Your Highness, congratulating the emperor and entertaining the ministers is a big deal, so please be careful with your words."

Zhu Yunhuan was immediately embarrassed, but old Zhu laughed happily. He thought that this granddaughter-in-law was very sensible and much better than his outspoken grandson.

Old Zhu followed suit, saying, "It's fine to say this at home, but it will be disgraceful if it gets out. You're not even emperor yet and you're already neglecting your duties. That's unacceptable! You'll cause trouble sooner or later with your mouth!"

"I have to be so reserved outside that I dare not joke too much, for fear that others will think too much." Zhu Yunhuan said helplessly, "I can't joke at home either. I have to be so reserved all day long. How tiring!"

It was difficult for Old Zhu to refute this, because his grandson seemed to have a somewhat "frivolous" personality sometimes.

The current situation is really good. At least we won't make jokes casually in more formal occasions. We are just worried that some ministers may misinterpret it and cause trouble.

While they were chatting and laughing, Zhang Fusheng came to report that Princess Anqing and others had entered the palace to seek an audience.

The Qianqing Palace suddenly became lively. In fact, ever since Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin moved into the Qianqing Palace, it has become much more lively. At least Zhu is no longer left alone in the Qianqing Palace when he returns.

It’s just that Zhu Yunhuan sometimes complained bitterly. Zhu was a workaholic by nature. He worked day and night without any distinction between work and rest, and there was no concept of get off work or leave.

In the past, he could hide in the East Palace, but now he couldn't. When Zhu Yunhuan remembered something, he would call for help. If Zhu Yunhuan dared to hide in the bedroom and didn't come out, Zhu Yunhuan would stand at the door and shout and scold him.

"Mei Shunchang, come here!" Zhu Yunheng shouted, "You good boy, you have lost your spirit, you are like a plague chicken!"

Mei Shunchang stepped forward quickly and said with a bitter face, "Your Highness, I know my crime."

Old Zhu looked at his grandson and said to Mei Yin and Princess Ningguo, "You taught him well. Our grandson is well-educated and well-mannered. He is so calm at such a young age. This is a good thing!"

Princess Ningguo said with a smile, "Father, I am in a dilemma. Shunchang is a dull person, and I think this is a good thing. He should not show off his status. But Yunxun likes tough kids, so what can I do?"

"Never mind him, we just like honest kids." Old Zhu said happily, "Mei Yin is so good, he can be our trusted minister."

Others felt that the emperor's words were too exaggerated. If the emperor really liked honest children, he would not have doted on this grandson. The so-called important minister entrusted with the care of the young prince, look at the power in the hands of this grandson, if he was really an important minister entrusted with the care of the young prince, he would have been severely punished.

The emperor likes all honest children except his grandson who is the crown prince. This way, he can worry less. Such members of the royal family or relatives are honest and will not cause trouble.

It would be better to have a minister like Mei Yin who is dedicated to his duties and low-key. He is very easy to use. These are some of his preferences.

"Stupid." Zhu Yunhuan rubbed Mei Shunchang's head and said to Princess Ningguo, "Aunt, I've told you many times that Shunchang is too honest. You always suppress him, and the child has lost his mischievousness."

Princess Anqing did not indulge Zhu Yunhuan and directly said, "How good are you? You try to figure out people's minds all day long. I would say you are much more mature than the people in Shunchang!"

"What are you talking about?" Old Zhu was immediately unhappy and was about to yell at his 'little daughter', "You are so old, do you really think you are still a child and have no sense of propriety or seriousness when speaking?"

Princess Anqing was used to it. Her father was so partial. Not only did he favor boys over girls, but he only had eyes for his eldest son and grandson. No matter how hard others tried, it was difficult for them to get a word of praise.

Zhu Yunhuan changed the subject and said, "Shunchang has made some progress and looks quite heroic. In the spring of next year, he will go to Beiping with his uncle and be responsible for patrolling the border and training troops with Youdun."

Mei Yin and Princess Ningguo were a little worried, but they would not refute anything. This was a big deal and they could not refuse or reject it. And if they really went to Beiping, they could accept it. It was not like they were really on the front line.

The Qianqing Palace is so bustling and it seems to have a little bit of life.

But there's nothing wrong with Old Zhu sitting there calmly. He is the head of the family and no one will say anything.

Zhu Yunhuan was thick-skinned. He not only sat there basking in the sun, but also talked about this and arranged that from time to time, and everyone seemed to take it for granted.

What are the positions of this old and young? They are the head of the family and the future head of the family. (End of this chapter)