Daming: I am the Crown Prince

The 28th year of Hongwu passed just like that, and a lot of things happened for Zhu Yunhuan during this year.

Leaving aside personal matters, just talking about national politics, things are basically stable, and many things are developing in the direction he expected.

Zhu Yunhuan felt that his life did not seem to have changed much after getting married, because he still had a lot of things to do, and state affairs took up most of his time and energy.

But it's unrealistic to say that there has been no change at all. Xu Miaojin's presence allows him to not worry too much about the affairs in the palace, as she can take care of it very well.

Even if he felt a little restrained or unfamiliar at first, he would be able to get the hang of it quickly and slowly, which made Zhu Yunhuan feel more at ease.

With a mistress at home, the house is indeed much more lively than when there were only two men, and Zhu Yunhuan no longer has to worry about trivial matters.

"Your Highness, tomorrow will be Jizu's full moon." Seeing Zhu Yunhuan coming back, Xu Miaojin said with a smile, "Although I sent a gift before, it would be a bit unreasonable for Your Highness not to go there in person."

"It's time to go, otherwise it would be really embarrassing." Zhu Yunhuan asked with a smile, "Is my cousin good-looking?"

Xu Miaojin thought for a moment before saying, "I did see Jizu when he was born, but babies are usually ugly and ugly. Xu Qin was even uglier when he was born."

This is also the advantage of having a hostess at home. Chang Jizu was born on the first day of the first lunar month. Zhu Yunhuan was busy at that time and did not go there in person. It was Xu Miaojin who came on his behalf.

"Yun Hun, this kid, claims to know everything in the world, but he doesn't understand many common things." Old Zhu put his hands behind his back, shook his head and sighed, "Newborn babies are not good-looking, but they will be fat and white in two months."

Zhu Yunhuan did not refute, but still asked, "The future founding duke has been born, and grandfather really has no expression at all?"

"No, not at all!" Old Zhu said neatly, "You've sent quite a few gifts, and so have others. There's no need for us to send any more."

This didn't seem to be a problem. Zhu Yunhuan had already sent a lot of gifts, so theoretically it was enough. Moreover, on the day Chang Jizu was born, Xu Miaojin, the Crown Prince's Consort, came to visit him in person and stayed there for several days in a row. This was a great honor.

Zhu Yunhuan did not force it, and said with a smile, "What about the title of Duke Xin? Should we wait a little longer?"

Old Zhu was silent for a moment and then said, "Now many noble families are waiting to inherit the title. The Tang family should wait a little longer. When you and Miao Jin have a child, I will consider whether you can inherit it."

Tang He's situation was somewhat special. Old Zhu cared more about his old brother and did not intend to make it difficult for the Tang family to inherit the title.

However, it is hard to say about other nobles. Although some titles are hereditary, the imperial court has been reluctant to allow inheritance, which makes those princes anxious.

Think about it, three of Tang He's five sons died. Fortunately, the eldest grandson Tang Yu also served Zhu Yunhuan for a period of time and was considered by many to be the crown prince's confidant.

Therefore, it was not surprising that Tang Yu could inherit the title. Xin Guogong Tang He had a very close relationship with the emperor. In addition, the crown prince also took good care of the Tang family, so naturally everything went smoothly and came to fruition.

Seeing that Xu Miaojin wanted to leave, Old Zhu was naturally more satisfied. This granddaughter-in-law was very perceptive and smart.

At first, she was reluctant to get involved in the affairs of the palace, and it seemed that she only intended to take over the affairs of the Eastern Palace. It was only after Old Zhu and Zhu Yunhuan repeatedly requested that Xu Miaojin began to take over some of the affairs of the palace.

However, the content she took over was all the instructions given by Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan, and she would not take the initiative to do anything that was not mentioned. Moreover, as long as Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan talked about some political affairs, she would take the initiative to leave, never saying a word, and not being curious.

Some people think that this may not be enough of a "virtuous wife", but in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, this is the best thing. The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, not even the slightest sign of it!

But this time the situation was special, so Old Zhu said, "Miao Jin, sit down and listen. You should not interfere in the affairs of the court, but there are some things you should be aware of."

Seeing Xu Miaojing looking at Zhu Yunhuan for advice, Old Zhu was naturally happier, because this was exactly the way he wanted to see his granddaughter-in-law.

"This year I have arranged for some noble princes to fight against bandits. It is really outrageous that the heartland of the Central Plains has become a gathering place for bandits." Zhu Yunhuan said, "If these noble princes do not perform well, they will have to wait for their titles."

There had been reports before that there were bandits in Tai'an Prefecture. Bordered by Mount Tai in the east and Wudaoling in the west, it was a long and deep place, and many fugitives gathered there, often going out of the mountains to rob.

"After becoming rich and powerful, many people have forgotten their roots." Old Zhu said to Zhu Yunhuan, "You should rectify the corruption among civil officials and the rampant nobles. In the past few years, we killed many people, and the administration of officials was better. Now you should continue to be stricter!"

Zhu Yunhuan had no objection to this. His method of killing corrupt officials was frightening, but if the administration of officials was not rectified, more people would suffer and the losses to the court would be greater, so there was no reason to be merciful.

At most, Zhu Yunhuan would not implicate too many people, but he would definitely take action when it is necessary, and there is no sympathy for those corrupt officials.

Old Zhu looked at Xu Miaojin and said seriously, "You are Tiande's daughter, so you should know something. In recent years, we don't allow nobles to inherit the title easily, and no one can be granted a title unless they have made great contributions. When the time comes, someone will surely come to plead for mercy, and you must not help to plead for mercy then."

Xu Miaojin quickly replied, "Grandfather, rest assured. I know my limits. If it's other matters, it's fine. But I won't say anything about the court's important matters."

"When your grandmother was alive, some nobles knew that it was useless to ask us for mercy, so they thought of ways to ask your grandmother for mercy. She was kind-hearted." Old Zhu said, "If it were us, we shouldn't have listened to her in the beginning, and now we have too many titles!"

This hindsight statement sounded very reasonable, but Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin tacitly pretended to be deaf and dumb. They didn't dare to participate in this topic, even to agree with it.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang's control and reduction of titles is obvious to all. There is no need to be surprised. In recent years, only titles were abolished, and no new titles were added.

Mei Yin had some merits and a good family background, but he had no title. Some of the founding dukes and marquises were gone, and their sons were eagerly looking forward to being granted titles, but the court refused to grant them titles and kept raising the requirements for inheriting the titles.

Not only Zhu Yuanzhang had this attitude, Zhu Yunhuan also maintained a high degree of consistency with Zhu Yuanzhang on this matter and would not confer a title easily.

Chang Sen has no title, only Zhu Yunhuan is constantly making big promises, and it is very likely that he will continue to do so.

It can be said that there was no psychological barrier in doing these things. Zhu Yunhuan did not intend to kill meritorious officials on a large scale, but he would strictly control the number of titles to prevent the power of the noble group from expanding.

Old Zhu looked at Xu Miaojin and continued to ask, "After you entered the palace, have you still paid attention to the fertilizer and plows?" Xu Miaojin replied politely, "Sun Chen has paid attention to it, and the imperial farm often sends people to ask about it. But Sun Chen has been a little slack in recent days and has only been focusing on the palace."

Everyone knew how much Zhu attached importance to agriculture. So Xu Miaojin knew very well that even though she had become the Crown Prince's Consort, she shouldn't do nothing.

The main job is to take good care of Zhu Yunhuan and strive to have a son to inherit the bloodline as soon as possible, which can be said to be the most important thing. But thinking about the character of Zhu and Zhu Yunhuan, doing more things is definitely not a bad thing.

Workaholic Lao Zhu said, "You are new to the palace, and there are so many things to do right now. Pay attention later. Spring is coming soon, and farming must not be delayed."

The energetic Lao Zhu often "judges others by his own standards". He thinks that if he can do something, others should be able to do it too. He can arrange his time well and handle many things, so as long as others don't slack off, they can naturally do more things.

This is Lao Zhu’s simple understanding. Some people don’t do much, and Lao Zhu doesn’t think it is a problem of ability, but rather that their attitude is not correct and they are trying every means to be lazy!

Zhu Yunhuan helped to speak up, "Miao Jin is also busy now. After all, she didn't grow up in the palace, so she doesn't understand many things. She is very measured in her actions, unlike me who does things without rules. I think if I can take over the affairs of the palace in a year, then she will be a great help to me."

Old Zhu thought about it and felt that it made a lot of sense. He said, "It's because there's no one in charge in the palace, so it's still a bit chaotic."

In fact, it is not a messy palace. Overall, it is smooth and orderly. The only thing is the transfer and distribution of power, which is a little messy.

Without Zhu Lao and Zhu Yunhuan asking too much, Concubine Guo Ning, who was in charge of the imperial palace, could not bring happiness to everyone. Because it was not legitimate, and this was the embarrassment of the harem being without a master.

For Xu Miaojin, the most important thing for her now is to take over the palace. What she needs is to establish enough prestige. These are not trivial matters, they are serious matters.

Zhu Yunhuan also said, "She and I are somewhat different. After all, I am the grandson of the crown prince and I am spoiled by my grandfather. If she can't gain respect sooner, I'm afraid it will become increasingly difficult to manage her in the future."

Old Zhu asked, "Do you mean we have too many concubines?"

Zhu Yunhuan immediately denied it, "That's not the case, it's just that the people in the palace like to climb up and like to figure out people's hearts. Apart from other things, just the fact that these people often take advantage of the powerful to trample on the weak is enough to make people uncomfortable."

Old Zhu looked at Xu Miaojin and became more serious. "You also heard what Yunxun said. If you are not ruthless, you will not be able to stand firm in this palace. You are the daughter-in-law of the house. If you can't manage the affairs of this palace, how can you manage those noble ladies in the future! Hurry up, some things can only rely on you."

Xu Miaojin replied, "Sun Chen understands."

Old Zhu suddenly said, "If Miao Jin wants to take charge of things quickly, we don't need to go through so much trouble. Yun Hun, you should think about your wife. If you have children, it will be easy. When the time comes, we will have great-grandchildren, and who dares to be dissatisfied with Miao Jin!"

Zhu Yunhuan almost vomited blood. Old Zhu had destroyed it before, and then he kept trying to induce labor. Many times, it was hard to figure out what Old Zhu was thinking. No matter what the topic was, he could always turn it to inducing labor.

Xu Miaojin blushed. She was used to this matter. The emperor's frequency of induced labor was indeed very high.

But there is nothing we can do about this. Some things may just have to be left to nature and require a bit of luck.

We chatted for a while and then prepared to rest after dinner.

Xu Miaojin's face flushed, and she whispered, "Your Highness, my period has not come."

Zhu Yunxun was stunned for a moment, then he became a little excited, "Have you invited the imperial physician? Come on, send someone to call him!"

"I dare not." Xu Miaojin said, "Now calculate the date, it is only one or two days late. If you really call the imperial physician, the emperor will definitely know, and I dare not let the emperor be happy for nothing."

Zhu Yunhuan also understood this principle. As Zhu Yunhuan was now so eager to hold his great-grandson, it would be a big deal if he knew that Xu Miaojin had summoned the imperial physician.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully and said, "Don't think too much about this matter. It's better to let the imperial physician take your pulse. Even if it's false joy, it doesn't matter. After all, we are still young, so there is no need to rush."

Zhu Yunhuan then shouted to the outside of the palace, "Are you outside?"

Zhang Fusheng immediately pushed the door open and entered the hall, kneeling down hastily, "Your Highness, I am here."

"Go and summon the imperial physicians." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "Don't tell me what it is, just call a few more imperial physicians."

Zhang Fusheng was startled, but then he vaguely guessed something and immediately got up in a hurry.

There was actually not much movement in the side hall, but as soon as there was the slightest disturbance, Zhu Yuanzhang would know about it immediately. This was also the reason why Zhu Yunhuan did not want to move to the Qianqing Palace before.

Old Zhu looked very happy, and for the first time he ran into the side hall, "You two kids, you didn't even tell us about such a big thing!"

"Grandfather, there hasn't been much news yet." Zhu Yunhuan said hurriedly, fearing that Xu Miaojin would feel burdened. "It's only been two months since we got married. There are uncertainties. How can I let you worry too much."

Old Zhu didn't think so and said, "It's hard to say. Our grandson and granddaughter-in-law are more capable."

Zhang Fusheng was also a powerful figure. Since this matter involved the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, he was not afraid to mobilize a large number of people and summoned more than ten imperial doctors at once. Moreover, many of them were good at pediatrics and gynecology.

The trembling imperial doctors were even more frightened when they saw the emperor and the crown prince looking serious and nervous as if they were facing a great enemy, and they were extremely careful when taking Xu Miaojin's pulse.

"Speak!" Old Zhu was anxious. Seeing the imperial doctors whispering after taking the pulse, he immediately shouted, "Are you mute?"

An imperial physician knelt down and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Crown Prince's Consort is pregnant!" (End of this chapter)