Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Although some things made Zhu Yunhuan very unhappy, there was nothing he could do about it because those things had already happened.

What he had to do was to curb some phenomena. He would not let go easily those who resold salt permits and undermined the opening of the China-Japan Treaty. Even the children of the royal family had to understand that doing these things would lead to great trouble.

'Selling indicators' seems to be a really good business. For those who are powerful, making money is too quick and too easy. They must still be complacent about making money in this way.

The new day started with an early morning court session, and this time naturally some seemingly more important things happened.

No matter whether Li Yuancheng is a real envoy or not, on the surface he is an envoy sent by the King of Annan to the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor must summon him when the time comes.

The son of the powerful official of Annan submitted the letter of credence in an honest and proper manner, knelt before the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and stated his requests, etc. There is nothing surprising about this, it is all normal operation.

As for Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude, it seemed to be just that. He accepted the letter and the tribute from Annan, but did not mention any rewards or any thoughts on the Annan government for the time being.

This naturally made Li Yuancheng nervous, but he really had no better solution now and could only wait patiently.

There is nothing that can be done about it. This is the Ming Dynasty after all. Annan dare not show off its power in the Ming Dynasty.

After the morning court session, Zhu Yunhuan called Mei Yin to Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Yunhuan got straight to the point and said, "Uncle, you will go to Taicang in a couple of days to supervise all the affairs in Jiangnan."

Mei Yin instantly became serious and asked, "Your Highness, what should I investigate this time?"

Taicang, this is also Suzhou Prefecture under the direct jurisdiction of the Zhili Region.

However, there is a Liujia Port in Taicang, where the grain of the Yuan Dynasty was shipped out to sea. In fact, it is the estuary of the Yangtze River and the starting point of Zheng He's voyage to the West in history.

A few years ago, Zhu built a warehouse at the South Wharf of Taicang, where a lot of grain of the Ming Dynasty was stored. Taicang was still the choice for grain transportation.

Moreover, Suzhou was originally an important grain tax base in the Ming Dynasty, and Taicang was an important tax base in Suzhou Prefecture. It had the richest financial and material resources in the world, and it had an extremely outstanding shipbuilding industry, which derived many supporting facilities.

The Baochuan Shipyard and Longjiang Shipyard in Yingtian Prefecture were responsible for manufacturing large ships, while the shipyard in Taicang was mainly famous for building warships, especially small and medium-sized warships of two to three hundred tons.

Due to the special characteristics of this place, there are also very outstanding sailors and navigators here. The organizers and leaders of maritime transport in the Yuan Dynasty, such as Zhu Qing, Zhang Xuan, Yin Minglue, etc., were all from Taicang.

By the time of the Ming Dynasty, based on these historical accumulations and the importance attached to Taicang water transport, a large number of troops were stationed here, with many outstanding sailors.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Uncle, this time you should check the ships, sailors, and some of the prepared firearms. Also, check the grain transport, sea salt and other matters."

Mei Yin didn't think that so many things were complicated. Since the Crown Prince wanted him to inspect, if he only made one thing clear, he would do it well. But if he said in advance that he would "supervise" the affairs of Jiangnan Prefecture, it meant that he had to do all kinds of things.

Zhu Yunhuan did not hide it and continued, "I plan to send people out to sea to suppress the Japanese pirates in a few days. Uncle, please check the ships and sailors first. Don't be careless."

Mei Yin took the order seriously. The Crown Prince said that it was to suppress the Japanese invaders and the bandits, so it was to suppress the Japanese invaders and the bandits, and nothing else.

As for whether to go out to sea, etc., Mei Yin actually has an idea in mind.

Where did all the ships that the Crown Prince had built go? Some elite troops were deployed in coastal areas such as Fujian and Zhejiang, and the warships were replaced one after another. In fact, everyone knew the answer.

Mei Yin felt that after his inspection this time, the Crown Prince would arrange for someone to report the discovery of pirates and Japanese pirates. At that time, the Ming navy would naturally go to sea, and no one would be able to object to this matter.

If you oppose it, that means you are collaborating with the Japanese.

What's more, the imperial court had already set the bounty for the Japanese pirates and the Tatars at the same level, and all of this was preliminary preparation.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "As for the salt merchants and tyrants, I will take a good look at them. If there is collusion between officials and businessmen, I will arrest them immediately and put them on trial."

Mei Yin became even more serious, "Your Highness, there are no big salt merchants in Jiangnan and other places for the time being, right?"

Jiangnan Prefecture is an important place in the capital, and the emperor is right in front of it. Anyone who dares to "grow bigger and stronger" in such a place is simply seeking his own death.

Zhu Yunhuan simply said, "Don't underestimate the greed of many people. Now some people dare to eye the salt permits."

Mei Yin's face changed instantly. No wonder the Crown Prince was so angry.

This is not just about salt, it is also about taxes. After all, in the feudal dynasty, salt and iron were basically monopolized, which was one of the most important sources of tax revenue for the court. This is definitely something that cannot be taken lightly.

Moreover, this also involves the opening of the China-France relationship and involves issues such as food security at border garrisons, which can be considered a matter of national security.

If someone wanted to take advantage of these things, it would be normal for the Crown Prince to be furious. Even if a big case was triggered, no one would find it strange.

It’s because these things are too sensitive and no one can treat them with a normal mind.

Zhu Yunhuan stared at Mei Yin and said, "I don't trust other people to do these things. They will inevitably implicate some royal family members, dignitaries, and powerful people."

Mei Yin understood what he meant and said solemnly, "Your Highness, I will enforce the law impartially and will not be partial!"

Mei Yin was also very clear about his position. He seemed to be born into a noble family, but he was not a proper noble. He was more of a relative of the emperor, which also destined him to become a "lone minister".

In the past, he could rely on the fact that his wife was the emperor's legitimate daughter, or because of some of his own abilities, he became the emperor's favorite son-in-law. These were indeed Mei Yin's advantages.

But Mei Yin knew very well that the emperor did not even love his daughter, let alone his son-in-law. The emperor only had eyes for the descendants of Zhu, and among these descendants he only liked the eldest.

If it were in the past, Mei Yin still felt that with his abilities and character, he might have a chance to become an important minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor.

But now, if you look at it more carefully, this Crown Prince is in power, and his skills and mind are very strong. Now there is no need to consider entrusting the orphan to an important minister, as that will only be a stumbling block for the Crown Prince after he ascends the throne.

If there really were any important ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor, they might just be cleared out. Mei Yin was aware of all these things, so now he really didn't have any unrealistic ideas. It was enough for him to do his job well.

After arranging some things for Mei Yin, Zhu Yunhuan breathed a sigh of relief. Some things just needed to be carried out in an orderly manner, and the basic work had to be done step by step.

Whether it is to let Mei Yin go to Taicang to check the series of preparations such as ships and sailors, or to let him investigate matters such as salt permits, it is very necessary.

However, these are obviously not enough. There is still a lot of ongoing work to be done, and we need to start working on it.

Daoyan glanced at Zhu Yunhuan. This Crown Prince really had the mind and skills of an emperor.

There is no doubt that Zhu Zhong and Jiang Li were asked to investigate some things. The Jinyiwei or the Northern Pacification Division did these things, and this was the meaning of their existence.

However, while the emperor's spies were being spread out, Mei Yin, a foreign relative, was allowed to inspect Suzhou Prefecture and other places with great fanfare. This was not to cover up for Zhu Zhong and others.

This is also a very obvious and intuitive move, which is to make local officials and powerful people anxious. This is an "imperial envoy", and a minister whose position is highly consistent with that of the royal family and seems to be impeccable.

While reviewing the memorials, Zhu Yunhuan asked, "Where is Li Yuancheng? Why hasn't he come yet?"

Daoyan immediately replied, "Your Highness, Li Yuancheng returned to the posthouse after leaving the court."

Zhu Yunhuan was stunned for a moment. "He went back to the posthouse? I told him yesterday that I would let him see me. Who told him to go back?"

Zhang Fusheng carefully reminded him, "Your Highness, during the morning court session, His Majesty treated the Annan envoys leniently and ordered the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple to host a banquet for them."

Zhu Yunhuan was speechless at this point, and even felt a little embarrassed. This matter was really a little misunderstanding, and there was still some uncoordinated cooperation between Zhu and Zhu Yunhuan.

But this is normal. Although the two of them communicated a little, they didn't discuss anything specific.

Zhu just summoned him and held a banquet according to etiquette. Zhu Yunhuan instinctively thought that it was enough to call him over after summoning him, without considering other factors too much.

Old Zhu was right, and Zhu Yunxun was right, so this matter was just a little bit of a mistake. But it was harmless, so let Li Yuancheng eat and drink well first and feel the generosity of the suzerain country.

Just summon him to the palace tomorrow, and discuss some more important matters then. This can be considered as courtesy before force. The country of etiquette still has its own procedures and rituals for entertaining envoys.

Although there were some small mistakes, Zhu Yunhuan obviously did not take these things to heart and there was nothing to worry about.

Just continue to deal with other things. As the Crown Prince, he does have a lot of things on his hands, and he must act quickly when necessary.

Continuing to work at his desk and reviewing memorials, this was Zhu Yunhuan's work and life status and he had long been accustomed to it.

After a busy day of government affairs, Zhu Yunhuan also came to Wuying Hall, "Grandfather, I should go to Dongling in a few days."

Old Zhu's expression darkened, but he also said, "It's time to go over there. Bring your fourth and fifth sons over as well. Your father will be happy to see them."

Zhu Yunhuan said, "It's time for the third son to be crowned a king. It's no big deal if this matter is dragged on. Now think about it, how about I crown him the governor of Huguang?"

Zhu Yunwen was already thirteen years old, and the fifth son Zhu Yunxi was only seven years old. This meant that Zhu Yunwen could indeed consider becoming a fiefdom. After all, there were princes in the Ming Dynasty who became fiefdoms at the age of fourteen or fifteen.

However, Zhu Yunwen has not yet been granted the title of a prince, although Zhu Yuanzhang has stipulated that members of the royal family can be granted the title of a prince when they are ten years old. However, this is "can", not that they must be granted the title of a prince immediately when they are ten years old.

This is the same as those nobles inheriting the titles. It does not mean that as soon as the duke or marquis dies, their descendants will immediately inherit the title. They can also wait for a year, more than ten years, or even a lifetime.

The only difference is that members of the royal family will be conferred titles sooner or later, and they won’t have to wait for more than ten years or even dozens of years, which would be unreasonable.

Old Zhu thought about it carefully and said, "You should go to Yunnan, Guizhou and Bashu. It's not appropriate for you to reclaim land in Huguang."

Zhu Yunhuan did open up a large amount of farmland in Huguang and other places, hoping to realize the scene of "Huguang is prosperous and the world is well-fed" as soon as possible. However, this was more of a policy guide, encouraging the people, encouraging the princes, and mobilizing some military garrisons.

"Forget about Bashu and other places. My fourth son can't stand the hardship." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Huguang is fine. It's not much different from Yingtian Prefecture, and it's not too rich or too poor."

Seeing that Old Zhu was about to speak, Zhu Yunxun quickly said, "How could the matter between Yunxun and I involve Old Four and Old Five? When Old Four saw me, he was like a mouse seeing a cat. At that time, he still remembered something."

Old Zhu did not object, and Zhu Yunxun continued, "Yunxun and the fourth brother are far away, so I have nothing to fear. I will put him in front of Uncle Twelve, and let him learn how to do things from his heroic and chivalrous uncle!"

Old Zhu was very happy now. He had only met Zhu Yunwen a few times, but he knew that the boy was timid and a little petty. It wouldn't hurt to let Zhu Bo teach him a little.

"Let's wait until the year after next, when they are about the same age." Old Zhu said with a smile, "When you ascend the throne, you can immediately make your brother a king, which is also a good thing."

"When that time comes, Yunwen will have to come back." Zhu Yunhuan joked, "It is said that he has made great progress in his studies in the past two years. I will ask him to compose a poem in seven steps."

Old Zhu glared at Zhu Yunhuan fiercely. This grandson always liked to joke. Fortunately, it was in front of his family. What if outsiders heard it?

Seeing that Zhu Yunhuan was still trying to make jokes, Old Zhu suddenly asked, "How many people do you plan to kill this time?"

"That depends on how many people are involved in this matter." Zhu Yunhuan also knew that some things could not be hidden from Zhu. "If anyone dares to lay hands on the salt permit or the opening of the China-Japan Treaty, I will chop off their claws directly."

Old Zhu couldn't help but sigh. His grandson had a really bad life. Every time he encountered a big event, there were always some twists and turns and he never had a smooth life.

He was preparing to ascend the throne, and now something like this happened, it is very likely to be a big case!

However, Lao Zhu understands better that some things need to be dealt with decisively when the time comes and they cannot be delayed.

Whether the timing is right or not, there is no need to worry, just get the job done! (End of this chapter)